(ThyBlackMan.com) The one factor that contributed most to the downfall of the Democratic Party during the seventies and eighties was allowing conservative Republicans to seize control of the political rhetoric. During that period, much like today, the Democrats simply sat back and allowed themselves, their constituency, and their agenda to be redefined in the eyes of the American people by conservative “spin doctors” without rebuttal. As a direct result, they’ve allowed the term “liberal” to become a bad word in the political lexicon.
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When you consider how methodically the conservatives went about mounting their assault on the liberal agenda you can’t help but recognize that it was a stroke of genius. Ironically, the conservatives took the Democratic Party’s strength and made it a political liability. First they took the party’s penchant for being concern with the plight of the poor and downtrodden and coined phrases such as “bleeding heart liberals” and “tax and spend Democrats.” They then played on the frustration of the middle class by tying civil rights legislation, welfare, and crime into one neat bundle as the source of middle class woes; then they attributed all of these problems to what they called the Democrat’s tendency to be ” bleeding heart liberals.” Once the connection was made between minorities, welfare, crime, and the liberal agenda, it was just a matter of repeatedly hammering the message home.
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In addition, conservatives used such tactics as spitting out the word “liberal” as though they were saying rapist. In that way they not only implanted a negative attitude toward liberalism in the mind of the voter, but it was said in such a way that the implication was made that it went without saying that all the negative stereotyping of liberalism was true. Or in other words, their attitude seems to suggest, “I could substantiate what I’m saying about liberals, but I don’t think it’s necessary, since we all know what they’re like.” And in the election that spawned the “Republican revolution” the voters said, “Yes, we do.”
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Through these strategies conservatives accomplished three goals with one ingenious stroke – they defined minorities as slovenly criminals, they define liberal Democrats as “soft on crime,” and they allowed themselves the freedom to place these thoughts in the American psyche without having to substantiate their facts. Moreover, they accomplished all this in every sound bite, and without seeming to be racist, with the use of just one word, “liberal.” In fact, conservatives have been so thorough in their disparagement of liberalism that at this point the word “liberal” is treated like vulgarity, and simply referred to as “the L word.”
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But don’t be fooled. The word “liberal” as used by the GOP is political shorthand for “nigga lover.” That’s why it’s repeatedly used, and used with so much venom – and we’re doing ourselves a grave injustice by tap dancing around the issue, just as the middle class is doing itself a grave injustice by denying that we’re currently knee-deep in a class war. By turning a blind eye to these issues we’re, literally, sharping the knife that conservatives are going to use to cut our throats.
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If people would actually take the time to look these terms up instead of deriving their definitions from the implication of Rush Limbaugh’s intonations, they would begin to realize that “liberal” and “conservative” are not so much fixed political philosophies as they are personal predispositions, so they can only be defined in the context of the political environment in which they’re being used. In the United States, conservatism relegates women and minorities – especially Black minorities – to a subordinate stature in society, and anyone who doesn’t recognize that is either blind, or a fool.
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But “liberal” actually means open to change, and “conservative” means dedicated to “conserving” tradition. Thus, a conservative in a country with liberal traditions would be predisposed to conserving those liberal traditions, and a liberal in that same country would be more open to considering traditions that we in this country would consider more conservative, because, by dictionary definition, a liberal is open-minded, while a conservative is dedicated to tradition.
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So, again, the only way that you can ALWAYS tell the difference between liberals and conservatives, in ANY political context, is to understand that liberals tend to be open-minded, and conservatives are dedicated to maintaining tradition – if a conservative is not a traditionalist, by definition, he’s not a conservative.
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But the issue becomes more complicated when we add religion to the mix, because major religions cross geographic and political boundaries. Religious conservatives are predisposed to strictly adhering to their respective religious tenets, while liberals tend to be either areligious, or open to varying forms of religions. That’s how a handful of more fanatical Black people find themselves defending, and even advocating, conservative traditions that are dedicated to subjugating them, and everything they represent. They give they’re religious beliefs priority over their common sense. While time has erased the memory of the event, here’s how Black people were initially indoctrinated into the religious conservative mind-set:
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“Come here nigga and let me teach yo crazy, animal ass about the Lord. The first thing you got to learn is to Love thy Neighbor . . . especially me.”
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“Yes sir, Massa. Why would anybody not love you, Sir? You so good to me, Massa. Anybody don’t love you needs to have dey ass beat real good, Massa.”
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“Shut up, nigga. I’m talkin’.”
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“Listen, you been blessed already, and you don’t even know the Lord. The Lord made it where you don’t have to worry ’bout a thing. I feed you, I put clothes on yo nasty ass, and I give you a shed to sleep in, and all you have to do is whatever the hell I tell you to. Do you know how blessed you are?”
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“Oh, indeed I do, Massa. You take good care of me. I’s so happy.”
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“Now, listen real good ’cause dis impotant. God said, thou shalt not steal from me, thou shalt not kill (unless I tell you to), thou shalt not stick another coon’s wife (unless we tryin’ to make some mo niggas), and nigga, whatever you do, thou shalt not even look like you want to stick a white woman, or we gon lynch yo black ass. You here me, nigga?”
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“Oh yes, Massa. We know dat! But Massa, I thought you said thou shalt not kill?”
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“Dat means people, fool – real people! Dat don’t go for niggas. God wants us to keep you in yo place.”
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“Dat’s right, Massa. We sho gotta keep niggas in dey place. No tellin’ what a happen if we let dese niggas git loose. God so smart.”
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“I said shut up, nigga, and listen to the word.”
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“The next thing you got to learn is, whatever happens on this plantation is God’s will bein’ done. And if you listen to me, you’ll get to live like I do when you die and go to Heaven.”
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“Live like you, massa? A nigga ain’t got no business livin’ dat good. What a Po nigga like me gon do with all this? You know I ain’t got sense enough to run nothin’ like this.”
