by R. Murdock
To be up front, I voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and was one
of the most passionate of supporters. When he won the election I was jumping up
and down in my living room, crying tears of joy. I was proud of America for
choosing the first black president and was filled with so much hope for the
future. I literally thought my chest would explode with happiness.
I saw his election as a pivotal moment. Being of mixed race
myself and dealing with insecurities of who I was, I felt a kinship to Obama,
especially after reading his book, “Dreams From My Father.”
Over the next 3 years after his election, I experienced a
change. I had been socially a moderate conservative but fiscally liberal. I
began to study books about the founding fathers, the vision they had of America
and the whole philosophy about responsibility, liberty and independence that
conservatives hold. Over time my
views changed. While I still like Obama as a person (most of the time,) I no
longer agree with his policies, methods and ideology. He has not united us as I once hoped. Sadly, we are more
divided than ever while our economy teeters on the brink of a fiscal cliff
while Obama happily leads with the strange slogan of “Forward.”
“2016” relies heavily on Obama’s own words from his book,
“Dreams From My Father.” It delves into Obama’s past, the places he’s lived,
the experiences he’s had, the people who mentored him, and the lack of a
relationship he had with his estranged father. It also discusses
anti-colonialist views held by Barack Obama Sr. and how the younger Obama was
influenced by those views despite his father being absent for most of his life.
While watching this film, I didn’t find myself hating Obama.
In fact it solidified some of the kinship I had felt before. I felt compassion
for him because of the journey and life he’s had. I don’t blame him for his
views. I understand perfectly why he has them. The question is: Is it good for
America to have a president who doesn’t believe in the greatness of America to
the same degree most of us do? Is it good to have a president who believes
America practices colonialism and feels he should apologize to the world for
past grievances and bring America down a notch?
Obama’s world view isn’t radically different from how many
liberals see the world. But it is radically different from how America, as a
whole, views the world. Obama has taken definitive action affecting US policy
with the world, which has a direct impact on our countries status in every way
possible.
There is no way I could possibly sum up or explain the
fascinating story and conclusions made in this film. I think everyone, liberals
and conservatives, should see this and decide for themselves.
It’s important for Obama supporters to understand that this
isn’t an ugly, hateful Obama bashing movie. Nor is it a far right, radical
conservative, racist movie. It is Barack Obama’s story. It is told by a man who
himself grew up in a third world country and has his own unique experiences and
feelings about and towards the United States of America. D'souza contrasts
Obama’s world view with the vision the founding father’s had for our country. The
two are different. It’s up to the viewer to decide if that matters to them or
not. If I had seen this movie four years ago, I simply would have decided that
some of the conclusions were wrong but believe everything else about the movie.
I then would have chosen Obama’s vision over the founding fathers. But of
course, that’s before I had educated myself on what the founding father’s
actually established and hoped for our great nation-- and how the unique experiment
of America changed the world.
Please go see “2016: Obama’s America.”
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