What Will September 8th Bring?

September 8th, 2011 is a much anticipated day. Not only is it my birthday, it is also when President Obama will make a speech about the job predicament in America. As the unemployment rate continues to fall, this speech and the actions that follow are pivotal for President Obama. While, many agree that Barack Obama is a charismatic and inspirational speaker, Republicans (and even some Democrats) have been concerned with Obama's ability to actually solve important matters that threaten the stability of America. During Obama's presidential campaign he won the hearts and minds of the people through his powerful speeches and the use of all forms of media. He launched campaigns which empowered and mobilized Americans, especially those that had never been reached out to before. But what has happen since then? Did Obama's power of speech and utilization of the media not have the longevity it needed or did people simply grow tired of all the promises? 


Although I have been a loyal Obama supporter since he began his presidential campaign, I have begun to feel disheartened. I understand that progress takes time and being president is a balancing act, but, in my opinion the job predicament should have been addressed long ago. During his campaign, Obama promised the creation of a new job market and in his 2008 acceptance speech Obama excited the crowd with his call for hope and his powerful phrase "yes we can." Obama futher fueled the crowd by detailing a "new energy" that needed to be "harness[ed]" in order for "new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair." (See Obama's full speech.) That night the people of America felt hope. 


But what happened to that hope? Maybe it was lost when the Republicans blocked the Health Care bill at every turn, or when our stock market suffered the largest drop in over a year, or any other number of things that Obama "has done wrong" since he assumed the presidency. Despite all these complaints, the most important thing now is to achieve something more then just hope. Obama's passionate words need to be both heard and put into action. Congress needs to stop gunning for Democratic or Republican wins, but rather American wins.


The reception of President Obama's speech on Thursday will be crucial in gauging the amount of fallout Obama has had in the past three years. But, my hope is that he will propose great and doable plans and that Americans will once again believe in Obama's three little words : Yes. We. Can.