Today we’re going to talk about a Grammy’s winner. No, not Beyoné or Adele. We’re going to talk about our 44th President, Barack Obama. Yes you read that right, Obama won not one, but two Grammy awards for Best Spoken Word Album before he became president. However, this is not his greatest achievement and is certainly not the only thing he leaves as his legacy. In these eight tumultuous years, we’ve witnessed the growth of America as a nation economically, socially, and politically under Barack Obama. As Donald Trump takes his place, we need to take a moment to consider the legacy Obama has left the rest of the world. Obama has, pardon my usage of cliches, broken the glass ceiling countless times in his presidency as the first black president in the history of the United States. I cannot stress how important it is for minorities like many of us to grow up to believe that we, too, despite the discrimination we’ve endured, can become president.
In the beginning, he faced one of the worst economic situations in America, distrust from citizens, and stalemate from the Republican legislative branch with the Democratic executive branch. He’s endured eight years of all-consuming disasters that the media has dubbed “Obama’s Katrina.” From the IRS scandal to Benghazi, he’s proved that his style of leadership was able to handle these crises with intellect and grace.
His first and foremost legacy, the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare, has been the topic of controversy. It’s a miracle that Obama managed to pass the system in Congress when Democrats from Truman to Clinton have failed. But I’ve heard American teens at SAS ranting over this saying it is “one of the most disastrous policies in the history of America”. I, however, as a staunch liberal, believe it is a good policy that has not only reduced healthcare cost inflation rates from six percent to three percent, but also provided healthcare to more than twenty million people. As Obama prepares to leave office, House Republicans are already looking to replace ObamaCare with a new health care system that is nothing compared to ObamaCare. Because it doesn’t exist at all.
Aside from adding 156,000 jobs to the US economy and lowering unemployment rate down to 4.7 percent, Obama has been a constant fighter for the lower class. Sure, you can argue that he’s increased government debt or that he hasn't furthered the US economy, however, he has managed to pick the country up from one of the worst economic situations, the 2008 financial crisis. Obama implemented bank bailouts and an $800 billion economic stimulus to aid the crisis. These measures, by any contemporary standard, had alleviated the downfall. The US’s economy had grown faster than any of the twelve countries whose economy was deeply affected by the crisis. It’s impossible to lead without a few setbacks, but Obama had outweighed the negatives with his help to the country.
He’s also been a champion for the environment, pushing the Paris Agreement, a comprehensive legislature to reduce global warming, to succeed. Not to mention his advocacy for minorities such as the LGBTQ+ community, women, and people of color. He created the White House Council on Women and Girls, appointed two of the four women to ever serve on the Supreme Court, selected a Cabinet full of strong female leaders, and taken steps to ensure women do not face income discrimination and sexual assault on campuses and the military.
Sadly, all the legacy Obama has left behind I just mentioned can be repealed now that Trump has taken office and is bound to appoint Supreme Court Justices that will tip the scale in favor of Republicans. As the three branches of government in America all become Republican, it is up to the believers of equality to defend the changes Obama has made.
To me personally, I think Obama has inspired generations to be staunch fighters for the rights of other people. He is a very charismatic leader who will be remembered for reviving America from one of the worst periods. Granted, race relations and other social problems have not gained as much progress as we would like to see, but that is exactly up to the future generation—us—to defend and further along. It’s so incredibly rare to have a consequential president like Barack Obama, one that believed in progressive change and equality for all different communities. Especially difficult since the Republicans in Congress tried to block every move he made, especially with the Affordable Care Act’s ratification.
We can also be appreciative of Obama’s administration through its Cabinet members. On the first day of his life as a private citizen, former Secretary of State John Kerry marched in the massive “Women’s March” protests sprawled across the world. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is an ex-CEO with no diplomatic experience at all. Then again, I’m sure Mr. Trump loves people with no experience since it seems like he has a “huge” amount of love for himself.
Another important member of Obama’s administration is the First Lady. The other day I watched the Michelle Obama give her farewell speech. In it she advised young people to “lead by example with hope, never fear, and know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life”. It sounds cheesy to get inspired by an organized political speech, but it is a powerful idea that the First Lady is going to spend the rest of her life helping you to succeed. I’m not going to lie—I also teared up a little when I listened to Obama’s farewell speech. His message to the youth really empowered me. After the election, I felt drowned in despair. If half of the country believes in the harmful message Donald Trump sends, what point is there in fighting for good? Increasingly beliefs of white supremacy, hate against minorities, and the fact that a man who bragged about sexually assaulting women can be elected President seemed to drown out the prosperity that had existed under Obama’s term. I felt so powerless and I was convinced any efforts I try to make, even to affect the people around me, is useless.
Obama’s message didn’t “revive” me or give me some new purpose in life, but it did ignite the tiny spark of hope about being able to make real changes. I’m not saying that we should disregard and undermine the legitimacy of the executive office in government, I’m saying that we need to be vigilant. We need to be the catalysts for change, instead of the recipients. Even though I am not the biggest fan of a Trump administration, we need to accept the peaceful transfer of power, just like what President Bush did for President Obama. The politics of America is polarized and broken, but the founding fathers built a strong democracy. It is up to our generation to find middle ground, be the catalyst for change, and uphold the values that had driven President Obama to define our generation as “unselfish, altruistic, creative, patriotic.”
