On July 27th 2016, President Obama spoke to the Democratic National Convention (DNC), urging the US to vote against Donald Trump and for Hillary Clinton for president.
Just as Donald Trump is the anti-Obama, so Obama’s speech was anti to the speech Trump gave last week at the Republican convention. Trump appealed to our fears and the worst in us – Obama to our hopes and the best in us. It was devil and angel on the shoulders of the US.
Obama:
“You know, there’s been a lot of talk in this campaign about what America’s lost – people who tell us that our way of life is being undermined by pernicious changes and dark forces beyond our control. They tell voters there’s a ‘real America’ out there that must be restored. This isn’t an idea that started with Donald Trump. It’s been peddled by politicians for a long time – probably from the start of our Republic.
“And it’s got me thinking about the story I told you 12 years ago tonight, about my Kansas grandparents and the things they taught me when I was growing up. They came from the heartland; their ancestors began settling there about 200 years ago. They were Scotch-Irish mostly, farmers, teachers, ranch hands, pharmacists, oil rig workers. Hardy, small-town folks. Some were Democrats, but a lot of them were Republicans. My grandparents explained that they didn’t like show-offs. They didn’t admire braggarts or bullies. They didn’t respect mean-spiritedness, or folks who were always looking for shortcuts in life. Instead, they valued traits like honesty and hard work. Kindness and courtesy. Humility; responsibility; helping each other out.
“That’s what they believed in. True things. Things that last. The things we try to teach our kids. […]
“America has changed over the years. But these values my grandparents taught me – they haven’t gone anywhere. They’re as strong as ever; still cherished by people of every party, every race, and every faith. They live on in each of us. What makes us American, what makes us patriots, is what’s in here. That’s what matters. That’s why we can take the food and music and holidays and styles of other countries, and blend it into something uniquely our own. That’s why we can attract strivers and entrepreneurs from around the globe to build new factories and create new industries here. That’s why our military can look the way it does, every shade of humanity, forged into common service. That’s why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end.
“That’s America. Those bonds of affection; that common creed. We don’t fear the future; we shape it, embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own.”
This left me feeling so, so sad. It reminded me of what I once saw in him: a man who could give such wonderful speeches and yet who also truly understood the country. But the two never seem to come together.
– Abagond, 2016.
See also:
- Obama’s speech: video (46 minutes), full text
- Barack Obama
- 2016 election for US president
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Obama knows how to deliver a speech but he could *never* take certain actions or broach certain topics without appearing “divisive”. Trump is following his own agenda but he blew the door open right away with things he wanted to talk about and which would appeal to his base. He “went there” and is a divisive figure just as Obama would have been had he done the same. The difference is that Obama would have been DOA.
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Democracy, as practiced in America, will never leave any political faction totally happy, if it is truly working. I’ve lived long enough to conclude that the Civil Rights and New Deal Era of major political transformation were more dependent on a financially stable white middle-working class majority than any progressive ideology, no matter how compelling.
That said: I had as much hope as the next brother that President Obama would be able to enact the political promises of the 2008 DNC Convention Platform. I guess, much to our disappointment, the Republicans tactical move to the extreme messaging of fear and tribalism got to the mushy-middle first with a more compelling “it’s their fault” argument.
I would also note that the political maturity of POC and Progressives did not carry the day, post 2008 election, either. Splitting hairs over which medical care grand scheme was best divided our attention and fractured the message going into the 2010 mid-term election. The 2010 mid-term electoral loss of a federal majority coupled with the losses of state and local control across the country gave Obama and the Democrats nothing to work with. We didn’t show up for the 2010 mid-term elections and the Right wing extremists elected a working majority at the federal and state level that politically castrated Obama.
Now we, POC, sit around and complain in 2016 about the racist backlash that was easily predicted and have only our political inaction to blame for the emboldened surge of extreme white tribalism.
We elected a President, not a KING..!!
So, I’m not mad at President Obama. His political potential was stunted by voting apathy among the members of his 2008 coalition. We are now faced with social irrelevancy from Trump, Inc., or more of the same from CLINTON, Inc.
My hope is that we vote our interests and enthusiastically show up at the polls in 2016 and every election in the future. The justice system has knocked down the voting barriers erected by an emboldened Right Wing. There are no more excuses…….
