President-elect Barack Obama has inherited an extremely high budget deficit. He will begin his presidency with the country involved in two costly wars. The stock market is being severely challenged, to say the least. The American infrastructure is in desperate need of repair, evidenced by the bridge collapse a couple of years ago. Financial institutions are to receive massive amounts of funding to bail them out of their financial crisis. Then there’s the environment, including, but not limited to, global warming.
The preceding issues that President-elect Obama is currently facing are just the tip of an iceberg. The American people have confidence in him that he can bring positive change, as evidenced by his winning the popular vote as well as the majority of votes from the Electoral College. Change was the central theme of his campaign platform. I was surprised to see the cover story of the Chicago Reader immediately after he won, which contained a drawing of him with the words “Don’t Screw This Up.” I was surprised because the title overlooks that “This” is already “Screwed Up.” Some would argue that it’s been “screwed up” for quite a long time. The title is also a subtle, indirect implication that Obama has “screwed up” things previously. Obama deserves realistic expectations from those who voted for him, tempered with the reality of what he and his cabinet are inheriting and are expected to correct.
Public figures can be made fun of, the object of jokes, publicly and privately discussed and can receive negative press. Public figures can even be made fun of on Saturday Night Live. The point is that Barack Obama is being asked to do the near impossible. He has the “outside of the box” thinking and creativity to approach the many problems he faces. He is liked all around the world. He has the support of the majority of American people, evidenced by the votes he received, but to scrutinize him and to doubt him due to his recently named cabinet appointments is beyond skepticism. To criticize him before he has been sworn in is unfair because he hasn’t even been given a chance to make a mistake yet. I tried to envision what “making a mistake” could look like though. It can be worse, of course; this I do know, but it’s pretty bad right now folks, BEFORE his presidency.
If the stock market continues to decline, is Obama REALLY the one to blame, or was that snowball sent rolling BEFORE he became president? If violence increases in Iraq, is Obama to blame? If global warming makes it so hot that it’s 96 degrees in January right here in Chicago, is Barack Obama to blame? Sure, you can research how he voted as an Illinois senator for the past few years, but to blame HIS PRESIDENCY for what he inherited as the 44th president is unfair. To be so critical of him within three weeks of winning the election is to overlook the presidencies of those who went before him who left him the issues that he faces.
The man needs support, not doubters who are scrutinizing his every move because of the way things are RIGHT NOW. I trust his judgment for his cabinet appointments, but I had to ask myself, who is he to choose from? Who would I place? The country possibly needs the help of aliens from other planets, kind hearted musicians, blue collar workers, and people of every race, gender and ethnicity to repair the country. Obama addressed this need in some of his speeches (with the exception of aliens). He stated that collectively as Americans we all have to create the change, but he can’t have me as his secretary of state, now can he? He can’t appoint his talented barber as his secretary of agriculture, can he? Even if he could, it’s as if he’s being scrutinized like he already appointed his barber as one of his cabinet members. Not to say that his barber doesn’t have solutions to current problems, but what would the public have to say if he appointed his barber to a cabinet position? What would the public have to say if he appointed Bono, the singer from U2, as his secretary of state? Can he appoint Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who have done considerable charitable work, to cabinet positions? What would the public say if he appointed your next door neighbor, who you may like, for a cabinet position? Some press writers and commentators have treated him as if he made the hypothetical appointments that I mentioned. He has to choose from (Democratic) politicians to fill his cabinet.
I understand why people doubted him and continue to do so. I would be lying if I said I KNEW he would win. The truth is I didn’t know that he would win. But when he did, I realized, that if there is HOPE, Obama can inspire American people to do what is necessary to help the nation recover, THEN make it advance. He can’t do it by himself. I’m an artist who stays away from politics, to say the least. It’s counterproductive and a waste of time to overly scrutinize and to doubt after Obama hasn’t even been elected president for one month. To bash him in his first month is to hold him to a MUCH higher standard than other presidents have been held to. I forget who said this, but it’s applicable, “Be the change that you want to see.” You, at your best, are needed now more than ever. It will take all of us to CHANGE things.