Race baiting, headline chasing Princeton Professor Cornel West set off a firestorm of outrage among Obama supporters and defenders of hope and change, when he said Obama wasn’t culturally black. West suggested because Obama is more “a white man with black skin,” his policies have done nothing to help poor blacks.
West isn’t the first person to say this. The Congressional Black Caucus and other black liberals have complained Obama has no black agenda and ignored problems plaguing blacks more acutely than whites such as double digit unemployment 16% compared national average of 9%. In some cities like DC and Brooklyn the rate is 30%-50%. Black unemployment is on the verge of being the highest in 25 years.
Only 44% blacks own homes compared to 70% whites; According to “One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008,” published by the Pew Center on the States, one in nine black men between the ages of 20-34 are in prison compared to one in 30 other men of the same age.
The education achievement gap between blacks and whites is still huge. A 2010 report, “A Call for Change,” conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools, found this massive disparity could be attributed to the fact “black children are twice as likely as whites to live in a home where no parent has a job.” This illustrates how cradle to grave government dependency (Welfare to Medicaid) has led to the breakdown of the black family.
I agree with many that Obama is President of all Americans not just one group. But Obama received more than 95% of the black vote in 2008 and like a good Democrat, he pandered to blacks for their vote, running on the same old promises of better education, jobs, blah, blah and delivering ZERO. If I was one of those black voters who voted for Obama, expecting him to address some of these promises and he didn’t, I’d be pissed off too.
I’d be especially perturbed as a black Obama voter the president launched an Educational Excellence for Hispanics Advisory Commission. Blacks have had the lowest educational outcomes for decades, where is their commission? Obama figures he can keep dismissing problems facing blacks and still carry the “black vote” but Hispanics are the fastest growing minority so he wants to throw them a bone for their vote in 2012 and throw blacks under the bus.
Where is the outrage from the Congressional Black Caucus and black advocacy groups like the NAACP, who are supposed to hold the president accountable for implementing policies that help their black constituents? It appears these groups are letting Obama off the hook because he is the country’s first Black president but if it was President George W. Bush or any other white president, the outrage would never cease. All we hear is silence from our “so called” black leaders. (Ever notice how whites don’t have “white leaders” but blacks are always lumped into one monolithic group.) At least Professor West had the guts to tell the truth.
But the real blame lies with black Americans who keep supporting Obama and Democrats every election cycle while these politicians take their vote for granted, ignoring their concerns. While Republicans need to improve their efforts in appealing to more minority voters, their policies like school choice, advocating marriage and family values better address problems plaguing lower income blacks than Democrats government dependency policies.
If any black American believes Obama has a “black agenda” or cares about blacks until it’s time for his re-election, wake up! Look beyond the man’s skin color, examine his policies; ask yourself have they made my life better or worse; and vote on that.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Crystal Wright is a black conservative woman living in Washington, DC. Some would say she is a triple minority: woman, black and a Republican living in a Democrat dominated city. She’s contemplating moving back to her home state of Virginia, where her vote would count for something. By day, Crystal is a communications consultant and editor and publisher of the new website http://www.conservativeblackchick.com/ . Crystal earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgetown University and holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University
2 comments:
Beutiful Sister-girl, however, severely dilussional if she thinks the repubs care at all for us.
Yes. Well written but biased. You cannot say this president hasn't focused on blue collar families (stimulus-jobs packages) , which directly affects the black culture directly. Im appreciative of his efforts to not continue with the trickle down srtatus quo NEWS FLASH: It doesntto work). You also condescendingly group welfare with medicaid. Welfare is a joke but Clinton initiated that reduction and Obamacare...whether hated or loved. We all pay for the others that can't pay. Regulation is necessary. All I hear is pot shots. No solutions from the right. And why no public out cry from the 'blacks'. Which Republican Pres ever covered any 'black agenda' directly or systemically? Think hard, I'll wait ......in this go around, the dem's are the lesser of the two evils.
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