I like the “new” President Barack Obama.
I also liked the former Obama, but this new guy is really doing it for me these days.
As is the case for many elected officials who serve their last term, there is often a noticeable difference in their actions. Locally, Mayor Greg Ballard has become even more bold and specific about what he will and will not do during his final term. While there are obviously some positive things on Ballard’s list, one of the more overt and disrespectful is his refusal to meet with or talk to the Black media. I’ve never heard of a mayor intentionally eliminating a particular sector or demographic in the city he governs. Ballard’s actions are bizarre to me, but I’m sure it’s no big deal to him because he’s not seeking re-election therefore he doesn’t have to mix with people or entities he dislikes. I’ve heard that out of the mayor’s own mouth and so have my staffers.
Enough of Ballard, back to Obama.
As of late, the president has been more vocal regarding controversial items, he has been successful at working with both Democrats and Republicans to get support of key efforts including his trade initiative, and he has even made some previously disgruntled African-Americans happy because they feel he is no longer straddling the racial fence.
While he has always been highly intelligent, engaged, and effective in his role as commander–in-chief; this new Obama seems…different. Like Ballard, I believe Obama feels he doesn’t have anything more to prove so he is going to do what he wants to do throughout his last term. And Obama is doing so with more determination, vigor and clarity.
A couple of weeks ago Obama used the word “nigger” while being interviewed by Marc Maron. Part of Obama’s statement was, “Racism — we are not cured of it. And it’s not just a matter of it not being polite to say ‘nigger’ in public.” He added, “That’s not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It’s not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don’t, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior.”
I fully understood the context of Obama’s statement, as do many others. However, I doubt we would have heard Obama use such colorful language early in his presidency. That’s probably because he is more comfortable in his position and he realizes the urgency of working toward eradicating racism, hatred and the senseless killings that occur as a result of such foolishness.
With initiatives such as My Brother’s Keeper and even his passionate eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the South Carolina state senator who was slain along with eight others during Bible study, Obama is also showing those previously critical Blacks that he has not forgotten them, nor has he ignored them. During his first term as well as his second, Obama must be the president of the United States – president of all people. Some Blacks couldn’t understand that then, but hopefully they do now. Now Obama is more deliberate in his approach toward issues of concern for Blacks.
Being the first anything is difficult. My imagination won’t allow me to comprehend how hard it must be to be the first African-American president – especially during a time of such social and racial unrest in this country.
This should be a lesson to all of us that we should be comfortable in our current position and show others our true identity to help make the world a better place.
