Obama Ghana Trip: No Speech

politico.com:

It might seem like a moment just too good for the White House to pass up America's first black president, on his first trip
to sub-Saharan Africa, looking out over a sea of jubilant faces, delivering a message of friendship and hope.

Yet President Barack Obama, who would command a monumental audience nearly anywhere he spoke on the continent where he traces his ancestry, is not scheduled to deliver a speech to the general public when he visits Ghana next week.

Read the whole story: politico.com

Comments

[Theo67]

President Obama is visiting Ghana. That's not cause enough for celebration? He's giving a speech to parliament, in the only respectable democracy in Africa. That's not cause for celebration - that he's treating Ghana like he would any other respectable democracy and addressing their government, like he's addressed his own and those in Turkey? Why is enough never enough? Let's be happy that Africa has a shining example that will be on display for all other African nations and the world later this week. Let's be thrilled that the President is visit Ghana, and will spend time touring a place where slaves were once sold, and will stand there as the Leader of the Free World, President of the United States - holder of a most cherished place in history.

OR - we can sit here and whine over what is not happening, and harp on imagined slights - ruining a fantastic occasion by painting it with negativity.

[LilGlow]

Oh please!

President Obama is only stopping in Ghana because he was receiving so much cristism for ignoring sub-sharain africa. As for him treating Ghana as respectable ---- all I have to say is please!

[Amilcar Tavares]

My friend, when Ghana where "the only respectable democracy in Africa", Cape Verde was already holding that title. Do you know Cape Verde?

[Kalitipo]

Ghanaians are not expecting any big speech,neither the rest of Africa..cH­ANGE, LIKE FREE TRADE is better than SPEECH

[Klimb]

According to some bloggers here, Egypt (where Obama made a speech) is not part of Africa?! Please can somebody define Africa.

[Kalitipo]

Those BLOGGERS are ignorant..­actually egypt was not arab untill they moved in...the king of bling was not arab....te­ll people to read something called GEOGRAPHY

[dillydawg]

"Those BLOGGERS are ignorant..­" Sums it all. No matter how hard you and others try, they cannot be educated. They take pride in their ignorance. Good luck in your attempts.

[NeoStar9]

"Those BLOGGERS are ignorant"

That's pretty much it right there. People in the media keep trying to redraw Africa and separate the "white looking" in terms of people countries from the countries where the people have darker skin. This is why there is always talk in regards to Egypt as if it isn't part of Africa. They think and hope people are stupid and won't realize what they are doing.

[Hnorc]

Well according to the Baracuda, Africa is just a country.

[Khirad]

Not a part of sub-Saharan Africa.

[yasmeen]

to all you ignorants out there OBAMA WILL ADDRESS THE GHANIAN PARLAIMENT which is the representative of the people, so it's not necessary to address the people in the street, but then we know if he did, you'd whine about that, too.

do foreign presidents address americans directly? no they address congress or as guest speakers at universities. obama's speech in germany in 2008 wasn't to germans...­it was to planet earth from berlin. he spoke as a "citizen of the world."

had he gone to kenya first you would've rolled your eyes, too. instead he chose to reward one of the rarest functioning democracies in sub-saharan africa with the first visit. kenya has a bloody dyfunctional government.

[longtimegone]

A speech by America's first black President in Ghana, sub Saharan Africa's first independent nation and the home of Kwame Nkrumah, would be an event of monumental importance, even more so than the speech in Cairo. An Obama speech in Ghana would be remembered and recounted for decades in Ghana and throughout black Africa. Is there some fear that, having already acknowledged the world's Muslim population, to do the same for the world's black population might be more than white America could bear? With his bailouts of the banks and financial institutions making him look like anything but a man of the people at home, Obama could use opportunities like this to show himself to be a spokesman for the people in a global context. Is this the same man who addressed the racial issue so boldly and effectively in Philadelphia during the primary campaign? Africa desperately needs to be taken seriously as something more than a place from which the West extracts mineral wealth and dumps its chemical and electronic waste and debris; if not Obama, then who? If not now, then when?
Finally, the overblown description of Bwana Bill, clawed by the crazed, black, HIV infected crowd, was really odd and discordant. The Ghanaian people are perhaps the friendliest on Earth, without exaggeration; that description by no means did them justice.

[EgregiousEgregious]

I was by the choice of Ghana, since the President is of Nigerian ancestry. Then, I read this:
www dot modernghana dot com slash news slash 222675 slash 1 slash president-­obamas-cho­ice-to-vis­it-ghana-f­irst-in-af dot html

[djwfutbol]

He is Kenyan, a long way from Nigeria.

[hn333]

I agree with not doing a speech. It would be to uncontrollable.

[LilGlow]

Uncontrollable?!

Are you projecting how you would act?!

[Coolcat101]

politico is so slick. Looking for problems. I hope we black folks don't let a website like politico play us like this. How many people were wondering if he was going to give a public speech during the trip, before this politico nonsense? Please read the article, also. This is tabloid "journalis­m."

[fbr79]

No money, no honey. No oil, no speech.

[msfn]

This is the change we believe in :(

[NeoStar9]

Hmm. Could it be because Ghana isn't a predominantly white or white looking nation. Makes one wonder.

