As the old Joni Mitchell song goes, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone.” Doubtless many across the U.S. are pondering that this week as President Barack Obama leaves office.
Like those who have gone before him, Obama had to temper his goals of hope and change with the compromise and sometimes soul-crushing reality that comes with high-stakes politics over the past eight years.
He was burdened by a hostile Congress. So while he had success on Obamacare, he was stymied on issues like gun control. And as the first black president of the United States leaves office, race relations in that country appear to be in worse shape than ever.
There are Democrats who were disappointed that Obama didn’t go far enough to bring about change. But government is often like that.
As a statesman, however, he brought grace and class to the office, calmly seeking to reassure and to inspire Americans and to remind them of their better natures.
He did that again in his final speech, warning against those who would write off the whole political system as corrupt and retreat into their own bubbles and echo chambers.
Citizen, he said, remains the most important political office.
If you don’t like the way it is, he said, lean in: organize, run for office, be a part of the solution. Don’t “blame the leaders we elect without examining our role in electing them.”
Americans will be left considering that long after Obama has turned the lights off and shut the door on his presidency.
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
