In 2008 the country was flooded with optimism. Obama promised the moon would be of the finest cheddar, the stars would glitter on every Obamagirl’s finger, the Earth would rise and the seas would fall.  He promised clean, cheap energy for all, and two cars in every garage. What he neglected to say was that the moon has a dark side, the stars were in the wrong epicycle, that the tide paid no heed to either him or Canute, that gas would be five dollars a gallon and that at that price the cars would have to stay in the garage. And so we have a new optimism, the optimism of deferred gratification.  I spoke to an Obama optimist recently, and here is what he said.

I thought if we got rid of Bush

That we could quit the Hindu Kush

I thought green windmills would provide

All energy so we could hide

Those ugly coal plants that just spew

Pollutants in the pristine blue

I thought he’d bring us wealth and jobs

Instead we have a world by Hobbes

Where trouble lurks at every turn

And those in charge can’t seem to learn

That bowing to the Saudi king

Won’t change the world, won’t change a thing

I still have faith though out of work

It’s not O’s fault it’s just a quirk

He needs to have another term

Although the thought just makes me squirm

I never thought the moon was cheddar

But I still think things will get better