My guy got elected, in case you hadn't heard. And even before he takes office, I'm starting to feel leery. A friend just posted a link to this commentary on Facebook, and it gave me a sinking feeling to read it. It's a pretty biting criticism of Obama's ideological positioning.
Looking back, I think I got swept up in the same hysteria as everyone else: Obama has the extraordinary ability to absorb whatever hopes and aspirations people from all points on the political spectrum project onto him. I actually thought he was a leftist. That is really demoralizing, because more than anything it means that I bought the anti-Obama republican propaganda.
So, as Obama's cabinent and policies start to take shape, this leaves me back where I always am: in the eternal opposition...
Maybe I actually really am a kverulant (a "curmudgeon" for the non-Norwegian speakers). And becoming more of one. I was at a meeting yesterday with really delightful colleagues from across campus. We were evaluating and ranking fellowship applications. The discussion was earnest, collegial, and serious. Yet I find that I have absolutely no patience. I was short, interrupted people, and was cranky. I had no earthly reason to be that way. For some reason, perhaps because I'm so out of practice in social interactions in general, I'm having a really hard time behaving myself. I'm not really sure when I turned into such a misanthrope. I think I used to have more social skills. Now people just get on my nerves. This is ridiculous! I really need to get my act together, especially as I enter a new job setting in a temporary position.
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Puste ut...
I have been hesitant to write because I can't quite get a handle on how I'm feeling as a result of the election. I am, of course, delighted that Obama won. I really like his public persona: I like his seriousness of purpose, his inspiring oratory, his vision for the US, his even temper, and his realism. I'm just so afraid everyone is expecting that he will single-handedly make everything better over night. I thought his acceptance speech was really good. It was tempered and realistic, and it appears that he's trying to contain the limitless expectations now placed on him, while still maintaining people's sense of hope. This opinion piece by Roger Cohen really sums up a lot of what I'm feeling.
As I have been thinking about this election over the past months I would often tear up at the thought of the symbolic value of a black person being elected and sworn in as president, but to my surprise I wasn't really emotional in response to Obama's victory and speech. My primary feeling was that of relief that he won, and concern about the future. I did feel for Jesse Jackson. The emotions on his face showed through so strongly. (And as a side note I was happy to see Sarah Palin looking visibly upset.)
One of my old friends from my high school exchange year in Stange (1983-84!) contacted me on Facebook to ask if I could send him campaign buttons from both sides. I took E with me to the Republican headquarters here in town on Monday before the election, but they were all out of McCain/Palin paraphenalia (something I took as a bad sign at the time). Eventually I just decided to order off the internet from both parties. Both had "value packs": the Republicans offered this, which I'm really looking forward to receiving:
You get 20 buttons for $10, plus an additional $9 for shipping. The Democrats send you a similar pack of 50 buttons for $10, but charge $11 for shipping. Still it's a better deal, since you get more than twice as much propaganda:
I'm not going to think about the discounts that they're all offering today, the day after the election. I have to admit I'm going to pick out a few from both sides to keep before sending them along to my high school buddy (I'm hoping for the art deco one with the palm tree, and the Republican "It's A Girl" one).
I also have to say that I was impressed by McCain's concession speech. He said what he had to say. Now I'm excited to see the transition take shape and to get this Bush joker out of the White House once and for all. In a way I'm sorry that I'm not more elated, not more connected to the collective euphoria that appears to be rampant right now in the U.S. I guess I just see the problems as so profound that I want to focus on them, rather than on the "horse race" of the election.
Last word: It appears that most of the voting went off okay. I haven't read many reports of voter fraud or failure. That to me is almost the best part of this particular election, given the horrible "irregularities" of 2000.
As I have been thinking about this election over the past months I would often tear up at the thought of the symbolic value of a black person being elected and sworn in as president, but to my surprise I wasn't really emotional in response to Obama's victory and speech. My primary feeling was that of relief that he won, and concern about the future. I did feel for Jesse Jackson. The emotions on his face showed through so strongly. (And as a side note I was happy to see Sarah Palin looking visibly upset.)
One of my old friends from my high school exchange year in Stange (1983-84!) contacted me on Facebook to ask if I could send him campaign buttons from both sides. I took E with me to the Republican headquarters here in town on Monday before the election, but they were all out of McCain/Palin paraphenalia (something I took as a bad sign at the time). Eventually I just decided to order off the internet from both parties. Both had "value packs": the Republicans offered this, which I'm really looking forward to receiving:
You get 20 buttons for $10, plus an additional $9 for shipping. The Democrats send you a similar pack of 50 buttons for $10, but charge $11 for shipping. Still it's a better deal, since you get more than twice as much propaganda:
I'm not going to think about the discounts that they're all offering today, the day after the election. I have to admit I'm going to pick out a few from both sides to keep before sending them along to my high school buddy (I'm hoping for the art deco one with the palm tree, and the Republican "It's A Girl" one).I also have to say that I was impressed by McCain's concession speech. He said what he had to say. Now I'm excited to see the transition take shape and to get this Bush joker out of the White House once and for all. In a way I'm sorry that I'm not more elated, not more connected to the collective euphoria that appears to be rampant right now in the U.S. I guess I just see the problems as so profound that I want to focus on them, rather than on the "horse race" of the election.
Last word: It appears that most of the voting went off okay. I haven't read many reports of voter fraud or failure. That to me is almost the best part of this particular election, given the horrible "irregularities" of 2000.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Drømmepresidenten
I realize that I'm posting way too much these days, but I'm finding this a very useful place to record what I'm thinking about. Last night I watched Barack Obama's 30-minute informercial. When I first heard about it I was very skeptical and thought it was really over the top to buy 30 minutes of political advertising in prime time. I found it pretty interesting and not creepy at all. In fact there was a moment when he spoke about stories that I found incredibly moving. Basically, he says that everyone has a story, and that he wants to learn from those stories to make the U.S. a better place.
As a literature professor and someone who specializes in prose fiction, I am obsessed with stories. I always say that we tell ourselves stories to make sense of ourselves. It appears that Obama has really tapped into this notion of the American story as a tool for helping people feel better about themselves and their country. It can of course be a dangerous tool of propaganda, but with altruistic intentions, I do think that Obama's mastery of narrative could actually improve the morale and reputation of this country. At least I really hope so.
And then, of course, I had a very vivid dream about talking with Obama and telling him my story. It was very comforting. I was in a yarn store (of course) that he made a campaign stop at and I showed him two things: a map of the U.S., where I pointed to Bellingham (my home town) up in the very far northwest corner, and then my Dad, who was lurking in the background with massive amounts of camera equipment. I can't remember what Obama said, except that it was comforting and I felt understood, respected, and valued.
As a literature professor and someone who specializes in prose fiction, I am obsessed with stories. I always say that we tell ourselves stories to make sense of ourselves. It appears that Obama has really tapped into this notion of the American story as a tool for helping people feel better about themselves and their country. It can of course be a dangerous tool of propaganda, but with altruistic intentions, I do think that Obama's mastery of narrative could actually improve the morale and reputation of this country. At least I really hope so.
And then, of course, I had a very vivid dream about talking with Obama and telling him my story. It was very comforting. I was in a yarn store (of course) that he made a campaign stop at and I showed him two things: a map of the U.S., where I pointed to Bellingham (my home town) up in the very far northwest corner, and then my Dad, who was lurking in the background with massive amounts of camera equipment. I can't remember what Obama said, except that it was comforting and I felt understood, respected, and valued.
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