Posted on 07/13/2012 2:37:07 AM PDT by markomalley
At this week’s NAACP convention in Houston, one prominent black leader will not be addressing this historic group: the nation’s first black president. President Obama’s absence from major NAACP events could be called a pattern, as he has not addressed the group since 2009, during the honeymoon phase of his presidency. His absence is turning out to be wise because he can avoid answering this question, “Are blacks better off since he took office?” If the president were to give an account of his administration’s advancement of African Americans he would be hard pressed to describe anything significant beyond funneling redistributed wealth into government bureaucracies, a traditional path to the middle class for blacks. His policies have done nothing to improve the economic standing of people of color on the margins.
Here are the facts: In November 2008, the black unemployment rate was 11.1 percent. By June 2012, the number had risen to 14.4 percent. In the same period the overall unemployment rate increased from 6.5 percent to 7.4 percent. As such, under the policies and leadership of the Obama administration, the economic lives of struggling blacks are now worse, not better, than they were three years ago.
Even with the economic failure, the “African Americans for Obama” section of the President’s campaign website lists his “accomplishments” in the black community noting increased government-backed bank “lending for low-income Americans,” the passing of Obamacare, and increased government-funded education programs. Also, through government welfare programs Obama “doubled” funding for Pell Grants, secured $2.55 billion in tax payer funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, “awarded nearly $300 billion in federal contracts to small businesses,” and so on. In other words, the President has helped blacks by redistributing the taxes collected from American workers and using government to provide race-based preferential treatment opportunities yet has not fostered the conditions favorable for broadly increasing black wealth through market-based economic growth.
Perhaps the economic lapses explain why prominent black scholars, like Dr. Cornel West of Princeton University and Dr. Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University, are so openly critical of Obama. Sustained unemployment is not the change many black Americans expected back in 2008. When recently asked about the upcoming 2012 presidential race, Cornel West, a self-proclaimed Marxist, said, “Mitt Romney is a catastrophic response to a catastrophe, whereas Obama is a disastrous response to a catastrophe.” West has accused Obama of pandering to the lobbying special interests of large corporations calling the president “another black mascot” of “Wall Street oligarchs” who is not doing enough for black people.
Joining West in highlighting Obama’s economic inadequacy, Boyce Watkins finds that “black American enthusiasm for President Obama is dead.” Watkins explains, “Obama was not skilled enough, nor strong enough to meet the high expectations in front of him” when he took office. As a frustrated former supporter, Watkins laments, “defending President Obama is like demanding a better grade for your child when you know that your baby has been lazy in class.” The Obama administration seems only interested in “the black community around election time (when they need us to show up to the polls).” In the end, Watkins centers recent criticisms on his belief that “white folks are experiencing an economic recovery, while black unemployment remains at levels that would never be acceptable to the rest of America.”
The critiques of West and Watkins are important, but they do not fully articulate the damage done by stratospheric unemployment levels. What is so unconscionable about black unemployment rates, which were as high as16.7 percent in 2011, is that unemployment has moral as well as financial implications. InLaborem excercens, Pope John Paul II stressed that work allows us to realize our humanity, “to fulfill the calling to be a person.” The high black unemployment rate is robbing thousands of blacks of their dignity.
The Obama administration must go beyond even what many of his black critics envision by radically removing regulatory and legislative barriers that interfere with entrepreneurs doing what they do best—namely, creating jobs. If black unemployment remains at these record numbers Obama may find himself snubbed at the polls in November, just as he snubbed the NAACP this week.
zero hasn’t addressed the Christian Coalition, neither
Obama has never been part of the “Black Community” even though he tried in Chicago.
He was raised by white Commmies.
“defending President Obama is like demanding a better grade for your child when you know that your baby has been lazy in class.”
LOL...good analogy.
“defending President Obama is like demanding a better grade for your child when you know that your baby has been lazy in class.”
LOL...good analogy.
The Left criticizing Obama for not being Left enough really means nothing - no malignant narcissist will ever satisfy his base voters, not matter what platform he picks.
I told every black person I know that prior to his election.
He aint down with the struggle.
And yet they’ll all still vote for Obama again because of his skin melanin.
Hopefully not a few of them will just stay home.
“another black mascot” of “Wall Street oligarchs” who is not doing enough for black people.
**
No, weve been too much for black people. We’ve funneled millions, if not trillions into their cause, not even including the effort required, while they sit back and feel sorry for themselves.
What they need to do is start DOING FOR THEMSELVES: Here are a few simple suggestions:
1. Take seriously the perfectly fine public education provided to you.
2. Stay off drugs and the gangsta lifestyle.
3. Marry the baby momma or daddy. Stay married.
4. Stop blaming others for your problems.
Seriously, how can these men call themselves “scholars?”
From what I’ve read, Obama’s friends in college were foreign students, Pakistanis, and marxists. He went to ivy league colleges. He lived in “white” neighborhoods. I had more black friends in college than Obama did. He uses his skin color for political benefit. And he didn’t even have a black girlfriend until Michelle. (I doubt he had a girlfriend at all). He did nothing but use poor blacks in Chicago to further his political career. And we all know he only attended Wright’s racist church for his career. Why black Americans would ever vote for him is a mystery to me.
What is so unconscionable about black unemployment rates, which were as high as16.7 percent in 2011, is that unemployment has moral as well as financial implications.
**
Oh great. And now we will be lectured to as to how immoral black unemployment is?
Talk about immoral: how about the laviciousness of the black urban rap music genre. Ever really sat down and listened to the lyrics in that crap?
How about the immorality of having millions of children out of wedlock, literally boasting about it as if its “cool,” and expecting the state to pick up the tab? How about the black on black murders happening all around us? Who is committing these acts? No one FORCES these people to behave this way.
I’m just SO tired of the black community shoving off their irresponsible behaviors on everyone else. It is if they are never culpable for ANYTHING. Some of them would kill another for a pair of tennis shoes.
They can F off as far as I’m concerned. They’ve been given EVERY opportunity and more. No one EVER gave me a dime. I’ve just worked hard and behaved myself. Why can’t they do the same?
They know something is wrong, but their solution is more poison.
I heard a black guy on Medved yesterday. He complained that the real reason for black poverty/unemployment/lack of opportunity was the racist policies/politics of America. He mentioned Republicans specifically.
I thought, “So the vast majority of blacks are urban and those major cities are controlled by Democrats and they’re often black. Now that’s pervasive racism!”
Nearly 80% of the poor are the children of unwed teen mothers without a HS education. If they’d put the baby up for adoption and then accept mandatory birth control until age 21 or a GED, whichever comes first, America would end poverty in a single generation.
they may, but when election day rolls around they will still vote for him.
But they could never bring themselves to pull the lever for a cracka if there’s also a brotha runnin.
Huh? Unemployment hasn't been below 8% since Jan, 2009.
You are demanding personal responsibility?
Well that’s just racist right there...
;-)
” And we all know he only attended Wright’s racist church for his career. “
And Wright had to teach him how to act “Christian” to relate to that culture.
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