A lie vs. a miscalculation

Dear editor:

A Viewpoint contributor recently wrote that liberals have two candidates for president, one a habitual liar and one a socialist and a communist. This ill-informed individual needs to learn the difference between a lie and a miscalculation, a socialist and a communist. The writer continues the letter demeaning President Obama, quoting timeworn lies.

This is what I believe is truth. President Obama will leave a legacy of defending the civil rights of all human beings, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or faith. He succeeded in what many presidents tried, beginning with President Nixon, in accomplishing affordable health care to more citizens. He made the working poor a priority. He spoke powerfully against the death penalty. He has fought for mercy on behalf of refugees and immigrants. He has challenged lobbyists and special interests that have weakened the middle class by increasing the income gap between the rich and poor. He is an advocate for equality in the marketplace for women, gays and minorities. He has worked to eliminate harassment and ostracizing the LGBT community. He has spoken against the gun lobby in an effort to reduce the violence in our cities.

No recent president has had his faith more consistently questioned and criticized. Current polls show that 45 percent of Republicans believe that he is a Muslim. If not a Muslim, some claim he is a false Christian. It is difficult for me to believe he is faking his Christianity. In fact, I see him acting more like Jesus than those who claim he is not a Christian. Recently, I watched him interviewed on CNN when he told Wolf Blitzer one of his biggest regrets is that he will leave behind a country that has grown more polarized and distrustful during his two terms in the White House. He continued, saying there's all this goodness and decency and common sense, and somehow it gets translated into rigid, dogmatic, often mean-spirited politics. He said he hoped as president he could bring healing to the political parties' distrust and unlock the gridlock in Washington. As I have observed President Obama, I have seen how his personal faith shapes his politics and it is his faith that explains his optimism and confidence and why he has never given up.

In the last year of his second term, I sense it's the president's faith giving him hope that it's possible to work together on the important issues facing America, on matters concerning criminal justice reform, jobs, income equality, sensible gun control, civil rights, global warming, national security, immigration and energy. We are divided as Republicans and Democrats with conservative and progressive views and it is important to keep in mind we are all Americans, this a truth to remember in the passion and intensity of political battle.

George Lindholm

Hot Springs

Editorial on 02/05/2016

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