President Barack Obama told Oprah Winfrey that he would give himself a "B+" for his first year in office. After listening to that self-assessment, I will give him an "A" for confidence (some would call it a need for a self-reality check)! However based on the leadership tenets of the TALO Leadership Theory, professionally I would give President Obama a solid "C". And based on his overall decisions on specific policies that are a part of the history of the civil rights movement, that "C" is a far stronger civil rights/human rights grade than the history of those who have previously sat in his seat in the Oval Office. Clearly Dr. King would be pleased that there is an African-American in the White House in 2010, however, it is doubtful that he would give President Obama a "B+" or "A+" as California Cong. Maxine Waters was once quoted as giving him. But at the other end of the spectrum, there is no way that he deserves the hateful press that he is getting from those who are playing the real "race deck!" In fact, I was watching a PBS clip of Dr. King from the late 1960s and heard him say that he felt "there could be a Negro in the White House in 25 years." During that same era Robert Kennedy is cited as saying "40 years," so Dr. King was also way ahead of the curve as an optimistic visionary.
1 Comment
Helene McBride
1/23/2010 11:43:14 am
I am sure Dr. King would be pleased that he has taken the high road for all the personal attacks waged against him; however he would give him an incomplete grade. He failed to address many of the issues and is way too soft. Obama needs to start “kicking butts”. Turning the other cheek is one thing but letting someone “kick your ass” without fighting back is another. For example the nerve of the Wallstreet Bankers to accept bail out money and then immediately reward failure with bonuses. They could have at least waited until no one was looking. When is the promise of hope going to turn into a finished product. Things have gotten progressively worse for those in my family and other African Americans. Obama has a lot of work to do to recover from his lukewarm position and policies.
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