Pragmatism
Posted on January 18, 2009
In these days prior to the inauguration, it’s not surprising there are tons of articles about him. There are two articles worth noting, however.
Obama dominates ‘King Sunday’ at black churches – Monday the 19th is Martin Luther King Day and Tuesday, January 20th is Inauguration Day. In predominantly black churches, the article states, Sunday the 18th was as much a celebration of Barack Obama as it was of Martin Luther King, Jr. Four decades after MLK’s assassination we will witness a partial fulfillment of his dream. It seems poignant that the United States of America will swear in Pres. Obama a day after we celebrate the Rev. King.
As challenges mount, ardor for Obama cools abroad – The title is a little misleading, since the article isn’t about people disliking him. In the face of number of challenges facing the incoming President, people are becoming more realistic in their expectations. While many things written about Obama over the past year have bordered on hagiography, people are beginning to realize he won’t be able to fix everything. Put another way, the expectations were too many and too large. “The idealism has diminished,” said Samuel Solvit, who heads an Obama support network in France. “Everyone was dreaming a little. Now people are more realistic.”
In general, I’m optimistic about the future of our country, yet mindful that we have some serious challenges ahead that will take years to solve.
