And The Loser Is...

As I sat down to write this, I envisioned the negative feedback that I might receive, but at least then I'd know I struck a nerve. So, on that note, let’s get right into it…

I, PharO, do not give a Michael Richards if Mr. Barack Obama is the next president of the United States of America. In fact, I kind of HOPE he loses. Yeah, I said it! I, mean, think about it. It goes unspoken, but we all know what his presidency would be like anyway. Mr. Obama would be taking the reins after arguably the most controversial and most publicly renounced president in American history, only to BECOME the most controversial and most publicly renounced president in American history. A man whose entire life is built upon the problems he sees and how to solve them would be placed in a position where his biggest problem would undoubtedly be getting people to focus on how he’s dealing with the America’s problems instead of focusing on how America’s having problems dealing with HIM.

Now, allow me to go ahead and ask myself a few questions for you.

“Don’t you think he has taken all of that into consideration already?”
“With all the public finger pointing at the Bush administration already, do you really expect his successor to be unjustly blamed with the problems already in place?”
“Can he even win his party’s nomination fighting for votes with Hillary?”
Umm… Let me think… Oh yeah!
“Is race REALLY still an issue in 20__?”

Obviously, my answer to all these questions is yes. Yours might differ, but those are different discussions, which I would love to have, but are for a different time. So, assuming yes is the answer for all the questions I’ve posed, let’s examine why I’m tooting this guy’s horn ANYWAY.

Oh? You thought this was bashing Mr. Obama? Au contraire, it’s more of an appreciation for what he’s already done. And what has he already done you ask? Simply put, his job. You see I don’t look at Mr. Barack Obama as a Jackie Robinson type figure for politicians of color, instead I see him as more of a Fleet Walker. The first black man to play professional baseball, and though he is not celebrated, and barely remembered at all, Branch Rickey did indeed recall his performance through the circumstances in 1883 and saw the same character in Jackie Robinson. I believe that no matter what praise we give Mr. Obama right now, we won’t even have an idea of his value for 50 years or so, and that number is being extremely generous. And even knowing what he has already accomplished is not even the same as APPRECIATING it. And we should appreciate it, because he himself is not selfish enough to be doing this for some sort of personal glory. He is paving the way for others to follow in his footsteps if they choose to, no matter what sacrifices he might have to make along the way. From Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in Detroit, Michigan to City Commissioner Andrew Gillum in Tallahassee, Florida, young black men in public office are undoubtedly grateful for the road he’s paving. I need to say right here, that I am not in anyway disrespecting Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, or Al Sharpton, because I do recognize that they cleared the path for Mr. Obama to pave his road. As my 5th grade teacher Ms. Peters would have said, they cleared the sticks and stones that might have broken Mr. Obama’s bones along the way. However, what Obama is currently doing that hasn’t been done before is carrying the burden of proof in the Peeping Tom fishbowl that is American culture today.
Proof of what you ask? Proof that a man of color possesses more than the necessary aptitude to run this country, even if he’s not selected to do so. Proof that not all of us are scared to speak up about changes that need to be made, and even more significantly, we aren’t afraid to take action either. Proof that ALL people that resemble Mr. Obama in any fashion need to be taken seriously when we have something to say, because any and all of us might have the spirit to do something about it. All people of color owe Mr. Obama a debt of gratitude for being brave and determined enough to put himself out there and catch wreck for the over stereotyped shortcomings we ALL have, in an effort to make life a little bit better for us. So, here’s a thank you from me. And believe me, if I weren’t a convicted felon living in Florida, I damn sure would vote for you sir. But, that’s a totally different subject we’ll touch on another day, so maybe I should end this now…