The Rise and Fall of Great Expectations

~~By kenosha Marge

It seems the “Yes We Can” folks and even some others have decided that an Obama Administration will be Christmas All Year Round.

In a recent Quinnipiac Poll is seems that 70% of the respondents believe that the economy will get better during Obama’s first term. Imagine that! An economic disaster that has been years in the making will get better in just four years. Optimism is normal at the start of a new administration. Doesn’t seem to faze many of us that that optimism is so often wrong.

Even 50% of Republicans say things will get better with an Obama administration. Which gives you a pretty good idea of how loathed Bush and Co. are in those circles.

56% say that Obama will restore public trust in government.

69 %  believe that his election will lead to improved race relations. Guess they weren’t some of the folks that were called racist for not voting for Obama. That does tend to make you less ready to jump on the old post-racial bandwagon.

28%  believe that Obama will be a great president. Pardon me raining on anyone’s parade but why would you think someone would be a great president before he’s ever done anything? Ah, I forgot about “Great Expectations”. Thirty-four percent say he’ll be a good president while 14% say he’ll just be so-so and 8% say he will be a bad president.

I would be more inclined to go with the 8% except for one thing. I don’t know. How the hell could I know? I can look at things I like or dislike about him and make a projection. Projections are about as helpful as Pecan Pie on a low-cal diet. He hasn’t been sworn in yet. If he is a mediocre president he will exceed my expectations. And that will be a good thing.

I have a very hard time being fair because I dislike the man, his politics, his followers and the media that crowned him. I know that he’s started fulfilling my low-expectations by appointing Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff. I detest Emanuel no end and most of the left blogosphere used to excoriate him for his ties to the DLC. Guess that stuff doesn’t matter much anymore.

However for that 70% that seems willing to give him applause before he’s played a note, the euphoria of high expectations may not survive the reality. Even if he is far, far better than what I think he is, he could not, and will not meet these unreasonably high expectations. To be perfectly fair, no one could.

I don’t expect much from any politician. I hold nearly all of them in contempt. They lie for a living and I don’t like liars. Finding a few here and there that are a tad more honest, have a little more integrity and who actually do try and do something besides get re-elected is an unexpected treat for me. But that’s just me. All I have to go by is what I’ve observed for 40 years.

Push aside the euphoria for a minute and reflect. Try to remember 2001. How about 9/20/01? Bush had approval ratings of nearly 90%. For being in charge when a terrorist attack on the United States took place. I’ve always wondered what the hell all those folks were approving of, exactly. Because I have to admit to being amongst the 10% that was more than a tad annoyed.

The president had been warned that something like this might happen and he did nothing. Oh, wait, he went on vacation. When it did happen he sat in a children’s classroom with a deer-in-the-headlight look on his face. Then he hopped on Air Force One and made damn sure his sorry ass was safe from all harm. No quick and soothing speeches to reassure a nervous electorate that one might expect from a leader. So why did so many citizens approve?

Then on March 20, 2003 when Bush began the war in Iraq a stunning 70% of the public approved. That would be about the same percentage that disapproves now. Then there was the 60% approval with the capture of Saddam on December 13, 2003. Wonder how many of that 60% were still under the impression that Saddam had something to do with 9/11. A large percentage would be my guess.

Bush’s downward approval ratings had a small up tick when the botched execution of Saddam occurred on December 30, 2006. Nothing seems to make folks happier than killing someone somewhere.

Today the mediocre little man that strutted about on the world stage has a dismal 28% approval rating. Exactly where he belongs. Yet for a time, there were a whole lot of citizens of this country that thought he hung the moon. Though not many would be willing to admit it now. We like to forget how wrong we can be.

I hope all those optimistic folks are right and my pessimism is wrong. There are times when being wrong is the right thing for everyone. However let’s not forget that a fool and his optimism are soon parted if the goods aren’t delivered. Perhaps they will be. But to be honest, my high expectations are very low.

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1228

http://z.about.com/d/uspolitics/1/0/z/D/bush_total_1may_umn.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein