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An Open Letter to President Barack Obama

Dear Mr. President

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An Open Letter to President Barack Obama
boston.com

Dear Mr. President.

It's such an honor to be writing to you. The respect I have for you is immeasurable. I won't pretend to have met you, or know anything about who you are deep down. We are not close. You don't know me. You don't even know I, as an individual, exist. But I do know that I know who you are. I have heard many of your speeches, I have seen what you have accomplished in your lifetime, and I hope that I know a little bit about your character.

I can only imagine how you are feeling. I know that you have worked so hard to do what you believe is right for your country. I know that you are only one person, and you could only ever do what you thought was best. You have pushed yourself past racism, past the glass ceiling, past everything and everyone who has ever held you back, and risen to the highest, most respected office in the land. You have done this with grace, and kept scandal and hatred out of your family in the meantime.

And now, you have to give up your office. It is time for you to leave your job behind, and allow the next elected President to step into your shoes, and take the reins. You have only ever done what you considered to be right, and now it's time for you to hope that the next candidate's vision for this country is not unlike yours.

But this seems unlikely.

The next candidate stepping into your shoes has a very different vision of America. One which the generation of millennials would call backwards, out of touch, even racist and bigoted. It seems that you, as the first black President of the United States, have to give way to man whose campaign for Presidency has been built on the division of our peoples. You are forced to give way to the man who spearheaded a racist campaign against you personally. This man has insisted that you must not be a real American, and therefore not our real President. His demanding of the release of your birth certificate was not just an insult to you, but an insult to non-white Americans everywhere. For years, he has personally insulted you, taunted you, and claimed that you are unfit for the oval office, primarily because of your skin color.

I can only imagine how this must feel for you. The American people have spoken, and the system has elected Trump as your successor. I know that I personally feel betrayed, as a woman and a bisexual, and an ally. After all the service you have given to this country, the American people decided that they would rather disregard the 'politically incorrect' statements this man has made, and elect someone who has disrespected you to the highest degree. He had not even shown respect for the office which he is about to enter, yet he was still elected.

I admire your strength. Your ability to look him in the eye and shake his hand, while he stares at the floor in shame, amazes me. While listening to the radio on November 9th, I heard your uplifting voice tell the American people,

"We have to remember that we're actually all on one team. This is an intramural scrimmage. We're not Democrats first. We're not Republicans first. We are Americans first. We're patriots first. We all want what's best for this country."

And I could not agree with you more. It is our duty as Americans to bridge the divide which our Republican candidate has created, and you have built this bridge with such deferential words. I applaud you for your ability to keep your mind on what is really important; the big picture.

It's so important for us to bridge this gap. It's this great divide which allowed for so many Americans to push aside his inappropriate comments. And now, it is our job to reach out to them. While some of them perform acts of hate, it is still important to understand that they are part of our system, and we have all played a part. Let's support a new positive agenda, and use his election as something to bring us all together. You have displayed this state of mind throughout this process, and I commend you for that.

I would like to congratulate you on a successful Presidency. Some citizens may not see it, but I know that you have turned around this country for the better. The overall welfare of our domain is better protected, better provided, and better understood because of your leadership. Please know that you are admired, appreciated, and respected by the American people.

I want to apologize for the American people who do not feel the same. I understand that this does not make them bad people, only people with a very different perspective. However understanding you may be, it can be painful to watch citizens whom you have worked so hard for disrespect you and dislike you so much. Please forgive them, because that is the only way we can move forward.

Last, I want to thank you. You have accomplished so much during your time in office. In the last eight years, you have managed to legalize gay marriage, provide healthcare to Americans who otherwise would have had none, lower the unemployment rate sufficiently, strengthen our economy, and effectively bring respect back to the office of President. We, as an entire nation, owe you so much. Having you as my President has been an honor and a privilege. You are my President. As I write to you now, I find myself struggling to find the words to embody exactly how I feel, and what you have meant to this country for the last eight years. You have provided me, throughout my development from child to teen to young adult, with an America which I can believe in, and support. You gave me hope, and now you have proved yourself worthy of our hope.

Thank you, Mr. President. You will be sorely missed.


Sources:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/11/09/preside...


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