PrintMarch 27, 2010
The Wishful Thinking Election of 2008
Looking back on a full year of having Barack Obama as president of the United States, Flannery O'Conner's cautionary words come to mind: "To expect too much is to have a sentimental view of life and this is a softness that ends in bitterness."The Journal of Economic Psychology published an article in 2003 entitled "Blessed are those who expect nothing: Lowering expectations as a way of avoiding disappointment." The abstract outlined how "people can try to avoid disappointment: namely, by lowering their expectations about obtaining a desired but uncertain outcome." The article points out, "Disappointment is experienced when the chosen option turns out to be worse than expected." And so it is with Barack Obama, a man who came to office with hope so high that in the words of columnist Bill Sammon, "no mere mortal could possibly live up to the expectations ... Obama expectations [were] so high that I don't think he has anywhere to go but...(Read Full Article)
