The Game Change That We Had

There is another why I lust after HBO... this trailer released March 2012 should reveal it all:

I think many of us remember the 2008 elections like yesterday... and what a time it was! I found it to be a very exciting, almost-unpredictable time in history. There were fresh faces taking over the waves, with the unpopular Bush 43 nearly ending his term (and not without performing some bailouts right before the next Inauguration). Former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin was the trailblazer, the figure that people were curious about, the beautiful face that took over the screen before her remarks and lack of particular historical knowledge was displayed all over the world, especially in her debates with now-Vice President Biden. Hillary Clinton was not one who would go out without a fight, often reminding us about the 1990's that ended with a surplus left by her husband's administration, only to try to get out of his too-powerful shadow. Senator McCain was the military hero, the maverick that could also appeal to Democrats in the past, only to try too hard to fit into the Conservative game and have his team pick out a woman for the sake of looking like a modern candidate. 

And then there was Senator Barack Obama.

In 2004, the Harvard Law Graduate and former Constitutional Law Professor gave a speech so mind-blowing that it became obvious he was a star.

In 2008, a type of culture began during the elections- this culture was represented by three infamous words: "Yes We Can!". Youth, especially college youth, were known for being the "Obama Generation", looking forward to "Hope" and "Change", looking at then-President George Bush's last two terms as a failure. His last two terms were deemed as a failure not necessarily because of his lack of speech skills (that was just the tip of the iceberg, and for comic relief), but also because of the War in Iraq, the questionable actions that occurred right after 9/11 devastated the nation- 9/11 not only a took blow to the Twin Towers, it also took a sharp stab into our culture and changed its psyche. The psyche was pessimistic, fearful- and the feelings still lingered in pocketed times of prosperity before the 2008 economic collapse. Youth and older generations wanted change, and many found it in the image of Barack Obama. Obama had a cool, calm, articulate demeanor in contrast to his counterparts, especially when it came to his predecessor. He was the One who change the nation, it would bring glory back to it, who would win back respect in the world and make everything better. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't, if he changed the world for the better, he would be dubbed a "Socialist" or "Communist", and if he didn't change the world for the better, he would be seen as a "Fascist".

An explosive wave of excitement happened when Barack Obama won the persidency in November of 2008. The video shown here, taken in Grant Park, couldn't display the excitement in a better fashion.

Excited myself, a pre-law student at Chapman University at the time, I was a member of the "Yes We Can" generation. As a matter of fact, in January 2009, without any tickets, I visited my best friend in New York City; we ended up being in a huge crowd of people in Washington D.C. Yes, I attended Barack Obama's inauguration.

Cut to over 3 years later.

Have we seen Change?

Do we still have Hope?

The movie "Ides of March" comes to mind; and if you can't watch "Game Change", watch this. The movie is about the psychological death of an idealist who once believed in the slogans and uprightness of a Presidential candidate.

The game change that remains the same is that people still fall for slogans and buy the product.

Politics is still a game. In this current election, the faces aren't brand new, unless you count Ron Paul as a unique and refreshing factor. The showdown is between an experienced businessman and governor whose overall intellect and appearance isn't considerably "Presidential", while the other one is a man who is still highly praised by some but now majorly criticized by many former supporters who originally thought that times would have been better. The game isn't as competitive, but the mud-slinging is still as dirty as ever.