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“Just shut up, nigga!” When you dead you gon get some sense – the lord gon give it to you. The Lord can do anything, even give sense to a nigga. And he gon give you all the other niggas you gon need to help you in the fields, too.”
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“Massa, you so good to me! Thank you for tellin’ me all dis. I’m gon be a good nigga – the best nigga you ever seened. Look, I’m gon pray for you right now, and thank the Lord for givin’ me so good a massa.”
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“Shut up and get up off your knees, ya dumb nigga! The fields need tendin’! You pray to the Lord on your own time. God don’t won’t you talkin’ to him when you s’pose to be workin’.”
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“A couse, Massa. What I been thinkin’? I’s so dumb. I don’t know why you put up with me, Sir.”
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“How many times I got to tell you to shut the hell up, nigga?”
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“Yes Sir, I’s a shuttin’, Massa. I’s a shuttin’, right now.”
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“Now get yo ass out there in that field and let’s get some work done around here . . . Oh, and Toby, have yo woman meet me in the barn. I need to tell her ’bout the Lord too.”
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“Yes sir, Massa.”
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“And another thing, Toby, if my momma come a lookin’, tell her I’m playin’ in my tree house.”
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“Why you gon go fibbin’ to yo momma, Mr. Tommy? She knows you like to sit wit Lou Ann.”
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“Just shut up, nigga, and do what I said! And tell Lou Ann to wear that pretty dress I like, cause we gon be talkin’ ’bout the Lord, so it’s gon be like chuch.”
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“Yes Sir, Mr. Tommy.” . . . “Whaaaaaaat a friend we have in Jeeeeesus . . .”
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The indoctrination process above is what makes the concept of a Black conservative so ridiculous. It’s also why over 90% of the Black community don’t trust them. The minds of Black conservatives are so warped that they even spew slanderous conservative talking points against their own people. According to them, Black people align themselves with the Democratic Party because their lazy, and they want something for nothing.
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That’s not why Black people support the Democratic Party at all. The truth is very simple – Black people support the Democratic Party because we’re not damn fools. How can ANYONE want to align themselves with a group that is philosophically dedicated to ‘conserving’ a tradition that relegates them to the status of second-class citizen at best, and an animal, at worst? Black conservatives, for the most part, have been transformed into trained seals. The link below is the result of that process. The speaker below is Bishop E.W. Jackson, the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor of Virginia.
Also, and back on point. Eric, you still look at the political system as a dichotomy, and either or binary system. That is your fundamental flaw. You are so caught up in the illusion of grand ideological differences between democrat and republican that you fail to see one simple truth…they have both abjectly and dramatically failed Black folks.
Until you get past your simple minded analysis, your writing will always be based upon your lack of critical thinking and reasoning skills.
If you want to write a propaganda piece, simple say that that is what you do, but please don’t attempt to make us think you deal in logic and rationality.
Eric, I just read back through. LOL did you really call me a Black conservative?
CD,
You’re making a lot of unwarranted assumptions here in an attempt to tell ME what I think. Since it’s impossible for you to get into my mind, don’t you think that it makes much more sense for me to tell YOU what and how I think? I’m pretty sure it does.
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As one who has always tried, with varying success, to be progressive in my thinking, I’d like to make a few personal observations on the contemporary progressive movement. I want to preface my remarks, however, with the assurance that I have long since recognized that I corner the market on neither knowledge, wisdom, nor intellect, but I’d like to share my thoughts nevertheless – not as a condescending edict handed down by a self-appointed pundit, but in the hope that the thoughts of an average man with common facility are worthy of public discussion.
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It is my firm belief that the appropriate attitude for a progressive to bring to every discussion is a firmness of thought and an open mind to divergent ideas. A progressive, by definition, should have the intellectual capacity to recognize that one can neither scream, nor insult, one’s way to a solution to any problem. And what should always set a progressive apart from all others is an affinity for humanity, independence of thought, and a fierce determination to remain a seeker of truth above all else, regardless to where that truth may lead.
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But those values no longer seem to be the case among many who define themselves as progressives today. Many contemporary ‘progressives’ tend to possess the very same rigidity of thought, and mean-spirited, knee-jerk adherence to ideology that the progressive movement was created to combat. The response that many of these people bring to even the slightest divergence from their rigid ideological beliefs can only be described as one of radical reactionism.
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That concerns me greatly, because while conservatives and today’s so-called progressives remain completely divergent in their views toward governance, in terms of intellectual disposition they’ve become different sides of the same coin. I’ve often heard it stated that the regimented intolerance of reactionary conservatism is reminiscent of Nazi Germany. That may, or may not be true. But if it is, it must also be acknowledged that the intolerant regimentation of many contemporary radical ‘progressives’ represent the USSR at best.
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Many modern progressives have allowed themselves to become infected with the exact same kind of intellectual rigidity that we previously associated with the radical conservative mindset. In fact, many who define themselves as progress today could very accurately be called latter-day conservatives. They have a slightly updated set of values, but their rigidity and rabid defense of those values will surely morph into the closed-minded conservatism of tomorrow.
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That’s the primary reason that the conservatives’ reckless campaign of rampant disinformation is winning the battle over reasoned and logical thought. So many contemporary progressives have taken on the conservative mindset of anger before contemplation, and reaction over reason, that there’s no one left who’s actually thinking. Everyone is simply reacting through anger, ignorance, and disinformation. That’s an environment in which the Republican Party thrives, since as any thinking person would know, radical conservatism is reactionary by definition.
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Progressives cannot out-scream the Republican Party, and we shouldn’t try. The disinformation that’s currently being disseminated by the GOP must be met with facts, a well thought-out plan of action, integrity, and character.
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The American people are not stupid. They desperately want these qualities in their governance, but the current progressive movement is not giving them a viable alternative. Regardless to what our intent, we’re acting with just as much thoughtless anger and reckless abandon as the Republican Party.
