Obama Expectations

The bloggers at FT have been painting a dismal view on an Obama presidency. Not that he's all that bad, they say. But in the wake of a brilliant campaign, expectations are running so high as to be impossible to meet in good times. Let alone these times.

Generally, I enjoy Financial Times' dry take on the world. But I think that the "expectations running so high" bit is just another serious miscalculation by a, yes, mainly older generation. The same generation who miscalculated the effects of race, facebook groups, and fluffy stuff like hope.

As contrast to how FT bloggers believe sentiments run, my expectations of my country and all it can do for me go like this: Health care? Pfff. Stable job? Pfff. Any job? Pfffff. Retirement? You got to be kidding me.

What I expect from an Obama presidency is to kick back some nights and listen to the highest official in the land talk with great depth, accuracy, sincerity, and eloquence about the importance of education, science, open-mindedness, helping the unfortunate, and freedom. I expect him to back this up by appointing qualified officials in these disciplines. I am dearly hoping for brilliantly crafted legislation that will initiate long-term trends in all these fields.

But in the meantime; jobs? Blogging will totally start supplementing my stagnant retail wages soon, like totally. Awesome health care tomorrow? Only by my own actions, I'm going jogging. Retirement? From what? Part-time pay and writing poetry?

So you see, my expectations are actually very limited. Even if at the same time they are over the moon.