(ThyBlackMan.com) In 2007 a relatively unknown Senator from Illinois by the name of Barack Hussein Obama entered the frays of the public spotlight by running for President of the United States. His charisma, his young looks, his family, and arguably his mannerisms and articulation made him a very attractive – yet ideal person for the Presidency. There were one – well – a couple of big problems. Barack Obama had to make America identify with him. His handlers made sure to bury his community organizing days since such works were largely linked with Socialist provocateur Sal Alinsky from the 60s and 70s. They also had to take him beyond the idea of coming from a bi-racial couple, then being raised by a White family in Hawaii. How can he truly identify with Black America? That wasn’t important – nor was really the impeding question. The question was, can he appeal to white America enough but look Black enough to win over the Black vote? The answer was astounding; YES, WE CAN!
The Obama campaign understood this dynamic very well. He had to appeal to White America – never mind Black America. Black America was happy enough with seeing a – well – appearing so Black man running for President. That was good enough and garnered their vote, hook, line, and sinker! White America needed a little more. They needed some assurance that he wasn’t going to play the “Vote for me because I’m Black and if you don’t, you’re racist.” card. So, Obama brought substance and valid talking points that Americans by and large wanted to hear from a Presidential candidate. As I spoke to many Obama enthusiasts during the 2007 campaign cycle many didn’t care what he had to say or what he was about. He was Black. He had a (D) next to his name. And his family was Black. Check. Check. Check. Some Black Americans wasn’t buying it, however. You mean to tell me that a Black man coming from a mostly White family is going to walk into the White House with no strings attached? Now there’s a thought most people, including me didn’t think about. How is it that a Black man will become the nation’s first Black President with virtually no push back in 2008? Did we really come that far? Did change really happen that we could believe in? NOPE.
Was America ready to elect Hillary Rodham Clinton, the wife of former President Bill Clinton? No. Not because she was a woman, but because she was Bill Clinton’s wife. It wreaked of nepotism and corruption that Americans wasn’t really ready to grapple with. That is largely why Bill stayed out of the picture for most of her campaign run. Did we want to see Senator John McCain as President? A decorated war hero and prisoner of war, yet moment’s notice away from handing the reins over to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. This was another NOPE. This is where the “lesser of two evils” idea comes in. Barack checked nearly all the boxes for Americans. We could stomach him for four years and see what happens. Black America just knew they were getting reparations! Black America turned out overwhelmingly for Barack in 2008. On election night chants in Grant Park in Chicago were heard, “We put him in the White House!” “We got him elected!” Now what?
A lot of Black Americans felt disillusioned with the Obama presidency. The common themed “Black issues” in America were not addressed, fixed, or even offered a solution by Democrats after the 2008 election and definitely not during the 2012-16 years. White Americans saw Obama as an opportunist in stoking racial tensions. Obama interjected himself in nearly every controversial matter surrounding violence towards African Americans from cops. He commonly remarked about the newly created buzzword about systemic racism. But was elected by this very same system. Of course, this was a talking point to appease the far-left crowd that espoused this rhetoric. His presidency was the typical establishment politics with a favoritism towards the LBGTQ+ agenda.
This is what mostly made Black America upset about former President Obama. He sold lip-service to the Black community while committed full-on service through the stroke of the pen to ALL other communities. While he tried to portray the ideal role for what Americans envisioned how a Presidency should be and what it should look like, at the end of the day President Barak Obama was par for the course.
Staff Writer; Randy Purham
This brother is a Former US Congressional Candidate for the House of Representatives for the state of Alaska At-Large. He is the CEO of Purham & Associates, LLC and Host of Purham & Associates Show on TECNTV.com.