To quote President Obama: “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
Short Version: There is no King. WE DECIDE..!!
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From a realist of the world a word.
And to those who would judge the efforts of others.
President Obama did more than most want to give him credit for. Try to remember he is a President not a King or Monarch. Every thing that he accomplished is long term and mainly invisible to most.
The battles he fought inside the White House and with Congress go unnoticed to those who wished he would have turned the world upside down.
He has proven that a Black person can be responsible and wise. That barrier is gone so you can now run and do all of the things that Black people want done. Of course you are brave and strong an will not be held back by the realities that face a President.
Having traveled the road from lynchings until today. Having been a part of the integration of the military. Having witnessed the removal of barriers over and over by unseen many I want to tell you that the current President of the United States has done more for this nation and for Blacks then any young individuals will ever be able to accomplish with their demand for all or nothing.
I was reminded the other day “Never judge a person until you have walked a mile in their moccasins”.
Be of good cheer one of you brave and wise young people will soon be able to step up to the plate and swing your bat.
From me:
Thank you Mr. President for your wonderful service to this nation and advancements of the Blacks.
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I think I’m gonna hurl.
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“…I want to tell you that the current President of the United States has done more for this nation and for Blacks then any young individuals will ever be able to accomplish …”
.
Don’t be shy, Allen Shaw! Tell me what the current POTUS has done for the nation.
I suspect that all I’ll hear are, CRICKETS.
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Fan …If you are unaware of what this President has done I would be an idiot to even attempt to tell you.
You have to continue to believe that this President has failed so you can believe that you and your new crop of doers are going to turn over every thing and perform miracles.
Your actual lack of experience in the moving of causes forward and your egotistical believe that you are going to effect massive change is refreshing. I am only sorry I will not be around to see you when you realize that you have only move the cause forward a minuscule amount.
Me, I am truly grateful for the Presidents contribution. But that is just me and after all what do I know.
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“But that is just me and after all what do I know.”
.
aka CRICKETS
But I’ll be here whenever you can determine what great contributions Obomber has done for the nation. He couldn’t even stand up to the cops who behaved “stupidly” toward his friend, Skip Gates of Harvard, when he got arrested after breaking into his own home. But he’s really good at drone bombing innocent people/families (supposedly collateral damage) in faraway places.
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@ Allen Shaw
No, please do list what President Obama has done for Black people. I would live to read it.
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You will live even though I am not going to list anything.
One day when the President has left office “abagond” will forget his short term memory loss and make a report on it without my help.
That will only be after others have faced the realities of the forward movement.
For now continue to believe what you believe and take a course in American Government, Especially Article 2 of the US Constitution.
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If I may interject, amidst the chirping crickets. He did sing for us and made a couple of witticisms that referenced black culture. Plus, he just…was. And isn’t that what really counts?
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I would suggest that all who find the President’s efforts lacking consider the difference between a Monarchy and a “Representative” Democracy.
Let’s be crystal clear about “1” very important thing about that difference: 13% (African American Population) has a voice only as big as the voice of our collective money (via Citizens United) and political power (voting for progressive candidates) gives us.
Either you seize the levers of power through political cunning or you will forever be servants to the whims of those with the patience for the long game.
If, you read my 1st post then you should be fully aware of how WE were too politically immature to follow up the success of the 2008 Presidential election by seizing power at the federal and state level in 2010.
Instead of solidifying our gains we allowed white progressives to spend all of our political (voting majority) capital in 2008 and 2009 dividing our forces over “Single Payer” vs “Obamacare” rather than keeping our eyes on the prize of voting for a progressive majority on the federal, state and local level.
That PROGRESSIVE VOTING MAJORITY would have insured that President Obama could have gotten a majority of the Progressive agenda passed and secured our fundamental voting rights, at the very least, until the next century.
The street level harassment that birthed BLM is a direct result of not seizing the state and local levers of power. End the “Obama Blame Game” and take responsibility for becoming politically astute enough to invest in understanding the Long Game well enough to at least realize how we got “schooled” in 2010 by the low information racists being manipulated by the Koch Brothers, et al.
