Let President-Elect Obama Stay in His Own Lane

I hope our next president enjoyed his family vacation in Hawaii. I hope he slept in, caught some waves with his daughters, and partied like a rock star with his wife Michelle. Because as soon as this dude lands in Washington, it's ova!

Obama hasn't even been sworn in yet and he's being pushed and pulled in all the different directions everyone else thinks he's supposed to go. Everywhere I look people are trying to steer Obama one-way or the other. Usually, into whatever lane suits them best. And it isn't just the Republicans who are doing the complaining. If anything, they seem the most happy with Obama's decisions - maybe because they didn't expect much. It's his own party that's pulling the guy every which way, like some whacked out back seat driver. "Turn left! No! Go straight ahead! What are you doing?!? You were supposed to make a right! Go back!" Everybody thinks he owes them and they're hell bent on trying to collect.

Gay, black, brown, young, old, white, female, Democrat, Republican - everybody wants to create some traffic, cut him off and force him into their own lane. The feminists are pissed 'cause he didn't appoint more women to his cabinet. (Even though five of the top positions were given to women.) Some members of the civil rights old guard are back with, "Why aren't there more black people up there?" These are the same dudes who were mad he didn't turn his convention speech into a history lesson on Martin Luther King. If Obama had listened to them, he never would've gotten elected in the first place.

Who's next in line to bitch? Will cat lovers complain that the first family is only talking about adopting a dog and discriminating against felines? Will left-handed jugglers be upset that they're not represented? Why not appoint a few little people to the Cabinet while he's at it?

And now gay rights groups are mad because the pastor who's doing the inauguration doesn't support gay marriage.

For real??? The president wants Rick Warren because millions of people love him. He's giving respect to what the majority of the American people are into. Obama doesn't have to agree with everything the guy says just to have him up there on the podium. Why can't Obama have his moment however he wants it and with whoever the hell he chooses? I don't give a fuck if Big Foot swears him in. Y'all should let the man have his day.

We achieved what most people thought was impossible. We elected a young, hip, African-American visionary to be President of the United States. No funny business at the polling booths. No bloodbaths. No recounts. He energized the black community and brought everybody else on board at the same time. He brought out more young voters than anytime in history. He gave America a second chance in the world's eyes as a nation that can recognize its mistakes and make amends. He gave us back our sense of hope.

And Obama got us there HIS way. He created a political campaign like no other. People said what he did couldn't be done, but he kept on going. He didn't change lanes, he just kept it moving in the direction he knew was right.

I made a career out of finding my own lane, and helping artists do the same for themselves. From Kris Kross to Usher to Bow Wow, they became successes when they discovered their own unique style. Musically, our biggest hits came from listening to what everybody else was doin', then steering a lil' to the left or the right and creating our own movement. And the few times I didn't follow my own path; when I paid too much attention to my label bosses, or let anyone else override my best instincts, it jus' didn't work.

Obama's gonna listen to other people's opinions, and he should. But I hope the last voice he hears before he makes a decision is his own. Now, with the economy so messed up and Israel bombing the shit out of the Gaza Strip, and more than ten million people unemployed, the heat is really gonna be on. People change lanes when they get scared and lose direction, but Obama can't afford to do that, ever. He can't cave into the pressure. Not now.

Everyone has their pet projects but what everybody has to realize is that Barack Obama has a job to do that goes beyond the side hustles of the rest of the planet. He isn't going to be president to make one group happy. He's going to the White House to serve his country. And anyone who thought that he was gonna to be an ultra liberal activist president better get over it right now. He said himself he's gonna reach across the aisle and bring us together, not divide us, and that's what he's already doing. He's the bridge we've all been waiting for.

Obama is one slick dude. I'm not saying that in a bad way. I mean it as a compliment. It's what we need. He's a 21st century President. A man for our time. And I'm sure he knows that the world is watching, so whatever he does you can bet that he's doing what he believes in his heart is going to have the best results. He's not here to make you, me, Al Sharpton, or Tavis Smiley, or anybody else happy. He's here to serve our country and be the kind of leader we need in the baddest way.

So please, let Obama continue to stay in his lane. Let the man drive!

