It's sad what 19 months of chaos will do to your memory. I almost forgot what it was like to hear a real statesman speak.
But, after listening to former president Barack Obama deliver a speech at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign yesterday, my memory was properly refreshed.
Here's a link to his speech.
It was uplifting to hear an American president defend democracy and government institutions like our Department of Justice and the FBI, which have been under attack since Trump slunk into office.
It was good to hear a president who gave a speech without insulting or attacking his critics. Listening to Obama's measured speech, and the determined passion he showed for all Americans - rich and poor, was a textbook example of what a real president should be espousing.
Obama exposed the fear tactics of Trump and minions and turned it into a call for equality and justice. And hope. As he carefully articulated words with more than four-letters, I was reminded of Trump's speech last night where he couldn't even pronounce the word, anonymous. Trump's lexicon seldom goes over four letters per word, and maybe forty words total in his stunted vocabulary.
I heard sincerity in his words when Obama urged the younger generation to get out and to vote. Obama's words unite. Trump's words insult and divide.
Where we once had a president who paid strong attention to daily briefings, we now have a clown with an attention span of three minutes. If there's no photos or images for him to look at, that attention span becomes shorter.
Not a very secure feeling.
Once, a mere two years ago, America was a beacon of freedom to the world. Under Trump we've torn up international agreements and treaties, and are economically attacking our allies with extreme tariffs.
The central message that Obama wanted to deliver was straight forward; take your country back by VOTING in the midterms.
Time for me to walk on down the road...
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