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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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17

Time to Get Tough on Obama, Say Some Blacks

Making 'history is not enough,' argue commentators

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(Newser) – He made history on January 20—but some black politicos say the honeymoon is over with President Obama, the Washington Post reports. Taking the president to task will ultimately help him lead, says talk show host Tavis Smiley. “History is not enough,” notes black media personality Jeff Johnson. But many in the black community would rather the talking heads go easier on the new president.

“It's not about being a second-guessing cynic,” says the president of the National Urban League. “That's not what brings change.” But others worry about promoting a “double standard,” fearing some groups are letting Obama off the hook. The party’s over, and it’s time to scrutinize, says Johnson. “The person that I believe we voted for doesn't want us to continue to celebrate him.”

President Barack Obama disembarks Air Force One at the Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, yesterday.
President Barack Obama disembarks Air Force One at the Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, yesterday.   (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Tavis Smiley stands and takes inventory at his State of the Union Tenth Anniversary of Conversations held in Los Angeles on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009.
Tavis Smiley stands and takes inventory at his State of the Union Tenth Anniversary of Conversations held in Los Angeles on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009.   (AP Photo/Earl Gibson III)
US President Barack Obama delivers a speech in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, April 5, 2009.
US President Barack Obama delivers a speech in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, April 5, 2009.   (AP Photo/Herbert Knosowski)
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17 comments
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Derni
Apr 6, 09 10:14 AM CDT
Did you excpect everything to change overnight? Just cllick your heels and say, "I wish I were in-----!" and everything will be okay. You better make sure you have the numbers (menaing peole) before you lead this charge- Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
ClingingToHope
Apr 6, 09 10:28 AM CDT
Gee...that's what we were led to believe in the run up to the election. The Messiah would fix everything in short order!! Apparently, his main interest is in campaigning for president; not actually being president. What are "menaing peole"?
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IN RESPONSE:
shonangreg
Apr 6, 09 10:55 AM CDT
The gist of the complaints are correct. Obama does need to be pushed to do the right things. *I* worry about his treasury appointees and the cozy relationship with their Wall Street comrades, for example. He may actually need some prodding to feel less able to compromise. We cannot just trust Obama to do everything right. That would be an unamerican loyalty. The Republicans did largely give such to Bush. Even though I believe Obama is a much better man than Bush, I still don't think we should make the same mistake as the Republicans did. (And this has nothing to do with what Nuts is saying above. His comments here are repeatedly useless blathering.)
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myvoice
Apr 6, 09 10:59 AM CDT
We should question our leaders there is no doubt! And the president knows this and would not expect anything less. He is not Bush so don't forget he knows the law very well unlike Bush! Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
woody66
Apr 7, 09 12:03 AM CDT
Mr. Smiley is well within his rights to inspect Mr. Obama and his policies closely. This is what separates our democracy from totalitarian regimes and the challenges / discussion only lead to sharper minds and more thoughtful positions on all sides. Mr. Obama has been welcoming this and in fact appears to thrive on it. Mr. Obama should be congratulated for his achievement but should not be treated as God in spite of NNINY's severe case of Messiah envy. Mr. Smiley deserves all the credit in the world for helping raise the bar and I'm sure he will get good credit in the end and plenty of job offers. Hey even Imus got another job. How hard can it be ?
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