It’s disappointing–at the very least–to hear that’s it’s become ostensibly fashionable for African-American “elites” to give President Obama a “pass” because of his race. As in, he’s so historically symbolic and “one of us” that it trumps the sheer disappointment of his presidency. Come on.
It’s as if health-care expansion, a pre-empted Depression and financial-regulation makeover never occurred. It’s as if Mitch McConnell–about five minutes after the presidential inauguration–didn’t rally Republicans to make Obama a one-term president. It’s as if global factors were negligible. It’s as if a charismatic, eloquent president wasn’t something due America after eight years of a bumpkin presidency.
If we were talking about a President Chisholm or a President Sharpton, perhaps this would be valid. But we’re not–and we shouldn’t be.