Great Expectations

The fanfare being generated in advance of Barack Obama’s Inaugural on Tuesday is astonishing. Crowds are following the Train Tour throughout the east coast, polls show Obama’s approval rating hovering around 80%, and tickets to the event are harder to get than tickets to the Beatles/Led Zeppelin Reunion Concert.

While I am sure his Inaugural address will live up to the hype, let’s take a step back for a second and take a deep breath.

First of all, how can anyone have an 80% approval rating before their first day at work?

Secondly, and more importantly, does Obama have any choice but to disappoint people after receiving 80% approval ratings and proactively surrounding himself with reminders of Abraham Lincoln?

Yes, there will be a honeymoon, but there will also be an inevitable end to the honeymoon. I’m just wondering if we are ready to admit that all of this hype might not be a good thing.

Where do we set the balance between celebrating an historic moment with a popular new president, and the creation of unrealistic expectations of our new leader?

It’s probably nice to have the problem of high expectations, considering the alternative. But the honeymoon may be shorter than we think, because don’t look for Congress to help extend the honeymoon.

If you think Sen. Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi will enjoy looking like Obama’s rubber stamp, then you don’t follow much politics. It won’t take long for reality to set in.

But hey, who am I to rain on this parade? I hope that soon to be President Obama is able to rise to the occasion and deliver on the great expectations made of him. He’s obviously not a man to be underestimated, so I hope his successes keep the honeymoon going longer than usual.

But as citizens, let’s keep it all in perspective. He’s a man trying to get a lot of things done in Washington D.C. Trust me; we’re going to need to cut him some slack.