Eight years ago a young Senator made a speech outlining a unified dream for America, where there was no blue or red states, just simply, Americans united in a common goal. That goal, and that man Barack Obama, became both president and aspirant in an attempt to bind the the social and economic wounds of the nation that had been rent by war, and factionalism. Now, after two terms in office as president of the Unites States, Barack Obama brought the end of his administration home to Chicago, on Tuesday night for his final speech to the nation.
In less than 50 minutes the president gave his vision of an America, one that has turned the corner of the economic downturn of the early years and has seen the Big Three automakers turn a profit, and stabilized the nation’s banking system in a series of regulatory aims that would not allow a repeat of the financial crisis that had a domino effect on the global economy.
As the nation’s first African American president he became both a lighting rod and a whipping post for a wide range of hopes, dreams, fears and even abject hatred. He took all of this in stride, and kept his cool, his cerebral and managerial cool as he trudged through the slog that is characteristic of Washington.
Towards the middle of his course, his opposition grew stronger and more vocal, at his attempts a immigration reform and health care; both of which were fought tooth and nail, so much so that former president Jimmy Carter had to note that had Obama been white, the sustained donnybrook might not have occurred.
He faced great obstacles including an unemployment rate of 10 percent at the end of his first year in office and leaves with one at 4.7 -- yet the progress was slow as the unfettered hands of capitalism gave slow ground to progress; and only then after 75 long months, causing some to say that not much was done.
He acknowledged as much when he said,it's not “that our nation has been flawless from the start, but that we have shown the capacity to change and make life better for those who follow. Yes, our progress has been uneven. The work of democracy has always been hard. It's always been contentious. Sometimes it's been bloody. For every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back. But the long sweep of America has been defined by forward motion, a constant widening of our founding creed to embrace all and not just some.”
Obama foiled his critics with an often light wit, and hard work and obfuscated plans for being a one-term president, as long sought by Sen. Mitch McConnell of being a one term president. This was accomplished with reelection to a second term, and the 18,000 strong gathered at McCormick Place, a lakefront convention center, and gave him roars of approval and standing ovations, throughout his speech, on a cold Chicago evening.
The blend of rhetoric reflected both his deep knowledge of constitutional law and American history as he made frequent allusions to Lincoln,and at length to George Washington, the nation's first president.
With a quick turn to the present, he also upheld the notions of racial equality that still need to be met, when he noted, “it means acknowledging that the effects of novelty and Jim Crow didn't suddenly vanish in the 60s, that when minority groups voice discontent, they're not just engaging in reverse racism or practicing political correctness . . . but demanding equal treatment that our founders promised.”
For one electrifying moment, there was the magic of that first speech, when he noted, “as citizens”, we “must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard against a waking of the values that make us who we are,” Obama said. And when he he noted the patriotism of all with this line: “That's why I reject discrimination against Muslim Americans, who are just as patriotic as we are,.” he got a standing ovation.
While he stuck mostly to national concerns and not those of the city of Chicago, the setting and the local rooted both he, his wife, the First Lady Michelle Obama, and their two children firmly in their roots, as he wiped away a tear, as he paid tribute to the woman who stood, by his side, along with their two daughters, Malia, now 18 years old, and her younger sister, Sasha, now 15.
A significant role for Obama has been that of husband, and he acknowledged this by saying: “Michelle — Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, girl of the South Side — for the past 25 years, you have not only been my wife and mother of my children, you have been my best friend. You took on a role you didn't ask for and you made it your own, with grace and with grit and with style and good humor. You made the White House a place that belongs to everybody. And the new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. So you have made me proud. And you have made the country proud.”
A true family man, Obama addressing his daughters: “Malia and Sasha, under the strangest of circumstances, you have become two amazing young women. You are smart and you are beautiful, but more importantly, you are kind and you are thoughtful and you are full of passion. You wore the burden of years in the spotlight so easily. Of all that I've done in my life, I am most proud to be your dad.”
In the end of this era, revisionist historians will soon begin the game of taking this history and assessment apart, and its direction might reveal lots that was previously acknowledged, but one thing is certain: the work of the Barack Obama administration “helped so many Americans, it has inspired so many Americans — especially so many young people out there — to believe that you can make a difference — to hitch your wagon to something bigger than yourselves.”
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