Thanks, Barack Obama!
I learned this reading Jac's new post "3 thoughts on Election Day 2008 (with photos of the Obama family watching the results)." Jac's post is worth reading too. I liked this:
Considering that I've been supporting Obama since he announced his campaign in early 2007, I was surprised that my own reaction on the night of Election Day was muted. I had to tell myself, "You should be really excited."
Maybe this is because I assumed he'd win, so I'd already gradually absorbed the news.
Maybe it felt wrong to be gleeful about how America is transcending its history of prejudice on a night when California, of all states, deprived people of their right to marry who they want regardless of gender.
Maybe it's that Obama has such a facility at making you feel like you really know him personally that seeing him win was like seeing your friend become president. Sure you'd be happy for them, but you'd also be nervous about all the things that might go wrong.
Ha ha. I like this as an idea for a screenplay: The main character is a lifelong friend of a guy who becomes President.
IN THE COMMENTS: Bissage suggests a pop culture reference in a video clip (and I demonstrate my ability to make the clip start in exactly the right spot):
AND: Hey, it's the bus!
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22 comments:
"Maybe it's that Obama has such a facility at making you feel like you really know him personally that seeing him win was like seeing your friend become president..."
Again, we see the effects that the charismatic leader has on his followers.
When whatever happens to Obama happens and the scales fall from his supporters' eyes, it will be most ugly. And, as an American, it will be sad to witness their heartbreak.
I'm not surprised at the lack of excitment.
The only people that get excited when their candidate wins are those that expect the candidate will deliver on the promises made during the campaign.
You, and probably Jac, seem to be stuck waiting to see which positions O isn't going to repudiate.
Jac’s reaction on the night of Election Day was muted and he had to tell himself that he should be really excited.
And Jac posits three possible explanations.
Well, here’s a fourth.
Maybe, just maybe, Jac suddenly found himself sitting beside Sen. Obama on the rear bench seat of a bus headed to a daunting future.
Maybe there was music playing.
Maybe it was Simon and Garfunkel singing “The Sounds of Silence.”
What the heck.
Let’s go for it.
Starts at 3:15.
"When whatever happens to Obama happens and the scales fall from his supporters' eyes, it will be most ugly. And, as an American, it will be sad to witness their heartbreak."
No, I expect a lot of "abused spouse" syndrome from his supporters: He's really a good man! It was our fault! I can change him!
Sort of like people who tried to make believe for a while that Bush was a principled conservative.
"AND: Hey, it's the bus!"
Wow, it rides really smoothly with all those people underneath!
Hey! Everyone on that bus is old and white! Typical!
They did go to the back.
That ending always kinda puzzled me.
from Wikipedia:
In his book The Gift of Fear, Gavin de Becker states his opinion that The Graduate taught a generation of men that discounting a woman's opinion is acceptable, that stalking women will bear positive results, and that given enough tenacity a man can win over a woman regardless of her stated desires and well-established social conventions.
Maybe it's that Obama has such a facility at making you feel like you really know him personally that seeing him win was like seeing your friend become president
Oh, I hope it isn't that. You don't know him personally and he isn't your friend.
I think it is healthy, this not-too-emotionally invested response. Obama is a politician. Let him earn whatever you end up giving him.
As someone who loves posting youtube clips, thanks for the tip on how to point it to the right place.
What is with all the Obama buttons? Not only are they really large compared to normal campaign buttons, but they have his stylized visage and people are still wearing the freaking things almost a week after the election! Is this North Korea? Will we all have to wear a picture of the Dear Leader soon in order to ride the Subway?
For now this shit is just funny, but if it keeps going much longer it will be truly creepy, then slide into frightening.
I strongly suspect that any libertarians or wannabe libertarians (Hi Megan McArdle!) who voted for Obama will be dealing with some serious regrets.
I'm curious, did gay people not realize in advance that Prop 8 would pass due to the high black turnout for Obama? Was this really as surprise to them?
I'm quite serious with that question. Are they that naive, wafting about in a PC fog? I voted against it and I knew that was a very high possibility that it would pass and not primarily due to the efforts Morman Church, however, the actual spread was so huge it surprised even me (a cynical fiscal conservative).
That's some mad video-linking skillz you got going on there, I must say.
Please don't be harshing my euphoria with your buyers' remorse, I got a myth in the works over here. It has to do with something a tender crusty lady said, hopelessly crustified in the baked thin flaky crustiness of upper crustydom, in an interview with Look magazine of yore, said only once, but repeated often and taken on a life of its own far beyond the original intention and referring to an earlier myth on whole 'nuther continent in a previous age, an age thankfully gone forever. A myth on a myth on a myth, that's what I'm working on. This is going to be good. Now, we must nip this self questioning at the bud, first off, no regrets absolutely.
I like this as an idea for a screenplay: The main character is a lifelong friend of a guy who becomes President.
You've just described Edmund Morris' authorized biography of Ronald Reagan. He made up a lifelong friend of Reagan, and IIRC called him "Edmund Morris," and told the story through his perspective, including imaginary conversations they had.
That ending always kinda puzzled me.
I've always thought is was like: "Woo Hoo...I finally got what I wanted...Um...now what? OMG there is no going back now."
The looks on their faces are the realization that they have made an irrevocable choice that has just changed everything in their lives and they are wondering if it was the right choice.
I fear that the people who voted for Obama out of emotion and without really weighing the consequences will be doing a similar...Ooops, what have we done? moment in the near future.
DBQ,
While I hope that regret among Obama voters is not needed, if it is something you or I might imagine should occur, I tend to think, it will be turned against some Vast Right Wing Conspiracy with the dutiful and proven support of the media.
I could be wrong but I doubt it.
Boy, how right-wingers must long for the good ol' VRWC days!
Remember those? They were so scary and organized back then, they could organize conspiracies!
Vast ones!
On message!
Flickr!
Jac: "Maybe it felt wrong to be gleeful about how America is transcending its history of prejudice on a night when California, of all states, deprived people of their right to marry who they want regardless of gender."
If you let people marry anyone they want to, a lot of folks up in San Francisco will be marrying 12 year old boys.
I loved the ending of that movie. Pitch perfect.
These people will be so crushed when he and the left-wing illuminati forget about them, and all those empty promises they made.
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