Obama--A President Like My Father

Obama—A President Like My Father
by Bryan R. Parker


A few weeks back I heard that Caroline Kennedy was going to endorse Barack Obama. As a supporter of Mr. Obama I was excited. As an African-American male I was filled with pride. Ms. Kennedy, in a New York Times Op-Ed piece, called Mr. Obama “[a] President like my father”. Since hearing this analogy, by John F. Kennedy’s daughter, to one of the most loved Presidents of all time, I have tried to ponder the historical significance of this statement. To be clear, it is historically significant for many reasons. The extent to which the statement will be deemed historically significant is still yet to be told. This much I believe, Barack Obama has a chance to be a President like the late, great John F. Kennedy. A charismatic leader of our country. A leader who can usher in needed change. A leader that can unite our country during a time of crisis and turmoil. A leader that can address the challenges that face our nation, and the world more generally, and fashion solutions that are both practical and profound.

We all know that the late Mr. Kennedy famously challenged Americans “[t]o ask not what their country could do for them, but what we could do for our country”. The emphasis being on the “we”, as an American people, and how “we” working together could make a difference in addressing the problems of the day. Mr. Kennedy was a very popular President who became famous for his leadership style, personality and noted speech making abilities. He came to power during the Cold War. He faced many challenges, both domestic and global when he took office. On the global front he was immediately met with situations in both Russia and Cuba. On the domestic front, he faced a nation threatening to be torn apart by racial tensions. It was a time of change in America to be sure. He noted that it had been seven years since the landmark Brown vs the Board of Education decision, yet America, in many ways remained both separate and unequal. He further noted that it had been more than 100 years since Lincoln had freed the slaves, yet there was little tangible evidence that there was equal opportunity in America independent of race.

In response to the growing race crisis that was facing the country, Mr. Kennedy bound together with civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. to fight racial prejudice and fashion solutions to the growing problem. Mr. Kennedy proposed the now famous Civil Rights legislation. He was truly a bridge between whites and minorities at a time when race threatened to tear our nation apart. Mr. Kennedy also formed the Peace Corps to promote democracy and freedom throughout the world. On November, 21, 1963, when he was assassinated, it was a sad and tragic day around the world. Many Americans, who were living at the time, still report being able to vividly remember where they were when the tragic event happened.

In the time since Mr. Kennedy’s Presidency, our nation has grown and made progress to be sure. We remain a Super Power, though the definition of what that means is again up for debate. The playing field of opportunities is more equal in our nation than it has ever been. We have even had leaders that served to unite people of all races and political affiliations—namely Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. While it can be debated, I would argue that neither of those men where truly a President like John F. Kennedy. It could be the times or the legacies both men left, however, I do not believe either man left the lasting social legacy reminiscent of Mr. Kennedy. Today, our nation again stands at a cross roads. Racial tensions are at their highest in some time. Opportunity, while better, is still not equal, let alone color blind. We face some of the worst partisan politics in our history. There is a looming US and maybe global economic crisis. The second Mr. Bush will leave us with a budget that at best, will not be able to be balanced before 2010. This is all against a changing global political backdrop where we see China as a dominant world force and a potentially free, or a least non-dictatorial, Cuba.

In his Iowa victory speech, Mr. Obama talked about the concept of equality being “written into our founding documents”. Like Mr. Kennedy before him, Mr. Obama recognizes the need for change to bring about the promise of cases like Brown.
Fredrick Douglas, writing in the late 1800s states “There is no negro problem. The problem is whether the American people have the loyalty enough, the honor enough, the patriotism enough to uphold the Constitution”. The principles of change Mr. Obama seeks, that I believe our country needs, are rooted in the Constitution. It will take change, a movement, a new way of doing things to usher in the true change this country needs. Like Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Obama says “we” have what “we” need to make this change—us. Mr. Kennedy asked Americans what they could do for the country. Mr. Obama says “we” are what “we” have been waiting for. “We” are the “we” that will lead this country to change—change regardless of race, social class or gender. Mr. Obama has shown the Kennedy like leadership and the ability to lead this kind of change. From his days in the Illinois Senate, to the US Senate, he has shown the ability to reach across the aisle to his republican counterparts, to strike compromise without letting the ugliness of partisan politics muddy the waters of change.

Critics say Mr. Obama is good at making speeches, but question his ability to truly govern. Speeches, words, ideas that inspire and catalyze people are exactly what are needed in a time of transition. We need someone that all people will listen to and be inspired by. Mr. Kennedy served as a congressman, and was almost a Vice Presidential nominee prior to running for President. Mr. Obama has, at a similar point in their careers, as much, if not more experience between his time in the Illinois legislature and the US Senate. Some men are just born to lead. Mr. Obama will need a strong team around him to address all the issues mentioned here, as well as others that are pressing. He has already shown a New Deal type willingness to fashion a “brain trust” around himself to give the country the best solutions possible to these myriad issues.

At the end of the day, this election about leadership. Who will lead this brain trust, who can lead this nation. I can only draw historic comparisons. Ms. Kennedy can draw both historic and personal comparisons. Based on what I know, I am inclined to believe her when she says Mr. Obama, unlike any of the other candidates for President, can be a President like her father—YES HE CAN!!!