{"id":14249,"date":"2022-09-17T06:50:33","date_gmt":"2022-09-17T16:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/?p=14249"},"modified":"2022-09-17T06:50:34","modified_gmt":"2022-09-17T16:50:34","slug":"the-queens-passing-the-obamas-portraits-and-american-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/2022\/09\/17\/the-queens-passing-the-obamas-portraits-and-american-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Queen\u2019s Passing, The Obama\u2019s Portraits, And American Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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by Emil Guillermo<\/em>

On the same week Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96, Hawaii\u2019s Barack Obama was back in the news. And it was fortuitous timing. Both he and his wife Michelle are reminders to not go overboard on the Queen.

Have compassion for her as a human being, sure.

But remain repulsed by all that the monarchy stood for.

When she passed on September 8, the Queen was the nostalgic mascot of white superiority, where \u201cI\u2019m royal and you\u2019re not\u201d decides a lot.

Granted, the Queen had no real \u201cpolitical\u201d power. But she still had enormous influence in Great Britain and in the 15 countries in the commonwealth. She was a walking contradiction. A hood ornament but with none of the real might of the British Empire. She was just a living museum piece, a reminder of a repulsive imperial past.

You want to honor the colonizer? We started a revolution over that in America.

I don\u2019t blame the Queen personally. I covered the Queen once when she visited San Francisco in 1983. Then as now, as the world mourns her death, I am gratefully reminded how in our American democracy there is no monarchy.

I respect the Queen, of course, but I am still thinking about how in this country we do not have royalty. No, we have a president and first lady like Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.

It\u2019s BOMO.

They were back in Washington for the unveiling of their official portraits this week. All President Biden had to say was \u201cWelcome home,\u201d and I could feel it instantly. Not just in the room, but I could feel it all the way through my skinny TV screen, with C-SPAN on in my 106-degree California.

The good feelings of being American, the invincible audacity, the peppy mojo of it all, BOMO brought it back \u2013 not just for Biden, but for everyone watching.

You\u2019ll recall the Obamas left the White House in that tense but peaceful inaugural transition in January 2017, the way it\u2019s supposed to be.

Governance has never been the same after America entered The Dark Years. How dark? Biden\u2019s been fighting the darkness 24-7 ever since he took over in 2020.

But as we know, the narcissistic drama of a twice impeached defeated president\u2014No. 45\u2014never ends.

The Obamas were back in the White House the very day an exclusive Washington Post investigation exposed that the former disgraced President had documents containing the top secret nuclear capabilities of a foreign government, secrets so closely guarded only the president and a handful of officials were aware of their existence. Lives were at stake if the information fell into the wrong hands. All of that was found last month at Mar-a-Lago, secured with just a single padlock.

There was perhaps no better time for a White House visit.

More than ever, America needed No Drama Obama.

And Obama rose to the occasion. He kept things light so we could remember those happier times.

\u201cThanks for letting us invite a few friends to the White House,\u201d Barack Obama said to Biden at the start. \u201cWe will try not to tear up the place.\u201d

A burst of laughter put people at ease. But maybe because we all know he couldn\u2019t tear up the place any worse than President 45.

Obama was funny and gracious and gave Biden his props, thanking him for his \u201cdecency\u201d and \u201cstrength.\u201d

\u201cThanks to your faith in our democracy and the American people,\u201d Obama said, \u201cthe country is better off than when you took office. And we should all be deeply grateful for that.\u201d

There were 10 seconds of applause. It could have lasted longer.

The unveiling of official presidential portraits should always be a good time. It\u2019s about history and art, more than policy. But Biden had set the tone by reminding us of the kind of presidency and country we had under Obama.

\u201cWe weren\u2019t sure we\u2019d get anything done on ACA,\u201d Biden said. \u201cThink about the compromise. You refused. You went big, and now the Affordable Care Act is there permanently, and it\u2019s even being improved on.\u201d

Of course, that\u2019s not all. The Recovery Act brought America back from the Great Recession. Anyone with a house mortgage under water back then knows what Obama\u2019s HAMP program did to make things right.

And then he mentioned one thing that still matters to many Asian American Filipinos.

\u201cYou stood up for hundreds of thousands of Dreamers,\u201d Biden said. \u201cDreamers who only know America as their home.\u201d

These were among the Obama era polices that changed America for the good. And it came out of an administration that governed like we were all one family.

\u201cFor eight years, we grew to be a family for each other,\u201d Biden said. \u201cA family from different backgrounds brought together by a shared value set.\u201d

It was a sentiment Jill Biden also shared when she spoke. Sure, those days weren\u2019t always perfect, but those were good years for Filipino Americans.  Don\u2019t forget the victory over equity pay for Filipino Veterans of World War II after nearly six decades of fighting. Filipino Americans should never forget Obama got it done.

