Just A Guy.
I'm lonely. I just realized that I may be the only guy in the entire universe to hold a certain unique honour.
Let me tell you something… though it may be hard to fathom, I, Old Man Crowder, appear to be the one and only person in the entire galaxy that does not care about Barack Obama. I just don't get what the big deal is.
He's coming to Ottawa for 6 hours tomorrow but his presence is effectively closing down the entire city for the whole day. Road closures, detours, air space closure, airport restrictions, transit changes, removal of curb-side garbage cans and mail boxes, covering over visible graffiti and homeless people. TV and radio have been blathering on about the arrival for nearly 2 weeks! All for just a guy.
Throngs of people braving wind, snow and cold for hours, wearing specially made t-shirts, waving American flags, eating specially prepared Obama Beaver Tails -- all in an effort to catch a fleeting glimpse of the new president. He's just a guy.
Hey, if the American people want to fall at his feet and burst into screaming hysterics reminiscent of the Beatles' arrival, then so be it. He's their leader. But I really have a hard time understanding the rationale behind idiots from around the world going positively apeshit about how incredible he is and how fantastic he'll be for the world; like he's Jesus in a motorcade. WHY?? They're not even American! And he's just a guy.
He's been in office for, what, a month? Certainly not enough time to determine how influential his policies are, how adept he is at his position or whether he really lives up to all the hype that has been generated so far. Sure, it's going to be tough to be as comedically bad as the previous president, but don't you think people should give it some time before pronouncing him as the greatest American since David Beckham or Wayne Gretzky? He's just the new guy.
And he's getting on my nerves. His arrival inconveniences me. His face inundates my TV. His name is all over my radio. He's invading my life, I can't get away from him and I don't like it.
Come on, people. Yes, he is the President of the United States, but he's just as human as anyone else.
And he is just a guy.
posted by Old Man Crowder @ 7:40 PM
11 Comments:
actually, i beg to differ with you, OMC. (and great to hear from you, BTW):
george bush was "just a guy." but if you've ever been in a room and seen him and heard him speak, barack is somehow much more than that. i saw him twice during the campaigh, and he's an incredible, inspiring speaker, a very intelligent, adept thinker, and i believe he's going to do great things for my country.
now, i know what you're saying: that he he drinks beer, puts on his pants one leg at a time, and probably gets his underwear uncomfortably wedged in his butt from time to time just like the rest of us... but really, he is an amazing human being, an historic one, and you really should see him speak yourself just once.
Franco, Obama is an asshole who takes not one but TWO vacations after only THREE weeks in office.
He is an asshole who goes to a black tie dinner while Americans, the people WHO PAY HIS FREAKING SALARY, freeze to death.
He is an asshole who sent 100 generators when 500,000 homes were without electricity.
He is an asshole who flies off to Chicago for dinner just a week after people froze to death because he did jack shit to help him.
He is an asshole who has a silver tongue who could sell you land in Aruba.
And you've fallen for it.
Hook.
Line.
sinker.
good lord -- cry more, krystal, you bitter, tin-hat republican. your rants are entertaining, and your tears are DELICIOUS.
Wow. Stirred up some emotions, I see.
I guess what I was trying to get at was the fact that nobody shows this kind of emotion and/or devotion to any other world leader (excluding the Pope, maybe). How come you Americans don't fawn over our Prime Minister?
Franko -- I'm so glad to know you're still out there and rooting for me! I have heard him speak, actually, and you're right... He is pretty smooth. I'm just not sure that's a good enough reason to place him so high on the pedestal.
Krystal -- I assume you had similar feelings for GWB and his handling of the Katrina aftermath? Or the wildfires in California? No matter what political stripes they may be, politicians will always be members of the upper echelons of society, pretending to have an understanding of the struggles of the everyday low and middle income class.
Okay... Enough of that. What shall we talk about now?
Franco, I'm a Libertarian. Cry baby? People DIED. They froze to death. I think that deserve a few tears. It's the human thing to do unless you're cold hearted. Or flying to Chicago for dinner after a black tie affair.
