On January 20th, 2009, Barack Hussien Obama, the Democratic Presidential nominee, was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States of America. Barack Hussien Obama was the first African-American to attain the nation’s highest executive office.
January 2009, Michael Steele, a Republican DC lawyer, was appointed chairperson of the Republican National Committee (RNC). Michael Steele just also happened to be a black man. He was the first African-American to be appointed to run the Republican National Committee.
Was the Steel appointment purely coincidental, or was it a well thought-out and strategic attempt to put a black face on what would be a no-holes-barred assault against the Obama Administration? You be the judge.
The backlash against Obama’s presidency was an all-out assault that took on many facets, including (a) an intransigent (no-campaign) by Republicans in the house and Senate who had decided on opposing everything the new president proposed, even if they had supported those proposals in the past. On its face, the idea, was to make Obama a one-term president, as Mitch McConnell attested, quote; “my only goal is to make Obama a one-term president.”
However, the broader goal was to ensure that there would be no legislative accomplishment that could be attributed to Obama.
(b) The T‑party’s rise was funded by billionaire, reactionary, right-wing brothers, Charles and David Koch. The idea was to create the sense that the T‑party was a grassroots uprising against the newly elected progressive president. The truth is that the movement was a racist campaign intended to ensure that the new president would have no legislative accomplishment for four years, after which he would be booted from office as a failure, an experiment never to be tried again.
(c) An all-out campaign against the new president led by right-wing media, aimed at stirring up an insurrection, which it did; across the South and midwest, the president’s policies were demonized as Socialist/Communist.
Of course, those tropes have been used unsparingly by the regressive elements in this country whenever they desire to smear someone they do not like.
Two years after Obama took office, the disinformation campaign resulted in the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives. They had no further use for Michael Steele, he was replaced as head of the RNC by Rience Prebuis.
Today Michael Steele still sees himself as a Republican even though his words are diametrically different than it was years ago. In fairness to Michael Steele, he was never a flame thrower, he came from the old guard, which boasted African-Americans like Colin Powell, all the way back to Mrtin Luther King junior.
Unfortunately for those Republicans, the party left them by the wayside a long time ago, they just ignored the signs. I have consistently outlined in this medium why African-Americans cannot support the Republican party.
Republicans wanted a black face on the RNC after Obama won the presidency. The bile and virtriol that was unleashed against President Obama and his new administration was papered over with the wallpaper of a black man’s face.
I called out the racism then, I thought it was despicable and cowardly that they would use Steele against Obama , but they did. As soon as they took the House they were done with Michael Steele, he was replaced.
It is now a decade since Michael Steel was used as a sledgehammer against the first African-American president, Steele is a different man now, his comments and analysis is more in line with mainstream thought, balanced, intelligent, reasoned.
A decade later the Republican party does not play the hide behind the black guy anymore.
The Republican party is now a Fascist organization that does not believe in democracy. Over the last twelve years, aided by Supreme Court’s Shelby County Alabama Vs. Holder decision, they have employed every measure possible to overturn the democratic process.
Outrageous gerrymandering, archaic voter suppression laws, voter intimidation, acts intended to prevent people from voting, purging voters lists, Russian-style disinformation campaigns, and a raft of other anti-democratic steps designed to suppress the black vote.
As revolting as those actions are, they have demonstrated that they will stop at nothing to gain and hold onto power, even if it means destroying the American democracy. Even if it means throwing out millions of votes cast by entire cities of largely African-American voters.
When that failed, they went further, they treasenously incited a rabble to storm the capitol and do whatever they will with the entire legislative leadership of the nation.
If that action had succeded, Donald Trump would have been president for as long as he wanted and there would be no one to stop him.
American as we know it would have existed no longer.
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Mike writes for thinkers.
Mike Beckles is a former Police Detective, businessman, freelance writer, a black achiever honoree, and publisher of the blog mikebeckles.com.