By the way, I wish more African American artists would stand up and speak out about political issues. Kanye West should be commended for having the heart to say what many of us felt at the time.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Bush: Kanye's Statement - The Low Point of His Presidency, WTF?!!?
By the way, I wish more African American artists would stand up and speak out about political issues. Kanye West should be commended for having the heart to say what many of us felt at the time.
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Barack Obama doesn't care about Black people either. Unfortunately most African-Americans refused to acknowledge this as they would with Bush. They are still enamoured by a black face in the White House, blindly follow him and refuse to hold him accountable. This quote by a friend who lives in Africa is as powerful in it's truth as Kanye's statement: "Personally, I do not think Obama represents blacks. His culture belongs to the majority, the educated white upper class. His color is absolutely irrelevant, I consider it a metaphor."
ReplyDelete"Barack Obama doesn't care about Black people either."
ReplyDeleteHere are a few reasons why I strongly disagree with that statement. If he did not care about black people, he would not have been a community organizer in Chicago. If he did not care about black people, he would not have advocated for the passage of racial profiling legislation when he was a state senator. If Obama did not care about African Americans, he would not be reaching out the NAACP, the National Urban League, the National Action Network, other civil rights groups, black bloggers, black radio personalities and black journalists. If he did not care about black people, he would not have increased funding and staffing for the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. If he did not care about black people, he would not have made enforcement of civil rights a priority. He would not have signed legislation reducing the sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine. He would not have pushed Congress to extend unemployment benefits. He would not signed Wall Street reform and health care reform into law.
"They are still enamoured by a black face in the White House, blindly follow him and refuse to hold him accountable."
I agree that Obama, like all politicians, must be held accountable. That's one of the reasons why I started this blog.
Yes. African Americans are proud to see a brother in the White House. For over 200 years, the presidency has been held by white men. Obama shattered that glass ceiling to become the first African American president. However, black people support him because of his policies, not just because he has a "black face". If Alan Keyes or Clarence Thomas were elected president, most black people would not support them.
If all it takes is to pass legislation and give funding to programs that benefit blacks as proof that the POTUS cares about them, then one could argue that Bush's No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, as well as his international AIDS campaign, PEPFAR: President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, proves that Bush did care about black people. I would argue though that inspite of these efforts, Bush's domestic and foreignn policies weren't beneficial to black people overall.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Obama reaching out to organizations such as NAACP, the Urban League, Black Bloggers, etc., let me share these posts with you... they speak for themselves:
http://afrospear.com/2010/11/05/when-voting-and-racism-collide/
http://www.blackagendareport.com/?q=content/black-bloggers-get-played-white-house
Bro. Anson, I really don't want to be a "buzz kill". I know how difficult it is to face the truth when one has invested so much emotional commitment to a particular belief. It took me years to come to terms that there really isn't a tooth fairy. Last year I finally accepted it... lol! In an effort to move from the idealism of new possibilities to the true realities of political life, let me recommend theses 2 sites as a start to the deprogramming and re-education of all Obamaholics:
http://www.blackagendareport.com/
http://crossedcrocodiles.wordpress.com/
They speak about the Obama of today, the Pharoah of the American Empire, not the idealize folk hero of yesterday, the community organizer. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, "there are none so blind..." you know the rest of this saying I'm sure.
Legislation is significant. It has a direct impact on people's lives. It is a good indication of a president's priorities.
ReplyDeleteI am familiar with Black Agenda Report(BAR). They have been on my blogroll for some time. In fact, I am one of their facebook fans. I periodically visit their site. They offer legitimate criticism of the Obama Administration and American foreign policy. Like BAR, I oppose Obama's continuation of elements of Bush's foreign policy, i.e. unconditional support of Israel, occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, etc. I have voiced my opposition on this blog.
However, BAR is too idealistic and unrealistic. The kind of president that they want would never be elected. The kind of president that they want would not be able to pass any legislation.
Is Obama the revolutionary that BAR wants him to be? Of course not. Is Obama like Malcolm X, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Kwame Nkrumah or Kwame Ture? Certainly not. However, it is one thing to say that he is not militant enough or revolutionary enough and quite another thing to say that "he does not care about black people." Just because Obama does not share BAR's political prospective, that does not mean that he does not care about black people.
It is completely ahistorical and non-factual to suggest that Bush and Obama have similar attitudes toward African Americans. There are stark differences between the Civil Rights Division under Bush and the Civil Rights Division under Obama. There are major contrasts between the Bush and Obama judicial nominees' positions on civil rights issues.
The election of the first black president is a major milestone in American history. Although the U.S. is far from being a post-racial society, Obama's election is undeniable sign of progress and a reason for black people to be cautiously optimistic about the future.
Great discussion. It least we agree that "Bush's domestic and foreign policies weren't beneficial to black people overall."
"The election of the first black president is a major milestone in American history. Although the U.S. is far from being a post-racial society, Obama's election is undeniable sign of progress and a reason for black people to be cautiously optimistic about the future."
ReplyDeleteWe can certainly agree with this also!
Have a blessed Sunday!