Don't wear Obama out

He is handsome--no doubt. Charismatic--yes! Multi-cultural--definitely.

Don't get me wrong. I have several Obama shirts: one from the students for Obama with the 'M' in the U of M font, another sleek black one with gold letters, one from the debate with neither candidate's name on it, a pink one with headlines on it, and one directly from the inaguration store.

But we are going to wear President Obama out before he can warm the Oval Office.

His name is everywhere: hats, pencils, new Successories posters, the dollar store, the more-than-a-dollar store, college campuses, school offices, license plates, window decals.

My mom says she hasn't seen anything like this since Kennedy. I have been trying to remember where I have been for the last so many decades. What was I doing when Gore lost to Bush? Who did Clinton run against for his second term? Other than broccoli, "a thousand points of light", and a "kinder, gentler nation" (that went to war, incidently), what did I take away from Bush I?

I remember more about Reagan: his jelly beans, the 'well' filler, the fact that some of my friends had to enlist in the miliary and others had to enter college early to keep their financial aid, and his reluctance to sign the MLK day into law.

I remember watching Nixon resign through mosquito bite swollen eyes and being very happy.

But I don't remember shirts, decals, etc. for any of them. Maybe the Mondale/Ferraro bumperstickers....

We are going to make President Obama an icon whether or not he is willing. And, like Michael Jordan, he is going to be everywhere, years after his term(s) end.

But, in this continual praise now, don't forget the things he has promised to do, don't forget that you may not have agreed with him on everything. Don't let his enigmatic rise and buoyant personality mask the fact that we have employed him to do a job and his first review is coming up in less than 70 days.

Love him, hate him, disagree with him, fear what his presence in that position will do to the presidency (as Cleaver would have said, "what will become of the Presidency now?"), admire him, but, above all, if you pray at all, pray for him. Be encouraging. Expect more.

And don't just wear the gear because it is fashionable right now.

Back in college, there was a Free South Africa Coordinating Committee that sold bracelets with the names of political prisoners like Walter Sisulu, Steven Biko, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and, of course, ANC leader Nelson Mandela. The point of purchasing the bracelets was to wear them in solidarity, and, if you had the name of a current prisoner, to wear them until they were released. I wasn't completely aware of the whole apartheid issue, but I knew of Mandela, so I purchased a bracelet with his name on it. I was faithful--I wore it daily--for a while. Eventually, especially after I left campus, I put it in a drawer. No more than three years later, Mandela was freed. I hadn't held on to the belief that what I was standing for was right. In fact, I didn't take the time to research further what the real situation was.

So, standing in Tiger Stadium, seeing Mandela in person, I was a bit ashamed because I tried to stand for something right but faltered in my ignorance.

Let's not make the same mistake when dealing with our new President and his image.