Do Americans still believe in President Obama?

By Kelly-Ann Brown
Contributing Writer

Blacks who have waited long, express hope he can achieve his State of the Union goals

(TriceEdneyWire.com) — In the wake of President Obama’s State of the Union Address, it remains unclear whether or not U.S. voters are receptive to his plans for the nation’s future.

The President addressed the United States Congress with a passionate plan for the future, promising a “year of action”. However his fifth State of the Union address was unable to capture the hearts of the American people as it had in the past.

“[It] all sounds good and always has,” says Dominique Ingram, a 23-year-old graduate from Howard University and full-time retail manager from Roslyn, N.Y. “[B]ut I’ve heard all this before and nothings really happened.”

It seems the President’s natural talent for eloquent speeches may have lost its magic. In his fifth year as President Americans are more concerned with his ability to deliver on his promises rather than just his aspirations.

Following the Jan. 28 State of the Union, the President launched a strategic national tour to pitch his economic plans in key places. The next day, he spoke at a Costco in Lanham, Md., underscoring his intent to fight for a hike in the minimum wage. But, many are taking a wait and see approach on whether he will be able to achieve all that he outlined.

According to an online news poll conducted by CBS News, 83 percent of Americans who watched the State of the Union approved of Presidents Obama’s proposals and action plans from wages to possibilities for economic growth. However 57 percent of viewers do not believe he will be able to accomplish these goals. Separately, a CNN poll said 56 percent of those questioned said they believe most of the proposals announced in the SOU will fail while 36 percent said they believe they will succeed.

It is evident that President Obama intends to fully exert his executive power to influence public policy. In his speech, he vowed to “act on my own to slash bureaucracy.” This aggressive strategy will undoubtedly be rebuffed by Republican lawmakers as partisan bickering has been the cause of a major stalemate over the past several years.

Despite minor concerns, Ingram said he was, “glad to hear he plans to take steps on his own [without congress].”

There have also been concerns with issues President Obama did not address. The complications that occurred from the Affordable Care Act went ignored. These concerns ranged from a malfunctioning website to workers losing insurance coverage provided by their employer.

The connection between racism and poverty were also omitted. Some Americans still have complaints regarding whether or not the President has done enough for African Americans and whether the plight of the Black community is his burden to bear. More than 90 percent of the Black vote went to President Obama in both of his elections.

“Sometimes I wonder if we [African Americans] are expecting too much,” says Michael McCook, academic Coordinator for the Pride through Educational Pursuits (PEP) Program in Summit, N.J. “[However], who knows when we’ll ever get another chance like this.”

This article originally published in the February 10, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.