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The problem is, we have not coalesced into a solid front with a clear and viable agenda. We’ve divided ourselves into so many factions with so many different agendas that the people no longer know what we represent. And the reason for that is that too many of us really don’t know what it means to be progressives ourselves.
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Too many of us fail to understand that the primary goal of the progressive movement is to create a viable democracy that serve, respect, and honor ALL of the people. But due to the destruction of our educational system, the corrupting influence of Republican governance over the past twenty years, and an irresponsible media, our ideals and what we represent as a people is only a rumor up for debate for an entire generation of Americans.
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But what’s worse, and the subject of this contemplation, is the above is also true of young people of the left who consider themselves progressives. The fact is, while they know that their political orientation is liberal, what they don’t know is there’s a vast difference between being simply liberal, and being a progressive. As a result, many of these young people approach our democracy like it’s a sporting event – our team against their team. Period.
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What they fail to realize is that the progressive movement is much more than just a synonym for left-wing liberalism. Progressives have also served as America’s philosophers, intellectuals, and conscience. Thus, true progressives don’t see conservatives as the enemy. They understand that both liberals, and conservatives, play an important role in our society. They recognize that both are necessary in order to maintain a balanced America. And they clearly understand that while there’s a burning need for a Martin Luther King to remind America of its humanity, there is also a need for a Gen. MacArthur to ensure our security.
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Thus, the progressive movement is not so much a political ideology as it is a philosophical attitude towards human behavior. A true progressive, as oppose to an ideologue of any stripe, will always give truth, logical thought, and the interest of humanity priority over ideology. And regardless to how much he or she may admire any politician, he will always hold that politician accountable for truth, justice, and his fidelity to mankind.
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I can cite an example of that in my personal life. I’m a huge supporter of President Obama because I agree with more of his positions on public policy than I do with the Republicans. But I have both friends, and family, who go absolutely crazy on those occasions when I write a column critical of him when I disagree with something that he does, or something that he fails to do. They take the position that I’m only serving to help the Republican Party drag him down.
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I take the position, as both a journalist, and a progressive, that while I support Obama, it is not my job to censor information when in my opinion he’s taken a position that’s not in the best interest of the people (failing to follow the rule of law regarding the atrocities of war committed by the Bush Administration, for example). Neither is it my job to protect Obama’s presidency. It is Obama’s job to protect his presidency, by making the right decisions in office.
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Barack Obama is a politician, and a democracy can only remain viable by holding EVERY politician’s feet to the fire. So it doesn’t matter how I feel about him personally, as a journalist, and as a progressive, all I’m concerned with is what he does to, and for the people.
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In my opinion, that’s what it means to be a progressive, and I find it extremely disheartening to watch the corruption of such an essential component of our political environment. What’s even more disheartening, however, is the impact that it’s loss is sure to have on American life. With the demise of a vigorous and thriving progressive movement America is becoming a place where power and political ideology takes precedence over justice and the welfare of humanity, and that’s a scenario that can only lead to our ultimate destruction.
CD, you said,
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“Affirmative Action has never been a threat to white people.”
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Whether or not Affirmative Action was actually a threat to White people is academic. The problem was, it was perceived to be. During the late seventies Allan Bakke, a White applicant to UC Davis Medical School who was denied admission, filed a discrimination suit alleging that he was denied admission while lessor qualified minorities were admitted:
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“By the late 1970s, federal affirmative action programs are under attack in higher education. After a decade in practice, the policies have doubled the number of black students attending colleges and universities. Yet some white applicants who are denied admission blame affirmative action for their troubles. In 1978, the Supreme Court hears a case filed by Allan Bakke, a man who has twice been denied admission to the University of California at Davis for medical school. He claims that affirmative action policies have kept him out, violating his rights. The case commands the nation’s attention.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regents_of_the_University_of_California_v._Bakke
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The case gained nationwide attention and ultimately led to millions of formerly moderate White votes flooding over to the GOP. That, in turn, led to the election of Ronald Reagan in the 1980 Election – and the Reagan’s flooding of the nation’s inner cities with crack to support his illegal war in Nacaragua, his attack on collective bargaining, his tripling of the national debt, etc.
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My point is, the Black community should always seek to get it’s fair share of America’s pie. But we should always do it in a way where we don’t end up cutting our own throats. Obama recognizes that throwing his fit in the air and screaming, “power to the people!,” is counterproductive, and so is your approach of embracing conservative ideals. We can neither out-scream our opponents, nor should we even try to butter them up. The Black community is going to have to OUT-THINK those who seek to oppress us – and that’s exactly what Obama is doing:
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Forbes Magazine: Economically, Could Obama Be America’s Best President?
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Firstly, let’s review just how bad things were in 2009. In 2000 America was completing the longest bull market in history. But by the end of President Bush’s tenure the country had witnessed 2 stock market crashes, and the DJIA had fallen 58%. This was the second worst market decline in history (exceeded only by the Great Depression,) and hence the term “Great Recession” was born.
In 2000, at the end of Clinton’s administration, the Consumer Confidence Index was at a record high 140. By January, 2009 this index had fallen to an historic low of 25.3. Comparatively, when Reagan took office at the end of the economically weak Carter years the Confidence Index was still at 74.4! Today this measure of how people feel about the country is still nowhere near 2000 levels, but it is almost 3 times better than 4 years ago.
Significantly, in 2000 America had a budget surplus. By 2009 surpluses were long gone and the country was racking up historic deficits as taxes were cut while simultaneously outlays for defense skyrocketed to cover costs of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, banks were on the edge of failing due to unregulated real estate speculation and massive derivative losses.
Today the Congressional Budget Office is reporting a $200B decrease in the deficit almost entirely due to increased revenue from a growing economy and higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans. The deficit is now only 4% of the GDP, down from over 10% at the end of Bush’s administration – and projections are for it to be only 2% by 2015 (before Obama leaves office.) America’s “debt problem” seems largely solved, and almost all due to growth rather than austerity.
