Obama fatigue: how Barack's most zealous supporters may endanger his campaign

[illusionofjoy]

I am finding myself at a crossroads with Barack Obama. It is becoming difficult for me, no matter how hard I try, to separate the man from his fans. And really, the man I have no quarrel with, but the cheerleading squad who has attached themselves to his campaign is driving me to distraction. Frankly, I am sick of hearing about how wonderful this guy is. He is not the second coming. He is not all four Beatles rolled into one. He is not the best thing since sliced bread. Barack Obama is simply a man running for public office, and anyone who places him on a pedestal does their country a great disservice. Politicians are to be held under the boot heels of the populace to be scrutinised and dissected, not elevated on high to be worshipped.

But his supporters - not all, but a growing vocal (what I hope is a) minority can't seem to see past the myth to view the man. In a recent discussion with some Democratic friends of mine it was asked, "what is up with these Obama supporters? Did they all drink the Kool-aid or something?" Meanwhile, Obama threads have replaced Ron Paul threads as the message board spam du jour. On one message board, I made a post where I stated that the Obama-love seemed to be getting a bit out of hand, which handily started a flame war.

So what are we poor realists and cynics to do? Obama is definitely being transformed into a Christ figure (just ask the editors at Rolling Stone, whose cover this month was pretty much the last straw for many of us). It's a tricky analogy, so try to bear with me: strip away the divine providence and trappings of two-thousand years of religious dogma and look at Jesus Christ in the context of history. Christ was a simple carpenter's son who became a rabbi and who, in his time, preached some radical things which contradicted Old Testament teachings, such as forgiveness and loving one's neighbour. The man, who had to have at least charisma to do so, attracted a rather devout following and eventually a cult turned into a religion. From a mere historical standpoint, Jesus was a humble philosopher who just wanted to speak to people and improve their lives. It is doubtful that he intended to create the cult of Christianity.

Likewise with Barack Obama, I don't think he intended to create this "cult of personality" which seems to surround him now (at least I hope not). I suspect that he's just a man who wanted to do the right thing, spoke eloquently and gathered followers who liked what was being said and the way he said it. And like Jesus Christ, Barack Obama's followers seems to have taken the message, run with it and ultimately, distorted it, which is a shame, really.

I have said many times that hype is a killer. Right now, Barack Obama is the biggest hype in the land. This makes me wary as it sets off my "too good to be true" alarm. Indeed, much of what is touted about Barack Obama is too good to be true. "We are the change we've been waiting for" rings hollow as the powers of the president to pursue policies are limited by the votes of Congress. No one in the White House should be able to effect policy changes unilaterally - the concept is Un-American.

But let's examine the effects of the zealous Obama supporter on a more visceral level. I've had my mind made up to vote for Hillary Clinton for quite a while now - a departure from the usual Obama demographic (I'm young and college-educated - despite not finishing - so, according to Zogby, I should be waving the flag for the big O). Early on, I examined the candidates, weighed their policies and personalities and made up my mind that not only did Hillary Clinton have the better resume, making her more deserving of the job, she had the better approach to getting the job done. The Clinton campaign is one of realism and pragmatism, while Obama has his heads in the clouds (which is probably why he appeals to so many college students: there is no worse liberal than a college liberal).

For quite a while, I ran with the attitude that whomever won the Democratic primary would get my vote. I am still desperately trying to cling to that ideal, but it becomes harder and harder as the Obamaheads of the world cheerlead and gloat over their candidate, who isn't even technically the nominee and whose delegate lead is not as solid as they would have you believe. The cries of "Obama for President" have started to sound less like a rallying cry and more like a schoolyard taunt. And here I find myself, trying to keep my temper at bay, struggling more and more to disconnect the man from those who would claim to represent him. During the general election on November 4^th, a thought which came so easy before, which seemed so simple - press Obama's name on the voting machine if he is the Democratic nominee - now fills me with resentment. I can't bring myself to vote for John McCain, but damn, if I'm not tempted to write in Hillary Clinton's name.

The thing of it is that, despite the fact that I support Hillary Clinton, I have never belittled someone for supporting Barack Obama. I have tried to be respectful and understanding of their decision. I'm not going to push for him to be the nominee, but I've tried to maintain and open mind and a sense of balance should it come to pass that he should win. Meanwhile, Obamamania has come to a point where I've found myself belittled and disrespected by his supporters - the kind of malice that should be reserved for republicans. How am I supposed to feel? How should potential Obama supporters feel about this behaviour? How should any Democrat feel when the time may come to vote for the candidate in the general election? If my horse loses the race and you rub it in, do you really think I'll be receptive to pulling for your horse when the next race comes?

I just wish that the most zealous of Obama supporters - because I know that there are level-headed Obama supporters out there, I refer not to them - would take a deep breath and a step back. Step out of the hype and the perceived glamour of your candidate. Look at him. He is a man. He is a man doing the best he can with hopefully the best intentions at heart, but he is still just a man. Look at him and try to understand and accept that what you see is not necessarily what the rest of us see.