Icheoku says still wondering why President Barack Obama, the first and probably the ever black president America would have, cannot do anything to fix black peoples problems in America, Africa and the world over including Haiti? Wonder no more because his is an example of a tragic-comedy of being in power but without having power. He is just but a number out of the many that constitute the jigsaw of American power structure; and in a democracy, his voice is but one and coupled to power of persuasion can only sway but a few.
Also the United States Senate, another power repository, has 100 all white senators, none of whom is a colored person until very recently with then Senator Obama and currently Senator Booker of Newark New Jersey who is still the only minority senator in the US senate? They vote accordingly and they vote the interest they represent. So could someone please tell Icheoku why these all white senators should seriously concern themselves with "extra curricular" issues that does not advance white domination or which would water it down or threaten it.
Power in America belongs to various entities including Wall Street, the business community, military/industrial complex, the congress and of course the security agencies. So to get any pendulum-swaying thing done, these various bodies must first be persuaded on it and even lobbied hard for them to sign off on it? Now because majority of them are virtually 100% white controlled, effecting any legislation that would favor minorities including black people often meets Kevlar bullet-proof resistance. So one does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out why the colored man in "their" White House is powerless in the face of all these numerous challenges facing black Americans. To some folks, it is rather surprising that the president could not send in the cavalry to save them from the constant provocations by white people who seemingly are now doubling-down on minorities especially black people under his watch? Icheoku says it is not as if the president does not in his heart of hearts want and desire to do something about it in order to affect the status quo, but he cannot and does not have the ability to so do.
Unfortunately the president is bound to that fate and any attempt by him to overreach himself might be forcibly resisted; and if it includes terminating his presidency in any way possible, so be it. After all this is America and in America, vested interests and dollar bills are the only two things that actually matter and propel everything. It therefore goes without saying that anyone in the White House must respect this gear that drives America; a fact that becomes even more imperative when that person is a "That One". This is the complexity of the now in America especially with regard to the disillusionment of many with the Obama presidency. It also further drives the disappointment in the African American community, that their OWN person is in the White House and is not coming to their aid and rescue from all these white police officers who are constantly and frequently killing their children. When the high unemployment rate in their community, joblessness, dysfunctional homes, rapid-fire imprisonments and a skewed justice system, unfairly targeting blacks, as well as a laundry list of other things disproportionately affecting African Americans then their anger and disappointment at the president boils over.
It is not as if these tipped scale just effervesced overnight, no, they have been there for ages and this is what stirred the joy and jubilation that initially accompanied President Obama's election, that at last a messiah has come to liberate them and lessen their burden. But as every black person in America is sadly finding out, it seems their lot was perhaps better under the previous order. At least there was no great expectation, hence no disappointment; as everybody knew what the deal was right off the bat. But when you have your own person in authority, expecting that he would do something to alleviate your hardship and he does not, disappoints you or fails to meet your expectation, then it become doubly troubling. This is the fate of blacks in America as well as the overall minorities under President Barack Obama's presidency. Their heightened expectations and raised hopes were not only not met, but were dashed; and regrettably, they may never recover from their damaged psyche to start believing in fairness of America again.
Icheoku understands the power game in America and knows the great limitations of President Barack Obama. As a result, instead of joining the lynch mob, Icheoku sympathizes with the man who is hanging in that limbo and perhaps praying he safely completes his term in office. Icheoku does not particularly blame him for failing to do much and/or for literally doing nothing for the black community of America. Desiring an outcome is one thing and being allowed to 'mission accomplish' it, is another; and Icheoku honesty believe that the later was the president's hamstrung not the former. Good intentions that were frustrated was a major part of it and on hindsight, possibly he is regretting ever running for the office when he could not use it to reposition things and/or making promises that he did not know then they would not allow him to fulfill.
Anyway, it is the way of the world and it is what it is; admitted that blacks are heavily disappointed that one of them could not and was unable to salvage or ameliorate their situation in America. But black Americans will survive, they survived 400 years of slavery, they survived pre-Obama presidency and they will survive anything post-Obama presidency will throw at them. It will not matter either what the white people decides to further dump at them to make their lives more living hellish and as punishment that one of them dared occupy "their" White House and as deterrent for any future further attempt? It would only require perseverance and prayerful stoicism as well as strength to overcome the future without a "protector" in "them" White House. Icheoku says when the history and stock of President Obama's presidency is finally written and taken, it will be possibly summarized thus: "His, was an example of when being in power does not translate into and is not tantamount to having power and black Americans felt the impact roundly."
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