Life Change #15: Stop trashing the President (and wishing he would go away)

It may seem like piling on, given the time that has passed since we, err, elected our current president. After all, he has had serious spikes and swoons in his popularity, and surely there are some people left that really like him. His wife, maybe his daughters. His brother, his parents. They all still like him….they may even love him. They might even tell him so.

However, on the night that he was elected, or maybe a few days after that, when the courts decided he was president, I recall having a conversation with my sister. I said, in an utterly sad act of foretelling the future, that he would be the worst president ever. I thought I was employing a not so subtle act of hyperbole. Whether or not I really believed it or not is matter of some dispute, but somehow, I had serious reservations, and the president and I have had a pretty rocky relationship ever since. I really have no idea what he thinks of me…I doubt he would like me if he met me, because I would share with him, almost immediately the laundry list of missteps he has made since being elected…in fact, I might even go back further, and suggest his decision to run for president was ill conceived, as was his decision to enter rehab…he’d be doing us all far more good as a drunk.

And that is the crux of the matter. My tenuous relationship with the president is very one sided. I have no idea what he thinks of me, and quite likely, he thinks NOTHING whatsoever about me. And despite the fact that I share my opinions about him, with anyone who will listen and even several who don’t, I doubt it ever trickles down to him. IN other words, my criticisms are pretty ineffective. It feels good (at first anyway) to rant about his inattention to important stuff, while spending our blood and treasure on a war that seems intended to demonstrate some sort of perverse one-upmanship over his dad .

Perhaps this is his problem as well as mine. Perhaps he would be a better president if he heard and understood legitimate criticism about his leadership skills, such as they are. I am sure I could learn, over time, to present my criticisms without starting them with expressions like “you moron”, though at first, I am sure that would present a challenge. I’d also have to work hard to avoid swearing, since that is often the first type of word that comes to mind when considering the past several years. But whether it is me or someone else, someone needs to suggest to this person that he either get his act together or resign before more irreversible damage is done to our country. Of course, that is after a new vice president is in place.

Our nation has a long tradition of criticism, both thoughtful and acerbic. Political cartoonists have, since the inception of the republic, gently prodded and sometimes even savaged the leaders for their various ineptitudes. Free speech is a wonderful thing, and I will never forget how great it is that I can write how bad our president is without fearing a knock at the door. At least according to the kool aid I have been drinking.

In the case of THIS president during THIS administration, though, I feel he has gotten the best of me. I really feel like I took it personally, and it allowed me not only to get down on him, but down on a lot of aspects of our country, our society, our culture. Even sitcoms don’t seem as funny to me as they did during previous presidencies. After several years of optimism that maybe the government can better represent the people of our country, I have become disenchanted, and deeply suspicious of anything that done by our leaders. Whether it is sending our young people to die in the name of lower oil prices, or suspending civil liberties, or spending our country into further dept, pretty much every move they make is wrong, and I wonder if our children will grow up with a profound sense that the government can’t be trusted. Will that spell the end of our democracy? I know it seems like an overreaction, but nothing lasts forever. We have learned that football teams can change cities, tall buildings can fall to the ground, and nuclear reactors can melt down. Everything is prone to decay and destruction--even once proud democracies. Just writing those words scares me.

So ineffective and troubling has this president turned out to be, it has had another odd impact...it has brought the election season upon us much sooner than we bargained for...which of course means we will have to endure it for that much longer. All those states that couldn’t wait to get their primary underway—I know there are other factors, but at some level, I can’t help think that there is a subconscious need to simply move on....and move past “this”. As I watch analysis on TV, I am struck by the odd sensation that he is already gone....sadly, though, I know this is not the case...how much damage could he do in the next year? Oh, I think plenty. I have circled on my calendar a special date....1/20/09. Hope we get there safely.

As a child growing up in the sixties, it seemed that dissent was both more overt and more effective. People unhappy with their government marched in protest, or demonstrated on campuses. They carried signs, and burned draft cards and bras. They sang songs of revolution, or change and decrying the acts of the government. The government, in turn, drafted enemies lists, open fire on students, and eventually resigned in disgrace. Even if all the forces and reactions were unrelated, there was the sense that the populace had some power, some measure of control. It seemed that changes had come as a result of the actions of those who vote for the leaders, and the leaders were forced to follow. It was an era of effective dissent. 4o years later, the government has gotten good at ignoring dissent, and those of us who would dissent are ineffective. It is an era of silent, even pointless, dissent.

I am guilty of accepting this silence, as much as anyone. I have not bothered to pick up a sign, or march in protest, or even write a letter. I rant and rave every time I hear on the news that another soldier has been killed or each speech made that accuses those of us opposing the war as somehow unpatriotic. I shiver in anger every time a talking head shows up on TV saying how good a job this president is doing keeping us safe and trying to falsely describe our war sacrifices as keeping our democracy safe. (I do admit I am happier since I stopped ever turning on the FOX news channel....nothing there but blather anyway!)

So, next time I am inclined to hurl another epitaph at our clueless leader, I’ll simply swallow my words. To do otherwise only raises my blood pressure, and does little to preserve the democracy. I have only a few months to endure this life change, and then, perhaps if we manage to elect a responsible leader, I can return to appropriate dissent, mixed with occasional praise and perhaps at times admiration. I sure hope so. I’m just glad the vice president isn’t running...I am not sure I could stand an election season listening to his lies…

Update on Previous Life Changes :

Flossing takes less time than I used to think it did. Since I am doing it every day, it seems to get easier, less messy…guess I am getting good at it. I’ve gotten good exercise on about 65% of the days, perhaps less over the holidays, but that life change seems well on its way to being a bona fide change in habit. I’ve begun to notice that my baggy loose fitting clothes feel looser, though clothes that I would consider snug still seem snug…go figure.