My son-in-law asked me the other day why I like President Barack Obama. At the time, off the top of my head, the only response I could come up with was "He's not Mitt Romney. He's not rich and never has been. He's much closer to everyday people than Romney."
After giving his question some more thought, here's are some of my other reasons for favoring our 44th president:
Why I support/like Barack Obama
By Larry C. Timbs Jr.
May 26, 2013
1. He’s given genuine hope to millions of people (predominantly blacks and other minorities) who have been oppressed or enslaved or downcast in America for centuries.
2. He’s a breath of fresh air in an otherwise boring, white power structure controlled political landscape.
3. Under his presidency/purview/direction, the world’s most wanted criminal (responsible for the deaths of 3,000 Americans) was captured and killed.
4. He inherited a practically impossible to manage and turn-around depressed, sinking economy, but he’s made significant steps in turning things around.
5. He himself represents the epitome of diversity in America—having had a white mother and a black father and white grandparents and white great grandparents.
6. He does not shy away from tough questions. He answers best he can. He’s totally unscripted and speaks from his heart in press conferences—unlike some top leaders or CEOs in America.
7. He reformed America’s health care system. Now someone with a pre-existing medical condition can no longer be denied health or dental insurance.
8. He has served admirably as our nation’s president during possibly the toughest, most demanding, most challenging time ever (two wars, horrible economy, tragedy after tragedy with assault weapons, bitterly partisan Congress).
9. He never boasts that he has all the answers. Always, he solicits others’ perspectives.
10. He remembers where he came from—as a community organizer and activist in his home state of Illinois. He was not born with a silver spoon (i.e. Mitt Romney); he knows the value of hard work and paying your dues.
11. He is an uplifting, inspirational, gifted speaker—the kind of leader that soldiers would follow through the worst conflagration.
12. He’s not afraid to take an unpopular stand, even if it means he’ll lose votes. (i.e. his support of gay rights).
2 comments:
Why I (DON'T) support/like Barack Obama
[See responses to original post below.]
By PY
May 26, 2013
PART 1 of 2
1. He’s given genuine hope to millions of people (predominantly blacks and other minorities) who have been oppressed or enslaved or downcast in America for centuries.
I give you that he is a ‘first’, but that only gives him more responsibility to do something good for our country. He gave people hope for change, but hope (and change) without Truth, Goodness, and integrity is empty.
2. He’s a breath of fresh air in an otherwise boring, white power structure controlled political landscape.
Change for the sake of change is pointless. The question is whether he has brought about any good change.
3. Under his presidency/purview/direction, the world’s most wanted criminal (responsible for the deaths of 3,000 Americans) was captured and killed.
I give you that Osama Bin Laden was captured under Obama, and that (if Zero Dark Thirty is true) had to have the courage to give the order to invade without full information and with significant risk of failure or being incorrect. However, (again relying on Zero Dark Thirty), it does not seem possible that they would have been able to track him down without information gained under the Bush era.
4. He inherited a practically impossible to manage and turn-around depressed, sinking economy, but he’s made significant steps in turning things around.
It is debatable how much of the economic turn-around should be attributed to Obama. CBS news reported at the end of 2012, “The National Debt has now increased more during President Obama's three years and two months in office than it did during 8 years of the George W. Bush presidency.” Most economists will tell you that is not good for the economy.
5. He himself represents the epitome of diversity in America—having had a white mother and a black father and white grandparents and white great grandparents.
He is not primarily a figure head or a symbol like the Queen of England is. As President of the United States, he is fundamentally asked to be a leader for the benefit of our country; on this he ought to be judged, not by what he represents. The question is what good has he done for our country?
Why I (DON'T) support/like Barack Obama
[See responses to original post below.]
By PY
May 26, 2013
PART 2 of 2
6. He does not shy away from tough questions. He answers best he can. He’s totally unscripted and speaks from his heart in press conferences—unlike some top leaders or CEOs in America.
He is charismatic and speaks well, but it is all the worse when he says one thing and does another. He says that he respects freedom of conscience, but then he unilaterally imposes an Insurance Mandate that people of various religions agree stomps on the freedom of conscience. He says that he wants to reduce the number of abortions, but he has only acted to expand abortion. I would rather someone who spoke with integrity.
7. He reformed America’s health care system. Now someone with a pre-existing medical condition can no longer be denied health or dental insurance.
Obamacare represents the largest expansion of (government funded) abortion since Roe v. Wade, will lead to rationing of health care which we have seen in other countries leads to involuntary euthanasia (it is amazing that anyone over the age of 65 would support Obamacare), and will lead to a less efficient, more costly (for future generations) government-run health care system.
8. He has served admirably as our nation’s president during possibly the toughest, most demanding, most challenging time ever (two wars, horrible economy, tragedy after tragedy with assault weapons, bitterly partisan Congress).
He has also done much to erode some of the core values of the family, which is the building block of society. I worry for my family, and for our country’s future, in an ever-growing Culture of Death (at the beginning of life and at the end of life) under Obama, saddled with increasing debt.
9. He never boasts that he has all the answers. Always, he solicits others’ perspectives.
He pushed pretty hard to get Obamacare through, and several pro-life Democrats now regret their decision to vote for it. [In fact, he promised to defend the rights of conscience, which he unequivocally has not done.] He didn’t ask anyone I know of about the Insurance Mandate ...
10. He remembers where he came from—as a community organizer and activist in his home state of Illinois. He was not born with a silver spoon (i.e. Mitt Romney); he knows the value of hard work and paying your dues.
Yes, he has worked hard to expand abortion, access to contraception, government control (which inevitably will lead to rationing) of health care, and to support gay marriage. Those who value life (in all its stages), liberty (freedom of conscience and religion), and the family unit (as understood by natural law) - core American values - do not respect that kind of hard work.
11. He is an uplifting, inspirational, gifted speaker—the kind of leader that soldiers would follow through the worst conflagration.
When all is said and done, his actions will speak louder than his words. His legacy will not be what he said, but what he did (or did not do).
12. He’s not afraid to take an unpopular stand, even if it means he’ll lose votes. (i.e. his support of gay rights).
Will America be better and stronger after Obama, than when he found it? Will he have furthered the American values of the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ??....That is the question.
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