President Elect Obama, Superstar

It’s hard not to be riveted to the cable TV news shows at a time like this. To see Obama in front of the American flag and realize he’s not a candidate anymore but the President elect of the United States of America is startling. When history is in the making it’s remarkable to have the TV’s unblinking eye bringing events into our homes. Hurricanes, disasters, big events, that's what the camera covers best. And the images were all so great, from The President elect and his family to Jessie Jackson crying. The cheering crowds that gathered at Grant Park in Chicago were obviously historical. There was such joy and hope in the faces, it was remarkable. I have to admit to being surprised when the next day, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gushed like a school girl at a Beatle concert. Even the boy President looked as pleased as can be. And why not, he’s getting out of Dodge soon, and it doesn’t look like the sheriff is going to hold him accountable for anything. We still have just over two months left of the Bush/Cheney regime and it would be hard to overestimate what kind of trouble W/Dick could still get us into. As it is, he is pouring billions into his friend’s banks and none of the newly powerful Democrats seem to mind.

The images of people around the world celebrating Obama’s win was breathtaking! America doesn’t just have a new President; the world has a new hero. He is not just President elect Obama, he is Barack Obama, superstar! Andy Warhol came up with the term super-star in the sixties. It was the perfect combination of movie star and comic book super hero. It’s where JFK meets Superman, if you will. If Andy were still alive, he would no longer paint Chairman Mao, Elvis, or even Campbell’s soup cans. He would just do silk-screens of President Obama.

America and the world needs a hero and President elect Obama fits the bill, a dynamic good looking young man of supreme confidence. Why is everyone so surprised that we have elected a black man? America and in particular young America, has been in love with black Americans since at least Louis Armstrong. Blacks have been superstars of American culture for a long time now. Forty years ago another beautiful young black man was the most famous man in the world and that was Mahmud Ali. I’m happy that the world has a new hero, but I’m worried about the expectations. After all he is only one man, who will have to contend with very powerful forces, entrenched interests, and the status quo.