Great Expectations. That was the title of the article in The Economist only a couple of days after the election.
With such a great victory come unreasonably great expectations. Many of Mr Obama’s more ardent supporters will be let down—and in some cases they deserve to be. For those who voted for him with their eyes wide open to his limitations, everything now depends on how he governs. Abroad, this 21st-century president will have to grapple with the sort of great-power rivalries last seen in the 19th century (see article). At home, he must try to unite his country, tackling its economic ills while avoiding the pitfalls of one-party rule. Rhetoric and symbolism will still be useful in this; but now is the turn of detail and dedication. (from here)
Why the high expectations and the doubts? It is no secret that Obama is a powerful orator, but he has little experience. Will the deeds match the rhetoric? As the inauguration of Barack Obama approaches, that has become the question of day. Is this great man of words just words? In anticipation of the inaugural speech, the Boston Globe tells us about Obama’s record.
Barack Obama has established a record of public oratory that is daunting enough; more than anything else, his rhetoric itself defines him as a politician. Moreover, his entire campaign was ostensibly dedicated to the formidable task of changing the entire direction of the country, and of the way its people engaged one another as citizens. The pressure on Obama to deliver, first, a great speech, and then the change that must come lest the inspiration prove nothing but “just words,” is almost entirely self-imposed, on himself, and on Jon Favreau. A bad speech by Barack Obama would count for more than a bad speech from anyone else. It would echo, dully, through history. Obama has achieved, largely through his oratory, and the response that it engendered, a fragile historical moment that he dare not bungle away. That is the standard he’s set for himself. (from here)
Even the expectations for the inaugural speech have become daunting. How did this come to be? The day after the election, an AP story put it this way.
Over and over, Barack Obama told voters if they stuck with him “we will change this country and change the world.” They did, and now their expectations for him to deliver are firmly planted on his shoulders. (from here)
Over the course of a long drawn out campaign, Obama confidently promised change time and time again. To the doubters promises of “change we can believe in” became a joke; wits referred to Obama as the messiah. Yet there were more voters with unrealistic expectations. These could not stand Sarah Palin. If Obama was the messiah, then Palin had to be the anti-Christ.
Can Obama succeed? Can he meet the expectations? No. Obama cannot solve everybody’s problems. If you want a heavenly life, then know that Obama cannot give you one. No such glory rests in him, and it is foolish to put such expectations on a mere man. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Even the greatest genius faces this insurmountable problem. Every human being has a limited management span-of-control. There are seven billion people in the world. Each has their own unique set of problems, but Obama is finite. Obama is merely one of us. Seven billion people is beyond our conception. Even on those occasions when Obama might actually know what to do, there is still only so much he can do. Now all Obama can do is to reduce the expectations and place the blame for his failures on someone else.
