Human, all too human

Poor Obama. When Hillary, Michelle, Teddy and Bill act like normal people, everyone8217;s happy. But Obama8217;s never allowed to just be a regular guy. He8217;s supposed to be a cross between a new Jack Kennedy and a new Martin Luther King Jr. 8212; someone who can transform politics-as-usual, cast aside the old divisions of race, class and partisanship and lead us into a future full of hope and 8230; you know, change. He8217;s supposed to be transcendent.

Hillary Clinton8217;s supporters never bought the 8220;Obama as messiah8221; thing, and even among Obama fans, there8217;s been a muted but rising chorus of disillusioned questions in recent months: Inspiring speeches are great, but exactly how is Obama going to help middle-income Americans cope with the credit crunch? Would the messiah have voted to give telecom companies immunity for illegal domestic wiretapping on behalf of US spy agencies? And couldn8217;t Obama have come up with someone a little more exciting than Biden 8212; a Latina single mother from Mississippi, say, or a wounded gay Iraq war vet?

Democrats should give Obama a break. He8217;s not the messiah 8212; as his wife has dryly pointed out, he8217;s an ordinary mortal, someone who doesn8217;t always pick up his socks off the floor. Actually, he8217;s not quite 8220;ordinary.8221; Obama is not the average American 8212; who8217;d want an 8220;average8221; president? His multiracial background is striking, and he8217;s smart, progressive, imaginative and charismatic. He can give a speech that makes you cry. But he8217;s also a regular politician. He takes full advantage of lucky breaks and knows how to compromise, bargain and play hardball. Occasionally, he makes dumb mistakes.

He8217;s not the messiah. Get over it, Democrats.

Get over it for the obvious, pragmatic reason: If you want a Democrat in the White House, you8217;ve got to stop fretting about your nominee8217;s lack of magical powers and just work to get him elected. Because, as Clinton reminded Democrats on Tuesday night, this election is about more than any particular candidate: It8217;s about 8220;that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids 8230; that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage 8230; and all the people in this country who feel invisible.8221; It8217;s not about Clinton 8212; or Obama either.

But get over it for another reason too. Democrats, of all people, should remember that political transformation comes primarily from broad-based social movements, not from transcendent individuals. Neither King nor Lyndon Johnson magically brought civil rights to African Americans. Moving speeches and civil rights legislation were important 8212; but those speeches wouldn8217;t have made much difference, and that legislation would never have been possible, had it not been for the thousands of people, black and white, who spoke out, organised, signed petitions and joined protest marches sometimes risking their livelihoods and their lives to do so.

You want a transformative political leader? In Obama, you may have one, but don8217;t expect him to do that transforming all by himself. Obama8217;s good, but no one8217;s that good. For Obama to shepherd in real change 8212; economic, social or in foreign policy, whatever 8220;change8221; means to you 8212; he needs robust, supportive social and political movements to tap into. So if Democrats want real 8220;change,8221; they need to get out there and organise, give Obama solid backing and not go all wishy-washy when he makes mistakes. And they need to stop griping that his speeches alone don8217;t transform the political landscape. That8217;s their job.