President Barack Obama and Mogul Donald Trump

Although progressives’ support for President Barack Obama has fizzled consistently as a result of some of his domestic and international policies, it has been instrumental and jarring to watch the nativist pressures from the New York mogul Donald Trump. A situation where Mr. Obama with a Kansan mother would be so maligned with innuendos that he was not born in the United State of America and by default he is an illegitimate president begs the question about what other Caucasian man and/or woman could have been subjected to such utter nonsense. The conservative conglomerates that consist of the Republicans, tea partiers, birthers, the John Birch Society, among others have been relentless in their nefarious attempts at delegitimizing the Obama presidency.

            However, these calculated sinister strategies are not only isolated to President Barack Obama’s administration but they seem to flourish in contemporary times under democratic regimes and fade away when the conservatives are at the helms of authority. For example, President Jimmy Carter was hounded for economic (stagflation) and foreign policies while the Republicans carried out all types of direct and indirect quid pro quo arrangements with the Iranian government in the 1980’s. In President Bill Clinton’s situation the conservative machine hounded him repeatedly about his personal, business, and sexual relationships. Those that had logs in their eyes decided to go after the specks in their neighbors eyes. Consequently, while individuals like former speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. Newt Gingrich, Representative Bob Livingston (L) and Senator Jack Vitter (L) were busy doing more egregious things (like jumping between wives and patronizing prostitutes) they conspired to impeach President Clinton.

            Whereas some might postulate that republicans are regular customers (pay masters) who have a depth at politicking and destroying their political foes, it is worth nothing that the attacks on President Barack Obama has been elevated to feverish xenophobic plateaus. Republicans got a pass from hijacking the country during the 2000 presidential election debacle in Florida. In a situation that would make dictators all around the world proud, the likes of Governor Jeb Bush and Secretary of State Katherine Harris disenfranchised millions of African American minority voters. Ironically, President Barack Obama’s father Mr. Barack Obama Sr. died fighting against tyrants who usurped human and civil rights.  Presidents Bush and Cheney’s (co-presidents) administration also got untold passes from republicans for their failure in protecting the country before the September 11^th 2001 manmade (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/apr/09/september11.alqaida) disaster. But they have been repugnant in their attacks of our Commander in Chief President Obama.  

            Were republicans like Mogul Mr. Donald Trump not present when New York was attacked and instead of sending enough forces to fight Al-Qaeda, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney decided to attack Iraq without provocation? I guess “the Donald” thought the nation was on the right track then. How come Mr. Trump never spoke up for the regular folks who lost their homes as a result of the unscrupulous dealings in Wall Street? The reality is that Mr. Trump has antecedents of dabbling in prejudice when it suits his course. In 2005 on his reality television show the Apprentice 4, Mogul Donald Trump placed Rhodes Scholar and Oxford University graduate Mr. Randal Pinkett in negative and compromised positions after he interrupted the final episode celebrations in an attempt to crown dual winners for the show. 

            Hopefully, with the developments in contemporary news cycles such as the release of President Barack Obama’s birth certificate and the death of Mr. Osama Bin Laden, the main street media, Mr. Trump and his republican comrades will grow up and address serious matters. Though President Barack Obama deserves credit for ascending to the presidency of the United States of America with his surname and background when his father was unceremoniously kicked out of the country by Harvard University, let the national/political debate revolve around substance. Why is there no comprehensive immigration reform? When are we going to stop the deportation of individuals that have grownup in the United States for the majority of their lives? Where is the compassionate conservatism in the destruction of families? How are we going to cut down on the federal deficits when we are involved in indefinite wars and negotiating more permanent (occupational) military bases? Why are global billion-dollar generating corporations such as oil cartel companies receiving tax breaks? Whose interest are we really protecting when we openly and tacitly support dictators and/or authoritarian regimes? When are Guantanamo Bay and secret prison sites going to be history? When are we going to have national moratorium on home foreclosures?

Nnamdi F. Akwada MSW, BA is a Social Justice Activist