--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If Martin Luther King looked at the Obama…" description: "\"If Martin Luther King looked at the Obama administration and saw an intimate connection with Wall Street, he'd be very critical. If he saw drones being..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/cornel-west-708_administration_if-martin-luther-king-looked-at-the-obam_147613.jpg" --- # If Martin Luther King looked at the Obama administration… ![“If Martin Luther King looked at the Obama administration and saw an intimate connection with Wall Street, he'd be very critical. If he saw drones being dropped on innocent people, he'd be very critical. If he saw rights and liberties violated by secret policies of the government, of the kind we've…” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/cornel-west-708_administration_if-martin-luther-king-looked-at-the-obam_147613.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/cornel-west-708_administration_if-martin-luther-king-looked-at-the-obam_147613.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/cornel-west-708_administration_if-martin-luther-king-looked-at-the-obam_147613.jpg) > “If Martin Luther King looked at the Obama administration and saw an intimate connection with Wall Street, he'd be very critical. If he saw drones being dropped on innocent people, he'd be very critical. If he saw rights and liberties violated by secret policies of the government, of the kind we've seen by the National Security Agency, he'd be very critical.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If Martin Luther King Jr. observed the Obama era, he would criticize its ties to Wall Street, drone warfare, and secretive violations of rights by agencies like the NSA. **In simple terms:** King would condemn corporate influence, drone attacks, and secret rights violations. Key Takeaway Question government actions that harm citizens. Themes justice civil rights government accountability Mood critical concerned Type political ethical When to use this quote - public policy - human rights - national security - corporate power Key Concepts activism surveillance military ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance security and liberty? - What reforms could prevent abuse? A Different Perspective Some may argue security concerns justify certain measures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Drones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drones/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Innocent people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent-people/) [Intimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) [Obama administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama-administration/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Wall St](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall-st/) [Wall street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall-street/) ## Related quotes > [I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. 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Obama is running the biggest terrorist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-obama-administration-is-dedicated-to-increasing-terrorism-in-fact/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The Obama administration has vastly expanded the use of armed drones and concentrated a great deal of diplomatic effort on building and maintaining alliances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-obama-administration-has-vastly-expanded-the-use-of-armed-drones/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [ There were between 46 and 52 drone strikes under the \[George W.\] Bush administration. And now there are over 400 - that's not counting… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medea-benjamin/there-were-between-46-and-52-drone-strikes-under-the-george-w-bush/) [Medea Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medea-benjamin/) > [What I do know is that drones are a modern weapon. When used effectively, when taking out ISIS or terrorist leaders, that's pretty impressive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-i-do-know-is-that-drones-are-a-modern-weapon-when-used/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [“What time do you close?’ Klara said finally. King looked up and noted the patrons beginning to disperse. ‘Soon. I keep the evenings free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rogers/what-time-do-you-close-klara-said-finally-king-looked-up-and-noted/) [Matt Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rogers/) > [He looked gravely at the king. 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A lot of fun to partner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/king-looked-back-at-roland-as-the-man-with-no-name-a-fantasy-version/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [She reached out and touched the king’s face, cupping his cheek in her hand. “Just a nightmare,” he said, his voice still rough. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/she-reached-out-and-touched-the-king-s-face-cupping-his-cheek-in-her/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [Poor people and working people have not been the focus of the Obama administration. That for me is not just a disappointment but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/poor-people-and-working-people-have-not-been-the-focus-of-the-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ I just don't want the fear from the right to be used by the \[Barack\] Obama administration to silence critics. 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