Did I catch a glimpse of MYBO last week? Is he back?
All last year I looked for MY Barack Obama -- MYBO -- that guy who convinced me to get off my behind and work for change in Bush-whacked America. Through all the bad news and the tea parties, I desperately searched for the 'hard-to-believe-this-can-happen-in-America' candidate who made me think of what could be.
Couldn't find him...just his likeness...a guy who was staid and cautious and used too many words. Wasn't him. Wasn't MYBO.
You see, MYBO was fresh and innovative and made those that dared to dismiss him look like stale bread. MYBO talked bottom-up while everyone else was steeped in top-down. He knew how to inspire and talk to me. He didn't lecture, his messages were short and succinct and always included me --"Yes We Can!" And...he knew where to reach me--not from print or podiums, but online.
I missed MYBO in 2009. All I had were memories of what was.
I first met MYBO online at a site for boomers called eons.com. He didn't meet the age requirement for the site, but he knew he could meet people like me there so he created a profile and a group. He invited me to follow him to his site, my.barackobama.com, or mybo as it was called. That's how our relationship started. That's how I became his friend.
Through mybo I knew where MYBO stood on the issues, where he was appearing, and what he needed from me as a friend. I got personal messages from him on a regular basis telling me what was coming next. If he was short of cash I got a direct appeal and a link which made getting money to him easy.
Not only did I have access to MYBO's activities across the country, I could create my own events on his behalf. People were sure to show up because he had millions of friends. Through mybo, I could even find friends in my neighborhood who liked him. We 'spread the word' and invited others to his parties.
I admit, MYBO made me feel powerful because I could post my opinion on mybo and get responses from people around the world. Not only that, I had access to his friends and we could group together by location, interests, or just about any criteria imaginable.
MYBO even had smart friends who would train us on how to bring others into the fold. We could meet up offline if we wanted or join together for other causes. Through it all, we never forgot who brought us together and why. We basked in MYBO's greatness and celebrated our victories as we prepared to put our country on the right track under his leadership.
Soon, "Yes We Can" became "Yes We Did!"
However, as we were rolling up our sleeves...getting ready to help him change America....mybo disappeared. Some say that MYBO himself also disappeared, but I'm not ready to accept that. Nevertheless, MYBO's friends languished with "What's next?" and a few said they felt used.
But then came word that the party would continue, and after MYBO took the oath, mybo morphed into OFA. Huh? Sorry but myofa just won't work. It doesn't help that most of MYBO's friends aren't quite sure about OFA's goals and direction. Who are they anyway? A group of database managers who can get a flash mob of 2 million to call Massachusetts in a wasted effort?
The OFA site is about as useful, and used, as the DNC site. OFA did leave links to mybo for those who want to see ghosts of the campaign past. It's like looking through my high school year book--fun to reminisce, but of no use to me now.
I'm told I can now find MYBO on whitehouse.gov but this can't be true because whitehouse.gov is one of the most boring sites on the web and MYBO would never hang out there...page after page of bureaucratic data and links to even more. I can go to sites like flu.gov, or recovery.gov, or serve.gov - I am waiting to see a link to disappointed-electorate.gov. I might actually visit that one.
Still I wondered -- where is my friend, MYBO?
It's hard to reach him these days and that guy on whitehouse.gov bears little resemblance to him. MYBO said he would take me with him, but there is no place for 'me' on whitehouse.gov. OFA is a waste of my time, and the DNC...well, I'm sure many are using the currently popular phrase "pants on the ground" to describe them. (Sorry, but I had to go there.)
I'm not ready to unfriend MYBO like Dems running for office are about to do. However, just recently I was thinking, "If MYBO expects this relationship to continue, he needs to show up....soon!"
And there he was! Taking on Congress -- the left, the middle, and the right. Reminding the judicial branch of the GOP on the dangers of interference in the political process. Heck, he even went into enemy territory and came out unscathed.
Yeah...I think that might have been MYBO I saw last week. Now if he can just figure out how to re-engage all of his friends across the country... the ones who are disgusted with Repubs AND Dems.... if he can find a way to unleash us on our city halls and state houses.... Well, then I will know that MYBO is truly back. Because MYBO understands that this is a movement -- not a campaign.
I hope.