Renee RosenowOn Wednesday, an early morning rain drenched the UW-Eau Claire campus. Shortly after the sun emerged and gave the sign that the day was going to be vibrant and fresh. All of the dirt had been washed away and now the surface was clean and ready to start anew.
It corresponded greatly to the events that happened the night before and the attitude that surrounded them. On Tuesday night Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was elected to become the next President of the United States, becoming the first African-American to do so.
Crowds around the country chanted Obama’s campaign slogan of “Change.” People being interviewed on news programs talked about the importance of Obama’s victory because of how it will bring change to our country. Millions of Facebook users changed their status to express their pleasure over the fact that with Obama elected, things will change. It was as if a rain had come across the country, wiped it clean of the last eight years, and the sun was emerging to make things right. Some people even expressed they felt the results were comparable to Christmas Day.
Which got me thinking about all of the Christmas Days I experienced over my lifetime and all the gifts I had been given. How I would be given a toy that I wanted so badly, opened the box thinking it would come already put together, only to find out I had to work to put it together.
Essentially that is what Obama has been given. America, like my Christmas toy, has the potential to be something great despite being in a current state of pieces. But unfortunately, I feel that few grasp the concept that America has to be put together in order for it to be the best it can be.
This putting together won’t be happening over night. Some assembly is required, and I fear a lot of adults are taking on the attitude. I seemingly thought that everything I got would be put together already and it wouldn’t take any effort to construct. But obviously that was the wrong train of thought, much like this attitude that Obama being elected will bring immediate change.
I am not at all saying Obama won’t bring change. But what Obama won’t bring is overnight change. He can not single handedly erase the past eight years of President Bush’s reign in a single day. It will not happen.
Bush has 75 days left in office. The Wednesday after the election, it came across as Americans forgot this little fact. They seemingly forgot they have to wait until Jan. 20, 2009 until Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. People somehow forgot Obama unfortunately cannot make changes until that inauguration occurs.
And once again, when that happens, the change that happens in America will take a while to notice. The United States will not be like the Eau Claire campus was on the Wednesday after the election. Obama is not a rain that will wash away every problem with America in a single storm. It will take many storms. He is not the sun that appears on cue as the clouds majestically part. He is the sun that will gradually have to push his way through in order to break through the darkness.
Obama getting elected will not instantly eliminate racism. Obama getting elected will not immediately rescue the economy. Obama getting elected will not prompt world leaders right away to change their opinion on our nation. Conflict in the Middle East will not stop and health care will not become universal when Obama takes a seat in the oval office for the first time.
Yet, people are taking on the mentality that Obama can do these things merely days after the election occurred, and it literally scares the crap out of me. It scares me to the point that I wonder how people will react if Obama unfortunately can’t live up to his campaign promises. The thought that the man might actually fail has escaped the realm of possibility for those who support him. I would hate to discover what their reaction to this would be if their initial reaction to him being elected was declaring it as comparable to Christmas. Although I would question right now if there is anything the man could do that would make the American people hate him, seeing how quickly people went from wanting to invade any country after Sept. 11 to hating President Bush for actually doing it makes me fearful for Obama and our nation.
So in the days, the weeks and the months that lead up to Obama’s inauguration I am asking for adults to lower their expectations and start thinking realistically. Holding Obama to a high standard and expecting overnight results are two different things, and I feel overall Americans are blurring that fine line.
Obama will bring a change in our country, there is no doubt about it. But I sincerely hope that once Jan. 20, 2009 rolls around our nation’s adults do not become kids again and expect the nation to be put together. Obama potentially can do a lot of things, but meeting this standard is not one of them.
Hansen is a junior print journalism major and editorial editor of The Spectator. “Mmmboppin’ with Scott Hansen” appears every Thursday.