Michelle Obama<\/strong>\u2019s Democracy Lesson<\/strong>
But for me, the day was Michelle Obama\u2019s, as she connected all the dots at this unveiling of the portraits.

This was a time for art, after all. Barack Obama\u2019s portrait, a masterful bit of photorealism by Robert McCurdy, captured Obama poised for history, the first biracial African American from Hawaii ever to be president.

He was a standout amid a background of white space.

And there was Michelle Obama, in a Sharon Sprung portrait, full of life and color, a first lady like never before.

Both Obamas individually were portrayed, artfully, more truthfully than any literal photo, with plenty of room for imagination, appreciation, and inspiration.

Michelle Obama wearing braids was humbled to \u201csee this big, beautiful painting staring back at me,\u201d she said. \u201cI never could have imagined that any of this would be part of my story.\u201d

She launched into the importance of presidential portraits, White House traditions, and why they are \u201cabsolutely necessary.\u201d

They matter for everyone participating in and watching our democracy, she said. Because people make their voices heard with their vote, and an inauguration is held to ensure a peaceful transition of power, she continued. \u201cAnd once our time is up, we move on and all that remains in this hallowed place are our good efforts and these portraits.\u201d

That\u2019s the way it\u2019s supposed to be in a democracy.

Then came more of the personal touch, about how this was happening to an African American woman who \u201cwasn\u2019t supposed to serve as First Lady.\u201d

Michelle Obama asked, \u201cAnd who determines that?\u201d

\u201cToo often in this country, people feel like they have to look a certain way or act a certain way to fit in,\u201d Michelle Obama continued. \u201cThat they have to make a lot of money or come from a certain group, or class or faith in order to matter. But what we\u2019re looking at today, a portrait of a biracial kid with an unusual name, and the daughter of a water pump operator and a stay-at-home mom, what we are seeing is a reminder that there\u2019s a place for everyone in this country.\u201d

It\u2019s the important takeaway from this event. A democracy moment.

\u201cFor every young kid who is doubting themselves, (they have) to believe that they can too,\u201d Michelle Obama said. \u201cThat is what this country is about. It\u2019s not about blood or pedigree or wealth. It\u2019s a place where everyone should have a fair shot.\u201d

In a democracy, a president isn\u2019t a king. In a monarchy, that takes blood and pedigree.

She added how division and discrimination might have dimmed the light in our country, but that what we share is \u201cso much bigger than what we don\u2019t. Our democracy is so much stronger than our differences.\u201d

It was a message that should speak to every Filipino American, young, and old. Immigrant, native born.

And you can see it in the portraits. The art. Derived from the imagination, both portraits enabled us to better appreciate our memory of the past, and to envision the possibility of an even greater future for our democracy

One wonders about the portrait of the 45th president. Perhaps one day, an orange-haired face with a large body will be on the walls, maybe after serving time for violations of the Espionage Act.

But let\u2019s stay positive. Can we imagine a portrait of an Asian American Filipino president someday?

Someday in America. It will happen. Or at least, it can happen. You don\u2019t have to be royalty to be a president or first lady. Not here.

That\u2019s the promise of a thriving democracy.

EMIL GUILLERMO<\/strong> is a journalist and commentator. He talks about this column and other matters on <\/em>\u201cEmil Amok\u2019s Takeout,\u201d his AAPI micro-talk show. Live @2p Pacific. Livestream on <\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>; my <\/em>YouTube<\/em><\/a> channel; and <\/em>Twitter.<\/em><\/a> Catch the recordings on <\/em>www.amok.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Emil Guillermo On the same week Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96, Hawaii\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?fit=1358%2C1794&ssl=1",1358,1794,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?fit=227%2C300&ssl=1",227,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?fit=640%2C846&ssl=1",640,846,true],"large":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?fit=640%2C846&ssl=1",640,846,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?fit=1163%2C1536&ssl=1",1163,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?fit=1358%2C1794&ssl=1",1358,1794,true],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1",1200,800,true],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?resize=870%2C570&ssl=1",870,570,true],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?resize=600%2C900&ssl=1",600,900,true],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1",600,600,true],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?resize=952%2C715&ssl=1",952,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?resize=522%2C500&ssl=1",522,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?fit=1024%2C1353&ssl=1",1024,1353,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?resize=540%2C285&ssl=1",540,285,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?resize=375%2C250&ssl=1",375,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Candid Perspectives<\/a>","tag_info":"Candid Perspectives","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CP-Queen-Elizabeth-color_09172022.jpg?fit=1358%2C1794&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14249"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14249"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14250,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14249\/revisions\/14250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}