Whatever.
The first ten days of the Donald Trump presidency (a.k.a. “the new normal”) have certainly delivered all the chaos that had been expected and more. From the pomp and ceremony of the inauguration, to the ensuing protests and marches, to the firestorm of executive orders, to the predictable media responses ranging from head scratching to warnings of Armageddon, it’s been a challenge to keep up.
I try to keep things in proper perspective. When governmental power shifts from one party to another there is inevitable political upheaval, but our system was thoughtfully designed to handle the turmoil. Still, while it’s nothing new or unusual for a new administration to shake things up implementing policy changes, the Trump White House has gone zero to sixty in three seconds.
Throughout these past ten days, I’ve found myself missing Barack Obama more and more. I was not alone in feeling a sense of longing and sadness as he and his wife boarded the helicopter to be ceremoniously flown away from the Capitol following the swearing in of the new President.
Obama’s election to the presidency was, of course, historic in and of itself due to the simple reality of his ethnicity and skin color. For many millions of people both in the U.S. and worldwide, the moment of his inauguration implied a promising new era of opportunity for people of color in high elected office, and possibly even a disenfranchisement from the established political order. Today, despite a nagging cynicism in some pockets of our culture, I happen to believe that the significance of his election (and reelection) and the hopefulness that it evoked are still alive and robust. I also believe that regardless of one’s political inclination, it is dishonest to deny Obama the esteem he has earned.
As much as I respected Obama for achieving such a monumental milestone in history, it was his time in office which won my admiration, captivation, and trust. While his oratory skills, his confidence in front of crowds, and his public charisma are his most obvious political assets, it has become apparent that his most powerful asset is a fierce intellect coupled with a sublime emotional intelligence. In my view he was, and is, the consummate fusion of style and substance.
Still again, Barack Obama is nothing if not cool. Very cool, in fact. He is the kind of cool that people who are not cool wish they could be, the kind of cool that people want to be around. It’s the kind of cool that comes effortlessly from all aspects of a dynamic personality. It comes from having an easy confidence while remaining humble, from knowing when to be humorous and when to be serious and to be good at both, from being aware of self-image yet still genuine, from having a good heart and allowing it to show.
It’s also about understanding the things that mean the most in life and having those things mean the most to you. At every opportunity, Obama has consistently and repeatedly made clear that his his greatest and most cherished role in life is that of husband and father. His impeccable example as a family man is inspiring beyond words. And incidentally, as effusive as I may be in praise of Barack Obama I would offer the same level of admiration for his wife Michelle. The two have each lived lives of almost impossibly impressive accomplishment, especially at such a young age, yet together with their daughters have been the steadfast embodiment of integrity and class.
Obama was inclined to acknowledge the reality that when you sign on for a career in politics, you invite the political disdain of a large chunk of the population. Any president is going to have detractors while in office and Obama understood this. Nonetheless, I found exceedingly irritating, even offensive, the animosity directed at him on an almost personal level by anyone with a capital “R” next to their name. His record and his views were misrepresented repeatedly and his critics remained in perpetual dispute. This pattern of heated rhetoric and hyperbolic resistance was nauseating. Just my opinion.
The renowned presidential historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin, has said that it requires 50 years before a president’s true legacy can be understood. Perhaps this is true, but I would like to think that this is a legacy still in progress. This nation can only benefit by the Obamas’ voices continuing to be heard, and their presence continuing to be felt. The example that they set, the inspiration that they provide, the sheer coolness that they exude, all is badly needed in our culture and in our times. For example, for all of the freaking out and hair pulling going on in response to the new Trump White House, it’s helpful to tap into Obama’s levelheaded sensibility. In that regard it’s worth revisiting Obama’s response to his final question from his final press conference, January 18, 2017:
I’m looking forward to the next chapter of the Obama story.
BP
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