Missing the Obamas
San Diego, California — As I write, President Barack Obama is in San Diego. He landed three hours ago to attend two fundraisers for Hillary Clinton. He is sleeping over in the city and leaving tomorrow after he has done what he came for. Somehow knowing he’s in the neighborhood gives me a good feeling. We are actually breathing the same air even if he is in fashionable La Jolla and I am in the middle class district of La Mesa. As you’ve probably guessed, I am such a fan.
I don’t know anyone who isn’t. Barack Obama is perhaps the best-liked leader among the peoples of the world. Except perhaps Rodrigo Duterte who, in a moment of pique when Obama reminded him about the need to observe human rights in his murderous drive against drug users and pushers, called him a “son of a whore,” and later, without provocation, told him to “go to hell.” But that says more about Duterte than about the man he was insulting.
As the countdown to the US presidential election begins, many Americans and others like me who live in other parts of the world, are becoming anxious. It is almost a certainty that Hillary Clinton will be the next US president to the relief of many right-thinking Americans. But there is an impending loss that gnaws at them: In less than three months, Barack Obama will no longer be president of the United States. There is, I suspect, a growing anxiety about the exit of Barack Obama from the White House where he, his wife — the strong and beautiful Michelle and their two daughters have lived with great dignity and class these past eight years. Throw in the dogs as well since they have contributed to the picture of a wonderfully wholesome family that has occupied the most important address in the country — and perhaps the world — without a trace of misbehavior or scandal on their part.
It didn’t seem possible that an African American could be elected president of the United States. And when he won in 2008, it was a new day not only for America but also for the entire world. Here was a black man, eminently educated, erudite, wise and warm and funny. Although I am not an American, I felt that I had a friend in the White House. And Michelle too blew me away. For starters, she was smart, beautiful, and wonderfully buff. And as got to know her better, there was more to admire. She has vision, heart, and a passion for service. She pursued the right projects and values. Concerned about the health of Americans, she promoted the value of exercise and eating right. She planted a vegetable garden in the White House lawn, looked into school meals, and appeared on popular shows where she danced, did exercises, and talked directly and plainly to Americans, especially the youth about keeping healthy.
What’s not to like about the Obamas? Barack is the coolest head of state I have encountered in my lifetime. Elegant, dignified, unflappable, and so relaxed and natural in any situation. And Michelle is her own person; equal to her husband in relationship that is the envy of many. While he is into matters of state and the future of the world, and she is into her programs on women’s dignity and the health of the next generation of Americans, they are very much into one another. From their first dance as President and First Lady in 2008 to their last White House State Dinner a couple of weeks ago, nothing seems to have changed between them. The look of love that made the world sigh when they danced to At
Last in 2008 is still fresh and real. We have seen them dancing, hugging, touching, teasing, kissing even, making public displays of affection acceptable for people in high places. The message is, they are as human as you and me.
What is the most admirable thing about the Obamas is how they have stood up to what is perhaps the worst battering the Republicandominated US Congress has ever given a US president. From the get-go, the instruction from the Republican leadership was for Congress to do everything to ensure that the Obama presidency failed. This, shorn of political rhetoric and all other considerations, boiled down to the fact that Barack Obama is African-American and could not be allowed to shine. But he persisted, winning re-election and in his last week as president, has an approval rating that is the envy of all outgoing heads of state.
His rise to the presidency unleashed a latent racism that was brewing just beneath the surface of American society. It has since come out in the open and is being addressed frontally, painfully. In a few days, America will elect a woman to the presidency. Another ceiling will be broken; another social bias will be challenged. America has much to learn about equality.
In the current campaign, both Barack and Michelle have come out swinging, intent on preserving the gains of the past eight years. Brilliant speakers, both, they are hitting all the high notes. America and the world have not seen the last of the Obamas. The way they are sounding, it looks like they’ve only must begun.