What Dr King might have advised President Obama

For more than two decades, the United States has celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King's life by having a holiday in his honor. What might Dr. King have suggested to President Obama if Dr. King was still alive? Dr. King has become a historical icon and hero because of his leadership qualities, as well as his steadfast adherence to concepts such as peaceful protests and demonstrations, and his vision of what could and should be in America.

Martin Luther King, in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 1964, said, "I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality."He then continued, "I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits."

So, what advice and suggestions might Dr. King have given President Obama if he was alive today? There are many different theories of what Dr. King would suggest, but based on the man's life and words, one must believe that he would emphasize to the President that the number one priority at this time must be addressing the joblessness rate. I believe that Dr. King would have emphasized education stressing reinvigorating the American workforce, and suggesting that the United States had to lead the way in the fields of alternative energy development and utilization, and other fields that were forward- thinking. I believe that he would advocate for a public (government)/ private (the business community) effort to restore America's position in the word, by leading by example.

Dr. King was anti- war, and let protests against the war in Vietnam, because he felt that diplomacy be more effective, and less costly both in terms of human loss and financial costs. He would probably urge the President to explore diplomatic solutions and multinational solutions in Afghanistan and Iraq, rather than sending in and committing more troops.

Dr. Martin Luther King also believed that one must not only "talk the talk," but must also "walk the walk." For this freason, I believe that Dr. King would have felt that the health insurance effort as it will invariably end up if passed, will be at best a compromise bill, that will not fulfill many of the visions of the original effort. He was also a pragmatist, and would stress that promoting an imperfect bill that the majority of Americans indicate they oppose (in polls) would not substantially improve health care or delivery. and would take away attention from the priority issue of restoring and creating jobs, improving education, and reducing polarkization in the United States. I believe that Dr. King would believe that without a secure economy and a reassured public, that there would not be any real benefits to the people that most needed the assistance.

Dr. King would be proud of the American public's leadership on helping Haiti and others after catastrophes, and would certainly have been in the forefront of that effort. I believe that he would have felt that more can be accomplished by creating open conversation that forcing something through with political maneuvering. Unfortunately, while surely Dr. King must have been one of President Obama's idols, the President has not yet shown the statesmanship that Dr. King would have urged him to. The American public can hope that the President grows as a statesman in the next few years, and puts statesmanship ahead of politics, as Dr. King would have certainly recommended and urged.