The Man: Barack Obama

Did the man we now know as President Barack Obama have any idea he would become President of the most powerful government in the world?  I don’t know, but that’s a good question he may be asked when his term in office is up.  The one thing I do know is that the man, Barack Obama, has had the most multinational, multiracial, and multireligious background of anyone who has dared become the leader of such a country like the United States.

I would urge all of the Tea Party adherents, the Republicans, Democrats, Independents, young people, Christians, Muslims, Jews, religious right-wingers, liberal left-wingers, and others to read about this man before they curse him, or continue to heap stones upon his head.  Most of those who say disparaging words about the man, Barack Obama, don’t even know who he is.  They merely judge him by his color, his political party, or what they have heard from political demagogues.  They need to spend time reading about him in his own words before he became President of the United States.  One book he has written “Dreams of My Father,” gives a very interesting view into this man, Barack Obama.

The man, Barack Obama, began his life in Hawaii, from the union of an idealist, non-religious mother from Kansas, and an aspiring Muslim father from Kenya.  After having a father for two years who later deserted the family and returned to Kenya, the man, Barack Obama, was raised for a while by a single mother and her Anglo American parents from Kansas who also had spent time in Texas during racial tensions between Black and White people in America.

The man, Barack Obama, also spent time as a playful boy with a Muslim stepfather in Indonesia.  This stepfather learned how to get along to get ahead with the political leaders so he could better provide for himself and his family, whether he agreed with the party line or not.  This is something Obama Senior never quite learned to do well as he thought he should be respected for his education and experience, without having to bow down to political leaders for favors.  While living in Indonesia as a boy for several years, the man, Barack Obama, would later pull experiences from this time and observing his stepfather, to help him become a community leader for improvement in Chicago.

Before becoming a lawyer, and while completing his education at a somewhat prestigious school back in Hawaii while living with his mother’s parents, the man, Barack Obama, was led between four worlds: Black, White, Hawaiian, and Multicultural.  Some of the leading came from his Anglo American “disappointed at life” grandfather; some by his Anglo American “I need a break” grandmother; some by African American people his Anglo American grandfather carried him around; and some by the Hawaiian, Multicultural, and other students at his school.

Later, when the man, Barack Obama, began helping the downtrodden in Chicago, he got further lessons in human relations from victicrats, those in power, those without power, and his peers.  He learned that sometimes it was better to go along to get along until he had a stronger position and could help bring about some changes.  The man, Barack Obama, learned from Communists, Socialists, Republicans, Democrats, Muslims, Christians, and many others along the spectrum of left to right political persuasions.  He learned that although he had certain principles, he had to keep his mouth shut in order to gain influence and have some influence with those he opposed philosophically who would learn to judge him as a person and not as a cultural oddity.

Later in life, this man, Barack Obama, wrote another book, The Audacity of Hope.  This book was written after he had gained some lessons in political maneuvering and lessons in watching what he said, as well as a lesson in losing.  This is one book I would really recommend that every victicrat, right-winger, left-winger, African American, and potential candidate for public office read.  This book shows the breadth of the knowledge of the man, Barack Obama.  We are reminded that he went to law school at Harvard, became the president of the Harvard Law Review, served in the Illinois State Senate, delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and went to the United States Senate.  The book shares more about his life with Michelle, his wife, and about his interactions (and lack thereof) with his two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

Republicans would be surprised to learn what the man, Barack Obama, thinks of both parties, often listing some of their sins, but also listing some of the good points of both.  Those who have thrown disparaging remarks (television and radio talk show hosts, as well as a certain woman leading the Tea Party) about the man, Barack Obama, show their ignorance of really wanting to know the man, Barack Obama.  They would be surprised to see that some of the values he personally holds line up with more conservative people, especially those who are balanced in their education, training, and thinking.

