The legacy of Barack Obama

By Stephen Kokx

A modified version of this column was originally posted at ConservativeHomeUSA

In an interview conducted several years ago, Barack Obama acknowledged that if the economy didn't rebound by the time he was up for re-election he may be a one term president. Although it's a stretch to assume that Mitt Romney is the favorite this fall, there is a record attached to Obama's name, and it's not pretty: high unemployment despite massive budget deficits, a failed stimulus program, a corrupt justice department, a nonexistent immigration strategy and an unwillingness to address entitlement reform.

That being said, it's safe to assume that if the president fails to get re-elected, the media will do everything in its power to protect his legacy. Assertions of right wing conspiracies and corporate greed will surely be cited, but most level headed Americans know better. So, when editorial boards and pundits write their election recap in November of 2012, the American people will already know what's going to be said. I imagine it will be something similar to the following paragraphs:

The victim of possibly the most heinous smear campaign ever, our nation's 44th President, Barack Obama, has lost his bid for re-election. Like the brave Martin Luther King Jr. before him, President Obama led us to the Promised Land, but sadly, won't be there to see it to fruition.

We all remember the support he had when he defeated John McCain four years ago. But the vicious, racially-tinged campaign strategy launched by the Republicans has proved too much for our nation's first African-American president.

Perhaps his undoing could have been predicted. Remember in 2010 when the so called Tea Party broke onto the scene? It wasn't long after that we discovered the hatred they had for fairness and equality, two pillars of our society.

Meant to be an uprising against big government, the Tea Party was soon hijacked by mainstream conservatives who indoctrinated these middle-aged, mostly white, intolerant bigots with the belief that affordable health care, alternative energy and gay rights were bad things.

Led by the likes of Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck, the far right channeled their disgust for President Obama into a brainwashing campaign. With ads portraying the president as a communist, the GOP crushed the hope that Barack Obama gave to so many underrepresented minorities.

Yes, there were some moderate Republicans in the GOP primary this year, most notably John Huntsman. But it is clear that the so called "compassionate Conservative" worldview has been substituted by an extremist ideology.

It was evident that the game plan for the GOP was to resist "change" the day they took over the House. By stalling and playing politics with the 2010 Gulf Coast oil spill, hampering progress on immigrant rights, and holding a gun to the head of the American electorate by refusing to raise taxes, the Republicans made it their number one goal to stonewall any type of real progress.

It should be noted that as president, Barack Obama sought to expand healthcare, invested in a greener economy, stood up for the civil rights of gay Americans and fought to protect the least among us by passing a stimulus bill that staved off what would have been a second Great Depression. Let us never forget his legacy.

As we move forward, we need to live up to his vision for America by demanding social and economic justice. Please support those Congressmen and Senators who still want to follow down the path he laid forth. For, if we live in a democracy that supports the politics of fear over the politics of hope, we will never be able to become a truly just society.

Progress will be slow and will not be easy, but if you are ever in doubt, just remember "yes, we can."

© Stephen Kokx