The Ghettoization of the White House
When Barrack Obama was first elected president, many people of no color were concerned that President Obama was going to ghetto-fy the Capital. Memes and cartoons, videos and posts were posted to social media of President Obama barbequing on the capital lawn.
None of that actually happened. In fact, Obama was twice elected (he was a two term consecutive president) and in those two terms there were a few scandels but none had to do with sexual innuendos, there was no issue between him and First Lady Michelle Obama, his two children, Malia Ann Obama, and Natasha “Sasha” Marian Obama.
None of the controversies or “scandals” that occurred during the Obama presidency resulted in impeachments, criminal trials, or convictions for the president or any high-ranking officials in the same manner as the events involving Donald Trump. In fact President Barrack Obama was one of two of the most dignified presidents in the past 20 years, as per public opinion polls:
Barack Obama is often described as having a dignified and composed demeanor during his presidency, which is a common perception in general public discourse.
George W. Bush was generally seen as maintaining the traditional dignity of the office, though public opinion on his presidency was largely tied to his policies and actions in office.
Now lets contrast that with the present occupant of the White House, Donald J. Trump. According to public opinion polls, Trump is often refered to as undignified and low-class, arrogant, unconventional and impulsive, divisive, and focused on power over etiquette. Can anyone say that any of Trumps presidencies lacked real, and meaningful scandals? Of course not.
Trump’s first term began with an open mic conversation with former Access Hollywood TV Show Host, Billy Bush, in which Donald Trump could be heard saying he grabs them by the pussy (hey, if the President can say pussy, why blush, why should I have to censor his words?) I must note the way his first term ended. He whined that he lost the election and instigated a failed coup d’état (a forceful takeover of government by a small group). It was a mob scene witnessed worldwide. But of course, he convinced many to believe his words rather than what they saw with their own eyes in real time.
Then, during his second term, we suffered the longest government shutdown in American history. Not only was this scandalous for American democracy, but it was also downright disgusting and punitive. Trump actually refused to provide emergency funding for millions of Americans that rely on the SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly known as food stamps, this occured as the nation was about to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Then, the demolition of the East Wing of the White House. A historical building that housed the offices of the first lady and other functions- Just like that with no citizen input, and with no congressional input or oversight, with just a stroke of a pen, a wrecking ball wiped away hundreds of years of American history.
Scandal after scandal. Recently, he was involved in the murder of fishermen operating out of Venezuela. After bombarding a vessel, unsatisfied with that bombing under his orders (he is Commander-in-Chief – and the buck stops here), that vessel was bombed a second time as two survivors of the initial bombing held on to the side of that capsized boat. Of course, Trump and his minions say they did nothing wrong, this despite hundreds of years of maritime policy that when combatants are no longer a threat and are helplessly floating, or as in this case, holding on for dear life to a capsized vessel, they are not to be attacked.
While not a scandal per se, these acts definitely are scandalous. For example, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) headquarters was renamed the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, and the Kennedy Center was renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center.
One more scandalous issue to report. I began this article by mentioning how many people of no color feared that the first Black President would ghetto-ize, or rather n—-r-ize the White House, it turns out that the person that is actually ghetto-izing or n—-r-ize the White House, is a person of color- the color is orange. Yes, the orange one, President Trump, is actually going to ghettoize the capital. While Donald Trump talks about having a dignified ballroom, “worthy of hosting the world’s dignitaries, he is at the same time going to celebrate America’s 250th birthday by hosting a major UFC fight on the White House Lawn.
Trump is reportedly preparing to stage an elaborate event featuring a fireworks display and potential exhibition fights involving top mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters such as Jon Jones and Conor McGregor. Planned activities would be spread across the National Mall and may include weigh-ins at the Lincoln Memorial, as well as fighters walking from the Oval Office to the White House lawn.
Can you imagine the uproar that would have happened if President Obama thought of hosting such an undignified event on the White House Lawn? As usual, there are two sets of standards in America.
To quote the late, great boxing promoter Don King “only in America”.