Columns

On July 30, 2014, the Republican-led House approved a resolution authorizing Speaker John Boehner to sue President Barack Obama over claims he abused his powers at the expense of Congress and the Constitution. Republicans argue Obama's executive orders in a number of areas were unlawful because it's the job of Congress to make or change laws. However, the GOP are basing their lawsuit on his handling of the Affordable Care Act. And there are persistent rumors that the House plans to impeach Obama. 

Looking back over Obama's years as president, It seems clear to me that racism is a factor in the GOP actions against Obama. It especially sticks in the GOP's craw that Obama was able to pass the Affordable Care Act into law. The Act was later ruled Constitutional by the Supreme Court. Yet, the House has voted unsuccessfully 54 times in four years to revoke or change the Act. 

During a 2009 speech at Emory University (), former President Jimmy Carter hit the nail on the head when he said, "When a radical fringe element of demonstrators and others begin to attack the president of the United States as an animal or as a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler or when they wave signs in the air that said we should have buried Obama with Kennedy, those kinds of things are beyond the bounds. I think people who are guilty of that kind of personal attack against Obama have been influenced to a major degree by a belief that he should not be president because he happens to be African American." 

Later actor and comedian Bill Cosby agreed with Carter saying, "I agree with President Carter that racism is playing a role in recent outbursts against President Obama." 

The GOP has turned much of the Obama presidency into a blame Obama debate based partly on racism, rather than focusing on the mess Obama inherited from eight years of George W. Bush. The GOP are hoping the lawsuit will bring Obama haters to the polls this November. And the ploy just might work. 

Surely, Obama has had successes and failures during his presidency, but criticism of him should be based solely on his performance, not on his race.