Obama… One Year Later

The President of the United States put his foot down this week! I’m kinda glad I’m not Sasha and Malia. Clearly, Papa Bear doesn’t play. It wasn’t easy and who really knows if it’s really right, but that doesn’t matter… the decision has been made! He said his first order of business in Office was to enact health care reform and it’s done (almost). Whether you agree with the contents of the bill or not, by any standard (and history dictates) this was a huge feat. He did it! Obama signed health reform into law. How does everyone feel about President Obama now?

Just last month, New York 1 News Anchor Cheryl Wills invited me and Ben to her panel discussion entitled President Obama: One Year later. She assembled an impressive panel that would coverNews Anchor Cheryl Wills an array of perspectives on President Obama’s first year in office, from both, personal and professional perspectives. The panel included media personalities in publishing, marketing, communications, entertainment, and business:

• Marva Allen – Co-owner, Hue-man Bookstore
• Dr. Marcella Maxwell – Women’s Rights Activist
• Terrie Williams – Author,  Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting
• Tom Burrell – Author, Brainwashed: Challenging The Myth of Black Inferiority
• Warrington Hudlin – Filmmaker, Owner Cast and Crew of Color
• Chet Whye – Community Activist

It was a small mixed audience at Hue-man Bookstore in Harlem. During the first segment we listened to the panelists answer pointed questions by the program host, Wills.

• What do you think of President Obama’s image? Has it changed from a year ago?
• Do you think the media has been fair or unfair to Obama?
• How are his book sales doing now in comparison to during his campaign?
• Were Black people unrealistic about Obama being their Savior?
• [The youth] …that critical group that pushed him into office. Are they still excited about him?
• Hollywood was solidly behind President Obama… they are pretty quiet now, one year later, what’s going on?
• What do you think of the First Ladies’ image?

The second segment provided the audience with the opportunity to weigh-in on the overarching subject—How is President Obama Doing One Year Later?

All in all it was a good discussion. But, I left with essentially the same understanding I had going in--

• There are die-hard Obamaians who will support him to the end
• There are those who are on the fence. They criticize the President (albeit mostly constructive) , but if you ask them if they would vote for him again, you’d hear a definite “Yes!”
• There are those who think Obama CAN’T do anything right.

Actually, I spent more time observing the production integrity.  I was distracted by the roving camera man, production assistants standing in the shots while audience members were asking questions and making comments, equipment left in areas around the store that would be picked up by a wide camera angle and the camera operators taking wide shots when they should’ve been close-up. I was so preoccupied with what was happening, production wise, that if you had a chance to watch the entire news program, you would see me looking around and whispering in my husband’s ear stuff like “why are they standing by the light stand? …that’s going to show in the shot?!” ugh.

Kudos to Cheryl for producing this black history special and providing a platform for this all important and timely discussion. But I’d like to have a talk with NY1 … they need to step up their production game with a really good producer such as, well…, myself!

So how do you think President Obama is doing, one year later?