It was almost two years-worth of fuzzy, vague, yet uplifting rhetoric delivered to bring tears in the eyes of his supporters. It was almost two years of idealism the media parroted without the customary scrutiny. And now that Barack Obama has hit the home run, he's now giving us insights (via 60 Minutes) about his swing as he rounds the bases.
And I think that's what the American people expect. You know, they're not expecting miracles. I think if you talk to the average person right now that they would say, 'Well, look, you know well, we're having a tough time right now. We've had tough times before.' 'And you know, we don't expect a new president can snap his fingers and suddenly everything is gonna be okay. But what we do expect is that the guy is gonna be straight with us. We do expect that he's gonna be working really hard for us.'
This was the man who was going to stop the seas from rising and make our financial woes go away by merely veering away from the "failed policies of the Bush Administration". He was The One the world was waiting for. Now that he's in, Obama is now lowering the expectations for the millions on whom he sold "hope" and "change".
And where is the end of "politics as usual" in all this?
And as it turns out, we're now finding out that Barack Obama sent letters to the government unions, assuring him he'd strengthen the reach of their agencies and increase staffing and benefits if they supported him.
The letters, all but one written Oct. 20, reveal a candidate adeptly tailoring his message to a federal audience and tapping into many workers' dismay at funding cuts and workforce downsizing in the Bush years. Many of Obama's promises would require additional funding, something he acknowledged would be difficult to achieve under the current economic conditions.
In a letter to Labor Department employees, Obama wrote: "I believe that it's time we stopped talking about family values and start pursuing policies that truly value families, such as paid family leave, flexible work schedules, and telework, with the federal government leading by example."
Obama wrote to employees in the departments of Labor, Defense, Housing and Urban Development, and Veterans Affairs, along with the TSA, the EPA and the Social Security Administration. Defense was the only area in which he did not make promises requiring additional spending, the letters show.
Some worry that Obama may have overpromised, with program changes and worker benefits that would be impossible to achieve. "That strikes me as smart politics," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. "We'll soon find out if he can deliver when he has to deliver his first budget."
Well, the suckers apparently bought it and guess who'll get to pay to keep those promises?
UPDATE: Now the Los Angeles Times has commenced their cover-your-ass evolution, and is only now offering "A look back".
In his books, speeches and campaign commercials, Sen. Barack Obama has harked back to his days as a civil-rights attorney.
It is fundamental to his autobiography and was displayed on his campaign Web site and woven into his appeals for votes. In one of his television ads leading up to the South Carolina primary, Obama recalled "working as a civil-rights attorney to make sure that everybody's vote counted."
Senior attorneys at the small firm where he worked say he was a strong writer and researcher, but was involved in relatively few cases before entering politics.
Too little, too late.
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