In the last couple of weeks, there has been an eeriness regarding allegations by President Donald Trump that the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, violated his Constitutional rights.
One could almost believe that there were many who wanted to accept that President Barack Obama had finally misstepped after what was an unblemished eight years as President of the United States of America. In fact, far too many African Americans in the Democratic Party did not appear to be as bothered by the allegations as they should have been.
It is quite clear there are far too many who wanted the allegations to be true that Barack Obama had violated the Constitution, and by extension, the law of the land; that Obama’s legacy and his reputation would at long last be changing.
But it is our feeling in this column that President Barack Obama has not violated the Constitutional rights or the reputation of Donald Trump and his administration, nor has Barack Obama betrayed the American people. The former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is negotiating for immunity in exchange for testifying before both the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, raises serious questions and concerns regarding seeming violations of the Constitution and the law by the extreme right on the other side of the political aisle.
These are dangerous and challenging times for the United States, and only through the strength of purpose and commitment to the truth will this country survive. What I see happening, as of writing this column, is the potential mirror image of Watergate. Right now, that meeting on a dark night on White House grounds by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee looks like a new version of Deep Throat.
As African Americans, we are concerned about the attempted damage to be imposed on the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. For too many in certain quarters, the response is just to point the finger at the Black guy. This is not a game. As we have said in this column over the years, we are talking about the future of icons in the United States democratic institutions. Today, Vladimir Putin, seemingly the commissar of the East, has to be pleased with fracturing the West by its seemingly new commissar, Donald Trump. It is just that serious. Again, this is not a game. It could be fatal to a nation that is more fragile now than the days of Watergate.
In fact, as I reflect on Minnesota’s African American political giants of past decades such as Cecil Newman and Nellie Stone Johnson, I ask where are today’s giants? Moreover, where are giants like those national figures Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mary McCloud Bethune, Thurgood Marshall, Roy Wilkins, and many other giants of their time in American history?
It has always been said there are too many strong voices and pure personalities to allow this nation to go down in flames. Let us hope this is true, because we are faced with a significant challenge regarding the well-being and future of the United States of America.
May the hand of the Almighty rest on the shoulders of our nation, as we work to survive the potential fracturing of our democratic institutions.
Stay tuned.