We can largely thank a fairer tax code, improved regulation and consistent SEC enforcement. Also, major strides in health care reform – something no other President has accomplished – has given American’s more faith in their future, and an increased willingness to invest.
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http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2013/05/16/economically-could-obama-be-americas-best-president/
Eric,
On some aspects in your last post, there is some common ground that I can agree with you. However, once again, your recounting of history in regards to Affirmative Action is a bit shaky.
Affirmative Action has never been a threat to white people. Why?
1. As Dr. Claude Anderson, author of “PowerNomics”, has stated that once Affirmative Action included every other group instead of “just” black people, it’s effectiveness was destroyed.
2. Affirmative Action in your own words should have been based on “need”. Therefore, a black kid from a middle class family would more than likely be the recipient that a black kid from a disadvantaged family as that kid would not be “prepared” to take advantage of a Affirmative Action situation.
3. The current double digit unemployment levels among blacks show that Affirmative Action has not made much of an impact.
However, I feel it is counterproductive for you to infer that those of us who may vote Republican are aligning themselves with racists because they hate other blacks.
To tell you the truth, I would rather be hated than “pitied” as I feel white liberals do to blacks.
Their are racists in both parties.
However, the core PRINCIPLES of parties is what is important to me no LIBERAL has been able to point a specific conservative principle that is harmful to the black community.
Ref: http://www.freedomsjournal.net/tradition/
Thanks,
C. Dejuan Smith, Android App, “Being Black and Conservative” available on Amazon and Google Play
CD,
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I’m sure it may sound like I’m engaging in ad hominem attacks. If it does, I’m very sorry about that, but that is not my intent. the fact is, I’m dead serious about what I’m saying and it’s not intended as a mean-spirited slander. I’m saying the things that I’m saying because I think they constitute that facts that need to be said.
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As for your position that Black people need to be more self-sufficient, I’m in total agreement with you there. I’ve been writing articles on that very issue for years. But we don’t have to be conservative to recognize that, and it’s not conservative Republican’s intent to “Help us” by bring that point out. The primary reason they keep hammering that point home is to send the message that Black people don’t DESERVE consideration because they’re just a bunch of lazy and good-for-nothing niggas. They use it as raw meat to serve the social bigots within their constituency.
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But again, CD, I’ve long since recognized the Black community’s shortcomings in this area, and I’ve written several articles on it, so you’re preaching to the choir in this regard:
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“I’m not here to defend President Obama, because I don’t agree with everything he does, or fails to do, myself. But there are those in the Black community who need to come to terms with the fact that there are some things that even the president can’t do – and signing a bill abolishing ignorance is at the very top of that list. That’s what it would take to accomplish some of the objectives that they’re trying to force upon him. That’s also what lets me know that much of the ranting and raving of some of these so-called Black intellectuals are disingenuous at best, and blatant intraracial bigotry at worst.
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“The president can’t just wave a magic wand and instantly make everyone upwardly mobile. It doesn’t work that way. There’s an educational process that goes along with upward mobility, and that goes for whether the person is Black, or White. While there are many in the Black community who have the skills to hit the ground running, there are others who need to be trained, motivated, and refocused in order to simply maintain a job that pays wages high enough to lift them out of poverty, even if it was given to them. So if these educators, intellectuals, and pundits were serious about their concern for the poor, instead of holding televised seminars and book signings, they’d be in the community with their sleeves up, helping to upgrade the skill sets of those who need it.
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“We made a huge mistake while formulating affirmative action legislation. We should have insisted that it be based on need rather than race. That way, Black people would have still been at the head of the line, but we wouldn’t have given the GOP the leverage to convince poor and middle-class White people that it was an assault on their rights.
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“So shortly after it went into effect, White people started to protest, and hordes of formerly moderate White people raced over to the Republican Party. That ushered in the Ronald Reagan era, with his “trickle-down economics,” the assault on Fair Labor Standards Act, and the abolishment of the Fairness Doctrine. That , in turn, led directly to the rise of Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, the policies that led to the Wall Street collapse, and directly to the dire straits that we find ourselves in today.
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“Yet, once again, many of these Black “intellectuals” are criticizing President Obama for having the good sense not to repeat history by refusing to throw his fist in the air. While they say it’s all about advocating against poverty, just like with White demagogues, they’re conflating the term “poverty” with race, in spite of the fact that they know full well that even the scent of racial politics is grist for the Republican mill. That’s exactly why Obama has to avoid the issue, because the Republicans can use it to drum up support to block anything he tries to do for the people at all.
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“So if these “intellectuals” were actually concerned about the best interest of the Black community, while President Obama is trying to navigate the Republican minefield they’d be in the community organizing, educating, and discussing what we can do to improve our own condition in the meantime. But of course, that’s too much like real work.
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“These people should be educating Black people to understand that more money passes through the Black community than through most countries, so we could create our own jobs. But we don’t, and I’ll tell you why – because Black people are the product of the very same racist environment as White people, so we’re just as reluctant to patronize Black businesses as any Hillbilly. Unlike any other community in the world, we’d rather take our money and patronize other people – ANY other people – as long as they aren’t Black. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but it is, what it is.
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“So our bigoted attitude towards other Black people is the primary reason why we’re lingering at the very bottom of the social and economic ladder”
I never said that 90% of the black community is wrong..Those are your words.
Nice try…
I have noticed in all your previous posts, you never acknowledge the assertion that I have made that black people should strive for economic self-determination. If that is delusional, then Malcom X, Marcus Garvey, Fredrick Douglass, Claude Anderson are delusional.
Free blacks in America before 1864 did not have Affirmative Action and the Federal government was pushing a movement to ship them back to Africa and most of the states added other prohibitions which made life difficult for free blacks.
However, they had to survive and they did through self-reliance, faith and unity. Basic conservative principles in other words, to conserve their “freedom” and “dignity”.
Since your commentary is mostly ad hominem attacks, I have to assume that you either refuse or cannot articulate an argument which supports why LIBERALISM is the best option for the black community.
