Obama Election Anniversary

One year ago today, Obama had something to celebrate. He was elected president of the United States.

As is typical with milestones, people are looking back and analyzing where the country was on November 4, 2008, and where it is today.

From the New York Times:

The Republican victories in the races for New Jersey and Virginia governors put the party in a stronger position to turn back the political wave President Obama unleashed last year, setting the stage for Republicans to raise money, recruit candidates and ride the excitement of an energized base as the party heads into next year’s midterm elections.

...The results in the New Jersey and Virginia races underscored the difficulties Mr. Obama is having transforming his historic victory a year ago into either a sustained electoral advantage for Democrats or a commanding ideological position over conservatives in legislative battles.

The coalition that swept him into the White House was absent on Tuesday night, with evidence that the young, African-American and first-time voters who supported Mr. Obama failed to turn out to help the Democrats Mr. Obama had campaigned for: Gov. Jon S. Corzine in New Jersey and R. Creigh Deeds in Virginia.

...Independent voters who had flocked to Mr. Obama in Virginia and New Jersey last year shifted on Tuesday to the Republican candidates in both states, Christopher J. Christie in New Jersey and Robert F. McDonnell in Virginia, according to exit polls in both states. That is a swing that will certainly be noted by moderate Congressional Democrats facing re-election next year, who may now be more reluctant to support Mr. Obama on tough votes in Congress.

To be sure, things aren't as rosy for Obama a year after his election. In fact, things are pretty bleak.

His failure to deliver on his promises have dashed the hopes of many, causing them to change their minds about Democrats and Obama being the answer to getting the country headed in the right direction. There's definitely a cloud hanging over the Obama White House.

Obama will be in Wisconsin today when he marks his one-year election anniversary, but he'll bring that cloud with him.

On the anniversary of his election, President Barack Obama will visit Madison on Wednesday to talk about the progress states are making on education reforms he's championed since taking office and the imminent competition that will have many of those states vying for extra federal stimulus funds for schools.

According to the White House, Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will visit James C. Wright Middle School in Madison to praise Wisconsin for coming up with innovative ways to improve education in the state and for using the federal government's $4.35 billion Race to the Top initiative as a way to prompt those changes.

In commemoration of Obama's historic election anniversary, let's look back at the beginnings of the Obama era.



Obama has broken so many promises since he unveiled his weird "The Office of the President Elect" logo and pretended to take charge of the country before his inauguration, in an effort to usurp President Bush's authority.

That sign embodies the odd mix of arrogance and impotence that marks Obama's personal presidential style.

Let's be honest. Obama has managed to disappoint and anger both his supporters and his detractors.

One year after his election, Obama's weakness and ineffectiveness are undeniable.

From the New York Post:

President Obama barnstormed Virginia and New Jersey — and pumped money and Joe Biden into NY-23 in support of Democratic candidate Bill Owens. (One suspects Owens would have preferred more money and less Biden.)

And — until it started looking as if they might lose — the Obama people were suggesting that these races would seal their mandate and encourage congressional wafflers to toe the line on health-care reform. Not so much, as it turns out.

In fact, the elections underscored Obama’s political weakness just one year after his triumphant victory over Republican moderate John McCain.

The Obama invincibility that was so much in evidence then seems to have lost its power. People can argue the reasons why these elections, all in places Obama carried handily, were so close. But if he were the political marvel he was thought to be, these races wouldn’t have been contests, but walkovers. So one consequence of this Election Day is the end of his special political magic.

That’s no surprise — as that magic was a largely substanceless froth whipped up by campaign consultants and compliant big-media cheerleaders.

The truth is, Obama wasn’t ready to be president when he ran in 2008. When he started, he probably thought he had no real chance — he himself admitted upon entering the Senate that he wasn’t qualified to be president — and that his first run would simply be a PR effort that would lift him to the top ranks of Senate Democrats.

When, to everyone’s surprise, resentment of the Clinton machine crystallized around him, he wound up beating Hillary for the nomination, and found himself riding an out-of-control express train. He rode it to victory, with some help from erratic McCain actions.

But he was right the first time about not being ready for the Oval Office. As president, he seems confused and a bit distant on the issues, leaving the details to congressional Democrats and an ever-growing number of "czars" while he golfs and launches attacks at Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

With the economy tanking (unemployment is much worse after Obama’s deficit-swelling stimulus than Obama’s advisers predicted it would be with no stimulus at all), with the promised post-partisanship dissolving into witch-hunts against hostile media and the promised post-racial America devolving into the awkwardly staged "beer summit," with the "necessary war" in Afghanistan the subject of endless dithering and the promised "smart diplomacy" materializing as a series of awkward missteps by Hillary Clinton, the froth has become a lot less frothy.

Republicans, who were prepared to give Obama the benefit of the doubt a year ago, now can’t stand him. Independents who voted for him are deserting in droves. And Democrats don’t seem that happy either.

I bet Obama's supporters long for the days of "The Office of the President Elect," back when hope and change seemed within reach rather than a cruel, empty gimmick.