Surprise, Vinny Sausage Pizza Head!

The above phrase can be credited to an old acquaintance of mine who was known to utter it from time to time. I have no idea of its origins, if he made it up himself or heard someone else saying it. All I know is how funny we found it.

I expected Barack Obama to prevail in this election, but did not anticipate such Electoral one-sidedness, even though it was predicted by some pundits who clearly know more than me about politics. But Indiana? New Mexico? Winning 52 percent of the popular vote? No, I didn't foresee it. Granted, except in Virgina, Florida, and possibly North Carolina--still undeclared for either side as of 10:00am November 5--Obama did not make the kind of impact in the Deep South many speculated he might. He did not merely lose in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, he was trounced. In the scheme of the overall election, he scarcely needed them, but whites in those states, if nowhere else, apparently would not vote for him. It would be simplistic, though tempting, to blame some of it on plain old prejudice, so I am not going to. The truth is, I simply don't know. But somebody does or will claim to, I'm certain.

So yes, I'm surprised. And pleased. This is the candidate I have supported for years, before he ever threw his hat into the ring. I obviously don't believe his election signals an end to the problems in either our country or our world. Obama cannot make Israel and Palestine close friends, end the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or induce extremists around the world to lay down their arms, abandon their grudges, and all be friends. And much as I marvel at the celebratory mood of Africans in general and Kenyans in particular, I don't think life changes much for Africa, at least not in the immediate future. There is a great deal of symbolism to Obama's victory and symbolism is not unimportant, but Obama will need to build some real achievements as President, probably quickly, to shake his reputation as a charismatic lightweight.

On the other hand, I don't believe Obama is a socialist, a communist, someone who is going to transform the presidency into a dictatorship. Such hysterical claims overlook the fact that the President's domestic power, though significant, is nowhere near boundless. So even if he has designs on creating a one-party Marxist state--and I don't think he has--it is highly unlikely such a move could be executed in a society whose institutions are as entrenched as our own.

If there is one thing about Mr. Obama that concerns me, it's his clear desire and zeal to be great. Aspiring to greatness is, of course, what we want and expect in our politicians and our people. But sometimes, to paraphrase Ralph Ellison, we can be blind to realities because of our ambitions. In short, I worry that he may try to do everything himself and his reach may exceed his grasp. Many of his supporters expect this greatness and may be disappointed if he falls short, so the pressure to end wars, to fix economies, to broker peace and good will throughout the globe may ultimately prove crippling.

Still, I voted for the man and I'm optimistic. I expect good things from Obama. Why not great things? Because I tend to hedge, to be guarded, to be mitigatory. And it's hard to be great these days because the spotlights are so bright, the media attention so overwhelming, and somewhere, somehow, everyone has a flaw. All our heroes have had flaws but the sheen of history tends to obscure them among those we revere. Mr. Obama will not have that luxury for at least another generation. So I say, don't be disappointed with mere goodness.