If all you have is the Presidency, it ain’t enough to change a street sign.
in the meantime, consider how the mega-industrialists like Koch, Inc have conspired to pit “voodoo science” against “real science” and destroy the BLACK COMMUNITY of Flint Michigan by ignoring water safety laws. Which party has political control of the state of Michigan? Why is majority black Detroit under state level “Financial Marshal Law” after Obama SAVED the auto industry?
If Clinton is elected are the solar panel and high tech industries going to be incentivized to locate in Detroit? Are your elected representatives playing the long game on your behalf? Are you pushing them to do so?
When were the Republicans elected on the federal state and local levels that are fully engaged in rolling back voting rights? Do you even KNOW..??
Get Busy
Read the Constitution
Understand the levers of power
Seize control of your rights as a citizen and insist on equal rights under the law.
But, understand that the law is MADE by your legislators.
Choose Wisely…!!!
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“Get Busy
Read the Constitution”
.
You do know that the USA IS NOT a democracy, right?
Can you say R_E_P_U_B_L_I_C ??
Just because some politician or celebrity uses “democracy” to describe the U.S. does not mean that is correct.
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@ Fan…,
Yes, I’m keenly aware that the USA is a Republic.
But, to paraphrase: “I don’t think Republic means what you think it means”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic
Using slogans rather than FACTS doesn’t address the issues or solve any problems.
Q?: Are you and everyone you know registered to vote?
Q?: Have you ever participated in a local, state or federal candidate forum wherein (your) representatives were being vetted and chosen?
Q?:Are you aware of the contents of the 2016 DNC Policy Platform recently approved at the 2016 DNC Presidential Convention?
https://www.demconvention.com/platform/
Q?: Are you a citizen of the USA?
Q?: What specific RIGHTS do you have as a citizen of the USA?
Q?: Are you aware that each individual state, under their individual state constitutions, can legally enact their own laws that supersede the US Constitution? RE: Voting Restrictions, marijuana legalization
Q?: Do you have any idea what it costs to go before the Supreme Court to fight against state imposed legislation that restricts individual rights otherwise defined by the US Constitution? Ask the Koch Brothers..!!
Q?: Do you vote in all elections?
Q?: Are you aware that Citizens United now allows our (USA) political candidates to “legally” accept campaign contributions from foreign interests? RE: Trump = Russian campaign donations.
http://reclaimdemocracy.org/who-are-citizens-united/
Political ignorance only gives aid and comfort to your enemies.
Pick your battles.
Marshall your forces.
Vote your interests.
Exercise your rights to bring petitions before your government.
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@ Abagond,
“No, please do list what President Obama has done for Black people. I would live to read it.”
Obama declared that he is not the President of Black Americans, only. He took an oath to be President of ALL Americans, which by definition includes Black Americans. Doesn’t it…??
Within that context of Black Americans actually, as recognized and affirmed under the US Constitution, being AMERICANS, we have the SAME rights, privileges AND responsibilities, guaranteed by law, therein.
With regard to the specifics of your question I would submit the following link.
http://pleasecutthecrap.com/obama-accomplishments/
I would hope that a person of your oft demonstrated intelligence (and a personal hero of mine) would be able to glean from this list the positive effects of the policy changes cited therein on improving the lives of ALL Americans, which includes Black Americans.
I might be so bold as to suggest that the passage of the ACA (AKA Obamacare) should be at the top of any list of accomplishments because the “majority” of those helped by it’s passage are POC. Having access to affordable (federally subsidized?) health insurance is, as VP Biden said: “A BIG F’N DEAL”.
My question is this: Did our local and state “elected” representatives get the word out to help their “financially challenged citizenry” cut through the red tape to successfully enroll for these affordable life saving benefits?
Or, did the loss of the post 2010 mid-term elections allow newly elected southern state “racist” politicians to block the implementation of these life-saving benefits of AFFORDABLE health care, AKA “Obamacare”?
I can’t be any more emphatic about underscoring the fact that ELECTIONS MATTER. BLM only to those elected to represent the best interests of Black Americans. The ACA was blocked in states that have the largest concentrations of African Americans and the larges concentration of African American voters.
Just, WOW…!!!
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please, allen shaw. go ahead and enumerate what Obama has done for black people. it definitely wont take long. and it might help liberate you from your delusion. I myself cant think of one thing beyond token gestures. appropriate since he was our token president.
