Obama's (Potential) Fumble #6: The World Is Watching

Obama won, and many in the world celebrated. Now what?
-- (Joe Burbank//MCT)

All throughout the world, people have been reacting to Obama's victory. Here are a few highlights:

• Kenya is celebrating with beeming pride. One man was quoted, referring to Obama's election, saying, "God is rewarding us."
  
  
• The Australian Prime Minister, along 9 other world leaders, congratulated Obama, stating: "As I've said before publicly, I believe him to be a very good man. I've also said publicly that his message of hope for America is, I believe, equally a message of hope for the world."
  
  
• Celebrations rung out in all areas of the world from India to Brazil to even China, with supporters liberally using the word 'change' to describe what an Obama presidency can do to both America and the world.

From these news reports and more, it is clear the world was watching on November 4th. If the reaction was anything to come, the world will be watching come January 20th, 2009 all the way until January 20th, 2012.

With Obama making history, all eyes will be on him in erasing what many view was a big 8-year stain on foreign relations with other countries. The main question raised in some newspapers on November 6th was: "will all this hope become a letdown?" Some of the topics raised in newspapers (via the Chicago Tribute) are:

• Jerusalem Post: "Obama's presidential success will depend on outmaneuvering, deterring and ultimately defeating those malicious global forces that peddle darkness and misery, and are sneering to themselves right now: 'No, you can't.'"
  
  
• Toronto Star: Don't expect too much from a president who is distracted by a "economic crisis, a debt mountain, two wars and making good on health and education reforms."
  
  
• Sydney Morning Herald: "No one needs to be reminded what happened to Abraham Lincoln, the last brilliant young newcomer from Illinois who made it all the way to the White House amid times of great national tribulation."
  
  
• The Daily Telegraph (in England): "(O)ne cannot help but have one overwhelming feeling: that the expectations are so insanely high, and the reality both at home and abroad so intractable in the short or even the medium term, that this is an administration that cannot but disappoint."

The expectations are high. Change needs to happen. America elected a man who many think can bring that change. However, seeing the reaction elsewhere, Americans aren't the only ones wanting that change.

The world is watching, Barack, You make the next move.



^ As Obama said after winning the presidency:

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Will the world be chanting that "timeless creed"? We have 4 long years to find out.

Obama's Fumble #5: Pissed-Off Athletes

Is Latrell Sprewell mad because he would now have to play more of a tax on his millions?
-- (C.W. Griffen/MCT)

Personalizing the blog post for a bit, I have to say: out of all the different people to be affected by Obama's tax hike on people making more than $250,000 a year, we haven't heard from the ones with little voice. Ones that make more noise with their sneakers on the hardwood or with their wooden bats against a tightly-wounded ball than with their mouths or their written words. No, I'm not speaking about the blue-collar workers in a small business. I'm talking about the victims: overpaid professional athletes.

The impeding doom of Obama's inauguration has gotten to a point that ESPN had to run an article, detailing the concerns of baseball players' agents over the tax hike. Mind you, this was the same tax hike that was imposed during the Clinton administration.

Despite the fact that the least amount of money a major league baseball player can make is $400,000, even super-agent Scott Boras expressed concern, stating: "There's some consideration to be had with the impact of the election."

To a sports fan like myself, I expect a quality product every time I turn on the television to see a game, whether it's basketball, baseball or the like. If the athletes I'm watching are not happy, how can I expect them to perform at their absolute best?

I mean, just look at Latrell Sprewell. Making over $8 million per year in his NBA career, he still had worries on paying for his life and the people he supports. Famously, after rejecting a 4 year/$32 million deal, he said, "I got a family to feed."

As a college student barely able to afford an education that allows me to type this post and see these money-starved athletes on Sportscenter in a $12,000+ dorm room, thinking about Sprewell's struggle pains me. Even though he said this during a Bush administration, when his taxes went down, it's still something that scars my dreams at night.

President-elect Obama has to deal with a legion of overpaid athletes, upset about having to pay a little extra just so the middle-class (or frankly, people making less than $250,000 a year, including college graduates making entry-level wages) can have more.

I don't know about you, but I can't stand to watch a sub-par performance because of some tax hikes...

(Morry Gash/AP)

... oh wait, I'm a New York Knicks fan. Nevermind.

Obama's Fumble #4: Hype

Now it's time for Obama to capitalize on the hype. Will he?
-- (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

So he did it. America voted as a majority to president-elect Barack Obama. The main question now is: Where do we go from here?

Nas addresses some of the question in his song, "Black President".

"What’s the black pres. thinkin’ on election night
Is it how can I protect my life?
Protect my wife?
Protect my rights?
Every other president was nothin' less than white
Except Thomas Jefferson and mixed Indian blood
and Calvin coolers
KKK is like 'what the fuck', loadin' they guns up
loadin' mine too, Ready to ride
Cause im ridin with my crew
He dies - we die too
But on a positive side,
I think Obama provides Hope - and challenges minds
Of all races and colors to erase the hate
And try and love one another, so many political snakes
We in need of a break
Im thinkin' I can trust this brotha
But will he keep it way real?
Every innocent n!gga in jail - gets out on appeal
When he wins - will he really care still?"


He has to answer that question from January 20th on, but some wish to hear him address the hype sooner. Either way, this will be an interesting 4 years.