Apparently, you believe the government to be immune from practicing racism against black people. If so, state it.
CD,
You’re living in a world of delusion – you have to, just to be a Black conservative. Everything seems to be “if, if, if” with you. I live in the world as it “is, is, is,” so I don’t suffer from those delusions.
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Here’s a little something that you should consider. In order for you to embrace your conservative philosophy you have to assume that well over 90% of the Black community is wrong, and you’re right. There’s a very old and profound truism that applies to your king of thinking. It says, “Whenever a man begins to think that he’s right and everybody else is wrong, more often than not, he’s delusional.” I think you’d be well served to consider that.
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One of the reasons that the GOP can’t find a competent Black conservative to front for the party is because Black conservatives are delusional by definition. Their philosophy makes about as much sense as a Jewish Nazi.
Eric..
With respect, you really need to bone up on your BLACK History in America.
There have always been free blacks in America..
Black people have been proven to be a strong and resilient people.
Free Blacks were holding conventions to discuss the issues up until the early 1860’s.
Most free blacks had a rough time BUT many did quite well.
I recommend you read, North of Slavery by Leon F. Litwack and The History of Black Business in America: Capitalism, Race, Entrepreneurship: Volume 1, To 1865 by Juliet E. K. Walker
Leon F. Litwack is big time LIBERAL but his work on this subject is highly respected.
Eric,
The reason why we are knee-deep in a class war as you stated is because nearly half the country is receiving some form of federal assistance, the rich are taking advantage of government sponsored tax loop holes and the Middle-Class is paying the BULK of the tax burden.
Believe it or not there are thousands of multimillion dollar corporations are ran by LIBERALS. I wonder why the MEDIA neglects to mention that JayZ and Beyoncé has 4 times the wealth of Mitt Romney enjoying every tax loopholes that every super rich person enjoys.
Eric, as a responsible journalist, you should highlight that fact.
In other words, the lopsided, burdensome tax system is creating the class disparities.
The GOP did not create the tax system. All the politicians are involved.
Why should a corporation pay nearly 30% in taxes when they can operate overseas for 12%? As you stated in a previous article, businesses are not charitable organizations. They have shareholders and investors to answer to as well.
Obviously, you are appear to ANTI-Capitalist so you make the classic liberal assumption that you can control the government easier than controlling a corporation. That is a false assumption.
The problem is that we have never seen a purely capitalist system. In such a system, the CONSUMER is in control.
When there is collusion between government and business, PURE capitalism no longer exists and the people suffer.
The government makes the laws, so they can control the game. The government has the power to kill you. The government can outlaw hotdogs and pizza. No corporation has that power without GOVERNMENT assistance.
Therefore, a smaller, accountable government in the long term is the best option.
Lastly, in reference to black empowerment, I may run a big corporation, so why would you want to LIMIT my ability to hire other blacks and use my capital to uplift those in my community? If more blacks owned corporations large and small, don’t you think that would go a long way reducing the number of unemployed, poor and uneducated among us?
Wouldn’t that be a great legacy for our children?
CD,
The United States is kneed-deep in a class war. If you look at the growing disparity in income between the rich and the working class in this country that fact becomes inescapably clear. Another fact that becomes clear is the perfect parallel in the disparity in wealth between the rich and the working class and the drop in union membership. There’s a reason for that trend.
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The standard of living of the American middle class is under attack so that in the new global economy the production cost of American corporations can be brought into line with the production costs of countries who pay their workers less per week than American workers spend on lunch per day? Clear evidence of that can be seen in the fact that since corporations are making record profits, there’s no justifiable reason for the continued high unemployment that the nation is experiencing.
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Major corporations are purposely keeping unemployment artificially high by sending our jobs overseas and refusing to hire here in the United States. At the same time, their political cronies in congress are pursuing an austerity agenda to ensure that no disposable funds fall into the hands of poor and middle-class Americans. The reason for that is that the poor and the middle class are the ones who actually create jobs. They create jobs when they have the disposable income to purchase goods and services. So it’s the GOP’s job to see to it that no additional income makes it into the hands of the poor and middle class, which could create jobs within small and medium size businesses.
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So again, lets take a look at the motive and relative responsibilities of the coalition between the corporate community and their GOP cronies. The corporate community has two reasons for keeping unemployment high. The first is, they’re trying to break the back of the American middle class in order to make them more receptive to a lower standard of living. And secondly, by keep unemployment high, it gives the GOP – or, their partner in crime – talking points that they can use to smear President Obama and enhance their political position. And it’s the responsibility of GOP to make sure that nothing passes congress that allows disposable income into the hands of the poor and middle class that could stimulate job growth among small and mid-size businesses.
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So the situation is crystal clear – the Corpo-GOP coalition have a vested interest in keeping the American people hungry, desperate, and divided. All the people have to do is open their eyes to see it.
Robert,
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First, while I ALWAYS support President over the Republican Party, to call me an “Obama support” is not strictly true. That implies that I’m an Obama cheerleader, which again is not true. The truth is, my support is for the Black community; and the truth is, I’m a realist who simply understands that in the current political environment Black people only have two options – we can either support Obama, or support the GOP, a party filled with conservatives who have a tradition of trying to cut our throats.
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Thus, the problem with people like Tavis Smiley, Cornel West, and Boyce Watkins is they’re going out of their way NOT to tell the Black community that the United States Constitution gives sole control of spending to the United States House of Representatives, which is controlled by the Republicans. So the only way that President Obama can spend any money to assist the Black community is to get the Republican House to go along with him.
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That’s why it’s so important for the president to hold together a coalition of Blacks, women, gays, Hispanics, and every other segment of the American population. He needs ALL of us to place pressure on the Republicans to loosen the purse strings in order for him to get anything done. So anytime you hear Tavis, West, or Watkins pointing their finger at what President Obama is doing for any other segment of the population, they’re doing you a disservice.
