ED Obama's fond farewell
US president leaves office with people's affection
U.S. President Barack Obama, who will leave office on Jan. 20, delivered a farewell address to his people and the world in Chicago Tuesday.
As he made his way through the emotional speech, many people shouted “four more years.” It is obvious many Americans are sorry to see him go. After two terms, the first African-American to be elected U.S president is leaving with a high job approval rating ― more than 50 percent.
The 44th U.S. president’s laudable economic record is one of the reasons he deserves all the praise he is getting. It would not have been possible without Obama’s efforts to advance the American people’s livelihoods, which he kept up even in the twilight of his presidency. As a result, he is closing out his eight years with a 4.7 percent unemployment rate, a considerable improvement from the 10 percent in 2009 shortly after he took office. Also, the U.S. added more than 2 million new jobs in 2016. But Obama did not flaunt his achievements, but instead paid tribute to the people, saying “Because of you, by almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place than it was when we started.”
The high popularity Obama is enjoying at the very last stage of his presidency is something we have not seen with Korean Presidents. In most cases, Korean presidencies have ended in tragedy. Presidents suffered from their lame-duck status well before their terms ended and some fell into disgrace with corruption scandals involving family members and friends. One president even committed suicide eight years ago after leaving office.
President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached by the National Assembly in December 2016, still has some time left until her term is officially over. But regardless of the Constitutional Court’s final decision on the impeachment, many people already cannot wait to get rid of her and start afresh with a new president.
Obama’s departure has stirred strong wishes in many Koreans for a similarly happy ending for a Korean president in the future. Even if Park is reinstated by the Constitutional Court, it is too late to save her scarred presidency. So for those aiming to be the next president, it is important to closely examine the reasons that made Obama such a popular leader. One of biggest reasons is Obama’s effective communication. He succeeded in establishing a reputation as an accessible, caring leader with an active social media presence.
He also placed utmost importance on national unity. He vowed a peaceful transition of power to President-elect Donald Trump. In contrast, Park has only caused division. The so-called blacklist of anti-government cultural figures is just one example of the Park administration’s divisive policies.
A leader who puts priority on communicating with the people and bringing the people together will be able to leave office with their affection.