The Seller of Hope

Poor Barack Obama. Inevitably he will disappoint many. There are so many expectations put on him that it will be impossible for him to accomplish all of them.

People hope that he can resolve the worldwide economic crisis, end the war in Iraq, capture Osama Bin Laden, stop global warming, reach an accord between the Israelis and the Palestinians, revive Latin America, Africa and Asia, end dictatorships, and do all the things that the last ten North American presidents could not do.

Obama has an impossible mission. Not even a hundred years would be enough for him to accomplish all of those expectations. It is curious how the whole world awaits for great things from Obama. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview an ex-Colombian hostage, Ingrid Betancourt, and she commented to me that she hopes Obama can help bring peace in Colombia and aid in the liberation of hundreds of hostages held by Farc.

The Mexican president, Felipe Calderon, didn't remain too far behind when he suggested that Obama should help in the creation of jobs...in Mexico. And the Cuban co-dictators, the brothers Fidel and Raul Castro, hope that Obama lifts the embargo on their island. Whoever doubts it, should do only this experiment. Ask anyone about the President elect of the United States and the answer, almost always, will start with something like this: "I believe that Barack Obama should..."

Yes. Whatever we do not like in this world and that we want to change, we should send to the White House. For the time being, before even his first hour as president, many think of him as if he were Super Obama. And the Head of State seems as if he appeared out of nowhere and is about to become the most powerful man in the world. This is not a small thing.

After being in the United States Senate only four years, he threw himself into the role of pre-candidate for the presidency. Many people said he was naive, that he would not be able to do it. But he did. Afterward, the most experienced politicians and the oldest journalists, survivors of a thousand battles, said that Obama would never be able to win against the Clinton machine. But he was able to snatch the Democratic Party candidacy from Hillary.

Obama has reached his limit, thought the Republicans. It is impossible that a young African American of only 47 years can win over a war hero like John McCain in a country that still has not overcome racism. He will not survive the personal attacks and false accusations that he was a friend of terrorists and that he had a secret socialist philosophy, they said. They were mistaken. Obama swept to victory against McCain; he obtained 365 electoral votes against McCain's 173.

That is to say, every time someone has gone up against Obama, he has won. For this reason, he has the fame of the invincible (although it may not last him much longer). What happened is that Obama sold hope during the presidential campaign. And he who plants hope, creates expectations. Various groups will not allow him even one month in the White House, and then they will already be demanding results.

My prediction is that Obama will have a very short honeymoon. It will last until the first unemployment rate figure comes out during his government, or when the stock market falls one more time. Meanwhile, he is like Santa Claus with a gigantic bag of presents. And since everyone is asking him for something, this is what I would say if I crossed paths with him in Washington: Do you remember the interview we had on May 28th, 2008 in a train station in Denver, Colorado? Surely you do not remember. That was one of thousands of interviews you gave to the press. But, do not worry, I will remind you. When I asked you if you would be willing to legalize the millions of undocumented immigrants during he first one hundred days of his government, you told me, No. But, later you added: "But, what I can guarantee is that in the first year we will have a proposal for immigration reform."

Perfect. I would tell him of that coarse promise that remains; to fulfill it, and then I would say goodbye. Others would come and present their desires to the new Aladdin of the political world. That promise of Obama means that before January 20th 2010, millions of people will be able to come out of the darkness in the United States.

Countries define themselves by the manner in which they treat their weakest. And in the case of the United States the weakest and most vulnerable are the undocumented immigrants.

And I end with an anecdote: November 5th, a day after the election of Obama, I was listening to transmissions from a Spanish radio station in Los Angeles. The atmosphere was euphoric. Yesterday, the radio show hosts and the listeners said we had no hope that they will legalize millions of undocumented immigrants. But today everything has changed. Obama is going to do it.

I hope he does not make a mistake. He has many problems to solve. I understand this. But, he can not forget the almost 70 million Hispanics that voted for him and the 12 million undocumented immigrants who hope he gives them an opportunity to live without fear.

This is what happens when a seller of hope is elected.