Obama can do no wrong

by Werner Patels

15 May 2012

Barack Obama holds a White House summit with actor George Clooney.

It must be nice to be able to walk on water. US President Barack Obama could tell us what it feels like. Not long into his first term of office, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize - for having done absolutely nothing. Yes, Obama simply can do no wrong, even when he does nothing at all.

The most recent example of non-action: Obama’s announcement that he had had a change of heart and now believes in same-sex marriage. He’s probably always believed that in a way, but it was only a similar statement by his Vice-President, Joe Biden, that prompted him to do a quick “me too” speech. After all, who wants to be bested by his Number Two?

He hasn’t exactly put himself out there with this revelation: his core supporters won’t desert him, and there’s no real harm done anyway: since same-sex marriage is a matter for the states to decide, Obama will never have to get his hands dirty. It could cost him dearly, however, with African-Americans and Hispanics, since both groups are vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage, but by the time they head out to the polling stations in the fall, they will have forgotten all about it.

Now, I’m not against same-sex marriage. I’ve never believed that two men or two women marrying each other could somehow lessen the institution of marriage. I’ve been married for many years, and the existence of same-sex marriage has changed absolutely nothing about how I feel about my “traditional” marriage. But the US is still far from making this a done deal. More than half of all US states have already banned same-sex marriage, and nothing Obama says will change that in the foreseeable future.

As always, Obama wins praise and plaudit, whether he actually does something or not. Singing a few bars of Kumbaya is all it takes for Obama the Great to boost his popularity.

What should concern people more, though, is that Obama recently flew out to Los Angeles to attend a $40,000-a-plate dinner hosted by George Clooney at his house. Talk about the rich rubbing it in. Where are the Occupy bozos now? No time to denounce the “one-percenters” living it up big time? I wonder what would have happened if the shoe had been on the other foot. What if Republican candidate Mitt Romney had flown halfway across the country to be with some rich businessmen and bankers? The newspapers would be filled with the usual stories about Romney being out of touch with ordinary Americans and supporting only the wealthy.

“Hanging” with some cool and glitzy people in Hollywood isn’t any different from hobnobbing with the rich and famous of Wall Street. So, why aren’t the mainstream media outraged about Obama’s little soiree?

Because Obama can do no wrong. And when he does wrong, the media sweep it under the rug. In a way, it’s ironic that Obama even manages to win one of the world’s top prizes of recognition for not lifting so much as a finger, yet when he actually does act, as he did on healthcare reform, things quickly turn sour.

I hope gays and lesbians in the US don’t get their hopes up just yet. Obama didn’t actually mean what he said. If he did, he’d let real action follow his grand words.

That’s not what this is all about for Obama. It’s about burnishing his liberal credentials Only this time it may have backfired. Within days of Obama’s grandiloquent announcement, Romney skyrocketed in the polls and ended up leading the President by seven points.

Maybe Obama’s latest perfunctory promise to Americans was one too many.

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of The Prince Arthur Herald.

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