Haven’t posted anything new since my piece on the January 6th insurrection. Needed a break. In the meantime, I’m pinning this entry at the top of my homepage because it is the post of which I remain the most proud, and I’d rather it be the first thing people see/hear than my (justifiably) angry rant about the insurrection. -JZ
Dear Mr. President,
Let me begin by saying the two words you deserve to hear cross the lips of every American citizen, whether they know it or not:
Thank you.
Thank you for the tireless work you have done and the many sacrifices you have made on behalf of our country.
Thank you for the dignity, grace, class and gravitas with which you have held our nation’s highest office.
Thank you for not eschewing facts, science, logic, reason, and your own superior intellect in order to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
Thank you for your willingness and ability to endure the disgusting hatred and racism that throughout your presidency have been directed at you, at our amazing First Lady, and at your beautiful family as a whole. The most naive among us — myself included — were hopeful your historic election was a sign that the racial divides in our country had become less pervasive than is actually the case. Your presidency has been, and forever shall remain, a major step toward that goal, but many of us underestimated just how loud, ugly, desperate and energized the filth among us would become when faced with the reality of the more equitable, more inclusive, more compassionate society that your presidency has represented.
The pride and patriotism I felt when you were elected, and again on the day you took office, remain unmatched. Other than my time in uniform, I have never been more proud to be an American than I was when you became my president.
And then, I failed you.
I was an outspoken supporter during both of your presidential runs, and I contributed what little cash I could here and there throughout your campaigns. Once you were in office, however, my position could best be summed up as: “He’s got this.”
“He’s got this” was a cop out. “He’s got this” was my epic failure to be the citizen you deserved. “He’s got this” earned us the predicament in which we now find ourselves.
I have, in recent years, heard some of my fellow progressives complain that much of the change you so sincerely and hopefully promised during your first presidential campaign has not been realized, and that this failure is yours. It is not. It is mine. It is ours … the millions of us who voted for you, who placed upon you the expectation that you would fight for us … and who then failed to fight alongside you.
When then-Speaker of the House John Boehner (whose name you so kindly pretended should be pronounced “Bay-ner”) said of your political agenda, “We’re going to do everything — and I mean everything — we can do to kill it, stop it, slow it down, whatever we can” … I was furious. When then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that “the single most important thing” he and his shamefully selfish Republican party wanted to achieve was not to help the American people, but to instead make sure you were “a one-term president,” I was disgusted.
But also? I was busy. I had a job and a wife and two little kids and, hey, “He’s got this.” Besides, what could I do, really?
For seven of the eight years during which you have been our president, I have lived in Pennsylvania. Not until this month have I known the names of both of my U.S. senators, nor that of my House Rep. Not once during your presidency did I contact their offices. Not once did I do much more than simply cast a vote for you and then say “He’s got this.”
Mr. President, please accept my apology for not doing more to support you during your time in office. You gave me an opportunity to make the most of your presidency, and I wasted it.
As I watched you speak in Chicago the other night, I was filled with emotion. I, of course, was reminded of that November night when you strode onto a similar stage after winning the presidency in what can legitimately be described as a landslide. The emotions that flooded me then were pride and hope and happiness. The emotions that flooded me this time were gratitude and regret and sorrow. Gratitude for all you’ve done for us. Regret for not doing more in my role as a citizen when you needed me most, and for not better appreciating just how lucky we were to have you. Sorrow for how horribly wrong things have gone.
And yet, despite the fact that I and so many others have failed to be the citizens you deserved, you still spoke to us with the same fire and conviction and hopeful optimism that define you. You still inspired me. You still, at the end of eight often-frustrating years in the White House, believe that we who fell so woefully short of our commitment to you are capable of making right that which we’ve allowed to go so wrong.
Thank you for everything. My last ask is the same as my first. I’m asking you to believe—not in my ability to create change, but in yours.
— President Obama (@POTUS) January 11, 2017
Mr. President, thank you for not losing faith in me, despite my having given you every reason to do so. Thank you for continuing to believe that I can be the citizen you deserved while in office.
This is a picture of a letter I received last week from my Republican congressional representative. It is his response to my inquiry regarding the Republicans’ secret vote for a planned amendment to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics (which, I was pleasantly surprised to learn, he voted against). In the wake of that secret vote, and on the heels of last November’s disastrous election outcome, I and others like me finally found our voices. We flooded our representatives’ phone lines and inboxes with our fury and discontent … and the Republicans were forced to back down.