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Here’s how politics works – you support me when I need you, and I’ll support you when you need me. So whenever President Obama does anything for other segments of the population, he’s building up political capital so he can help you. But, he doesn’t discuss what he’s doing for the Black community for a very good reason – as Cornel says himself (when it’s convenient), “Race Matters.”
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These gentlemen know full well that if President Obama runs around bragging about what he’s doing for the Black community, the Republicans are going to use that as leverage to tear his coalition apart. They would tell women, gays, Hispanics, and everyone else in America that Obama doesn’t care about them, all he wants to do is help his own people, and that message hurts the Black community. Don’t these so-called intellectuals recognize that? If they don’t, they’re dumb. If they do, that means that they’re purposely trying to mislead you. The question then, is why?
So the fact is, when people like Tavis, West, and Watkins run around telling you that the proof that President Obama is not working for you is that he refuses to throw his fist in the air, these people are working against you, not for you – and they know it. You see, their primary agenda is NOT about helping the Black community. Their agenda is about tearing President Obama down, and that hurts you:
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Obama Initiatives:
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So what has Obama done for the Poor, you ask? He’s done the following – and this is just the short list:
1). He stopped the nation from hemorrhaging 800,000 jobs A MONTH under Bush. I’d say that helped the poor and middle class.
2). He stopped the nation from going into a second Great Depression. I would think, that also helped the poor and middle class.
3). He saved the American auto industry. I’m pretty sure that also qualifies as helping the poor and middle class.
4). He was the first president to successfully passed healthcare reform in 70 years. That not only helped, but will save the lives of many of the poor and middle class.
5). He created more jobs in 27 months than Bush did in 7 years. That definitely helped the poor and middle class.
6). While he was doing all of the things above, he also managed to get Osama Bin Laden in his spare time – and if you remember, Bush spent 7 years, upward of a TRILLION dollars, and killed or maimed thousands of American troops in that effort. But Obama managed to pull it off with two helicopters and a handful of men.
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Bush and Cheney’s incompetence and greed in this matter destroyed and/or disrupted thousands of poor and middle class families, while the rich had to look at their ever-swelling war profits just to know that the nation was involved in conflict. The war had no impact on them at all, because the rich no longer send their kids to die for this country – that’s a job for poor folks – and now they want us to pay for the war as well.
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Thus, Bush and Cheney’s mismanagement of both the economy, and the war in Iraq, played a major role in what got us in this economic quagmire in the first place. Yet, we didn’t hear a word from critics like Tavis Smiley and Cornel West during George W. Bush’s fiasco. Where were these two defenders of the poor and middle class then?
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But Obama didn’t complain about that at all – he didn’t have time to complain, and he didn’t have time to respond to the ridiculous charges of envious Black-on-Black racists. The president is an adult, with adult concerns, so he was, and is, much too busy cleaning up the mess left behind by the relative ear-splitting silence during the Bush administration of those who have suddenly discovered a newfound concern for “the least of these.”
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So while others were plotting, fighting for attention, and whining, President Obama was busy doing following:
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– Spur Job Creation: “In addition, to help those most affected by the recession, the Budget will extend emergency assistance to seniors and families with children, Unemployment Insurance benefits, COBRA tax credits, and relief to states and localities to prevent layoffs.”
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– Reforming the Job Training System: “The Budget calls for reform of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which supports almost 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers nationwide and a range of other services. With $6 billion for WIA at DOL—and an additional $4 billion in the Department of Education—the Budget calls for reforms to improve WIA.” Strengthen Anti-Discrimination Enforcement: “To strengthen civil rights enforcement against racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, religious, and gender discrimination, the Budget includes an 11 percent increase in funding to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. This investment will help the Division handle implementation of a historic new hate crimes law. The Budget also provides an $18 million, or 5 percent increase, for the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC), which is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee. This increased investment will allow for more staff to reduce the backlog of private sector charges.”
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– Support Historically Black Colleges and Universities: “The Budget proposes $642 million, an increase of $30 million over the 2010 level, to support Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In addition to this discretionary funding increase for MSIs, the Administration supports legislation passed by the House of Representatives and pending in the Senate that would provide $2.55 billion in mandatory funding to MSIs over 10 years.”
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– Help Families Struggling with Child Care Costs: “The Budget will nearly double the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for middle-class families making under $85,000 a year by increasing their credit rate from 20 percent to 35 percent of child care expenses. Nearly all eligible families making under $115,000 a year would see a larger credit. The Budget also provides critical support for young children and their families by building on historic increases provided in ARRA. The Budget provides an additional $989 million for Head Start and Early Head Start to continue to serve 64,000 additional children and families funded in ARRA.”
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– Reform Elementary and Secondary School Funding: “The Budget supports the Administration’s new vision for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) … The Budget provides a $3 billion increase in funding for K-12 education programs authorized in the ESEA, including $900 million for School Turnaround Grants, and the Administration will request up to $1 billion in additional funding if Congress successfully completes ESEA reauthorization.”
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– Increase Pell Grants: “The Recovery Act and 2009 appropriations bill increased the maximum Pell Grant by more than $600 for a total award of $5,350. The Budget proposes to make that increase permanent and put them on a path to grow faster than inflation every year, increasing the maximum grant by $1,000, expanding eligibility, and nearly doubling the total amount of Pell grants since the President took office.”
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– Help Relieve Student Loan Debt: “To help graduates overburdened with student loan debt, the Administration will strengthen income-based repayment plans for student loans by reducing monthly payments and shortening the repayment period so that overburdened borrowers will pay only 10 percent of their discretionary income in loan repayments and can have their remaining debt forgiven after 20 years. Those in public service careers will have their debt forgiven after 10 years. The Budget also expands low-cost Perkins student loans.”
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– Prevent Hunger and Improve Nutrition: “The President’s Budget provides $8.1 billion for discretionary nutrition program supports, which is a $400 million increase over the 2010 enacted level. Funding supports 10 million participants in the WIC program, which is critical to the health of pregnant women, new mothers, and their infants. The Budget also supports a strong Child Nutrition and WIC reauthorization package that will ensure that school children have access to healthy meals and to help fulfill the President’s pledge to end childhood hunger. The President continues to support the nutrition provisions incorporated in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).”
