At the 2004 Democratic National Convention, the world was officially introduced to Barack Hussein Obama. He was this young Harvard Law Grad and Illinois State Senator. He gave an arousing speech, but was of no particular influence to anyone other than the "established" politics of Chicago. People enjoyed his oratory skills, and just saw him as a politician with big ears and a funny name. Those on the left applauded him for his ability to move the crowds with the use of simplistic yet elegant words. Those on the right more than likely completely ignored him.
Obama moves through the Illinois Senate, and in a short time becomes a Unites States Senator. No one would object to him. After all, he met all the requirements necessary to serve in the office. In addition to that, he was intelligent, well educated, brilliant, and could deal with the harshness of politics in Chicago. He was in essence a perfect fit for the status-quo of D.C. politics.
Rewind a few years forward, and now meet Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. In the beginning he's equated to just another black man running for an office that he would never attain. After all, Jesse Jackson clearly showed that there was no chance a Black man could become a serious candidate for President of the United States of America. So once again, he was of not influence or consequence to anyone seriously.
Somehow, this "nobody" becomes a serious Candidate for the Democratic Nominee. The world buys into his message of hope, and crowds throng to his events. I can remember attending several of his campaign speeches. The crowd was more diverse than anything I'd ever seen in my life. There were republicans, independents, and democrats standing in lines for hours just to see this man.
Out of the blue, this man that made it into Columbia and Harvard Law. This man that graduated at the top of his Law School Class, and served as Editor of the Law Review. This Professor of Constitutional Law and politician. This man with one wife, and no serious baggage that accompanies most politicians. This man now faces a battery of ignorant criticisms that anyone participating in should be ashamed of.
First there was a new idea that because his father was Kenyan, and that he and his mom lived in Indonesia for a short time that he must be Muslim. The craziness of this is that while people screamed this vile, they were also accusing him for being a 20+ year member under the Pastorate of Jeremiah Wright. No, Wright didn't oversee a mosque, he was actually a Church of Christ minister. Yet the ignorant continued to argue out of both sides of their mouths. I hung my head in shame as cameras went across the nation, and people were unapologetic in proclaimed that he was indeed a Muslim. Never had they seen him in a Mosque. Never did they see him sending prayer eastward. Never did they see his wife dressed in the conservative garb of a traditional Muslim woman. Without any form of intelligent evidence, ignorant people of the "Greatest" country in the world spoke strongly about something so false. By the way, is there something wrong with a Muslim running for President? Is it not history that the Roman Catholic church participated in some of the most heinous persecution of Christians ever? How many Catholic Presidents have we had? (Pun Intended)
Then there was talk from my own community about whether or not this man was "black" enough. Yes he's of mixed parentage, but how does one measure "black"? I was born in a bad neighborhood where only two of us boys out of the entire block avoided juvenile detention. I attended public school, but then matriculated to private school. I lived in a home with two parents that worked full-time jobs. Does that make me "black" enough? Sadly, in this country it doesn't matter who your parents are. If you happen to look black, then some people will treat you with stereotypical disdain even if your mother is a white lady from Kansas. Are black kids that are adopted and raised by white parents considered "black" enough? I bet you won't tell Michael Orr (Baltimore Ravens) that he isn't "black" enough.
Third, there was the idiotic widely-spread claim that he was somehow born in Kenya. I laughed hysterically when I heard this. So this man gets into Columbia, Harvard Law, the Illinois and U.S. Senate, but the nationality was never questioned? When he filed his intent to run for office papers, nobody thought he was born in Kenya then? To appease the ignorant, he submits the OFFICIAL State of Hawaii Birth record. Yet, Mr. Cain, the republican front-runner, is said to have been born in the Panama Canal Zone and no one raises any questions about this. Even after Obama is elected President, the ignorant continue to question whether or not he was born where he and his birth record says he was born. Even so-called "public figure" Donald Chump (Roland Martin's term) had the nerve to push the effort. Remember, he had an 'investigation" going on that revealed to him that Obama wasn't born in Hawaii. Yet after Obama went and had his original birth certificate released, Trump never mentioned that so-called investigation again. He even went on to suggest that Obama's grades needed to be examined. I know Mr. Trump hardly understands anything that isn't related to Bankruptcy court, but Mr. Trump in order for Obama to be the Editor of Law Review at one of the Nations' Premier Institutions of Higher learning, he had to have had some darn good grades.
All of this leads to one point. It wasn't until President Obama became a legitimate candidate that people saw him as a threat greater then ever in the history of this country. Because of his "Great' and unique threat, they had to dig deeper than logically comprehensible. Those that can't beat Obama, seek to minimize him through Person Assassination. Notice that I didn't say personal or political assassination. Political and personal attacks on politicians is a part of the game. Yet to try to disqualify the legitimacy of a Candidate and a President is Person Assassination. Never in the History of American politics has a there been a cross-hair of Person Assassination on the core as this President. Those that spew these unfounded vitriol only seek to cause fear in the minds of the weak. Those Americans that sit by and wait with baited breath for anything that will delegitimize (yes I made it up) this President. Their aim isn't to find the truth, but it is to get rid of this man that in their mind never had a chance of being there from the beginning. Even today Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich continues to speak unfounded truths (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XMSDvRU46Y&feature=youtu.be) saying that Obama is seeking to implement Muslim laws.
There are criticisms that are fair on this President like any leader. He is not immune to criticism, nor his he or his policies perfect. There are some that disagree with everything he says just because of different point of views. Then there are those that disagree for the sake of making him a "one-term" President. I will leave political arguments for another blog. Yet it is appalling to me that a man that looks like me can play the game by the rules, but when he reaches the top people try to diminish his legitimacy. I won't label it racism because I think that's too nice. It's just pure ignorance, idiotic, and incomprehensible disdain for a man that has earned what he has in the right way. So I'm making a call to the FBI (Federal Bureau of the Ignorant). If you don't have anything legitimate to say, then shut up and keep your ignorance epidemic to yourself. I will not sit back and let you Assassinate President Barack Obama!
Just me
Anthony J. Albury Jr., MBA is an Author, Motivational Speaker, Life Coach, Law Student, and Entrepreneur. Visit his website at www.justanthony.org to learn more about him, for booking information, and to purchase his book, "Simplewords: Your Daily Motivational Journal.