That small victory has given me and others a taste of what we can accomplish when we organize and engage in the political process. That small victory is an example of what you had hoped we’d do while you were our president. I apologize for not doing it sooner.
You deserved to go out on a much higher note than the one now playing, and I believe it is more our fault than yours. And for that, I am sorry.
Mr. President, thank you again for all you’ve done. Now it’s our turn.
We’ve got this.
When he won I had every picture of every dead ancestor in my family spread out on the couch. At the time I was 59. As he stepped to the stage with his family I toasted him AND all those ancestors who fought and never got to see what I did , through a barrage of tears. As he leaves Office, someday I will be so very proud to tell my own grand children, I LIVED IN THE TIME OF OBAMA.
Wonderful post. I could have written it myself, although never as well as you did here. I hope you’re sending a paper copy of this to the President. I’m sure it would mean a lot to him. Thank you & take care. Peace. #Resist
I am without words. Like all who have responded, I could have written that myself. But not as well as you. I think a lot more people feel the same. Your last 4 words were so powerful. I started to cry at the beginning of your letter, regained my composure until the last four words, we’ve got this one. And we will. We will work hard and make him proud. He earned this. Thank you for putting in words what many of us just couldn’t do.
I am still crying! Oh my goodness! You have written the most truth I have seen for months.
I must say though, I made calls during both campaigns and defended him and continue to defend him still today. I still feel guilty knowing I should do more to protect his legacy.
You’re right! We can’t let him down!
Your wonderful comment here caught my attention over the also excellent comments here because of the date yours is date stamped….one my birthday of last year!! 🙂 I have shed MANY tears since our current “leader” (serious AIR QUOTES on that word as he is NOT worthy of being called a leader or the potus!! I simply cannot believe that we are STUCK with such an evil, selfish man for another day let alone until 2020!!! We have MUCH WORK TO GET DONE to at least win Congress so that Trump’s “work” life (again air quotes!) will be MISERABLE & perhaps unbearable for him & the Repubs made it for poor Pres. Obama!!! :'( Lordy, I miss that fine man & his beautiful family!!! :'(
I’ve felt a similar experience following cancer treatment…. a “Thank you, God, for allowing me to live to see, to appriciate, and to feel the pride of Barack Obama’s Presidency. “
You and I both, we made history !
I saw President Obama as a man that would turn the other cheek as the bible says! And he did take alot from some of this people. This is the Man I wanted in office as my President! The night he won I just sat in our living room and cried. Thank you Lord.
I got up early in Oct. morning because our youngest son wanted to see this man who was going to be our President. He was only 7 years old. He woke me up at 3:30am and said we have to go as there’s going to be a long line, and I want to be in front so I can shake his hand.He was on front with his little hand out when President Obama was close by and got knock down by a man. I so much enjoyed him and his family so much that I cried when he left office. But he will always be My President Barack Obama! Love you.
I was sitting in my dorm room after having stood in line to vote for him for what seemed like hours and when he won the election, I was elated… hopeful. I crave to feel that hope in our democracy and then our presidency once again.
I feel exactly the same. I felt like America was evolving and that this was just the beginning and it would get better from here on out. I was sadly disappointed by the behavior of some Americans and how we hadn’t evolved as I had hoped. I also knew very little about our senators and congressmen. Well that has all changed and I’ll never be silent again. We must fight for what is right. God Bless you President and Michelle Obama and I will continue to support our victories….
Thank you for your heart-felt letter. I feel all those things, too.
I will be proud to to do the same. When he took the stage the night of his election win, at my house we opened the really good champagne, toasted him, his family, & our pride in America, then cried along with with well over half of our citizizens.
I also miss President Obama. There was peace in our country. There were no criminal investigations. When President Obama spoke you could believe what he said. There was no constant discord in the country. His family was a family. His family was not interested in how much money they could make during his Presidency. His family was trying to make our country better for everyone. Not just the wealthy but for everyone.
I am not an American….. but I am in tears down here in South Africa. I adore President Obama and I miss his elegance, eloquence and his integrity. What an amazing letter. You have blessed him for all of us who appreciated his presidency. Thank you.
This is beautiful. I was soo happy & felt so much better about our country while he was in office. He is one in a million. Wish he could run again—–we need him!
Thank you so much for putting in to words what I have felt over these eight years! I too feel like I often failed this President even though I reached out as much as I could at times, yet far too infreqhuently. My greatest failure was failing to speak up more when others complained when I knew their complaints were so terribly misplaced. Your letter has inspired me to speak up more and I will be moved to much more action in the coming days. Thank you again for dispensing this painful truth. Yes WE can!
