Politics: Another Perspective: Commentary and Analysis on Race, War, Ethics and the American Political Landscape in the Age of Obama

By Wilmer J. Leon III Ph.D.

Over the past 8 years there have been significant shifts in the American political landscape. The election of Senator Barack Obama as America’s 44th and first African American president signaled a giant leap forward in the American social, cultural, and political landscape. It has taken America 219 years to reach this point.

Based upon Senator Obama’s campaign promises many people looked forward to a more transparent and inclusive government. Others saw this election as a signal of a new post-racial America, but America has always been a country in conflict. As many basked in the comfort of Obama’s historic election, others feared its backlash. History tells us that white supremacy dies hard in America and its proponents would not take America’s victory lying down.

The bigoted rants of the Tea Party and the ultra-right wing’s obstructionist agenda have resulted in a political stalemate unlike any other in recent American history. These reactionary politics coupled with the Democratic Party and Obama Administration’s inability to articulate an effective counter-narrative and employ effective countermeasures has left America in a political abyss.

Politics Another Perspective: Analysis of Race, War, Ethics and the American Political Landscape in the Age of Obama is a collection of Op Ed’s written by Wilmer J. Leon, III, Ph.D. As a collection, these writings provide cutting edge analysis of the various issues that influenced the American geopolitical landscape since 2006 and insight into the direction that the country is headed.

“Wilmer Leon is one of the few Black prophetic voices in the age of Obama. This book confirms this status – courageous, visionary and consistent!”

—Dr. Cornel West

Dr. Wilmer Leon has assembled a collection that asks the right questions about race and democracy. In an era when too many are silenced for fear of rocking the boat of the status quo, Wilmer Leon has signaled his willingness to go out on a limb and speak truth to power. Bravo!

—Dr. Julianne Malveaux, Economist and Author Are We Better Off: Race, Obama and Public Policy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504972406

Wilmer J. Leon III Ph.D.

Wilmer J. Leon III, Ph.D. is a Political Scientist whose primary areas of expertise are Black Politics, American Government and Public Policy. Dr. Leon has a BS degree in Political Science from Hampton Institute, a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Howard University. Dr. Leon is a nationally syndicated columnist and the host of SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s, “Inside The Issues with Wilmer Leon”. He is also a regular contributor to national and international television news programs, newspapers and websites.

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© 2016 Wilmer Leon. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Front cover photo by Rev. Kenneth Irby

Cover design by Carmen Stewart Jessup

Published by AuthorHouse 8/31/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7241-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7240-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016910589

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Preface – Dr. Ronald Walters

