As the Obama presidency entered the final year of his
two terms, it was hard to avoid reports of what would
be his 'legacy'.
Personally, I never gave a thought to any president's
legacy. Its hollow blather to fill pages of newspapers
and discussions among presidential historians.
It is the rare citizen who actually cares about the
legacy of anyone, other than maybe himself.
But, if there is an insistence to approach the topic,
maybe we should, with one caveat, be objective!
Unlike those into legacy creations who most often
view their subjects from partisan, either sugar
coated or hyper critical, perspectives I'll offer
my view based on the state of issues important to
our nation.
In 2008 candidate Obama sent a signal which I picked
up on my political antenna, he would "transform"
our nation, without offering exactly what this meant.
We knew his credentials were paper thin, including
being a community organizer, bringing the vision of
Al Sharpton, not a title I easily embraced.
But, our country elected him and many went gaga over
the 'first' Black president, never concerned about his
lack of experience or meaningful accomplishments, nor
even factoring in the enormity of the job.
One of the very first things President Obama did was undo
the work of President Bush's Justice Dept. which decided
to prosecute the New Black Panther Party over its blatant
voter intimidation in Philadelphia during the 2008 election.
I am not sure how others viewed this decision, but in the
eight years of observing what the Justice Dept. has become,
this initial decision telegraphed to anyone paying attention
and worse, Justice employees, how 'unjust' it would be run.
Justice was not alone, I have seen eight years of malfeasance
throughout many agencies including the IRS, HHS, State, VA,
CIA and FBI.
Some officials even felt compelled to take the Fifth Amendment
when testifying before Congress rather than answering questions,
odd coming from people who worked for the man who campaigned he
would have the "most transparent" administration of any president,
which has become a comical throwaway line by many politicians.
Several of Obama's post election decisions demonstrate how little
regard he has for seamlessly transitioning Donald Trump into
the presidency.
First, consider some of Trump's campaign promises and steps
Obama has taken to undermine them.
Begin with the question of refugees coming into our country
unvetted. With over 100,000 already taking residence here,
which Trump has said would end, Obama brought in thousands
more in the last two months.
Move to the matter of energy production which Trump wants to
expand. President Obama has decided to ban Arctic drilling,
a second slap in the face of our new president.
Lastly, we see the manner in which President Obama sidestepped
the UN resolution to halt Israel from building more settlements,
a first for our country. Obama knows Trump's stand on Israel and
its right to self rule, yet he preferred to create another matter the
new president must deal with.
Unlike President Bush who left Obama a stable Iraq and addressed
the financial crisis with the first stimulus, Trump will not be as
fortunate.
National debt, annual deficits, one half Arab states in chaos,
terrorism blanketing the planet, nearly a dozen attacks here in
the United States, Europe under siege by Muslim designs, Iran
closer to a nuclear adversary than ever before, China flexing
its muscles in the South Pacific and Putin up to "old Soviet
tricks" leaves plenty on the new president's plate.
Lastly, the state of poor communities throughout our country
which only Donald Trump seems to care about. The divide from
law enforcement, increased crime, drug cartels in most cities
and race baiting by anarchists.
Let others offer their fanciful legacy of President Obama, mine
is based on the state of our nation and the world. Not much to
be proud of!
Please add feedback in comments section
below, or email ajbruno14@gmail.com
"Point of View" blog
http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/
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