Jermaine Dupri, who was named the most successful R&B producer of all time by the Guinness World Records 2007, is a Grammy-award winning music producer, president of Island Urban Records and author of Young, Rich and Dangerous: The Making of a Music Mogul (Atria, October 2007). For more information about this blogger, click here.

Comments

[alex200606]

jd wheres janets album?

[oldbrit]

naijaman said, "Why do gay folks who are beating the gay marriage drum always compare this issue to blacks and racial issues? This is so stoooopid!"

You might want to reconsider who you think is stoooopid!

"Sexual orientation is the functional equivalent of race for the purposes of civil rights law."
--Eleanor Holmes Norton

"Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood." --Coretta Scott King

“Marriage is a civil right. If you don’t want gay people to marry in your church, good for you. But you can’t say they can’t marry in your city.” —Julian Bond

“We must measure human rights by one yardstick. Marry who you want to. And leave when you’re ready.” —Rev. Jesse Jackson

"I will not turn my back on another American. I will not oppress my fellow human being. I have fought too hard and too long against discrimination based on race and color not to stand up against discrimination based on sexual orientation." --John Lewis

“It’s like asking ‘Do I support black marriage or white marriage?’ … The inference of the question is that gays are not like other human beings. [It’s] like saying you give blacks, or whites, or Latinos the right to shack up — but not get married.” —Al Sharpton (I supported Al Sharpton for president in 2004)

[TaylorSiluwe]

Yes, yes, and YES. Very well said.

The rabble and the outrage from the gay community over Warren has pissed me off to no end. Some usually sensible people asking, 'How could Obama be so stupid.' Really?? Isn't he supposed to be the smart guy? Isn't that why we elected him?

How can a man go from "too professorial" to stupid by making a decision unpopular with one minority group?

I was actually led to this post from a blog telling Mr. Dupri to "stick to making beats". Very similar to the dismissal of Melissa Etheridge when she gave Obama the benefit of having some smarts, the blogs quickly turned on her and said, "shut up and sing".

I usually find the passion of my LGBT brethren endearing. But their reactionary, short-sighted, puerile behavior since the election makes me wanna say all those stereotypical words used to describe us.

[Adrienne Williams - Huffpost Blogger]

Very well said. Even on HP a lot of posters and Blogger's alike want a piece of him. Obama will do what he sees is best for the country (when he gets in) and just like you stated. Bush is the President at this moment.

Thanks,

[Carnacamarna]

Please, Obama may be more than capable, but he did not get where he is completely alone. I like dissent. Dissent is healthy and good for us. Let the complaints keep coming. I hope people continue to push Obama to go in their lanes because that would at least show that he is capable of listening and hearing divergent views. Dissent is not a problem. Obama represents us; we've already seen what having a president who "stays in his own lane" has done via Mr. Bush II. I don't want a president who stays in his own lane. Driving is about manuevering, taking other paths into consideration, trying and failing at them but still reaching a good destination. Sometimes listening to backseat and sideseat drivers helps you.

[phoquemyope]

Excellent piece! Now all there is left to do is convince all the complainers. Good luck!

[starfire426]

My sentiments exactly....thank you for expressing them so succinctly. At this point I'm more disgusted and irritated with my own party (Dems) than I am the Repubs for not being more supportive of PE Obama (John Conyers and Diane Feinstein VIVIDLY come to mind).

At the very least, we should all be giving our PE our support, PRIOR to his being sworn in....he's not enacted any of his policies yet...by law he cannot until he takes office. So, allow the man to at least get his ducks in a row before piling on!

[uc1000]

When you pick a former Israeli army(Rahm Emanuel) member as your chief of staff, I can't see foreign policy being that diplomatic. Keeping Gates as the Defense secretary isn't a great option either. Any supporter of the Iraqi War should have been thrown out period. Not to mention bringing Volcker on in any economic capcity is a bad move. Policies like his started the economic avalanche in the first place. McCain would have drug us down fast. Obama is just a guy with the net. When he catches us, anyone's guess.

[chiara12]

Uc1000,

Is Rahm Emanuel going to be the POTUS? Is he going to be Secretary of State? No. Do you think Obama is going to be just some sort of puppet to his advisers? If you do think that, then it's obvious you were not really much of a supporter of his or have not really looked a little deeper into how he operates.