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2
a : representing no more than a symbolic effort : minimal, perfunctory
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Allen Shaw and Black Sci-Fi, please tell me what Obama did to mobilize the people who voted for him in 2008? How many of those racist legislators did he go after using the most advanced electoral machine the world has seen so far. Your blame the people claim doesn’t hold up to the facts. Obama’s campaign machinery was shut down after 2008 because it’s mission was deemed accomplished. Obama wanted a conservative Congress so that people like you could come here and make the lame excuses you are making. Did you guys forget that he wanted desperately to do a deal on deficits? The Right refused his offers to compromise because that was one of their core issues. After Obama got the Congress he wanted, he revved up his superb political machine to get himself reelected. Please tell me where I erred in this assessment of your Great Black hype?
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This article shows that the Democrats knew they would lose 5 months before the midterm elections of 2010. I’d like you guys to tell me why nothing was done to remedy the shortcomings their data showed?
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/509026/how-obamas-team-used-big-data-to-rally-voters/
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@gro jo
“Your blame the people claim doesn’t hold up to the facts. Obama’s campaign machinery was shut down after 2008 because it’s mission was deemed accomplished. Obama wanted a conservative Congress so that people like you could come here and make the lame excuses you are making.”
Right you are. I get so tired of that canard. Blame the opposition. Blame the voters. Blame anybody but Obama.
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“Yes, I’m keenly aware that the USA is a Republic.”
@ Black Sci-Fi
Please allow me to remind you what YOU wrote:
“… and a “Representative” Democracy.”
Republic – A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of [common] citizens who can elect people to represent them.
That’s my understanding of what a republic is supposed to be. I say supposed because in reality the US is an oligarchy ruled by plutocrats.
Democracy?
Referendums?
When was the last time you or anyone you know voted to send people off to war, drop bombs on women and children and overthrow foreign governments not to the liking of super secret U.S. organizations?
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@Fan…
Thanks for your well-reasoned reply……
With all due respect, we seem to agree that the USA is politically organized as a Republic…that is “legally empowered” as a “Representative Democracy”.
Rome was also a Republic. But, it was not a democracy wherein the people voted for their representatives. Rome was, in fact, Republican Oligarchic Fascist Dictatorship. Yet it was still defined as a Republic.
http://www.romanempire.net/romepage/PolCht/senate.htm
@Fan..
“When was the last time you or anyone you know voted to send people off to war…….”
With regard to your last question, my quick answer would be the 1960’s Era of civil/political unrest that produced the Civil Rights legislation and stopped the war in Viet Nam.
And, unlike Rome, “we the people” ELECT our representatives. The people (in theory) chose those representatives (Neo-Cons or Neo Liberals) who support their interests like war or peace. My overriding point is: participating in choosing and campaigning for your representatives and forming coalitions with like minded groups (60’s anti-war + Civil Rights advocates?) of people gets things done.
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@Black Sci Fi
Obama declared that he is not the President of Black Americans, only. He took an oath to be President of ALL Americans, which by definition includes Black Americans. Doesn’t it…??
I see things differently. To me, Obama has not been the president of all Americans, only the top 10 percent at most. For Black people in the US, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, Obama has been an unmitigated disaster.
In another thread, I enumerated the ways he has heaped calamity upon Black people in the US of A. Here is the link:
All Obama has done for Africans is increase US military involvement on a continent that everyone wants to loot. The Africans need that like they need another colonial master.
For the rest on the diaspora, Obama has been one of the greatest purveyors of military hardware on the planet. That has increased, not decreased instability and insecurity for everyone.
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“With all due respect, we seem to agree that the USA is politically organized as a Republic…that is “legally empowered” as a “Representative Democracy”.”
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NO… we don’t agree. AND regarding the current political organization/set-up of the US, it’s anything but legal !
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While reading the comments in this thread I am reminded of a picture that appeared in 1865. It is a picture of a black man sitting at the feet of Massa Abraham Lincoln thanking him for freeing the slaves.
Some of the people that voted to place President Obama in the Oval Office seem to be similar to that freed slave. It’s up to the President to do everything. We must wait, we do not have to participate, we just have to wait for the President to do all of those things that we want done for ourselves. We do not have to get out into the community and demand our rights; the President must come into our community himself and speak to the local authorities. It is his job to come to the local manufacturers and tell them to hire us, he is the one who is supposed to talk to the police to make them stop treating us with disrespect, he is the one that should see to it that our children get out of bed and get an education and get a decent job, it is his responsibility to do these things for us because we are helpless. After all one hundred and fifty years ago our great grandparents were slaves and we cannot do anything without the help of Massa Obama.
