There are surveys out of the wazoo floating around the Internet wanting people to rate the first year of America’s first black president. I have pretty much ignored the effort to compile a citizen’s generated portrait of Barack Obama due to what I consider an unlevel playing field.
When you consider we are a nation that tolerated eight years of inept leadership which left us in two wars and a record deficit, to measure the success of a successor is next to impossible - after only one year.
Rather than join the peanut gallery of judges giving the president their advice and dissent on how good of a job he has done, I thought I would rate how we the people have done during his first year in office.
We have failed Barack Obama miserably. We pretended we wanted change and that has turned out to be a lie. We said we had hope but that too was a lie. We gave the impression that we were overcoming racism but again we lied. We pretended we were ready for universal health care, environmental protection, and better foreign policy but it was all lies.
The same media that made the president a messiah has now made him a daily target of second guessing. The democratic party that regained its advantage and respect because of Barack has reverted back to it’s exile mentality of a circular firing squad. The constituency that awakened for a moment has gone back into hibernation and non-participation.
The only group still true to its agenda is the GOP. Say what you want about them, they at least remain consistent in unpatriotic behavior when they are no longer in charge. Their scorched earth approach to losing power has worked to the detriment of the nation, but it seems to be paying off in small incremental victories.
Media has been their greatest ally against the president, and a dumbed down electorate makes it easy for opposition to appear positive. In spite of the parties internal problems they have the money and madness it takes to keep America a house divided. Not even their lack of veracity and morals prevents them from being showcased as the party now concerned about the common man. Their continuing ability to deceive gullible citizenry will not be as effective against sophomore Obama, but will pose more problems.
My crystal ball sees a president made wiser by his first year in the White House.
Obama is the man who has brought a taste of honey into a nation almost dead from a diet of negative political leadership. His diplomatic posture is impeccable, his multitasking skills are refreshing, and his family life a role model America needs at this critical time in our history.
When grading the effectiveness of his demeanor, temperament, and calmness, no other president in our history has possessed the combination of positive attributes he brings to the table. While his policies and our employment negatives have brought his poll numbers down, he is still personally respected by a large majority of Americans able to separate the man from the mess he inherited from the last president.
So if I had participated in one of the dozens of surveys I received what would my grade for him be? An A+ of course. Now before you deem me crazy with the cold weather and advancing age, let me clarify my benchmark for grading his first year.
Barack Hussein Obama is still alive after 365 days as president of the most racist nation on the planet earth. He has survived a resurgence in white hate groups and individuals incensed that a Black man can become president of the United States of America. He is the most at risk, threatened, stalked, and reviled president in the history of America. He has a porous secret service, an accessible residence, and he still enjoys being in venues with thousands of people present. He has not hid himself away from the hatred and threats, and that my friends deserves a passing grade in my book.
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