Watching President Obama flounder must be for blacks what watching my son play little league baseball was like for me. My son was puny and small and younger than most of the others, and almost always got stuck with kids much bigger than he was. I knew he was good, but he lacked confidence and physicality. He did not get his growth spurt until he was much older. Alas, he lost heart and gave up before he grew into the marvelous adult body that God (and genetics) gave him.
I cringed when he struck out. I felt terrible for him when he muffed an easy grounder or when the sun got in his eyes and caused him to miss an easy pop fly. I knew he could do it. I wanted him to be able to do it much more fiercely than he ever did. His coaches lost confidence in him, and only played him the bare minimum. Towards the end, I could hardly bear to watch. I was relieved when he quit. It was a waste of our time to go watch other children play ball.
I cringed when he struck out. I felt terrible for him when he muffed an easy grounder or when the sun got in his eyes and caused him to miss an easy pop fly. I knew he could do it. I wanted him to be able to do it much more fiercely than he ever did. His coaches lost confidence in him, and only played him the bare minimum. Towards the end, I could hardly bear to watch. I was relieved when he quit. It was a waste of our time to go watch other children play ball.
I’m sure that is somewhat how blacks feel watching Obama sleep-walk through his one and only term. They want so badly for “the first black President” to succeed. Imagine if some of the first black quarterbacks had not been Doug Williams, Donovan McNabb, Randall Cunningham and Warren Moon, but instead were the equivalent of a black Ryan Leaf or Heath Shuler or Tim Couch. Or imagine if the first black baseball player was not Jackie Robinson but some utility infielder with a career .197 batting average.
People really used to believe that blacks were not up to playing quarterback, that they either lacked the intelligence or that white players would not allow themselves to be led by blacks. I really don’t remember the reasons, but the thoughts existed well into the 70s. I am old enough to remember the doubts being expressed, but thankfully I was not old enough to even question whether blacks would make good quarterbacks. As a jock myself, I saw what superb athletes many blacks are, and it never entered my mind that they could not become great quarterbacks.
I for one am glad that we got our “first black President” out-of-the-way. It is too bad for you liberals who worshipped him that he turned out to be the utility infielder with the .197 batting average instead of Jackie Robinson.
But ease up. Admit that you made a horrendous mistake. This does not mean blacks will not be great Presidents. This means that this one black man will never even be a good President. He sucks.
Be more careful who you nominate next time. Don’t vote for some unknown entity with zero experience just because he gives a good speech at your convention. Just let it go. You screwed up. Admit it. He sucks.
Perhaps you will do better the next time you nominate a black President. Hell, nobody thinks a woman can’t be a good V.P. just because of Geraldine Ferraro or Sarah Palin. Let. It. Go.
Quit acting as though you still believe all that bull shit about “hope” and “change.” He hoodwinked you. Don’t feel badly–he had something along the lines of 80% approval rating just after his inauguration. Only the few, the proud, the sane refused to ever fall for his lies.
Maybe even he believed those lies. I do not know and I do not care. I only know that he is out of his league. He’s floundering in a competition against those much wiser and more experienced. And this job would be tough for the best and the brightest and the most experienced.
I don’t blame blacks for sticking by Obama. The only group where he has not lost support is blacks. I’m not casting blame here. I’m just pointing out that he is not up to the job. Let’s admit it and move on.
Even now, years later, it is hard to admit that my son was not a star baseball player. I loved baseball so much as a kid, and I invested so much time and energy trying to help my son be a star. I still feel badly for him. But he probably forgot all about it years ago. And now he could kick the ass of every one those punk kids who happened to be larger than him back then. I know that if he had grown up early as I did he could have been great. I too just have to let it go.
John Doe (cross posted at Smash Mouth)
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