Is Obama failing?

If you will allow me a personal failing for having to use myself as an illustrative way to explain or make my point, I will make for you a simply example of what I mean by my question. During my work in Newark NJ in the 1960s as an administrator of government and community organization programs I experienced on a macro level what I wish were happening for President Elect Obama now. I worked hard to and was very happy when we elected Newark’s first Black Mayor. So, pardon me if I have flash backs to this period when I see our election of the first President of color. Just like the celebrations of President Obama election, all of the citizens of Newark, Black and white, were shouting in the streets after the election of the first Afro-American as Mayor. I was then as I am now walking taller and smiling proudly in the hope for a new day in America.

After the election of Mayor Gibson, the first Mayor of Newark of Afro-American decent, I was proudly standing outside my 21,000 square feet office building and a group of male Gypsies approached me. I have no fear or prejudice for any people and in my feeling of grandness’ I wanted to hear them out and see if I could help them. As I was thoroughly engaged with the spokesperson of this group listening for ways to help, the others in the group were encircling behind me with tire irons and other tools in their hands. I did not notice this until a shout from some “street-folk” across the street yelled, “Hell no! It is not going to be like that today!” As I noticed all of the Gypsies run to get back into their van I was then aware that I had just escaped being mugged and possibly hurt badly. The analogy I try to make here is that President Obama is now thoroughly engaged in appointing his cabinet and filling almost six thousand positions in his new Administration in which he says, “I want the world to know that we are not going to stumble into office, we are going to hit the ground running.” I believe President Elect Obama really intends to help and he is really trying hard to find ways to best do that. However, it is we who are letting him become encircled with folk who are bent on hurting him and via him all of us. We are not even as vigilant as those “street-people” were for me. We are not yelling, “Hell no when we hear that Robert Gates might stay on as Secretary of Defense. We are not yelling hell no when we hear that Rahm Emanuel is appointed to such a powerful position as Chief of Staff. We are not yelling hell no when the same folk who got us into the present financial and political crisis are now being appointed to fix the problems. We are not yelling hell no when we see so few or no really progressive appointees amongst the Obama early appointments. That is what brings me to question, “Is Obama failing or are we?

When we listen to the corporate owned media like CNN, Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, and even the print media like the New York Times, it is not hard to tell that they are positioning themselves to pounce on Obama in a manner to destroy him in a damn if he does and damn if does not. The media talking heads, particularly people like Kyra Phillips of CNN, ask “Can Obama keep his promises or has he promised too much?” Even though Obama has not even been sworn into office they know that he has worked hard to please them by not talking as much about “change” as he promised but he is showing them that “continuity” is more important. They are going to keep the pressure on to make sure that he keeps continuity as more important than change. Obama is trying so hard to please them that he says things like, “My Administration will honor all of the public commitments of the present Administration.” I thought, “How can that be change?” Yet, I have not heard or read anything where the sixty-five million folk who voted for change have yelled, “Hell no, it is not going to be like that today.”

This same media is trying to tell the constituencies of activist like Reverend Al Sharpton and Reverend Jessie Jackson that these kinds of activist are passé and no longer needed. They point to Black corporate puppets as the “New Leadership.” Everyone should be fearful when the media picks your leadership. These media moguls know that it is going to be strange and very difficult for these constituencies to try to yell Hell no via the Internet in a leaderless manner. That is why they find it important to knock Jackson and Sharpton even when they are not in the news.

There are several things happening here as I see it. One is that we have to give the President Elect the chance to show us what he is going to do. Two, we may be missing a golden opportunity to effect “change” by not saying Hell no right now when Obama is appointing folk who are known opponents of change. Three, the question and danger really is we might be so enamored with the history making event of the election of Obama that we are failing to see that we ought to be working even harder now to force the new President to change the way the US operates and expresses it’s policies at home and abroad. When we see that he is being encircled with folk who will hurt him and us, we ought to being saying very loudly, “Hell No! It is not going to be like that today!

What do you think? Click below and hit me back. I know I have simplified and even maybe over simplified a very complex environment but we ought to be thinking and talking about these issues. Peace, Cjw

One person from North Carolina immediately responded this way:

Encouraging folks to raise a 'hell no' to Obama re his choices when the same sentiment was not expressed to the royal screw-up soon to leave the office, comes off to me as unfair. I have been actively involved in political issues since the law said I was old enough to vote. I am under the impression that many of us elected a brilliant and thoughtful strategist to find ways to bring a sense of peace and prosperity back to the masses and the US at a time when this country is faced with a myriad of issues at the same time. I voted for a President not a Messiah. If we don't trust his judgment to surround himself, based on his perception of the brightest, with folks to assist him in getting the job done, then we should only blame ourselves if we voted for him. To criticize his choices before anyone has a chance to even get their hands on information and around what is happening and what needs to be done, makes no sense at all to me. No one, outside of his inner circle, will have access to what the real deal is. I'm not opposed to him being criticized at some point - but for me this is not the point. He is not the Mayor of Newark, or a Governor, his issues are world issues that no one should have to face. Please, take a deep breath and wait to see how he steps through the mine fields of world problems before you skewer him.

