So I guess we've finally learned what it takes to turn Duke against Barack Obama: picking North Carolina for the Final Four and not us.
What's worse, he even had the unmitigated gall to pick the dearly detested Tar-holes to win the national championship. He says he likes their "experience and balance." Which is funny, because that's what I liked about John McCain.
And for once, I can supplement my opinion with someone's you actually care about: Coach K. On being asked about the president's picks, Mike Krzyzewski dryly replied, "As much as I respect what he's done, really the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets." Now, you might think that Obama, a noted lover of the game, has more grounds to intrude on Coach K's territory than vice versa, but let's compare.
Coach K has won 833 games in his coaching career, losing 273. President O has successfully nominated four Treasury officials of those who need Senate confirmation, with 15 other posts still vacant.
Coach K played for and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. President O floated a plan to charge military veterans with private insurance for treatment of injuries received in combat (read that sentence again to make sure it really sinks in).
Coach K won a gold medal at the Olympics. President O poked fun at the Special Olympics.
Coach K knew when to pull point guard Greg Paulus from the starting lineup. President O continues to express his confidence in Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.
This is too easy. Let's move on.
Krzyzewski has made it clear that his comments were just in fun, but that doesn't mean that if he had been serious, he couldn't have found a lot of people voicing similar sentiments about the new president's demonstrated economic ability. Thousands, for example, showed up at a so-called "tea party" in Orlando Saturday to protest the direction this administration seems to be steering the economy.
In most circumstances, of course, protests are completely pointless and impotent, but every now and then they can indicate one part of the national mood. The Orlando Tea Party was not an isolated incident; similar protests have occurred across the nation, and more are planned. And I feel that you have to give extra credence to a movement that is forced to hold its rallies on Saturdays because the participants have day jobs.
Criticism is creeping in from more traditional quarters, too. Sunday, the president opened his New York Times to criticism from Frank Rich, Maureen Dowd, and Thomas Friedman all at once-a trifecta usually reserved for Republicans. The same day, Republican New Hampshire Senator and second failed Obama pick for Commerce Secretary Judd Gregg announced that the Obama budget plan would implement an unsustainable spending-to-GDP ratio and lead to national bankruptcy.
Suffice to say, doubts are being raised.
Now, I consider myself a part of the loyal and optimistic opposition, and I don't think Obama has actually blown it yet, despite what seems to be his own best efforts. There is still time for him to avoid the Jimmy Carter memorial one-way flight to premature retirement.
So why am I bringing all this up? Because I sure hope you're watching.
Obama carried North Carolina in the last election by less than 15,000 votes. Had North Carolina and a few other close states gone the other way, McCain would be sitting in the White House today. Elections have consequences and that means votes do too.
For a lot of Duke students, this was their first or maybe second time voting, and I think many chose to vote for the eventual winner. That's fine. But it's important to take responsibility for the consequences of that vote, and that means you better have a laser eye trained on this administration. What it does, it does in your name, by the power you helped give it.
I hope the president pulls the whole thing around, I really do. I don't want to live in a country that sucks for four years, and I don't want to spend even more time trying to clean up a mess if he leaves one behind. I want people's lives to get better, and if Obama can do that, props to him.
But until he turns that corner, I think he would be wise to follow Coach K's advice: more economy, less brackets.
Oliver Sherouse is a Trinity senior. His column runs on Wednesdays.
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