Gone, but not forgotten

By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
TriceEdneyWire.com Columnist

The only time I can remember TIME moving as slowly as it has during the past six months was when I was eight and had to wait an entire year between Christmases. True or not, it feels like the Trump Administration has slowed the progress of time and assigned each day an additional 36 hours. One wonders how long it’ll take to lumber through his term in office.

I surmise that my lack of restful sleeping, and similar reports from others, has something to do with the current occupant of the Oval Office. It’s my opinion, but shared by many, that the discord and anxiety in our current socio-political structure directly relates to the incompetence of that occupant. We’re plagued with the question, “What are the long-term consequences to the nation because of this mistake in the White House?”

When at my limit, I retreat to the security of my memories. My only solace is the memories of the eight years of leadership by President Barack Obama and the Obama family. I, like unnumbered others, miss the Obamas and nostalgically wonder where their judgment and demeanor have gone. Most of us recognize that our national leadership is in drastic need of an injection of the Obama character.

When the Obamas left us, they both expressed the need for much needed sleep and spending “quality time” with family. They also said that they wanted to do “some normal stuff.” I doubt that anything they do will be considered “normal,” but God Bless them with the peace and tranquility to regain a measure of normalcy.

Many are sad that the Obamas had to leave us, but we’re realists and understand the political game. What we can’t reconcile is waking each morning with the ominous questions, “What did he do last night? What crisis of his making will we have to face today?” Those questions are a far cry from the surety that most of us had upon waking in the Obama Era.

We became used to the phrase “No drama Obama!” Whether spoken with positive or negative intent, we were comforted by understanding that, whatever the crisis, President Obama was versed on the subject and would take a thoughtful and measured approach to its resolution. The last thing to be expected from President Obama was a knee-jerk reaction to any event. We were comfortable with the “Nuclear Football” in his possession.

More often than not, on networks other than Fox, we hear opinions alleging Trump’s emotional instability. We’re deluged with reports of his rants in the White House and are audience to his “disturbed” Tweets against adversaries – both real and imagined. Rather than comfort, we’re in denial about who now controls that “Football.”

In the past few months, the Obamas have traveled to the British Virgin Islands, French Polynesia and Italy among other destinations. The world is still consumed with interest in their activities; yet, they remain connected to the imperatives of the nation. With a successor who is Hell-bent on destroying his legacy, President Obama has spoken out in the interests of common citizens and the consequences of an ill-conceived health plan – Trumpcare. To the joy of many, Michelle Obama delivered a recorded tribute to Chance the Rapper on the occasion of his receiving the 2017 BET Humanitarian Award. Those acts exemplify the “state of normal” concern for the Obamas.

I was blessed to visit the White House many times while they were there, but I have no desire to return! I’ve had an invitation, but I turned it down to preserve the memory of a White House as positive as it was when the Obamas lived there. No future visit to the White House could ever match the Obama years there.

This article originally published in the July 10, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.