Who He Is

He's smart.

Kind.

Compassionate.

Learned.

Faithful.

Devoted.

Humble.

He's empathetic.

He's a good father.

He's a good husband.

He's a good son.

He has a sense of humor.

He doesn't take himself too seriously.

He can poke fun at himself.

He can joke with others.

He's a reader.

He seeks knowledge.

He asks questions when he doesn't know.

He surrounds himself with those who do know.

He values experts and expertise.

He understands history.

He respects history.

He has learned from history.

He knows how and why we got here.

He's calm.

He's cool.

He's collected.

He doesn't let his emotions get the best of him.

He cares.

He cares about the less fortunate.

He cares about the oppressed.

He cares about the other. 

He knows the law.

He follows the law.

He respects the law.

He always will.

This is who Barack Obama is. This is the Barack Obama we saw for 8 years in the White House. This is the Barack Obama we've seen in the 3 years since. We know who Barack Obama is because he knows us. He knows us to be better angels of our nature. He knows that collectively, we strive for a more perfect union. He knows we aren't perfect. But he knows in the end, we collectively do the right thing.

He knows all this because he himself is the living, breathing embodiment of it. For 8 years, an entire political party wanted him to fail. By proxy, they wanted the American people to fail. Not because of some longstanding disagreement or some unreconcilable wrong. They wanted him to fail because he was everything they weren't, starting first and foremost with his melanin level. Combine that with being raised by a single parent, and a woman to boot, and this man was becoming their worst nightmare. A smart, educated Black man who had to work for everything? Who used his smarts and work ethic to get to some of the best colleges in the country? Who then served in state government in the land of Lincoln, their beloved icon? No, this was all too much.

So for 8 years, they defied him. They voted against policies they had previously supported. Every single one of them voted against more affordable health care. They denied him a Supreme Court Justice. They voted against his signature law over 50 times. They chose to investigate the murder of 4 American diplomats with 7 separate committees. Their media mocked everything from his clothes to his condiments. His wife was fair game for any and all criticism. Every act he signed into law was critiqued by the opposition. His achievements were belittled, his victories ignored. He was simply a hindrance; someone in the way of their getting what they want, which in no way coincided with the best interests of the American people.

Twelve years later, Barack Obama is still in their head. Masking/unmasking. It doesn't matter. They will always find something to blame on him, some trumped-up accusation. None of it is based in law and none of it is based in reality. But they can't help themselves. He's the anti-Donald Trump in every single way imaginable. Deep down inside, they know this. So what do they do? Deflect. Accuse Barack Obama of crimes that Donald Trump has actually committed. The projection is so obvious, it's farcical. They know Mike Flynn is guilty. They know the masking procedure was proper and legal. But to admit that is to admit that Barack Obama was right. To admit that is to admit that Barack Obama followed the rules. To admit that is to admit that Barack Obama is not as corrupt as they've led us to believe. To admit that is to admit that everything they've been saying about him the past 12 years has been a complete and utter lie.

And that's something that won't be happening anytime soon.