From Humble Beginnings ... A Fond Farewell

Processing the Election

Before I bid my fond farewell to President Obama and his family, I think it appropriate to first take a moment to look back and see just how far we’ve come. When President Obama first took office in January of 2009, we were a country in crisis. The Dow Jones Industrials were plummeting at an alarming rate. Most of us sat by helplessly, idly watching as investors began dumping stocks and our 401K’s dwindled to a fraction of what they had once been. As a direct result of the deregulation of banks, sub-prime loans were ballooning out of control, and people were forced to sacrifice their dreams while simultaneously abandoning their homes. Then, for the first time since the Great Depression, tent cities sprang up across our nation, thereby serving as a grim reminder that history could indeed repeat itself. Big banks had to be propped up not once – but twice – while the American auto industry also outstretched its hand in need as a means to avoid total collapse. Unemployment had skyrocketed to over nine percent nationally, reaching double-digits in many small communities who watched hope vanish before their eyes. Small businesses and start-ups alike had become something of a mirage as they disappeared from our landscape, and if all of this weren’t enough, our resolve had been tested beyond its limit due to the combined economic and human casualties of fighting two wars.

President Obama’s meteoric rise from humble beginnings to an historic win suddenly provided not only much-needed hope, but also the vision required to deliver the kind of real change that was not only necessary, but possible with the support of both houses of congress to his credit. He inspired confidence while seeking to unify Americans. He reached across the aisle, and even though he was met with what could at best be described as a lukewarm reception, it did not deter his tenacity when it came to doing what was right for Americans as a whole. Thus recovery began and continued throughout the duration of his presidency.

He taught us many lessons … for instance, that it was okay to cry publicly when 20 children along with their teachers and administrators were mercilessly gunned down in their school as he implored us to support stronger gun laws while maintaining our ‘right to bear arms’. However, he remained dogged by the gun lobby as well as bi-partisanship, and as a result, rhetoric and a complete distortion of the facts always seemed to triumph over reason in this emotionally charged argument.

Nonetheless, President Obama restored dignity to the White House as he ‘walked the walk’  by proving he could be a good man, a loving and supportive husband and a proud father, all while managing the affairs of the most powerful nation on earth, and I for one will miss that. I will miss the insulated effect of knowing that no matter what else may be going on in my life at any given moment that our country was on the right track. He taught us that maintaining a sense-of-humor could successfully co-exist with the determination required to stand on principle – even in the face of adversity – which is a lesson our newest president needs to learn in record time if he is to project the level of confidence Americans deserve in their leader.

He gave over 21 million Americans health insurance, and although the Affordable Care Act is not perfect, it was at least a good start when it came to telling insurance companies they could no longer deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, thus potentially saving thousands of lives in the process. Are we now to go back and tell those same families that hope is to be abolished? If we do, then what kind of monster does that turn us into going forward? I for one think it’s high time we stop identifying specifically as a party and start seeing ourselves as Americans who possess the capacity to care for one another with compassion serving as our one and only guiding light.

I am sad for Hillary Clinton … not just because she lost her own historic bid for the presidency, but much more so because she was forced to endure a 2 ? year character assassination at the hands of her detractors. Despite all the buzz about her emails, it was never actually proven she did anything wrong … not by congress, the FBI, the Department of Justice or even Donald Trump and WikiLeaks. It was all a bunch of lies and innuendo once again combined with an unhealthy dose of the distortion of facts woven into a tapestry designed to sell voters a 'bill of goods', but it worked beautifully, and I for one don’t see where she found the strength or resolution to go on fighting each day for a public – many of which – had convicted her without benefit of a trial.

Her health has been constantly called into question while she’s been accused of negligence during her time as Secretary of State, despite her impressive victory over Osama bin Laden’s reign of terror. Whether acid-washing emails in her basement like some sinister, mad scientist or literally ripping babies from the wombs of their mother’s moments before birth, she has been consistently characterized as evil, despite an impressive record of accomplishments to her credit. Yes, she made mistakes, but she took responsibility and fruitlessly tried to move on. If there is anything beneficial to come out of her loss, I hope for her sake it’s peace.

I respect the political process, but I am genuinely worried about the state of our nation under our new president. Never before have I witnessed a convention whipped into a hate-infused frenzy as they shouted slogans like, “Lock her up!” And never before have I witnessed that same nation go on to reward such a public display of bullying with the highest office in the land. I fear he is unqualified for the role he is destined to assume, and his temperament – or lack thereof – is frightening when one considers the might he could unleash with access to the nuclear codes. However, despite my concerns, I pray each day he will go on to prove me wrong.

In conclusion, Democrats have something to learn here … they simply cannot any longer rely solely upon the strength of being consider the ‘cultural elite’. They must go back into those same small communities where they started and once again get in touch with the common man on whose backs this nation was built. They are disenfranchised, angry and frustrated at a system that has all but left them behind. If we are to learn anything from the most disparaging campaign in political history it is this. Sometimes it's necessary to take one step back before taking two steps forward, and this is our chance to do just that. Until then, I suggest each one of you who dares to see the world through the same lense as me register your complaint by going on to change.org and sign the petition currently in circulation. It may change nothing, but it will make you feel better.

An additional 932,448 signatures are needed.