Things I notice in the check-out line

[trenchkamen]

Is anybody else getting fucking sick of seeing Obama's face plastered over tabloids and magazine covers?

I really don't give a rat's ass what STAR or In Touch have to say about his family life. I really don't care that he took off his shirt while he was at the beach. I really don't care that he runs on a treadmill while listening to his Zune (thanks, Penny Arcade).

It's disgusting enough when this treatment is given to celebrities. But I guess it's being given to Obama because he is a form of celebrity now--and that is what sickens me so much. Yes, he is young and charismatic and promises change--but it's almost as if the last bit, anything to do with his politics, is irrelevant.

Viewing a president in this way is dangerous. He is not supposed to be the subject of tabloid gossip and sensationalist, trashy speculation. His politics are supposed to be the focus of the public arena. Everything else is his private life. It's a confirmation of McCain's accusation that Obama is like Kennedy, famous for being famous, an icon, of sorts. I think there is real substance to Obama, but now I wonder if the American public at large ever saw that at all. I wonder if most Americans only heard big words, a deep, smooth voice, and assurances of change during a time of economic hardship, and not the actual substance and intelligence behind this man's words. I assume most people who actually went out and voted cared more than that.

The American public is creating for itself a savior, and Obama's only a flesh-and-blood human. He will make mistakes. He will break his campaign promises. In the end, he's still a politician. I support him as president, and I see in him great potential, but I also acknowledge that he is not perfect, and I disagree with him on several issues. But this illusion will not be sustainable. And most people are not sophisticated enough to appreciate that somebody can still be great and yet be flawed.

Comments

[hilorain.livejournal.com]

I wanted to say this back when he was first elected, but I mostly kept my mouth shut because I didn't want to be a buzzkill. I was expecting something back like, "Oh, you're just bitter because prop 8 passed." But really, it's scary that we're so blindly embracing and accepting him. After what this country has recently been through, shouldn't we be more wary? I know we all need some hope and all, but we can't worship a politician like it's the second coming of Christ. We're already giving him too much power, and he's not even president yet.