Contemporary Visionmakers-President Obama
Tonight’s State of the Union address by the President of the United States is being billed as Obama’s chance to regain his footing. He has “misunderstood the public anger, set far too ambitious an agenda,and is out of touch with Main Street and Wall Street,” say the pundits.
I predicted his honeymoon would be a short one just before the inauguration. Here’s part of what I said in my post entitled How We Can:
“When we pin our hopes on just one man to deliver us from a collective mess, we avoid the personal leadership required to do our part to solve the issues of the day, and set him up to fail. What the Obama Presidency requires is leadership at all levels of society… with the courage to do things differently.
The recovery that we seek is likely going to take time. I wonder if we have the collective patience to give President-elect Obama the time and ongoing support required for change to happen. Watching someone lead is not personal engagement and involvement. It is passivity that leads to breakdown.”
I am afraid I was right. The public lack of patience for the overhaul that is required on multiple fronts reveals a lack of foresight that endangers not only the stability of the United States but also the global community.
President Obama has accomplished a tremendous amount in a short time in an imperfect political system. People seem to forget the crisis that threatened to overcome the world economy. They also seem to forget that the Republican administration was steering the ship of state into treacherous waters for two terms.
Now, there is an expectation that a fix can be accomplished in one year? That’s magical thinking.
Barack Obama is not Superman. He is a gifted individual with fine aspirations and big challenges on his hands. He deserves support, time and high engagement from leaders within the United States and around the world.
The problems that America faces threaten us all. It’s time to row together.
March 20th, 2010 at 10:54 am
Barack Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope,” contains a catchy title. It has a taste of bravery mixed with full confidence. You’ll find nothing Pollyanna about this. I would possibly not support almost everything he tells, but he’s our president, and for me, he creates confidence. Which can do more for just a region than any amount of backroom deals. Hope gives us energy, and energy sustains us through trying times. Boy, we’ve had them. I’m from West Texas, and I did not vote for Bush. When McCain ran against Obama, I was a citizen of Arizona, but I gave audacious hope a chance. The fight for progress and laying the foundations of prosperity will not be over. I’ve come across the quips of those who don’t believe Obama is capable of doing it. But step back a moment. Would anyone have most of us fail only to tarnish the star of an incumbent for whom they didn’t vote? Keeping our priorities straight, let’s work together with this president and build our future.