Thank you for writing the word’s my soul could not , I’m sure i could never have but the feelings into words like you have. Your man of the ink.
And Thank you for penning what is in my heart!
So touching and true, Barack Obama was much more than we deserved!
He faced unprecedented racism and obstructionism with courage, determination and resolve. The intelligence, decency, integrity and empathy that he exhibited were qualities every man should aspire to possess.
The love and devotion that he demonstrated for his family were heartwarming! Such an exemplary man!!
He is going to be so missed!
Thank you for your letter. It expresses my thoughts and feelings to the point.
I, too, thank President Obama, Michelle, and their beautiful children for their grace under ’fire,’ their decency, integrity, and empathy were unwaivering.
I will miss my President and his family and wish them well in their future endeavors.
To Nicola Robertson: You said it so well. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, who deserves nothing but respect & dignity, he will be so missed & watching all these shows about his administration, has been making me cry. Last night on CNN i think it was, was something called The End of Obama’s Administration, just was touching & emotional to watch & made me even MORE aware (which now it’s hitting home) of how much we are losing, even tho i know we were lucky enough to have him in for 2 terms. I hope he can read some of the things like this page that tells him & Michelle how much we loved & appreciated them. Tomorrow, for me is a day of mourning for the loss of the greatest president i know will ever be in my lifetime. At least i know he is still alive & has hopefully a lot of decades yet to live & interject if he wants, anything to help the country, as i’m sure it will need. Much love to this beautiful man and his wife & children. Thank you for a great 8 years, President Obama.
Yes, he was more than we deserved, and I feel guilty for not doing more! Maybe we took him for granted because he DID make us feel so safe. He is a very dignified and humble man. Obviously he loves this country, and was a president who served everyone. I just assumed every president would naturally want to serve every citizen. Boy…was I wrong. This is a time like no other, not in my lifetime. I feel so marginalized and as for all the forgotten people who Trump keeps referring to, I am forgotten, along with more than half the country. I feel hated and threatened by our new president. He seems more like a dictator. I never dreamed it could happen in America. Obama really was a wonderful kind man, and we really didn’t deserve a man of his caliber and grace! We were so lucky! I will forever feel blessed he served during my lifetime!
Adding my Thoughts of Thank You, President Obama, First Lady Michelle, Daughters and Grandma!! I won’t apologize, because I never Doubted for a Minute your sincerity and love and dedication to Us!! adding Vice-President Biden and Jill and his family to this!!! Thank You Thank You ~ ALL!!! <3
Adding my sincere thanks to you and Michelle, and Vice-president Biden and Jill. I hope you and your family get a time of rest after PEOTUS is sworn in. I can only believe how hard it’s going to be for you to sit there with him as he is sworn in. It’s killing me. I appreciate allyou have done for this country especially as you had to fight a Republican Congress the entire time. God bless you and yours
Karen Holden: I too am wondering how hard it will be for him to have to put up a face of agreement like it is okay tomorrow. I know President Obama is very respectful and all, but there still has to be a part of him that is having a hard time with it, because of the person being sworn in & how he treated him. It takes a truly humble & strong man such as President Obama to be able to do this. I myself sure couldn’t. What a man to go down in history for future generations to learn from.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Mr. President! You and the family have been a class act, and have made me so proud.
My heart aches for all the hatred that has been directed at you and the family. In spite of it all, you remained positive and persevered with grace and dignity. How do you do that?
Only a very special person can go through that storm with such dignity and optimism. God Bless!
I too did not support you the way that I should have. Yes, I made monetary donations when I could but that was not enough. I did not give enough of me or call my congressman or senators. I vow to do better, Mr. President!
I think this country is in serious trouble and we all need to heed your advice and start acting like real citizens.
May God bless you, Michelle, Malia and Sasha. Wishing you love and happiness! Can’t wait to hear what you will be doing in the near future.
#FOREVERMYPRESIDENT!????
Amen, Amen…..AAMMEEEN!!!
Beautifully said. Thank you for such a lovely letter to our amazing President and his family. Thank you also for highlighting that we can and should act successfully to protect our country and its people. Empowering and what our President has been saying. #StayLoud
Yes Thank you all for all you have given this great country.
Thank you for showing the nation 8 years of a scandal free presidency. You showed the nation that you are what a leader needs to be in they times, a servant of the peòple
Thank you for showing the nation 8 years for a scandal you free president Obama God bless you for good job the helping people’s USA and African. Asia. American Latin nakutakiya maisha mema. Monsieur le president Obama je vous souhaite une long vie Merci beaucoup Moi. Mupoto kangambo celestin im from congo kinshasa
Always my President and First Lady. I know you will fight the good fight along with us in the terrible days to come.
