The Obama Cult

When running for office, Presidential candidates make promises and claims that are often hyperbolized or overambitious. However, this does not stop voters from holding the winner accountable for the promises they’ve been given throughout the election. The expectations that citizens have of the newly elected President within the first months of their presidency are molded by the claims that the candidate promised in the duration of the electoral race. Obama’s new presidency after 8 years of the Bush administration prompted many voters to expect him to undo the mistakes of the previous presidency. The newly elected president may make it their top priority to push for issues and legislatures concerning the issues they highlighted throughout

Rather, the article explains that Obama used this idolized view of him to his advantage when making extremely large promises including an improved healthcare system, higher college graduation rates, and increased student involvement and interest in STEM fields. These ambitious promises are then contrasted by the initially unassertive approach the first U.S. presidents took. The only promises they strived to portray to the public were assurances to defend the United States and the constitutional rights of the people while sustaining the law. The boisterous promises made by Obama invigorated many voters whose expectations became amplified as he took office. These expectations of Obama’s voters pushed him to make decisions in his first months that were perhaps too rash, which caused him to halt on some of his promises. One example of this was his promise to shut down the prison at Guantanamo Bay, which he ended up putting off for six more

Obama’s Unpromising Year” argues that many of Obama’s enthusiastic supporters during the election voted for him believing that he would be a revolutionary in American history because of him being the first Black president. This sense of innovation and modernization had worn off, though, as his presidency progressed. The expectation of Obama to be a groundbreaking part of U.S. history made the criticisms of him even harsher as the economic recession hit and people were losing their jobs at alarming rates. It was also concerning that taxes were rising, which upset the expectations of the middle class. The article argues that the promises Obama made in regards to healthcare reform and environmental protection were riveting at the time of the electoral race, but should have been minimized in the wake of the major economic crisis the U.S. was facing. Obama worked to keep his promises about the environment and healthcare but to fulfill the expectations of his supporters, but they were ultimately unsatisfied because of the state of the economy. It is also argued that the excuse of having inherited 8 years of a lousy economy could no longer be feasible a year into the presidency, as many believe that Obama could have made substantial economic changes in the time allotted. The expectations held for him because of the idolization he received and the abundance of promises he made ultimately led to a rough beginning of his presidency. People’s expectations