Foreword – Dr. Clarence Lusane

Introduction – Dr. Wilmer J. Leon, III

I. Democracy, Political Values, Judgment, and Ethics or the Lack Thereof

1. Post Katrina and 9/11, Insight into the Soul of America – September 20, 2006

2. Foley’s Folly: Ethics and Morality vs. Legality – October 7, 2006

3. Presidents’ Day 2007: Where Has the Integrity Gone? – February 19, 2007

4. Mr. President, I Beg Your Pardon? – March 21, 2007

5. Politics vs. Patronage: Which Do You Prefer? – May 4, 2007

6. It’s Not What You Say; It’s How You Vote – July 3, 2007

7. Now We Know How the Colonists Felt – July 16, 2007

8. Unilateral Foreign Policy or Unitary Executive; Both Undermine Democracy – August 24 2007

9. The Values of a Dysfunctional Family – November 7, 2007

10. Ideology Makes for Bad Policy – February 17, 2008

11. UN Racism Conference, Right Thing to Do; Wrong Time to Do It – April 27, 2009

12. Supreme Court Activism is in the Eye of the Beholder – July 1, 2010

13. A Sad Day in Harlem – August 2, 2010

14. In 2008 it was Hope and Change; Now What? –May 2, 2012

15. Common Sense Is Not All That Common – July 30, 2012

16. Hubris, Arrogance and the Violation of Separation of Powers – February 10, 2015

II. Mainstream American Media’s Coverage of President Barack Obama

17. The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright and the Audacity of Truth – March 22, 2008

18. Sound-Bite Politics - Shallow Analysis and the Sinking of Senator Obama – May 13, 2008

19. Is It Really About You the American People or Just About Hillary? – Thursday 05 June 2008

20. Let He Who Is Without Sin Question the Election –July 14, 2008

21. Satire at Its Worst – July 14, 2008

22. Don’t Lose Focus of the Real Issues – July 16, 2008

23. Is Obama the End of Black Politics? A Ridiculous Question – August 19, 2008

24. Senator McCain’s Decision is Pandering with Palin – September 10, 2008

25. Reality Is No Rehearsal – October 3, 2008

26. Desperation Makes For Dangerous Politics – October 25, 2008

27. President-Elect Obama – America’s Struggle in Context – November 5, 2008

28. President-Elect Barack Obama -When Wisdom, Honesty, and Judiciousness No Longer Seem to Matter – December 18, 2008

29. The RNC and the Magic Negro – January 6, 2009

30. Brian Williams – Just a Cog in The National Disinformation Machine – February 14, 2015

III. The Failure of the Bush/Obama War Agenda

31. We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us – March 6, 2007

32. When Your Failed Policy Actually Fails – April 12, 2007

33. The New Way Forward in Iraq Fails on All Fronts – September 25, 2007

34. Torture: What’s in a Name? – October 13, 2007

35. Is Increased Security Making Us Safer? – January 28, 2008

36. America’s Serious Problems Require Real Solutions Not Rhetoric – February 6, 2008

37. Afghanistan/Pakistan Where Empires Go to Die – May 14, 2009

38. Afghanistan: Necessity Isn’t Always Just – January 11, 2010

39. Did President Obama Sell America on Libya? – March 30, 2011

40. Lessons Learned from Osama bin Laden? – May 4, 2011

41. Obama’s Irresponsible Rhetoric Exacerbates Global Tensions – September 10, 2013

42. You Have the Watches; They Have the Time – January 11, 2014

43. Pax Americana vs. the Arc of the Moral Universe – July 15, 2014

44. My Enemy’s Enemy Is Not My Friend – September 22, 2014

45. Jeb Bush the Echo Chamber and Revisionist History – May 18, 2015

46. Netanyahu Doubles Down on Bush’s Big Lie – March 6, 2015

IV. Race and Democracy

47. Focus on Their Color; Fail to See Their Humanity – November 30, 2006

48. Impeachment Is Not a Partisan Issue; It’s a Democracy Issue – December 8, 2006

49. When Common Sense Is Not All That Common – May 29, 2007

50. The Democrats’ Problem with Democracy – March 10, 2008

51. It’s Not the Dream; It’s Our Nightmare – April 4, 2008

52. Senator Barack Obama and the Paradox of Dr. King – August 30, 2008

53. A Moment to be Proud; an Invitation to be Great Again! – January 21, 2009

54. RNC Chairman Michael Steele, Old Republican Wine in New Bottles? – February 6, 2009

55. The Power of Imagery and Why It is Used – February 20, 2009

56. President Obama’s New Approach to a New World Order? – April 20, 2009

57. Empathy vs. Ideology on the Court? – June 4, 2009

58. Black Republicans in 2010, Symbolism vs. Practical Politics – June 22, 2010

59. Black Farmers Ongoing Struggle for Justice – March 30, 2011

60. AG Eric Holder, Wrong on the Law, the Politics, and on the Wrong Side of History – March 14, 2012

61. Trayvon Martin’s Moment Should Spark a Movement – April 4, 2012

62. The 2013 March, the Tranquilizing Drug of Gradualism – September 3, 2013

63. The Un-United States of America – September 30, 2013

64. Dr. Ben Carson, Great Surgeon but a Bad Icon for the Political Collective – March 26, 2013

65. Dr. Ben Carson Jumps Jim Crow – October 30, 2013

66. The Day Santa Really Went Black – January 6, 2014

67. Reparations – the 800 lb. Bale of Cotton in the Room – August 4, 2014

68. Ferguson – Past is Prologue – August 27, 2014

69. I’m an Angry African American Male and with Good Reason – October 4, 2014

