Why are you so Awesome?

By Patrick Hall

Recently, I was channel surfing when I came across a program where Al Roker, NBC’s longtime weatherman, was interviewing former President Barrack Obama. Their conversation encompassed the multi-facet issues surrounding climate change.  Of course, during his Presidency, Obama had made this his “cause celebre,” although one can debate the efficacy of climate change as an existential threat to mankind. I purposely employ the terms mankind as opposed to “humankind” to tweak, gender feminists, the woke left, and other charter members of the word salad industry.

At any rate, the interaction between Mr. Roker and the ex-Commander in Chief was quite cordial and relaxed. In short, it was similar to how the corporate media, NPR, and social media platforms treated Obama. Besides Newsmax, Fox News, and most recently The First News Network, Obama was seldom asked any difficult or probing questions.  Whether it was with a sit-down with news giants like George Stephanopoulos or Christiane Amanpour, or with major newspapers such as The NYT or the Washington Post. The press was there to make Obama look good and not confront him on any of the major screw-ups plaguing his eight years in office.  There was very little hard-hitting journalistic questioning of Obama because, for the most part, the mainstream media adored the guy. This was unlike the media demeanor with Republican Presidents who, right on cue, always christened the “next Hitler.”  I can remember one particular interview done by Oprah Winfrey which was a little more than a “Why are you so awesome” lovefest.

But to be honest, Obama was and still is the ultimate public relations photo. Let’s face it.  The guy is extremely bright and articulate. This despite having the unique ability to string together copious amounts of platitudes and other well said, but vapid banalities.  But once again, the man sounded good!

 To many African Americans, he was their President. However, unlike Donald Trump, Obama did not do all that much during his tenure to raise the income level of blacks as well as all Americans.  Obama was black (actually he’s multiracial).  That was enough for many African Americans, who helped put him into office; and don’t you dare ask the black guy any hard questions!

And besides, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize after less than three months in office. I imagine he received the Nobel for being black. Well, that’s my guess anyway.

I began questioning the Nobel Committee decades ago after they awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to the “murdering psychopathic terrorist”, Yasser Arafat in 1992. The committee also made the mistake of nominating BLM Global Foundation, which later turned out to be “The Communist Women of Color Money Hustling Triumvirate.”
 
Let me be blunt. Obama was and still is a walking, living, breathing political cliché. The very definition of an empty suit.   As alluded to earlier, Obama was the master of the word salad and/or mind-numbing vapidity. From a purely political perspective, he was a President who reminded me of that 1980s beer commercial. Remember the “taste great, less filling” ad.

But one has to admit that Obama was and still is a cool and charismatic individual, albeit sparsity in his accomplishments as the 44th President.  In a recent get-together at the White House celebrating the anniversary of Obamacare, everyone there was drawn to him and sought photo ops as if he was a rock star. That stood in stark contrast to the current “cognitive mess” and “zero charisma” occupant of the White House. Also, one was always impressed with the way Obama could athletically run up the stairs of Air Force One. Wow! Impressive! What a guy!  Once more, a haunting image of Obama’s taste great, less filling cultural-political persona.  

[Patrick is a retired University Library Director. He is graduate of Canisius College and the University of Washington where he earned Masters Degrees in Religious Studies Education, Urban Anthropology and Library and Information Science.  Mr. Hall has also completed additional course work at the University of Buffalo, Seattle University and St. John Fishers College of Rochester New York. He has published in several national publications such as Commonweal, America, Conservative Review, Headway, National Catholic Reporter, Freedom's Journal Magazine and American Libraries. He has published in the peer reviewed publications, Journal of Academic Librarianship and the Internet Reference Services Quarterly. From 1997 until his retirement in January 2014 he served on the Advisory Board of Urban Library Journal, a CUNY Publication.]