I posted this almost a year ago. As with then, I'm not sure if but a few people will "get" what I'm trying to say, but I'll try anyway.
Yesterday, I read a diary comparing the number of bills Obama has signed to those of previous modern-day presidents (all comparing bills during their first year in office). Obama's record is comparable to the others, and I wonder if that is the problem. Obama is comparable, when he was supposed to bring "hope and change".
During the campaign and shortly after the election, like many I believed in "hope and change", but I was skeptical. As an African-American, I knew that Obama's election was significant, but I also knew that the African-American experience, especially for black males, would not be mitigated by one, albeit historic election. I wondered when the day would come when Obama would not be able to live up to the promises he made and to the expectations of those who voted for him.
I reasoned that most fury would come from the Right, and secretly feared that Obama might prove himself to be incompetent and "not up to the job"--validating for some the black male stereotypes that have existed here for centuries.
When I first began to read the criticisms of Obama by diarists and commentors--I thought it was great. After all, critquing any elected official is healthy and a cornerstone of democracy.
What puzzled me however, were the comments of some who mentioned how they had "worked so hard, gone out on a limb, convinced others, and sacrificed" to get Obama elected. I understand their frustration. Their anger is real. Their discontent palpable. I don't dismiss them as "childish" or impatient because they haven't gotten their "pony". But something deeper than the idea of Obama as traitor or impotent hack is at work. I realize that many sacrificed, and went out on a limb to believe that Obama actually should and could be President. For this to occur, not only would monumental efforts be necessary, but also monumental promises, and monumental disgust with the party in power. It's not surprising then that the expectations for Obama are in parity with the epic campaign and his historic election.
My question though is--are the expectations higher for Obama than for other presidents? The comparison of his first year "record" to other Presidents might suggest that. Is the President a failure at this point? And if so, in comparing his to other Presidents' records in their first year, why? Is there some historical perspective? I'm not being facetious or "snarky". I really would like to know from those who feel this way, because from my perspective, my husband's and countless other African Americans, for all of its historical significance, a black man still has to work twice as hard as his white male counterparts--even the president. And this "fact" about America is one that hasn't changed either.