Prototype Politics

In 28 days, President-Elect Barack Obama will make history and become the 44th president of the United States of America; and I must admit that I am a little sick of hearing the phrase "make history" and all of its grammatical variations. I find it quite ironic that Barack Obama is coined as the man to make history, when, for the exception of one thing, I think that he's just repeating it. (Don't get it twisted...I appreciate the gravity of Obama's election and I don't mean to belittle it...I am merely sidelining race for the purposes of making a point.) I didn't vote for Barack Obama, but that doesn't mean that I don't believe in him. He exudes confidence, intelligence, grace, and poise; all things that bring about comfort and no one can deny that we, as a country, could use a little comfort. I know that the word "change" no longer holds leverage, but I authentically believe that we live in a world that needs change and that Barack Obama is the man to bring it about.

In a 2005 issue of Time Magazine, Barack Obama authored an article entitled, "What I See in Lincoln's Eyes." In it, Obama recalls what he admires about the great president and offers the reader undeniable similarities between himself and honest Abe. They were both young and inexperienced, and they were both criticized for it. They both came from humble backgrounds, were raised by women other than their mothers, and came to political power in the State of Illinois, even though they were not from Illinois. They both wrote best-selling books before their presidency and they both were/are eloquent and impassioned speakers; and it looks like Obama has his heart set on delivering a few more similarities.

President-Elect Barack Obama has not been shy in sharing his admiration for Abraham Lincoln, but I can't help but wonder if his admiration is more about a blueprint than it is a genuine desire to learn from this late, great president. From a 2-Dimensional view, Barack is displaying a Lincoln-esque style, but Abraham Lincoln was about more than style. Lincoln was a man who stood for courage; a man who stood UP for what he believed in. He didn't stand for the sake of standing, he stood because he truly had something to stand for. I hate to be skeptical, but I'm not sure the same applies to Obama...at least not yet.

Last week, Barack defended his decision to invite Rick Warren to pray at the inauguration, stating, "it is important for America to come together even though we may have disagreements on certain social issues...this is a part of what my campaign's been all about." I agree that we need discussion. I agree that we need to listen to one another. I even agree that we need to come together (whatever that is supposed to mean). What I don't agree with is this idea of reaching over opposing lines FOR THE SAKE OF reaching over opposing lines. It is true that Lincoln made friends with his enemies and that his cabinet was made up of rivals, but there wasn't a single person in his cabinet that he didn't 100% respect. Abraham Lincoln might have made friends with some Confederates, but he certainly wasn't inviting them over to make policy decisions.

Barack Obama is a man that walks on water. I'm not saying that he's Jesus, but that he exudes an unparalleled amount of poise. He has that quality that allows him to walk into a room without making waves or disrupting any boats, but I don't think that it's enough. There comes a time when you have to dig your heels in. When you have to ground yourself and stand for something, and you can't do that when you're walking on water. I don't mean to cut down our president before he's even started, but it seems like Obama's more interested in applying the motions of our 16th president rather than the ideals. If Barack Obama wants to exemplify the many amazing traits of Abraham Lincoln, he has to figure out what it is he stands for, and then uncompromisingly stand for that.

P.S. Here is my favorite Lincoln story. One day Captain Abraham Lincoln found himself leading a militia company across a field toward a gate. To his dismay, the appropriate command for marching through the gate utterly escaped his mind. "This company is dismissed for two minutes," Lincoln finally shouted in desperation, "and will fall in again on the other side of the gate!"