Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:44:44 +0000 – By Tommy De SenoAttorney/Writer
Wasn’t Barack Obama supposed to be the president to lead us to a “post-racial” America?
Wasn’t Barack Obama supposed to be the president to lead us to a “post-partisan” America?
Obama’s inauguration is the first I can recall where a racial smear was contained in a prayer while the president’s speech attacked those who didn’t vote for him.
President Barack Obama delivers his inaugural address on Jan. 20 (AP)
So while we will be held to a standard of judging all by the content of their character, he will continue to judge us by our skin color. While we will be expected to utter no disagreement with his policies, he will openly hammer ours.
Let’s start first with the racial prejudice in Reverend Joseph Lowery’s inaugural “prayer.” Here are the words:
“Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right.“
Let’s check the logic — I’m white, therefore I don’t embrace what is right. Lowery judged us not individually, but lumped us by skin and claimed we of such color suffer the same immorality — we aren’t righteous.
The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery gives the benediction at the end of the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
He said it in a prayer. What Jesus will do with the prayer will be learned by Lowery at his judgment day at St. Peter’s gate.
What Barack Obama did with that prayer is more important to me now. The video of the event shows him smile, not appear shocked, at the racial slur.So post-racial means accepting that “whites don’t embrace what is right?”
Lowery and Obama should note that African-Americans are about 13 percent of America. That means it took tens of millions of white people to vote Obama into office. Yet these men still claim white people are prejudiced. If his own election will not dissuade him from believing white people are not prejudiced, what will it take? Will it ever take?
If Don Imus were to hurl such a racial insult there would be girl’s basketball teams protesting around the world. But a new President accepts it in a prayer and the Associated Press describes his behavior that day as showing his “grace.” Good grief.
On to Obama’s inaugural address.
He ran on a campaign of “change” (and nothing else). He’s the anti-George. I get it. For that I expected his speech to put some distance between himself and the administration of the man seated a few feet from where Obama was speaking.
There is a big difference though between distancing yourself from a prior administration, which is OK, and distancing yourself from the millions of Americans who did not vote for you; that’s bad form when you claim to be the post-partisan uniter.
Let’s start with this line:
“On this day, we gather becausewe have chosenhope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”
The words “we have chosen” harkens back to the election contest. Obama believes those of us who did not vote for (choose) him mark our choices with “fear, conflict and discord” (I guess that’s why we cling to our guns and religion, right?).
“On this day, we come to proclaim an end to…worn out dogmas…”
So if my “dogma” differs from his (it does) this is apparently my “end.” How very post-partisan of you, Mr. President!
“What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.”
Bickering and name calling with the opposition in the inaugural address? Oh, I feel so united!!!
You can fool the mainstream media who are head over heels in love with you Mr. Obama, but you’ll not hide your attacks in flowery language so long as I’m watching.
Historical note:In his Inaugural Address, Obama said we are a “young nation.” Compared to whom? Our Constitution is in the top three oldest governing documents on the planet.
Words mean things Mr. President, except when they are cliches.
Read more Tommy here.
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