70. We Must Look Back in Order to Move Forward – December 7, 2014

71. Rudy Giuliani and the Race to the Bottom – February 23, 2015

72. President Obama-Selma-and the Meaning of America – March 11, 2015

73. The West – Dyson Exchange; Less Personal Animus More Policy Analysis – April 22, 2015

74. The Baltimore Rebellion and Newton’s Third Law of Motion – April 28, 2015

V. Epilogue

75. President Obama,-Selma-and the Meaning of America – March 15, 2015

76. It’s Not the Symbol; It’s The Sentiment – June 29, 2015

77. Russian Roulette With Three In The Chamber – January 20, 2016

78. Trump – The Republican Frankenstein – February 5, 2016

79. Supreme Court Injustice – March 2, 2016

80. History Did Not Begin Yesterday – March 30, 2016

This book is dedicated first to my beloved parents Wilmer J. Leon, Jr. (March 6, 1920 – December 15, 2011) and Edwina T. Leon (December 14, 1924 – March 22, 2009), my lovely wife Sheila, our son, Wilmer J. Leon, IV, my mother-in-law Ann Chandler-Rowe and my brother-in-law Winsford Winnie Richard Chandler. Without my parents unconditional love, encouragement, support and shining examples I would never have thought to pursue educational excellence. Without the love and support of my wife, I never would have been able to complete this project. Without the love and support of Ann, Winnie, Sheila and Wilmer, IV (4.0) we would not be where we are as a family. To my son 4.0, may I always be for him the same positive example that my parents were for me.

To Mr. Novelle Dickenson, the former chairman of the political science department at Hampton University. A man who showed me from my first day on the yard what it means to be a caring and supportive professor. I try to do for my students what he continues to do for me.

To Dr. Ronald (Ron) Walters (1938-2010), the reason I have a Ph.D. One of the smartest, insightful and most humble people I’ve ever met. A mentor and friend. The man who for me set the standard of scholar-activist that I will spend the rest of my life trying to emulate. Two of his many quotable statements to me, first, I don’t care about your opinion. I want to know what you have read. I’m training scholars here! Second, Wilmer, if they can’t understand what you are saying, why will they want to listen to you?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I know that I am blessed. I was born to wonderful parents and into a loving, supportive family with aunts, uncles and cousins (both Leon and Devore) that have always encouraged me to be the best human being and golfer that I can possibly be. There are too many of them to mention here but I have to mention Ron Leon, Ken Leon, Raynard Leon, Darryl Sudduth, Carlos Gibson, Dwight Howard and Arthur Richard. These are some of the older brothers that I did not have.

I was born and raised in Sacramento, California. Raised by a very close-knit and dedicated community of people, my parents friends and acquaintances, numerous surrogate aunts and uncles - my extended family. Most of these people migrated to Sacramento from different parts of the South during the late 1950’s and 1960’s. They, like my parents brought with them a perspective on life, America and the world that was forged from their hard lived realities and the challenges that being African American presented to them as they strove to achieve justice, equality and the American dream. They instilled in me a work ethic, an appreciation for excellence and a love for my community. They also made it clear that I would have to work twice as hard and be three times as smart to get half as far as my White counterparts because I am Black in America. I grew up in South Sacramento, in the shadow of Dr. Cornel West. He was an inspiration then and continues to be to this day.

When I moved to Washington, DC in 1983 Medaris Banks introduced me to WPFW 89.3 on the FM dial. That’s where I first heard Morning Conversations with Tom Porter, Audio Evidence and Yardbird Sweets with Askia Muhammad, The Spear with Dr. Jesse McDade, We Ourselves with Ambrose I. Lane, Sr. and Dialogue with Dorothy Healey. As Dr. Mack Jones wrote, "The only way in which Blacks can guard against blurring the concept of self-interest and all of the problems attendant thereto is to develop and articulate a Weltanschguung (world view) growing out of their experience as an oppressed people that would explain the past, post future goals, and implicitly delineate alternative strategies for liberation." These voices changed my world view and changed my life forever. Tom Porter and Askia Muhammad are now friends and valued mentors. I am forever grateful.

Beyond WPFW my radio focus and approach has also been greatly shaped by WAMU – 88.5 FM’s Diane Rhem and Kojo Nnamdi as well as WOL’s late Dean of Talk Radio Bernie McCain. I would not be on the radio if it were not for the late Tracey Pinson and her husband Darryl Dennis convincing Kathy Hughes to take a chance on me and Ms. Hughes taking that chance. Special thanks to Karen Hunter, Maggie Linton, Adell Coleman, Darrell Greene and Chris Colbert for taking a real interest in helping me to further my radio career.

