February 2009

Issue 1, Volume 7

The public's current understanding of Barack Obama is that he is the feel-good hit of the winter. He was swept into office upon a tidal wave of optimism, some of it being rather shallow. Now, after a promise to do the best he can to make some major overhauls, we are beginning to see how he reacts to the daily trials and tribulations of his position.

Or are we?

The recent events regarding Tom Daschle have led me to believe that there are assumptions being made regarding the first 100 days than a lot of us would like to believe. Specifically, we are jumping to the conclusion that the best way to look at an elected leader is to place him under a microscope and see what makes him tick. Everything from Obama's new-and-improved (though not to some more traditional policymakers and citizens) dress code to his food preferences are being looked at, and while it's interesting to know about how he shakes hands with somebody and what he does to keep in shape, the ability to predict his style of governance from these things is not accurate.

You might be asking, “How does this have anything to do with what he IS doing?” Aside from obvious changes like closing Guantanamo & softening up on diplomacy, not to mention more surprising ones such as pay caps for organizations receiving government bailouts, I have heard talk of little else aside from the stimulus package. What I am hearing about is Tom Daschle, and how he hasn't paid his taxes. Obama's apology for Daschle is telling, and it undoubtedly scored him points with those concerned with ethics in the White House, but it is not all that remarkable. In truth, I would count it even more remarkable if he did not say that he had made a bad decision.

Let's get something straight: These are the first 100 days. People are still amazed that khakis and sweaters are acceptable attire in the White House. Obama is under a lot of scrutiny, and to bring up relatively small issues like this, which should only be seen as a minor instance of damage control, is a bit too in depth. Just like I do not want to hear about how “revolutionary” it is that I can stroll into the Oval Office dressed like Mr. Rodgers, I do not think that problems like this are terribly important. Yes, I would want to know about them, and yes, it would only be wise to judge based upon them, but to begin judging Obama on his merits and flaws, which I fully intend to do, does not begin with business-as-usual, unless that business is distinctly unusual. Nomination problems do not usually constitute huge problems for a new president, unless the president-in-question act like Bush once did by refusing to speak directly to the press and keeping the public out of the loop. Talking is good. I am considering this to be a minor victory for the new president, because it shows that he can at least admit his mistakes publicly. Whether he intends to improve himself based upon those mistakes is a different issue entirely, one that we will have to wait for.

The same microscope that you scrutinize in order to find out about presidential dietary habits is the same one that magnifies relatively normal things and portrays them as being critical. In the end, it probably does more to influence popular opinion of Obama, which is already fluctuating according to this issue and others. I would not be bothered if it was not that these are relatively mundane events. Guantanamo is big, and Daschle is tiny compared to it. In reality, this Tom Daschle thing is more akin to growing pains, those first few missteps that will inevitably happen. The failed nomination doesn't matter unless it becomes a repeated bad habit.

I suppose my message is directed to both the naysayers who gag upon hearing the word “change” and to supporters who can't figure out why they're drawn to the new Pepsi advertising campaign. To those in doubt, remember that this is a very odd time, especially considering the high expectations Obama brings with him. You will be hearing about things that don't matter, and it's up to you to peel away the layers of media attention and get to what are considered to be actual demonstrations of leadership ability, not just little flubs. To those who are still behind Obama, remember that this is a sensitive time and what you see might not necessarily be what you get. It's going to be a long four years, and we're only a few days out of it, so expect a lot of politics with every action, at least until that early-term microscope begins to ease up. When you can't find out what brand of khakis Obama wears from the New York Times, then you can take more of his actions at face value.

Michael Riconda is a sophomore majoring in anthropology.