After all he is de President. What do you think de President Is supposed to do? We don’t have to get out and demand our rights within the local community after all he is de President what more could you expect of us after that massive effort that we put together and we demand that he breathe for us.
A piece of advice for those individuals living today, the President of the United States is an administrative head of the government. If you carefully read the Constitution you will notice that he cannot do much of anything without the consent of the Senate. The imagination that seems to appear on this thread is that de President is an all-powerful person that can perform miracles. With the help of those individuals of good will both Black and White a President can accomplish many good things. When the general public fails to provide the President with a Congress that is supportive of his program they can expect a failed Presidency.
For those of you who understand what has happened in the last 7 ½ years I am positive that you realize the contributions that this President has made. We came out of the worst recession in the history of the United States the only worst financial condition was the depression of the 30s. Within this period of time the recovery within United States has been miraculous. Any advancement that has been made by the United States has affected the black individuals of this country. No President can selectively pick a group of people and move them up; however many programs have been established that any individual could use to advance their position in life.
Each individual must personally advance their cause. No person or activity can support an individual who is unwilling to put the effort forward to learn and achieve. The fact that the President of the United States is Black proves to all Blacks that there is no barrier that they cannot overcome.
I do not intend to ever list individually those achievements that this President has made. Even if I were to list such achievements those individuals who are commenting on this thread would find some way to belittle what was stated.
The only requirement that this President had was to be a good successful President. There is no doubt that with a rating that is as high as any previous President this President has succeeded and any black person who wishes to go forward will find that the barrier that this President faced no longer exists.
“No one is blind as one who refuses to see no one is deaf as one who refuses to hear”.
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@Allen Shaw
“I do not intend to ever list individually those achievements that this President has made.”
So you are admitting you have nothing.
Crickets and the sound of tall grass rustling
❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍❍
“We came out of the worst recession in the history of the United States the only worst financial condition was the depression of the 30s. Within this period of time the recovery within United States has been miraculous.”
What is miraculous is your perception that we are out of the depression woods.
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“What is miraculous is your perception that we are out of the depression woods.”
@ Afrofem ROTFLOL
Hey Shaw, are there any more of those Rose Colored Bubbles at the dealership where you got yours? I surely can use one, or two!
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@ Allen Shaw,
I appreciate and agree with your above analysis.
Full Stop..!!
I would also add that the cut in Civics (How government works in America) education classes in public schools at the primary school level, post Baby Boomers, has left a wide lane for the “NextGen internet spawned propaganda and fact free declarations of doom.
It’s a pity that there isn’t enough time in a day to sort through and reply to all the vicious Anti-Obama propaganda. I would start with a Master Class on the US Government: “How it works and how to change it to fit our, POC, needs.
Oh…wait…I already did…..!!!
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@Afrofem
Amazing post in the Maya Angelou thread. Thanks for pointing it out.
Just as you said, I didn’t expect him to govern as an anti-racist. However, while it would have been politically difficult for him to appear to “help” a minority group he is a part of, he never even abstained from doing damage when he could have.
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blather blather… and still haven’t named one thing that Obama has done for black people. i’m afraid we’ve given shaw an impossible task. he substitutes instead hackneyed platitudes about what our token president symbolizes.
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Blather is all our Obama fans can come up with. I asked them a concrete question, with facts to back it up, none of our heroes cared to answer:
What happened to the best political campaign machine the world has ever seen in the 2010 midterm election?
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@Origin
Yes, Obama went way, way beyond the call of duty to the top One Percent in his quest to inflict lasting damage to the African American community.
What hurts most is the large swaths of Black folk who worship the very sight, sound and thought of him. They have no idea of the pounding their hero has done to a community already on the ropes.
So very sad….
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One thing I heard a lot of main stream media talk about was whether Hillary could hold together the “Obama coalition”.
Also noted in the main stream media was Hillary’s “reaching out” to Sanders supporters during her speech and their presumption that she will get them.
