As I watched the helicopter bearing Barack Obama fly away from the U.S. Capitol into the dreary rain, I begin to collect my thoughts for a media interview scheduled for later this afternoon. My first thought is sadness that a presidency which began in the bright sunshine ended in the rain. Many of us – even if we had not voted for Mr. Obama – hoped that the election of a black president would prove to be the definitive symbol of America’s success in overcoming the curse of racial discrimination. After all, Mr. Obama had been elected by an overwhelmingly white electorate.
Who could now say that America did not offer equal opportunity for success to the long-oppressed African Americans among us if the elected leader was one of their own? White Americans as well as black Americans had suffered through the tremendous upheavals of the Civil Rights Movement, and all were fervently hoping that the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had arrived.
Alas, it was not to be. Mr. Obama ignored the growing black middle class from which he had gained so much, and lavished his sympathy and support on the most extreme elements of the black community. In the process, he ignited a far deeper and more destructive racial divide, featuring the “war” on police officers. The result has been devastating to all Americans. The sunshine turned to rain during the presidency of Barack Hussein Obama.
The star of the Inauguration Day 2017, however, was Donald J. Trump, now 45th president of the United States of America. But the backdrop of the ceremonies actually transcends the players. The celebration of the peaceful transition of power for the 58th time since 1789 is really the epitome of all that the USA stands for.
Because our system of government, with all its flaws, has remained sufficiently acceptable to the citizens of our country, America has survived with its government intact for 228 years. The USA even survived a Civil War, which was occasioned by an attempt to transfer power by violence. Even the “American Emperor,” Franklin Delano Roosevelt, never became a dictator even though he held power for 14 years.
Mr. Trump, in his acceptance speech, was brief but informative. First of all, it showed clearly that Mr. Trump is not faint of heart. He stood there in front of the entire “Washington establishment” and repeated what he has made campaign theme – that the establishment has usurped the power of the people, protected themselves rather than the people they were sworn to serve, and allowed if not caused the empty factories, the long unemployment lines, and the abandonment of middle America. Much to the disappointment and disdain of his opponents, he showed that he is still Donald Trump. His message has not been changed by all the meetings and opposition assaults on his nominees. It is still the same as it was before the election.
Mr. Trump’s speech was a call to action (rather than words). Although terse, the speech was occasionally eloquent, as when he decried the plight of the inner cities and proclaimed solidarity with the unfortunate. He left no questions about his well- known intentions to “make America great again.” But his statement that the “feeling of patriotism leaves no room for prejudice” and his call for unity in pursuit of renewal showed a compassion that is not usually associated with him. The overall impression was of a strong leader, an energetic man of action.
Of course, there were protesters. But they never seem to understand that violence never gets them what they want.
Looking back already at Inauguration Day 2017: Our hopes for the success of the last president on his sunny inauguration day in 2009 ended in rain. Our hope for this new president is that what has begun in the rain will end in the sunshine.
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