Barack's Lament - Chris "Preach" Smith

Tonight, President Barack Obama will speak to a joint session
of Congress about his proposal for a new bill intended to create
sorely needed job growth. There is of course, an inherent move
taking place by Republicans to openly disrespect the President of
the United States by not even showing up. That's not what gets
me disgusted.

What has me utterly disgusted is the total lack of respect. And the
basis for it. From all sides.

We all knew that this was going to go down the first day President
Obama was in office. You have seated officials ON RECORD saying
that their main goal was to make him a 'one-term president.' You
have representatives stepping on his speeches in Congress. You have
bigoted pundits like Glenn Beck saying 'he hates white culture' and
Newt Gingrich calling him 'a food stamp President'. They HATE this
man and what he stands for. And will block him any chance they get.
And yet, some of you out there are still falling for the rope-a-dope.
Yes, I'm talking to those 'independent voters', those who feel that by
not voting they're sending a message, those poverty pimps on the
professional left. My message to you is to WAKE THE HELL UP.

What we have here is people's failure of perception. Let me illustrate.
Barack Obama, to me, is just like that one person of color that works
in a predominately white office. His track record is spotless, he's done
good work so he gets promoted. Immediately, the knives come out.
Code words become the norm. "We feel you might not be qualified enough."
"We don't feel you have a sense of commitment." "We're not seeing
your sense of urgency in what you do." Then there's quiet but somewhat
effective sabotage. It'll be through other co-workers' gaffes. Outright
refusal to do any work even if it harms the entire project. Cold stares or
even blank ones. And then, there's the patronizing tone. You know the
one. The one that suggests that you might have been better off in the
mailroom while the 'big' minds goof off and plan things over martini and
porterhouse steak luncheons paid for with corporate credit cards. In this
light, this prism, you see exactly how the Republicans and their Tea Party
faction see Barack Obama. As just another employee of color who they feel
doesn't know his place.


It's impossible to see this unless you get honest with yourself and your own
perspective. Race is a factor. If it was a factor in President Obama being elected
(let's be serious, the Democratic primary unfortunately was a choice for some of
'The Colored Guy' versus 'The Broad')it is going to be a main factor in a good
chunk of opposition to his politics. And the Republicans are taking advantage
any way they can. You can sit there and say that Barack needs to be tougher.
That he needs to get angry. But we all know that the one thing that scares a part
of the American populace of Caucasian heritage is 'the angry Black man.' Hell,
you've got elected officials claiming he's a terrorist playing 'gangsta' music in
the Oval Office. He had to take the Jackie Robinson approach. But no one on
the left is going to see this. And if there's anything one should know if they're
a student of real American history, is that some in the 'professional' left has done
just as much to hinder the progress of people of color than the right with their
timidity, splintered reactions to his policies. Look at the battle over his health care
plan. There just as many liberals calling him 'Hitler'.

And for Black people...some of you really need to get a grip. There are some of
you who subconsciously mimic these people and claim its 'realism'. Some of it
comes from the naivete that a Black president was going to automatically sweep
away everything overnight. You fell for the 'magic Negro' angle too. Instead you
choose to paint it as 'Superfly'. The work didn't end with his election. And there's
going to be a mountain range of work if he doesn't get a second term. You think
it's hard NOW? If a GOP candidate takes 2012, be prepared to live like it's 1963.
If you think I'm lying, look at the voting restrictions being put in place in North
and South Carolina, and in Wisconsin. Stop trying to be cool through cynicism if
you're not even doing your due diligence on current and past events. They want
you to dump on him too because THEY EXPECT YOU TO. I don't have to explain
who 'they' are.

The President deserves respect. I didn't hear all of these people talk so loudly
when Dubya was serving his eight years. Think long and hard what that got us
here in this country. Now that a Black man is in office, all of a sudden you feel
that he's someone to throw dog crap on. There's honest dialogue and criticism
and then there's blatant, hypocritical and childish disrespect. And people are
getting too comfortable with the latter. I say to you, wake up and ask the same
question Souls of Mischief did.."tell me who profits?"