Thank you President Obama for the best 8year you will leave office as the best President we ever had we will always Love and Respect you and your family for a job well done may God Bless you all
I have watched this presidency and I wish Barack Obama was coming into Canada…….you had a wonderful president and we all know this. This letter sums it all up………I cannot believe eight years has passed so quickly….Blessings to the Obama’s.
We all pray for and about the future……
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I cannot say it enough – you are the best President this country has ever had, and I sincerely thank you for all of your tireless, dedicated hard work pursuing endless contributions to improve the safety, security, and welfare of all. Thank you for your beautiful family, and for your selfless service. On behalf of a grateful nation, I bow my head and say thank you for making me proud to be an American!
Beautiful letter!
I love President Obama! Thank you for writing this letter!
We the people dropped the ball. I have never seen such disrespect, racism in a group of white men who represent a diverse group of people in each state. We left him to fight alone and he endeavor with dignity and honor has people called his wife horrible names. Never, ever did he get angry maybe disappointed but I have nothing but pride and love for this man and his family. I am pained that this country remains as racist as it does. The people who are not of color do not understand the black experience; President Obama knows and it was vividly demonstrated everyday against him. Now because some thought more of party and race instead of country first we are stuck with a misogynistic president-elect Trump who we would not let near any woman in our family. Now the call to keep Obamacare is paramount to the people who bought the con; you it was never Obamacare but the ACA based off the plan Romney had in Mass. Intellectual ignorance and racism is tearing this country apart. President was only one part of this government and that was the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch did everything in their power to undermine this good man. Thank God for him and may he find some peace and continue what God intends for him to be. Thank you President Obama and First Lady for demonstrating strength and grace under demeaning standards; you President Obama demonstrated the best of what we all should strive to be in life.
Thank you President Obama.
I am a Non-American who for the past eight years found myself overcoming the skepticism I had about trusting politicians. I grew up during the time of Barack Obama and I don’t think I could have found a better period to live in. In a world filled with so much hate and anger, people like the Obamas are the light. they are the inspiration and hope that someday, the humanity in us will always survive. anything that’s pure and good has always gone through the trials by fire before they were accepted and loved. The President proved in every manner possible that he could rise above the hate and serve the nation he loves so much. He isn’t beloved just for the Americans, even for outsiders like me, he symbolizes hope against all odds. He is so much more than just a Politicians, he is an inspiration in all the shades of humanity.
I wish I could bear hug you all for your awesome comments. We Democrats need one another now more than ever. You all are my extended family.
Beautifully stated!! I’m an Australian and I shared your pride when Obama was inaugurated. I thought that via America, the world had taken a giant leap forward towards equality, peace, maturity & progress & all the things people fight for in wars & in politics. And as an Aussie I was in awe of America & it’s ability to embrace all of it’s diversity to the point where a black man could reach it’s highest office. I wondered if Australia would ever reach those heights but watched in horror as we succumbed to fear & hate-speak & elected the worst bunch of crooks & liars since the arrival of the fleet. But I thought, oh well – at least America has brains, a soul & heart. So it’s with great sadness & disappointment that I see what America has done now – with a lot of help from it’s bizarre media & perhaps a few pushes from Russia. I’m particularly shocked at how bad the voting system is in your country, I’d never paid this much attention before & can’t believe how difficult it is for people to vote in America… anyway, I digress. Obama remains an inspiration and I sincerely hope he hasn’t gone from our lives entirely. I will miss him and his beautiful family more than I can say. I don’t know what ordinary American’s needed to do to support him during his 2 terms, I do know how much obstruction he faced and how much he achieved despite it which of course makes him even more of a legend. History will vindicate him, in the meantime, I hope he knows how much he was loved worldwide. As for the next 4 years…… you all have my deepest sympathy.
Barack and Michelle,
You well truly be sorely missed by so many. You never failed us! I hope we served you justice in return.
Best Always
Terri Lotshaw
Can I say, this letter and all of your comments make me tear. My heart is so sad and yet at the same time filled with so much love for every one of you who saw the truth-the walls that kept him from doing more.
