Barack Obama

I would say pretty confidently that Barack Obama is the best president of my lifetime. Certainly not the best president that we've ever had, but definitely a pretty decent one. He didn't accomplish every single thing that he set out to do, but he did do a lot. Health care reformation, taking down the man who orchestrated 9/11, ending the Iraq War, striking a deal to drastically lower the nuclear capabilities of Iran and legalizing gay marriage on the federal level just to name a few of his accomplishments. Now, I don't want this to be a post blindly venerating the man, so I will go over a few of his shortcomings. He failed to shut down Guantanamo Bay, there's no other way to put it, he failed in that endeavor. He also continued in the footsteps of his predecessor to a degree with the continuation of the destructive war on terror. While the economy did recover under his watch, and his stimulus package was definitely a large factor in that, it definitely wasn't booming in the way that we all would have hoped. Despite all of these shortcomings, he was still a very good president and I think that history will paint him accordingly. He was easily the most eloquent president I've ever personally seen in my lifetime. He had a way with words that was unparalleled and this made his speeches absolutely spellbinding. He was also one of the most compassionate presidents I've ever seen. Seeing him actually being brought to tears while speaking on the latest mass shooting gripped me as I'm sure it did so many others in my country. Not to mention all that he did for the less fortunate in the country during his time in office, namely the implementation of the "My Brothers Keeper" program that helped and continues to help give guidance to young African American men and provide them with the opportunity of a better future. Also, there was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act back in2009 that amended the civil rights act to further combat discrimination in the workplace and deal with the matter of filing suits based on said discrimination. I've never missed a president as much as I have Barack Obama. He was a refreshing change of pace from the status quo that everyone had become so sick of. While he certainly wasn't perfect, he truly was a man who loved this country and did his very best to make it a better place for everyone. His style and charisma were like no one that came before him. Not to mention the obvious fact that he was the first black president we've ever had. I remember I had a conversation with my mother (who was born in the 1960's) one day, when she said that she never thought she'd see an African American president in her lifetime but he changed that. I'm sure many other people had the same mindset as my mother, but like with her, Barack Obama changed everything. I believe that future generations of black children will forever look back on President Obama and be filled with hope with the knowledge that they too could someday become the leader of the United States. I realize that this comes off as extremely pro-Obama, but that really shouldn't come as much of a surprise if you've read most of the posts in this blog. Love him or hate him, Obama changed the game, that's for sure.