What Obama Means to Me | Teen Ink

What Obama Means to Me MAG

February 26, 2009
By inkwaves SILVER, Alexandria, Virginia
inkwaves SILVER, Alexandria, Virginia
9 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Two years ago, Obama meant nothing to me. His name did not ring any bells of hope or change or bring huge traffic to my hometown. However, just a year later, he became the Democratic nominee for president and his name rang the bells of history. Obama meant history was in the making.

Six months ago, Obama meant ­debates at the school lunch table and people selling his campaign buttons for five bucks and the scratched ones for three. Obama was my friend’s Halloween costume, and if a house had a McCain sign, he would take his mask off, get the candy, then say, “Vote for Obama.”

On November 4th, Obama meant campaigning was finally over. His ads would stop. His signs would be taken down. My family watched as the election was called and he won. To think that I thought it was all over that night … I thought his name would fade from the news ­because it would never again hold that suspense it had carried before the election. I was wrong. It only intensified. Every day the news brought something about him: “Today Obama met with President Bush,” “Today he is in town looking at schools for his daughters.”

Obama also meant some unexpected claims-to-fame for my family and friends. He attended the same high school as my stepdad. Apparently everybody called him “Barry” back then. One of my friends goes to the school in D.C. that Malia and Sasha now attend. She said she sees Malia and Sasha sometimes and the Secret Service walks around a lot. “One of the agents looks like a gorilla,” she noted.

Finally, on January 20th, Obama meant a day off from school. Being locals, my mom and I decided we would regret it if we missed such a historic event. So we timed our inauguration outing perfectly. We watched Obama get sworn in on TV. Then we took the Metro, which was practically empty. Once in D.C., we were instantly met with throngs of people. They blanketed the National Mall, the streets, and the Metro stations, most looking overwhelmed or just plain lost.

We walked in front of the Capitol where huge ­jumbotrons showed the Obamas going to a luncheon while we waddled outside in the cold. My mom and I walked between the rows of empty plastic chairs, like a sea of soldiers facing the inauguration platform. Litter tumbled by: newspapers with headlines related to the inauguration, the wrappers from hand warmers, a lonely glove, empty water bottles, and even a blanket from an expensive hotel. The Capitol reflecting pool was frozen, so people were out on it, sliding, dancing, or cautiously toeing the ice. I joined them, starting to feel like I was a part of something.

The crowd was enormous, bigger than any I had ever seen in Washington. They were bundled up, holding flags and wearing Obama pins. We met all sorts of people from almost everywhere. There was a couple all the way from Hawaii, wearing fresh but tired-looking leis and capris with long socks. Some people were dressed in traditional African clothing. We also saw a guy in an Obama superhero suit – a white spandex bodysuit with “Obama” written across the chest and fake muscles poking out everywhere. People had been asking him for pictures all day, he said nonchalantly as he leaned back in his chair at a Japanese restaurant, as if that was the most normal thing. And it was, because on inauguration day, I wasn’t surprised.

My mom and I challenged ourselves to wave to all the media. We waved to CNN. We waved to NBC. We jumped up and down and shouted “OBAMA!” whenever a camera passed. By the time we claimed our spot to watch the parade, I was freezing. The procession ­started at last, and lines of ­soldiers and bands marched past. A big truck inched by with cameramen in the back, aiming their cameras at the cars behind them.

Then a black car rolled by and the crowd ­started screaming … but it turned out to be Secret Service. Finally another appeared and we knew it was him. It was President Barack Obama. There was screaming and camera flashes. There was shoving and craning for a better look. There were squeals and gasps. And at the same time, it felt like slow motion. The car inched past. Even through the tinted windows, you could see our president ­grinning, and he gave us a wave.

After Obama passed, we watched the rest on TV in a restaurant. On the streets, people were selling everything Obama: T-shirts, buttons, key chains, mugs, and pictures of him from every angle (some more flattering than others). Then there were the “Take your picture with Obama” stands where you could stand next to a cardboard cutout.

After the inauguration, Obama represented not ­only an office, but also a person. At first, Obama was just a name. Then he was a face, a slogan, and a voice. Now, he was a person – very human as he gave one of his goofy grins that seem to say, This is all for me? As he entered the presidency, he became one of the unattainables. He is now in a fish bowl of scrutiny and admiration. He’s a celebrity, an influence, but that smile he flashed as his car passed us reminded me that he is still only human.

Humans, while not perfect, are capable of extra­ordinary things. Obama has already brought people together: from Hawaii and Kenya, Democrats and Republicans, blacks and whites, young and old voters, and the many who stood in the cold on January 20. I feel like “Obama” should be added to the dictionary. What other word describes hope, faith, unity, change, expectation, history, and leadership in just three ­syllables?



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This article has 104 comments.


on Aug. 13 2014 at 1:00 am
Caesar123 DIAMOND, Union Grove, Wisconsin
50 articles 7 photos 103 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Madness in great ones must not unwatched go" --Claudius in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

I’ll be frank. That was some very, very, very good writing. You have some really great skill. However, it’s obvious to all that you got caught up in that hopey, changey, sunshiney tripe that Obama was slinging about in ’08 and ’12. I just beg that you reconsider your position when Hilary comes knocking with the same garbage.