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– Revitalize Distressed Urban Neighborhoods: “The Budget includes $250 million for HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods program, which will target neighborhoods anchored by distressed public or assisted housing with physical and social revitalization grounded in promising, measurable, and evidence-based strategies.”
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– Increase Funding for the Housing Choice Voucher Program: “The President’s Budget requests $19.6 billion for the Housing Choice Voucher program to help more than two million extremely low income families with rental assistance to live in decent housing in neighborhoods of their choice. The Budget continues funding for all existing mainstream vouchers and provides flexibility to support new vouchers that were leased and $85 million in special purpose vouchers for homeless families with children, families at risk of homelessness, and persons with disabilities.”
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– Preserve 1.3 Million Affordable Rental Units through Project-Based Rental Assistance Program: “The President’s Budget provides $9.4 billion for the Project-Based Rental Assistance program to preserve approximately 1.3 million affordable rental units through increased funding for contracts with private owners of multifamily properties. This critical investment will help low-income households to obtain or retain decent, safe and sanitary housing. In addition, the Administration requests $350 million to fund the first phase of this multi-year initiative to regionalize the Housing Choice Voucher program and convert Public Housing to project-based vouchers.”
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– Promote Affordable Homeownership and Protect Families from Mortgage Fraud: “The Budget requests $88 million for HUD to support homeownership and foreclosure prevention through Housing Counseling and $20 million to combat mortgage fraud. In addition, the Budget requests $250 million for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation’s (NRC) grant and training programs. Of the $250 million, $113 million is requested for foreclosure prevention activities, a $48 million increase (74 percent) over 2010.”
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– Fight Gang Violence and Violent Crime: “The Budget provides $112 million for place-based, evidence supported, initiatives to combat violence in local communities, including $25 million for the Community-Based Violence Prevention Initiatives that aim to reduce gun and other violence among youth gangs in cities and towns across the country, and $37 million for the Attorney General’s Children Exposed to Violence Initiative, which targets the youth most affected by violence and most susceptible to propagating it as they grow up.”
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– Expand Prisoner Re-entry Programs: “The Budget provides $144 million for Department Justice prisoner re-entry programs, including an additional $100 million for the Office of Justice Programs to administer grant programs authorized by the Second Chance Act and $30 million for residential substance abuse treatment programs in State and local prisons and jails. In addition, the Budget provides $98 million for Department of Labor programs that provide employment-centered services to adult and youth ex-offenders and at-risk youth..”
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– Fully Fund the Community Development Block Grant Program: “The Budget provides $4.4 billion for the Community Development Fund, including $3.99 billion for the Community Development Block Grant Formula Program (CDBG), and $150 million for the creation of a Catalytic Investment Competition Grants program. The new Catalytic Competition Grants program uses the authorities of CDBG, but will provide capital to bring innovative economic development projects to scale to make a measurable impact.”
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Now, what has Tavis Smiley and Cornel West done – other than promote their shows and try to sell you books and “ghetto loans?” Absolutely nothing.
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Here are 206 Obama Accomplishments, With Citations!
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http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/main/what-has-obama-done-since-january-20-2009.html
THIS is a good time for all of us to reexamine our political relationship’s with our so-called allies.ERIC you; the black left and the OBAMA supporter’s find yourselves in a very akward position.YOU were a member of the winning politcal alliance that took power over 5 years ago.THE leader of the alliance[OBAMA] rewarded every other member of the alliance for ;their politcal support but you.LET me tell you something my brother;I only have one people;therfore I only have one interest and if I have to be allied with this group today and that group tomorrow to further our interest than that what i’ll do.ANYWAY my intent is only to provoke thought and discusion.I hope it was’nt I who offended you;DR WATKINS has provided a great forum for us to communicate with each other;so let’s keep the love and keep it civil.
Vessey,
Black conservatives suffer from a severe case of linear, one dimensional, thinking. That’s why there’s so few of you, and that’s why you’re conservative in the first place. You suffer from Stockholm syndrome. You have a deep seated need to identify, and find acceptance, with those who detest, and have absolutely no respect for you. Open your eyes, man. The last Republican National Convention looked like a Klan meeting.
You should also notice that most Black conservatives act like clones. They’re generic negroes who start grinnin’ through reflex the minute a White person enters the room. So there’s very little you can tell me about the generic negro. My background is in psychology, and I’ve been fascinated by them all of my life. I’m convinced that they’re the key to understanding what I call, “Diminished Personality Syndrome.”
CD Smith and DCarter910 you are SPOT ON. Liberalism doesn’t equate nor never was intended to produce Black power economically or politically. This is why we have never progressed under liberalism outside of large critical mass movements such as the civil rights, which were less about liberalism and more about social upheaval.
Eric, your article started so well and then denegerated so rapidly I thought someone dropped it in acid. I think your analysis of the Republican use of language to re-brand liberalism was phenomenal.
Then you went and screwed everything up by going with “Liberal = Nigger Lover” nonsense. That overly simplistic reduction of how the Republicans branded liberalism is such a small part of the equation. Remember, not all Republicans hate Black folks and as you yourself have stated before their are different types of Republicans.
Remember, when Rush rose to prominence he was talking about “Femi-Nazi’s” ad nauseum. While it is true, the Reagan era produced terms such as welfare queens, and manipulated the narrative towards social benefits damaging the middle class, it really wasn’t all about Black folks.
Think about what has occurred since the 80s. The right really began to clarify and market an ideology around morality (IE abortion, family values), a return to small government and constitutionalism, and a large and strong military.
Your article started off so great, I wish you would have been more thorough instead of letting it descend into that simplistic rhetoric.
