BYU Newspaper The Daily Universe

I just received this email earlier today and was glad to think I was not the only one who thought the same about The Daily Universe's constant bashing on Obama. I am glad that my friends in the BYU democrats club agreed with me at least a little bit about the negativity and I would like to here what you think.

Viewpoint: Choosing to hope

By Hyrum Salmond and Steve Pierce

Jan. 20, 2009 will go down as one of the seminal dates in American history. The inauguration of Barack Obama as our first African-American president is a landmark moment for a country once stained by the dark mark of slavery and subjugation, regardless of one's political preferences. The American people should be rejoicing in this moment; in fact, many across the country are doing just that. Yet, for some reason, such cheer and optimism has not been on display at BYU, particularly in the pages of The Daily Universe.

We could not help but notice that the "Voice of the Brigham Young University Community" has been singing a decidedly minor tone of late. For example, take Jeff Nielson's recent diatribe of acid-tongued faux optimism. Mr. Nielson would have us believe that President Obama is a real-life "Manchurian Candidate," created and fostered by a vast media conspiracy, who will undoubtedly show his true colors and destroy our country within moments of taking office. (Miraculously, we are all still here.) Likewise, numerous other items in recent editions of The Daily Universe have been cool to the president (at best), while always adding a hasty and seemingly insincere postscript of "hopeful support."

For these naysayers, we have only a few questions: Why so blue? Why attempt to cut the man down at the knees before he even takes his first steps? Shouldn't we allow the man to make a few decisions before proclaiming certain doom for all humanity? All American presidents win their fair share of critics: it is the nature of the position. When one man is given the responsibility of making so many tough decisions, some people are bound to be disappointed and even downright angry. However, is it really prudent (or fair) for us to hamstring the man before he has the opportunity to either delight or disappoint us?

For a relevant analogy, imagine yourself newly married: the certificate is signed, the vows exchanged, the cake consumed. Now imagine waking up on the morning after the wedding, rolling over to face your spouse in bed, and promptly informing him/her that you think the marriage is going to be a complete and unmitigated disaster. When your spouse, obviously taken aback, asks in bewilderment what he/she has done to warrant this prognosis only one day into the marriage, you respond by saying that you find him/her simply incapable of carrying on such a relationship. When asked why you feel this way without any correlative evidence, you can only respond with a juvenile variation of "Because I said so."

Apply this marriage analogy to our new president: He has been in office for one week. He has not yet passed any major policy initiatives, issued any highly controversial executive orders or probably even flossed his teeth. In short, he has not been given the opportunity to actually do anything to merit criticism. And yet, we still have our own personal chorus of cynics predicting political Armageddon in the pages of a student newspaper. The question remains: Why?

The real truth is that cynicism is easy. Optimism and faith, by definition, require hard work and perseverance. The naysayers simply aren't willing to make those sacrifices. It is far easier to sit in a dingy dorm room and contemplate fantasies of imminent destruction, regardless of rational proof. It is harder to hope: to get out and do your part, to believe that you can make a difference and that things can (and will) change for the better. These things are difficult and they take time, but they are ultimately rewarding. We choose to believe in these principles, to hope for a better tomorrow and, in so doing, to believe in America. We hope that our fellow students will join us in this belief.

Hyrum Salmond is president of the BYU College Democrats. Steve Pierce is the vice president.