Barrack Obama: Black president or a President who is black?

by Staff November 10, 2014 11 Comments News Opinion Politics Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com) Midterm elections are typically viewed as a mandate for or against the party that is currently in power. As a result of this year’s fallout the Democratic Party, by losing control of the Senate, has all but given away any semblance of real power on Capitol Hill other than the presidential veto.

Looking beyond the immediate results, from a strategic standpoint, what the Republicans have done is nothing short of brilliant. They have succeeded in convincing a highly polarized and highly ignorant electorate that President Obama is the true enemy of the state. This comes in spite of the fact that under his administration the stock market has traded at record high levels, the deficit has been reduced by $1 trillion, job growth has steadily improved while unemployment (as tricky of a statistic as it is) has decreased. Of course the cornerstone of his administration has been the Affordable Healthcare Act (which is, for all intensive purposes, a recycled Republican idea).

In response to this ideological onslaught the Democrats did…nothing. In fact they tucked tail and ran away, going so far as to distance themselves from the very president who, a little over 10 years ago, carried their blood stained populist banner in an impassioned speech at the Democratic National Conventional. In the end the Democratic Party and its leaders have suffered a major blow that, for the most part, they allowed to happen.

But this has not all been the fault of the Democratic Party. A lot of the blame of President Obama’s fall from grace has been President Obama himself.

Contrary to the popular belief, when black folks elected Barrack Obama to be the 44^th President of the United States it wasn’t just because we wanted a president who was black. The black electorate is more sophisticated than that, just ask Alan Keyes and Herman Cain (both of whom are black and both who have unsuccessfully run for president).

The reason that we elected Barrack Obama is because in him we saw someone who seemed to understand our heartbeat. He wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was raised by a single mother and then grandparents who loved him. He graduated from law school and met a true sister from the Southside of Chicago who had also spent her life defying the odds laid out before her. After graduating he came back to the hood as a community activist. He could play hoops, wasn’t too proud to admit that he listened to rap music and could drop the mic and walk away after giving a speech. We were proud to prop him up as the best of what our community had to offer to the country and to the world.

On many issues he ran on a solidly progressive and left of center platform. He was very honest about the fact that he thought government should play a more expanded role in the lives of its citizens. He promised to give the common man a much needed voice in the often white shoe closed door power meetings held in the nation’s capital. In the end he campaigned that electing him would mean that it wouldn’t be business as usual in Washington D.C.

When he began his first term we knew the job was a tough one. For the most part the black community gave him a collective pass. We said “you didn’t create this mess. We’ll give you time. Handle your business brother, we got your back.” We began to see appointments of highly qualified and skilled black leaders in his administration. He showed up on the talk shows, he and the first lady brought a joie de vie to the White House after some really tough economic and political years. It was refreshing to see his oratorical skills readily on display on almost a weekly basis. We watched him fight an outwardly hostile congress and senate. We had his back, almost to a fault.

When it came time for re-election he could rely on us to stand firmly behind him, even though he had made statements about how he wasn’t just “our president” but he was “America’s president.” Well, we knew that. We deal with the fact that everyone in America doesn’t look like us or have our perspective or deals with the same stuff that we do on a daily basis. We’re not stupid. But, hey, we’ll let that one slide. We still got your back.

When the runaway housing industry came to a screeching halt due to the corrupt and illegal practices of the mortgage industry it was found that Wall Street and the banking industry willfully misled the American people. Millions lost their homes while these same bankers and brokers who stole billions of dollars received what was equivalent to immunity from prosecution by President Obama’s administration. His response was “it’s too big to fail.” Taxpayer bailouts ensued and the banking industry, after fleecing billions, was allowed to continue doing business, only this time much richer.

What happened to the “this won’t be business as usual,” Mr. President?

Last year a larger percentage of young black women chose to have an abortion more than any other ethnic group in the country. And while we understand that protecting a woman’s right to a legal and safe abortion does not mean the same thing as being pro-abortion, President Obama, indeed having learned profound oratory skills from the very community that helped to ignite the flame that propelled him to the White House in the first place seemingly can’t conjure up those same skills when defining those very nuances which might save one more black baby’s life from being extinguished.

The black community has always had a very strained relationship with the issue of homosexuality. This president has seemingly made it one of his top priorities to use his office as a sounding board of support for those members of the community who make the very difficult decision to go public with their sexuality. The same fortitude does not seem to be on display when it comes down to taking the lead on social injustices committed against black males. And while sending the attorney general to Ferguson, MO was a step in the right direction, not showing up himself was disheartening. We won’t even talk about how relatively silent he’s been on the violence in his own city of Chicago.

