Leave our Great President alone

[Sheila Howard]

Tavis I want you to leave our President alone. Ask yourself ? Could you do what the President has done ? I will answer for you . NO! You need to think before you speak. Instaed of you helping you are hurting Black people. The President is the Presdient of the United States Not the President for Black people. You need special attention from a women not from the President.,

[james wilson]

Ms. Phillips,

I respect your perspective, because I respect you.  But I must say that you have not being paying enough attention. I say that he is a Republican because all his policies have been Right-Wing. In many cases to the right of the nutty Republicans (nutty for theatrical public consumption), but behind closed doors they all agree. Moreover, he is a member of the Right-Wing faction of the Democratic party called "New Democrats," and also known as "Third Way Democrats," started by Al From in the mid 1980s. Initially, the group was called The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). It was disbanded in early 2009, by that name, but carries on in at least 2 other cliques of which he is a member. These people are Republican in all but name. That is a fact which cannot be contradicted. It is a fact known by anyone with even a modicum of political knowledge. Don't take mine, or anyone else's word. Research it for yourself. It was not me, but Howard Dean, former chairman of the Democratic Party, who called them "the Republican wing of the Democratic Party."

As I pointed out in my post Is There a Crisis of Sanity in Much of Today's Black America?: It was from this faction of the Democratic Party (DLC) that we got welfare reform and 3 strikes and you're out mass incarceration policies of the 1990s.

I will add here, it is also from this Right-Wing faction of the Democratic Party that we got RomneyCare as Health care reform, rather than the Democratic Party's models of Single payer and Public Option during the current Right-Wing administration. It is from this Republican-like ideological wing that we are getting policies geared towards further enriching the already rich, while the public starves (with Blacks suffering the most). For example, extending the Bush era tax cuts for the rich (Dec. 2010) while at the same time imposing austerity (rationing)measures on the public, e.g., $1.2 to $1.5 trillion (he originally proposed $4 trillion--twice the Repub $2 trillion proposal-- but that was fought off by progressive Dems, who were accused for it by Al Sharpton as "not supporting the president") in cuts to discretionary spending , Medicare, medicaid, and appointing a commission to cut Social Sercurity. When the deficit (dubbed "Catfood") committee couldn't agree, he then appointed in cahoots with overt Republicans a congressional Super Committee to go forward with the cuts. The catch was, if the committee couldn't agree this time, a "trigger" would implement the cuts anyway. That has happened. The cuts take effect in early 2013. This will be the case regardless which Republican wins in November.

The Black community is caught in a double-bind, more commonly known as "between a rock and a hard place." Much of it is due to our not making political demands for our interest when it could have made a difference. Instead, we approached a political situation from an interpersonal romantic perspective. Some have even declared that we are not worthy to ask him to do anything for us. Yet, they argue, we are obligated to vote.

You say things will be better in a 2nd term. That is impossible. Given the economic thrust already set in motion, with the bitter most pills put off until after the election, it is impossible for anyone paying attention, instead of worshipping, to even conceive of such an outcome.

It is sad to consider that all this could have been avoided. Many of the most respected economists in the world advised that policies of massive spending be implemented to spur economic growth, putting people back to work by rebuilding crumbling infrastructure, etc. Instead, he chose (on his own free will, as far as I know) to adopt the Republican narrative of austerity; nonsense about the "deficit," this despite the fact that well over 75% of Americans, in poll after poll, said putting people back to work and stopping foreclosures (both of which have devastated the Black community) should be the top priority.

Oh, don't get me wrong, there was/ is spending. Oh, how there is spending? The problem is it has all gone to Wall Street. More in the first 2 years (2009-2011) than in all the previous 8 years. Those are facts. To top it all off, Quantative Easing (QE) 1,2, and 3, wherein over $12 trillion have been granted to Wall Street interest free, and repayment free. This excess of money has caused inflation (higher retail prices) in everything from food to gas, for the very people who never received one dime of QE.

Not a Republican? Ms. Phillips don't get me started. I almost did. And I've only briefly discussed economic policy. I haven't even touched forgein policy, or legal / social policies such as NDAA and Strip Search.

I'll close by saying two things: (1) Many economists / social scientists have projected that the austerity policies, already set to take effect in 2013 (as well as the additional $3.5 trillion in cuts promised during the 2012 State of the Union Address, will force at least 75% of African Americans into poverty. That's real!!! (2) As far as re-election goes, you've never read anything I've written where I opposed it. In fact, I believe that is the only thing that will wake-up Black people. When those cuts come. As they have already come to thousands of Black teachers, thousands of Blacks who lost their jobs when he ended the Affirmative Action based Black small business contracts with the Defense Department last year by Executive Order (which Professor Sanders-- on this site, Al Sharpton, and the re-election campaign) have called  "an accomplishment."  These, along with thousands of Black postal workers have already lost (or will soon lose) their livelihood.

No. I don't oppose re-election at all. As I see it, that is the only remedy for the group debilitating zealotry delirium affecting many of our beloved community; looking at color rather than policy. Like the behaviorally modified shopper, who looks at brand labels, rather than ingredients. And, therefore, ends up paying 50% to 70% + more. 

I love you in brother and sister hood. Why? Because you are not doing anything to hurt our community, as far as I know.

 

 

[Sandra Phillips]

The magnitude of the economic problems created by Pres. Bush is great. African Americans are a disenfranchised people who were left without  Reconstruction after slavery and the 13th Amendment which "abolished" slavery contains a loophole which allows slavery of the incarcerated, hence, racial profiling.  

I believe we are broaching Reconstruction. There are many things that need to be done to plug the h*** in the bottom of the African American community.  I believe that the President's addressing the Trayvon Martin case is a beginning of dealing with racial profiling.  It just seems to me that our community is cut in half: the haves and haves not. Those who have claim to be looking out for the interest of the greater community while benefiting and distancing themselves from the greater community. The President needs to help create even more jobs, but economics is not our only problem. The educational system is broken which is a major hindrance to jobs in our community. The president is addressing the educational system.

 

• ▶

[james wilson]

Hello, Sheila,

I hope you're OK. We haven't heard from you in a while. This article explains relatively well the cuts I told you were coming about a year ago when I responded to your discussion above.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/02/25/austerity-usa/

I hope you are doing OK.