General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Cornel West on the President [View all]sheshe2
(83,669 posts)I use to love what they said...then Cornell and Tavis started their song and dance on how this President was a sell out.
Cornel West and the Black War Over Obama
snip
Never mind the slings and arrows of Tea Partiers. The most politically problematic criticism of Obama these days is coming from his base. And theres no question that there is a deep reservoir of frustration, confusion, and even rage among many in the African-American community for West to tap into. With unemployment hovering near 17 percent for African-Americans (the national average rate is 9 percent) and 11 percent of black homeowners facing imminent foreclosure, African-Americans have ample reason for anxiety about the coming budget cuts that Obama reluctantly signed into law this month. The Congressional Black Caucus chairman called the recent debt deal a sugar-coated satan sandwich that will do little to help communities already struggling.
West and his longtime friend, radio host Tavis Smiley, have taken their criticism of Obama to the streets, launching a two-week, 15-city poverty tour, aimed at forcing the powers that be to once again focus on the least among us and getting the president to wake up. Their efforts are increasingly stoking fears among some African-American leaders that West and Smiley could discourage black voters from turning out when the nations first African-American president stands for reelection in 2012.
snip
Lately, Obamas supporters in the black community are fighting back. As West and Smiley pulled up aboard their Call to Conscience bus in Detroit in early August, a crowd of hecklers awaited them outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. We will not stand silent as Smiley and West criticize the man who brought us health-care reform, one of the greatest accomplishments for the poor in this countrys history, says a spokesperson for Detroiters for Better Government.
The pushback is not just coming from community organizers. The poor did horribly under every president before Obama, and yet there wasnt this level of outcry toward them by these men, says Michael Eric Dyson, professor of sociology at Georgetown. That makes folks skeptical about the intent.
So much more here: http://www.newsweek.com/cornel-west-and-black-war-over-obama-67285
Cornell and Tavis make me sick Cha!
Great post Cha! Yes, where were they?