FAREWELL PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA | THE END OF AN ERA
| personal
"He made me care and he made me proud"
I’d be the first one to tell you that I don’t know everything about politics . I’m not familiar with all the issues , nor an expert of any issues or issue . Of political , sociological , environmental , cultural impact , I get it from the same sources most people do , the internet . I’m not on the streets , I’m not at the meetings , and the only rally’s I’ve gone to in the last decade has been an almost extinct retro hamburger joint in the suburbs of Anaheim . I'm not an expert .
What I can write about expertly and authoritatively is my own experience of these last eight years . These last eight years with our 44th President and the impact that his presidency had on my life and why I will miss him dearly .
From memories of child hood and first moving to America at the age of 8 , I have thus far lived through President George Bush Sr , two terms with President Bill Clinton , and two terms with President George W. Bush . Through all of those Presidents , I have been largely uninspired . Not from a lack education mind you . Through high school , I studied government . I was in AP Comparative Government , and was involved in four years of Model United Nations , all of which educated me on
many of the issues in the world ranging from aids and overpopulation to disarmament of WMD’s and Middle East conflicts which I kept up with through college on my own time . Information wasn’t my problem . It was hopelessness . I felt that , as many people of my generation at that time felt , there was such an overpower feeling of “what’s the point?” . The world seem to happen to us rather than because of us . Soon after college , I didn’t cared when the current President spoke
or made speeches . When I did tune in and felt the need to at least stay informed , I was met with what ranged from uninspired to disdain . Soon enough , most of what I heard about the President and the state of the government were the punch lines from late night talk shows and satire from TV shows and the internet . No faith , no hope , no idea where things were going or reason to care why it was going there . The world was happening to me .
There are many reasons for these feelings and I’m sure many papers have been written . I’m also sure that a lot of these problems stem from the individual . I could of fixed the issue myself and try to stay active in doing what many people have done in the past . But that’s the problem with feeling hopeless . I didn’t see a point in trying any of that .
Here comes Barack Obama , the 44th president . the first black President with a message of hope , and message of “Yes , we can.” He’s the first president of the social media generation , elected largely by the social media generation . 67% precent of voting age American citizens are active on social media and 66% of those citizens engage in political activism on those networks . He won nearly 70 precent of the vote among Americans under the age of 25 . The highest percentage since the U.S. exit polling began in 1976 . Much like President Kennedy , he found the right avenue and the right time to deliver his message .
Maybe it is because I’m in the right age group , but I was moved by him from almost the beginning . Through the many years that followed , he offered a brand of presidency that at the very least , made me want to tune in , wanted to be informed , wanted to be apart of .
I didn't always agree with all of his moves in the White House . But in a country of 318.9 million citizens , 89,004 local governments , 50 state governments , 435 House Representatives , 100 senators , and lord knows how many government agencies , it is an impossible task to please everyone at the same time . The American government is set up as a complex system with many moving parts all pulling and pushing in many directions each with their own agenda and representing their own segment of the American public . Not a single government official, even as Commander and Chief , can shoulder all the issues and be responsible for every decision that comes to pass . Often times , a decision on one issue is rarely done singlehandedly , many people are involved in one decision and as shown by every conceivable television show or movie ever made about government work and the Presidency , the job is more attuned to playing a couple games of chess simultaneously than checkers . Every move has fall out , some public and some quite the contrary . I've held that scope for every President , not just President Obama .
The Commander and Chief does have a task that no other position requires and that is to act as a figure head and a public face for the American Government . He stands in front of the American public , in front of the international community , and speaks in representation of what America is and stands for . He’s there to offer inspiration to the disenfranchised , solicit eyes and ears to prominent issues plaguing the nation , and to be an unequivocal representation to the dignity and standards of America .
And to that , President Barack Obama had in spades .
He made me proud and he made me care
You can disagree with his politics , you can argue against his policies , and you can stifle laugher at his White House correspondents’ dinner speeches . His legacy is still to be decided but you can’t deny the fact that he engaged the public with a gravitas that we haven’t seen in quite sometime .
I will be completely honest and state that I haven’t done everything that I can to be more politically active . As I’ve said , “to get in the streets” and dive into the issues . But as someone , who 8 years ago , gave no shits about what was happening in the world around me , I will say that his time in the Oval Office , has made me open my eyes and offered me hope for a chance to not let the world just happen to me but that I can effectively take part in the process and be proud of it . To that , I can’t thank him enough
To President Barack Obama ,
Thank you sir . Thank you for 8 years of incredible service . Thank you for bringing dignity to our country’s leadership through the hills and valleys of changing times . For the millions of people you have inspired to participate , seek knowledge , made to believe and to gain faith , we will never forget
It was an honor to have lived in this time and bear witness
*the photos used for this post are not my own .