Reflections on Obama & Change
Now that the orgy of congratulatory back-slapping has begun to subside, it is perhaps time for everyone to regain their sober thought and begin to seriously consider exactly what kind of a victory Obama’s 52% of the popular vote actually represents.
Consider this: How bad would things have had to have gotten for him to walk away with something more than the slightest of majorities? How pathetic would the Republican party have had to become for the Democrats to capture a more meaningful share of the popular vote?
Make no mistake: The Democrats might have taken control over the organs of government, but they still have an astonishingly tenuous grasp on the hearts and minds of the voting public. The electoral college might be capable of allocating political power, yet it continues to reveal itself as a poor reflection of the American psyche.
The hard work of change has only just begun, and in time we will learn that the real business of change is not conducted at the ballot box or in the anals annals of government.
It is not government that needs to change—it is us. Democracy implies it.
