I worry sometimes that our lofty expectations cannot help but be dashed.
I am a huge Barack Obama supporter. Unlike many, I have been watching him for a long time. I'm a native Chicagoan and I first became aware of him when he ran unsuccessfully against Bobby Rush in Illinois. A good buddy of mine was a student in one of his law classes and he told me way back then, "Keep an eye on this Brother -- he's the real deal."
I have been watching and quite frankly, none of what I'm seeing from him is surprising me. He is brilliant, principled, classy, eloquent, and a just plain decent man. He deserves to be President of the United States and I sincerely believe this is going to happen. What scares me sometimes is what might happen next.
One of the things I admire most about Obama is his ability to listen to all sides of a debate and then make a reasoned decision. He is not burdened by ideology nor dogma. He does not demonize his opponents simply because they disagree with him. I happen to think that's what a good leader does and what the country needs -- now more than ever.
With that said, Democrats/Centrists/Liberals have been left out in the cold under "King George." His politics, policies, and general ineptitude have alienated anyone who does not have a far-right leaning attitude. Those who have been left out in the cold now smell blood in the water -- we are salivating at the chance to reclaim our government and we are looking at Barack as the vehicle with which to do so. And most of us are looking to give no quarter.
The problem is, Barack probably will be looking to do so. My perception is that he (correctly) believes that he will have to govern from the Center and that includes reaching across the aisle to the Republicans. My expectation is that he will not be nearly as left-leaning as many would like. He will not cure global warming in his first 100 days. He will not be able to eradicate the bacteria that cause bad breath. In other words, he will not be the panacea that our polyglot of a Democratic party will find 100% satisfaction with 100% of the time.
My question is, "Will that be okay?" A lot of people have pinned their hopes & dreams to a Barack Obama presidency. What happens if it doesn't turn out to be everything that everyone is (realistically or unrealistically) hoping for?