Hoping I Can Change: Why I Was Wrong About Barack Obama

I was wrong about Barack Obama.

Boy, was I wrong.

In fact I've been consistently wrong about our President-Elect since way back in January, starting with my first "there's no way this guy can win" post. Since then, I've mocked him, scolded him, patronized him, and basically written him off from wire to wire. About the only thing I didn't do was write a book along the lines of "Why Obama Lost" -- although one publisher, hearing my clarion call of negativity, did offer me the job.

Hey, at least I was consistent.

I never really drank the Obama Kool-Aid and joined with the adoring throngs who, it turns out, elected him president. Maybe it's because I'd already drunk the Clinton Juicy Juice back in the '90s and never lost my affection for Hillary, lousy as her campaign was. And that's saying nothing about her husband's disastrous attempts on her behalf.

But I think it's more likely that I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Defeat-ocrat. Someone who looks for the cloud in every electoral silver lining. Someone who knows from decades of experience how we Dems can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The first presidential election I have any real memory of is 1980, when Ronald Reagan opened up a can of whup-ass on Jimmy Carter and signaled the ascendancy of the modern conservative movement. In '84 I volunteered for the Mondale campaign, and somehow deluded myself into believing he had a shot right up to the Election Night "victory party." It began at 7 PM -- 15 minutes before the networks called the election for Reagan. Eventually they called 49 states for the Gipper. I wasn't even old enough to get drunk.

Even when Democrats have won the White House in recent years, they've lost, kinda. Whether it's Clinton's surrendering both houses of Congress and then getting impeached in the late '90s GOP partisan rampage, or Gore's winning-but-somehow-not-winning in 2000, there's always been a little sour to temper the sweet.

After 2004, when John Kerry defied the exit polls and won the All-Time Lamest Campaign award but lost the presidency, I decided to give up all hope of the political landscape ever changing. So when the candidate of Hope, Change and Really, I Can Win This Thing roared out of the Iowa caucuses and into our hearts in January, well, I hope you can understand my cynicism.

But I was wrong and I'm very, very happy to admit it. I've even resolved to give myself a full day of unadulterated partisan glee. No bad thoughts for a full 24 hours. No pessimism. No thinking that the Democrats will now be blamed for anything and everything that goes wrong for the next two years. No worrying that if Obama turns out to be Jimmy Carter redux, we could be annointing another generation of Republican presidents. No realization that with this watershed victory, it's probably all downhill from here.

OK, the 24 hours starts ... NOW. Congratulations, Mr. President-Elect. And I'm sorry.

Comments

[ChicagoSuz]

I never thought he wouldn't win. My fear was that it would be stolen again...

[Shake-A-Spear]

At last we Democrats have snatched victory from the jaws of victory. Let us put away the wormwood; and pop the cork of our finest celebratory Champagne as, one and all, we toast our good fortune.

And Tony: may all your earlier doubts be forgotten as you realize that despite all the tiwsts, turns, and convoutions along the way to victory we now have the President we knew all along we SHOULD have..

[hortonhearsawho]

Tell todd he is fired, you run out and get the sixpack...

[rgersmrk]

There is no need to apologize. What happened last night spoke volumes on what Obama and his staff are capable of. The next chapter begins now.

[MikePS65]

"No bad thoughts for a full 24 hours. No pessimism. No thinking that the Democrats will now be blamed for anything and everything that goes wrong for the next two years. No worrying that if Obama turns out to be Jimmy Carter redux, we could be annointing another generation of Republican presidents. No realization that with this watershed victory, it's probably all downhill from here."

That's your idea of no pessimism?

[timm0]

You are a better man than most for posting this confession.

[KillTheMessenger]

If you feel bad about always being wrong, why don't you just keep it to yourself?

That's actually a strategy that's known to prevent embarrassment. Or just don't worry about being wrong once in a while. That's what I do. I just don't care because being wrong is human.

:-)

[CharlesJ]

For what it's worth, I for one was sold exactly oppositly. I because of my upbringing, looked at the man for what he said and how he said it. Obama is the only president I can remember other than JFK that talked to the American people, I mean really talked to us about hope, that there was and could be a better tomorrow, that it was up to us, "WE THE PEOPLE" Did I buy some of the hype? Yes. Did I falter in my belief? Yes from time to time, but not my belief in his ability, but in the American People for I feared they would not beable to move beyond the obvious race issue. Yet deep down inside I knew this was more than a possibility, it was a reality that this man was going to become our president.
I for one was never a fan of the Clinton world, there was too much excess baggage that would have hurt that election, particularily on the part of Bill.
It all goes to show that we all see it from different perspectives and different set of eyes. We will be okay, in fact I hope to see the US be more than just okay in the years to come.

[allonfla]

Glad you are man enough to admit you were wrong. I was thinking of writing an article demanding an apology from some of Obama's so-called supporters who doubted him when he didn't deserve it.

[justobserve]

Too opinionated is not good: you can't see things clearly! At least you are not a recalcitrant now!

[ron ray]

amen, and let us revel for at least another 24 hours.

then, from one reformed defeat-ocrat to another, a request: that you help us keep the democratic congress in line so Barack can deliver. Remember what happened when the democratic congress wouldn't let clinton deliver on his promises?

I hate to say we can snatch a Republican Revolution from the jaws of victory, but we are democrats.

[mrcontinental]

Way to cowboy up bro, takes an adult to admit they were wrong.

[AxelDC]

Viva Obama!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fd-MVU4vtU