Though excited about the dawn of a new year, I am saddened by the end of an era. President Barack Hussein Obama and his family will no longer live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. It’s not who is taking the position that saddens me; it is that anyone is taking it all…it’s the type of ending one knows is coming but doesn’t want to accept.
Please do not mistake my fondness for President Obama for naiveté; I am quite aware that he is not perfect. I remember trying to read The Audacity of Hope, but not making it past the first few pages because the profanity and image of President Obama smoking a cigarette were just too much to bear. Okay, so that reaction may have been a little naïve.
More seriously, I disagree with certain policies he’s implemented. Obamacare is very expensive, but a step in the right direction toward universal healthcare. Flint’s water contamination was inadequately addressed and still remains. But I don’t reserve admiration and love for those I completely agree with. I appreciate his efforts to be fair; his integrity and confidence in the face of adversity and disrespect; and his love for his family.
The fact that he is an African-American man with the middle name “Hussein” who attended Ivy League institutions is icing on the cake, while his charisma is the cherry on top.
I’ve never been very politically informed; I always felt that I would never really get the truth so why bother?
Until now, I can admit that former President Bill Clinton had a little part of my heart, but it had absolutely nothing to do with real politics. These last eight years have seen my most political side, in part because I have matured, but for certain because of the Commander-in-Chief. President Barack Obama will remain a bright star in my political universe for all time.
