Amidst the chaos after last Tuesday night’s election results, I wanted to take a moment to focus on the inevitable: President Obama leaving the White House after 8 years of tremendous service. President Obama is, no doubt, one of the coolest presidents we have had to date. Not only is he intelligent, ambitious, and successful at his job, but he is also an overall great human being. He defended the rights of all Americans—passing laws and policies that gave different communities their basic human rights (rights that were long overdue, might I add). He persevered through his opposition in order to do his best to make progressive changes for America; changes that he believed would better all of America’s citizens. By doing so, he became the embodiment of hope and change in times of hopelessness for the American people who had found themselves entangled in war and debt. He was an effective leader who kept his chivalrous and honorable qualities throughout his work, even when going head-to-head with his opponents—following his loving wife’s motto, “When they go low, we go high.” But most importantly, he was a down-to-earth, genuine person who put his family and fatherly duties above all else. He was humbled and good and showed sincerity towards everyone despite differences. He was a leader that many of his supporters aspired to be; the epitome of "a man of the people." All this being said, I am deeply saddened to see him go and to be replaced by someone like Donald Trump makes it even more disheartening, but I digress. I want to focus on the inspiration he gave to many, the legacy he has left, and the wonderful memories he has created during his time as president. Now that the time is nearing for us to say goodbye to President Obama as our leader on January 20, 2017, let’s take a look back on some of the greatest moments of his presidency.
1. Proving himself to be quite the musical talent
During a fundraiser at the Apollo Theater, President Obama serenaded his guests with a couple of lines from Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" and it was no short of amazing—he demonstrated that he has a nice set of pipes! Mr. Obama later showed that he likes to use songs to get his messages across when he appeared on Jimmy Fallon's "The Tonight Show." He was featured on a special edition of "Slow Jam The News" where he slow jammed all the achievements his administration has made while simultaneously taking jabs at now president-elect, Donald Trump. His appearance was priceless and can be viewed here.
2. Appearing on "Between Two Ferns"
After Bradley Cooper suggested that Mr. Obama should take part in his co-star's Funny or Die comedy series, the president agreed. He appeared on the scripted show with the goal of informing millennials about his healthcare initiative and ended up throwing some hilarious shade at its host, Zach Galifianakis. The comedic short proved successful as it resulted in an increase of healthcare enrollment at the time. Watch the hilarious sketch here.
3. Receiving a bear hug from an enthusiastic supporter
While making an unannounced stop at a pizzeria in Florida, President Obama was warmly greeted by its owner, Scott Van Duzer. After complimenting him on his incredible physique, Mr. Obama soon learned the true strength of Duzer when he proceeded to pick the president up in a huge bear hug! This is a definitely a sweet gesture and shows just how much love President Obama has received from his supporters.
4. Making it known that he is a "Game of Thrones" fan
In a voting PSA for the 2016 election, President Obama attempts to try 5 things that are harder than registering to vote. One of the main tasks he was asked to do was to name all the dead characters from HBO's hit television show, "Game of Thrones." Though he struggled with naming all of the deaths (because, let's face it, there is a ton of killing on that show), he proved himself to be quite knowledgeable about the television series. In the past, Mr. Obama has revealed himself to be an avid fan of the show when he requested to have advance episodes of the show's sixth season. Furthermore, he even threw in some Game of Thrones jokes during both his 2015 and 2016 White House correspondents' dinners.
5. Earning the title of "Baby Whisperer"
President Obama has shown that he has a great love for the children (especially the babies) that visit the White House; cooing at and playing with them as if he was a kid himself. Mr. Obama along with Mrs. Obama even visited Prince William and Princess Kate where the president played with the royal couple's toddler son, Prince George. Children alway seem to be taken with President Obama, demonstrated further when he stopped a stranger's baby from crying by just holding her. Mr. Obama's interactions with babies offered some of the cutest moments during his presidency.
6. Having little boys believing that they were real superheroes
More interactions with older kids find that President Obama doesn't refrain himself from playing make-believe with children in order to keep their little imaginations alive. When one of his staffer's kids dressed up as Spiderman and proceeded to shoot spider webs at him, Mr. Obama does his part in pretending to be entangled by the invisible web. Furthermore, during the 2016 White House Halloween Party, the president was greeted by a little boy dress as Superman. After asking the little boy for a high five, President Obama pretends to be knocked over by the little boy's incredible super strength. These two incidents indicate even more that Mr. Obama has a way with kids. Very cute!
7. Experiencing the joys of pet ownership
President Obama first adopted Bo, a male Portuguese Water Dog, several months after he came into office. The long walks and playtime he shares with Bo show the youthful vigor of the president while also defining the true meaning of a caring and responsible pet owner. Several months after he was re-elected for a second term, President Obama welcomed Sunny into the First Family—a female dog of the same breed as Bo. You know what they say: no family is complete without a four-legged friend and the Obamas have two!
8. Forming a brotherly bond with Vice President Joe Biden
President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden developed a deep bromance (that even resulted in the making of friendship bracelets) during the president's 8 years in office. Vice President Biden stated that he and Mr. Obama share a "genuine" friendship as they shared memorable experiences together while also helping each other cope with personal issues. You can always count on Mr. Biden to support his boss and their special relationship will go down as one of the greatest friendships in American political history. Their close bond and difference in personalities have even led to the creation of some hilarious memes by the online community.
9. Being a loving and doting father
President Obama has always made it clear that he wanted to play an active role in the upbringing of his daughters, Malia and Sasha; something rarely seen by presidential fathers. Mr. Obama has provided direction for them throughout their childhood into their teenage lives, and has proven himself to be quite a successful parent along with First Lady Michelle. Sasha recently took on a summer job at a seafood restaurant while her older sister, Malia, prepares to go to Harvard University in the fall of 2017. The First Couple sure proved themselves to be great parents by raising a couple of smart and talented young ladies!
10. Showing affection and devotion to his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama
In a nation where 40-50% of marriages end in divorce, it is refreshing to see the unwavering love between the First Couple. Michelle Obama has been right by her husband's side during his two terms, making it a duty of hers to help the nation's children by starting her Let's Move! program to help solve the issue of childhood obesity. This was just one of the many important accomplishments she achieved during her role as First Lady as she has been very successful with other movements to work towards healthy living that can benefit the nation's youth. Mr. Obama's love for Mrs. Obama seems to have grown stronger over the years as people point out that the loving gaze he gives her today rivals the one he has given her since the start of his presidency. Their relationship is so romantic that a movie about their first date, "Southside With You", was released in theaters on August 26, 2016, to positive reviews.
11. Taking that one final look during his second inauguration
After his second inauguration ceremony was over, President Obama waited to watch his wave of supporters leaving, proclaiming, "I'm going to take a look one more time...I'll never see this again." He genuinely savored the moment; a moment that showed his true love and passion for America and her people. It was truly a touching occasion to witness and can be seen here.
Even if you politically disagree with him, there is no denying that President Obama is one of the funniest and most charming presidents we have had to date. His compassion towards others and steadfast good spirits have inspired a lot of people to do the same, making America a more open-minded and accepting place to live. I am sure I speak for a majority of millennials when I say, "We want four more years." Thank you for your service, President Obama. You will be greatly missed.
