Whobama

As I was walking home tonight a poster caught my eye that announced "Come Celebrate Obama's Victory Party." My gaze caught the smaller text below that read "organized by the African-Canadian community." It seems as if Obama is all but declared the winner before the Americans have even gone to the polls. The victory celebrations have jumped the starting gun it would appear and this smacks of presumptuous overconfidence despite the onslaught of daily polling data that suggests an Obama win is a foregone conclusion.
I think that before everyone who's pro-Obama congratulates themselves, a closer scrutiny at their candidate of choice is in order. With all of that out of the way, if I lived in the U.S. I'd probably vote for Obama -- but not without some reservation.
What I can't shake and want to get beyond here is the sense that Obama's presidential run is as much (if not more ) about identity politics than anything to do with policy. If one were to look past his dynamic veneer, and -- let's face it -- his "colour" -- then we might discover that he is another well-briefed, skilled politician with carefully-rehearsed responses and an oft-repeated buy-line promising some sort of unspecified "change." It's a no-brainer to conclude that Obama is far more suited to be president than Bush and arguably better than McCain, and after the Bush debacle, it will take a certain degree of courage to inherit the daunting mess that has been left behind. Yet the honeymoon with Obama persists and the tough questions are not being lobbed his way. This is precisely the time to be demanding to see a semblance of a coherent blueprint from Obama, or will it become one of these consensus-made, patchwork blueprints that will have to placate every special interest group that put him in power? Perhaps he's shrewder than he plays at. He is certainly trying to communicate the image of being the cross-partisan healer --- the one who transcends the ugly, nasty, rumour-plagued world of party politics and emerges as an iconic figure for a nation -- and a world -- on the cusp of hard times. But perhaps that's all the presidency is, -- a substitute for the monarchy that the American's thought they had so proudly vanquished in their war or independence. Ronald Reagan was certainly a figurehead for a conservative revolution in the U.S. He was backed up by whip-smart albeit dangerous ideologues who were later recycled in the Bush administration -- the Rumsfelds, the Cheneys etc. The Republicans have made a high art of using the presidency as a mere smoke and mirrors distraction for the masses while the real behind the scenes power brokers go about their business of running the show. However the Democrats -- the party that always insists on its ethical superiority than the former (something that isn't that hard to achieve I might add) look like they're borrowing from the enemy's playbook -- never to repeat a Gore or a Kerry. Wow'em with some of that Obama magic and they might forget about everything else. Or at least be more receptive to the administration's agenda.
It's time to really examine King Barack before his coronation. There are those within his camp that are simply proud of the fact that they have the chance of electing the first "non-white" president and this seems to preclude any further consideration of the details of his plans. It would seem to me that these same people who are more inclined to support him just for the symbolism alone -- are ironically and unwittingly making race the issue here. The real question should be "Who is Obama and what does he believe is best for America? "
I fear that the American obsession with "novelty" and "celebrity" has now permeated the political culture. Take for example, the respective candidates campaigning on late night talk shows. It's all ratings-generating show biz and one presidential candidate is just another prop in the routine of late night talk show land. The American worship of the movie star politician probably started with JFK and it certainly was manifest in Reagan while Bush played the straight-talkin' rube but now, with instant polling numbers and a media-fed, globally-connected YouTube generation making or breaking the latest trend at the click of a mouse, it seems that the image of the celebrity politician is more manufactured and pre-formatted than ever. This is not to suggest that Obama is generic -- although underneath the electricity of his appeal -- his message might be. Has the YouTube generation bought into the mere symbolic importance of Obama as president and ignored the rest? Could any other candidate get away with sounding like a Republican on some issues and still maintain the adoration of the many on the other side of that ledger? A demographic who may lack any critically informed political ideas of their own but have fairly inculcated values about race and identity. These young Obama supporters are products of a post-modern education system that has steeped them in doctrinaire credos of one-world togetherness and gender and race consciousness without a solid, basic foundation in Civics, Economics or History for that matter. In other words, they don't get the wider view but instead prefer to hyper-focus on affirmative action and same-sex marriage -- which are much more exciting and attention-retaining than economic policy, foreign affairs, trade relations and line-item vetoes.
Obama may in fact, bridge an important divide, and perhaps his "symbolic" presidency may have the power enough in itself to re-direct America (and the world) onto a wiser and genuinely better course. One can only hope so. But what if he turns out to be a modern-day Icarus? What if the colossal weight of expectation that is being downshifted onto his shoulders proves to be too much? What if cracks appear in his polished surface? what if he appears "human" even at times "ineffective"? How will the disillusionment translate itself?
Perhaps Obama is the tonic that is needed right now, but I can't help thinking that he is virtually untested in handling the reigns of leadership in government and he's about to take on the biggest and most unruly reigns there are. Even a turn at Vice President might have had a more humbling effect on him and given him a more gradual preparation for the top job, but in the end, his dynamic flair combined with his race hastened him to the top of the ticket propelled along by a critical mass of guilty, liberal supporters who want to see a black president first and a substantive set of policies second. Fortunately, it seems, that Obama is capable of delivering on both, but his transition into a "great" president, won't be seamless.