With all of the negative things fueled by politics that are raining down upon America and the world, it was nice to get some good news.  For Americans, gas prices are down, job numbers are better than predicted and President Biden signed the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act into law.  He also is poised to sign a bill into law that was passed strictly along partisan lines; The Inflation Reduction Act, which is really good news.  It is good news for me because I am a Democrat.  And I have no doubt that it is good news for almost everyone else who identifies as a Democrat.  I must admit though, it is not good news for everyone.

It was obviously bad news for all of the Washington senators because all of them voted against it.  Since it hasn’t passed in the House yet, I don’t know for sure how the Republicans in the House feel about it.  It is very likely though that they feel the same way that the Republican senators do because, lately, all of these Washington Republicans march in lockstep: The vote on the Inflation Reduction Act was a 50-50 tie in the senate and Vice President Kamala Harris had to break the tie with her vote.

Although all of the Washington Republican senators voted against this Act, I am of the opinion that there are a lot of Republicans out there who like it and – whether openly or privately, are glad that it got through the senate.  But the point of this article is not to point out definitively who is happy about what has transpired so far with The Inflation Reduction Act and who is p****d (a six-letter word for the three-letter word “angrily sad”) about it; instead, it is to point out that there is finally some good news and share with you how that good news affected me.

I imagine that all of you have your own experiences as to how it has affected you.  However, I have the good fortune of being able to share with you through this article exactly how it affected me.  It caused me to reflect on another president and how I felt about him and the then First Lady.  A president that our current president, President Joe Biden, passed through the political fires with as Vice President; my president and a man who filled all Black people with overwhelming pride.  President Barack Obama.  As I reflected on President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama back then, all of that overwhelming pride that I had compelled me to write a poem in tribute to him and something that I thought that I would never see in my lifetime; an African-American President of the United States of America.

Then came the disappointment.  After I completed that poem of which I was so proud I wanted to somehow get it to him and the First Lady so that they could feel through the words of that poem how exceedingly proud of them that I was.  I knew too that I was not the only Black person who felt this way because I had seen and heard innumerable other Black people on television express exactly what I was feeling.  I was disappointed because as hard as I tried, I was never able to get my poem to them.  But after all of this time, I am going to share it with you so that you can have the opportunity to perhaps experience what I felt when I saw all of those people on television – filled with pride, expressing exactly what I was feeing then.  I hope that you enjoy the poem.  It is entitled History In Black And White.  It follows:

DO NOT COPY OR REPRODUCE WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR

History in Black and White

Who is this Barack Obama who keeps appearing on my TV                        Spouting words of change and hope in this beautiful land of the free?

It really would be a change if he wins despite the dissent                             You see, Barack Obama is running for President!

Now this may not sound much like change if your knowledge of history is slack                                                                                                                         But the fact of the matter in point, is this man Obama is Black!

He is truly African-American, as pure as African-American can be         So don’t be afraid to put a shout out that he can speak for you and for me

His father is a citizen of Africa and a true native in his own right             But his mother is a citizen of the USA, not only that but the woman is White!

So put a shout out to the White people too, this man’s knowledge is vast and not slim                                                                                                                    Not only can he represent us, but he can also represent them

His knowledge is not based on guessing, like guessing done by you and by me                                                                                                                                   Nor like the guessing done in John McCain’s camp though they’re truly trying to see

They are trying to see common interest, and common ground for those Black and White                                                                                                       But when John is matched against Obama, his candle cannot hold a light

He has not an African father; though his parents love him they are White                                                                                                                                            So he can’t truly know their concerns and ours though he tries with all of his might

There’s no doubt that McCain is a patriot and wants our country to grow despite drama                                                                                                             But the best way for him to assure that this happens is for him to vote for Obama

We have not even talked about Michelle, who is as sharp as a First Lady can be                                                                                                                                And although Mr. Obama is not yet elected, she is talked about worldwide on TV

They attack the comments she’s made, to shame Barack for the world to see                                                                                                                              They say a First Lady should be background stuff and not wise and outspoken like she

This woman is as sharp as a whip, must she pretend to be dumb and not wise                                                                                                                                       But for the President and the people of the USA she can be astute with nimble compromise

But now let’s get back to Obama who will be our next President            He will break that glass ceiling and enter that room that’s reserved for the establishment

He will surely be good for our country as we explore this new frontier                                                                                                                                           We will shed all labels but American people and conquer all doubt and all fear

Now pay attention Latinos and Native Americans and all others with the franchise true-blue                                                                                                      This poem is from a Black perspective and that’s why there was no shout out to you

But Mr. Obama needs your support also to lead our country and let her noble flag wave                                                                                                              Then he can assure we remain on task, the land of the free and the home of the brave

©Eulus Dennis 2008

This article was updated on September 21, 2022  to include a link to an article in Salon by Julia Conley dated September 21, 2022 entitled “Closer than most people realize”: Alarm over plot to “drastically change the Constitution.”  This article reinforces the importance for all Americans, Democrats, Republicans and Independents to always remain watchful in guarding our American republic and our democracy.  Click remain watchful to read it or type the title of the article into your browser.

