Helping Obama Write the Unwritten Future
It's been six-plus months since Obama took office, and the new Rolling Stone cover is the first image of Obama I've created in that time. As a candidate, his vision and his message of shared civic duty were inspiring, but as president he faces an unbelievable pressure to accomplish what he set out to do, despite the reality that he can't do it alone. Much like my "Hope" image was intended to express his vision and his intellectual diligence, I also wanted this new image to convey his focus, but with the added weight and stress of responsibility. While he is undoubtedly our leader, the question I placed in the presidential seal, "Will he take bold action or compromise too easily?" is one that I think we all need to ask about ourselves and what we're doing to work toward what we believe in. The pitfalls of "politics as usual" aren't reserved for politicians.
However, a lot can and will change. As Joe Strummer of The Clash once said, "The future is unwritten." In my illustration I make reference to Gilbert Stuart's famous unfinished portrait of George Washington to capture the idea that, although we're quick to judge, it's too early to tell how Obama's presidency will turn out. Hopefully Obama and all of us who have stood behind him will do everything we can to fill in our incomplete future the way we've pictured it.
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I think one way we are going to have to help is by electing a more liberal Congress in 2010. It's time to defeat the GOP officeholders in districts Obama carried, and remove conservative Democrats who stand in the way of reform.
It's like I'm living a movie and I'm anxious to know the ending..
If you look at the two photos in the links below --- the cover is very similar:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98131992@N00/3397416370/
http://www.weaselzippers.net/.a/6a00e008c6b4e5883401156f4b5edf970b-800wi
Such a shame Obama can't call Joe Strummer for some advice.
Tim
http://www.theclashblog.com/
Nice call by Mr Fairey to suggest Obama consults the words of Joe Strummer as he moves forward. It's a shame the President couldn't have a beer with Joe as I think he could learn a lot from him.
I like to think Strummer would have had his undeniable hope recharged by the election of Obama and I hope the US population show the wisdom of patience as this journey continues.
http://www.theclashblog.com
Tim
ROLLING STONE is about marketing to college boys and teenagers; everything else is minor.
Many old-timers buy it for the political stuff and to watch for the obits from our g-g-g-generation.
Take what you like and leave the rest.
Obama is only the President, but we are the people - We elected him because he put forth ideas we believe in, but without us, he becomes impotent in Washington DC.
He'll keep moving forward if we continue to stand up and move with him. We are the great force, he's just the wedge cutting through the culture...
Thank Shepard for the post and the art!
I totally agree. Now if only the Blue Dogs and DEMS in the Senate and House can also follow suit that would be great. If only the American people wouldn't be so quick to turn coat and continue to stand behind President Obama. If only the DEMS would not be so quick to scare and vote unamiously and not be so concerned about bipartisanship; honestly, do you believe in Republicans were in office they would be so concerned about bipartisanship. NO! I just hope and pray that those who voted for President Obama afford him the opportunity to bring the change that he spoke about during his campaign and that we voted for and his presidency will turn out just fine. If only.
How good that someone is pointing out these facts. Our president cannot do it alone. "Yes we can" does not mean yes Obama can. All hands on deck.
Fire Geithner and Bernanke - Audit the Fed - fire every former Goldman Sachs employees investigate BushCheney for war crimes Take the $13 Trillion back from the banks and pay off every mortgage and credit card and outstanding student loan in the US and we'll break even. - people will spend again, jobs will be created, and justice will be served.
or
Keep going in this direction and we will lose our county to the wealth socialist elite.
either way Obama makes history
And Larry Summers (for ... take your pick) and Christina Romer, who just does not inspire confidence when I see her on TV, whatever her academic credentials might be.
Shepard Fairey's portraits of Obama are so interesting. Andy Warhol would have loved them.
nice blog thingie - er "post"
I am buying it
I will try this again since they seem to scrub most conservative views. President Obama will be remembered for doing no other person or country has been able to do and that is to destroy America. We do not have to worry about Al Queda attacking us again because Bin Landin is looking at our President as doing the job for him.
He is turning this recession into a depression. As the economy struggles he proposes to pass the largest tax ever passed in the history of this nation with Cap and Trade. Guarenteed to destroy what ever industry is left and leave another 2-4 million people unemployed.
To further hurt the recovery he has spent, borrowed, and printed so much money that our great grand children will be paying off just his debt. This will devalue the dollar, lead to high interest, and high inflation and millions more will be without jobs.
He now wants to control 7 percent of the economy with his health Noble idea but will only quicken the countries demise. In six short months he has done a lot to make us into a welfare state where the only thing left is government. He'll rule us with a strong hand with his Union thugs to make sure we stay in our place as they are doing with the town hall meetings. So all you progressives cheer him on this is what you always wanted the evil America destroyed and brought low before the world.
We have to worry about someone like you that can't even spell "Al Qaeda" or "Bin Laden" correctly.
Union Thugs?!?!
So can we call the "Teabaggers", "Confederate Bullies"? Ha!
Paranoid? Hateful? Greedy? Delusional? Misinformed? Lied to? Short-sighted?
which one are you?
this is a joke, right? youre joking, hahaha, i get it.
wilsonveteran, I'm pretty sure you weren't born in the past 6 months, but the worldwide economic meltdown happened on George W. Bush's watch (as did the Iraq War, which has gutted the country economically).
Obviously, you're not one to give credit even where credit is so obviously due, but you might want to give George W. Bush credit for the biggest economic meltdown in our lifetime, due almost entirely to his lack of corporate regulation, although also to the money pit called Iraq.
And you might want to at least give Obama credit for trying to help human beings other than his CEO buddies.
Consider "wilsonveteran", whoever in the hell you are, that you have more than enough forums to spout your one-sided, bigoted views. Your side in effect controls a helluva lot more media than we could ever dream of.
Go sit in a corner and reminisce on your good ole days of the last 8 years while we collectively, as a nation, try and cleanse our souls of the destruction your administration so aptly applied to, forget the country, the ENTIRE GLOBE.
Uh yeah the Dow is doing better- All of that money pumped into Wall street & Banks- should be worth a tiny bit of something. So far- Obama has helped Wall Street- these guys are his true friends.
Summary of his accomplishments: helped bail out the too big to fail financiers, some face lift with respect to torture guantanamo-- oh did I mention Wall Street?
President Obama goals are bold, but his actions to reach his goals are compromising. Think about it carefully and you will realize that such approach actually kills two birds with one stone. The first and the most important one is that the goals are achieved, the second is he does not alienate people who oppose his goals when he compromises sometimes.
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