The Daring Audacity of President Obama

Hello again world and welcome back to my blog. In the spirit of American patriotism, today's entry will be about our current Commander and Chief, President Barack Obama. With the election year of 2012 on the horizon, Obama's chances of re-election are met with both anticipation by supporters and speculation by critics. We are left to ponder his chances of repeating victory; can he run the immaculate, well-oiled race again amidst the publicized doubts of his tenure in office over the last two and a half years? Right now the answer to that question splits down the middle, as those who believe Obama's best efforts are constantly constrained by "old school, politics as usual" government have as much power in their vote as those who believe his policies have since worsened the situation America was in when he first stepped into office. Nevertheless, most on either aisle can't (legitimately) dispute Obama's commitment to the American people, and in my opinion he is the most hardworking President I have seen thus far.



Barack Obama's race for the presidency in 2008 was nothing short of legendary, as his combination of fabled biography and idealistic vision led voters to view him as a symbolic hero within a matter of months. His was a style I call being so "classic it's original", as he had an grand backstory similar to that of Lincoln, a destiny that is aligned with the dream of King, the youthful optimism reminiscent of Kennedy, and had ahead of him a mountain of tasks to complete as Franklin Roosevelt did. America excitedly welcomed this type of heroic projection while facing the crises of downsized economy, rising gas prices and unemployment rates, and fighting in wars that were deemed unnecessary and unpopular. With the slogan "Yes We Can" as a battle cry, candidate Obama's main appeal to the voters was in rejuvenating their desire to join in the American process, poignantly reminding them that they must cite and enact the change they want seen rather than waiting on others to do so first.

In the two and a half years that Obama has taken office, he has worked towards fixing America's problems both domestic and foreign. However, his proposed plans and policies towards this effort would be met with resistance, mostly by a more conservative faction of Congress that claimed his agendas would be overexpensive and ineffective. This would lead to sparring between these conservatives and the liberals that supported the President's agendas, in turn making Obama become, unintentionally, the most polarizing figure in modern American politics. For the sake of having these policies go into active movement, Obama would go to compromise with Congress, even going as far to keep the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy (that he vowed to eradicate once in office) extended so that unemployment benefits for the middle, working class could be extended longer as well. Even for all his compromising and diligent efforts, the midterm elections of 2010 proved to be against the favor of Obama's Democratic party, as more Republicans were voted to Congressional seats.



After enduring such political defeats, Obama would gain a resurgance of popularity and confidence from the American people beginning in early 2011, its main catalyst being his order of raid and assassination of terrorist Osama bin Laden proving successful. This action would be Obama's crowning achievement in office (thus far); until his fatal capture, bin Laden had been elusive to worldwide law enforcement for the nearly one decade after the 9/11 attacks on America. This career victory would give Obama more clout to respond against critics who had previously questioned his competence and commitment to the presidency, as well as those who repeatedly (and foolishly) questioned his true nationality. I must admit that I enjoyed seeing this President wittingly address these opinions, as his responses were respectful yet defiant.



As the 2012 presidential election will soon be upon us, I beleive that Barack Obama will guide his campaign with two main factors; the first being his trademark, pop-culture styled accessibility to the American people, and the second being a showcase of the positive changes he made in America since being elected in 2008 (new reform on health care, finding services that creates new jobs, the capture of bin Laden). No matter what your opinion is of Obama and his policies, you must admit that he has gotten the American people to pay more attention to our country's problems and intended solutions more than any other President in recent history. One must also admit his bravery in being a "pop culture President", as he could far more easily be booed at public outings by the audience he works for than by the Congress he works with- and the fact that he doesn't get booed while appearing in these outings by the American public must mean that a great percentage of them must recognize his effort to change things for the better. I know Barack Obama can't entirely run the immaculate, well-oiled race again in 2012, but nevertheless I still believe in his chances for reelection due to the sort of idealism, accessibility and dignity he exemplifies.

Well, that's about it for now folks. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and let me know what you think about this and other entries. Until next time, peace out.

