Written by Paul Dillon
Meeting former President Barack Obama was nothing short of incredible. To meet the 44th President of the United States has been on my bucket list for some time and it is something I am going to remember for the rest of my life.
I was able to do this because my dad, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) Brandon Dillon, was the co-host with the Obama Foundation in setting up the event. My brother, sophomore Sean Dillon, was there for the same reason I was there; to shake hands with Obama.
Serving from 2008-2016, his legacy in government was something I had the opportunity of witnessing and that will hold a special place in my heart. During his presidency, not only did he make decisions that would change my life, but also the lives of millions of other Americans.
At Cass Technical High School in Detroit Michigan, Obama was set to appear on stage to deliver a speech to myself and 5,000 other lucky people. Even luckier than that, I and 30 other people had the opportunity to meet Obama backstage. But before we went backstage, we heard from people like Democratic candidate for Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and US Senator Debbie Stabenow, and other candidates in their respective elections.
Eventually, the time had come for me to be pulled backstage to meet the 44th President and have one of my biggest dreams fulfilled. As I waited in line, I was thinking of what I should say and how I would say it. After thinking for some time, we were at the front of the line, and then, right next to one of my biggest role models.
He asked me who I was and I respectfully shook his hand and said, “My name is Paul Dillon. I’m a tenth grader at Northview High School in Grand Rapids.” He proceeded to put his arm around me, then, with a flash, the picture was snapped and the dream had been caught on camera. I wasn’t star-struck, I was just relieved because my biggest dream was accomplished.
While walking down to the stage, I pointed at him, he pointed back and winked. After his speech, Obama came down to the row I was sitting in and he shook my hand again. I thanked him for being such a role model to me and millions of other people around the world, of all race and gender.
After I told him that I went to Northview High School, President Obama looked at the red and white letter of my sweatshirt and said, “Tell the Wildcats I said ‘Hello.’” So in retrospect, not only did I get to meet him, but Obama recognized Northview as well.
Paul….I so enjoyed reading about your meeting with former President Obama. Thanks for sharing!
Many liberals would like to say Obama was one of the best president to date. He’s African American, he’s super liberal with his views, he’s bad for the country, what’s not to like? Apparently many things, as a new book, “The Worst President in History, The Legacy of Barack Obama” lists over 200 reasons that Obama was bad for America here are a couple.
Blaming Bush and Congress for his woes. “During Obama’s first term, he blamed Bush for the economy, for the botched Operation Fast and Furious, for the massive deficits, for our plummeting national wealth, for our problems in the Middle East — for just about everything that went wrong.
War on coal and oil. “Obama forced more than 200 coal-fired plants to shut down over a five year period.”
Cut funding to fight aids. “This inexplicable decision had a devastating effect on Africa, where most AIDS deaths occur.”
Nominating John Brennan as CIA director. Brennan has gone on to be President Trump’s critic.
DACA via executive order. Obama went around Congress to give amnesty to some 800,000 younger illegal immigrants.
Assault on the press. The Committee to Protect Journalists, said of Obama’s media attacks, “In the Obama administration’s Washington, government officials are increasingly afraid to talk to the press. Those suspected of discussing, with reporters, anything that the government has classified as secret are subject to investigation, including lie-detector tests and scrutiny of their telephone and e-mail records.”
(Bedard 1)
Here is another list of things that Obama supported through faceless organisations and groups, and wanted to accomplish.
Send us into a Greece-like debt spiral that would crash the economy
Institute a government takeover of all health care
Kill elderly and disabled people who had become a drain on the system
Transition the U.S. to communism
Outlaw Christianity
Reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine then use it as a tool to silence conservative media
Force gas prices up to $8 or $10 a gallon to make driving impossible
Open the borders to a flood of undocumented immigrants
Confiscate Americans’ guns
Throw dissenters into concentration camps
Force whites to pay reparations to blacks in order to wreak vengeance for the sins of the past
Declare martial law and cancel the 2016 election so he could stay in office
(Waldman 2)
Disturbing right? It should be. Obama and his actions did not make sense, and did not help America in any way shape or form. Although Obama didn’t admit many of these up front, he paid large amounts of money to groups and organisations who had made it their mission to make these things happen. Many of these things go ignored because people want Obama’s presidency to be well remembered, after all, he was the first black president. I also wish that this could be said, but it cannot be. Obama did not have the U.S.A. in mind when making disastrous deals with foreign nations and funding anti-constitutional movements. Obama’s legacy has been very overrated by a media that wanted him to be successful in his goals. Clearly helping America was not one of them.
Bedard, Paul. “List: 200 Reasons Why Obama Is ‘Worst President in History’.” Washington Examiner, 9 Sept. 2018, http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/list-200-reasons-why-obama-is-worst-president-in-history.
“Obama’s Plan to Destroy America Has Failed Miserably.” The American Prospect, prospect.org/article/obamas-plan-destroy-america-has-failed-miserably.