It is about him

Obama’s campaign slogan was unifying in that sense. My 3-year-old son still says “Yes, we can” when he sees the president on the television screen. Yes, we can.

But as candidate Obama became President Obama, the focus shifted. Instead of “Yes, we can,” the slogan has changed to “Yes, I can.”

The president is starting to believe his own press clippings.

The point was driven home to me by the president’s speech last week before the Congress.

He had an amazing line in the address. He said, “I am not the first to try to get healthcare reform in the country, but I aim to be the last.”

I still don’t know what he was trying to say in that line, but I know what it said to me, and in no uncertain terms. “This is all about me. Not you.”

In fact, I think he is right. It has all become about him.

And that is not very good for the future of his agenda.

The president’s people seem to have consciously made the decision to overexpose him at every possible moment.

There he is dining in Paris with his wife. How glamorous! There he is dating his wife in New York. How swell!

There he is on “The Tonight Show.” And on “60 Minutes.” And again on “60 Minutes.” And again on “60 Minutes.”

There he is on another magazine cover. And another one. And another one.

Wow, the man is a rock star.

But an overexposed rock star becomes a bore. And the president has become worse than a bore to more and more Americans. He has become The One.

The one to blame when they lose their job. The one to protest when their taxes go up. The one to despise when Washington spends too much money.

The president continues to give speech after speech, but I think the novelty has worn off.

The Chicago White Sox, the president’s baseball team (and mine, coincidentally), started the season with their closer being Bobby Jenks. Every time they were winning by a slim margin going into the ninth inning, they would give the ball to Jenks.

But midway through the season, Jenks lost his magic. He started losing games. The hitters starting figuring out his fastball.

And the White Sox never really recovered.

Barack Obama is starting to lose his fastball.

And I think it is because he lost his focus.

During the campaign, he focused on the people. But now, he is focused on his own place in history.

It’s not about us anymore. It’s about him. And that is why he starting to lose momentum on his agenda.

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