It seems quite fashionable to critique President Obama’s latest decision to cut a deal with Republicans to extend the Bush tax cuts for a few years.

As a vocal and consistent critic of the president, I find his latest move not shocking. However, I am becoming more impatient with political observers and those on the left who now feel he has betrayed them.

It is almost as if they are saying, “How could the President have the audacity to compromise on a campaign promise he made a couple of years ago?” What is even more frustrating is listening to people say that he needs to toughen up and show more leadership or perhaps become like former President George W. Bush.

Ladies and gentlemen, Barack Obama was, is and will continue to be a man of compromise, one who believes in political incrementalism and most certainly has no true ideological commitments. There is nothing in his political background or current presidency that suggests that he will one day wake up and become bolder or tougher. What is apparent, however, is that he is motivated by organized pressure and activism, as seen by the Republicans and the healthcare lobbyist.

Therefore, these latest acts should come as no surprise, and until we come to grips with who we elected, we will be hurt or disappointed by the decision he makes.

So now that it is abundantly clear that Obama is not the fearless leader that we hoped he’d be, what are we to do?

Should we continue to compromise our vote, wants and political desires so that he can remain in office? By not pushing him to stand up for our wants and desires (or even what he said he would do in his campaign promises) are we not mimicking his same behavior? Can we, or should we, expect to continue to be treated like political mistresses and carry on supporting him blindly and unapologetically?

Already there is talk of someone in the Democratic party challenging his nomination in the 2012 primaries. The last time a setting president was challenged by someone in his own party was during the 1979 primary, when the late Senator Ted Kennedy challenged former President Jimmy Carter. It came to a head when Kennedy lost the primary and a set of invective exchanges ensued at the 1980 Democratic National Convention that almost decimated the party and arguably ruined the chances of Carter wining re-election against Ronald Reagan.

I am sure that such a thing is highly unlikely in Obama’s case, and if it did come to fruition, once again the African American community would hear the nationalistic call to support brother Obama. Likewise, if he is not challenged in the primary, this call will extend into the general election where fervor and charisma will saturate our consciousness, and it is at that point where we must have a sober mind to make sure that we do not make the same mistakes again of blindly supporting and not holding him accountable for the things we want him to do.

The African American community needs to organize and create a system of accountability in order to hold President Obama liable for his actions. I believe there is an opportunity here for our community to take stock in our predicament and start strategically planning now for the 2012 election so that these systems are in place and so that we do not fall prey to his personality faults.

I know that compromise is a staple in American politics, especially at the national level, and without it our political system could easily become authoritarian. On the other hand, I believe we need to be clear on where the line of compromise ends and the line of appeasement begins, because if we do not, we will be the ones compromising in the years to come.
***
Joseph L. Jones, Ph.D., is assistant professor of political science at Johnson C. Smith University.

Got news to share with Qcity readers? Email us at editor@qcitymetro.com.
Sign up for our weekly email newsletter below.

Sign up for our Weekly Email Newsletter Email: For Email Marketing you can trust

Other Ways to Share Twitter Del.icio.us MySpace

Discussions and Submission Agreement