Do as Barack Says, Not As He Does

I can barely leave my house without running into Obama's face. The man is not even in office and yet, he is EVERYWHERE. He is inescapable. I made the mistake of going into Barnes and Nobles the other day and was greeted by a barrage of Barack. Kiosk after kiosk showcased books plastered with his face.

Just out of curiosity, I did a search for Obama on Amazon. The search yielded 2,217 Obama books (73 of which are children's books), 1,897 Obama apparel & accessories, 12 Obama music CDs, 3 magazines with Obama on the cover, 77 Obama related DVDs, 102 Obama related office supplies, 157 Obama car accessories, etc. Slightly excessive for someone who is not even president, yet and did little in the Senate beside vote "present."

I guess it makes sense in our society which seems to prize image over substance more and more every day. A few flashy words, a snappy dresser and a big smile is enough to make the man a God.

The only thing emptier than his words is the world's obsession over him. Obama iconography has infected every aspect of our culture. How much worse is this going to get?



Why does man, who arose from the dirtiest of the dirty political cities, Chicago, seem to skate above any scrutiny? Why is it assumed he's squeaky clean and can do no wrong? People are so quick to make him a role model for their children, but the man's a smoker. What kind of role model is that? Not that being a smoker makes him a bad person, but it certainly isn't commendable or presidential behavior.

Parents use the President-elect as a parenting aid.

You could call it Obama discipline or Obama etiquette, and it goes something like this:

Get up! Do you think Obama would have slept late and not made it to school on time?

Why don't you guys share? Don't you think Obama would want you to share?

How much did you read? Obama would have finished the book by now.

Do you think Obama would sneak cigarettes? (Oops.)

Does anyone know where I can get a WWOD bracelet?










I don't care if we're talking about Obama, Palin or Paris Hilton, there is no excuse for this kind of idolatry. It is dangerous. He is just a person, a flawed person, just like the rest of us. Not to mention, HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING YET.

Do people really have so little strength and confidence in themselves that they must project their hopes and dreams on this man? If so, that's a sad commentary on our society.

Does it even get any creepier than this?




I think it's great that people look up to and are inspired by our President, rather than a celebrity, reality star, musician, vapid athlete, etc. But this is excessive and scary. With people so enamored by a leader, it is easy to allow ourselves to be blinded by this adoration. And again, what does this say about people's inherent self worth? Why must we seek out someone on which to lavish such hero/messiah worship?

And can we tone down the hypocrisy just a tad? Shall we compare two articles: one on the fitness regimen of Obama and one on the regimen of Bush.

Can you guess which is which?

[Blank] has gone to the gym, for about 90 minutes a day, for at least 48 days in a row. He always has treated exercise less as recreation than requirement, but his devotion has intensified during the past few months. Between workouts during his Hawaii vacation this week, he was photographed looking like the paradigm of a new kind of presidential fitness, one geared less toward preventing heart attacks than winning swimsuit competitions. The sun glinted off chiseled pectorals sculpted during four weightlifting sessions each week, and a body toned by regular treadmill runs and basketball games.

The more [Blank]'s life intensifies, friends said, the more he relies on the gym -- which is why he might be taking office in the best shape of his life. The gym is where he releases stress, maintains a routine and thinks without interruption. He sometimes wears headphones and barricades the outside world.

Versus:

[Blank] spends an enormous amount of time working out.

There’s no denying that the results are impressive. [Blank] can bench press 185 pounds five times, and, before a recent knee injury, he ran three miles at a 6-minute, 45-second pace. That’s better than I could manage when I played two sports in high school. And I wasn’t holding the most powerful office on Earth. Which is sort of my point: Does the leader of the free world need to attain that level of physical achievement?

I know it's tough, but can you figure it out?

As Michelle Malkin points out:

Fit Republican president = Selfish, indulgent, creepy fascist.

Fit Democratic president = Disciplined, health-conscious Adonis role model.

The good news: In just a few short weeks, W. will be able to exercise in peace, free from the disapproving glares of journalists now rushing to mop the sweat — er, the glisten — from Barack Obama’s hallowed brow.

Apparently even his fashion choices speak volumes about his ability to govern us effectively. My personal favorite is what the editor at GQ, Jim Moore said about Obama:

There's a very modern thinker there. He's not the pattern-mixing guy, not even the khaki guy. You'll very rarely even see him in jeans. He has an urbane, citified kind of palate. He has a vitality to him, and his image transcends race.

Transcends race? Really? Wow. That's pretty impressive, although I'm still not entirely sure what this phrase means. And what is it about his style allows him to achieve this inhuman feat?

I think what we can take take away from the past few months is that we should all just try to be a little more like our homeboy, Barack.