No President Should Have To Bear 'Birthers' Foolishness.
No president should have to bear 'birthers' foolishness
Written by Emma McElvaney Talbott
It has been a little over two years since I stood among the masses on a bitter cold January day in Washington, D.C., at the inauguration of President Obama. This moment would have been unimaginable a few months earlier, but here I stood witnessing the reality of a dream. Knowing our nation's shameful past, steeped in slavery and atrocities committed against Native Americans and African Americans, made the moment all the sweeter and surreal.
In all the exuberant joy of the moment, in all the coming together of many ethnic and racial groups, the harmony of the crowd spoke volumes about how far “We the People” have come. My mind wandered to a time in the not very distant past and tried to imagine what the future would hold for the nation.
As President Obama settled into the tremendous job before him, how would the people respond to his efforts? How would they respond to the misjudgments that all presidents make as they weigh the advice of their cabinet and other advisors and try to do what is best for the American people? Well, it didn't take long for those pondered questions to be answered. First by the citizens who were willing to give the new President a chance to work on the mountains of problems, and then by those who would never bring themselves to accept a black man in the Oval Office.
It is the latter group that concerns me because they have continued to strike with relentless and unparalleled ferocity. Let's be clear, no president should be immune from criticism, but no president should have to put up with such ugly, inhumane and unfounded attacks. And the intense media coverage of the silliness has gotten in the way of real issues confronting the nation.
Sadly, it has taken much too long but there is a groundswell of criticism against the senseless and vitriolic attacks against the president that have everything to do with a brilliant black man having the audacity to run for the highest office in the land — and win. These unsubstantiated and race-baiting attacks are known as racial hatred. Racial hatred isn't going away. There are those who thrive off of hatred, but they are a diminishing minority. The majority of Americans do not operate at the cesspool level where the haters hang out.
The small but very loud and vocal groups who continue to press in every negative way are the offspring of those who openly wore the hooded robes a few decades ago. They have flung off their robes and now portray themselves as citizens concerned about their rights and the nation's welfare. They veil themselves now as “Birthers.” Some are tea party leaders and followers who are generously supported by billionaires who intend to keep controls on the economy and the tax system and are using simple-minded people to further their own interests. These billionaires and corporations lobby and bankroll weak members of Congress to pass legislation that will work against the general welfare, but ultimately they will fail. In fact, as soon as President Obama has served his terms in office, I predict that the need for the tea party will slowly fade.
The leaders of the faction that “lost it” when Obama fulfilled the American dream of becoming president — a dream that could once upon a time be held by white males only — will continue with absurd and hate-mongering messages because that is their mission in life.
Now that the President has released his long-form birth certificate, it will make little difference to the haters who are bent on trying to bring him down. It will be on to the next wild absurdity. The media should not give them coverage. They, like the irreverent, morally and many times financially bankrupted Donald Trump, suddenly feel up to the job and feel compelled to throw their hats or toupees in the ring.
As for the rest of the citizenry, we will continue to try to help the nation evolve. And by the way, though Obama is the first black man to be president, surely you know that he won't be the last. And there will also be a female president. She is being groomed and waiting in the wings to fulfill her role in the destiny of the nation.
Emma McElvaney Talbott is a writer who lives in Louisville. She participates in The Courier-Journal's Point Taken blog.
Written by Emma McElvaney Talbott
It has been a little over two years since I stood among the masses on a bitter cold January day in Washington, D.C., at the inauguration of President Obama. This moment would have been unimaginable a few months earlier, but here I stood witnessing the reality of a dream. Knowing our nation's shameful past, steeped in slavery and atrocities committed against Native Americans and African Americans, made the moment all the sweeter and surreal.
In all the exuberant joy of the moment, in all the coming together of many ethnic and racial groups, the harmony of the crowd spoke volumes about how far “We the People” have come. My mind wandered to a time in the not very distant past and tried to imagine what the future would hold for the nation.
As President Obama settled into the tremendous job before him, how would the people respond to his efforts? How would they respond to the misjudgments that all presidents make as they weigh the advice of their cabinet and other advisors and try to do what is best for the American people? Well, it didn't take long for those pondered questions to be answered. First by the citizens who were willing to give the new President a chance to work on the mountains of problems, and then by those who would never bring themselves to accept a black man in the Oval Office.
It is the latter group that concerns me because they have continued to strike with relentless and unparalleled ferocity. Let's be clear, no president should be immune from criticism, but no president should have to put up with such ugly, inhumane and unfounded attacks. And the intense media coverage of the silliness has gotten in the way of real issues confronting the nation.
Sadly, it has taken much too long but there is a groundswell of criticism against the senseless and vitriolic attacks against the president that have everything to do with a brilliant black man having the audacity to run for the highest office in the land — and win. These unsubstantiated and race-baiting attacks are known as racial hatred. Racial hatred isn't going away. There are those who thrive off of hatred, but they are a diminishing minority. The majority of Americans do not operate at the cesspool level where the haters hang out.
The small but very loud and vocal groups who continue to press in every negative way are the offspring of those who openly wore the hooded robes a few decades ago. They have flung off their robes and now portray themselves as citizens concerned about their rights and the nation's welfare. They veil themselves now as “Birthers.” Some are tea party leaders and followers who are generously supported by billionaires who intend to keep controls on the economy and the tax system and are using simple-minded people to further their own interests. These billionaires and corporations lobby and bankroll weak members of Congress to pass legislation that will work against the general welfare, but ultimately they will fail. In fact, as soon as President Obama has served his terms in office, I predict that the need for the tea party will slowly fade.
The leaders of the faction that “lost it” when Obama fulfilled the American dream of becoming president — a dream that could once upon a time be held by white males only — will continue with absurd and hate-mongering messages because that is their mission in life.
Now that the President has released his long-form birth certificate, it will make little difference to the haters who are bent on trying to bring him down. It will be on to the next wild absurdity. The media should not give them coverage. They, like the irreverent, morally and many times financially bankrupted Donald Trump, suddenly feel up to the job and feel compelled to throw their hats or toupees in the ring.
As for the rest of the citizenry, we will continue to try to help the nation evolve. And by the way, though Obama is the first black man to be president, surely you know that he won't be the last. And there will also be a female president. She is being groomed and waiting in the wings to fulfill her role in the destiny of the nation.
Emma McElvaney Talbott is a writer who lives in Louisville. She participates in The Courier-Journal's Point Taken blog.
Labels: Birthers, Politics, POTUS Barack Obama, Race, Racism
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 11:51 AM
1 Comments:
Even though If Obama was born in the U.S. which is still doubtful given he still hasn't released the certificate with his hand and feet prints, he still is ineligible to be President.
His dad was not a citizen, but was a Kenyan National. Although liberals could care less about the Constitution or the words of the framers, there is a jurisdiction for citizenship as the 14th amendment says. That means an illegal can't come here, have a baby, and that baby be President.
Obana's situation is the same thing. His dad came here legally, and his son was born here. However, his dad was not a citizen, leaving Obama to be ineligible for President.
Post a Comment
<< Home