He leaves with his beautiful family on such a high note as Michelle would say…” they went low, we go higher” Be well Obamas- may your future hold in your mind and heart all the love that will always be here, we shall never forget… and to YOU, your letter was beautiful. You said what we all wanted to say…we wish we did more! xx
Dear President Obama, I thank you so much for all that you have done for America and how you have cared so deeply for other countries that were being pounced on. I felt much sadness and despair for the way the Republicans treated you and especially how Benjamin Netanyahu disrespected you. What most people that participated in this treatment of you did not see is that they were hurting America and themselves also. They did not respect you because you are a Black Man. You are an angel from heaven in mine and many people’s eyes. Your goodness, honesty and righteousness spewed out of your inner soul like water flowing over an overfilled dam. Thank you God for Barack Hussein Obama and God bless the earth in Jesus name. AMEN!
L.K.B.
Thank you Barack and Michelle Obama! I love you and will miss you. I too apologize for not being active enough! Now I’m pushed to my limits because….
A sinister web of hate’s
Been spun
But it’s not too late!
We’ve just begun
To pull the threads out
One by one!
Sometimes it takes
Earth swallowing quakes
To shake us and wake us
To see our mistakes!
And now, in this nightmare
Of rising high stakes
I’m marching with women
Through St. Louis City
To join in proclaiming:
That “THIS IS A PITY!”
“THIS ISN’T PRETTY!”
And more to the point
IT’S THOROUGHLY SHITTY!
…and that would be putting it mildly!!
This is beautiful, and gave me hope. Thank you for writing it. I hope Mr. Obama has the opportunity to see it as well. I too was complacent, and now I’m not sure what to do, but I believe that in the next few months it will be clear what we need to do as a nation. The eliminationist rhetoric of the far right, the loss of a press with the will to inform rather than just entertain, and the commodification of everything must be addressed and changed if a just society is to be created.
Thank you for such a beautiful letter. I too have fail President Obama, I should have kept knocking on those doors and talking to people in my Community. Some so called Americans did everything in their power to try and make a beautiful time in American history ugly. But, they failed, because not one time through all their name calling and disrespect by the Republican party did our President stoop to their level. He had style and grace and the White House had a beautiful glow to it. After tomorrow there will be a black cloud hovering over the White House with Donald Trump and his gang. But we have four years to make it right. So let’s get to it! Because those poor Trump supporters who didn’t know that Obamacare and the ACA are the same will be desperate for help, because they lost their healthcare.
Dear Mr. President, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Thank you, and your beautiful family, as well as the Bidens! How lucky this country was to have you as our president. I will forever feel blessed that I lived during your presidency. I admire your dignity, humbleness and grace, but you have so many wonderful qualities. And the quality which I now realize I admire and appreciate the most, was your ability to make your fellow citizens feel safe! I guess I took it for granted that America would always feel that way, I was wrong. I miss you so much! We all miss you so much! God bless you and your wonderful family. Thank you for everything you’ve done, and your sacrifices to this country. My most sincere thanks to you!
Ever Democratic office holder at every level that chose not to stand by the President, to”protect their own political future” owes President Obama a similar apology.
Today, for whatever reason, I remembered reading your last blog months ago and the mention of this new one, which I never remembered to check out. I have a lot of reading to do and as I commented to you way back when, I don’t care how you say it I’m going to agree with you 100%. I still get stressed but my tolerance level is considerably higher now that I’ve taken to laughing along with the crying. It helps to know that so many feel the way I do and I don’t have to try and put my feelings into words when you do such a good job for me. Thank you…..and kudos on your piece about Obama, you nailed it. <3
Maybe he came so that we would know the difference, not of color of skin or race and ethnicity. Yet, the difference between showing love ❤️ in the face of pain and showing endurance when we know the race is not over just yet. I guess when you said, “Put on your running shoes,” you knew the race was not given to the fastest, but to the one who endures.
Thank you, Michelle, your daughters, grandma, and Joe and Jill Biden, the Congress that voted for Obamacare, so that people would know that someone cared. Cared that they just needed to see a doctor or get a shot or get their medicine for less than “$400” dollars for a single pill.
Thank you that people with pre existing medical needs can see a doctor. I know we have your mother to thank for that, as she never left your heart as you fought for Health care for America. Bless her memory, because her son who could not do anything for her, redeemed your soul by helping so many others get help for their medical needs.
This time we will pay attention, know the Constitution and The Preamble and be like the great men who fought for Justice using that law, Charles Hamilton Hurston and Thurgood Marshall. Use the law for the good God intended it to be for America. To guide it and lean on it when caught between the lie of evil and the light that shines in Truth.
We thank you for using the Law to make America better. No, we are not finished. We are just starting to get started on correcting the pain, the shame and the lies that have corrupted a Great Nation filled with potential of God’s best for All men and women.
