Our President-elect ran a primary campaign on themes of hope and change – I liked the tone he set at that time. Once he had secured the Democratic party nomination he insisted that the Democratic party cease accepting money from political action committees – I liked that action towards change. Once the general election campaign got underway the tone of his campaign changed to a more traditional type of politicking and I set aside my hope that he might be a different kind of politician.
After he had won the election I entertained the hope that he would prove to be the best version of himself that he had shown during the campaign rather than a lesser version that could also be seen during the campaign. I did this not because politicians have a good track record (and certainly not because Obama had any track record) but because I believe it is our duty as citizens to give our leaders the benefit of doubt until they prove themselves unworthy of that benefit (which is sometimes very quickly). As I have watched his actions since the election my hope has been strengthened by observing the concrete steps he is taking to promote transparency within his administration so far. I hope the pattern of seeking input and sharing directly with the public continues and proves to be a valuable pursuit. I am intrigued by the "team of rivals" that he appears to be building for his cabinet and hope to see positive results form that as well.
I guess I’m just happy to see that after four weeks I actually have more hope that he will be his better self in office than I had the day after the election.
Unlike many Obama supporters, I have pretty low expectations. Some of his announced nomination picks allow me to breathe a sigh of relief, while others cause me a bit of concern. At any rate, I too believe in giving the incoming administration the benefit of the doubt. However, I’m content to wait until we see some actual governing before I start to form any firm opinion.
I realized as I was finishing this post that everything I have to base any hope on does not include any actual governance. Like you, I will have to wait and see what happens when he actually gets the keys.