President Obama will undoubtedly face many racial relation issues during his time in office, however more pressing issues will take precedence in the immediate future. Major concerns facing the nation’s leadership include bringing the war to an end and turning our economy around so we can begin recovering from the past. And, of course, the arduous task of settling into life at the White House as the newest president of the United States will likely be on the front burner as well.
As historic as Tuesday was, the next four years will be even more so. President Obama will not only be working to repair the nation’s economy and its reputation worldwide, but he will be doing this as the first black president of our nation. That is a heavy weight to bear, knowing any mistake would perhaps be blamed on more than inadequacy on his part. Some people will be in dire search of anything that might make him appear less than capable of running our country.
It has been said time and again this nation isn’t ready for a black president, but I beg to disagree. President Obama has no military background, and this has been a highly debated issue throughout the campaign and election process. However, because of this it may prove that he is exactly the right person to settle disputes between nations. Allow me to clarify – because he has no military training, he is less likely to solve problems with military action. I believe he will seek peaceful measures to resolve foreign issues. This is not to discount any of our soldiers or veterans. Bless them all for their service. But as we have witnessed in this war so far, our military is easily swayed into unnecessary violence.
Because he is of mixed familial backgrounds, both racially and religiously, I believe he will have a better understanding of what it takes to ‘play nice’ with foreign nations. It takes a great deal of patience and true compassion to grasp the intensity of embracing another nation, and I feel President Obama is fully capable of doing just that because of his upbringing. His mother and grandparents saw to it that he was a well-rounded young man.
Having a law degree doesn’t hurt either Law school allowed for introduction to international law and human rights. His practice as a civil rights attorney should come into play many times during his tenure.
The question of whether President Obama’s tenure could be overshadowed by questions of race relations has more to do with foreign relations than race relations. Race is usually thought to be the color of one’s skin or a category we check on an application, but in actuality his presidency will be clouded with other issues than race.
The colors of the rainbow are present everywhere all over the world. Those colors remain exactly the same even though they are called by different names. The same holds true with people. We are the same inside; it’s the outside that has variation. I think the important thing is that President Obama has made it quite clear that he is well-aware of the fact that we are all human. We all are the same inside. We all make mistakes and we all pay the price.
He just has to figure out what the cost will be to restore the U.S. to its former glory, if that’s even possible. I wish him the best of luck.
