I have been covering politics for perhaps a year now, when I founded my school's newsletter and became a writer in the "Good Ol' Fashioned Politicin' " column where I and a friend would debate, in print, the nature of key political issues and observe what was then the ongoing campaign.
I am currently attending Texas A&M University. The last time the words “Obama” and “Texas A&M” were seen in the same sentence in our media news was during the election. The Texas A&M chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT), in protest of our now president’s then perspective policies, elected to throwing eggs at a picture of him in our Academic Plaza. Therefore it should be no surprise that when it was announced that former President George H.W. Bush had invited President Obama to host a forum on public service and the YCT immediately announced a plan to protest to the event, that some eyebrows rose. To defend my school for a moment, though the vast majority of students hold conservative ideologies, most that were not part of the YCT were embarrassed by the announcement, often lamenting “I hope they don’t embarrass the school again.”
But it was a good sign however, that President Obama chose to attend this forum at a school where it is no secret, even outwardly expressed, that he is not liked here. Indeed it is not often that I am walking to class and see a maroon shirt with the words “Beat the Hell Outta Obama” (a variation of the football slogan: “Beat the Hell Outta T.U.- we call the University of Texas T.U., don’t ask why it’s a long story) and our school newspaper “The Battalion” is anything but fair and balanced when covering political affairs. This said the day of his visit there was an article published denouncing the protestors as selfish which I suppose is a good thing.
But surprising – and I really do mean surprisingly – there were no issues that would make headline news which I can only assume mean that the protesters remained inside certain “boundaries.” The signs ranged from the passive and respectful “Government’s 1st duty is to protect the people not to run their lives.- Ronald Regan” and calls for a fair tax, to: “Obama Care, It’s to Die For,” where the “O” in Obama was written as a communist symbol and “die” was underlined, “Dr. Obama… I’m Sick of You,” and “You Can Keep the ‘Change’.”
The speech was altogether a short one (short for him at any rate), spanning just over twenty minutes. Unfortunately I was unable to attend being that there was very limited space in Rudder Auditorium where he gave his speech. Of the one thousand tickets given out, four hundred were given to the media, leaving only six hundred to be distributed to the faculty and staff letting student leaders fall to last. Therefore, the writer was unable to attend the event.
Nevertheless, from what I could glean from watching the speech on Youtube the next day, it finally became apparent to me why President Obama’s personal approval rating is remains so high above his job approval rating (currently 54%, he received a slight boost after his controversial Nobel Peace Prize win): the man has the talent of inspiration. It is because of these speeches he gives - one might recall his especially inspirational message of the NAACP along with his speech to children about staying in school– that his personal rating is so high. Political leaning aside, he inspires people to do better, which is to be admired. Call it my skeptical mind but this is perhaps why he has become such a media figurehead and why – I am deteriorating here to pure complaining- two of five seats were given to the media.
That aside, the speech had all bells and whistles of our president’s soaring rhetorical gifts. Who could help to feel that numinous and transcendent urge to serve when, after his obligatory announcements of who was in the audience and who as not, he quickly shot off the limits of government saying:
“…if anyone here thinks that our government has all the solutions, President Bush and I will tell you that you’ll be sorely disappointed. Government can build the best schools with the best teachers, but we can’t run the PTA… We can pass the most comprehensive health reform bill, but Congress can’t be on the ground in our communities caring for the sick and helping lead healthier lives. Government can give our troops the equipment they need and the pay and the benefits that they have earned… but it can’t be there to offer a home cooked meal to a military family stretched thin or to make sure our veterans get the respect and appreciation they deserve in their communities when they come home.”
There is something empowering in these words, even when his dynamic speech patterns and voice are absent.
He further suggested to his listeners that while “you don’t have devote your entire career to service…” but to have a “pubic service mind set.”
Nothing could be more important in these trying times.