Barack Obama changed my life

[Antonio the Sixth]

Warning: This OP features high quantities of self-indulgent sentimentalism and mawkishness that might hurt the sensibilities of those inclined toward cynicism. Reader discretion is highly recommended.


So yeah, I guess this is the last chance I have to get it off my chest.

This thread's title isn't clickbait: I have good reasons to believe that my life today would be completely different if Barack Obama had not run for President and won in 2008.

In January 2008, I was a still extremely shy and almost-friendless (though things were getting better) High Schooler in the Paris suburbs. I only had a vague idea of what I wanted to do with my life - I knew that I liked politics, and that it would be nice to study it at university, and that's it. I knew next to nothing about American politics. The US to me was just this quasi-barbaric country that bullied others with its military and economic power while executing its own people people. My English level was average by French standards, which is to say godawful. France and Italy were the extent of my horizon in the world.

Then I started hearing about the primaries in what at the time I knew as the slightly-less-awful party. I learned that there was this young Black guy with a decidedly foreign name who was running against Bill Clinton's wife and all the establishment that backed her. I started hearing bits of his speeches, always so full of passion and meaning. It wasn't a very good time for me in politics: Sarkozy had just been elected and started normalizing racism in French political discourse, and Berlusconi was about to make his triumphant comeback in Italy. In these hopeless times, someone was saying "yes, we can".

I chose to believe him. So I started acquainting myself with all the intricacies of the primary system, with its caucuses, its superdelegates and its convention (it sounded silly at the time, but well, that's because it is silly). And somehow, he did it. The idealistic Black guy in this supposedly racist, backwards country had taken on the full might of the Clinton machine and defeated it with skill. And then, he won the general election in a landslide, carrying States that hadn't been Democratic in 40 years! By the time he did, I had developed a passion for America: not only for its politics (which I now knew a lot about), but for its history, its culture, and yes, even its values. I suddenly understood what it was that appealed so much in "the American dream".

Then, shortly after, I found the forum. As soon as I started browsing it, I realized that, if I joined, it was going to take up a good chunk of my time. There was so much to discuss, so much to discover. I was reluctant at first, wondering if that was really worth it. But eventually, while on vacation from school, I decided it was worth it. I joined the forum, started posting, started to see all those colorful maps, all those intriguing timelines, all these people who had (more or less interesting) things to say. A couple months later, I joined Atlasia. And all through, I learned even more about the inner workings of US politics. I became a nerd. My English also improved dramatically, faster than I ever thought was possible.

Meanwhile, I graduated from High School and ended up at Sciences Po. My social life improved a little bit there, but I remained shy and awkward. While I always dreaded the third year - where students are forced to attend a university abroad - I also saw it as an opportunity. I had learned so much about America from a distance: this was the occasion to finally see it with my own eyes. A few years ago, the idea of living alone on another continent would have sounded crazy to me. Now, I was willing to take the risk and go on an adventure. So I went to San Francisco, and fell in love (with the city itself and with a person within it).

When I left, I was a different person: my social skills had improved considerably (seriously, those of you who have talked to me face-to-face would have no idea how I was before), and my whole attitude to life had changed. I had experienced extreme joy and extreme suffering there, an emotional intensity that my life in France had never provided. And what seemed like a crazy idea had become a long-term project: I wanted to go back to America as soon as I could. As you know, I succeeded - and now here I am, a PhD student in Los Angeles.

You get the idea. All of this, every bit of it, would never have happened without Obama. If the primary had been a walk in the park of Hillary (or even a Hillary-Edwards race), I probably would still have kept up with the campaign a bit, but I wouldn't have become so passionate about it. Not passionate enough to join a political forum (especially as I'd had a pretty bad experience with online forums before), and certainly not passionate enough to think of spending a year there. I would almost certainly have found a comfy place in Italy with relatives not so far away. These experiences have changed the way I see the world. And, more importantly than anything else, almost all my close friends, who have added so much to my life, are people I met either in SF, in LA, or on this very forum.

So I hope you can see why, whatever his failings were, Obama still means so much to me. I try to separate the personal gratitude from judgment of his political record, but I'm not sure I can ever fully disentangle the two. To all those who have been touched by "yes, we can", please cling to that feeling. Don't let it fade away. Don't let reality convince you that it's just naive bullsh*t. You know what? It is naive bullsh*t, but perhaps naive bullsh*t is what we all need to keep going.

[Xing]

Honestly, I can relate. Obama's campaign encouraged me to have a more positive attitude and to shoot for the sky, even if other people were telling me to be more realistic. I was bullied a lot in middle school, and in high school I decided to pursue music, which isn't exactly the most respected field in society. From seventh grade on, I feared that I would never be respected by following my dreams, and that I would have to just be "practical" or "realistic."

