President Obama currently enjoys a meager 39 percent approval rating according to Gallup. When he was inaugurated in 2009, he enjoyed a 68 percent approval rating. His approval rating measured by the latest ABC/Washington Post poll matched his lowest on record at 42 percent. That has dropped 13 points since the beginning of the year, and six points in the last month alone.
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My, how the mighty have fallen.
Somewhere along the way, Obama went from quelling the rise of the ocean tides to pitching Obamacare hotline numbers like a used car salesman. It’s been quite a ride for the country, particularly for his supporters.
Stage One: Rabid Excitement
The excitement surrounding the possibility of an Obama presidency in 2008 was palpable. The groundswell of support for Obama was based on an infectious idealism. Obama could be whatever you wanted him to be because there wasn’t a whole lot to convince us otherwise. Warnings of a possible radical past were quickly pigeon-holed as outrageous and even racist. Questions of his “present” voting record were trumped by a promised platform of “hope” and “change.” “Obama ’08” bumper stickers littered the landscape of American highways and he churned out a record number of voters, particularly the usually-apathetic youth.
Stage Two: Blind Idealism
Obama’s presidency began with the promise of saving our economy. For this task, he turned to the pocketbooks of the American people. He spent at least $800 billion on an economic stimulus plan that failed to produce promised results. Unemployment rose well beyond the promised 8 percent, only to eventually fall because 11 million Americans left the labor force. Currently, we are living the dreadful reality of his biggest legislative accomplishment: Obamacare.
Meanwhile, his supporters turned a blind eye to his policy on the use of drones, legislating through executive order, failing to close Guantanamo Bay, advocating for military intervention in Syria — the list goes on. None of that touches the scandals, about which he claims to know nothing, including the IRS targeting conservatives, the Department of Justice snooping on reporters, the failed Fast and Furious gun-running program, the Benghazi attack and the NSA collection of vast amounts of personal data.
Stage Three: Quiet Disappointment
Difficulty to turn a blind eye to all that is listed in Stage Two leads to an unspoken disillusionment with Washington. Obama failed to live up to his promises and potential and dismantled people’s belief that things could be different. If Obama can’t change things in Washington, who can? Based on the deception and calculation we’ve come to discover over the last few years, its possible that Obama never intended to change the ways of Washington at all. He spoke beautiful words because he needed us to believe in him, but they turned out to be empty. America has now come to learn that they were either used for the sake of his own political expediency or Obama simply is in over his head. Neither option leaves one feeling warm and fuzzy.
Stage Four: Delusional Defiance
Reluctant to give up on the hope Obama once inspired, some continue to defend Obama. Like a desperate gasp for the last breath of air, it has become almost humorous to see folks preach their hopes as if they were reality. Obamacare has turned out to be a disaster and will only continue to get worse as more layers of the law come into effect. The economic recovery is the worst since WWII and millions have simply given up looking for work. There is a $17 trillion national debt with zero plans to reduce it. The inability to implement competent solutions has left many without an appetite for much more. Immigration reform, for example, isn’t exactly invigorating an American public mired with a faulty healthcare mandate and a poor economy.
Stage Five: Apathetic Acceptance
In 2008, Obama did an amazing job of inspiring new voters. I believe that his failure to live up to the hype will unfortunately lead to a generation of apathy. Millions must accept that soaring rhetoric isn’t a true plan for economic growth. Catchy slogans can’t manage and implement a government takeover of one-sixth of our economy (Obamacare).
Obama’s speeches remain gifted but aren’t matched by actionable results. For those paying attention, it has led to frustration and that itchy feeling of being manipulated. But for many, it has resulted in the tuning out of Washington. We can no longer believe what they say or promise.
If Obama had succeeded in implementing his plans, I would oppose many of them, but at least there would be integrity left in the system.
Instead we are left with one question that could hamper our ability to make necessary changes in the future: what’s the point?
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