The Tried and True Method of Barack Obama’s Politics

I graduated from college a month after Barack Obama was elected as the 44^th President of the United States. I will never forget the night of the election in 2008; when it was announced it felt as if a pen dropped on the floor in the room and no one wanted to move to pick it up. There were many individuals surrounded around each other in the Cougar Place student lounge that night. It was also the same year that Hurricane Ike gave Houston, Texas a visit. Many of the white students that were in the room were happy and there were some that sat in disbelief. That disbelief is what has always made me think that President Obama would never be given a fair chance –race has everything to do with it (and then again it doesn’t). 

President Barack Obama has written two outstanding books that curtail his life from many aspects in Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope. I read both of them and immediately had a connection to his existence. As a journalist, I now understand his rationale for declaring that he is an African American man. And, yes the way it is written speaks in volumes inside both books. When I figured this out for myself, it hit me that Barack Obama made a choice when he was a young man to be identified as a Black man. History has shown that individuals of mixed-race have always had to choose sides. But, truth be told all African American’s have something else within them that make up their cultural genetic map. What Barack Obama did make sense, in order to maneuver in the world with an identity that he could relate to and be a part of. This has impacted me and my love for politics as a result of learning more about the 44^th President of the United States of America.

When I woke up the next day after the election and went to class it seemed like the world had changed in one day. The sun was shining, I had a smile on my face, and I noticed that white people did not look so happy. Nevertheless, I basked in all of what I could take out of each moment. I felt different. Then things went back to normal after the President’s inauguration. It was like –white people had voted for him and were already swearing that they wanted him to be a one-term President. Then African Americans started talking about what they needed to fix, and every other ethnicity stepped up to the plate to make demands on him. With that said, watching President Obama in his first term brought me to the realization that he had to take on the role of a CEO.

The 44^th President of the United State had to clean house (due to the past President’s mandates that brought this country to its knees financially and emotionally) once he walked through the Oval office to ensure that the country stayed afloat despite the Republicans proclamation to make sure he only served one term. Not only did he bail out the auto industry, bring some sort of structure to Wall Street, and calmed down the mortgage crisis, he made sure that those who wanted to attend college had the opportunity to in his first two years.  Let’s not forget that the President signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act which ensures that women receive equal pay to men. Then he went further and ordered the troops out of Iraq and back home, and had the time to get Bin Laden. There are so many other things that can be listed with regard to his accomplishments, but that is not the point of this article.

Barack Obama is a politician and was mentored for his current position as the President of the United States just as the previous leaders. We must all take into account that he did work to get where he is today. He fought many battles as an African American man to be taken seriously from the grassroots level, to congress, and now in the oval office. My question to you as a citizen of these United States –what have you leaped to do in your own life?  What gives you the right to demand something from someone who is leading a nation of people not just one individual or group? May I be frank and ask are you voting in this year’s election? And, if so why? 

I decided to vote for my grandmother this year; she died in 2006 and never had a chance to witness what occurred in 2008. However, I can say my grandmother had to drink out of different water fountains, she was a maid and had to endure ridicule from her white employer’s during the 50s and 60s, and had to fight endless battles to be respected as a Black woman in America . I ask myself all of the time what would have she done in this election? I believe that Betty Jean Jackson would have marched right to the polls and voted. She taught me well. I voted to with excitement, because I know that what I did was not in vain. I have a voice and I want it to be heard. I also have an education and studied both of the campaigns that were presented before me. This leads to more questions rather than statements on my end as a journalist. 

Where do you want to be in ten years? Do you have health insurance? Do you want your children to have a better way of life and obtain a good education? Does it really matter what color of skin an individual is –if they want to help you? This is not about race and the color of skin but about the progress of a nation going forward (but it really is about race). If you think about it we are all immigrants in this country. And, if you can’t answer these questions posed then we really have a problem.  The 44th President of the United States of America put it this way about our future and is the ode to his method of politics in this country: “This is not a liberal America and a conservative America –there is the United States of America. There is not a black American and a white America and latino America and asian America –there’s the United States of America.” 

This is all to say that all of the politicians that have been voted into office have to be held accountable for their decisions. And, we the people have the right to call them on their bullshit. I categorize this as the The Tried and True Method of Barack Obama’s Politics, because what he says is true. His quote depicts the makeup of our country – there are all different nationalities that represent this nation. One must always remember that it is important to vote in all elections –if you want CHANGE it starts at the local level regardless of your ethnicity.  It would not be wise to take your anger out on one individual. It is your local and state representatives that should be questioned regarding many issues and policies that are pushed through Congress on a national level. 

Be wise, be informed, and be engaged in the political process and read. It will do the mind some good. VOTING is your fundamental right; exercise it on all levels.

Article By, Atlas Brown

Writer @ Large

The Cultural Weekly