(ThyBlackMan.com)
“In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.”
Those words are from the second stanza of the William Ernest Henley poem “Invictus.” Mr. Henley – a noted Victorian English poet – wrote this piece in 1875. The word invictus is a Latin word which means “unconquered.” I don’t know the man personally (yet), but I am fairly certain that President Obama is very acquainted with the poem “Invictus.” Perhaps he memorized it in college as I did. Or maybe the President encountered it later on in his professional life. In either case, POTUS is currently a man on a mission. He’s still getting things done in the midst of unfavorable conditions. It seems to me that Barack Obama is actually triumphant. And no – I don’t drink alcohol.
What about the drubbing the Democratic Party just suffered during the 2014 midterm elections? I know, I know. It looked bad, smelled bad, sounded bad, and felt even worse. Since then, many Republicans gleefully concluded that President Obama had finally been neutralized. They reasoned that the GOP’s great success in the midterms surely branded him lame duck emeritus. Democrats thought so, too. I needed a few days of
meditation and relaxation myself before I could write “Category 5: Red Hurricane.” But like Obama, I rise.
You have to give the man credit. He’s like a film directed by Christopher Nolan (“Batman Begins”, “The Dark Knight”, “The Dark Knight Rises”, “Inception”, and “Interstellar” to name a few): deep, thoughtful, and consistently excellent in tone and presentation. Just after Election Day, the President stood before a White House briefing and congratulated the Republican Party for their victories. Although some members of his own party directly blamed him for Democrats losing control of the US Senate – as well as the House of Representatives – POTUS didn’t bellyache. He took it like a man. More specifically, he took it like a man with a plan.
Mr. Obama has just pulled off some politically potent moves.
For example, do you remember the waves of economic sanctions President Obama inflicted upon Vladimir Putin and Russia earlier this year for their hostile actions against Ukraine? Guess what? Those sanctions have individually and collectively reaped havoc on Russia’s economy in the past several months. Financial TKO there? Victory here.
The President took bold and decisive action on the matter of immigration reform. After finally realizing that the GOP has no desire resolve America’s broken immigration system, he addressed the nation on November 25th to share how he would use Executive Actions to do so himself. POTUS’s plan will defer action against undocumented immigrants who: have been here at least five years, have children who are U.S. citizens or legal residents, pass a criminal background check, and pay their taxes along with a one-time penalty. He encouraged over 5 million undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows. And he reminded his political enemies that if they didn’t like his Executive Actions, then all they needed to do was to pass a bill. Progressive and conservative legal scholars have concluded that the President has the power legally and constitutionally to do this. Win.
After months of silent, high-level negotiations, President Obama’s announced a historic agreement between the United States and China to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on November 11th. It’s potentially a really big deal because the US and China are world’s top two producers of greenhouse gases. These two nations are now joining forces on international law and domestic regulation. This sets the stage for a multi-lateral climate change treaty which could someday be agreed to by many countries globally. That, of course, would truly be groundbreaking. While the GOP simmers, hope glimmers. Success!
As if all those developments weren’t enough, word is that Obamacare season 2 is progressing beautifully so far. There have been plenty of people signing up in the new enrollment period – and no reports of any glitches or website crashes. Fist bump.
“Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.”
As Invictus’s third stanza suggests, the President is unafraid.
“Yes, we can” (or “Sí, se puede” in Spanish) was the President’s original slogan of hope and change until the GOP willfully turned it into a punchline. Well, anything out of style can come back into style. All it takes is time and patience. If you never cared for “Yes, we can!” – than perhaps you can better embrace “Yes, he did!”… or Invictus-in-Chief… or even “Obama en fuego.” The Prez has a little extra pep in his step. He’s unfazed by threats of impeachment and/or lawsuits. Mr. Obama seems renewed. Being triumphant tends to have those effects.
Staff Writer; Arthur L. Jones, III
This talented brother is a local Minister, weekly featured Democratic Op-Ed columnist, non-profit advisor, and sees the Braves winning it all this fall. Rev. Jones welcomes your comments! Please email him directly at: tcdppress@gmail.com.
