How Our Role as Obama Supporters Should Change: Less Emotion, More Responsibility

By yesterday at noon, this proud first-time voter had already cried about five times. Obama's humble and unifying victory speech; the discussions in history classes about the great milestones of this election; even the morning's editorial cartoons; It was impossible to not get repeatedly emotional about this magnificent race and its life-changing outcome.

But as ecstatic as I am, I think it's not too early to start reasonably preparing for what's next, because heightened emotions are not going be sufficient fuel for the change we want to see in the next four years -- and might even be dangerous in the long run. As Obama's role changes, ours, as his supporters, must too. We should no longer be adoring fans who are pledging our votes, but instead, the electorate who will hold him accountable for the promises he has made and the high standard he has set for himself.

It won't be easy, after such an emotional campaign, to accept that our feelings about Obama have to find a balance between dogmatically accepting his every move and being bitterly disappointed when he fails to meet his every promise. But as part of the movement that got him to the White House, we need to adapt to the different environment it provides, and in order to not be let down, must reasonably accept the challenges he faces. In addition, in order to keep Obama's ego in check and his policy in line, we must also be willing to question our president and be ready to hold him accountable.

As Obama said last night: "This victory alone is not the change we seek--it is only the chance for us to make that change." And how better to seize that chance than by realizing that while we can continue to cheer, there will be moments where we must boo and demand more, or better? Hope is what got us here, but it can't be all we hold on to -- we must be skeptical and challenge the next administration to end the war in Iraq, universalize health care, and reform education. I know I'm up for the challenge -- and I think President Obama is, too.

Originally posted @ Glamocracy

Comments

[LizM]

I think you may need to carefully listen to every word - and I mean EVERY word - that VP-elect Biden said recently to a select group of Obama donors and supporters...perhaps you were there!

Of course, I'm talking about the very important speech that was completely misunderstood, to be kind, by the media - God love 'em - as having been about an international crisis being visited upon an Obama administration. Talk about missing the entire point!

Let me know if you need a link for the complete audio of the speech!

[LeeScho]

No, no, no. Same emotion. Love this man for what he has done with his life and for what that has positioned him to do for the lives of so many others.

No one has to hold Barack Obama accountable. His whole life has been about accountability - personal and professional. He is a man of profound integrity. I did not agree with his FISA vote; I cringed and hated it. Then I immediately knew that whatever his reasons for the vote, they were honorable. He wanted to hold the telecoms responsible for their spying, but needed to find another way to do it. And he will. As President of the United States of America. And if he does not, but spends his time and energy helping families stay in their homes and their kids stay in college, then that is just fine with me.

When I went to vote on Tuesday, God was not on the ballot. So I voted for Obama. I don't pray to him. I just pray for him.

[jsarets]

I agree with the emphasis on responsibility, but I don't think we should function as campaign promise police. If Obama can't advance his agenda, it's more likely to be our fault than his. Our role should be to mobilize behind his policy proposals like we mobilized behind his campaign messages.

His campaign was about us, and if his administration is to succeed, it must also be about us. We have to remain engaged, we have to remain organized, and we have to remain an unstoppable army fighting for change. We are the foot soldiers in the progressive revolution.

If we stand together, we will prevail. If we bombard Congress with correspondence, we will prevail. If we contribute in small-dollar increments to representatives that vote for change, we will prevail. Our strength is in numbers and coordination.

Obama built a progressive electoral machine that defeated the mighty Religious Right. Politicians that stick with us will keep their jobs. We will stand with those leaders who support progressive change like we stood with Obama and transformed American politics forever.

We have taken back our government. Now it's up to us.

[PennP]

Amen, and here's where we can all get started: http://www.change.gov/
The signup is at the top right of the screen.

[shanefish]

What a great symbol of what we want as an engaged citizenery! Even if I never hear back about my suggestions, I at least feel like I am "in the game" unlike the last 8 years. He is even willing to show his agenda and not hide behind closed doors. Let's hope the nation will get behind Obama and push this nation forward. I personally don't worship the ground he walks on, and feel that AMERICA won the elcetion and it is in our power to help him succeed.

[texanna]

Since I was never an adoring fan, I won't have any trouble adopting an adversarial stance to Mr. Obama when it's necessary. While I voted for him, and think that he has the potential to be a great president, I am one of those to whom he has to prove himself. So far, with FISA, his campaign promise to enlarge the role of faith-based initiatives in our government and his support of the perfectly awful bail-out bill he hasn't shown me much.

[LeeScho]

That's because he has grown.
Perhaps you can, too.

Hasn't shown you much? Against incredible odds, this bi-racial, African-American (we are all Africans ultimately), first Black Editor of the Harvard Law Review, State Senator, United States Senator, dedicated husband and father, becomes President-Elect of the United States of America and he hasn't shown you much?

Who are you, again?

[SeanGardner]

notice texanna mentioned THREE issues. She didn't cast her net wide enough. She is stuck on how Obama didn't support her progressive position on those issues.

If her measuring stick is how Obama measures up "100% to the letter" on progressive issues, then she will continue to be disappointed. He is not The President of Progressive America, he's the President of The United States of America. And if doesn't know that now, she'll never know it.

[texanna]

Just to make it clear -- I didn't vote for him because he is a bi-racial American any more than he ran as a bi-racial American. The other attributes you mention are all good reasons among many that I thought he was the better candidate. None of them have anything to do with his policy positions, though, and it's those policy positions that he ran on and asked for our support of.

[Oaktowmie]

I agree wholeheartedly. Now that the election is over, the work begins! I am hoping that the role we as citizens play in this administration is to push the ship of state forward further towards the greater good instead of the efforts exerted in the past 8 years to turn the ship around and keep it off the rocks.