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.
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You're absolutely right. How dare people actually excercise their right to so much as disagree with any of the president-elect's decision, and worse have the supposed "gall" to voice such opinions.
In case you haven't noticed, this isn't a monarchy, whereby everyone is obliged to adhere to their leader's recommendations with or without consent or reservations.
So, deal with it.
Criticism, reccomendations, and the like are all part of the job, and symptomatic of the inherent burden that accompanies the parameters of a democracy. So, don't quesiton our right to excercise such rights as to actually (gasp!) disagree with any of the decisions of our president.
JMr Dupri, you are so right and I couldn't agree with you more. I find myself reminding family members that this man knows what he's doing and to continue to trust his judgement as we did during the election. I also have to remind them that we will NEVER agree with him 100% of the time just like we don't agree with each other 100% of the time. Our newly elected president Obama is really smart, and knows what he wants to accomplish for our country. For the first time in 8 years we have a president who thinks of the domestic front and ways of improving our lives as a result, we need to focus on helping him achieve these goals not attack him on all frontsy. So as you so correctly stated in this blog, "please, let Obama continue to stay in his lane. Let the man drive!"
Happy Sunday everyone
Amen MotherF@#$%^king AMEN!!! Let Obama do his stuff! The LAST Thing we need is for Conventional wisdom to rear it's ugly head . . . cause it HASN'T WORKED!!!! Geeez!!!
Mr. Dupri, you could not have said it any better. I also believe that the reason every Dick and Harry is looking to Obama is because they could not go to Bush; so, when they saw and accessible President, they all wanted to onload everything they have repressed during the last eight years. regardless, you're correct that only Obama can make the final decision, as he sees fit to push his agenda forward.
Coretta Scott King pointed out that many gays and lesbians had fought for black civil rights, demanding that blacks return the favor:
"Gays and lesbians stood up for civil rights in Montgomery, Selma, in Albany, Ga. and St. Augustine, Fla., and many other campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement," she said. "Many of these courageous men and women were fighting for my freedom at a time when they could find few voices for their own, and I salute their contributions."
Were gays and lesbians fighting with Blacks because it was the right thing to do? Or, were gays and lesbian fighting with Blacks in expectation of reciprocity to fight for gay and lesbian rights? If it is the former, then gays and lesbians should not reference their participation in the civil rights movement as a reason Blacks should support their cause, because they did what they should have done as good citizens. If is the latter, then they do not deserve the support of Blacks, because they never believed in equality to begin with. If gays and lebians want Black support, they have to make the argument that supporting their cause is the right thing to do, not because they supported Blacks during the civil rights movement. After all, the civil rights movement was equally beneficial to Whites. Today, we have White women as corporate executives, gays and lesbians can now come out and assert their rights openly, and we owe it all to the civil rights movement!
"civil rights" means rights bestowed by virtue of citizenship. it is not a term owned by a particular minority. there is no "your cause" and "our cause" there is one cause to ensure and protect the civil rights of all citizens. reciprocity has nothing to do with anything. all people drawing breath in the United States as citizens should stand up to claim their civil rights when an inequality shows itself. if ANY one group can be treated unfairly or as unequal to the majority, then watch your back because no one is safe.
"Gays and lesbians should not reference their participation in the civil rights movement as a reason Blacks should support their cause, because they did what they should have done as good citizens." And blacks should support gays because that's what THEY should do as good citizens.
A large part of gay life is the concept of reciprocity. 'You do this for me and I'll do that for you'. Probably derives from how they relate to each other sexually. Straight sexual relationships are not reciprocal in the same way. Biologically they cannot be and nobody would want them to be. Much of the furor over this issue is that gays expect this kind of reciprocity and straights simply don't understand it because it is not part of the straight worldview in the same way. A fundamental difference in fulfillment of expectations.
"Were gays and lesbians fighting with Blacks because it was the right thing to do? Or, were gays and lesbian fighting with Blacks in expectation of reciprocity to fight for gay and lesbian rights?"
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Why don't you ask Bayard Rustin? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayard_Rustin
In 1937, at the age of 25, an openly gay man named Bayard Rustin started training at the American Friends Service Committee. By 1963 he was perhaps one of the most important figures in African-American and LGBT history.
Yet few would imagine it was he, Bayard Rustin, an openly gay man, that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tapped to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1963 March on Washington where King gave his immortal "I Have A Dream" speech.
Both King and Rustin saw a plague of injustice in this country and dedicated their lives to making it right—for all people, one person at a time.
_____________________________________
They did this because it was the right thing to do. I fight for my civil rights and for the safety and freedom of my family because it is my life and liberty. I ask you and others on the outside of the LGBT community to stand with us because it is the right thing to do.
thank you. at least someone remembers.
Coretta Scott King rejected this nonsense completely and argued forcefully that gay rights was indeed the logical next step for a civil rights movement that cares about more than just racial inequality. Mrs. King spoke often to gay rights groups and always spoke out strongly for gay rights. In 1998, just a few days before the 30th anniversary of her husband's assassination, she noted the obvious similarities:
"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."