Bush at least cleared his schedule and flew over Louisiana to survey the damage and IMMEDIATELY released federal help. Obama has yet to show up here. And so you know, Bush wasn't my choice for president. And I didn't like McCain either.
Crowder, I lived in Florida for 25 years and have been through my share of hurricanes and natural disasters. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this ice storm has had the least amount of intervention from the federal government I can recount. I was in Andrew 16 years ago. We had entire towns wiped off the map as well as an Air Force base. Floridians didn't get HALF of what Katrina survivors got.
Seen tornados where I live now. Know people, who since Katrina, have had EVERYTHING they own be gone in an instant. NOT ONE OF THEM was given a home to live in by the federal government. They each got $50 gift cards and three nights in a hotel.
And you know what? Not all Katrina vics were treated the same. There were survivors in Mississippi who lost everything as well. They got jack.
But a great deal of people in New Orleans who CHOSE NOT to carry home owners insurance were GIVEN homes and relocated within a couple weeks of the storm courtesy of G.W. Bush. I totally disagree with irresponsible people being enabled, but they weren't left homeless. Bush sent generators, I'm cool with that, and the feds helped to pay for the clean up costs.
People here are still homeless nearly a month later and as of right now, we are being told that we will receive NO HELP from the feds for clean up or to pay for the $500,000,000 in repairs to electrical lines. We'll have to deal with a huge hike in our bills each month instead.
An Army base 40 minutes away has NEVER been mobilized to help here (U.S. military were outside of LA within 72 of Katrina but weren't ALLOWED in by the governor until later).
So my question is, if Bush is such an incredible jerk for his "mishandling" of Katrina, what is Obama? At least Bush tried to help, even if it wasn't equitable or fair or carried out the best way. You can't compare what Bush did to the 100 generators Obama sent without Obama looking like a giant ass. At least Bush did something.
Sending 100 generators to 500,000 homes with over 1,000,000+ people in them in danger of freezing to death in unconscionable.
And all the Obama supporters out here? Well, they've had some pretty harsh words for the new president who was going to look out for the little guy.
I can't apologize for being emmotional. I see first hand lives and families who are suffering right now. What I had to deal with in regards to my five children and special needs child during the time we had no electric and it was 17-23 degrees in my house and living room is nothing compared to people here who have had to bury loved ones who froze to death.
Franco, those tears taste delicious to you? Tears for the dead? You enjoy that? Maybe next disastor it will be someone you love.
But I promise, I'll have compassion for you and yours. It's what we LIBERTARIANS do.
OMC: If we had a Prime Minister that actually has some spark of charm or character maybe we and our friends to the south (and north can't for forget Palin-land or sorry Alaska) would be interested in fawning over our Prime Minister as well. We need someone like Trudeau back. As much as I'm against the Liberals, I would't mind seeing Justin Trudeau as our PM someday. JT is not nearly as annoying as Ben Mulroney and PET and JT would be a better father son leader combo than the Bush family.
Krystal, I think you're just reinforcing the point I was trying to make.
The man is human. He's going to make mistakes. He's not the be-all and end-all and no matter what he does, there will always be people who fail to see any faults.
And by contrast, there will always be people who fail to see the positive.
He's just a guy.
Unfortunately, he is just a man who is believing his own press. A man is known by his actions. In this case, he is know for his lack thereof.
Men shouldn't be treated like gods.
we americans are just so happy to be rid of George W. that we're dancing in the streets!
i wish Obama all the luck in the world -- we really need a great president right now.
"From the frying pan, and into the fire" pretty much sums up where we are with the new President.
However, you are right- he is just a man, but the nation wants a hero, a wiseman, a savior- and such a man does not exist in the political arena...they simply don't.
The next best thing would be a "Mom". Someone who will clean up the mess, put the house in order, and make the rules fair and simple for everyone to follow.
but I digress~
:)
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