Our Revolutionary Braggarts: Ali vs. Pac

Hello again world and welcome back to my blog. For today's entry I've decided to do a compare and contrast between two of our culture's greatest anti-heroes, my definition of that term meaning that these two are individuals whose own specific ideals, actions, and dealings with their own unique opposition helped shape the societies in which they lived. These two anti-heroes, boxing legend Muhammad Ali and hip hop icon Tupac Shakur, are a generation apart but have striking similarities as well as outstanding differences both because of their rebellious legacies. I'll take it a step further and say that Ali and Pac symbolize being what could be known as a "revolutionary braggart", as their sociopolitical upbringings gave way to their defiant stances against conformity, prejudice and even traditional masculinity.

So how exactly are Ali and Pac "revolutionary"? You could start by evaluating them in their professional fields, where their legacies have reigning influence to this day. Since Ali, the main prototype of the modern black athlete has become more dominantly focused towards winning, thus becoming more unapologetic in determining the needs and surroundings they must have in order to win. Modern day hip hop has this sort of logic also, as it is verbally "athletic" due to its known competitive sparring- a facet of the genre that Pac would further influence (i.e "Hit 'Em Up"). But Pac's greatest contribution is allowing future hip hop artists to be more limitless in their musical and personal definitions, allowing them to be more multi-faceted and diverse within themselves than before.




Ali and Pac's professional legacies, of course, tie in to how they are culturally "revolutionary", but to appreciate the fullness of this particular aspect you must look at their own upbringings, as both came from and into social movements that were bred from modern anti-heroic, vigilante schools of thought. Cassius Clay's interpretation of the world became much broader due to his joining the Nation of Islam; and although they advocated total racial separation, Clay's devotion to this group informed him that there is a higher purpose and standard that he must fulfill, and he chose to display this through his celebrity and "rebirth" as Muhammad Ali. Tupac Shakur was literally born into the struggle as his mother, a Black Panther member, carried him during a short prison term and gave birth to him one month after her release. It is through his mother and her fellow radical allies and friends that Tupac began to gain awareness of his people, their struggle and a calling to make others socially and culturally aware.




So now that we've defined Ali and Pac in the "revolutionary" sense, how exactly are they "braggarts"? I think the most obvious answer is in how they both would never tire from proving their "righteousness" in their personal yet public battles. Ali and Pac would stop at nothing to make sure their presence and opinions were known through unconventional bravado that would resonate with their audiences yet intimidate their (chosen) opponents. In this spirit their bragging thus must come from the truths that represent themselves, their agendas and even their opponents. Both figures used this truthful bragging with great ability, but is here by their own personal usage of it that they begin to diverge. As an athlete, Ali figured out that he truly would have to incite his opponents through statements and antics that could be hurtful and insulting. This tactic would thus invoke his opponent with more emotional desire towards beating him; in doing it like this, Ali would perfect the art of "challenging entertainment". Pac, however, is more emotionally charged in his battles, as he sees his opposition more as the enemy that must be destroyed at all costs. Therefore, Pac's bragging uses the truth as a weapon that must vanquish those he deems unworthy in this challenge.

In all, I think that through their revolutionary bragging Muhammad Ali and Tupac Shakur became figures who represent a new kind of "eternal youth" that coupled fresh yet radical criticizing with a sort of sage wisdom that was beyond their years. Their courageous ability to stand for their convictions thus led them to condemning convictions, as Ali's draft refusal and Pac's murder, both at age 25 when these events occurred, robbed their audiences of truly seeing them go into their prime. It is because of this that their audiences helped shape their legacies as "the greatest" in their fields, as they inspired Ali to win professional and cultural victories past that prime, and they carried Pac's words, emotions, even (in remembrance of) his mistakes into their lifestyle and lexicon. Undoubtedly, these two revolutionary braggarts changed the expectations and capabilities that we set for ourselves and our future.

Well, that's about it for now folks. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and let me know what you think about this and other entries. Until then, peace out.