Is The Dream Over??

For the past nine months we have watched President Obama become the hardest working man in this country. In my lifetime I can’t ever remember a president that hit the ground running as fast as our current president. Between overhauling Healthcare, nominating a Supreme Court Justice, new legislation, the unstable economy and pressure, not only from constituents, but members of Congress as well to fix these things (now all while facing right wing opposition), it’s a wonder he hasn’t sprouted more gray hair. There was a rallying cry during the election process last year that caused more Americans to get involved in politics, some participating for the first time. Now, here I sit less than one year later and wonder if the thrill is gone? Has the euphoria worn off? Is it back to indifference and idleness? Has the dream we were living for the few months following the election turned into our current beautiful nightmare?

The Summer of ’09 will probably be one to forget for President Obama. Not only did the heat of June, July and August cause him to break a sweat on more than few occasions, it also brought him diminishing approval ratings, a wave of doubt from his supporters and an unforgettable fashion no-no at this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star game. There wasn’t much that escaped criticism this summer for the President. Some questioned whether he was overexposing himself and doing too many primetime press conferences. Some questioned if we weren’t seeing enough of the President when it came to his hopes for Healthcare reform. There were some that felt he was taking on too much too soon. It’s only the first year of his term in office; not everything has to be tackled at once. And there were even some that questioned his choice of attire to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game. “The President should not be seen wearing his ‘around the house jeans’ outside of the house,” they said. When he announced that he was going to run for President, I’m sure he knew they would attack all of the projects he tried to take on, they would criticize any reform that he tried to push, they’d challenge every nomination and decision that he made; however, to attack a man’s favorite pair of jeans? That’s a low blow, even for Republicans.

What has surprised me is that the only voice being heard this past summer was that of the President Obama critics. What happened to his support group? The millions of people that fought for his nomination, sweat during his general campaign and then cried on Nov. 4^th when he was elected by an overwhelming Electoral vote? Did we think the job was done? Did we think it was time to relax? Did we think that once he got into office it would be smooth sailing from here until 2012? What I want to know is what happened? It’s evident that getting President Obama into office was the easy part. It didn’t take much for us to get him to where we wanted him to be. But he needs our help now more than ever. It wasn’t Congress that put him in the Oval office, it was the 60-plus million Americans that believed in Change and held on to Hope. Well, Change doesn’t come without work. We can’t rely on Congress to help push the President’s agenda; we have to push the agenda. Most Congressmen have started looking ahead to the 2010 elections. They are looking to save their jobs. It’s why nothing ever gets done in Washington. They know that voters are paying attention so rather than doing their job, they’re trying to keep their jobs. I don’t blame them, it’s a pretty plush gig when you think about it. Besides, with the way the unemployment rate is climbing, there aren’t too many companies around that have any use for an out of work Congressman.

We had the audacity to have Hope and we were rewarded with a president that is willing to work for us. Whether you agree with everything he’s doing is irrelevant. As Americans, it is our responsibility to make sure that there’s more than one voice. It’s our duty to stand for the principles that we hold dear to us. It’s our job to support those that we’ve elected to represent us. What goes on in an election year is important, however it’s what happens in the off years that will determine if our dreams turn into the Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue.