President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address last week, and it was positive, uplifting, and powerful. After seven years in the White House, and under Democratic leadership, the president was justified when he bragged about his achievements and accomplishments. This was President Obama’s final intimate and personal address, where he left an optimistic vision for a country and job that he truly loves.
As the first Black President in the history of America, President Obama has opened the door for more Blacks, Women, and Hispanics to high level positions in the government than ever before. From the very beginning of the president’s journey to the highest executive position in the country, there was always a sense of joyful amazement and divine confidence. There was never any gloom and doom in his speech, and he operated from a place of spiritual knowing that he would get the job done.
When President Obama stated, “The United States of America has the strongest economy in the world,” he operated from a place of knowing. In 2008, the American economy was losing 800,000 jobs a month, and now under President Obama for 70 straight months the economy has had positive job growth. This State of the Union address focused on a vision of hope, and the belief that the private sector is the lifeblood of our economy.
In the last seven years small Black, Hispanic, and women businesses are growing and the president has fostered an environment to continue their development after he is gone. The housing market is improving, and the stock market has had tremendous growth. President Obama has the right to take pride in the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, where 18 million Americans now have health insurance.
There is a laundry list of achievements and accomplishments that most Americans don’t remember which will make President Obama one of the greatest presidents to ever hold the office. Some of his achievements are 1) instituted enforcement for equal pay for women, 2) withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, 3) eliminated Osama Bin Laden in 2011, 4) initiated a US Auto industry rescue plan, 5) implemented a housing rescue plan, 6) initiated a $789 billion economic stimulus plan, 7) increased pay and benefits for military personnel, 8) lowered drug costs for seniors, 9) made more loans available to small businesses, 10) appointed the first Latin to the Supreme Court, and the list is over 100 accomplishments.
Despite a long list of major political victories in 2015, such as the normalizing of relations with Cuba, the Iran nuclear agreement, and the international climate change agreement, the GOP is still trying to obstruct his policies, and say the president has not done anything. As the president set out a vision for the future, the GOP continues to tell the American people that he is not telling the truth, his stories are fabricated, and his policies are not working.
But after seven years, the president has started to speak more boldly about the intense opposition he has received from the Republican Party. President Obama now admits that some of the most deep seated hostility to his presidency is rooted in racial hatred, which makes no sense in 2016.
President Obama believes in the audacity of hope, and he sees love where there is hatred. Some of his opponents see confusion, but in his State of the Union address he talks about the America that he sees.
“That’s the America I know. That’s the country we love. Clear-eyed. Big-hearted. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditioned love will have the final word. That’s what makes me so hopeful about our future. Because of you. I believe in you. That why I stand here confident that the State of our Union is strong.”