Obama's positive message really resonated with me. I felt as though someone believed in me. His message and his success in 2008, coming after eight years of Bush and a long time of being told by people outside my family that my passion for music was silly, and that I had to get my head out of the clouds, I finally felt vindicated and victorious. I studied music in college, and also pursued another passion of mine that is not well respected in America: Education.

I also eventually decided to study Mandarin and move to Taiwan to learn about another part of the world. I don't know if I would've had the confidence to do that if not for Obama. A lot of people told me to be realistic, and that learning Mandarin would be impossible, but I went for it anyway, and proved them wrong.

Obama's shortcomings aside, his positive message did have a strong influence in my life as well, and without him, I might have ended up much more cynical. I might have resigned myself to a field that I merely tolerated, and wasn't passionate about. I might have never taken a chance on learning Mandarin and traveling halfway around the world; one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Now, it's as if I should be telling the bullies in middle school and everyone who told me not to follow my dreams: "You were right. Some people just aren't meant to be winners." Is part of my opposition to Trump about his attitude? You bet it is. I'm tired of seeing assholes and treating people like s*** getting rewarded. Trump's victory is just one example out of many showing how society rewards being a jerk and screaming at people over treating others with respect. It doesn't just happen on the right, either. I'm sure many progressives would love to see a progressive jerk constantly bash conservatives. Obama is rare not because he's black, or left-leaning, or a good speaker. He's rare because he strives to bring out the best in people and promote a positive message of inclusion, even if he's not always successful.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Thanks for sharing, Xingkerui. I'm glad others can realte.

And yes, this is exactly what offends me so much about T***p.

[Santander]

Cry more.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

My personal was worse under Obama (for totally unrelated reasons) than previously, so in this regard I won't miss 20098a-2016. Also, I just can't feel personal attachment to a politician, beside very few cases. Still, we'll going to be worse off without him as a world I dare say.

[(Still) muted by Kalwejt until March 31]

Cry more.

[Beet]

In 2008, I was just out of grad school and working on my first political campaign, hoping to elect the first woman president. Thanks to Barack Obama, that dream crashed into the dust, but I started paying more attention to sexism in the Democratic party/left and the representation of women in politics. I started really idolizing Hillary Clinton and vowed to myself, no matter what, that I would support her if she ran in 2016. I saw that she was a flawed candidate and there was more enthusiasm around Bernie Sanders, but I couldn't stand the thought that she would go down again like in '08, so I stuck with her through thick and thin. July 29, 2016 was the culmination of eight years of waiting and hoping. On November 8, 2016, it all came crashing down in an even more devastating disappointment than in '08. Without Obama, I suppose none of this would have happened.

[toko]

Barack Obama changed many lives, and even more lives he destroyed. Millions of people were murdered in Libya, Iraq,  Syria on his orders.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Obama really sh**t the bed. I don't know how anyone can respect such a weak, feckless coward who is tossed around by his incessant need to compromise in the name of consensus easier than a bag in the wind.

[Beet]

Barack Obama changed many lives, and even more lives he destroyed. Millions of people were murdered in Libya, Iraq,  Syria on his orders.

Same for Putin.

[(Still) muted by Kalwejt until March 31]

Barack Obama changed many lives, and even more lives he destroyed. Millions of people were murdered in Libya, Iraq,  Syria on his orders.

Same for Putin.

-Inane.

[(Still) muted by Kalwejt until March 31]

In 2008, I was just out of grad school and working on my first political campaign, hoping to elect the first woman president. Thanks to Barack Obama, that dream crashed into the dust, but I started paying more attention to sexism in the Democratic party/left and the representation of women in politics. I started really idolizing Hillary Clinton and vowed to myself, no matter what, that I would support her if she ran in 2016. I saw that she was a flawed candidate and there was more enthusiasm around Bernie Sanders, but I couldn't stand the thought that she would go down again like in '08, so I stuck with her through thick and thin. July 29, 2016 was the culmination of eight years of waiting and hoping. On November 8, 2016, it all came crashing down in an even more devastating disappointment than in '08. Without Obama, I suppose none of this would have happened.

-This post is something.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Cry more.

I'm not crying, you fascistic troglodytes, I'm celebrating. People may come and go, but righteous causes and ideals live on.

Also, I just can't feel personal attachment to a politician, beside very few cases.

Neither do I. This is one of those few cases.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I'm sorry but I can't join in. For everything he'd done, Obama had put his own legacy in peril by clearing the field for Hillary, letting idiots-led DNC run wild and overseeing essential decimation of Democrats on the local level.

Also, Obama was too much of a PR product for me to feel any connection.

[Xing]

People can feel free to disagree with Antonio and me, we're just expressing our own experiences.

Cry more.

I'm not crying, you fascistic troglodytes, I'm celebrating. People may come and go, but righteous causes and ideals live on.

Don't give them any attention, since seeing people like us upset and angry is what makes them drool and cream their pants.