In his effort to prove to an ever-fearful white America that he is not simply “the black president” in some ways it seems that he has forgotten that he is the President who is black. Going into the latter part of his second term we should hope for a more forceful voice of advocacy for a community of Americans most in need. Our issues are America’s issues. When do we get a little more love?

In the end, for many, the question remains: do we have a Black President or a President who is black? In short we can, and should be, unapologetic in our critique yet diligently guard against being used as the political gun powder of the opposition.

Staff Writer; Steven Robinson

May also visit this talented writer over at; http://noroomtowiggle.wordpress.com/.

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James Davis says:
November 18, 2014 at 1:59 pm
To CD Smith:
It does me good to address your question. We as a society have become relaxed when it comes to political misdeeds. While these misdeeds affect us deeply, such as this economic downturn caused by Wall Street’s greed (highlighted in the The Fix This Time @ http://www.thefixthis.com ), we tend to brush them off and place what hope we have in a positive future in the hands of the same wolves who took us to cleaners in the first place. Well, it ought not to be that way! Somebody has to come along and say, “Hey, there is a reason why we are in a Great Recession and here are those reasons and here is what we can do about it.” I know that is a heavy lift because the reason the public gets misled in the first place is because they ignore the truth. Nevertheless, I have taken this task of exposing a $2.7 to $3.0 trillion dollar theft of our hard earned payroll taxes from the Social Security trust fund most seriously. The reason why is if we can call attention to and fix this one misdeed, the world will never be the same. We would have literally changed the world as we know it. You say how is that? Money is power! Placing the power of money, $2.8 trillion dollars to be exact, into the hands of working Americans changes the dynamics of the United States economy in a positive way and when this economy changes, the world economies change. Thus, we have the power to literally change the world!
http://thefixthistime.com
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James Davis says:
November 18, 2014 at 10:54 am
To CD Smith:
It does me good to address your question. We as a society have become relaxed when it comes to political misdeeds. While these misdeeds affect us deeply, such as this economic downturn caused by Wall Street greed (highlighted in the The Fix This Time @ http://www.thefixthis.com ), we tend to brush them off and place what hope we have in a positive future into hands of the same wolves who took us to cleaners in the first place. Well, it ought not be that way! Somebody has to come along and say, “Hey there is a reason why we are in a Great Recession and here are those reasons and here is what we do about it.” I know that is a heavy lift because the reason the public gets misled in the first place is because they ignore the truth. Nevertheless, I have taken this task of exposing a $2.7 – $3.0 trillion theft of our hard earned payroll taxes from the Social Security trust fund most seriously. The reason why is if we can call attention to and fix this one misdeed, the world will never be the same. We would have literally changed the world as we know it. You say how is that? Money is power! Placing the power of money, $2.8 trillion dollars to be exact, into the hands of working Americans changes the dynamics of the United States economy in a positive way and when this economy changes, the world economies change.
http://thefixthistime.com
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CD Smith says:
November 17, 2014 at 9:27 pm
James Davis,
I don’t question the validity of your idea but you are putting the cart before the horse.
What incentive do the members of Congress have to enact your idea? What ever more you earn, they are just going to raise taxes to take it away.
An well known economic concept, Laffer curve proves that low taxes increases revenue to the government. But, if the government spends the money like a drunken sailor in a strip club, then the effort is wasted.
Until there is a serious discussion on the governments role in the country in terms of their actual duties under the constitution, they will strip away any gains that your idea would provide…
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James Davis says:
November 16, 2014 at 11:20 pm
To CD Smith:
You said:
“With respect to James Davis, I believe your logic is flawed in that you expect the same politicians that are stealing our money to let us have some of it back?”
No, I do not believe that at all! I am by recommending the Davis Deficit Neutral Job Creation Plan as the next big thing, a shift in power. That’s right a challenge to the existing structure. Those in power recognize it as such which makes it difficult, but not impossible to bring to fruition. The plan advocates placing $2.8 trillion dollars directly into consumer hands over the next 16 years. This is a new paradigm. Power yields to a greater force when it has no other choice. However, you have to declare your position not only to the opposition but to those who will be affected. You have to present to a struggling world what is possible if they are willing to embrace change. Thanks for visting site.
http://www.Jobcreationnow.com
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cd smith says:
November 16, 2014 at 8:46 pm
Very well stated Northern Magnolia..
With respect to James Davis, I believe your logic is flawed in that you expect the same politicians that are stealing our money to let us have some of it back?
Steven Williams,
Black folks will have to wake up and admit that the majority of our problems are the result of our cultural behaviors economic and social. We can no longer keep buying into this “blaming” the victim rhetoric that most black liberals subscribe. Obama became President because the majority of whites did not want to miss the opportunity to show that at least in their minds, that things have changed and black people fooled themselves into thinking that black president would somehow make their lives better. Here is the truth, if you voted for Obama, all you got was a very good politician.
Lastly, here is my litmus test for a good economy, when I am able to quit my lousy job knowing I can do better that’s a good economy…
