“In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination – and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past – are real and must be addressed.” These words by President Barack Obama are insightful and accurate.
As the United States’ first African-American President, Barack Obama has had to endure talk from black leaders1 that he could have done more to heal the nation’s racial divide. There are questions from the establishment press about President Obama’s role in race relations2 has also been asked. Obama takes heat from everyone.
When Prince wrote the “When Doves Cry” lyrics, he could have used them to describe the sometimes tense relationship between President Obama and some African-Americans. Here’s the lyrics that Jay Harold feels fits the situation:
Maybe I’m just 2 demanding
Maybe I’m just like my father 2 bold
Maybe you’re just like my mother
She’s never satisfied
Jay Harold asks, “What more could the man do?” President Obama has had an openly hostile Congress for most of his time in office. Another quote sums up the unrealistic expectations about the power of the president that has led to dreams3 well beyond the grasp of the possible.
President Obama has advanced Civil Rights during his term.
“As the best wine makes the sharpest vinegar, truest love can turn into truest nemesis.” This Nikhil Kushwaha’s quote fits some African Americans well.
Why compare Barack Obama to Julius Caesar?
Barack Obama and Julius Caesar4 were both agents of change. The people in power felt threatened by both Obama and Caesar and took radical actions to keep their power. President Obama pushed back against his opponents by using executive orders5 to advance his agenda. Executive orders6 are official documents, numbered consecutively, through which the President of the United States manages the operations of the Federal Government.
Many people feel that President Obama’s executive orders are an abuse of presidential power despite the fact that other presidents7 have also used them.
President Obama said, “It’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Julius Caesar said, “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
When Julius Caesar said, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” You knew those words meant something. One of his defining characteristics of his life was the determination of Caesar to do exactly what he said he would do. He became the master of Rome and made himself consul and dictator. He used his power to carry out much-needed reform, relieving debt, enlarging the Senate, building the Forum Iulium and revising the calendar.
President Obama is also determined to achieve the stated goals of his presidency. Jay Harold will compare the goals of President Obama and the actions taken to reach those objectives in a later post.
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Bibliography
- http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/01/12/rangel-says-obama-has-not-changed-racial-divide/78694104/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/08/04/are-race-relations-really-worse-under-president-obama/
- http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/10/paradox-of-the-first-black-president.html
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/caesar_julius.shtml
- http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/obama-subjects.html
- http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/about.html
- http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/orders.php
