Losing the message

I have observed for the last months the Obama Administration losing the message of change. It is hard to believe that it has been a year since election day and almost a year into the term and the message of change has been lost. No longer do we see the rallying cry of change we can believe in. No longer does the president enjoy the comfort of settling in. In fact the polls see him slipping among those white independents he "needs" to scare the conservatives into action. Any momentum he had, capitol he amassed, is going south and quickly. How did this take place?
It is cynical to assert that the race issue has arisen, but let's be honest and fair: it was never that far away! In the back of the minds of MANY whites in this country the vote was still a lesser of two evils: one a man of color, the other just a man with a horrible running mate; who constantly proves she is so unqualified on a daily basis. Again, it should be a no brainer, this Nation so conceived in all good things is in trouble and we should have turned to another choice: change. But what happened? Are the issues too difficult to fix? Has the "American" century come to a close? Is this empire a paper tiger losing face as well as influence? According to polls yes, but is this the real story? I said earlier that the fear of a black man in charge drives the majority culture to unsettling positions: to whit, tea baggers, birthers, a new minuteman posse, and all of the old orders that slink around in the dark. The surge in America first is growing. The fear of a literal Black Planet has caused outbreaks of madness never seen. All last summer the ground work was laid for this moment: the arguments with Congressional leaders, the rallies of protest in Washington D.C. (yes the crowds were small but that is not the point, they came), culminating in the outburst of Representative Joe Wilson: "you lie" with no one protesting other than black folks.
This why I assert that the message of change has been lost. There has been an orchestrated, timely set of events to thwart the program and it is working. More and more the divide is gaining steam and the us versus them mentality is taking over. Health care, an issue that should be easy, is now in desperate trouble, and not from lobbyists. The trials of the terrorists of 9-11 in New york, a place that should hold these men accountable, is being assailed as a painful reminder of what happened. Again the message is lost due to these protracted issues that have nothing to do with the problem: getting the country back on track. My concern is that the longer a fight over messages goes on, the more Obama loses the argument. And this is disheartening, not because he is black, but because he has come into office with all the mess created by a predecessor who received a pass. So my prayer is that Obama's advisors right the ship lest it sink under the weight of indifference, which unfortuately will be a win for their side. Later