Why I fear 'CHANGE'

From spencer willems's blog

Change: we've heard a lot of conflicting views on how to get it, even on what it should be. Both presidential candidates have seized this abstraction in hopes of wooing the electorate. What better candidates to have standing at the forefront as symbols of change? Our next president could be a young, black man with a "funny" name (as he satirically describes). Or he could be an old, white guy with a record of military service... Obviously, voters are sure to be overwhelmed by these mold-breaking candidates...

Most young people I've talked to, whether they are close friends or colleagues of mine- or strangers I shove my notepad in front of- see Obama as the only candidate for change. For them, this is no ordinary election (indeed, when was the last time we had an ordinary presidential election) because of its potential for substantive policy and attitudinal reforms within the nation. America's quarter-lifers have found their Alamo in Obama...

That includes David Batchedler. He's in Denver for the Convention. David is a senior at John Hopkins University, the president of his College Democrats chapter, and an outspoken Obama supporter. He feels his generation is hungry for change.

"Obama represents a return to the old Idealism for America that we've lost," he tells me. He spent the last eight years, or the whole of his political life, frustrated with the Bush administration. He insists he isn't the only one his age, either.

"Young people... we desperately see the need for a return to greatness... I've seen everything in this country plummet as I've grown up."

For him, the differences between the candidates couldn't be clearer.

"McCain is old fashion, he's out of touch... They say he's a maverick? He's totally aligned sides with the Bush administration."

David is certain that Obama can deliver the change the Democrats have been campaigning on. He'd just point to Obama's ability to energize the most apathetic of citizens-college students- to get out and vote. Young voters like David see the November elections as a generational mandate. They are true believers, idealists committed to change, democracy, and above all, Obama.

But...

What will happen if Obama loses the election? What if he wins and change doesn't come the way young people wanted, or worse, doesn't come at all? I have seen a profound passion in young Obama supporters- and you have to admire that. For them, the political process is not about policy, it's about values, ideals, and ultimately, identity. They're emotionally invested in Obama's candidacy and certain in its inevitable success.

I'm afraid they've set themselves up for a big fall. I'm afraid that these voters, once burned, will become "bitter" to the process forever. In a sense, Obama's candidacy is dangerous because it is a symbol. All of these new, young voters are totally smitten by Obama's rhetoric and his persona. But this may well be the honeymoon.

Obama's success as a candidate is due in large part to the way his campaign has become a symbol for change, hope, belief, (insert lofty adjective here). You can campaign as a symbol, but you govern as a man.

A symbol cannot be held accountable. But an individual can.

A symbol can satisfy any individual's hopes and dreams. But an individual cannot satisfy every individual's reality.