“The Divided States of ObamAmerica”

Barack Obama’s election to the highest Office in our Country is undeniably historic; he will forever be known as the first black man elected President of the United States.  And we’re the generation that finally surpassed this racial threshold signifying how far we’ve come as a Nation.  His election reflects the fulfillment of what Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed about so many years ago, where all men would be judged only by the content of their character and no longer by the color of their skin… as it should be.  

Obama’s election is also historic for what he can uniquely do in the job, as no other President before him.  Having won the highest platform of power and influence in the land, he could bring closure to the wounds of racism in America, and take us to the next level of rising above the sins of the past.

I grieved the night Obama won the Presidency, for two reasons, the second dovetailing the first, and neither had anything to do with objecting to a black man in the White House; on the contrary.  I 100% do not agree with his ideology, his policies, or his desire to “fundamentally transform America.”  I am not disappointed or surprised by his Presidency; it’s exactly what I expected and feared, and therefore why I grieved – I knew what was to come and didn’t want to go there.  Now that we’re here in the thick of it, I feel all I never wanted to feel.  I became part of the TEA Party to express that.  The dovetail is I felt robbed of the joy of fully celebrating the first black president because I couldn’t celebrate Obama being the president.  A black president is something I had longed and prayed for America and always believed I would see in my lifetime, just not someone as far left as Obama.  

After I finished sobbing, I got on my knees and thanked God that at least we could finish healing the wound of racism in our Country.  What an opportunity Obama would have to make that mark on history, something in which I could participate, support, and be grateful from the bottom of my heart.  

How is it, then, since Obama’s election that it’s all been downhill?  There’s never been such racial tension so ratcheted up, let alone from finally having the first black man in the White House.  Shouldn’t the converse be the case? 

Instead of feeling the joy of closure and the dawn of a new day, leftist blacks are feeling unabashedly emboldened to lash out at every perceived opportunity, exposing the stark contrast between how far we have actually come and sadly, how little they yet believe we have.  Therein lays a huge part of this unresolved problem manifesting in projections of racism onto anyone who opposes the policies and agenda of the president who happens to be black.

Since before Obama’s election, the race card has been played at every turn.  Regardless of polls showing that most of the Country is conservative to moderate, opposing his far left policies is blamed on racism.  From musicians and celebrities, to politicians and talking heads in the very liberal, biased, main stream media, constantly crying “racism” wolf has become the disgraceful staple of their strategy to undermine and silence opposition. 

At any time, the president could step forward with a genuinely meaningful exhortation, like the one he gave after the Arizona shooting tragedy, challenging everyone to step up to the better angels of our nature, putting an end to the divisiveness.  He could historically finish the job Martin Luther King Jr. started.  

Cue the crickets from the White House.  

Unfortunately, Obama’s tacit approval has only fomented the ongoing problem, condoning the accusers who are ironically emboldened by his presidency.

Racism is racism whether it is white against black, black against white, or any other racial combination; it is not an exclusive club.  It’s wrong, all of it.  Given America’s history, white against black is understandably the most volatile, but it is not the definition.  

“You white patty!”  This was my first introduction to racism at age 7, racism hurled at me from two little black girls who didn’t want me to play with them.  I had no idea what they meant, but their rejection was crystal clear and hurt me deeply.  This engendered sincere compassion for anyone hurt in like manner.  This vivid experience gave me a keen awareness and a special sensitivity to racism.  I’ve since endeavored to both understand it and help abridge the divide.

To subsequently and falsely be called a racist cuts to the heart.  Three years of it wears out the heart.

Admittedly and obviously, whites will never completely understand what it is like to be black, especially considering the stigma of slavery in America’s past and the subsequent struggles to get from there to here.  I won’t pretend to ever know because I will never get the chance to walk in those shoes.  

Conversely, many blacks do not understand what it is like to be white in today’s America, ashamed of our forefather’s sins, compassionate towards those so offended, yet grateful to live in a day and age where we’re all free to be that one great big melting pot of diversity.  

At the height of this ultimate opportunity, Obama’s failure of leadership, missing perhaps this most significant opportunity to unite all Americans like never before, instead, has divided us more. Instead of this being the defining moment that takes us over that final hump into a higher level of American unity, and a proud celebration of that historic achievement, led by our first black president, we’ve taken 40 years of steps backwards.  We’ve become the “Divided States of ObamAmerica.”  What a legacy; the exact opposite of what it could and should be. 

Now, on the eve of hitting the re-election campaign trail, trying to invalidate opposition, Obama has disgracefully thrown his own voice into the voluminous mix of shameful race-baiters, accusing “race is a key component of the TEA Party,” thus, further validating and encouraging this behavior when he should reprimand it and lead everyone above it.  For any U.S. president to misuse racism for political gain is beyond offensive – it is reprehensible and completely irresponsible.  It’s an egregious offense, undermining the very healing that otherwise lies in his hands and the power of his teleprompter.

My question to the president, and to all who continue to cry “racism” wolf, do you really want to heal racism in this Country?  Or would you rather keep it on life support because it’s an effective tool to obtain the things you want, and that, much more than you want to heal racism in this Country?  

“The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf” learned a harsh lesson: when liars do tell the truth, they are never believed.  Playing the race card in like manner has the same undermining result.  With every false accusation comes the lack of credibility for legitimate cases.  Is this the price anyone wants to pay for political gain?

The truth is revealed in the choices made, not in the accusations laid.  And if the latter choice is the answer, then sadly, the dream was nice while it lasted.