An American Tragedy, A Promise Unfulfilled

The New Yorker Magazine published a classic cover illustration for its January 29, 2009 edition. It showed the newly-inaugurated President Obama in a classic pose as George Washington.

It could be my favorite picture of Barack Obama. It emphasizes the continuity of our traditions, the debt we all owe as Americans to the Father of our Country. Sober, thoughtful, wise, it bestows on our new President all the dignity of the office. It stresses the fact that the President is not only leader of a party, or an administration, but he is also the chief of state. What a stately portrait it is.

That inauguration was a great moment of unity for all Americans. We had achieved peacefully not only a transfer of power, but an historic first. We had reason to congratulate ourselves on a post-racial future. We had reason to hope that Dr. King’s famous cry–that we would each be judged not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character–would at last be realized.

Americans–even the millions like me who did not vote for Barack Obama–had reason to be proud that as a candidate, he had garnered 41% of white male voters and 43% of white voters overall. This was better than John Kerry’s 35% of white males and 42% of all white voters. This was convincing evidence that if America was really the racist country some liberals portray it, Barack Obama would still be sitting in the Illinois state senate.

One of President Obama’s first acts as leader of the Great Republic was to toss Winston Churchill’s bust out into the snow. His latest break with tradition, however, has seriously jeopardized all that his election meant to millions of us. It’s as if he took the White House portrait of George Washington and pitched it onto a bonfire.

That’s because in his latest campaign pitch, he dangerously divided Americans–by race.

He sent out a video message to 13 million supporters saying: “It will be up to you to make sure that the young people, African-Americans, Latinos, and women, who powered our victory in 2008 stand together once again.” What a stunning “dissing” of white males.

This economic recession is having serious consequences for men of all races. Fathers are feeling the pinch–and their families are suffering as a result. Disdaining white men is no way to improve the condition of black or Hispanic men. Jack Kemp loved to quote Jack Kennedy: “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Obama’s policies will throw more and more men of all races over the side.

With this, you can see that the liberal strategy of demonizing TEA Party activists as angry white men is being orchestrated from the White House. When liberal TV reporters actually find a black man or woman in a TEA Party rally, they confront them aggressively, asking offensive questions like: “Aren’t you uncomfortable to be here?” In short, they’re asking: Don’t you feel like a traitor to your race? TEA Party organizers are condemned if they’re not inclusive and insulted if they are.

All Americans–black, white, Hispanic, and Asian–have good reason to be concerned about the explosion of debt that threatens our economic future and our political liberties.

Americans of all races have powerful reasons to oppose ObamaCare, with its trillions in unfunded liabilities, full funding of abortion, and liberty-consuming individual mandates.

The dream still lives. In these perilous times, more and more Americans are recognizing we are all in the same boat. Where are the leaders who will bring us together?