Inspired by a Facebook discussion around Cornell West’s criticisms of President Obama on CNBC’s the ED show – I have decided to write this article to provide an analysis of the situation within the context of Malcolm X’s, “The Ballot or the Bullet” speech. I am also doing this to honor Malcolm X’s 86^th birthday and put forth a progressive Black Nationalist analysis of Barack Obama’s Presidency. 

Malcolm X was a pragmatic political analyst.  I don’t know how he would have reacted to the phenomenon of Barack Obama’s Presidency, but I do know that he would have provided an analysis of the President’s policies, and the political climate surrounding those policies.  Furthermore he would have not resorted to childish insults centered on political naiveté as Dr. Cornell West has; someone who I genuinely believe is an intellectual charlatan.  

Dr. West went on the record stating that President Obama is a “black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats and now he has become head of the American killing machine and is proud of it.”  It is just a salacious comment that offers no political or intellectual insights.  The saddest thing is that my colleagues on Facebook who are supposed to be educated Black Nationalists agree with this Black church ministerial complaining to Jesus for salvation bull crap. 

President Obama was elected with 53% of the popular vote.  Although he beat McCain 365 electoral votes to 173, he was elected by a slim majority of the popular vote.  This is a statistic that should be noted by Black people and Democrats alike.  I was skeptical that someone named Barack Hussein Obama could ever become the 44th President of the Untied States or America. President Obama won because the Independent voters swung his way and the economy overshadowed racial issues.  He won because a large majority of Americans felt guilty for the actions of the 43rd President they had elected.  I would have never thought that America would elect a Black man President.  I honestly felt that the Republican Party would pull out the George W.  Bush play book from Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004 and steal the election.  I was wrong.  However, after President Obama was elected, two things puzzled me and tempered my adulation (1) his treatment by the media and (2) the Republican counter strategy to remain relevant. 

I traveled to DC for the Inauguration of the 44th President because I missed the Million Man March. After seeing the joy and adulation expressed in Harlem after the election, I felt that there would be a mass exodus of Black people to DC from around the nation. I must say that I was correct. Yes there were people of all races, colors and creeds celebrating the Inauguration. But from what I experienced and saw, itwas a mass gathering of Negros from all corners of the country.

I would like to start this article by saying I was wrong about Barack Obama.  I want to first exorcise my Obama doubting daemons.  I never thought he would win.  I never thought that a significant amount of white America would vote for a Black president.  I was certain the Republicans would steal the election by suppressing the Black vote.  I didn’t even think Obama would win the Spanish vote.  I was wrong.  I have also had numerous arguments with people dismissing the notion that Barack Hussein Obama would win the election.   I was wrong, and I want to apologize for it.