So, um...I'm a pretty liberal democrat. No big surprise, right? I voted for Obama and really want him to do well while in office. Plunged into crisis last January, a crisis not of his doing, President Obama went into battle knowing it was going to be fought charging up a steep, steep hill.
The thing is, I trust he's doing his best, but he hasn't done enough to remind us of why we should trust him. I do not feel the presence of Obama in daily life. I'm reminded of when Bush was in office and I could go months without thinking of the US as actually having a leader. Obama is not spending most of his first term on a ranch in Texas, though (short Martha's Vineyard vaca aside), he's been in the Oval Office. Where he should have been is in our living rooms.
During the Great Depression & WWII, Franklin Delano Roosevelt frequently addressed the country via radio, using his "fireside chats" to gather support for his New Deal programs and, later, for the sacrifices necessary to win WWII. They were enormously popular, and usually resulted in Roosevelt getting what he wanted, legislatively. Now, I recently discovered Obama's weekly address is available on YouTube. I didn't know this. Did you? Part of Obama's appeal is in his eloquence and logical analysis of the issues. As he goes to battle over health care for all, we need to see him, to listen to him, to really feel like he's got our backs. I'm not a marketing guru, but I know the present administration has access to the best. Let's hope they make use of it.
AMEN SISTER!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have been asking myself... where is he? It isn't any secret I am a huge fan too. HUGE. And I feel sometimes he (and his staff) don't understand (or underestimate?) the power of persuasion. I remember when the economy was really bad those weeks in March. I thought. "Why doesn't he tell us to buy stock? If MY president told me to buy stock, I would!"
And I too wonder why he isn't in our living rooms every Friday night. Why? People who don't want to listen would turn the channel. FDR would have used TV if it was in every household. He only used radio because it was in every (almost) living room. Okay, sorry, I just really agree. AND I am tied to a job because of Health Care and NO other reason. 9-5 away from my little girls because my lucrative part time gig affords us no health care. SO I am a little invested.... you are brave, to post this! BRAVO!
Um, I'm Canadian so I can't (or shouldn't) talk, but I've been wondering the exact same thing: where is Obama?
ReplyDeleteI think many more people would feel assured if they got to hear more from him.
Couldn't agree with you more, L. I miss the Obama of the election. I love hearing him speak and think it's one his biggest strengths. You tube is great, but the white house needs to make sure these addresses are getting picked up by the media, the bloggers, and etc so the american public sees them. Time for a marketing plan, Prez!
ReplyDeleteHere, here!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, gals! It's getting depressing, isn't it? He's just...absent.
ReplyDeleteAbsence makes the heart grow fonder ladies!! Times are so different now. What would it cost taxpayers to have Obama on television every Friday night? Advertising dollars don't go as far as they did during Roosevelt's time. I think the You Tube addresses are great! Especially for the younger people. That's where they spend their time... the computer, not the television. He is making the ultimate sacrifice leading our country through this terrible time. Surely we can make the effort to seek him out in the venue he has chosen to communicate?
ReplyDeleteGood point, Kathleen. It does cost a boatload of cash to secure an hour of television. But I guess I feel like a lot of people don't have access to his chosen venue, particularly older folks, so it doesn't feel like he's really reaching out to everyone. Bill Clinton always did a good job with this stuff, even when he was grandstanding. I don't think we should have to seek the Prez out. It's his job to make his presence known, especially if he wants this health care overhaul to work out.
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