The perspective of these Op Ed’s are an outgrowth of discussions, debates and arguments that took place regularly at cook-outs on the back deck at the home of Ronald and Sharon Hayden. Being able to hone my skills and hold my own on Ron and Sharon’s deck under the tutelage of Ron, Medaris Moe Banks and Mike Suede Wilson prepared me for where I am today.

I must give thanks to Jason Leopold. He published my first Op Ed at TruthOut.org and encouraged me to keep writing. Hazel Trice Edney with the Trice Edney News Wire continues what Jason started on the national level.

I was fortunate to have attended Howard University’s Political Science Department with classmates such as Drs. Artemesia Stanberry, Sekou Franklin and Pearl Ford Dowe. Dr. Baruti Jahi saw to it that I was prepared to defend my dissertation. Dr.’s Maurice Woodard, Joseph McCormick, Richard Seltzer, Donn Davis and Clarence Lusane, thank you for caring, being patient and being you.

Finally, another very dear friend, Andre Stephens. He takes very good if not excellent Op Ed’s, edits them and makes them even better. Ms. Ellen Boyar edited this volume and took it to a place that I did not know existed. Ms. Carmen Stewart Jessup’s eye for design, attention to detail and support of me and this effort will always be appreciated.

I love all of my aunts and uncles but I must mention my Uncle Claudell Tickey Leon and his lovely wife Rudy. They sacrificed and took great care of my parents in their final days. Uncle Tickey is so much like his older brother (my dad) that it’s almost as though my dad is still here. My Aunt Valerie Ackiss, my mother’s youngest sister is so much like my mom it is almost as though she never passed. Her late husband, Dr. Smallwood Ackiss always gave me great counsel and support.

Kenny McGhee, Mark J. Baham, Sr. (my brother from another mother), Dr. Raymond Pitts, Jr. Rene’ Francis, Cecil Rhodes, Michael Shannon, Don White, Dr. Ron Blanchette, Steve Red Bayne, Ronald Uncle Ron Simmons, Ezrah Aharone, Greg Reyes, Daryle Jordan, James Parks, Albert White and Frederick Yette always have my back. Linda Porter Winston and Brenda Leon have always given me love and good counsel. I love you. Also, Bernard Mustafa taught me to always play the game of life above the rim. Pastor Clarence Williams and my dear cousin Father Jay Mathews let me know on a regular basis that I am blessed. I am the only Catholic with a Priest and an AME Pastor providing critical guidance. I know that I am blessed! The Howell’s (John and Andrea) and The Martin’s (Dennis and Bernadette Bunny) continue to support, love and tolerate me. Thank you.

PREFACE

In this series of short articles, arranged by broadly compelling subjects, Dr. Wilmer Leon addresses a serial condition that exists within America, but most certainly within the African American community which finds that very often, the drift of social affairs produces public events that require a level of understanding to place them into a workable context for evaluation and sometimes action. Our community has been fortunate in having journalists and experts who become journalists who produce opinions and analyses that give us important information and insights that stretch and challenge our given beliefs and that result in educating us to the point of either strengthening our views or changing them.

In no era has this function of expert/journalism been more necessary than when we have had an African American run for the Presidency of the United States and actually win that office for the first time in history. The intersection of the normal vagaries of presidential politics, complete with party opponents and political strategies received the intervention this time of a strong racial dynamic that virtually traveled along side the campaign, intersecting at points and making a statement about its importance.

On November 5, 2008, Dr. Leon titles his article, President Elect Obama; America’s Struggle In Context. But this series of articles has the advantage of covering political events in the two year span of 2006-2008 (mostly 2007 and 2008), giving important context to the historic presidential campaign that was the center of the attention of much of the nation – and after Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination, much of the world. The drama of Obama’s contest with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for President was classic David and Goliath stuff, made for movies and TV, piped into the homes of Americans through cable. This was made accessible to the public by C-Span, TV or radio talk-shows, sponsored by FOX, MSNBC, CNN or other such networks for 24/7 consumption.

Given this paradigm, Dr. Wilmer Leon sets the stage and deepens our understanding of the sources of the Obama campaign by helping us to see the Administration of George Bush through the eyes of the American people. They had grown sour on lies about the rationale for the Iraq war, the gross expenditure of funds tied to it, the closet politics of Vice President Dick Chaney and Scooter Libby that tried to discredit their opponents, about energy policy done in the dark favoring corporate interests, and other things illustrating the elevation of ideology to a point that it became more than the policy which served the people – existing for its own sake.

