Is Trump the True Purveyor of Hope?

Recently, Michelle Obama said this: 'We are feeling what not having hope feels like'.   I don't know who the "We" really is in that statement, but the suggestion is that Trump's presidency provides no hope for our nation.

Hope is a fleeting thing.  It's personal.  What you "hope for" may last for years, or may be fulfilled in just days. or never fulfilled.  Your particular "hope" may not be what someone else is hopeful for.  Democrats always sell hope like some type of "snake oil" that will cure all your ills.  In 1992, the soon-to-be President, Bill Clinton, ran the following ad. In it, he proclaimed the he would "bring hope back to the American Dream".

Whether, either individually or collectively, that "nondescript" promise of  "hope" ever came true is up to each individual that lived through that time.


When Obama ran for President, he, like Bill Clinton, also ran on a slogan of "hope".  Actually, "hope and change". Maybe, Michelle should look at the results of a recent poll about the last eight years:

"...only 30 percent feel they are better off financially now than before Obama became president.  One-in-five says they’re worse off (22 percent), and nearly half feel their family’s financial situation is about the same (47 percent)."

Understand, when 47% say their family financial situation is "about the same", they are saying that things are the same as 2009, when the country was in recession. Where's all the hope in those findings?

The fact is, Obama never fulfilled the most personal "hope" that most Americans have: jobs and better income for themselves and their family.   I think Trump may just be the best "hope" for those who haven't benefited financially during the 8 years of Obama.

References:

Michelle Obama: 'We are feeling what not having hope feels like': http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/16/politics/michelle-obama-home-oprah-interview/

Fox News Poll: Positive ratings for President Obama as he exits: Despite that...only 30 percent feel they are better off financially now than before Obama became president.  One-in-five says they’re worse off (22 percent), and nearly half feel their family’s financial situation is about the same (47 percent): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12/15/fox-news-poll-positive-ratings-for-president-obama-as-exits.html?refresh=true

Michelle Obama's suggestion Trump is end of 'hope' for America gets pushback: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12/17/michelle-obama-suggests-trump-is-white-house-is-end-hope-for-america.html

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Barack Obama: The Fortune Cookie of Politics

Way back in February of 2008, I wrote a blog post that compared Obama's promises of hope and change being akin to the false promises you might get from fortune cookies.  On this election day of 2012, what I said then is as true today. So, I think it's worth repeating.

Barack Obama: The Fortune Cookie of Politics

In many ways, Barack Obama's speeches are a lot like the messages inside a Chinese fortune cookie. Typically, the "fortune" inside that cookie, if written well, will apply to the wants of most everyone who reads it. It is this type of "universality" that gives Obama a broad appeal.

Whether or not the message of Obama, like the fortune in the Chinese cookie, is actually true or has any chance of being true is immaterial. People take from it what they "want" to hear. That is what his message of "hope" is all about. Hope is more of a feeling and, often, less of an actual reality. When I buy a lotto ticket, I "hope" that I will win. However, the chance of being hit by lightning is more likely.

The people that believe that Obama represents "hope" through "change" may actually be hearing the hollow message of a fortune cookie. If they truly looked at Obama's past actions, his beliefs, and his proposals, they would know that what he is selling is "high hopes" with little reality.  And, don't ever forget that the purpose of putting the "fortune" in the cookie is a "gimmick" to sell more cookies.  Nothing more than that!