She also noted that her husband believed that all struggles for equal rights were bound together and that it was necessary to fight against bigotry in all forms, not merely the form that affected you personally:
"We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny...I can never be what I ought to be until you are allowed to be what you ought to be," she said, quoting her husband. "I've always felt that homophobic attitudes and policies were unjust and unworthy of a free society and must be opposed by all Americans who believe in democracy."
The premise of this blog is absurd. We did not elect Obama dictator. We elected him on the basis of promises he made. Either he was just pandering to us or he was sincere. If the latter, then he has an obligation to fulfill the promises he made. After all, he told us it was all about us, not about him.
Maybe you should WAIT untill he actually become president. RIGHT
Specifically, what promises were broken. I could make promise to my children that we are going to the beach to swim and have good time; however, if after we arrive the forcast calls for a Hurrican, it would be almost criminal to allow the children to swim just becuase I made a promise. Obama did not promise that he would dismiss the reverand. Obama did not promise that he would appointment a disproportionant number of women to his cabit. Obama did not promise to solve all the problems of Black America. He promised to work in a bi-partisian fashion and he often said that many may not always agree with his decision but he promised to always listen. To me he is doing exactly what he promised.
What are you talking about? "We" elected him? Who's 'WE"? Obama was elected by democrats, republicans and independents.
Elected him on the basis of his promises? How short-sighted.
You should have elected him on his universal principles and not on short term strategies, on what he stands for and where he comes from and not what he determined to be correct in an election phase where he did not have all the facts.
Yes, universal principles like...
Equal rights for all, even for gays.
In a democracy, it's not HIS day - it's OURS.
You've got us confused with Venezuala or Cuba.
Of course it is our day for this President. These our choices that the President's team get to decide for a reason. To this extent, it is his inauguration. It appears that maybe you are somewhat confused. Even in a democracy, "to the winner goes the spoils," do you remember that from your history lessons?
I'm not confused.
You don't know the difference between "spoils" and "mistakes."
Tell it JD! Tell it!
There's absolutely nothing wrong with advocating for your position. I think we haven't been listened to in this country for so long that there's now a flood of folks who expect to be listened to. And I firmly believe Obama is listening. Of course, that doesn't mean that he's going to do whatever any particular group wants. For those who were expecting Obama to be a good little progressive lapdog, that's your own expectation. Obama never said as much and, in fact, expressly stated that he would not be serving particular ideologies but saw himself as a pragmatist. So give the guy some room to be an effective leader and help re-right this sinking ship. The last thing we need right now is folks letting in even more water.
In order to be the change we want to see in the world, we're just going to have to stop being so adversarial and start working together across the ideological divide. And Obama is going to be showing us how that's done. More power to him.
Thanks JD for your exceptional piece.
Uh... Start reaching across the adversarial divide? Religions don't work that way. These right wing religious extremists have only one goal... to make this one nation under THEIR god. So the rest of us have to ignore these people and do what's right despite them and hope they come to their senses eventually.
Case in point: It took the mormon god until 1978, THIRTEEN YEARS after the Civil Rights Act, to finally decide that blacks were as equal as everybody else.
Can't wait for your next blogpost JD. You knocked it out of the park with this one!
Umm can you name any civil rights or feminist leaders who are finding fault with Obama's cabinet selections? Can you link to an article in which they express their discontent? As per Gallup he's got 70% approval http://www.gallup.com/poll/111838//Obama-Bush-Contrast-Popularity.aspx).
Though even if those complaints were being voiced, that wouldn't mean that those of us who object to seeing a holdover from the Christian right involved in the inauguration wouldn't be well within our rights to say so.
Exactly...
Thank You Jermaine...
It is not up to you to decide for the Lesbian and Gay community what importance we should place on the issue of the Warren invitation. Obama has made a lot of promises. One of them was that he would treat our community with respect and dignity. This choice he made broke that promise. We have a right to express our outrage. If you don't feel the same, then fine. But don't go telling other folks how they should respond to personal attacks.
Excellent Blog. Some folks commenting here need to just be quiet. Same goes for just about all the talking heads on cable news. Being an engaged citizen doesn't mean questioning just for the sake of questioning, talking nonsense just to hear your own noise.. All of you need to observe one simple rule: when you have nothing to say, say nothing at all.
Okay. I apologize for the "Screw you".
But just listen to yourself. "Some folks commenting here need to be QUIET"?!? You sound just like the people we've been fighting against for so long.
You may think we have "nothing to say", but maybe, just maybe, it's something you need to hear.
Sure, and maybe just maybe its something we don't need to hear.
"Some folks commenting here need to just be quiet."
Excuse me very much, I believe we've heard enough of that kind of talk over the past eight years.
Mankind will not find peace unless it it through The Divine Mercy.
Just Google The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
No thanks...
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