On August 28th, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King gave this speech (edited for time) to over 200,000 civil rights activists:
Barack Obama was two years old when this speech was given.
On April 3rd, 1968 MLK gave what has now become known as the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech:
The next day, he was assassinated. Barack Obama was six years old.
On July 27th, 2004, Barack Obama gave this speech to the Democratic National Convention:
In this speech, Barack Obama was introduced to a national audience for the first time. His speech inspired many beyond belief. So much so that four years later, this one-term Senator from the State of Illinois became the first African American President of the United States. He won with 53% of the popular vote.
Then on November 7th, 2012 this man won reelection with 51% of the popular vote. He was the first two term president to win with over 50% of the popular vote in both elections since Republican Dwight David Eisenhower. Not even Republican Patron Saint Ronald Wilson Reagan was able to accomplish this.
On Monday, January 21st, 2013 President Barack Hussein Obama will be taking the Oath of Office for the public. It is fitting that this will be the same day that commemorates Martin Luther King. Yes, President Obama will begin his second term on MLK day.
Has MLK’s dream been realized? Sadly I say no.
This nation has yet to grow up. The issues of bigotry still hold strong in this country, strong enough to impact foreign and domestic policy. Our president’s agenda is clearly centrist. Many of what he has proposed has come from Republicans, even the Conservative Heritage Foundation. The Affordable Care Act as it stands today is almost word for word what the Heritage Foundation advocated during the Clinton Administration.
Although his individual policies enjoy majority American Support from all socio-economic, racial, ethnic and political affiliations, even though he currently has a 55% favorability approval of the American people, he struggles against continuous and unfounded attacks. The birther movement is out again with a new force of urgency, there’s talk about impeaching this man for policies he trying to implement via executive order and working with Congress that the vast majority of the nation agrees with. Those who ridicule him, those who doubt his legitimacy for office, those who call him a socialist, a communist, a tyrant, only do so because most of them realize they cannot use the word they want to use in public, “nigger”. Though some have gone as far as to use it.
Although the majority of the nation supports what this president is trying to accomplish for the nation, even though his policies are clearly centrist, with hardly anything legitimately that can be ascribed as either fringed left or right, his views are stopped in Congress without any explanation other than hyperbole. They are currently saying his efforts to reduce gun-violence are unconstitutional. Yet no one has specifically stated why they are unconstitutional and in what way. Analyses of his proposals are in keeping with the constitution and presidential precedent. The history is clear on this point. Those things that do in fact require Congressional Action such as a ban on Assault Weapons, he has asked Congress to work on, he has asked Congress to approve a head of the ATF as required by a law snuck in by Representative James Sensenbrenner in 2006 at the request of the NRA so as to keep the ATF leaderless. Those things he’s legally allowed to do, he’s doing. And no one can clearly say how anything he asks for or is doing is a violation of the 2nd Amendment because it isn’t. Even the most conservative Justice on the Supreme Court Antonin Scalia, has clearly stated that gun use can be regulated, that it is constitutional.
If President Obama was white, he would still face challenges from the right wing because he’s a Democrat. However, he wouldn’t have faced this much opposition and certainly would never have his legitimacy as a Native Born American placed into question.
The racists who back those who block this president’s agenda of helping the nation are small, but they are loud and quite frankly dangerous. Republicans fear them because they fear that if they show they are not as crazy and racist as they are, they will be primaried out of office.
It’s up to the majority of the American people who understand that race is not ever a proper talking point in politics and national policy to call out those who are clearly racist in their opposition to a man because he’s not white. They must be marginalized back to the shadows. They’ll never go away, but they should never be given the ability to dictate how this country is run. It’s because of them Congress hasn’t voted any job bills, won’t raise the debt ceiling threatening another world-wide depression, not caring for the people in need of assistance to no fault of their own. You show me something counter to the growth of this nation, I’ll show you a racist supporter or coward afraid to confront the racism.
I am just a few months older than our President and I am a white middle-class male. I have vivid memories of those events I cited at the beginning of this rant. We have yet to realize MLK’s dream, let us please as a nation do it so those who were alive when he made that speech are still around to realize it finally coming true.
Congratulations Mr. President on your second term, may the country finally come together to assist you in your work to help us all become the exceptional nation we once were; and can be again, as long as we marginalize and remove from influence. all the racists.