The Audacity of Fear

It is a sad day.

That’s what my son-in-law called it. A high school teacher himself, he said “It is a sad day when teachers have to get permission from parents to show students our presidents' speech about civic responsibility.”

While I love my son-in-law dearly, he and I are rarely in agreement when it comes to anything political. But in this case, I must admit, I agree with him. It is a sad day indeed. Having said that, defining the rationale for our sadness is where he and I will again part company.

After only 8 months in office Barack Obama and his shortsighted idea of Change has not only divided the country along philosophical and political lines but has evoked a deep sense of fear throughout the entire political spectrum including many of his one-time supporters.

Obama’s address to students was proposed to help to kick off this new school year. That, in and of itself, seems innocent enough. The immediate and deep-seated fear that he would use this as an opportunity to further his political agenda was brought about by his rhetoric to date. Having already espoused the virtues of a very unpopular budget-busting nationalized healthcare system, his willingness to negotiate with known terrorist nations and dictators, his uninformed and apologetic attitude for America’s past foreign policy decisions, his profoundly distorted view of America’s history and his dangerously misguided economic policies that will burden these same young students under the yolk of almost insurmountable debt has triggered real fear, forcing some parents to react by fervently objecting to this presidential proclamation.

I never had a problem with the President giving a “Welcome Back” address to school kids. If there had been any inkling on his part, or the part if his political advisors, to include some partisan political rhetoric it was quashed long ago by the negative public reaction. An advanced copy of the speech was released late Monday, in part to allay that public fear of partisanship. The speech is nothing more than fatherly pep talk, but the speech itself is not the issue. The fear it caused and the reaction to that fear is.

Obama’s approval ratings continue to drop like a school boy’s pencil in a room full of miniskirts. The latest Zogby poll shows him at a 42% approval rating. That is a massive decline for a man who, only months ago, was being hailed amongst the pillars of a faux Greek temple as the new Messiah. The most noticeable decline is beginning to come from the black community where he once held an almost 100% approval rating having now dropped to 74%. Independents, a key support group in his presidential victory, are now at only a 37% approval rating and the elderly who foolishly thought he would be good for their healthcare are now rebelling with a drop in approval of over 10 points in the past 2 months. The concern of war and the impact of foreign policy have been completely wiped out by a palpable fear of lost medical choice and total economic collapse brought on by an ever increasing national debt now reaching intergalactic levels.

Americans are no longer willing to accept the vague promise of Hope and Change and have begun meticulously reviewing the fine print to every Obama promise. We have seen the Change and the one thing it does not inspire is Hope.

But it’s still early in the game and this trial by fire, on the job training Obama is garnering could help him to refocus his efforts onto more mundane tasks such as saving the economy rather than the world. It would be a big demotion going from a god to a president but unless he is willing to do so his chances of success are as fleeting as his approval rating.

The fear is real and it is not only spreading throughout the American public, it is spreading throughout the Halls of Congress as well. And rightfully so. They have an election coming in 2010 and Barack Obama could prove to be the greatest Messiah the Republicans could have hoped for.

September could be a defining month in this President’s legacy.

Sound familiar?