The problem is that he borrowed another blank check from the people.
The Poet-Kings have been few in the history of Humanity. One was King David, who started as a shepherd, went on to be a poet, became a warrior by accident, before being propelled to the uncomfortable position of Ruler, after he had the “good luck” of defeating Goliath, the giant everybody feared in Israel but that David decapitated with total confidence with a single swing of his arm.
President Obama enjoyed a similar rise to power, under the spell of his great ability to write great sentences, arouse audiences, make people deposit a vote of confidence, and throw the political support necessary to bring a leader into an elected executive office
One single speech, in a inspired night of 2005, put him in the fast track to the Presidency of the US, as a series of previous good speeches had pushed him from a community organizer, in the streets of Chicago, to the position of US Senator for Illinois, at the young age of 44.
Obama, the Presidential candidate, inspired millions again with the Power of his Words, and got the votes, 3 and a half year ago, to defeat a more experimented Hillary Clinton, and sometimes better financed candidates, like his Republican contender, Mr. John McCain.
Almost 4 years of execution (some people call it the wear-out of power) placed him in the lowest regard among Public opinion, particularly among Hispanic voters, based on polls measuring his past performance. Performance in supposedly more trivial activities than writing good paragraphs: Creating jobs, creating economic development, or easing the pain of immi- grant families.
Then, his last Tuesday “State of the Union” address came to his rescue, putting everybody, including his most poisonous political enemies in the Republican Party, almost on their knees (watch again, for example, that warm handshake by the Speaker of the House congratulating Obama, once the President was finished last Tuesday night).
One thing is to be a good writer, and also a good performer at the podium.
Quite another is to strategize well, execute better, and deliver the goods on time.
In other words, the King-Poet must also deliver Goliath's head on a tray. Something not necessarily poetic, but very much needed and demanded by the People.
The great speech by Obama on Tuesday only made him borrow tons of good will (pundits call it political capital).
Now he has the responsibility to cash out that blank check the good Citizens of the United States, including 20 million of Latino voters, signed for him last Tuesday.
The quiet acceptance can turn itself into a bitter disappointment, Mr. President.