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My granddaughter reminded me of the many individuals when making an insurance claim who were reminded that they did read the fine print of their policy and therefore were not eligible for any claim. The same applies to voting for the President of the United States.
If a person is uneducated and ignorant of the facts and fails to understand what they’re voting for and have great expectations of things which are not possible they are guaranteed to be unhappy with the outcome of any election.
The only real goal of President Obama running for office was that a Black person could become President of the United States. No other real promise was made specifically for any one group of people.
If Black people voted for President Obama thinking that they were going to have some special benefits they made a mistake. Presidents do not have the capability to pass laws. The President of the United States is the administrative head of the United States government.
During President Obama’s terms millions of Blacks have been hired and advanced in government jobs. Businesses which do business with the United States government are now required to comply with all activities regarding race which has been a massive benefit to the advancement of Blacks. This also is an invisible activity because those individuals who are promoted within the businesses usually move out of the Black living area into the quote unquote middle and upper-class (white) housing areas and become invisible. Many activities which are controlled by the government have been modified to include Blacks as a part of the activities. None of this is visible to the everyday ordinary person because these positions are all buried in offices throughout the United States.
The Justice Department has pursued many cases throughout the United States both in the Banking industry and crime where Blacks have been the beneficiary of such pursuits. All of this activity which is conducted by the various government departments of the United States of America has benefited the Black race as well as others.
Since not many people remember when Bill Clinton was President the many Black voices that were crying out that crack cocaine was destroyed in the Black neighborhoods and that something must be done to stop crack cocaine. When President Clinton and others pass the laws which gave harsher sentences for crack cocaine there were no words coming from any Black leaders or any Blacks complaining about the new sentences.
No one anticipated the serious problem that those laws created.
Since President Obama has come in the office the Justice Department has attempted to modify the sentences of the federal prisoners which were impacted by those laws. Since most of those laws were passed as state laws the federal government has no control over changing those laws. Not many states today have yet past modifications to those laws; however the President has lobbied for such changes with the states. Those federal prisoners who have been given the massive prison sentences are being reviewed to determine which ones can be released at the earliest possible moment. The problem is that in many of these cases multiple crimes were committed thus making it harder to determine who was a victim of the crack cocaine charges.
It does no good for me to comment any further because nothing that I’m going to say is going to really matter. The only a goal of most of the commentators is to smear the name of the President and there is no possible way that they’re going to hear or read what I’m saying. To them it is best described as foolishness.
No one can really identify any promises that the President made which he has not attempted to keep. It is the expectations that Black people seem to have had that President Obama could not fulfill. I have no clue as to what those expectations were; yet without stating what they are, many Blacks today are complaining that he has failed. They do not outline what he has not done they merrily accuse him of not supporting them. They find activities where he has attempted to solve problems which appeared to be neutral when both Blacks and Whites are concerned and blame him if he does not support the Black cause.
The President of the United States cannot pass a law and the President of the United States must submit to Congress any suggestions that he might have to improve the conditions of the nation. If the Congress chooses to ignore the President’s requests then the President must find ways to quote unquote negotiate with the Congress. When the President is required to negotiate he must give up something in order to obtain something. Horse-trading never looks good on the surface. Each side must give up something of value in order to gain something else of value.
It is truly unfortunate that there are various voices in the Black community who refuse to see any good in this President. By constantly claiming his failures and ignoring any activities which may be positive they will continue to scream that this President has failed the Blacks.
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@ Allen Shaw
Again, stop making sense. I posted a link to a summary of Obama’s accomplishments in office. I also read a link, suggested by Afrofem, that was posted in another thread. Afrofem’s link listed, in-detail, Obama’s failings regarding specific legislation that Obama proposed or failed to successfully oppose that harmed the Black Community.
@Afrofem…good catch…thanks. You’ve broadened my understanding.
I would suggest that what is missing from the “Obama’s Failures with the Black Community” link is the overlap legislation that replaces racially targeted legislation with legislation aimed at ALL Americans that achieves the same positive outcomes. Those positive outcomes “may” be found in the link I supplied regarding “Obama’s Successes” and hiding in plain sight under a new name.
I would suggest that all interested parties compare the 2 lists and draw a more unbiased conclusion, if possible.
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Shaw and SciFi. Proof that you can fool some of the people all of the time.
