Last summer Alice cashed in about-to-expire airline miles for a plethora of magazine subscriptions. We thought she only signed up for about twenty, but based on the looks the postman has been throwing our way, I think the actual number may be somewhere closer to infinity. Together we chose a wide range to get a cross section of what’s being published out there — a spectrum from The Economist to TV Guide.
We actually read some of them.
Over the last couple months nearly every one of those magazines has featured President Obama on their covers at least once. Yep, even TV Guide. I admit I didn’t read all the articles but I skimmed through quite a few. After all, this is historic; the first non-white USA president is a major shift. Young, relatively inexperienced in the “business as usual” Washington ways, charismatic, media-savvy, handsome, lovely family, articulate; this guy’s got it going on. Not only are Americans giddy, so are many other nations in the world.
And the guys’ got guts. Did you see the TV reports on Feb 4 where he threw down the gauntlet before CEOs of those companies receiving government bailout money? You could practically hear the cheers from middle America. We’ve never had a president who better understood media and how to use it to his best effect. News anchors getting personal interviews line up at the White House. ABC reported the other night that five anchors were lined up waiting at one time.
The closest thing to this in my lifetime was the Camelot era of John F. Kennedy. He made history as well. Paranoia screamed that if we elected a Catholic as president we’d be ruled by the Pope. Inaugurated in January 1961, he and his beautiful family captured the imaginations and hearts of millions around the planet. We’ll never know what he might have done because of an assassin’s bullet in November 1963, but his start was dazzling in the public’s eyes.
Will Obama be a great president? Time, as always, will tell. Just this morning I watched various Senators rail against his stimulus plan and his “slick use of media to try to scare people into voting for a bad bill.” Politics very seldom go smoothly.
I’m not among those who voted for him but unlike Rush Limbaugh’s infamous statement (that led to great Limbaugh publicity when Obama unwisely responded), I don’t wish him to fail. For Bible believers the directions are plain: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior,” (1 Timothy 2:1-3)
Hmmm. Requests. Prayers. Intercession. Thanksgiving. For “all those in authority.” That’s what is written; that’s what I will do. Hope you do as well.