Maybe it is a sign of my youth and inexperience in following political elections, but I was floored with the speed with which the news media went from President-elect Obama's winning the popular election to his family's dog breed dilemma to this newest debacle - will he quit smoking?
The New York Times, (and subsequently, I assume, countless other print, broadcast and internet news outlets), ran an article last week questioning whether Obama continues to smoke, and whether he would successfully kick the habit while charged with the Presidential post. My first thought was, "oh, that's right, he's a smoker."
Followed by, "who cares?"
Trust me, I am well aware of the dangers of tobacco - it's a killer, no doubt about it. Do I personally want a President who, for all of his intelligence, education and sense is still under the thumb of a cigarette addiction? Not particularly. But the thought of Obama sneaking out onto the veranda for a midnight puff is not, to say the least, keeping me up at night. Somehow - and tell me if I've gone too far here - somehow, whether or not he will bring home our troops, provide affordable health care and get us out of this economic crisis weighs much more heavily on my. So, I ask again - who really cares about the cigs?
In the grand scheme, how much does it matter?
Do Americans want Obama to quit smoking out of genuine concern for his health, or because we don't want him blowing stale tobacco breath in the faces of foreign leaders? Is it because we need a simple, easy test by which to judge his character, his self-control and will, or that we wonder how many (of our) dollars he will fork over to the tobacco industry throughout his presidency?
It leads me to wonder what we truly want from any of our elected officials. What are we looking for when we step into the voting booth? Someone, or a group of someone's, to make all of our tough decisions for us? Do we just want silhouettes to shoulder the blame when things go wrong and reflect praise back onto us when things turn out alright? After all, we did elect them, don't we deserve credit for their successes?
I have written a few times since I joined the Eagle News team in March about how downright disappointed I have been in the public's participation in local government. School teachers regularly ignore local and regional elections in favor for the sexy, cut-throat presidential race. One more than one occasion, I have been the only non-board member at municipal meetings - in more than one municipality.
The bottom line is, we want someone who can be a savior when we dig ourselves into a hole, a scapegoat when we can't face the blame ourselves, an entertainer when the reality is too complex and frightening to discuss, and simultaneously as human and vulnerable as we are, but an icon of strength and wisdom we could only strive toward.
Oh, is that all?
Also, no smokers. But a discreet addiction to alcohol, painkillers or sex is acceptable, as long as we never find out about it.
By the way, does anyone know if the Obama family has chosen a dog yet?
Happy New Year.
