I stayed up religiously last night to watch the State of The Union address by President Barack Obama. Like a daughter who longs to see her father tell the world that he is ‘The Man,’ I wanted to hear what he had to say and of course, find out what his plans and course of action for the next year includes. By all means, I’m not at all delusional about the fact that Barack Obama is mere mortal like myself. And for that reason, he is fallible and prone to mistakes. He will get some things right and others, he will get them wrong and mess up like we all do. Honestly, I have no expectations of the man on a personal level but I do want him to do what’s right for the people he is leading and to keep on the path of building better relationships and bridges, with and within the international community.
Yet, some of his own still cannot bring themselves to accept him or even like him. Well, you might not like him but you best get used to the fact that he is your president and show some respect.
I remember during his election campaign and the night he won the presidency, an enthusiastic Facebooker called him ‘The Joseph of Our Times.’ Okay a little far out because Obama was not sold like Joseph, nor was he tempted and sent to prison but like Joseph, who would go on to lead Egypt, which during those times was unusual. Obama is the son of an African man and a white mother, making him mixed race. You don’t need me to tell you that. We all know and can see it. Some people questioned whether or not he was ‘black enough,’ to be president? hello!!! What is black enough?? He is the first African-American president of the United States of America. You have to commend him, he has got juice!
At the same time recent news reports have left me wondering if the United States is truly the United Sates of America or the Divided Sates of America. I have never seen such bitterness in politics and hostility my whole life. I mean, the good old grumpy jokers of the GOP won’t give up their negative assault and Obama refuses to fight back with negative politics. While I can understand what he wants to achieve by staying clean, sometimes, you have got to fight fire with fire. They have fought the healthcare reform bill and made it look like the serpent with the most dangerous venom on earth. It has been interesting to see how a nation that prides itself on helping and saving the world can at the same time be selfish to its own people. Interesting that this same people will give aid to Africa and other third world countries out of pity but when it comes to their own, they refuse to see the other side of the story. I remember watching a documentary on the BBC before he was elected and a wealthy Texan, I mean this man is filthy rich. His wealth is the type we describe as ‘Sick,’ yet he opened his mouth and said the healthcare of the nation was fine the way it was and he does not believe he should be responsible for others. Now, I have no idea what his story is and how much he suffered in life before he got to where he is but he sounded like a dead person to me. It is only a dead person who sees the plight of others and is not moved, for a dead man cannot feel. He justified his stance by saying he donates to charities, come on, that’s not what we are talking about. We are talking about people’s lives and getting measures in place to help them.
Hence, one of the reasons I was happy Obama did not back away from the health bill in his speech. I agree with all those who say after the talk, let’s see some action. A speech that was delivered with some sense of defiance, I was doubly glad when he called the Republicans to action. He was so right when he said, they were not sent to Capitol Hill to play politics and gain political points with the lives of Americans and that applied to everyone in the House, Republicans and Democrats. They all either shape up or ship out. I as a none-American, is really tired of their bickering and childishness. You have to give it to him, he has a sense of humour and was clear in noting he didn’t take on healthcare for political points but I also think this is one milestone that will define his presidency. If he gets that bill, he will be in that big White House for eight years. He spoke with strength and very confident at that and oh, I loved that line, “We were sent here to serve citizens not our ambitions.” I’m sure the Conservative and Labour parties of the UK can learn a thing or two from that.
I liked the sweet moment with his wife, one thing I admire about those two love birds and was impressed when he admitted his faults. Tells me the man is willing to learn and is open to ideas. His call for unity was unwavering and I for one would say he has tried to reach out to the grumpy old men and they either take it or think twice about being legislators responsible for the people of America. Tough times calls for tough decisions and so it should be, they should and must invest in what they need and sacrifice what they don’t.
It is amazing that people have such short memory, for crying out loud, he came into office with a pile of problems that have been ongoing for decades. Rome was not built in a day and he is no Jesus who performs miracles. Yes, he made promises but you live in a country that adheres to the rules of getting things done and everything in life takes time. And he never said change was going to be easy. At the same time, I do not agree with him on everything because we are two different people and I am sure there are others who would say the same but we must get past our differences in life to make things work. I for one think that’s what the two big parties need to do in order to get the job done.
If anything in his speech stood out for me, it was the honesty with which he spoke, the defiance in his stance and the ideas he has. I loved the line about students because enough of making people debtors for wanting to do better in life. “No one should go broke because they choose to go to college.” You can say that to the UK government again.
A transcendent speech for sure but was it a knock out? That is for Americans to decide. If anything, I was impressed he spent time on home issues because those are the people who got him elected. The International community can wait. It is called, The State of The Union, not the world. Hence, his focus should be on the union of America while he works to help make the union of the international community possible.
So, after the big speech, the promises and regaining some ground in terms of winning the confidence of people, I say its time Barry gets back to work, keep rediscovering his mojo and work to bring his people out of Egypt. The Egypt of debt and pain that has engulfed America since the financial crisis started.
I went back to watch the following videos and it is interesting to see the journey of one man as he tries his best to right so many wrongs. From so much promise to bargaining to defiance and then promise again. For his own good, he had better live up to it. Grace period is coming to an end now. All I can say is what a journey!
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