The
recent documentary “The Road We’ve Traveled" by David Guggenheim, helps reveal
why Obama 2012 will look nothing like Obama 2008. In 2008, the economy hit rock
bottom, but public attention had been diverted. Barack Obama’s election had
provoked a frenzy of hopeful celebration around the world; spontaneous
festivities occurred in New York Subways, California hotel lobbies, and on the
streets of Washington, DC. The documentary’s depiction of the disparity between
the political idealism and reality of the time illustrates why Obama will have
an uphill battle for re-election in 2012.
The
hopeless economic situation of 2008 set the stage for Obama’s rise to power. The
first Black president in U.S. history gave hope to an otherwise desperate
nation, and the fresh-faced idealism of his Internet campaign restored passion
to politics. The vagueness of hope encapsulated the dreams of an entire nation—creating
wildly unrealistic expectations. These expectations, coupled with the reality
of the situation, have gradually transformed the political atmosphere
throughout Obama’s presidency.
The
man himself, of course, could not live up to the hype his campaign had created.
His perceived inability to get things done and his willingness to compromise on
issues like healthcare have sparked significant disillusionment with the
President. The political environment has changed such that the public will no
longer accept an idealistic 2012 campaign message from Obama; the people don’t
believe in him as they once did. Instead, Obama will have to respond to this
transformed political atmosphere with a new message he has already begun to
craft. His campaign videos thus far lack as many sickeningly inspiring quotations as the
2008 videos. They instead focus on reminding the American people of what Obama
promised them in 2008, and of the sacrifices they made to get him elected. One video reminds the public of the particulars of Obama’s 2008 election
victory speech: “We may not get there in one year, or even in one term.”
The
same video features more of Obama’s speech: “[The campaign] grew strength from
the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy … from the
not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and the scorching heat to knock
on the doors of perfect strangers.” Obama’s main message? You’ve made plenty of
sacrifices, so to turn back now would be a waste. Such solemnity clearly
reflects a shift in Obama’s political environment. In 2008, he firmly claimed
his presidency; now, he is asking for another chance. The 2008 atmosphere of
unrealistic expectations, it seems, has come back to haunt his 2012 campaign.
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