Obama and expectations

Barack Obama gave an impassioned speech at a rally in Des Moines, IA Tuesday. It can be characterized as a “last chance” type speech telling the Iowans present that they cannot afford to wait for change and a different kind of politics is necessary.

Obama tallied up the problems he thought were affecting the people of Iowa and implied that he would solve, or at least attempt to solve, these problems using the government. Obama said the American government isn’t listening or doing anything. Obama received a huge applause regarding these points despite that our American government is bigger and more expansive than it ever has been in our history. I hope that Americans don’t fall into the trap of only wondering “what’s in it for me” when considering what the role of their government and politics in our country. That type of mentality can lead to higher expectations than our government has shown it can deliver on.