These short takes on important subjects make interesting reading and allows us to beg for more. Besides the often brilliant illumination of an issue that Dr. Leon gives us, perhaps that is another ultimate purpose they create.

Ronald Walters, Ph.D. April 2009

FOREWORD

Needed: Another Perspective

After the Cold War, most mainstream political analysts believed that peace and prosperity were in the nation’s future. And while the U.S. economy grew in the 1990s, it turned out to be prosperous for some, was unevenly shared, and built on a bubble that could not be sustained. In addition, wars involving the U.S. military erupted from Europe to the Middle East. The wishful peace dividend never came to be. Then September 11th happened and the world witnessed not only an opportunistic escalation of militarism but a dangerous erosion of civil liberties in the name of national security.

Yet, conventional political wisdom failed to shift to a more critical stance that exposed the untruths, half-truths, misinformation, disinformation and outright prevarications of the U.S. most important institutions: the national and local political establishments and the media that is supposed to cover them. The inability or unwillingness to challenge cherished long-held, but ultimately unfilled notions of democracy, freedom, and equality fed the ongoing corrosion of the body politic. This façade was furthered with the historic election of Barack Obama that afforded new opportunities to mask the escalating deterioration of rights, growing inequality, downgrading of political rights, and war-making in the United States with tropes of diversity, inclusion, and post-raciality. Certainly, another viewpoint, another framing, another standpoint was needed.

In Politics Another Perspective, we have an unique voice on the U.S. political landscape that shines a bright light on the hypocrisy, dishonesty, and nonsense. In chapter after chapter, Wilmer Leon knits together nicely a wide array of issues and themes in American and global politics from over the last 10 years into a tight analysis that is both insightful and proscriptive. He does not fall into any of the conventional boxes though he is quite capable of blowing them apart. Leon asks the right questions, probes for the meaningful answers, and provided needed contextualization for both.

So what is that other perspective? To begin with, while Leon comfortably wears a journalist’s shroud he is also a trained political scientist. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Howard University that prepared him well to dissect the wider meanings – conceptual, political, economic, moral, ethical – that today’s current issues bring forth. While providing the sharp eyes of an on-the-ground journalist, he hoists his analysis to another level with historical, theoretical, and empirical references in manners that exemplify his social science training and talents.

The book is divided into four overlapping themes: the challenge to and defense of democracy; the role of U.S. media in shaping the nation’s political persona and therefore political reception of President Obama; the geo-politics of U.S. war making in the 21st century; and the everlasting conundrum of race in the United States. Democracy, as Leon describes, cannot and should not be separate from an ethical and moral commitment. Yet, as he demonstrates in the first series of essays, time and time again, it is the lack of an ethical compass, an absence of a higher morality that has determined the contorted nature of American democracy from its founding to the present. It is only with this understanding of that history can an appreciation of the contradictions of U.S. politics, particularly those of a racial nature, make sense.

As a longtime practicing journalist, Leon is positioned to critically assess the role of the media in shaping – or misshaping – the American experiment in forging democracy. From the demonization of Rev. Jerimiah Wright to the racialization of Barack Obama, he demonstrates that media-driven conceptions and myths fundamentally drive contemporary American politics. Was it possible for white America to conceive of Wright and his relationship with Obama outside of the framed construction and delivered to the public sphere via the mainstream media? Was Obama entrapped in a racial discourse over which he had little control as the media – left, middle and right – limited the understanding of his identity and genesis?

Leon slices through these media machinations and provides much needed and sober, non-partisan analysis. He engages and confronts pernicious distortions relentlessly. Unlike the homogenous pundits and ideologically-motivated talking heads that permeate mainstream media, alternative voices have been the saviors and avatars of truth in U.S. society. From Democracy Now! to The Nation magazine, radical insights have found expression as correctives to the feckless journalism that dominates our lives. Leon’s coverage of the media coverage of the 2012 elections is some of the best criticism available of that campaign. He is not snookered by the pretense that John McCain was an honest broker, that Sarah Palin was remotely qualified, or that the earth-shattering election of Obama would fix a broken system.

