Since entering the Presidential race, I watched with amazement as crowds of African Americans gathered in packed out venues to hear Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. The crowds cheered and applauded as each candidate told their audience what they would do if they were elected President of the United States. But what they failed to tell their audiences; is that as President, there is very little that they can do for blacks. Why? Because:

• Presidents cannot sponsor or pass laws, only Congress can.
• And because Congress can over-ride a Presidential veto, Presidents can't prevent laws from being passed.
• Presidents cannot hire whom they will - it is Congress that confirms all of his appointments.
• Presidents do not have the final say so over the national budget or taxes, that's Congress' job.
• Presidents cannot declare war or fund wars without Congressional approval.
• Presidents cannot approve reparation pay for blacks, only Congress can.
• Presidents cannot fund programs for the African American community nor can they fund disasters like Katrina without Congressional approval.

Simply put, in domestic matters, Presidents are merely individuals with (what they believe to be) good ideas, ideas that they hope will be approved by Congress.

Questions blacks should ask all Presidential Candidates

Regarding Laws to Help African Americans

• As a current member of the legislative (law making) branch of government, how many programs have you developed and/or funded for blacks, and how many laws have you written, sponsored and/or passed on behalf of blacks?
• As a lawmaker (member of Congress), if you did not pass laws or get funding for programs that would specifically address the needs of blacks, how can you do it as President, when the President has no legislative power to do this?

Regarding Health Care & Abortions

• As a lawmaker in charge of funding, Congress seem to have unlimited funds to give to young black mothers who want to kill their babies (through abortions), but you struggle to find funds to provide pre-natal care for them if they want to keep their babies alive. Tell me, how can you have unlimited funds to kill them (17 million black babies since Roe v. Wade), but you are hard press to find health care funds to heal them?
• Let me put it another way. Under the banner that a woman has the right to choose, why is it that you lawmakers have unlimited funds to help the black baby die, but limited health care funds to help the baby live?
• Isn't it true that the government has spent billions to kill the 17 million black babies (that have been aborted since Roe V. Wade)? Why did the government decide to fund abortions? Was it out of the concern for the poor black mother or was it to slow down the birth rate of African Americans due to Afro-Phobia? [Note: Had those 17 million babies lived during the past 34 years and each had two children themselves the black population in America would be close to 90 million, making them the largest ethnic group in America.]

Regarding Black Economics and Our Prison Systems

• As a Senator (one who approves all budgets), Congress has provided enough funds to lock up every black man that commits a crime to the tune of $40,000 to $65,000 per year per prisoner. How can you find unlimited funds to give every black man a prison cell with health care at the rate of $40,000 per year, but you cannot find the same kinds of funds to give every black man $40,000 per year to either go to college, or to purchase a home or to start a business?
• As Senator, have you ever written a law (as a crime prevention program) to provide blacks with $40,000 per year to start a business or to go to school, as a means to keep them out of jail? If not, why not?

Immigration Reform & Blacks

• As a member of Congress, why are you so interested in Immigration Reform for illegal immigrants from Mexico, but two years ago you ignored Immigration Reform when black Haitian refugees attempted to come to America to escape political persecution?
• How is it that you can effectively stop black Haitians from coming into this country but you cannot stop brown Latinos from coming into this country? Isn't it also true that we allowed several thousand Viet Nam Refugees to come to our country after the Viet Nam War to escape political persecution? If you didn't help the black Haitians why should you help the Latinos?

Stopping Drugs From Coming Into Our Inner-cities

• As Senator, you are aware of the countries that produce the illegal drugs that eventually make their way to the inner-cities of America. With modern-day satellite technology, why is it so difficult to stop these drugs from coming into our communities, after-all they can only be transported from those countries by trucks, boats or planes?

Giving Up Legislative Authority to Help Blacks

• Why would you as a lawmaker want to give up your legislative powers which can help blacks - for a position of President, which has no legislative authority to help blacks?

Your Track Record of Help African Americans

• Prior to becoming a member of Congress, what specifically did do you do for blacks and the black community during the past 25 years?

The bottom line is this: Blacks need a multitude of allies in Congress, not one person in the Whitehouse with no legislative authority.

© June 2007 by Afromerica