Ever since Barack Obama burst onto the national scene I have followed his career. As a Chicagoan I got front row seats at his inspiring senate campaign. Many people were probably drawn to him because of the speech he gave at the convention. For me though it was his story that fasinated me. See, like his father, my father was also a goat herder from Africa. When I saw him, I saw that with hard work and determination anything is possible.
When he announced that he was running for president I was estatic, I gave time and money to do my part in helping him win the nomination. He was saying all the right things: he would end the war in Iraq, he would make universal healthcare a priority,he believed in using diplomacy before resorting to force, he would help the middle class, etc. My favorite line from him however was that he intended to change the way politics is played. He ran on this idea, and I really thought he would change the way politics is played. But then he won the nomination, and all that changed.
One of the first things he did was give a speech to AIPAC after he secured the nomination. The speech he gave could have easily been given by George W. Bush. What he basically said in his speech was that if he made it to the White House, nothing would change as far as the Israli-Palestinian conflict goes. Then he appoints Jason Furman, the Wal-Mart defender, to be an economic advisor. Now, we learn that he thinks telecom immunity has something to do with national security. Sure, he's probably saying that not to be labled weak on national security, but if he wants to change the way politics is played he needs to stop letting the Republicans frame the debate. A leader should stand up forcefully for what they believe in, without thinking about what the cost may be for doing so. He is also backtracking on NAFTA, claiming that the rhetoric in a primary season can get a little heated.
When I read some of the things conservatives wrote about Obama during the primaries, I would find myself getting angry and sending letters to editors. However, when I read an op-ed piece by David Brooks in which he says:
But then on the other side, there’s Fast Eddie Obama, the promise-breaking, tough-minded Chicago pol who’d throw you under the truck for votes
I find it hard to defend him. Clearly, Obama is now doing the pandering two-step that Hillary did in the primaries to win votes. He is breaking promises he made to voters like me. When the right wing attack machines comes at him, he's going to need his base, the people that got him to where he is today, to stand up for him and defend him. It will be very hard for us to do that if he keeps breaking the promises he made to us in the primaries.