Obama's Vacation

“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America. There’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America. There’s the United States of America.”

Fallen Obama

These were the words of then-Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama as he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. Bearing the strength of words that transcended race and ideology, Obama went on to win the Senate seat in the elections at the end of that year. He accumulated three years of experience, seized the Democratic nomination for the presidency and ascended to the highest office in the land by 2008. The “era of the black president” had first kicked off at the Democratic National Convention. Indeed, this was an appropriate marker of a time in which — with promises to reform a “broken” Washington — a young, black-skinned man in his early 40s could overcome titans like Hillary Clinton and John McCain to be elected by the people.

So how does Obama appear now, three years after his rise to power? The president’s approval ratings have fallen to 30 percent, and America’s trust in its Congress is at an all-time low. The possibility of an improvement in the political climate remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the recession persists, and American demagogy becomes increasingly polarized. And now, with tea party-endorsed Representative Michele Bachmann and Texas Governor Rick Perry throwing down for a chance at the GOP presidential nomination, there is no way for Obama to avoid partisan politics until next year’s election.

This situation ties into the fact that the previously almost comical thought of another Democratic presidential candidate is now being seriously discussed throughout political circles. After last year’s midterm elections, there was talk of Obama being a “one-term president.” Now, alternative suggestions as concrete as nominating Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the presidency are surfacing. Obama is even being compared to Jimmy Carter, a man who is often cited for his “failed presidency.” The press reports that more and more Democrats believe it will be difficult for President Obama to be re-elected.

There’s a lot of hubbub over Obama’s vacation. Americans are wondering whether the president should be idly enjoying a break when all the country is in dire straits, what with the weakening economy and the fallout from the recently lowered national credit rating. Similar comments arose last year when, as now, the president vacationed at the luxurious Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The only difference is that the White House is currently the only place we’ll find support for the getaway. The Washington Post has questioned the president’s decision to splurge on an out-of-town vacation at a time when countless Americans are jobless or cannot afford to leave work for vacation. The paper also points out that, just within the White House alone, the president has access to master chefs, tennis courts, a bowling alley, a swimming pool, a jogging trail, a putting green and a movie theater.

To Be a Leader that Embraces the People

It’s a shame that President Obama took his luxurious vacation on such hackneyed grounds as being fully capable of looking after the federal government while away. This logic would imply that the U.S. government operates on some unique, self-sufficient system, one that runs just fine all year long regardless of how empty the White House is. Obama needs to keep in mind the kind of a leader Americans want, particularly during times of hardship.