SarahM15 said...
on Oct. 15 2013 at 5:11 pm
I don't agree that Obama is some "superhuman". He may have made some improvements in the last few years, but our country is still in crisis mode. Personally, I think Obama was elected and reelected because people knew history would be made by electing the first black president, which I think is great. However, it doesn't necessarily make him a great leader. He hasn't made any great changes or made our country a better place. Sure, he's done a pretty good job so far, so I can't complain. Yet, it's nothing a man from another race couldn't be doing.

on Oct. 15 2013 at 3:24 pm
Obama to me means... The president that stops me from getting a copy of my social security card... Now I can't get my drivers license until the government is back up.

Nickycamp said...
on Oct. 15 2013 at 3:21 pm
Every morning I wake up I get mad because Obama is still president...Thanks Obama!

on Jan. 7 2013 at 3:54 pm
BilbroSwaggins SILVER, Blountstown, Florida
5 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Only the rocks live forever, so it matters not how long we live, but how we live." -Native American Proverb

My exact thoughts!  The fact that welfare is at an all time high is what what the president means to me.

on Nov. 22 2012 at 9:44 am
fictitious-quandary GOLD, Orlando, Florida
18 articles 5 photos 83 comments

Favorite Quote:
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right"
- Henry Ford

Reagan brought the country back up and Carter was just as bad if not worse than Bush. The Bush argument is lazy at best stupid at worst. Bush was not a terrific president but raising the nation debt by 13 billion in 2 years. 

on Nov. 5 2012 at 8:53 am
ChickenLegHouse BRONZE, Brighton, Michigan
3 articles 0 photos 44 comments
Yes, exactly.

on Nov. 5 2012 at 8:52 am
ChickenLegHouse BRONZE, Brighton, Michigan
3 articles 0 photos 44 comments
It's compleatly beside the point, but I love that quote.

on Jul. 13 2012 at 3:33 pm
Desmothenes Locke GOLD, Cresskill, New Jersey
13 articles 0 photos 21 comments
I guess you like appearances and charisma... not the stuff that actually matters like facts and data.

on May. 13 2012 at 10:03 am
BekkaGoodwin BRONZE, Haddonfield, New Jersey
2 articles 0 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves from others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves." -Francois de La Rochefoucauld

You have to remember that it's a lot harder to bring something up when it's already down. Our country was already in a bad state when Obama became President. You can't snap your fingers and make everything better. It takes time.

on Mar. 20 2012 at 10:17 am
lizzykitty GOLD, Manassas, Virginia
11 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28, KJV

"I feel like “Obama” should be added to the dictionary. What other word describes hope, faith, unity, change, expectation, history, and leadership in just three ­syllables?"

Are you trying to gag me? That is just terrible! Obama has only destroyed our country. He has brought our country into more trillions of debt and brings taxes only higher. He doesn't raise his hand over the heart during the National Athem. Sadly, our president has no real respect for our country. Who knows, he was probably born in Kenya. :P Why else would he be so afraid to not show us his birth cirtificate?


Leumer BRONZE said...
on Jan. 19 2012 at 6:45 pm
Leumer BRONZE, Greenwood, Indiana
4 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
Turn it off like a light switch!

Ok, this is a very well written essay. I applaud your writing ability. However, if you want the real truth, check out my essay, the Flaws of Barrack Obama. It offers a different view on our current president.

on Jan. 7 2012 at 10:02 am
dan_wills07 SILVER, Fort Wayne, Indiana
5 articles 0 photos 25 comments

Favorite Quote:
Live Life to the Fullest

Excellent essay about Obama.

on Oct. 6 2011 at 10:37 am
Willflower.-.-. BRONZE, Yuma, Arizona
2 articles 0 photos 72 comments

Favorite Quote:
This is us. This is who we are. We demand attention.

ANTI-OBAMA for life!

on Aug. 4 2011 at 11:12 am
custerrocks BRONZE, Aurora, Colorado
1 article 0 photos 6 comments
No Obama did that. He is bringing this country down.

on Jul. 26 2011 at 12:03 pm
yousaypotato... SILVER, Peacedale, Rhode Island
9 articles 1 photo 42 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A good friend will bail you out of jail. But a best friend will be sitting right there with you saying 'Dang, we really screwed up this time.'"

youre a kid. of course you cant do anything about it. but thats not his fault. blame george wahsington.

Fluffy2772 said...
on Jul. 21 2011 at 11:35 am
Fluffy2772, McDonough, Georgia
0 articles 0 photos 41 comments
No. Bush did that.

on May. 27 2011 at 11:12 pm

What other word, you ask, describes hope, faith, unity, change, expectation, history, and leadership in just three syllables?

Liberty.


wtt777 said...
on Mar. 14 2011 at 9:57 am
wtt777, Tennessee
0 articles 0 photos 7 comments
All Obama has done is lead our country on a path of economic destruction.

on Feb. 28 2011 at 11:04 pm
Phlegmatic BRONZE, El Paso, Texas
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
My own random quote: Though we may be better then one another we are the same of the makeup.

Bush had problems on his shoulders that the last president pushed onto him, that's why everyone assumes that Bush ruined the county, however Bush tried to help the U.S, until Obama came along, now its in his hands, but I do not see him making any postive changes, only negative, like the job losses, the health care doesn't even help.