I just got a message from a friend saying that if I wasn't glowing about Obama, did I have time for coffee/dinner. I'm actually a little disappointed that he even considered the possibility, as we tend to be likeminded in our cynicism towards all things. But I guess I can appreciate his caution. This past week the buzz has been palpable. I don't particularly share it, so I've been keeping my mouth shut. (No small feat.)
I did vote for Obama, and I think it's a definite change in the right direction, of course. But I don't share the belief that our economic and racial problems are solidly behind us.
Is he the next FDR? I don't think so. At least not today. The jury's not only still out, but they haven't even gone into the deliberation room. There are a lot of clever coincidences, it's been 75 years since Roosevelt took the reins, but, aside from the nice, round number and the fact that he saw us through the Great Depression, I think the comparisons are stretching it a bit. And everyone's getting into the act. Joe Nocera noted in his column in the
New York Times yesterday that there are similarities in their initial press conferences: Roosevelt saying "action, and action now" and Obama vowing to "act swiftly." Let's not forget the fact that his speechwriters have access to Roosevelt's speeches and that he has "invoked the spirit" of Roosevelt during his campaign, so it's hardly a meaningful coincidence.
And then there's the whole race-relations thing. Yes, again it's a step in the right direction. And with this election and Italy's response, we've made great comparative strides. But it's no longer a thing of the past. I don't think in Western Pennsylvania they're all holding hands and singing "Kumbaya."
Hope and optimism are fine (so I hear), but, honestly, the man (and, he is a man, not a god or some other mystical entity) hasn't even taken office yet, so all the dancing in the street is a bit premature. I just came across a poll on Yahoo: "Who is the greatest President of all time Obama, JFK, Roosevelt or Lincoln? (Please be excrutiatingly honest in your answers.)" It's really at least eight years too early to even consider the question, let alone write the history books.
There's going to be a lot of disappointed people after the buzz fades and the hangover sets in. Hopefully as a nation we're not collectively puking in the toilet the morning after. That's about as optimistic as I can get.
