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Hate Obama? Wasting your time. (Video)
By: Nick Meyer
Like millions of socially conscious 20-something Americans in 2008, I became enamored and inspired by the candidacy of Democrat Barack Obama in his run for the presidency.
On the eve of his election, I was assigned to go out and cover reactions from local residents of the Metro Detroit area by a major newspaper, heading out from downtown to a more affluent local suburb at around 11 p.m. to capture the mood in writing.
While there, I broke free from journalistic protocol for a few minutes here and there to high five an older black man on the street, accept a hug from another, and to watch a family take in his victory speech on TV at a local bar with tears streaming down their eyes.
I felt some of the same sense of accomplishment as them, even though I had given up on Obama a good month beforehand. I felt the same sense of satisfaction as them even though I knew that four years of Obama would probably end up looking a lot like the preceding four, or eight even, of George W. Bush. I was anything but an Obama supporter at that point, and had already sworn off big political party and big money politics for life.
About a month earlier, I had seen a speech by independent candidate and consumer advocate Ralph Nader that shifted my entire perspective on politics, a speech about the realities of America now and even more harsh ones to would come if we didn’t elect or better yet create real (read: non-corporate-sponsored) change: More Wal-Mart wages and more misadventures within the scope of the military industrial complex.
But that night out on the job, I was able to set aside the realities of politics and “leadership” slash government in America, to separate the personality of Obama and the social accomplishment of his election from the true, ugly reality of what was about to happen on the ground in this country and abroad.
Now, much like I was able to make that distinction on Obama’s election night, I have begun to do the same when raising questions about, criticizing and dissenting against the current administration and those who are of course calling the shots behind the scenes for the current government, which is of course still led (at least formally) by the former Illinois senator.
Because of the current state of affairs with a rapidly changing economy, the ever-expanding police state, counterproductive and unethical drone wars overseas, the NDAA and all of its far-reaching powers, and much more, it’s become easier than ever to pin things on Obama.
Obama still obviously has a strong base of support because of the incredible branding job that’s been done with him, not to mention his personality, wit, and overall image, but anyone who’s not an Obama supporter, a sizable population of folks, can’t seem to agree on what makes him the engine for the country’s continued decline.
Is he “killing America” because he’s a “socialist” who wants to redistribute the wealth, or is it because of the free passes corporations have been given that has allowed the income distribution gap to balloon to outrageous sizes? Or is it because he favors the poor, and some racist tendencies are entered into the equation?
Is he “killing America” because he’s too “soft on terror” or because he is expanding the military industrial complex and making war and militarism a normal part of our everyday lives? Or perhaps it’s simply because of his perceived strategic blunders?
And is he “killing America” because he is a closet radical Muslim sympathizer, or is he simply playing the same game others including several high profile Republicans have done in the past with “friends” such as the precursors to the Taliban and even members of the current Muslim Brotherhood? Or maybe he’s simply not experienced or wise enough to handle America’s unbelievably complex foreign policy needs in many other people’s eyes?
The unbelievably wide spectrum and contradictory reasons for disliking or even hating the current Commander-in-Chief illustrates just how polarizing Obama can be. In most cases, these opinions are based on a perceived image of Obama and what he’s supposed to stand for based on his racial, supposed religious and other personal background traits rather than a detailed, wide-ranging analysis.
And when you really get a chance to step back and look at Obama’s position and the way people react to him in the context of history, you begin to see why maybe, just maybe, that’s the situation that those who are really calling the shots have wanted all along.
Throughout history, our “leaders” have sought two things with dogged, consistent persistence above all else: Control, and new, unique ways to keep their subjects divided, confused and at each other’s throats.
The complex image and personality of Barack Obama accomplishes these perhaps as well as any leader in recent history.
Assigning the blame to Obama for any of our financial, foreign policy, environmental and health (i.e. the proliferation of GMOs and fracking), and other problems is ultimately playing into the hands of the corrupt establishment.
In the interest of straightforward, productive, solution-oriented thinking, it’s best to treat Mr. Obama for what he really is: A glorified celebrity meant to distract us from the real battles we should be fighting on behalf of all disenfranchised Americans, and people that are being oppressed across the world under his “watch.”
If you must point the finger, blame the Fed, the FDA, Congress, the CIA; anyone else, but preferably an organization.
Or perhaps better yet, as cliché as it sounds, get out there in the world and Be the Change you want to see. Do your best to disengage from a system inches closer and closer to devouring us every day.
And do your best to disengage from the simple-minded response of blaming one carefully constructed figurehead personality for the ills being afflicted by said system.
We live in the information age, and no one person has anywhere near the type of impact Obama supporters and detractors have assigned to Obama who’s both a nation’s most public, and misunderstood, figure.
