By John W. Lillpop
Back in 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke hopefully of a “post racial” era in which the bitter divisions that separated Americans on the basis of race would be healed and the nation would finally be whole.
As a brilliant and educated African-American with rock-star qualities and a media-created image as a potential Messiah, candidate Obama convinced many that, if elected, he could usher in an era of racial calm and peace.
Four and one-half years following President Obama’s inauguration as the nation’s 44th President, race relations in America are more strained than when he took office. Of course, President Obama is not personally responsible for all the rancor between white and black Americans.
Still, this President has consistently sought to sustain and enhance his political strength by deliberately dividing Americans on the basis of class. Whether the issue is taxes, budget deficits, immigration, voting, or health care, Obama’s policies always pit one group of Americans against another.
Obama’s obsessive need to divide even permeated the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, when Obama stoked the flames of racial discord by remarking that if he had a son, that son would look like Trayvon Martin.
Now that the jury has exonerated Zimmerman of criminal charges, many in the African-American community believe that justice has been denied.
How much the President contributed to that mind set is impossible to know. However, it is clear that President Barack Obama has failed to usher in a “post-racial” America, and has probably made a bad situation worse.
What better time than now, Mr. President, to use your bully pulpit to remind Americans that George Zimmerman was tried in accordance with the rule of law and that a duly-seated jury has decided the case based on admissible evidence?
Why not encourage all Americans to accept the verdict and march forward in peace and toward unity?