On August 4, 2022, the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, spoke at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference in Dallas, Texas.  But before going there he met with his good friend, Donald J. Trump at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.  Then, upon taking the stage at the CPAC conference, according to an article in the Associated Press by Paul J. Weber, Prime Minister Orban said to the crowd, “You have two years to get ready…  Victory will never be found by taking the path of least resistance.  We must take back the institutions in Washington and Brussels.  We must find friends and allies in one another.”

These words sound eerily similar to some of the words that the former Donald J. Trump of the United States of America used during his speech just before the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by his supporters, don’t they?  And although Zsuzsa Hegedus who has known Prime Minister Orban for 20 years and was a member of his inner circle, resigned after the Prime Minister’s earlier remarks against becoming a “mixed race” – calling the speech a “pure Nazi text”, CPAC did not uninvite him to speak at its conference.  Instead, when he spoke at the conference, attendees enthusiastically cheered him on throughout his speech.

By now, everyone who is not on board with “The Big Lie” and refuse to support the man who conjured it up – Mr. Donald J. Trump, should know that Mr. Trump and his supporters do not care one bit about what the American people think.  He and his supporters have become more emboldened with the passing of time, each new lawless thing that they are allowed to get away with and America’s failure to hold to account any of those who were top-tier politicians, cabinet members or rich and powerful citizens during Mr. Trump’s administration.  The people – supported by Mr. Trump, that the Republican party has running for office in 2022 and many who expect to run in 2024 are all election deniers who still refuse to acknowledge that President Joe Biden is the legitimate President of the United States.

It is far past time for those reasonable congresspersons who are still members of the Republican party, the media and reasonable Americans overall to stop referring to members of the Republican party with made-up names to appease them.  Names like “good Republicans and bad Republicans”, “team normal Republicans and team crazy Republicans” or any other politician Pig Latin names:  Names that politicians have coined and passed on to regular people to use in order to mitigate the impact on sitting politicians by helping them to avoid conflict with their constituents/voters so that they will not be in jeopardy of losing their vote.

Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley, Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and all the rest of the so-called “good Republicans” know what’s going on as regards Mr. Trump.  Yet, even though our democracy is at stake and we are at disquieting risk of losing it, they are still playing politics.  Any politician who takes their oath to the Constitution and their job as an elected official seriously needs to distance themselves from this new Republican party and speak up for our country!

Those who have embraced Mr. Trump and this new Republican party which he heads certainly do not have a problem with speaking up and making their allegiance known.  Too many “good Republicans”, one would be too many when the American democracy is at stake, are straddling the fence and waiting to see what happens before they decide which side of the fence they want to be on.  That’s not putting country before personal political ambition and Party!  That’s not leadership!  That’s not representing those who put them into office with the expectation that they would do the right thing even if they knew that it might cost them their job!  That’s not even making the tough decisions based on the facts that they have while factoring in Party loyalty!  That’s pure politics fueled by greed and lust for power!

Republicans are playing the long game and Democrats must play that same “long game.”  We must post sentries on the wall of democracy to stop this current attack on democracy itself by this new Republican Party.  Then, those sentries must keep all of the American people abreast of what this new Republican Party is planning now, as it relates to destroying democracy, and give us advanced warning of any plans that it may seek to implement in order to turn a democratic America into an Authoritarian country headed by the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.

All ordinary Americans, let alone politicians, already know now that the “long game” works because we have all witnessed a Constitutional right that was in place for nearly 50 years be taken away from the American people.  And although it took 50 years for this to happen, Americans need to assure that something like this does not happen again – even in 50 years – haphazardly; just because some Supreme Court Justices are replaced and the balance of power of the Court is changed.  We must assure that if legitimate change is petitioned going forward and it is ultimately determined that it does need to occur, that such potential change will have been thoroughly researched, carefully considered and determined to be founded in and based on the law before it is implemented; not based on kneejerk political loyalty or any other such thing.

In order to effectively play the “long game” and effectively deal with what looks like will be the “new” Republican Party (Donald J. Trump’s current Republican Party) that is hellbent on transforming America into an Authoritarian country, Democrats must be aware of and absolutely motivated by what the “old” Republican Party (The Republican Party that existed pre-Donald J. Trump) did with their “Red Map” plan – which was, by the way, quite successful.  We must also be aware that the “new” Republican Party is continuing to support and move forward with this already ongoing effort to convene a meeting to change the Constitution.  This effort to convene a meeting to change the Constitution has been going on ever since the beginning of the “Red Map” plan.  All of this, for the greatest part, has happened and is continuing to happen outside of the sight of the public.

All Americans who value democracy and our Republic – whether we are Democrats, Republicans or Independents must be aware of these Republicans’ past and current efforts and be prepared to play the “long game” to stop them.  Particularly those previously mentioned Democratic sentries on the wall of democracy must be knowledgeable of “Red Map” and this effort to convene a meeting to change the Constitution.  They must keep all elected Democrats aware of this impending threat and especially congressional Democrats in Washington.  And then, Washington Democrats must assure that Democrats throughout the country and all of the American people are aware and kept abreast of it.  Heads down eyes up, Democrats, as we continue to move forward in safeguarding the American democracy!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line