August 4, 2011

I've been hearing a lot of negative things about the president lately

it seems like he's getting the blame for a lot of things that are either beyond his control, for things that can't be fixed in a couple of years, or are tough situations to navigate because of the insane things happening in Washington right now

but it's really easy to place the blame on one person, and I think that when he was elected we all expected that despite the shitty situation he inherited -the economy, the wars, etc- he would just magically fix all of it the minute he took office

that's not how things work, and it's not fair to say 'he should have fixed this by now'

people call the president a 'socialist', a 'fascist', a Muslim and a Nazi without stopping to realize that all of those terms all mean very different things (pick up a thesaurus, for Christ's sake)

but do you remember the elation you felt when he was elected? Like this was a turning point for the United States, like maybe things were going to start getting better

and then shit hit the fan and now we have scary people like Michelle Bachmann and Rand Paul running around, and people have forgotten what Barack Obama once meant for us: an America that's talked about by their founding fathers. Where anyone could accomplish anything if they worked hard enough. A country of equality, of free speech and shared responsibility. Where looking after those less fortunate than you wasn't a burden. Where it was your responsibility as an American to help others and to be a good example for the rest of the world

maybe that's why people are so upset with the President, because those don't seem to be contemporary 'American values'

but I hope that today, on his birthday, we can stop and remember what he meant to us back in 2008 and reflect on what he should mean for us now: a leader with a vision of a country that seems to have been lost somewhere between chasing Capitalism and fearing the Communists. One that he is working hard to restore.

Barack Obama is obviously an intelligent, complex and compassionate (not to mention awesome) person who has a really tough job, so let's cut him some slack today, alright?

So happy birthday Mr. President. Go check your FaceBook and see all the nice people who've wished you well. Check your Tweets and take note of all the kind things people have said. There are people in your country and all over the world who believe in you, and your vision of America.

Keep on rockin' in the free world.

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