I thanked this person for responding by saying this:

First, thank you for your thoughtful and eloquent response to the article, “Is Obama failing or are we.” I was not urging anyone to "skewer" Obama. I was trying to urge progressive thinkers to protect and support him. My contention is that throughout history it was the people who forced the leadership, elected or not, to effect change. Roosevelt famously said something to the effect when folk were urging him in confidential circles to initiate certain changes, “You have to go out and get the people to make me do it.” Obama said in his Victory speech that his election is only, “. . . an opportunity for change.” Obama urged his supporters to stay involved because, as he said, “I am going to need your help to do the things we need to do in America.” You make my point when you say, “I voted for a President not a Messiah.” A Messiah or savior, as you know, will do their things from a mystical all knowing posture. Presidents require pressure from and the consent of the people in order to effectively lead. We all know that the powerful adversaries of progressive thought and change did not just go home and lay down after the election. They are busy still fighting to execute an agenda different from that in which the folk voted. I think we must fight for a “change” agenda as well in order for Obama to succeed. Let me say again, I love and respect your response and point of view so much I want to post it along side my article. You probably have many others who agree with you. I get very excited to get a quality response like yours that is worthy of posting. I appreciate and thank you for the clarity and immediacy of your article. I will post your response on www.spoonbook.com but I will not attribute your writings to you by name unless I get an email from you granting me permission (Please grant permission). Again, thank you for your response. Peace, Cjw.

I do not like to discuss politics or religion since I feel everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. At times I listen and there are times when I've tuned some of this out of my mind. I'm an observer and a thinker and I feel as though President Elect is the same. He is NOT hasty in his decisions and thinks deeply before he opens his mouth, knowing that it will come back to haunt him if he doesn't. I'm sure he has a reason for selecting those which he has. THINK POSITIVE. We're not dealing with the VILLAGE IDIOT here, he's on his way back to Texas. WAIT...Regardless as to how we feel about his chosen cabinet It seems to me that he is surrounding his self with those who are knowledgeable regardless of their parties....Let's wait and see....RPH.

My response was: I respect your view and posture. Thank you for your response. Cjw

A person from New Jersey wrote: 25 July, 2009 "Give Obama time."

My concern is that we not give him a chance to get sworn in before we start to criticize. The President-Elect is a very intelligent man who I think will surround himself with people who share his views. This is not the time to be putting in yes folks. The President-Elect is a known leader and the people he is chosen will go in the direction he want to go or back to where they came. Yes, some have been around before, but they were not given direction. This is the case of the Bush administration.

some of the the black leader did just as much to derail Obama then the news. Jesse wanted to cut off his nuts, and Vernon told him not to run, and he still won. So let him select the people he is comfortable with. Thanks for giving us something to talk about. Ttyl

"Make it a great day" G M

My response was: I must not have written the article well because I did not intend to have folk think I was advocating complaints against Obama. My point was that maybe we ought to let him know now that we want to see more progressive folk on his staff or we take the risk that he will not be able to bring the change we want later. My bad, I did not make the point very well. Thank you for your response because it helps to talk about this now. Peace, Cjw

Notice from Cjw:
We are getting inundated with email that in summary says: Obama is trustworthy, honest, does what his says, spiritual, an extraordinary man, etc., and give the man a chance. The irony of these emails is that almost half of them say they voted Republican four years ago or never voted Democratic before. If these calls are any indicator, this means that Obama is right in that he does have to be humble and try to keep these folk on board who were not enthusiastically for him until Election Day. One other thing that runs through all of these emails is that no one got the point of the real question; that is, "Is Obama failing or are we? At the risk of being accused of being argumentative I must say: No one mentioned the part of the question that asked are we failing Obama. No one pointed to any of Obama's appointments as an example of a person who is change oriented. No one talked about how we end the trickle-down economic system that keeps the poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer. And finally, most of these respondents are willing to give Obama four years to do his thing. You have beat me to death over any questioning of Obama. Let me be clear, I too want to give Obama time but I want to and I am advocating that we demand to see clear directions to the change he promised. Peace, Cjw