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The link Black Sci-Fi provided:
http://pleasecutthecrap.com/obama-accomplishments/
Lists 371 Obama accomplishments with citations. Of those, nine use the words “Black”, “African American”, “race” or “racism” and directly affect Black people (the numbering is mine):
1. Created a Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department that has become a very strong voice for Black people. http://bit.ly/1ObO7TI
2. Approved $1.2 billion discrimination settlement with black farmers who had proved USDA bias. http://huff.to/1Nol9Ab
3. Signed the Claims Resolution Act, which provided $4.6 billion in funding for a legal settlement with black and Native American farmers who had been cheated out of government loans and natural resource royalties in the past. http://1.usa.gov/dGppUa
4. Created a Policing Task Force to deal with the problems that led to the #BlackLivesMatter movement. http://nbcnews.to/1T17PON
5. Signed an executive order that expanded recognition and funding for historically black colleges and universities. http://on.thegrio.com/1rD50gc
6. Oversaw funding of the design of a new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, which is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015. He protected the funding during budget negotiations. http://on.fb.me/fD0EVO http://bit.ly/ff5Luv
7. Ordered companies with 100 employees or more to disclose pay data based on race and gender, to address the pay gap. http://theatln.tc/1Q04XPL
8. His Justice Department investigated the Ferguson Police Department twice and slammed them for their racism and exploitive practices. http://nbcnews.to/1q9jTpf
9. Despite the odds, became the first black president and then, was reelected by a wide margin.
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On the Maya Angelou thread, Afrofem listed the ways Obama has damaged Black people:
Here is that comment in full:
@munubantu
The short answer is: by not making things worse.
Obama campaigned and was elected during a time of extreme national crisis. Thanks to the gambling addicts on Wall Street who treat the banks and the stock market like a casino, millions of American families lost their homes to predatory loan swindles. Millions of American workers were pushed out on the street in the economic collapse that followed.
In many ways, Obama out-slicked former president Bill “Slick Willie” Clinton. The American people fell for the “hope and change” marketing. No group fell harder than African Americans. The optics of a Black president and his lovely Black wife dazzled them into insensibility. While Black folks were marveling over the “first Black President”, the Obama administration was making the lives of African Americans materially worse with policy initiatives and public actions such as:
1. HAMP (otherwise known as the Mortgage Swindle version 3.0)
The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) was billed as a life preserver for families facing foreclosure, but was actually a set of stylish concrete weights designed to drag struggling homeowners further underwater. HAMP helped big banks at the expense of struggling families who were overwhelmingly Black and Latino.
The Intercept’s Dave Dayen describes the effects of HAMP:
A foreclosure moratorium by executive order coupled with pressuring the banks to modify loan terms, would have provided breathing room to millions of people and allowed them to keep their homes.
2. Defunding HBCU’s
A little known policy that was a real kick in the teeth to Black families was the Obama administration’s cuts to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU’s). In 2009, the Obama administration slashed $73 million in federal aid to HBCU’s.
Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report summed up the cuts and their impact this way:
Ford continues,
http://www.blackagendareport.com/content/first-black-president-cuts-funds-black-higher-education/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/historically-black-schools-say-obamas-policies-have-fallen-short/2015/03/06/8ad96c70-bc71-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.html/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/13/hbcus-obama-administration-black-colleges-lawsuit_n_2869216.html/
The Obama administration could have chosen to maintain historical levels of funding for HBCU’s or even increased funding given the increased need. Even George Bush did not seek to push HBCU’s over a financial cliff.
3. The Betrayal of Organized Labor
Remember the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)? EFCA would have protected the rights of workers to join a union without fear of firing or harassment by management. Obama and the Congressional Democrats fiddled, dithered and scratched all manner of body parts until the clock ran out on this bill. That stab in organized labor’s back occurred after a massive push by every labor union in the country to put the Democratic betrayers in office.
Obama could have used the power of his office (including threats, coercion, arm-twisting backscratching and sweet talking) to push that bill through like President Lyndon B. Johnson did with Medicare Act in 1965.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/photogallery/medicare-bill-1965
4. His non-response to State violence against Black people, except to call protesters “thugs”!
Obama could choose to use his “bully pulpit” as president to speak out against state violence directed against Black people. All it takes is caring and guts.