In the third section of the book, Leon turns his lens to the military conflicts we face and the architects and promoters of them. War, sadly, remains a constant in U.S. political life. Fear, belligerence, and more than a dap of racism fostered America’s most recent wars and popular support at least initially. Any illusion that Obama would pull back from the disastrous policies of the Bush administration were demolished when he escalated the war in Afghanistan, jumped into the war in Libya, and quadrupled the number of (illegal under international law) drone attacks started under Bush. Leon systematically documents these travails with precision and insightful critiques.

The final player in this quartet takes to the arena of race. Leon defines the struggle for racial justice, as did W. E. B. Du Bois and Martin Luther King, Jr., as occurring within the broader struggle for democracy – genuine democracy – in the United States. The election of Obama notwithstanding, he notes the actual decline in racial equality in many sectors particularly as related to African Americans at the bottom of the social and economic scale. That the two exist simultaneously – black advance and black retreat – is not as much a contradiction as a logical outcome of a system that privileges a few at the expense of the many. The fact that that system was forced to become more diverse from the resistance below did not fundamentally mitigate its capacity to ensure that an underclass would continue to flourish.

Overall, Leon shakes the trees and makes us think wider, deeper, and more passionately about U.S. and global politics. He convincingly demonstrates that, yes, another perspective is desired and needed. The many pieces together are greater than the whole in that Leon provides a way of seeing what goes beyond just singular issues or incidents, but to a much richer framing of the way we live and how we live, and the whys beneath them.

Clarence Lusane, Ph.D. 2014

INTRODUCTION

…you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that’s shut you out, that’s told you to settle, that’s divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what’s possible, building that more perfect union. Senator Barack Obama February 10, 2007

We have been told that our mounting debts don’t matter, that the economy is doing great, and that people’s anxieties about rising health care costs and disappearing pensions aren’t a big deal. We’ve been told that climate change is a hoax, that our broken schools cannot be fixed, and that we are destined to send millions of dollars a day to Mideast dictators for their oil.…And when we try to have an honest debate about the crises we face, whether it’s from the pulpit or the campaign trail, the pundits don’t want us to find common ground, they want us to find someone to blame. They want to divide us into Red States and Blue States, and tell us to always point the finger at somebody else - the other party, or gay people, or people of faith, or immigrants. Senator Barack Obama June 5, 2007 Hampton University

In 2007, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) announced his candidacy for president of the United States. In his announcement speech he articulated a very aggressive, progressive and populist ideology. He spoke about the fundamental values of an electorate as a collective protecting liberty and equality for the individual when he said, I became a civil rights lawyer, and taught constitutional law, and after a time, I came to understand that our cherished rights of liberty and equality depend on the active participation of an awakened electorate.¹ He talked about his belief in and support of the rights and power of the people to change the direction of their government and the course of history saying, today we have the chance to face the challenges of this millennium together, as one people -- as Americans.² He spoke very passionately about using the established structure of the system to change the system, The genius of our founders is that they designed a system of government that can be changed.³ His campaign slogans were Change We Can Believe In and Yes We Can!

As he laid the foundation for his run for the White House, Senator Obama addressed a gathering of African-American ministers at the 2007 Hampton University Annual Ministers Conference. Using many of the populist and progressive themes from his announcement speech, Senator Obama tailored his address to speak directly to issues facing the country and disproportionately impacting the African-American community. He spoke to the issues of the pre-school to prison pipeline, there being more black men in prison than in college (this has proven to be incorrect), disparities in health care and education and the cost of the war in Iraq, …if we keep fighting this war in Iraq, a war that never should have been authorized and waged, a war that’s costing us $275 million dollars a day and a war that is taking too many innocent lives… I opposed it from the very start … I opposed it because I believed strongly that it could lead to the disaster we find ourselves in today, with our brave young service men and women mired in the middle of a civil war.⁴

The correlation that Senator Obama drew between the cost of the war in Iraq and its impact on lives and social programs is the same correlation drawn by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his speech, Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence –. Dr. King clearly articulated that just as America was about to invest the needed resources to assist the least of us, those resources were redirected and wasted in Vietnam.

