[img]583|left|||no_popup[/img]Second of two parts
Re “What Obama’s Critics Need to Realize – A Drop of Reality”
Why do the President’s black critics try to hold Barack Obama to a different standard than they hold other men?
The sad truth is, America has conditioned them to view this black man with a jaundiced eye. Their attitudes and motivations are the same as with white racists: Whenever a black man demonstrates exceptional excellence, they see it as diminishing their own accomplishments.
The very existence of Barack Obama represents an assault on their self-esteem. It is killing them. He represents a pie in the face of their delusions of grandeur. I suspect President Obama knows this. He is precluded from saying it, so I am.
These critics didn’t lift a finger in the 2000 election when the black community and others, were disenfranchised to elect George W. Bush. They were all but mute in last month’s election while, once again, the GOP passed laws all over the country in an attempt to obstruct the black vote. Yet, after enduring all of that, just like their white racist counterparts, the mere idea of having a black man living in the White House is more than they can stomach. From the way some people are screaming, you would think the Grand Dragon of the Klan had been appointed to head the NAACP.
Republicans at the Wheel
No other group suffers from that kind of stupidity. It is a more serious problem in the black community than anything that President Obama can possibly address.
Surely these “intellectuals” have enough education to know that the United States Constitution states that the House of Representatives controls all spending. They also know that the House of Representatives is controlled by the Republican party. What do they expect President Obama to do other than what he is, trying to hold together a fragile coalition of blacks, Asians, Hispanics, gays, women, the young, the old, while designing policies broad enough to help all of them to put enough pressure on Congress to loosen the purse strings? These “public intellectuals” know that. Nevertheless, they continue to insist that Obama attempt to play poker at a blackjack table.
They should know enough about history to remember what brought down the civil rights movement. Many people don’t realize it, but Republican Richard Nixon helped to promote and signed important parts of affirmation action into effect.
His tongue was firmly in his cheek when signing the memorandum. You see, he knew that many of the white folks who supported the civil rights movement and marched with Martin Luther King would have a change of heart once black people started taking their jobs and replacing their children in college admissions across the country. That is just what happened.
We made a huge mistake while formulating affirmative action legislation. We should have demanded that it be based on need rather than race. That way, black people still would have been at the head of the line. We would not have given the GOP the leverage to convince poor and middle-class white people it was an assault on their rights.
Shortly after it went into effect, white people started to protest. Hordes of formerly moderate white people raced over to the Republican party. That ushered in the Ronald Reagan Era, with his “trickle-down economics,” the assault on the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the abolishment of the fairness doctrine. That, in turn, led directly to the rise of Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, the policies that ultimately caused the Wall Street collapse and the dire straits we find ourselves in today.
Poverty or Race?
Once again many of these black “intellectuals” are criticizing President Obama for having the good sense not to repeat history by refusing to throw his fist in the air. While they say it’s all about advocating against poverty, just like with white demagogues, they are conflating the term “poverty” with race even though they know just the scent of racial politics is grist for the Republican mill. That is why Obama has to avoid the issue, because Republicans can use it to drum up support to block anything he tries to do for the people at all.
If the “intellectuals” actually were concerned about the best interests of the black community while President Obama is trying to navigate the Republican minefield, they would be in the community organizing, educating, discussing what we can do to improve our own condition. But of course, that's too much like real work.
These people should be educating black people to understand that more money passes through the black community than through most countries. We could create our own jobs. But we don't. Why? Because black people are the product of the same racist environment as white people. We are just as reluctant to patronize black businesses as any hillbilly. Unlike any other community in the world, we would rather take our money and patronize any other people, as long as they are not black. That is hard to swallow.
Explaining Bigotry
Our bigoted attitude toward other black people is the primary reason we are lingering at the bottom of the social and economic ladder. That same bigotry is being reflected in the attitudes of Tavis Smiley, Cornel West and others of their ilk, toward President Obama. Essentially, all they are saying is, “Obama ain’t nobody. He’s just another nigga, like you.”
Think about it. Think about the kind of respect that these people afforded Bush and Dick Cheney, and those two were trying to cut our throats. In fact, they did. In spite of that, many black critics limited their criticism to mumbling under their breath. With Obama, they have pulled out their bullhorns. Cornel West, in his typically attention-seeking fashion, has even resorted to playing the dozens – with the President of the United States. That not only is highly disrespectful, but speaks volumes regarding his lack of respect, and his arrogant disdain, for the black community as a whole. Doesn't West love his people? Sure, just like a pimp loves his whores.
It is time for black people to come to terms with our racist attitudes toward one another. If we are going to hold a seminar on poverty, the major topic should not be Barack Obama but why we are so willing to pass by hundreds of black businesses in the community to take our money to Walmart. I would be a hypocrite to say never shop at Walmart. Sometimes our finances force us to deal with the devil, but we should at least balance our spending. Until we come to terms with what is essentially a boycott of black businesses, whining about high unemployment is silly.
One of the many things President Obama cannot do is sign a bill bestowing common sense upon the people. Learning to love and respect other black people, and acting with common sense, are two gifts no one else can give us.
Eric L. Wattree is a writer, poet and musician, born in Los Angeles. A columnist for the Los Angeles Sentinel, the Black Star News, a staff writer for Veterans Today, he is a contributing writer to Your Black World, the Huffington Post, ePluribus Media and other online sites and publications. He also is the author of “A Message From the Hood.”
Mr. Wattree may be contacted at wattree.blogspot.com or Ewattree@Gmail.com
