It seems fairly obvious that anybody who is as well know as Obama would have somewhat of a polarizing effect. Normally, when people have enough information, they generate an opinion, and there is certainly plenty of Obama related material to generate an opinion. However, this case seems slightly different.
Yesterday on TV they had some talking heads discussing how he is changing the perception of African Americans both within the African American community and across racial boundaries. The quote that stuck out was, "2 years ago the perception of a black man was Flava Flav, and now it is Barack Obama". Another commentator pointed out how she observed a mother scolding her children on the bus. She looked to her misbehaving kids and said "Sasha and Malia wouldn't behave like that". While I am all for positive role models, I fear that when one person represents all your hopes and dreams, you are destined to be disappointed.
On the opposite extreme are the people who think that Obama is the worst thing ever to happen to this country. My personal favorite argument of this group occurs when the gun control debate gets started. While I am far from an expert on that particular issue, there can be little debate that Obama favors tighter gun regulations than the Bush administration. The inevitable far right argument then becomes "when Hitler took over Germany, the first thing he did was take away/make everyone register their guns". The comparison continues with the point being made that Hitler was a great public speaker and that he rose to power during a time of economic desperation. It is an interesting comparison at best but hardly realistic. There won't be any concern from this blogger until we invade Poland or start sending certain groups of people to "work camps".
For those of you who think Barack Obama is the best thing that happened to this country in years, I would encourage you to be careful your optimism does not get out of control. Looking back to the last Presidency we all saw what happens if you blindly follow. We all remember Bush as being incredibly unpopular, but for a time his word really mattered and people followed. Look at the high post 9/11 approval ratings, and the overwhelming support for both the Patriot Act and the Invasion of Iraq. While I share your enthusiasm for our new President, it is important that we all remember that the President simply saying something does not make it so.
For those of you who are not fans of Obama, I would encourage you to lend him your support and to continue to participate in government. While you may not think things like tighter gun control, more money being spent on schools, or larger federal government are good things, it is important to remember that the vast majority of us share the same goals. We all want to see less crime, better education, and a better economy. You may disagree with the means to achieve that end, but can you really say that there is no way it will succeed? It would seem to me that that greatest recipe for failure would be to assume it from the start.
I guess the point of this rambling it to encourage everybody to view Obama for what he is - a bright guy with some new ideas. Some will work, some will fail, but the only way to know which is which is to view them with open eyes and an open mind.