We now have a “voice” as the people of the United States of America…and we will not forget to use it! Use it in our voting, use it in our selecting Congressmen and Congresswomen so that our light will never go out again.
Blessings to you & the Obamas and the Biden’s.-M
Truer words were never spoken…You didn’t get the credit you deserved…Now we are dealing with a narcistic ego maniac…The world is in a turmoil….He is texting like a child and like a child has no filter! I apologise as well for not being politically involved and now that there is so much turmoil I realize I HAVE to be involved and aware of how our government is being destroyed. It is no longer FOR the people, it is only for the rich to get richer!
Hello
Im writing this from England.
I wept tears of joy when Obama was elected for all of us. But when he said “Yes We Can’ I knew Americans would forget, that they wouldnt understand what he was asking, participation in change.
Instead I suspected that he would initially be deified and then damned, either completely or with faint praise.
But he has ushered in a new era of involvement in politics and civic discourse. And thats been compouded by Trump.
The citizen journalist, the citizen activist.
For century upon century humanity has been ruled by the few.
Obama offered the option for us to govern ourselves.
We wont see the full reach of it yet, but he planted that seed and its up to all of us to bring it to flower.
Happy Birthday Barack Hussein Obama, it was a great day when you were born.
Many thanks for the inspiration, the gravitas, the intelligence, the foresight, the wit, great charm, humanity and wisdom.
You are only human, but a great soul nonetheless, and a man who transends borders and speaks to the world.
And youre beautiful.
My sister an I pledged we would dance in the streets when President Obama won the first time. WE DANCED!! The second time, we cried tears of joy. I have to say just how proud I am to have lived in a time when Barack H. Obama was president. I found lost pride, respect for the office and this country through his 2 terms. With that, all that is left to say is, THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA, for helping me find all those lost feelings. I have so much respect for you and your family. THANK YOU for caring about every person in this country. YOU actually Made America Great Again, long before it became a slogan.
Thank you to the author for blogging our mind so beautifully. Thank you to the Obamas for helping us envision our best selves, even when we complacently didn’t act on that awareness. Perhaps we needed a Trump to force us out of complacency and inaction, for surely now we’re past hand-wringing and on to the hard work of re-envisioning and planning, acting and achieving the American Dream in a way that encompasses and celebrates EVERY American.
I’m so glad this posting came to my attention today. The author proclaimed my emotions much more beautifully and accurately than I ever could have. And many of the ensuing comments did the same. I thank you all and I thank Barack Hussein Obama for his service and his inspiration. He will go down in history as one of, if not THE most wonderful presidents in the history of our great country. In the past, I considered Jimmy Carter as the best, and his continued service to our country proves that point. I continue to revere him as a tragically underestimated and under appreciated president. Barack Obama has taken his words and actions and influence and soared even higher. I am grateful to have experienced these two wonderful examples of what President if the United States of America should mean. I love and revere both of you. Thank you for being the men you are. Very Sincerely Yours, Kay Swenson
Thanks so much for saying so well what most if us couldn’t. It states perfectly how the majority of true Americans feel. Now it’s time to fight to get back our country for everyone. As a friend of mine once told me she didn’t like Trump but at least he was Republican! This nightmare is what we get for partisan voting. It’s time to get educated and vote responsibly. It’s impossible to miss President Obama any more than I already do.
Thanks for the laughs! I see you learned a lot from his apology tour.
That is an extremely rude and disingenuous comment. President Barack Obama never went on any “apology tour” — a negative term created by the Right Wing Radio and Fox “News” crowd — who were determined to criticize everything he did in the most negative way possible.
Maybe you don’t realize this, and maybe you don’t travel to other countries or even interact with people visiting the USA from other countries, but G.W. Bush badly damaged America’s reputation in the world community with his Iraq War which was totally based upon lies and greed.
The world is now more inter-connected than at any time in human history and G.W. Bush alienated the USA’s allies and enemies alike. President Barack Obama was left to mend fences, and repair as much of damage as he could, which is not an “apology tour” as y’all falsely claim.
President Barack Obama was a good man who believed in the best of America, no matter how cruel the people who refused to work with him in Washington were, or the awful lies they spread about him along with the terrible names they called his wife and young daughters.
That sub-section of the public who try to boil him down to sloganish terms like “apology tour” or “Marxist” or “socialist” are not thinking for themselves. If you look at how he leads his life, and inspires others to lead our lives, you will see that he is an honorable human being.