Do you really think that changing out the Secretary of Defense in the middle of the draw down of a very complicated war would be a prudent move? Do you not think a transition like that would possibly add to the time it would take for us to facilitate a withdrawl?

As much as we would like anyone who had anything to do with Bush to be thrown out on their ears or better yet, thrown into jail, in reality we screwed everything up so horribly in Iraq that we need to do the best we can to get out in as "right" a way as possible.

[iblogleft]

Everyone in Israel must join the army...

[smag]

Maybe it is now getting through to some that BO was not elected as president of PTA. He is a politician in the big game of politics and his hands will be as dirty or soiled by having to deal with the self serving lobyist (no matter how long they have been out of politics) and special interest groups just like all other presidents. Time will tell. Situational ethics will rule.

[sugarfree]

Think you ,Jermaine Dupri.
What i don't understand is where were all this ADVICE for the last (4) President we had, everybody
knows how to fix the Economy, but no said anything until now.
They say oh we elected him on the basic of promis, i voted for because he had the
best ideals for this Country and the problem facing Americans.

[TheGmaN]

Mr. Dupri,
Please help Janet with some hit songs and remember, if you have a right to your opinion then everyone else has a right to theirs.

[AlanBJ]

Where in the h e l l were all of these backseat drivers for the last 8 years? They were asleep at the wheel while they let an incompetent, ideological, self-serving Administration nearly steer us off a road and into a d a m n brick wall going 200 mph.

Now that we have a competent, pragmatic, clear thinking, public servant taking over the wheel, now these a s s backwards people want to drive.

Silly rabbits...tricks are for kids.

[FearlessFreep]

Some of them were criticizing Dubya too.

[FearlessFreep]

Regardless of Prop 8, you don't have to be racist to see that homophobia exists in the black community. We do nobody a favor by ignoring the problem. (Anti-gay comments by blacks greatly outnumber anti-black comments by gays.)

[omo]

'Homophobia' has become a much overused buzzword. If it continues to be deployed at every opportunity, the word 'heterophobia' will start to be used too, and the polarity will just deepen.

[southwindow]

i am sure racism, antisemitism, and sexism are just buzzwords also.
if only there were less gay people, or they were less outspoken, maybe we wouldn't have to hear about it so much.
-spoken like someone who doesn't know what they are talking about.

[nolabels]

For everyone who says, [paraphrasing] "Well, where were all of you complainers when Bush was doing 'his thing'?" We were here. We were supporting and encouraging our family members that were marching on Washington before the launch of the Iraq war. We were letting everyone around us know that we did not agree with the level of authority Bush had gained and the way he used it. We voted for people who promised (and sadly did not deliver) to hold Bush accountable. We still hope that he is sent to trial. And yes, if Bush and his crew are not presented with serious criminal charges and made to answer for their actions, I will be upset with this new administration as well. Let's just stop this whole, "But Bush didn't listen to us, so why does Obama have to, meme." Bush should have too. We would be in a better place if Bush listened to progressives.

[nolabels]

"In the Ferrari or Jaguar switching four lanes" We get it. It makes for a good hook but a bad political philosophy.

First of all, JD, Obama's inauguration is not HIS day. It is our day.

You can draw whatever analogies to your career as a record producer and "artist" to Obama's job as you wish. That does not mean they ring true. Nobody elected you to produce that music. You succeeded because people bought your records but you didn't have to improve the quality of classical, country or electronica fans lives (let alone those of Hip-Hop fans). You succeeded because enough people liked your stuff. Plenty of people have made it to high office because they have given "respect to what the Majority of American people are into". That does not mean that what they did was right. There is nothing of merit to say about the position against gay marriage and certainly nothing to praise about statements which debase individual's natural desire to share their love with another consenting adult by creating false and vicious equivalences. If Big Foot spewed hurtful lines against black people, you would not be so cool with him speaking at the inauguration.