5. His public tears over the gun murders of White children of Sandy Hook school, in affluent Newtown, Connecticut, in sharp contrast to his stony silence over the numerous gun murders of equally innocent working class Black children in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
6. Secret “trade” treaties: The Obama administration has secretly negotiated corporate giveaway treaties, including the TransPacific Partnership (TPP), its European counterpart (TTIP) and the abominable Trade In Services Agreement (TISA). If those outrageous bills are passed our corrupt Congress, Americans will lose national sovereignty and become little more than corporate sharecroppers. Those agreements will legitimize the snatching of American tax dollars by greedy, bloated and incompetent multinational corporations. One of the more offensive sections of the TPP allows corporations to sue governments because of the loss of “anticipated” profits—-ultimate welfare for the rich!
TPP : https://www.eff.org/issues/tpp
TTIP: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/what-is-ttip-and-six-reasons-why-the-answer-should-scare-you-9779688.html
TISA: http://www.epi.org/blog/tisa-a-secret-trade-agreement-that-will-usurp-americas-authority-to-make-immigration-policy/
7. NDAA: The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) stripped the American people of the rights afforded under the Magna Carta, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Under the NDAA, the Federal government can legally:
Section 1021 of the NDAA defines suspects as those who support the usual Middle Eastern foes, plus anyone who “substantially supports,” “directly supports” or are considered “associated forces” of those foes. These terms were left intentionally vague. Anyone can be swept up and shipped away to some secret prison without legal recourse. The Obama administration mounted a vigorous (and successful) defense of the law when it faced a legal challenge in 2013.
It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters labeled such a threat by a relentless media campaign, rounded up and disappeared. Black people are always impaled on the tip of the spear of oppressive laws like the NDAA. Imagine how such powers will be used by a President Cruz or a President Trump!
I refused to vote for Obama—-twice. I saw him for what he was from the earliest days of his candidacy; a Reagan disciple and flimflam man. I didn’t expect him to govern as an anti-racist. I only hoped he would minimize the damage to the Black community. Instead he has betrayed the interests of the Democratic party’s most loyal voting bloc through inaction and back-room deals. The enormity of the damage he has inflicted on Black people will not be fully acknowledged until years after he leaves office. I expect there will always be some Black people who support him. I will not be one of those people.
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I reversed engineered “Black People: The White Liberal User’s Guide” in this post:
As it turns out, Allen Shaw carried out two of its recommendations on this thread:
1. Take the Black vote for granted.
This is the key to all the rest. With other supporters, like feminists, gay rights activists, labour unions and “hard-working Americans”, once you are in office you have to throw them a bone, maybe even some red meat at times, so that they keep voting for you. You might think you should do the same for Black voters. Wrong! Huge mistake. If you openly favour Blacks, that will lose you way more White votes than you can possibly ever gain in Black votes. You can only help Blacks by helping Whites at the same time …
7. Show your concern for Black people: talk down to them.
Black people love that! Especially when they just got their university degree or rule a sovereign African nation. Oozing White paternalism is an important skill to master. If you do it right, you can blame the effects of White racism and imperialism on them! Remember: they have to “take responsibility”, but not you.
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@ Black Sci-Fi
Huh? That is true on paper, but not in practice. Read Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow” (2010) if you do not believe me.
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After reading these depressing comments, I think I will invest in Kleenex.
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I see no one talking about Obama speech concerning the boot strap myth and the things that was afforded his scottish/irish ancestors
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‘Looking forward to ex-Pres Obama’s ‘controversial’ statements supporting Palestinian rights. I know they’ll be bold & powerful. * Looking forward to ex-Pres Obama’s scathing attacks on Wall Street, once he is no longer in power. Bet he’ll make Liz Warren look tame! * Looking forward to ex-Pres Obama taking a knee on the sideline beside Kaepernick, after he’s left office. What an impact that will have! * Looking forward to ex-Pres Obama’s surprising denunciation of fracking as an “unconscionable assault” on the environment. MSNBC will cheer! * Looking forward to ex-Pres Obama’s NYT op-ed decrying New Cold War bellicosity, calling for “reason & respect” in policy toward Russia. * In short, looking forward to all the bold “progressive” stances ex-Pres Obama will take — once he’s unable to do jack shit about any of them. (Today’s twittering @empireburlesque.)’
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