“The Best We’ve Got”
It was a late, late weekend night, or an early, early weekend morning, depending on how you view things. For me, back in the early 2000's, it was certainly the former, and there were many such nights. A random phrase from one of them has stuck with me all these years, and that is, “The best we’ve got”.
I was at my apartment in Chelsea with two others, one guy and one girl, both good friends of mine. I’m guessing it was 2002 or 2003 and the time was most likely 4am-ish. We had been out for another night on the NYC town and ended up back at my place to extend the evening and most likely work on preventing early onset glaucoma.
The topic of conversation turned to politics. The details are fuzzy but I must have been on a George W. Bush directed and Uncle Joe inspired rant on how politicians are the worst and can’t be trusted and lie and cheat and who knows what else. My guy friend took the opposite position and said that politicians are, “the best we’ve got”.
“No, dude. You’re better than them. I’m better than them. Enrico Palazzo is better than them. Don’t you know that line about a company of 500 employees that includes 29 accused of spousal abuse, 7 arrested for fraud, 19 accused of writing bad checks, 117 directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses, 3 have done time for assault, 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit, 14 arrested on drug-related charges, 8 arrested for shoplifting, 21 current defendants in lawsuits, 84 arrested for drunk driving in the past year…it’s US Congress. This is not representative of “the best we’ve got”.
I was wrong.
Barack Obama has shown over the last 8 years that he is, in fact, the best we have. We often throw around the phrase “that guy’s the BEST”, like Pauly D from Jersey Shore, or “she’s the BEST”, like Mila Kunis’ character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. But Barack Obama is THE. ACTUAL. BEST.
Michelle, too. She is one of the finer women we will ever see in a public forum.
I realize it is difficult to keep politics out of the equation when speaking about the President of the United States, but I’m talking about Obama, the man. My stance here is not that he is the BEST president of all-time, we can leave that for a separate discussion.
The human element he has brought to the position is unrivaled.
He makes me smile. He makes me think. He makes me cry. He makes me proud. He makes me laugh. He makes me hopeful. Politicians should all evoke such emotion, but they rarely do.
The thought that after our next national tragedy someone else will be addressing the nation doesn’t feel right. In those moments, in most moments, in every moment where the human aspect is needed rather than the political, I want Obama.
We are spoiled. I hate to say it, but in the 8 or so presidencies I will see in the rest of my lifetime, I can’t imagine any scenario where I revere the president and first lady like I do Barack and Michelle.
Is it possible that the unfair opposition to Obama from day 1 has caused me to “unfairly” prop him up to such lofty heights, to balance things out? I guess that’s possible since every action has an equal and opposite reaction (shout out to Mrs. Roller, my 1st grade teacher), but the opposition was mostly rooted in where one stands politically, which is to be expected.
The hatred, on the other hand, now that is something that can push a guy like me to dig his feet in and “represent” for my side. During the past 8 years, what have the Obamas done to justify the hate? They have had no scandals, no rumors. They are great parents who seem to have an incredible marriage. They are funny, and fun. They are cool as can be under pressure. They are gracious, intelligent, thoughtful, caring, and classy. I think it is extremely difficult to dispute any of this yet a sizable faction of the country has a negative viewpoint of them. To me, that clearly sounds like a YOU problem.
In somber moments…THE BEST.
In times of crisis…THE BEST.
In a supporting role…THE BEST.
Hanging out, drinking coffee…THE BEST.
Just being himself…THE BEST.
When Muhammad Ali passed away last year, I thought to myself, “Damn, I wish I had the chance to experience HIM”. His peak was before my time and therefore, his greatness was never something I felt firsthand. There is no doubt he would have been one of “my guys”, The Greatest.
Obama is my generation’s Ali.
The Obamas are the best we’ve got. While I don’t really believe I was wrong in that conversation back in my apartment years ago, I will happily admit to being off for an 8-year period. I can’t wait to tell my sons one day that they were both born during the time when the POTUS was actually, for once, “the best we’ve got”.
