The political off-season is over, and it seems that the politics junkies of this nation are preparing to head for the polls. This is obviously premature; we’re still two years away from the nearest presidential election, and the midterms are looking to be an absolutely sad and perverse exercise in politicking towards the base – the reliable idealists who can be relied upon to consistently show up and spend 15 minutes of their time at the local VFW hall, middle school auditorium or church and cast votes in all the right ways.
Even they may have some trouble being bothered to enter the polls this year. The election is three months away, and I have yet to hear a single story about it that may be interesting to a member of the general public. I’ve even had trouble finding any news that may interest me. From the sham of the lawsuit that Boehner has been pushing against President Obama, to the early start of presidential election flip-flopping on the part of Rand Paul, the low art of politics fails to shock or draw attention from people deeply interested in it anymore. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I would’ve never believed that the nation was talking about hope and change so enthusiastically, without a hint of irony merely 6 years ago.
There is only one word that can accurately describe the state of the country in relation to its political system today: malaise. Simply put, it’s discomfort, it’s uneasiness, it’s every bad gut feeling that you might have but can’t put your finger on. This isn’t a bad feeling to have when you look at the news nowadays; there are a lot of reasons to feel uneasy when you see how the United States is performing on the world stage and even how its government is taking care of its citizens. If anything, it’s just accurate; it’s the right emotional response for a time with only ephemeral crises, but permanent discontent.
This feeling hurts even more when you remember the climate of the country a mere 6 years ago. I have a very distinct memory of watching Barack Obama’s victory speech in 2008 and thinking that the entire world as we knew it was going to change. My family was poor at the time, and the blame in our household wasn’t on a shifting global economy, but on the perennial presidential punching bag known as George W. Bush. Not only was this election seen as a milestone in race relations for my household, Obama was seen as a return to the old days of the Democratic party. My grandpa proudly proclaimed that he was going to be the first president since JFK to actually do something for working people and not just the rich. We all agreed with him, we wanted so desperately to believe that this was true.
The soft power of Barack Obama, his charisma, his idealism, the ideology of restructuring America to serve working people, is absolutely bankrupt. There isn’t a doubt in my mind about that. Those who continue to cling desperately to the myth of Barack Obama, the people’s president, are only able to do so out of a fear of what lies on the other side of the spectrum, the surprisingly resilient Tea Party movement. While it may not pack quite the punch that it did around 2010, the Tea Party still serves to strengthen the presidency of Obama in the minds of the left-leaning by showcasing the most extreme elements of the right wing and providing plenty of quotes that inadvertently scare moderates into running towards Obama. Without the tea party monster under the bed of the nation’s moderates, Obama would cease to wield any effective political power, at least any of the sort that comes from popular approval.
Looking forward to 2016, it’s difficult to be excited, even for someone who’s very much interested in politics. After the great disappointment of Obama, I’m skeptical of anyone running for office. Whether it be Warren, Clinton, Paul or Rubio, it’s difficult to believe that anyone will be able to capture the nation’s imagination like Barack Obama. It’s even more difficult to believe that they’ll surpass Obama and follow through with their plans. As negative as it may be, it’s a good idea to remember an old saying when you start thinking about our next elections “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”