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Steve says:
November 16, 2014 at 12:04 pm
Mr. James Davis:
Very well stated.
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James Davis says:
November 15, 2014 at 2:01 pm
We as blacks have an obligation to find solutions also!
We as blacks should not place our emergence or rising out of our economic depression all on the shoulder of this president. Putting this economy back on track and seeing that blacks benefit positively is a tall order for any president, let alone one who is aggressively opposed by Republicans sometimes racially. We have an obligation to look for and promote solutions ourselves. This is something we not do. We publicize the problems of our race and how this president has not addressed them but rarely do we write about solutions We sit around and complain but do not suggest fixes. Who among us have suggested positive solutions to this president and had them rejected? We need to find “ specific and detailed solutions,” in our quest for economic empowerment. To many of us generalize. We should not be afraid to present and discuss detailed solutions to the problems which plague us? We must not feel we lack the skills to function in the arena of solutions. You know many rockets were tested before NASA found one with enough thrust and reliability to use in its program to put a man on the moon. Solutions to black economic empowerment will be no different.
Embracing and promoting good solutions is a function of power. Many of us say we are ready to take power but we sure don’t act like it. You see you sometimes have to endorse someone else’s idea if its the right solution. That’s right, even if it is not your own idea, as long as that solution gets you to the right place! It’s that simple. There is no question we are going get there, because there is no other way we will be successful. But how long and how many more knock downs we have to endure is an open question.
See a solution @ http://www.thefixthistime.com
The answer to us growing economically has always been right before our eyes. But it appears we need someone to yell in our ears, “Hey that’s the solution.” It as if we need approval from whites to advance our own agenda and solutions, especially when it comes to economics.
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Pat says:
November 12, 2014 at 11:54 am
I loooove your comment Terrance!
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Steve says:
November 12, 2014 at 11:40 am
@Terrance Amen:
I hear this mode of thinking a lot, that other groups pool their resources together and we don’t. I don’t know which community you’re in, but where I am, after close inspection, that narrative isn’t as clearly cut and defined.
Most communities that pool their resources come from a cultural paradigm of collectivism. When you couple that with cultural isolation due to, in large part, language and unfamiliarity with the American culture you have a community that HAS to rely on itself. Oh yeah, let’s not forget that these communities have foreign banks and lending sources from their countries ON TOP of getting US backed government loans to start their own businesses. Choosing to “recycle” their dollars is not a choice but a means of survival. You can see the breakdown in their second and third generations. But yes, since we are, by far, a consumer nation we should have more control of the goods and services we choose to acquire. I just don’t think that our position is something systematically cultural as you suggest.
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Northern Magnolia says:
November 12, 2014 at 4:35 am
We do have to stop looking for love in the wrong places… President Obama is a politician. He is neither the Messiah nor even close to all-powerful in this political system. He cannot do for ourselves what we will not do for ourselves.
Let me give a painful, blunt example; if ever you have a relative in long-term care, it will not matter if the administrator of the facility is Black. The only thing that will matter is you showing up often to let the staff know that you are keeping an eye on your relative and looking out for their welfare. If you don’t care, neither will the staff. So also the state of our community, deeply sick and wounded, and in need on serious long-term care. The only thing that will help is us showing up every day and doing what we need to do. President Obama could help, but that is all he can do.
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Terrance Amen says:
November 12, 2014 at 3:41 am
The President didn’t grow up in the hood or in a middleclass Black community. This is not his fault. Many times we judge peoples Blackness, based on where they’re from, how they sound, and what they look like. The bottom line, the President is Black, with a totally different experience then the average Black person. He is the first Black President of the United States, which is history I thought I’d never see.
But to expect him to solve the problems of the Black community, and the country, under any circumstances, let alone, one of the worst economic periods in the history of this country, is totally rediculous. This country is a capitalist nation, which means money is what runs this country. If you have it, you have power, if you don’t, you don’t have power. It’s that simple. If we ever want to reach our full potential, in all areas of our lives, we have to understand this most important fact.
Every group in this country understands that pooling their money and working together gives them power. We as a community don’t get that and this is the reason why we struggle as a community. We spend a trillion dollars outside our community. How do we expect to be successful when we spend all our money with everyone but ourselves? If we want to solve our problems in this country, we have to follow the same rules that every other group does.
We have to start shopping and investing in our own community. That’s it. There’s no secrete to being successful in this country. That’s why people from other countries who can hardly speak English can come here and be successful. They work together with their own community. Politicians are controlled by the wealthy. Let’s start building wealth in our community so we can have some power.
Black Unity is the solution, 3ufirst.com is the plan
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