The storyline two years ago seemed so promising.
A declining nation torn apart by war, partisan politics and economic calamity was in desperate need of a political savior. Barack Obama emerged from the dark, shadowy abyss — a man with an angelic voice and inspiring charisma running on the uplifting messages of “hope” and “change.”
On the election’s eve, Nov. 3, 2008, excitement was at an all-time high. Many Americans were experiencing what can only be described as an “O-gasm” in anticipation for what was billed as the most monumental election in decades.
It was an intriguing election indeed. But as with so many other Hollywood films, this epic tale of a valiant hero riding in to save the day proved to be just another lousy flop.
So what have we learned about President Obama two years after his historical election?
He’s no messiah. He’s just another two-faced politician.
But don’t take my word for it. Just compare Obama’s campaign rhetoric with his actions as president.
During his campaign, candidate Obama vowed to bring “change” to Washington by ushering in a brand new era of transparency.
Yet in less than two years on the job, President Obama has already broken many of his ambitious “ethics reform” initiatives by circumventing his own sanctions against hiring lobbyists and awarding federal contracts to favored lobbyists without competitive bidding.
Far worse than the administration’s loyalty to its political allies — including the billions doled out to campaign donors and favored special interest groups under the alleged “stimulus package” were the backroom deals the administration struck with Big Pharma during the president’s health care overhaul, preventing the government from negotiating lower prices to gain the industry’s support.
And remember candidate Obama’s defiant stance against the Patriot Act? Turns out President Obama quietly signed an extension of three of the act’s most controversial provisions, according to FOX News.
Sadly, the most evident examples of outright hypocrisy can be found in the Obama administration’s continuation of destructive foreign policies that began under the prior administration.
In addition to not honoring its vow to close down Gitmo, the administration continued perpetuating international war crimes by throwing aside laws of war to detain untried prisoners indefinitely.
Even harsh Bush administration critics, like author David Lindorff, have been appalled by Obama’s glaring hypocrisy.
“I never thought in my lifetime that I would see a president reach the depth of moral decay and depravity of President George W. Bush, but sad to say, our current president has managed to do it, and what makes it worse, as a former constitutional law professor, he knows better,” Lindorff said.
Ultimately, the only true change we’ve seen from Obama is his chameleon-like ability to morph into whatever forms his special interests groups desire. But the most disappointing aspect of the president’s term thus far is his failures to keep many of his most fundamental campaign promises.
It’s one thing to be a failure. It’s quite another to be an outright hypocrite.
The president’s ardent supporters might’ve been duped by his lofty rhetoric and empty campaign promises, but there’s an important lessons we can learn from their epic fail: No one person can change Washington.
If Obama — the best and brightest the progressive movement has to offer — can’t even come close to delivering an ounce of “change” to American politics, no one can.
We’ll never change the nature of our existing political system. But we can stop wasting our time and energies grappling over which corrupt blowhard controls the reins and start focusing on real solutions to today’s problems.
When you place your hope in a crooked politician with a cajoling voice and lofty rhetoric only to find out he’s just another slick-talking swindler, you get exactly what you deserve.
Scott Burns is a 21-year-old economics and history senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_sburns.
 
 
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Contact Scott Burns at [email protected]