Given that Obama is not a civil rights leader, we must be careful not to feel that his presence reduces the significance of true civil rights
leaders like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and others. This means that we need genuine and empowered advocates within black America who can mobilize the
people to put pressure on any administration that is in power so that our rights as Americans can be secured.
In other words, sitting around and hoping that President Obama will look out for our interests is not nearly as effective as pursuing our interests
ourselves. Work must be done on the ground to lay out a black agenda, putting pressure on both Congress and the Obama Administration to see to it that
our community is not left behind. Both West and Sharpton would likely agree with this assertion, and this can begin the quest for common
ground.
The "common ground" may very well be that we need BOTH approaches. Someone to point out where we should put pressure, and someone to rally the
troops to put pressure.
For some, supporting leadership means pointing out that the Emperor might lack certain articles of clothing, in order to guide the emperor's
decisions. For others, supporting leadership means overlooking the Emperor's lack of an article of clothing, in order to maintain the subjects'
support.
From the Nixon campaign to now, it is the image of the person that is sold to the public. Plus, we have become used to seeing unquestioning support
for leadership, so much so that questioning seems, well, wrong. During the Viet Nam war, LB Johnson was called "baby killer", Nixon "warmonger";
the protesters didn't care who the emperor was, they were willing to hold both pres's feet to the fire.
The nation has changed since those days, refusing to tolerate any of the emperors subjects calling him out. Many citizens have been trained to accept
and not question, unless it is the other guys emperor. Thus, many find it irregular, uncomfortable when a pres's supporters offer differing views.
But that's the stuff our Republic was founded on, and the stifling of opposing viewpoints within a party is where it will end.