Correction. Forgot the "isn't" not "is".

[NeoStar9]

Hmm. I see my other post was deleted. Nice -_-

[rdsoxs86]

Ghana is not like most African countries. Although there is still corruption in the government, there is not starvation, human rights violations, or AIDS epidemic. Obama should speak to the African Nations.

[Klimb]

Please list the corruption in Ghananian govt, examples ...?

[Retrofuturistic]

I really hate that button that says "God's Chosen" Presidents. That is the mentality that has gotten us where we are.

[GeorgeP922]

Really, mentalities in Ghana have gotten Americans to where they are?

What are you trying to say?

[LilGlow]

As much as I am proud of President Obama and such. I will admit he is afraid to offend the white community by addressing anything that has to do with black people be it american blacks or african blacks. He will preach at us about what we are doing wrong and tells us to step up to the plate and all but he will NEVER praise us for the good we do or display the good we do in American or around the world.

I am getting the feeling the only time blacks will be important to President Obama is for votes just like with all other democrats. And yes, I am saying it ..... he only cares about our votes NOT about what is affecting us or what is good for our community.

[robXdion]

Exactly. And people will twist themselves into contortions to make excuses for him. THIS is what Jesse Jackson was talking about. I thought Obama did this kind of fronting for the campaign only, but he doesn't know when to let his sack hang. He seems to crave adulation, but he's afraid to actually take a stand by doing something beyond announcing vague generalities.

[mypov123]

'He seems to crave adulation, but he's afraid to actually take a stand by doing something beyond announcing vague generalities".

You know I hate to admit it, but I think you're on to something, Rob. I sense the same thing about Obama. I think that craving for adulation probably comes from not having his father around and then being left by his mother who was in Indonesia while he was being raised primarily by his grandparents.

[longtimegone]

I had a lingering fear throughout the primaries that whoever became the nominee, Clinton or Obama, being perceived as outsiders to the tight circle of entrenched white male power, would necessarily devote too much time and energy to proving themselves to those with real power to be not "just" black or not "just" female. Obama's persistence in continuing to prop up a failed economic system certainly seems to bear this out and, while he may have little choice in that, given the structure of power in America, this opportunity to address Africa in the same manner as he addressed the Middle East from Cairo, would help him to balance the equation. Reagan's real power came from talking over the heads of his opponents, directly to the people; I cannot imagine why Obama, with superior oratorical skills and a genuine message, does not begin to do the same. Start with Ghana, then come home and apply the same technique to the battle to give America publicly funded health care.

[polarcap2]

ahhhh, you poor abused victims - Bambam won't give us a hug - boo hoo

[Paulo1]

My my, now you know how gay folks feel Lilglow.

Obama is selling out ever group that put him in the White House.

[LilGlow]

Oh please don't even go there. Gays folks have gotten more attention from President Obama from day one.

And please stop trying to compare yourself to black folks!

[NeoStar9]

Sad to say but you might be right in this regard but it's that always been there yet people like to complain when someone addresses it. Just how if one criticizes Israel there are some that want to automatically label you as anti-semtic. If you even point out that President Obama won't speak to a primary black audience in the same way he speaks to every other group some people want to say you are being a victim, etc. When it's said that he won't address a black audience because it would upset the white community I to be honest think that it's right to a degree. There is some calculation I believe regarding this that is taking place. It's facing and touching upon a hard and very dirty truth that exist about the US that won't go away until whites are the ones actually in the minority.

Bill Maher is right. He does need a little bit of Bush in him. I'm sick of him being "nice". We all know Republicans will never do anything so stop playing this stupid game as if they have any significant. Let the American people they are stopping the things they want and aren't representing the public but their business friends.

[Khirad]

This was in the back of my mind, as well.

[J-Rome]

No one can predict how people in Ghana would react to a speech given by the POTUS. However, it is safe to say millions would turn out, and I have no doubt that the POTUS' decision not to give a speech there is due to his desire not to see a repeat of what happened when Clinton was there. It's the right decision.

[LilGlow]

I disagree..­.

President Obama had no problem with speaking directly to the people of France, Turkey, Czech Republic, Egypt and so on.

He only has a problem which it comes to BLACKS, be it american blacks or african blacks and as the adage goes ACTIONS speaks louder than words!

Speaking directly to the Africa's blacks would have went a long way but once again Mr. Obama is taking the easy road in order to prove something -----

[rc42]

you are full of cr*p.

[J-Rome]

"He only has a problem which it comes to BLACKS, be it american blacks or african blacks and as the adage goes ACTIONS speaks louder than words!"

Nothing about Obama's actions or his background lend credence to your statement referenced above. Indeed, your statement is absolutely ridiculous and no where near factual. African governments have had and continue to have issues managing large crowds. Example, Pope Benedict recently visited the nation of Angola. According to people I know who attended a prayer service given by the Pope in a stadium in Luanda, a minimum of 3 teenagers were trampled to death and more than 40 others were seriously injured trying to get into the stadium. Turnout for an Obama speech would have been in the millions. It would be absolutely irresponsible for the POTUS not to take into consideration the difficulties in managing such a large crowd. You may think it is acceptable for the POTUS to risk people being trampled just so he can give a speech. Fortunately, the POTUS does not.