Will ‘Lost’ Change Obama’s Agenda?

We already knew that Lost is both an American and a global phenomenon. The series fascinates tens of millions of viewers who are dying to know how the adventure will conclude. The phenomenon became so widely known that it has even been noticed by the most powerful leader on the planet, President Barack Obama. For years, each American president has given the traditional State of the Union address at the end of January or the beginning of February. This is an opportunity to make a public assessment of the country’s current situation and to present plans for the coming year. Needless to say, a year after his swearing in, this address is essential for American policy, especially since Obama knows that difficulties on the home front are still ahead.

It’s expected that the head of the White House will speak about topics such as the increased number of soldiers in Afghanistan (30,000 additional soldiers were promised); the health care reform plan — his principle domestic policy issue; the economic crisis and even the midterm elections, which look problematic for the Democratic party. Needless to say, his speech in 2010 has been particularly long-awaited because of the great hopes that have been invested in him. Broadcasted live, the event is very formal, taking place at the Capitol in front of elected officials from both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

This year, the speech was to be delivered Feb. 2, but as luck would have it, ABC plans to devote three entire hours to Lost that night. A series summary and a double episode will kick off the sixth, and final, season. Fans have been impatient for the long-awaited season, biting their nails, forming theories, and doing their best to avoid possible spoilers that are circulating. There are so many unresolved questions that some wouldn’t miss the season premiere for anything in the world — much less start watching it late.

As LeMonde.fr reported (too discreetly for my taste) Friday night, citing the Agence France-Presse, Robert Gibbs, current White House Press Secretary, said that this conflict between the presidential agenda and television required a schedule change. “I don’t foresee a scenario in which the millions of people that hope to finally get some conclusion in Lost are pre-empted by the president” explained Gibbs, confirming that his boss was still listening to the voice of the people. Groups have formed on Facebook asking the president to exercise common sense and postpone his speech. The subject was, of course, put on Twitter (#NoStateofUnionFeb2). Needless to say that for some, the adventures of John Locke and Ben Linus are more important than the bigger issues concerning the state of the economy and the housing market — even progress in the war against al-Qaida. And this is all despite the attempted terrorist attack on a Northwest Airlines plane before it arrived in Detroit on Christmas day.

Gibbs has not provided a date for the speech, but, as E!Online reports, it appears that the followers of the series got the better of political plans. After seeing a screenshot on Damon Lindelof’s Twitter account, we can assume the programs on ABC are unchanged for that evening, though no official confirmation has been provided. Regardless, Twitter members are invited to send messages of thanks to the American president for his understanding. Personally, because it is a pleasure to hear Obama speak at big events (like Nov. 4, 2008 at Grant Park or Jan. 20, 2009 in Washington D.C.), I will be listening to the State of the Union address.