“font-family: Verdana; line-height: 13px;”>Domestic and global economic woes, lower poll numbers and a stalled agenda have led to a decline of support from key groups that were critical to President Obama’s 2008 winning coalition. Republicans feel emboldened, and they are confident they can beat him next year. Many of the President’s allies have expressed deep disappointment in his perceived lack of toughness, focus and willingness to engage in legislative compromise with implacable GOP legislators. Moreover, certain black leaders, some with obviously dubious motives, have joined the attack over the last few months about his apparent lack of attention to Black America and its disproportionate unemployment numbers. The unemployment rate for blacks is 16.7 percent, compared to a national unemployment rate of 9.1 percent.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>President Obama addressed the issue directly on Monday during an exclusive report on BET News. He said, “They were critical when I was running for President. There will always be someone who is critical of the President of the United States. That’s my job.” There was continued negative reaction from some who took exception to his speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual dinner last Saturday, where he said the caucus should stop complaining and march with him. Obama defended his record, citing one example of several, the health care bill, whose focus is on the uninsured who are disproportionately African-American and Latino. But he acknowledged that it doesn’t mean health reform was only for these groups. Clearly the President’s remarks at the dinner were not directed only at the people in that audience, but also to the broader audience the national and global media reach.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Nevertheless, Obama’s support has been slipping. Since five months ago when 83 percent of African Americans held “strongly favorable” views of him, this strong approval rating has slipped in a recent poll to only 58 percent. The President is wise to address this dramatic shift in enthusiasm for him in his most reliable base – the African-American community – but he cannot satisfy those who insist he act more black publicly. His public message must resonate with a broader audience if he is to be re-elected to a second term. Then he can govern differently without being concerned with gaining another term. Republicans know this and are making an all-out assault on the President because they fear his initiatives in a final term. They would like nothing better than to run against an avowed black president.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>While we also take exception to some of Obama’s decisions, we have no reason to believe that he and his staff have not made themselves available to hear black leaders’ concerns privately. Despite their differences, Republicans fall in line publicly with their leaders, while some black leaders love to take public shots at Obama, knowing that these attacks create confusion and misunderstanding in the African-American community that discourages needed voter turnout and solidarity. Our question to these critics who sometimes express their discontent with contempt is: what do they wish for, a Republican in the White House? Obama has an uphill battle to retain the presidency, and he is less likely to succeed with these attacks from vainglorious leaders in his base.
