Obama Can Learn From South Park

MasterPo normally does not like to use pop culture as an example. But often many a truth is said in jest.

In a classic episode of the show South Park the town is besieged with 60's style hippies. They quickly start a new Woodstock style event with load acidy music, drinking, and much pot smoking.

The main South Park kid's characters (Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Eric) get drawn into this event by the self-proclaimed reasons for the events: To resist the tyranny of conformity, to make their voices heard as individuals, to rise up against the evil rich corporations that destroy everything, and to make them (the evil rich corporations) respect the people and change the way they do business for peace and prosperity to all. You know, the typical hippie slogans.

This sounds good to the kids so they join in (minus the drinking and pot smoking of course). But after a few days in the crowd at this event Kyle starts asking some basic questions:

Why are we here?
What has been accomplished so far?
When are we going to start making ourselves heard by the evil rich corporations?
When are we going to start making them change?
When will this change start?

With each question the hippies around him just resort to the same old lines about making themselves heard, not being part of the evil war machine and rat race, making the evil rich corporations take them seriously, etc etc – then take another drag of pot.

Eventually the kids realize it's all for naught, no real change comes from just standing around and listening to music, and they leave the party.

President Obama could take a lesson from this episode.

He can take all the credit he wants about creating or saving (prove it!) jobs, all about tax cuts for the middle class, making this or that easier for people etc etc. But people have to see the results themselves.

When a person drives down the road and sees empty store front after empty store front that's reality.

When a person hears about more friends laid off work, or gets laid off themselves, that's reality.

When a person spends $50-$60 for 4 or 5 bags of basic groceries that's reality.

When a person has to decided on new shoes or paying the electric bill this month that's reality.

The President can speak all the glowing promises he wants. Part of the job of a leader is to keep up beat in bad times. But sooner or later that leader must deliver for the masses or be rejected by them.

As Eric Kartman says "Screw you guys, I'm going home."