2008 was the first presidential election I remember, if only
vaguely. I remember the smear campaign, attacks from both sides and I
understood the significance of the moment: America’s first black president. But my observation was made through a lens of juvenile
disinterested. I was twelve. Politics meant little to me.
In 2012, at sixteen, I was far more aware of the world
around me. I read the news, attempted to engage with it on a meaningful level. Morally,
emotionally, and intellectually, I was a rough approximation of the person I am
now. The election race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was, as all
presidential elections inevitably are, an international spectacle, and I
observed with interest. I watched the debates, researched the candidates. I
cringed as this sleazy middle-aged man talked about having folders full of
women, a stark contrast to the eloquent, fatherly figure who’d been leading the
free world for the past several years.
I’d known Obama’s election was a precedent setting moment,
even from a young age. And, I think, on some level, a part of my burgeoning intellectual
brain simply felt that Obama’s relatively successful first term, combined with
the historical precedent it set and the obvious appeal he had over Romney, was
enough of a reason to think America should elect him again in 2012. I viewed
politics, American, Canadian, and all others, through a black and white lens. I
bought into general ideas, rhetoric promoted by the media, rather than hard
facts.
Fast forward another four years, and I’ve come to view Obama
through yet another lens, brought about by brutal personal experiences, wide
reading and critical thinking, and a few years of university.
In general, my feelings towards the outgoing president are
pretty similar to what they were in 2012. I admire the man. I think he is a
genuinely good human being, and I respect the trials he faced to reach the Oval
Office. I have a greater understanding of the historical context in which he operates,
the cause and effect events that resulted in many of today’s problems. I
believe he acts in a genuine and measured attempt to make life better for his
country and for humanity. I think, in particular, over the second half of this
term he has displayed great skill and dexterity when dealing with both domestic
and international issues, from issues with health-care reform and racial
tension, to the rise of populist nationalism the world over.
I don’t agree with everything Obama has done. I think,
sometimes, he’s played the middle-ground a bit too much, attempting to appease
both sides of the political spectrum. Sometimes, he’s done otherwise, acted
with too little tact and played into the hands of the opposition. He’s failed
to form a coherent approach to dealing with the Middle-East. He made empty
threats towards the Assad regime in Syria. This, combined with many other
factors, most notably his escalation of American drone strikes in the region,
has allowed for a rise in anti-American and anti-western sentiment in the
region, directly influencing the conditions that gave rise to the Islamic
State.
But, ultimately, I think judging the presidency of Barack
Obama as anything other than a relative success is somewhat short-sighted and
simplistic. The world
is changing. American dominance and Western influence is waning. People are
shifting to their roots: fundamentalism, populism, and various other “isms.” No
president, Republican or Democrat, black or white, has the capacity to stop this
change. They can only weather it.
I think Obama has weathered the past eight years well. The
President of the United States faces a unique set of challenges that none of us
can truly understand. To my mind, Obama has always attempted to tackle these
challenges with morality and compassion. Sometimes he has not succeeded. He has
made mistakes, as humans do, but he has also enjoyed great successes given the
challenges he’s come up against.
I think that Barack Obama is a genuinely good human being.
When one compares him to the man who came before him, and the man who will
succeed him, it is hard to argue that he is not both intellectually and – at least
in one case – morally superior. The contrast has shone through in his
presidency.
There is a storm ahead. Frankly, I’m scared shitless for
what is to come in the next few years. The world is becoming more hostile, more
closed off. In some ways, this is humanity reverting to its default settings after
an unprecedented level of prosperity and cooperation. I hope that we, as a
species, can find a way past the coming storm, though I am not entirely
confident.
I hope Obama remains politically engaged over the coming
years, perhaps following a path similar to that Jimmy Carter took after his
time in the White House ended. Obama is a politically astute, compassionate,
and confident.
We’re going to need people like that going forward.
