How The Politics Of Hope Ruined America (And Why Obama Is Not To Blame)

I remember the night Barack Obama was declared the 44th president-elect of the United States of America. I was tuned in to CNN, and was closely monitoring the events of the day. Back then, I did not even vote for him nor was I even a Democrat. I had followed Obama’s campaign very closely though, watched almost all of his speeches, replayed this video over and over again on YouTube, and read his platform front and back in search of a way to get myself to cast my vote for him besides the color of his skin. It was my first time to vote and I was faced with a dilemma between being part of history or sticking to my philosophical guns. I said to myself, if I vote him in, I could one day look back and say that I was one of those people who helped elect the first African-American to the White House. It was a tempting idea, and Obama’s impeccable persona made it even more tempting. Ultimately though, I voted for Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party standard bearer in 2008 who, despite his disappointing stance on DOMA, represented many of the ideas I wanted for America. In other words, my heart screamed for Obama, but my mind, which ultimately won, dictated my decision at the ballot box.

But I am not going to lie. When Obama won, I was almost moved to tears. Obama’s victory gave me a feeling of vindication, of unfathomable satisfaction. Somehow, I felt that America had done right. For a moment, I forgot about my ideological leanings when I first read on my television screen the words: “BARACK OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT”. There he was, standing in front of a gigantic crowd of supporters, ready to acknowledge his unbelievable victory. I, on the other hand, remained stunned. For the first time, I began to realize what had almost made me vote for him.

It wasn’t the color of his skin. It wasn’t his speeches. It wasn’t his very middle class upbringing. It wasn’t his no-bull admittance of marijuana use. And it wasn’t his not-so-secret smoking habit, which made me feel less guilty about my own. I liked Obama not because of any one of these things, but because of ALL of these things. Putting aside Obama’s policies, I liked Obama the person. The Obama whose words made me want to put my most ardent political positions aside. The Obama that transcended not just the traditional image of a politician, but the Obama that transcended the zeitgeist. He was the man America needed, because at that moment, America’s soul was broken. And for most Americans, it was no time to get wonky — many just wanted to feel optimistic again. Many just wanted somebody to tell them that everything was going to be OK. With Obama’s high-flying message of hope, Americans from all sorts of political creeds found that one person they were looking for. For many, Obama was not only a presidential candidate, but a centerpiece of a nationwide revolution. In 2008, we had reached a point where were all ready for Change We Can Believe In (whatever that meant) and that Yes, We Can pull it off.

Fast forward eight years later, and we are again in the midst of another political revolution. On top of the list of contenders are some truly polarizing figures in American politics. On one side is Donald J. Trump, a man whose loquacious mouth has served to break all political convention, but has somehow been a hit to many voters. Meanwhile, Democrats have Bernie Sanders who, despite his boring demographic identity (old, white, male), has managed to rile up many people to join his “revolution.” Throughout the campaign season, he has garnered much acclaim for his unapologetic use of the “S” word to describe his political philosophy — a word that had even been used to denigrate Obama in the past. At the same time, so-called establishment candidates like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, went down one after another like flies.

With the way things are going, it seems that America is once again looking for some drastic changes at the top. It seems like another revolution is about to take place. The only difference between 2008 and this year is that this year’s revolution is nothing like the one Obama started. This year’s revolution carries a more cynical twang to it, one that reflects dissatisfaction, hopelessness, and hatred.

So, what happened? What has Obama done to create such a divided political environment?

Last time I checked, Obama’s approval rating was flirting close to 50% . Not bad, considering that his predecessor, George Bush, left office with less than a third of the country liking him . Moreover, compared to Congress, President Obama is in a much, much better footing with Americans.

As far as accomplishments, Obama wasn’t an utter failure, either. He did say on the campaign trail that if he had Bin Laden in his sights, he would kill him. And that he did. He promised to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he delivered as well. On the domestic front, he promised healthcare of Americans, and he accomplished what many politicians had only dreamed of doing since the late 1800s. And while America’s economic engines has not fully erased the damage of the Great Recession, we are still in a better position now than the mess we were in nearly a decade ago. And with less than a year in office, Obama shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to push for his agenda in areas such as immigration, gun control, and global terrorism.

As I have mentioned earlier, I do not agree with everything Obama has done. But that’s not the point. The point is, Obama got shit done. That’s amazing especially if we consider the fact that just eight years ago, nobody thought that a first-term junior senator from Illinois could sway Washington’s entrenched political machinery. And especially if one considers how much obstructionism he has faced from Republicans.

In other words, Obama wasn’t so bad. In fact, he wasn’t bad at all. Considering the hand he was dealt coming into office and how he is about to leave the presidency, I think he has reason to be proud.

But for all his accomplishments, there is one thing that Obama failed at. And he failed on such an epic scale that now, it is about to destroy the very country he sought to mend.

Obama the candidate was a transcendent figure. His rhetoric was above the level of a politician. Sure, he made promises just like everybody else. Sure, I took his words with some grain of salt. But there was more to Obama than just a sweet-talking politician.

He made himself sound like the second coming of Jesus without even knowing it. And in doing so, he unconsciously set the bar too high — too high that not even his amazing accomplishments seem to matter to many people. Americans expected utopia out of Obama’s glowing rhetoric, and we are nowhere close to that utopia. And while we, as creatures of reason, know in our hearts and minds never to expect any one man to be the Messiah, we must all admit that we were too mesmerized by Barack Obama.

Hence, all this divisiveness we see in the country is Obama’s failing, though he is not to blame (at least not entirely) for such failure. If you are finding the culprit behind the political turmoil of today, then you need not look at the man . Instead, look in the mirror. We are a divided nation now than ever before because we expected too much of a man, and when those expectations weren’t met, we responded with irrationality and immaturity. Rather than realize our collective psychological folly, we responded by withdrawing into factions led, for the most part, by ideologues with no realistic plans to move the country forward.

Luckily, it’s not too late yet.

There’s still time to think, America.

Think again while you still have time.