Remember Thomas Nast

Seeing images of Pres Obama on TV just now, the OPB show "Independent Lens", he is in front of a coliseum of people with a large reader board saying something about health care. Meanwhile on MSNBC they are talking, left and right, both sides feeling abandoned by the man.

So what is it that makes a successful President? Yes Little Theorem, we stood in line for 3 hours in 90+ heat to see him when he came to Portland. Parched, and no room at waterfront park for us, but with loudspeakers we heard his voice boom across Naito Parkway.

Got to see Steve Novick campaigning on the sidewalk too. Cool enough.

I too am feeling disheartened. I was a believer. I like to be a believer. As I like to say, you have to believe in something. But what is it I was hoping for? Hope and change? yes. An end to the destructive, embarassing, and horrible Bush years? yes. Anything would be better than that. Our day had come!

And yet, world events continue. I love the Obama on the world stage, bringing us back into cooperation with other countries. His strong suit. Harmony, building bridges. Yes but not so good at playing hardball. I know I would fail at being President but I want to have continued faith in our elected leaders.

I still do. I still want a clean energy economy. I mean, even China is talking about safe industries and sustainable industries (well, do I believe that??).

Why do I think of Thomas Nast when I see the auditorium image of Obama? Mr Nast was the political cartoonist who popularized the image we know as Santa Claus. I'm sure Pere Noel, or Kris Kringle, or whoever existed back in the "old country", as my grandmother used to say. But the plump old man in the red suit, twinkle in his eye, that was a creation. Spun by the Jack Ohman of his day. And it has endured, long endured past any memory of any president from the era (sometime in the 1800's).

So what legacy, what image, will Obama have in the national psyche some 150 years from now (oh, today is the 150th anniversary of the 1st shots fired at Ft Sumpter, that began the Civil War - as in the U.S. Civil War). Will history forever be changed by him?

post script. The Thomas Nast house is in Morristown, New Jersey. Proving once again, that it is all about New Jersey.