Change Is The Same

How many times did you hear the war cry of the Obama campaign, “Change we can believe in?” How many times did you hear the chant, “Yes we can” throughout the election process? I heard it enough times that I actually began believing that President Elect Barack Obama was truly going to affiliate himself with a set of confidants and cabinet members who were not lifelong Washington D.C. insiders and political sycophants. I thought how can a man who has made so many promises to so many people possibly renege on his entire platform’s stance. I thought how can a man who has promised so much change and routinely invoked emotion by quoting Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, and a multitude of other great American leaders, not follow through with his own agenda? I was actually beginning to believe… until he started naming his cabinet choices.

While I was always highly skeptical of Obama and his Liberal Agenda, I thought maybe, just maybe, he would be true to his word and bring new life and new blood to our government. I have never agreed with any portion of his Liberal Agenda, but I do subscribe to the necessary changes required in our governmental process. Even though his policies are against my beliefs, I thought maybe by bringing in some “change,” we would all benefit from it because the tried and true partisan politics we have experienced for generations would have to evolve and deal with the new regime for at least the next four years.

Skepticism is usually based upon seeds of truth and my skeptical nature was confirmed not long after the final vote was cast in the election. Obama has begun the monumental task of putting together his cabinet while also “trying” to satisfy his campaign promises. As it turns out, campaign promises made by Obama are just as easy to break as any other politician seeking office. Did any of us truly think anything different? Sure, we were all overwhelmed by the momentous victory Obama achieved and all of the important social ramifications it presented, but we, people who voted for him and against, were told he would bring about “Change we can believe in.”

Where has this “change” gone? What change are we seeing when every single name he has considered and chosen been a political insider from previous regimes? What kind of change can we believe in when they are all politically tied to certain policies and agendas? What kind of change can we achieve if the new ideas are the same ideas we’ve had for decades? Change implies new people, new policy, new agendas, and new direction. Change simply cannot be a regurgitation of the same old people, policy, agenda, and direction. Obama ran his campaign on change and the only thing he has changed is his postal mailing address come inauguration day… oh, and a new family puppy.

I am severely disappointed in the backbone of our President Elect for not living up to his simple promise of change. He has chosen to disregard his entire campaign’s platform because in reality, he NEVER was going to bring about change. A man in his position makes promises to voter groups and people of great power. In exchange for their support, he must provide something in return. His only form of repayment is to acquiesce to their demands if he wants his political career to continue. President Elect or not, he still must serve those who brought him into power… which isn’t necessarily the voters.

We all like to believe that our President is a man, or woman, who can be the flash point, the catalyst, the true direction maker of our country. But we know that’s not the truth in our heart of hearts. Our President is nothing more than a puppet, a face, a figurehead. The true power resides in the Congress and thus, in the voter’s hands. The President does have executive power, but true lawmaking ability and direction decisions are made by hundreds of other citizen elected officials sitting in the seats of the House of Representatives and Senate.

Obama promised change, but has done nothing but do more of the same. The change we can believe in requires our votes to oust the partisan political members in the Congress and start anew. Start with people who truly care about our country and most importantly, our Constitution. We focus too much on a single person when in fact he can do very little with his single voice, his single vote, or his single request.