Thank you for such an eloquently written piece to Pres. Obama and his family. Yes, you are one hundred percent correct that we let him down – we owe him, and his family who were harassed, demeaned, and who was called a “liar,” during the State of the Union Address; a HUGE debt that can never be repaid. Never before has any other modern day president been verbally abused like Pres. Obama. Yet, he always stayed calm, classy, turned the other cheek, and kept on trying to do the job that the people elected him to do – regardless of the blatant racism and obstruction from his very first day in office.
By the end of your letter I was crying because we were all complacent during his time in office, and we never thought that we’d be in the situation that we are in today. I cry when he tweets calm reassuring words that we all so desperately need and want to hear. Yet don’t from the current administration.
I’m pledging to take a stand, and do better for this country that is so lost and make him proud. That every nasty thing that was done to him, and said about his lovely family wasn’t in vain.
Thank you President Obama and the First Lady Michelle for the past eight scandal free years, and for giving us hope!
Jeanne
There will never be a man like Obama for a long time but we can hope for one, there are decent men and women in this country who want to work and fight for the country we were 6 months ago before the disastrous “election” of a man with no morals, no intellect, no common decency, his only weapon when truth is spoken against his lack of mental agility,, against him is to insult. that is the sign of an ignorant egotistical and pure excuse for a man.
A Great Leader you were and you will forever be a great leader
Dear Presdent Obama, Michelle and girls,
I can say nothing more then thanks for being the best president since FDR. You brought healthcare for all, saved our country from a terrible recession and much more all while bringing dignity and elegance back to the White House for all the world to see and appreciate. Thank you Obama’s!
I may be a 73 year old white great grandmother, but I am so proud of you and your family!
This is what I felt but didn’t have the words. So beautifully said. You written what many of us wanted to say. Thank you! We are where we are now because he did the heavy lifting while we just cheered.
Thank you. Nicely done!
I put it this way back in 2014 “Obama Best President Since Eisenhower” https://ranthonysteele.blogspot.com/2015/01/obama-best-president-since-eisenhower.html I’m standing by that assessment. I came around to supporting him after he had already earned the office. His behavior AS president convinced me he was the right man for the job based simply on how bad every president since Eisenhower has fumbled the office they were given charge of. Given the quality of leadership of the current occupant of the White House, Barack Obama may very well be the last president of the United States.
President Obama gave us hope. A true embodiment of a triumph and celebration of the human spirit. Hemingway code in action! Warm-spirited, graceful, humble yet laser sharp-witted. Honoured to have lived in your era. Will never forget how you were not given the attention you deserved when you visited South Africa as Senator. Bishop Tutu received you at OR Tambo Intl Airport. Lo and behold there was a stampede a few years later when you visited again this time as US President. Someone even faked being a sign language interpreter to just be close to you. May God continue to smile upon you, family and the Bidens. Peace!!!
I feel exactly the same way as the author of this letter. I wish I’d done more, but like so many others, I thought “he had this”. He did inspire in me, the willingness to vote in every election, be it primaries(when I had no idea who the candidates were). and of course this last disaster of an election. I’d become “political”, but after he left, I lost interest in politics, and especially after knowing that the people of our country are satisfied with this person they put in office. My last resolution will be that “I will do more”.
Nobody else, I think, mentioned it above, so I will.
Mr. Barack Obama…gave me what was possibly the most significant moment of my life, when he became the first sitting President to SAY THE WORD “TRANSGENDER” – and he said it in the 2015 State of the Union Address!!
For the first time in my life, I COUNTED!!! I MATTERED!!
I would give anything to have you back, sir.
Thank you for reposting your beautiful letter. I had wanted to write a similar letter to President Obama toward the end of his second term, but, alas, I did not. You have inspired me. Also, like you and many others, I have become an activist in reaction the GOP administration. I hope that is some comfort to Mr. Obama.
At least we had some form of democracy under President Obama and thank you for your descent and gracious service. Now we have a Mafia-style government, where values and truth have been hijacked to serve power of the few over the unrepresented many, I pray that we can have free, unadulterated elections, where all citizens not incarcerated can be sure their votes will be correctly processed and uncompromised.
Thank you for sharing your beautifully written letter. I wrote to President Obama’s when he left office to thank him but it didn’t compare to yours. You are so right, we didn’t fight for him when we could have, should have. However he has told us how to change the world around us now we have to do it.
This letter right here!. Mannn. Nothing but love for you, this letter and the past administration.
A year later and just after his 57 birthday, I reiterate what I said in 2017, but with greater URGENCY – ffs America rid the world of the aberration you voted in. He is doing untold harm globally through example, through incredible ignorance and through hubris.
