What did Obama promise back in 2008? He promised Hope and Change. It became the mantra of elected officials across the land; even I used this within my inaugural address. That hope, in policy terms, was a new direction in terms of healthcare, foreign policy, and most importantly the economy.
I do not see how any President can ever deliver on all their promises no matter how noble. American Muslims have to understand that the political arena is more analogous to a marathon than the 100 meter dash.
The community sentiment is that over the next four years we will see an Executive that shows more of a “backbone” because he does not have to seek re-election. However, what is missing from the equation is that the Executive is part of a political party and that for the next candidate of that party to successfully run for that position the current Executive has to work with his party. Therefore, no executive is independent but rather they are beholden to the internal politics and future survival of their party.
As the American Muslim community has engaged in politics there has been exponential maturing in the four yeas since 2008.
They are more vocal on key policy issues that resonate with not only the Democratic Party but with all Americans no matter what side of the aisle they fall upon. This will result in a snowball effect in 2016 where you will see a stronger and more vibrant campaign coming out of the Muslim community that may be unprecedented due to the evolving nature of elections in this digital media age.
Read other perspectives here.
Salim Patel is the President of the Passaic (NJ) Board of Education and he serves as Chairman on the board of The SMILE Organization which is dedicated to providing thousands of bags of food to a food pantry focused on serving the low income and the under privileged in the Paterson and Passaic county’s in New Jersey since 2008.
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