Open Thread: Do We WANT Pres. Obama to Be the President of Black America?
Recently, President Obama sat down for an interview with Black Enterprise. During the conversation, the president was asked about the criticism from some Black folks who assert he hasn’t done enough for African Americans.
While the President has often shied away from speaking specifically on race, he has said that his policies would help all Americans, including blacks. But in the Black Enterprise interview he took it a step further.
How do you respond to criticism that your administration hasn’t done enough to support black businesses?
My general view has been consistent throughout, which is that I want all businesses to succeed. I want all Americans to have opportunity. I’m not the president of black America. I’m the president of the United States of America, but the programs that we have put in place have been directed at those folks who are least able to get financing through conventional means, who have been in the past locked out of opportunities that were available to everybody. So, I’ll put my track record up against anybody in terms of us putting in place broad-based programs that ultimately had a huge benefit for African American businesses.
The resurrected financial services industry hasn’t stepped up in terms of providing adequate capital to small- and minority-owned businesses.
There is no doubt that American taxpayers stepped in and pulled the banking industry out of the fire. It was controversial. It was messy. Ultimately it was the right thing to do for the economy. But it is true that once banks got back on their feet they haven’t been as aggressive in lending to small and medium-sized businesses as we would like. And I’ve had conversations with the major banks about this issue. What they will say is that some of the additional regulations have impeded some of their capacity to lend. We don’t see major evidence of that.
President Obama has had to walk a tight rope. As the first African American president folks on the left and the right have been watching to see if he gives preferential treatment to minority groups, but he’s consistently tried to frame his policies to affect all Americans.
But is it enough?
Do black folks want President Obama to be the president of black America or of all America?
Speak on it!
*Photo via Luke Sharrett/The New York Times
THANK YOU BEFREE for articulating the fine points, bottomline alot of black folks are worse off than they were four years ago, working and educated black folk, yet people expect them remain silent when basically the black community by and large has been ignored by this administration. Obama is a wealthy politician that caters to the wealthy.
OSHH: So please tell us in EXACT DETAILS exactly what you want President Obama to do for black folks. Guarantee each and every one of us a job, a new home, a new car? No president can guarantee this for everyone; nor does any president (I don’t care who it is) have complete control of the economy. And for the record LOTS of black people are doing quite well. So are, and some aren’t….it’s called life
“please tell us in EXACT DETAILS exactly what you want President Obama to do for black folks?”
show us some respect…….
So what exactly is Obama supposed to do for black people? There is only so much that can be done for a community that is unwilling to take responsibility for their faults and prefers to point fingers. He can’t finish high school for you, or force you to take the initiative to go to college. America is the only country I know of that rewards their citizens for their hardwork and intelligence. And yet majority of blacks refuse to take advantage of this. You have nobody to blame but yourselves. It’s time to WAKE UP.
Nila: It’s because some people just don’t get it. Not all (but some) people have the sense of entitlement. Why (some) people think President Obama owes them something special is beyond me. He’s had to walk a fine line (and intelligent people know why)
are you a black person?
This is GREAT! Nila for President!!!
What I want to know is have people been questioning their LOCAL elected politicians as to what they’ve done? Because that’s where jobs, and the thrust of the economy begins. Also from what I’ve seen the CBC, NAACP and other so called black groups really haven’t done anything for the community of late. Yet (some) people think that President Obama was supposed to come in and suddenly save everything. How ridiculous!! And one more thing….did people demand special things for Clinton when he was in office for (2) terms??!!