I’m sure that some people are going to read this article and roll their eyes, after all, I’m just a liberal “snowflake” that gets angry about everything right? But while some might choose to laugh at people protesting the executive order to ban refugees from seven Middle East Muslim countries, I choose to applaud these “snowflakes”. Because it is exactly the compassionate behavior we’ve exhibited throughout Obama’s term in office.
I think it’s fair to say that the supporters of civil liberty and progress should honor the legacy left by President Obama by continuing to fight for what was most important to his administration. It seems like I’m not the only one who holds that opinion. Just ten days after President Trump’s inauguration, the women’s march and refugee ban protest sparred across the United States, protesting the administration’s decisions.
History will be kind to President Obama. For it is because of the legacy he has left, that inspired millions of people, including me, to stand up for what we believe in. I choose to remain hopeful for the future because I know there are people around the world, even if we can’t see them, fighting along with us. In the words of Barack Obama, our 44th President: yes we can, yes we did, yes we can.
Amy Liu
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| Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/14/politics/obama-trump-meeting-pictures-trnd/index.html |
His first and foremost legacy, the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare, has been the topic of controversy. It’s a miracle that Obama managed to pass the system in Congress when Democrats from Truman to Clinton have failed. But I’ve heard American teens at SAS ranting over this saying it is “one of the most disastrous policies in the history of America”. I, however, as a staunch liberal, believe it is a good policy that has not only reduced healthcare cost inflation rates from six percent to three percent, but also provided healthcare to more than twenty million people. As Obama prepares to leave office, House Republicans are already looking to replace ObamaCare with a new health care system that is nothing compared to ObamaCare. Because it doesn’t exist at all.
Aside from adding 156,000 jobs to the US economy and lowering unemployment rate down to 4.7 percent, Obama has been a constant fighter for the lower class. Sure, you can argue that he’s increased government debt or that he hasn't furthered the US economy, however, he has managed to pick the country up from one of the worst economic situations, the 2008 financial crisis. Obama implemented bank bailouts and an $800 billion economic stimulus to aid the crisis. These measures, by any contemporary standard, had alleviated the downfall. The US’s economy had grown faster than any of the twelve countries whose economy was deeply affected by the crisis. It’s impossible to lead without a few setbacks, but Obama had outweighed the negatives with his help to the country.
He’s also been a champion for the environment, pushing the Paris Agreement, a comprehensive legislature to reduce global warming, to succeed. Not to mention his advocacy for minorities such as the LGBTQ+ community, women, and people of color. He created the White House Council on Women and Girls, appointed two of the four women to ever serve on the Supreme Court, selected a Cabinet full of strong female leaders, and taken steps to ensure women do not face income discrimination and sexual assault on campuses and the military.
 |
| Source: http://twistedsifter.com/2016/07/pete-souza-white-house-photog-favorite-obama-photos/ |
To me personally, I think Obama has inspired generations to be staunch fighters for the rights of other people. He is a very charismatic leader who will be remembered for reviving America from one of the worst periods. Granted, race relations and other social problems have not gained as much progress as we would like to see, but that is exactly up to the future generation—us—to defend and further along. It’s so incredibly rare to have a consequential president like Barack Obama, one that believed in progressive change and equality for all different communities. Especially difficult since the Republicans in Congress tried to block every move he made, especially with the Affordable Care Act’s ratification.
We can also be appreciative of Obama’s administration through its Cabinet members. On the first day of his life as a private citizen, former Secretary of State John Kerry marched in the massive “Women’s March” protests sprawled across the world. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is an ex-CEO with no diplomatic experience at all. Then again, I’m sure Mr. Trump loves people with no experience since it seems like he has a “huge” amount of love for himself.
Another important member of Obama’s administration is the First Lady. The other day I watched the Michelle Obama give her farewell speech. In it she advised young people to “lead by example with hope, never fear, and know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life”. It sounds cheesy to get inspired by an organized political speech, but it is a powerful idea that the First Lady is going to spend the rest of her life helping you to succeed. I’m not going to lie—I also teared up a little when I listened to Obama’s farewell speech. His message to the youth really empowered me. After the election, I felt drowned in despair. If half of the country believes in the harmful message Donald Trump sends, what point is there in fighting for good? Increasingly beliefs of white supremacy, hate against minorities, and the fact that a man who bragged about sexually assaulting women can be elected President seemed to drown out the prosperity that had existed under Obama’s term. I felt so powerless and I was convinced any efforts I try to make, even to affect the people around me, is useless.
 |
| Source: http://twistedsifter.com/2016/07/pete-souza-white-house-photog-favorite-obama-photos/ |
I’m sure that some people are going to read this article and roll their eyes, after all, I’m just a liberal “snowflake” that gets angry about everything right? But while some might choose to laugh at people protesting the executive order to ban refugees from seven Middle East Muslim countries, I choose to applaud these “snowflakes”. Because it is exactly the compassionate behavior we’ve exhibited throughout Obama’s term in office.
I think it’s fair to say that the supporters of civil liberty and progress should honor the legacy left by President Obama by continuing to fight for what was most important to his administration. It seems like I’m not the only one who holds that opinion. Just ten days after President Trump’s inauguration, the women’s march and refugee ban protest sparred across the United States, protesting the administration’s decisions.
History will be kind to President Obama. For it is because of the legacy he has left, that inspired millions of people, including me, to stand up for what we believe in. I choose to remain hopeful for the future because I know there are people around the world, even if we can’t see them, fighting along with us. In the words of Barack Obama, our 44th President: yes we can, yes we did, yes we can.
Amy Liu
