Obama's first one-hundred days in office has been what I expected when
he entered the White House in January. Many of us got caught up in the
euphoria of his election without really analyzing the dynamics that
got him elected. We were just excited to see a "black face in a high
place" and we didn't take the time to see if he had an agenda for
Black America. Although me and my wife supported his campaign
financially I really learned alot about who he was when he threw his
pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright, under the bus. As a pastor and a
professor, it hurt to see Obama disrespect the man who brought him to
Christ, helped him grow spiritually, married him and Michelle, and
baptized his daughters, all in the name of winning white support for
his presidential bid. Further, throughout his campaign he said
virtually nothing about how his presidency would address black
concerns and issues. Like I told the young sisters at my church, if I
dated you for 16 months and said nothing about my child, would you
think that I loved my child? Probably not.
However, with that critique let's also consider some of the realities
he's facing as the first black president of the United States. First,
he has no one to go to for advice. There is not a single person who
has been in his shoes, so his advisors can only do that, advise.
Second, he inherited an economically-depressed country. It would be
hard enough to govern as a black man with an open checkbook, but when
white middle-class citizens are struggling to make ends meet then one
understands the depths of the economic collapse. Third, he's also
facing unrealistic expectations from black, brown, and white voters. I
would've liked to see him become mayor of Chicago instead of
president. Why? Because as mayor of the 3rd largest city in the
country, and the second largest black population, he would've been
able to make immediate improvements in the lives of people. As
President he needs the cooperation of people across the aisle, and of
people in his own party to pass meaningful legislation. Last, the most
obvious, he's a black man. Enough said.
No comments:
Post a Comment