And I have heard many of his statements. I considered him to be pro black. He hires black people almost exclusively, just like many other groups favor their own. But I always thought that his attitude that people need to pull themselves up and quit making excuses was refreshing.
The other side of the coin is that I see lots and lots of white people doing the same things all the time. People are often racist, Black, white, hispanic and the king of all racists, Japanese.
It should be noted that Louis Farrakhan and (in a rare moment of lucidity) Spike Lee have been critical of black culture and their tolerance for bad grammar, bad behavior and bad decisions.
The real problem, as I see it, is that successful blacks from either the left or the right, are shunned by a large part of black culture. They would rather be Allen Iverson than Clarence Thomas. They would rather be Jay Z than Robert Johnson. Too many would rather be cool than be smart.
Some, clearly, have seen the light and they should be applauded whether they are liberal or conservative. But far too many project an image that makes them virtually unemployable, much less someone who would be hired in a merit-based job market.
That sounds like the sermon Bill was trying to preach and I agree with that even if I don't always agree with his politics.