On Jan. 20, 2009 in D.C., Barack Hussein Obama stood before my aunt, her friends, millions of other individuals and me and took an oath to be the 44th President of the United States of America. My aunt flew all the way from London, England just to be a part of history. We stood on our feet for over six hours with other hopeful individuals without complaint. A woman beside me cheered and clapped while shivering in her wheel chair. A complete stranger who stood behind us hugged each of us after Obama was officially sworn in. My hopes for President Obama's presidency have not changed since the day I voted for him in November - I still trust that this man will do his best to change America by helping to unify our country.
The past eight years have been rough. Bush's administration has put the United States in a pretty tough position. A lot of us are struggling; Americans are terrified as they undergo a recession that has dramatically affected all of us on some level. Patience is wearing thin and many Americans want change now. But change is a process that takes time. President Obama has promised this and is working hard to improve the quality of life during the next four years.
I have a lot of Republican friends. The state I have lived in for the majority of my life, Virginia, is a Republican state. Surprisingly, President Obama swayed a lot of votes and won Virginia's trust. Americans realized that they needed to stop being stubborn. Instead of choosing Republican or Democrat, people were choosing not because of an affiliation to a certain party but because of an affinity for a candidate and his beliefs. They were choosing a president that they believed was going to actually help and do amazing things for their country. It's not going to be a quick fix but I believe it will be worth the while.
And yet, merely a month into his first term, opinion is starting to turn. Apparently, people are more concerned that President Obama is not wearing a formal suit inside the Oval Office instead of more important situations like getting our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. And this misguided negativity doesn't stop there; there are women attacking Michelle Obama, stating that she "must not be serious" because she is wearing sleeveless dresses and other such nonsensical claims. The nonsense has got to stop. The Obamas are not strutting around like the hookers on Flavor of Love, they look respectable, and they are trying to make a difference. President Obama is going to have to work twice as hard as any other president to prove that he is capable of leading this country. That goes for the family too. There is so much unnecessary scrutiny and hypocrisy going on. Instead of overanalyzing petty indiscretions, we need to focus on the important details related to fixing this country.
I feel as if some people would rather see our country rot in hell than have Obama be our president. During the election process, McCain's administration had automated phone calls in places like Virginia, telling people that Barack Obama is a terrorist. There were several occasions when I would receive phone calls from my mother telling me how they would call her workplace nonstop with misinformation. People were against Obama then, and people are still against him now.
My friends who did not vote for him have stated on many occasions how devastated they are that Obama is our president. I just don't get it. What is it that my friends are seeing that I cannot see? They said that "they are afraid of change," and that they are completely devastated by "any" change. Seriously? Regardless of who our president is, you can't logically think that we don't need some kind of change. Some of my friends would have rather had Bush as our president for four more years if that were an option. Either these people are on another planet, or they are seeing things that I am not seeing.
At one point I actually wanted to see McCain become our president. I thought that if America wasn't ready for change now, another four years of failed policies would help people realize that change wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Granted, there is a possibility that he could have done some good for this country; I do not doubt that possibility, but I think there is a reason that Barack Obama became our president during these tough times and that he will prove to all those doubtful individuals that change is coming, and it could be a great thing. So instead of criticizing our new president, we all just need to accept that he was elected by a majority, and we should give him a chance to do what is best for our country now. Wait and see.