[kcguy]

At the time he left office, Eisenhower was seen as a do-nothing who had destroyed his party and lurched from crisis to crisis (Hungary, Suez, Sputnik, U2).  But after the megalomaniac overreach of LBJ, historians began to regard Ike as the calm, steady hand needed by the era in which he served.

As for Obama, I'll let you draw your own conclusions about how I feel about him.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

If only your idol had been a steel worker or a programmer instead...

[Antonio the Sixth]

If only your idol had been a steel worker or a programmer instead...

Those are two odd occupations to list together.

(Also besides the point, since it's not Obama who got me interested in politics per se.)

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

If only your idol had been a steel worker or a programmer instead...

Those are two odd occupations to list together.

Both imply membership in a workforce of some sort (though both sadly also imply an industrial/postindustrial society and all the associated vice and atomization; we can't all be feudal serfs or lumberjacks, sadly).

[Antonio the Sixth]

If only your idol had been a steel worker or a programmer instead...

Those are two odd occupations to list together.

Both imply membership in a workforce of some sort (though both sadly also imply an industrial/postindustrial society and all the associated vice and atomization; we can't all be feudal serfs or lumberjacks, sadly).

Oh, I see. So it's just an anti-academia thing. Fair enough.

[Crumpets]

In 2008, I was just out of grad school and working on my first political campaign, hoping to elect the first woman president. Thanks to Barack Obama, that dream crashed into the dust, but I started paying more attention to sexism in the Democratic party/left and the representation of women in politics. I started really idolizing Hillary Clinton and vowed to myself, no matter what, that I would support her if she ran in 2016. I saw that she was a flawed candidate and there was more enthusiasm around Bernie Sanders, but I couldn't stand the thought that she would go down again like in '08, so I stuck with her through thick and thin. July 29, 2016 was the culmination of eight years of waiting and hoping. On November 8, 2016, it all came crashing down in an even more devastating disappointment than in '08. Without Obama, I suppose none of this would have happened.

This is almost exactly my story, except I was much younger. 2008 was the first election I gave a damn about. I hated that Obama seemed to be cruising on rhetoric, empty promises, and throwing out "hope and change" as if it constituted a fresh take on policy. Although he ended up significantly outperforming my expectations for him as president, and I'll defend him against 95% of attacks from the other side, I can't say I have ever personally felt the "Obama magic" that swept him into office. I guess it's like he's a sunset and I'm a blind person, or something.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

If only your idol had been a steel worker or a programmer instead...

Those are two odd occupations to list together.

Both imply membership in a workforce of some sort (though both sadly also imply an industrial/postindustrial society and all the associated vice and atomization; we can't all be feudal serfs or lumberjacks, sadly).

Oh, I see. So it's just an anti-academia thing. Fair enough.

More of an anti-politics thing. I have a great relationship with the academics. Political hero worship (and the associated belief in the earthly Salvation of Man) is triggering.

[Intell]

I supported Clinton in 08', and never had much enthusiasm for Obama, as he is part of the reason, in where working class voters abandoned the democratic party, Obama did nothing to meaningful outreach to these people, and rather said "we should be friendly to goldman sachs", and his presidency, when he could do something, did nothing, rather a weak healthcare bill, and nothing else to meaningfully help the poor of his country. With the little hope I had for him, he has been a complete disappointment, and he was one of many reasons, to why Trump got elected president. His presidency, has been domination of republicans in local levels, and his inability to put forth a message to appeal to working class america,  and he represented first and foremost, of appealing to voters in Suburban PA, rather than SW Pennsylvania, ie upper-middle class suburbia, rather than the rural working class.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Keep having this dream about this black man
Fourteen years old and he's holding my hand
He's speaking 'cross the country and making me believe
They all say it's a dream, he's a one term Senator, what would he even achieve
Eight years later, he's changed me forever
And because of him, the USA and the world are better

I don't know why they say grown men don't cry

-----[Sorry for channelling BRTD but drastic times call for drastic measures.]

I wish I had a story as inspiring as yours, but almost everyone has benefitted so positively from letting this incredible human being into their lives. I'm not sure our debt could ever be fully repaid. I highly doubt all my accomplished dreams would exist without him, and I should show more gratitude that he has guided me to where I am today - it could be a lot worse. He was the best of all possible worlds. I was way too naive in 2008, but I'm glad I welcomed adulthood with an easy choice like him.

[Antonio the Sixth]

If only your idol had been a steel worker or a programmer instead...

Those are two odd occupations to list together.

Both imply membership in a workforce of some sort (though both sadly also imply an industrial/postindustrial society and all the associated vice and atomization; we can't all be feudal serfs or lumberjacks, sadly).

Oh, I see. So it's just an anti-academia thing. Fair enough.

More of an anti-politics thing. I have a great relationship with the academics. Political hero worship (and the associated belief in the earthly Salvation of Man) is triggering.

But, as you can see, sometimes political hero worship can have an influence on people's life choices for the better (at least it was for the better for me - though you might argue that the forum and the State of California suffered from it ).