One Year Since ‘CHANGE’

November 4th was the first anniversary of president Obama’s election. Obama came to change and change was his slogan throughout his campaign for presidential election. The idea of change has always existed in the American mind unlike the British one and Obama touched a good point. United States needed a change. I remember Dr. Merrill saying that things had gone crazy under Bush administration and people wanted many things to change. At this crucial moment, Obama came with a new narrative which was a sharp contrast to that of Bush’s. The idea of change, had he used the idea of change just to win the election as what most politicians do before the time of election? They all seem to come with nice, eye-catching slogans but things do not work the same way once they are elected. With this question in mind, I was reading one of Obama’s books, the dreams from my father. I came across an interesting paragraph in the seventh chapter where he wants to become a community organizer. When asked by classmates about what exactly a community organizer does, he can’t give a proper answer. Instead he pronounces “on the need for change. Change in the White House, where Reagan and his minions were carrying on their dirty deeds. Change in the congress, compliant and corrupt. Change in the mood of the country, manic and self-absorbed.[1]” He believed that “change won’t come from the top. Change will come from mobilized grass roots. [2]” It was interesting for me to see the idea of change in the thoughts of a 23 year old college student. Did he have any idea that he would become the president of the United States one day? Has the notion of change been with him since that time? It seems so. But how far has he been successful in fulfilling his promise? Some critics “have questioned Obama’s ability as the so-called agent of change, saying things are moving slowly under his administration. The economy, healthcare reform, two wars, immigration reform and a more energized opposition seems to be dragging his political agenda down.[3]” However, his supports including 400 progressives who gathered in downtown Chicago to celebrate the first anniversary of president Obama’s election, disagree. “He ended torture, he funded stem cell research, he passed the progressive budget that sets aside money for education, health care and human needs, instead of tax cuts for the rich,” said progressive leader William McNary [4]. I remember Dr. Merrill saying that at the beginning of Obama’s administration people had so much hope in him but now the situation is fifty fifty. I myself think he has not made many changes as he was proposing. As far as his foreign policy concerned, I don’t think he is much different from George Bush. We have seen this in the way he deals we Iran and issues related to Iran. He was saying that he wanted to change the mentality of the U.S government but I think this is something which cannot be changed and it’s not in his hands to change it. He may have wanted to make drastic changes in the U.S. But is the American society really ready for great changes to happen?

1.Obama. B, Dreams from My Father, 1995, New York, Three Rivers Press.
2.Ibid
3.http://www.abs-cbnnews.com retrieved on 07.11.09
4.Ibid