Meanwhile the Elephant in the room wont be denied – Climate Change will affect all!
I know Americanns are convinced they give all to the world and most of your leaders would have you believe no other, but also from Reagan on your education has been eviscerated and you are sadly unaware how the US extracts its pound of flesh, and then some!
You have destroyed democracies worldwide if they didnt suit your agenda, from South America to the middle East to Australia and South East Asia, you have undermined freely elected governments, so that some would say that your current predicament is karma.
Its true that you stand to learn a valuable lesson in humility and inclusion, the opportunity is certainly there. But also equally possible you will retreat into ever more deluded fantasies of exceptionalism, that prop up your personal emotional inadequcies.
In which instance, we are truly fucked, because characters like Bannon will be ecouraged to progect their ow hangups ad failures onto the world stage, and we all should know where that will lead.
Im not sure you should hang all your hope on Mueller, or any one saviour, rather a COLLECTIVE effort – from continual marches like in the Vietnam war to Mass general strikes and civil disobedience. And recognise more how you were supported by the world in the Womens March, the most extraordinary collective outpouring of solidarity I can remember.
Yes you Can.
‘I wept tears of joy when Obama was elected for all of us. But when he said “Yes We Can’ I knew Americans would forget, that they wouldnt understand what he was asking, participation in change.
Instead I suspected that he would initially be deified and then damned, either completely or with faint praise.
But he has ushered in a new era of involvement in politics and civic discourse. And thats been compouded by Trump.
The citizen journalist, the citizen activist.
For century upon century humanity has been ruled by the few.
Obama offered the option for us to govern ourselves.
We wont see the full reach of it yet, but he planted that seed and its up to all of us to bring it to flower.
Happy Birthday Barack Hussein Obama, it was a great day when you were born.
Many thanks for the inspiration, the gravitas, the intelligence, the foresight, the wit, great charm, humanity and wisdom.
You are only human, but a great soul nonetheless, and a man who transends borders and speaks to the world.
And youre beautiful.’
Love every word!
That letter speaks for millions of us who didn’t appreciate President Obama, one of the greatest leaders our country had. Now we have a president of the “DIVIDED STATES”. Tears are coming from the eyes of The Statue Of Liberty.
I came across your post by accident and it promptly made me teared up. As a Canadian, it is painful to see what you guys in the United States are going through right now, and even more infuriating on how deeply divided the country is. The fact that 45 still has a lot of supporter completely boggles my mind and I’m sure the global community as a whole.
As your neighbour up north, I sincerely hope you guys are able to pull through this much stronger in November. You are after all, the country that produces Barack Obama, a human being of the highest order.
You’ve got this, we’re counting on you.
Thank you for that beautifully written heartwarming letter; it truly expresses many of my sentiments. Having endured the rain for 13 hours to ensure that everyone at the voting location to which I was assigned was allowed to cast their ballot in Chesterfield, VA, I was truly heartened when President Obama was elected and re-elected. Unfortunately, I knew that the white supremacists would crawl out of their caves in defiance to elect a race baiting ignoramus like Donald Trump to help feed their egos and uphold their myth that the color of their skin makes them superior to the most intellectually superior Black person, including President Obama. No other reason they would elect a “Donald Trump;” a demonstratively completely ignorant and intellectual light weight.
I discovered this by accident.
I am not Black.
I am not American.
I am White.
I am Male.
I am Canadian.
Obama was the best damn President America ever had.
Trump is a FUCKING BAFFOON.
I am not even interested in politics, and I don’t know much about the different parties, but I know people.
I know that, regardless of political standing, Obama was there for his country, and his people. I know that, regardless of political standing, Trump is not. Trump is burning his great country to the ground.
I came across your letter today, after a week of protests spurred by the murder of George Lloyd, and 3 days after I wrote a manifesto pledging to work as an ally to support my black countrymen and women by supporting change in our social construct to build us into a better, stronger America. I see now, having read your letter, that my pledge will be to my country, to President Biden and to his team, to PARTICIPATE as you describe and not just to vote and trust that “He’s got it.”
Beautiful letter, well written…You said it all! Thank you…
Thank you again and I Salute you “The Peoples President”…Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle for being The First President in My lifetime to truly define the Office of the POTUS with grace, dignity, Intelligence, adversity, perseverance, determination, integrity and the lists goes on… against “All ODDS!”
You Are Loved ❤️ and missed!
#45 is of “NO” match in comparison…and never Will be and can Never Fit your shoes.