We the Change

Almost hundred hours ago, on the 60th republic day of our country, boldness of my hope was at its zenith. But I should say, the magnitude of my hope pales into insignificance when compared to the degree of expectation the world population has revealed less than a week ago. The world, especially the United States believes Mr. Obama to be a messenger of god, sent onto the earth during these troubled times. No wonder he is believed to be a savior, who would change the fate of the world affairs and restore back the hegemony of the United States. Ever since Barack Obama first announced his candidacy in Springfield, Illinois, almost two years ago, we have witnessed a series of "historic moments" - each more portentous than the last. His inauguration as the 44th president of the US marked a curtain call on a symbolic storyline in varying degrees dramatic, implausible and impressive.Since that heady election night, most of the posters and badges supporting him have remained on display - as though to take them down would prematurely surrender his victory moment to posterity. Most bore his likeness in socialist realist style while bearing single word commands like Hope, Believe and Change. From the moment he lifted his hand and took the oath (twice), the popular transition from dream to reality, and aspiration to destination just began. Obama's supporters will have to wake up to the fact that he has arrived. From this point on, the issue is no longer what he is and means, but what he does. The economy has shifted from recession to slump and from laissez-faire to state intervention, while Gaza has gone from an open prison to a mass graveyard. At convenient moments Obama has claimed that there can only be one president at a time. But the truth is that for much of the last two years there has been none. Being a lame duck is one part of George Bush's tenure that he has taken seriously, even as the country has been crying out for leadership. So, undeniably there is a lot of weight to put on those skinny shoulders.Not for the first time, ridiculous claims will be made for this particular historical moment. Some say this could not happen anywhere else, without acknowledging that putting one in three black men born at the turn of this century in jail could not happen anywhere else either. A black man in the White House seems so unlikely precisely because a black man in prison, dead or impoverished is so much more likely. While, some claim that Obama's advance shows that anyone in America can make it, regardless of race or class, without acknowledging that, in fact, class fluidity and racial uplift are in fact in retreat, and have been for several years. And yet others will insist that a black face will help promote US interests abroad, without acknowledging that the defaced face of American foreign policy for the last eight years. Those who hold that America is a land of boundless opportunity and relentless progress are no fans of fact or history.But when the applause dies down, the first African-American President of the United States will have to deal with things less cheerful than his inaugural ball. May be, he will have to create jobs on a scale unheard of in decades in his nation. Unemployment benefits, giant public works, massive infrastructure spending, a good health system, and every other activity that would help lessen the hardship ahead. Nevertheless, all this is a Herculean task, in-fact, it’s an Obama task.Over to the president.