By Roger Caldwell
NNPA Newswire Columnist
In less than a month, Americans will be forced and some will be ready to drink President Trump’s Kool-Aid. There is a reverence for Trump, and 62 million Americans’ voted for his platform, even though they really have no idea what he stands for, and what he is going to implement.
Many of Trump’s supporters believe that the country does not belong to them, because White people no longer are in control, locally, nationally and internationally. For the last eight years, a Black man has been in control, and made decisions that supported people of color. As a result of Obama’s genius and intelligence, White America’s only goal was to make him look bad, and stop his progress.
President Obama will leave the economy far stronger than what he started with and inherited. Unemployment is 4.6%, a nine-year low, the stock market is breaking all kind of records, and an additional 20 million Americans are with health insurance coverage. The country is no longer just dependent on oil, and has shifted the nation on cleaner energy sources; natural gas, wind and solar.
During the president’s tenure, he can boast about creating 15 million new jobs, and 74 months of consecutive job growth. More minorities have been appointed to management positions in the history of the federal government. The first Hispanic woman has been appointed to the Supreme Court, and the first Black man and Black women have been appointed to the position of Attorney General in America.
As the president gets ready to leave office, his approval rating remains the highest it has been since the spring of 2009. But there has been a major backlash to his administration.
During the president’s eight years in office, the Democrats have lost over 1,000 political seats in state legislatures, governor’s mansions and Congress. The defeats have destroyed a generation of young Democrats, leaving the party with limited power in statehouses and a thin bench to challenge Republicans on the federal level.
It is easy to place the blame on President Obama, but the entire Democrat leadership team must also share in the blame. For the last six years, it appears that the Republican Party is quicker to the draw, and they appear to work harder.
When President Obama won the election in 2008, he tried to reach across the aisle, and work with the Republicans. But the Republican leadership was working from a different playbook, and their plan was to suppress and obstruct every policy the president tried to implement.
The mid-term election of 2010 is where the Republicans began to take control of the federal government, state legislatures, and governorships.
“The refusal by many Democrats to accept help from Obama in 2010, and 2014 midterms was also a strategic mistake. Some Democrats blame Obama for an executive agenda that highlighted social issues, such as transgender rights and access to birth control – over the economic anxiety still felt by many voters,” says Lisa Lerer, AP reporter.
Even though President Obama won the president campaign in 2012, the Democrats were still losing political seats, and in 2014 the Republicans controlled both Houses on the federal level. President Obama’s administration did not develop a job strategy for the middle states in America, and the citizens felt they were no longer living in the country they grew up in.
The final reason that President Obama is not getting any credit as he leaves office is the problem of the color line. America is changing, because there are more people of color with positions of responsibility, influence and power. Systemic racism still exists and it is difficult to give a Black man credit for a job well done.
President-Elect Trump and the Republicans can blame President Obama for not accomplishing anything and it is easy to criticize when you are on the sidelines. But, January 20, 2017 starts a new administration, and President-Elect Trump says he is ready to go.