[emanous]

I agree to some extent to what Dupree is saying in terms of Obama being pulled in every direction. He is the prez of us all. He will make the right judgement and its is his own. It is his day in terms being sworn in. On the gay issue the guy is just making a speech. Not making policy. So ease up. I dont agree with gays but thats their life. I dont discriminate but please dont equate gays to the african american issue. Not the same. Our history goes very deep and obama is not that stupid to invite some racist preacher. Thats not happening. So i dont think ur comparison is valid.

[daltexman]

but it is the same -- again, discrimination is discrimination, regardless of it being against blacks or gays or women or whatever. this is from a black gay male. so stop being so homophobic, folks and help the lgbt community! that includes all you brothas and sistas and hip-hop folks, aight? be a champion of what is right and yes, call obama on less-than-admirable behavior. stop giving him a pass.

[nolabels]

I worked my ass off to help elect Obama and I think he has an incredible intellect and will make the right decisions for our nation. That said, considering the fact that Obama's decisions deeply impact our lives and the lives of people around the world, I have to disagree with you when you say that his judgment is his own. It is all of ours and requires our input.

[nolabels]

I could not state who's ancestors who bore whatever traits have been struggling longer because of them. My guess is that the first "people" (whatever that was) were black and considering the fact that our closest primate relatives represent homosexual tendencies as well, my guess would be that our common ancestors did as well. Assuming all of those things to be true, and assuming that our weird aversion to sex represented itself before some early humans moved off of the Savannah in Africa and got lighter skin, my guess would be that gay people have had a longer historical struggle than black people. BUT WHO CARES? Only a handful of our ancestors are alive today and we should care about how they were mistreated but we should take their struggle as an example of how we should extend our compassion to other people who claim to be suffering as well. Hate is hate. Pain is pain. You can claim that black people have more of a right to their pain but as someone who is neither black nor gay neither, group's pain affects me more or less than the others but I abhor the existence of either. However hard our ancestors fought for their rights has no bearing on the debate today. We should extend the same rights to everyone TODAY.

[Nanaama]

With all the important problems facing the US and the rest of the world, problems dealing with life and death. The very existence of millions of people threatened, you would think that gay marriage was the most important issue in the world today, to listen to the gay community.

[nolabels]

I didn't say and don't believe that LGBT rights is the most important issue. Hell, I am straight and don't believe in marriage. I also am unemployed. Just guess what I care most about.
The point is that Obama does not have to give a podium to people that represent a hateful message. Perhaps Obama will do nothing to advance LGBT rights. I have a feeling that the change LGBT people seek with come through years of court battles, like many other measures of progress have been made in this country in the past. Would I prefer sentiment to change and laws to change faster yes but I am realistic.

[oldbrit]

No, equal civil and human rights for all people are the foundation of our country.

Without them, we will never achieve unity in our country or peace in the world.

Go back and study Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Both of them agree with me, not with you.

[chamberslee]

Your statement is no different than the statements of those who said Dr. king should not make noise about racism and the lack of rights for people of color. Instead, he was told he should wait until White America was ready to give blacks equal rights. Not giving gays full rights is no different than denying blacks and females full rights. If you have nerver had you rights denied, you do not know what I am talking about.

[jazzdrummerb]

I'm in agreement with Dupri...Obama's got more on his plate than most of us can even imagine...the weight of the world (nay the fate of the world?) is on his shoulders.
I wish him well.

[uc1000]

-Cut spending on the military and NASA
- Cut Israeli aid in half if they keep on with their barbaric missions
- A flat tax($20 a month) on every worker that goes directly to universal health care
- Pull out of Afghanistan immediately even before Iraq
- Overhaul the prison indutrial complex and let non-violent offenders out.
- Universal teaching of the history of America's foreign policy in schools.

Those ideas would save billions of dollars, stop the number 1 reason for bankruptcy( delinquency in health bills), and make Americans more aware of the real reason why foreigners hate us at times.

[nolabels]

It is not the fate of the world. By no means.

[dtd]

Preach, Brother Dupri! I'll be the first to admit that I've been a member of the chorus of the so-called Black intelligensia who have been highly critical of the Black hip hop generation, but today I stand with you! I'm sick of white Liberals and the negroes doing their bidding who are doing everything possible to undermine the Obama presidency before it even begins. In other words, MF's not used to sh*t that they don't know how to act!