CD,
First, you’re regurgitating Republican talking points. What do you mean by “Big Government?” I simply want a government big enough to prevent overzealous and greedy corporate thugs from grinding up rat meat in my ground beef; and big enough to prevent them from draining sewage and cancer-causing chemicals into out water supply. I don’t see that as “Big Government;” I see that as common sense.
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On the other hand, conservatives want a freehand to let their “sense of responsibility” and “morality” what they can do, or not do, to the people. And since many of these brainiacs don’t even believe in science, I’d call relying on the judgment of such people gross stupidity.
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CD, you also said,
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“Those blacks that are doing well are doing so, in spite of the big government control you promote. If you will take the time to study the history of blacks in early America before 1860, blacks barely had support in the Federal government. How did you think they survived, some of them well, without Affirmative Action?”
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I shouldn’t have to inform you of this, CD, but prior to 1860 Blacks were enslaved. Are you suggesting that Black people did better under slavery!!!?
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This is the kind of thinking, CD, that causes well over 90% of all Black people to write off Black conservatives as lunatics. And as I see it, you’ve done nothing to curb that opinion herein.
Eric..You comments earlier reveal the only and main reason why you and most other blacks are liberal Democrat is the FEAR of RACISM. On the one hand, you talk about the economic progress of black people, but on the other hand you insinuate that “states rights” is CODE for “don’t tell us how to treat our niggas”.
Those blacks that are doing well are doing so, in spite of the big government control you promote. If you will take the time to study the history of blacks in early America before 1860, blacks barely had support in the Federal government. How did you think they survived, some of them well, without Affirmative Action?
The problem is that liberal blacks as whole no longer believe in themselves to build strong economic environment where blacks can hire other blacks and lower the unemployment rate and compete because of the bogey man of RACISM.
By the way, the REAL unemployment numbers among blacks is %18-%22.
Also see: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/30/male-african-american-unemployment_n_2986180.html
“let us treat our niggas the way we want to” — current black leadership today and the current administration.
I think you missed the point of my question BRO. ERIC.IT was’nt a personalized question; it was a question in response to your assertions in the article about black’s who join the conservative agenda.YOU correctly pointed out why it is not in black people’s interest to join this agenda.MY question was just the flip side of your position and that why is in are interest to be in the liberal/progressive alliance. BRO ERIC people join political coalitions for tangible results.AS I stated in my initial comment all other members of the liberal/progressive alliance have recieved the benefits of being a member of the political alliance that is currently in power.LET me give you a example;OBAMA open boast of the gifts that he has bestowed on the country of ISRAEL.THOSE gifts[money] are given to ISRAEL as a result of the political support given to him by AMERICAN JEWS.OBAMA recently spoke at MOREHOUSE;it would have been the perfect time to announce the gift of 1 billonn dollars to HSBC’s as a reward for black people’s political support.BRO ERIC I know why he did’nt do it; but my question still stand’s and that is what do we have to show for being part of this liberal/ progressive alliance.
Hassan, You said,
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“One of the misconceptions made by those in the black community when people talk about states’ rights and or traditional values is they are code words for the reinstatement of the institution of slavery.”
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Hassan, off course the talk of states’ rights and traditional values are not code words the reinstatement of the institution of slavery. They’re code words for mind your own business and let us treat our niggas the way we want to.
Robert,
Obviously you’ve bought into the media stereotype of Black people. Most Black people who are motivated and apply themselves do very well in this country. Even if 15% of Black people are unemployed, that means that 85% are gainfully employed and functional. And of the 15% Black people who are unemployed, what percentage of those people have invested in the education, knowledge, and skills to make themselves employable?
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Business people are not social workers. They’re in the business to make money. So we can’t expect someone to come up and just GIVE us a job as a favor to society. We have to be prepared to bring something to the table that makes it worth an employer’s while to hire us – and sitting around waiting for Obama to come put out our joint and scrape us off the block is not a viable effort in that regard.
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But that said, believe it or not, Robert, most Black people are doing pretty well. I’m Black, and my son and daughter and many of their friends are Black, and every one of us to a person are doing just fine. That also goes for the majority of Black people in this country:
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FACTS THE GOP DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW
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The vast majority of Black people in this country are middle class or above. African Americans are the second largest consumer group in America with a combined buying power of over $892 billion currently and likely over $1.1 trillion by 2012. In 2002 African American owned businesses accounted for 1.2 million of the US’s 23 million businesses, and 47% of Africans Americans own their own homes. – U.S. Census Bureau
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So if you’re not able to maintain, the question is, what are other Black people doing that you’re not?
One of the misconceptions made by those in the black community when people talk about states’ rights and or traditional values is they are code words for the reinstatement of the institution of slavery. I have friends that are white conservatives and white republicans and although I parallel with them on issues and differ on others I have never met one in my life that liked the idea of owning another human being. I really hope the above depicted conversation was a caricature or an embellished satire. If people really have these preconceived notions then we will really go nowhere as a country.
I would also like to ask the author what do we as a people have to show for our alligence to the liberal/ progressive agenda.IT seems to me all the members of this alliance are doing far better than we.GAYS; WHITE WOMEN;LATINO’S and even illegal aliens have reaped all the benefits in the last 5 years of the liberals being in power.ALSO none of the members of the liberal/progressive alliance have shown the the same concern for our interest as we have for their’s.I remember when blacks and jews were in a political alliance and as soon we were no longer useful to them ;they ditched us.AS long as we are so politically imature we don’t stand a chance in AMERICAN politics.
That’s funny but cold Dcarter910…LOL
But I would really like to know how a liberal/progressive world would look like for a black person?
Would it include the long awaited 40 acres and mule? No more need for the BET awards?
Hopefully, Eric will spell it all out for us…Can’t wait..
Liberal world view for black empowerment? Look up “Uncle Ruckus” on the black cartoon “The Boondocks”.
That is how liberals believe that all blacks should be.
What do you really mean when you spit out the word Liberal?
What is the liberal worldview for black empowerment?