We're deep into the American Dream phase of the lead-up to the 2012 presidential election.
The dreams of GOP hopefuls Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry are fizzling. The dreams of their fellow hopefuls, Herman Cain and Mitt Romney, are rising,
And in the White House, President Obama, once a master at selling his own American Dream, who even put the word "dreams" in the title of the memoir that helped get him to Pennsylvania Avenue, is trying to ward off a nightmare, a defeat by one of the Republicans.
It's all about the dream.
Dreams have driven leaders the world over since time began. But being Americans, we like to think our dream is something special. It has always been part of our character, although no one really defined it for us until F. Scott Fitzgerald came out with his novel "The Great Gatsby" in 1925. Gatsby, immortalized by Robert Redford in the film version, was the poor boy who made millions on his own through mysterious, dangerous means. We thrill at dreams of getting to a brighter future, no matter what. In the movie "Public Enemies," John Dillinger, played by Johnny Depp, looks around at a room filled with denizens of old money and tells his new girl that the old-money crowd is concerned about where they've been. The only thing he's concerned about is where he's going, he says.
Obviously, we love the story of the self-made man, or woman, in America. And we love the diamond in the rough, whether in the form of Bill Clinton or George W. Bush in his younger days. Remember how a lot of people used to say they wanted to have a beer with Bush, even though he'd quit drinking years before?
We want to know our leaders, but not really. We want some mystery to remain. Balancing the two is an art, one that plays out constantly in the ultimate American Dream machine, presidential politics. Candidates have to construct a powerful, stirring narrative. Whether they came from a cabin or a mansion, whether they're righties or lefties, we want them to be straight shooters. A little quirkiness is OK, but flip-flopping is unacceptable.
Hence the attraction for Herman Cain, the quirky but outspoken self-made man. Hence the frustration with Mitt Romney, although his position shifting may not stop what could be his straight run to the GOP nomination — a nomination that could give Obama a serious run for his money.
Imagine a GOP convention where even conservative Christians who once disliked Romney because he is Mormon unite behind him and against Obama. The head of the most powerful nation in the world will once again find himself fielding hard questions, including ones about his days as a young community organizer in Chicago. Obama will have to reread "The Great Gatsby," especially that last line: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
And it might do him good to watch a few pop-culture classic movies, such as the ones on Rocky Balboa's endless comebacks. Even better, the original Comeback Kid, Bill Clinton, would surely be glad to stop by the White House for a late-night bull session.
Obama may have to endure a nightmare to keep his dream alive.
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