I had been waiting anxiously to hear President Obama’s State of the Union Address, hoping that he would have heeded the lessons of his first year in office. But to no surprise he is acting, speaking and pleading from the same political script.

This speech reminded me of my initial reservation about him. My concern is that Obama operates from a nonpartisan and pragmatic way of governing. He has no clear ideological commitments and is more concerned about consensus building and is overly euphemistic in appeasing his critics, rather than standing on a firm ground of political conviction.

Obama campaigned on the message of change, hope and the Bob the Builder philosophy of “Yes, we can.” Remarkably, he has brought about very little change, repressed the ideas of hope and surrendered his marching cry to a bunch of bankers who used it to reward their recovery from near corporate extinction through rapacious bonuses while exiling the average American from financial recovery.

The worst consequence is that African Americans have felt the brunt force of these economic policies through a 16.2 percent unemployment rate (and higher in some states and among younger black people), which has turned into a loss of black wealth at a rate that rivals only the great depression.

On the topic of health care, Obama allowed insurance lobbyists and a bootleg political faction called Tea Party to derail the hope of universal health care, which quickly devolved into health care insurance reform. The bill he now advocates calls for no real reform. Rather, it simply produces a new pool of customers for health insurance companies to exploit. Notice, there was no threat of veto if the bill that comes to his desk does not include a public option.

In contrast, his first presidential veto threat is to make sure that spending does not get out of control by imposing a government freeze on all programs with the exception of national security, Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. These four entities make up more than three fourths of the national budget anyway (notice welfare was not included).

Why can’t we trim the fat from the national security budget instead of delving into other social programs?

To add insult to injury, he made a passionate plea to address the issue of ending the ban on gays in the military, immigration reform and gender discrimination in pay. However, he has said nothing that will curb the corroding conditions of black folks.

President Obama has gotten quite comfortable in pimp-slapping black folks in public by ignoring our needs. So now I feel no need to hold back my tongue by viciously excoriating his public remarks. How can he in good conscious make an argument that “it is the right thing to do” in regards to these issues and not see that the issues of prison industrial complex, black unemployment and educational reform (not the kind he is advocating) are also in need of attention.

The relationship between Obama and Black America parallels a Destiny Child’s song – “Say My Name” -- in which the women beg their men to prove their love in public as well as in private. Just as the message in this song implies, Black America needs to demand more of President Obama because he is treating us like a political mistress.

Joseph L. Jones, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of political science at Johnson C. Smith University.

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