When a new president is elected, he will surely need to face many tribulations from the opponents. It is a usual occurrence which can be seen in every country. In America too, one can see this issue. When one goes through this state of affairs, he can really see that it is not because of racism that the Americans truly hate their new president. The author Steve Chapman asks: “Does that suggest, as Jimmy Carter insists, that their true motivation lies in racism?” (Race and the Opposition to Obama, para.1). The author Steve Chapman opines that it is not because of racism the people in America really hate their president. The author says that it is not about a particular president Barack Obama he is speaking about and if so, the readers can think likewise, but instead, here the author speaks about Bill Clinton and George W. Bush too. Even they did not escape from the public’s opposition and it was because of the illegitimate acts they were ill-treated. The best example which the author demonstrates to prove this state of affairs is 2001’s America’s inauguration day. It was on this occasion “Bush was greeted by thousands of protesters who threw eggs and bottles, made obscene gestures and carried signs jeering, “Hail to the thief” — a reference to the legal fight needed to settle the outcome of the election” (Race and the Opposition to Obama, para.3). The protesters were of the view that Bush was the authentic opponent of the democratic system. The case of Clinton was not far better than Bush’s as he had been even impeached by the American constitution. The very reality which Obama failed to be conscious of until he reached his position was about the general issue that “hating president” is still sustained around the American public. They even lay blame on the great leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, and so on. So, the author is of the view that when Barack Obama is being opposed by the public, one cannot turn his attention towards his race. One can say that the real reason for the opposition is their ruling strategy. Even being a democratic ruler, the president in America cannot be free from the opponents and it is best seen when one goes through Clinton’s view about his own experience in America. Likewise, Obama too faces such criticism but it is not because of his color; if so, Bush would not have been ill-treated by the American public. According to Steve Chapman, it is his guiding principle that makes him an opponent.
The opinion of the author is correct because if the people hate Barack Obama due to his race and opposition, they should adore Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, but the people hated Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also. Not only in America, in any country, even though the president is elected by the people, but they also may not have the same opinion on all the judgments or decisions of the president. There will be many people to agree as well as to oppose the president’s decisions – whether his decision is right or wrong. The people will accept only a president with a democratic mind who always gives priority to the problems of the public. There are many leaders of political parties in the name of serving people and the country, who acquire assets unethically. People dislike such leaders. The people will never bother about the race and caste of a leader; they will accept the leader if he is efficient and strong. “A new president pursues policies well within the political mainstream, evokes weirdly angry and intense denunciation from opponents — a reaction hard to explain in terms of anything he has actually done” (Chapman, 2009). When George W.Bush and Bill Clinton ruled America, they did not direct or manage the whole of America, but the problems of only a few people. Therefore, the public did not accept them and also considered them as illegal and hazardous leaders, except the people who got benefits from them. However, Obama is better than Bush and Clinton which can be understood when one goes through an example in which Obama has been included. Before being elected as president of America, Obama gave a promise that Guantanamo jail will be closed when he becomes president but he was not able to keep his word because there were many opponents against this. Even if the president does many good things, there will be opponents to resist. If a president is a democratic ruler he can rule smoothly, provided there is a cooperation of all the people, and if there is even one opponent, he can’t take appropriate decisions in any matter. Though Bill Clinton and Bush were not managing well, they were ready to do some good things but the opponents were not allowed because they did not believe their presidents. From all these, we can understand that the author’s suggestion is correct that the people hate presidents not due to their race and opposition, but due to some other reasons. If the president is efficient and sturdy, the people will never hate him.
References
Chapman, Steve. Race and the Opposition to Obama. Free Public Brows. Search. 2009.
Race and the Opposition to Obama. Creators.com: A Syndicate of Talent.