Those who really want to understand how the politics work in America should read The Audacity of Hope.  After all of my college courses and my own brief encounter into politics, I learned more about the ins and outs of politics after reading this book.  I also discovered that the man, Barack Obama, still believes that most people who will work hard, get a balanced education, and preserve with determination, can get a fair shot at opportunities in America.  Of course, the man, Barack Obama, has not suffered like many of the masses of poor people in America.  However, he does know about anger as a person of color; about being raised for a while by a single mother; about human relations in a multicultural family; about some of the challenges of some African Americans who feel victimized and unable to move forward; and about faith in something to carry one through personal challenges as a somewhat dysfunctional family member.

The man, Barack Obama, knows that America cannot isolate itself from the ills of the world.  He also shows an understanding of why so many people in other lands actually hate Americans without getting the full truth about the development of America.  Those who believe in family values would be amazed to really see how the man, Barack Obama, feels about such things.  Like Billy Graham and other well-known leaders who have often sacrificed important time with family, the man, Barack Obama, admits his failures as a husband and father.  At the same time, he doesn’t wallow in his failures; he admits them and tries to make improvement where he can as a person consumed with carrying out duties as a politician.

The man, Barack Obama, is not the Messiah or a tool of the devil!  At the same time, he is NOT the political and economic savior many had hoped for.  However, he is just that---a man who has human failings, trying to do the best job he can with the input he is receiving, dealing with national economic challenges that seem to just surface AFTER he became the President of the United States.

Those who are disappointed with the man, Barack Obama, need to review history of other leaders, especially men who have led America in the past.  Some compare him to former President Franklin D. Roosevelt who had to pull America through a war he hadn’t planned on, improve an economy he didn’t create, and who tried to jumpstart American economics to a place where everyone would have hope for the future.

The man, Barack Obama, could also be compared to former President Ronald Reagan who tried to pull America back from looking to big government to save the country.  There are also traits the man, Barack Obama, have in common with former President Abraham Lincoln, who tried to steer the country with some type of practicality amid so many dissenting voices.  The man, Barack Obama, could be compared to former President John Kennedy, who discovered America needed to change many foreign-aid policies and realign our thoughts of how to deploy our military strength that could give balance in an un-balanced world, without giving the impression that military might would be America’s first thought in dealing with negative forces underway in other governments.

I could line up all of the traits and policies of every American President before President Barack Obama, and we would see that the man, Barack Obama, would have some of the same traits and policy ideas!  Thus, the man, Barack Obama, will do the best job he can as President of the United States.  He may only be able to serve one term, since he will be blamed for expanding big government, for taking America into a serious recession, and for giving away huge sums of money to Wall Street, the banks, the automotive industry, and for single-handedly leading America into a socialist state.

As the 44^th President of the United States, President Barack Obama, will get blamed for a lot of negative things that has happened, is happening, and will happen to a pluralistic society not sure if it is a republic or a democracy, to a society that wants government to solve problems that could be best solved by its citizens without government intervention, and to a society unsure of its spiritual foundations.

As the man, Barack Obama, he may best be remembered as a man who just tried to do his best with faulty information, disgruntled citizens, a failing economy, greedy plutocrats, a no-win war and foreign skirmishes, rising unemployment due to faulty immigration laws and enforcement, home foreclosures, forgetful Allies, and selfish Congress people more interested in doing for their party than working for the public.

Before more rocks are thrown at President Obama for “doing a lousy job,” I would encourage the hypocrites to examine their own lives, read about the man, Barack Obama, by reading his words in his books before he became President, and consider becoming good citizens praying for their President instead of causing others around the world to wonder just what kind of people would crucify a man without a just trial.

President Barack Obama is America’s first multicultural, multinational, and multireligious person ELECTED by the majority of people who said they wanted change.  The world understands that unless a person is a strong dictator with a powerful military and secret police to carry out HIS bidding, it is impossible to change for the better unless the citizens work together with their leadership, as well as with each other, to make things better.

Before more Americans drive nails into the hands and feet and then into the coffin of President Barack Obama, I hope they take time to learn more about the man, Barack Obama.  He just might be America’s best chance to prove to the world that America is more about truth, honesty, and genuine hope for making the world better in the 21^st century.