In 2008, Senator Obama took this message of hope and change to Europe. He addressed what was reported to have been the largest audience of his campaign in Berlin, Germany (of all the places). While there he spoke as an internationalist, In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more - not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.⁵ He went on to say, The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand…⁶

Looking towards the 2008 presidential election, many in the electorate were seeking an alternative to the illegalities and excesses of the Bush 43 administration such as the rise of neo-liberal capitalism, the illegal invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq the USA PATRIOT Act, the onset of the Great Recession and the lack of response to Hurricane Katrina. Based upon Senator Obama’s July 24, 2008, speech in Berlin, Germany where he said, The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down…This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East…We must support the… Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace.⁷ People expected a more balanced U.S. response to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

The aforementioned speeches, many others along the campaign trail and the complexion or optics of the individual giving them went a long way towards invigorating a dormant progressive political climate and electorate in America. It is also important to note, the same elements that motivated and inspired progressives to action also brought to the surface the ultra-conservative and, in some instances, bigoted and racist resistance to this awakened progressive electorate.

Senator Obama was correct when he said in June of 2005, …when we try to have an honest debate about the crises we face, whether it’s from the pulpit or the campaign trail, the pundits don’t want us to find common ground, they want us to find someone to blame. The problem is that it’s not just the pundits that have impacted the narrative and the debate, but some of his own supporters and, at times, President Obama’s own administration.

Conservative birthers have questioned President Obama’s citizenship status by challenging his birth certificate. They have made veiled (and not so veiled) references to his middle name Hussein and his Kenyan heritage in an attempt to infer that he is not Christian or American, and his opponents have caricatured him as a primate. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich quoted conservative writer Dinesh D’Souzaha and stated, What if [Obama] is so outside our comprehension, that only if you understand Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior, can you begin to piece together [his actions]? Gingrich then continues, That is the most accurate, predictive model for his behavior. ⁸

On the January 21, 2008, cover of The New Yorker magazine Senator Obama and Michelle were caricatured as gun toting, Osama bin Laden supporting, flag burning terrorists. Spokespeople from the magazine said that this was satire, their attempt to lampoon Senator Obama’s critics. It may very well have been, but the problem with their explanation is that in reading both of the articles in that issue, no reference to or explanation of the cover was made.

Usually in satire, human or individual vices or shortcomings are held up to censure or ridicule, ideally with the intent of bringing about improvement. Also, usually what makes satire funny and/or valuable is its basis in reality. In this example, the Obamas seem to be the object of the ridicule not their right wing critics. The Obamas are not Muslim, they are Christian. They are not flag burning radicals, they love their country. In this instance, The New Yorker seemed to be punishing the victim of the ridicule not the perpetrator, if not playing to dangerous stereotypes and perpetuating distortions of their own.

After a presidential campaign infused with slogans such as Yes We Can and Change We Can Believe In, Senator Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States on January 20, 2009. Many of his African-American supporters and other progressive interests believed that substantive change was right around the corner. Many believed that the prison at Guantanamo Bay would be closed and that American telecommunications companies would be held accountable for their participation with the NSA and the warrantless domestic wire-tapping program. According to Tariq Ali, Truth in such campaigning is usually a bystander. Little of what Obama actually said …justified much optimism, but the manor of his speaking, the color of his skin and the constant invocation of the word change helped create a new spirit in the country-Obamania-that propelled him into the White House.⁹

On the other side, in 2011, in response to MSNBC contributor Mark Halprin publically calling President Obama a dick, on-the-air radio hosts and Obama supporters Tom Joyner and Steve Harvey publicly attacked Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornel West by blaming their public criticism of the Obama administration policy for opening the door for the Halprins of the world. Joyner went so far in his attack as to question the sexuality of Smiley and West. I said I’d wait until something pissed me off so bad that I would have the words harsh enough to express what I was really feeling about him and his side-piece — I mean side-kick — Cornel West.¹⁰ Steve Harvey followed suit with his verbal attack by calling Smiley and West Uncle Toms. Harvey believes that their criticisms of Obama administration policy are based upon personal animus and they are intentionally damaging President Obama’s name and giving aid and comfort to the enemy. I was a huge fan of Cornel West, Harvey said. (But) Tavis, I seen [sic] him coming a mile away. His anger started when he had a town hall meeting. President Obama couldn’t come because of the campaign trail and he sent Mrs. Obama. He has held that grudge ever since.¹¹ Actually, the Obama campaign offered to send Mrs. Obama and Smiley did not accept the offer.

Powerful African-American media voices such as Joyner and Harvey were doing more than just defending the president. They were making it very clear to his critics, especially those within the African-American community that substantive critical analysis of