Robert Johnson et. al. tears down Barack Obama to lift up Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid
I now see what Republicans mean when they accuse the Clintons of being divisive.
God Bless my elders, the men and women of the generation before us who would rather be close to white power than yield power of their own. Hillary Clinton has rolled out black "surrogates" in recent weeks to bolster her standing with the African-American electorate.
It is shameful, embarrassing, and borderline disgusting how so-called black leaders are singing the praises of the Almighty Clintons. Bro. Andrew Young's comments on how and why Fmr. President Clinton relates to our community is a example of what is wrong with the Black Clinton Camp. "Bill is every bit as black as Barack." Young said. "He's probably gone with more black women than Barack,"
Is that what being black is about? Going with women? That's the mentality many of us are trying to break away from and here is one of our heroes using this type of mess out on the stump.
Speaking of trying to get away from, the Clinton campaign rolled out Bob Johnson, founder of Black Etertainment Television on the campaign trail. Johnson, like Bill and Hillary of late, pulled no punches. Here’s the quote from good ol’ Bob that has caused all the commotion.
,… I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues since Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood – and I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in the book – when they have been involved.
Here in lies the problem of our elder statesmen. They are more impressed by emotion than they are by action. The Clintons can go on what my pastor calls "the black church pimpin' tour" and all of a sudden black folks feel loved.
No one, not Bill, not Hillary, not Bob, not anybody, has given a concrete explanation of what is the Clintons (especially Mrs.) have specifically done for the African-American community.
Maybe they are talking about how black families were brought together during the Clinton Administration. Um maybe not:
Black incarceration rates tripled during the Clinton Presidency.
Arrests for drug violations skyrocketed from 661,000 in 1983 to 1,126,300 in 1993. From 1980 to 1993, the percentage of White inmates rose 163 percent, while the percentage of Black inmates increased by 217 percent. And by the end of 1993, half of all federal and state prisoners were Blacks.
Perhaps the biggest victims of this policy were children—the sons and daughters of the prisoners. By 1999, there were 721,500 parents in federal and state prisons, and they were parents to 1.5 million children.
The impact of high Black male incarceration rates
By Dr. Henrie M. Treadwell
Maybe they are talking about the inner circle of advisers the Clintons had in the White House that included African-Americans. No, I guess that would be George W. Bush who's had two Black Secretary of States and Condoleeza Rice who additionally served as National Security Adviser.
Well I guess Clinton supporters are referring to Clinton's nomination of an African-American to the Supreme Court. Of course not, Stephen G. Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were appointed by President Clinton in 1994 & 1993 respectively. I guess it was George H.W. Bush who nominated he who will not be named to the Supreme Court.
I've seen more activity on the blogs/net over the last two weeks than I have in months. Here is some of the net chatter regarding Clinton and Johnson
- Bob, while you were shucking, grinning and jiving in front of the Clintons, are you that stupid that you didn’t care that you came across as a bootlicking Uncle Tom? Your attack on Sen. Obama continues to prove how ruthless you continue to be.
- Well Bobby J. To me as an African American woman, I am insulted that you think working class Black people and their children, their daughters in particular, are stupid and disposable. If Bill and Hillary are so DEEPLY and emotionally involved in Black issues, then how emotional are they about the degradation of Black woman and girls by YOU?
- When push comes to shove, when it’s do or die, they will toss any principle out the window to win. Have they not shown this time and time again? If race baiting gets them what they want, then race baiting is what they’ll do. If they have to engage in some racial denigration to forward their goals, I don’t think they’re going to go home and cry about it afterwards. To them its the unintended consequences of striving for a goal where the ends justify the means. It’s acceptable collateral damage. And if they set Black people back in the process, never mind that, they don’t have to live with it.
All I can say is that I am disappointed. I'm disappointed that black "leaders" are holding Obama to a standard that they didn't hold Al Gore, John Kerry, or for that matter Bill Clinton to. I'm disappointed because Hillary Clinton has done nothing to earn the capital she's been handed in some black circles. And most of all, I'm disappointed that these folks would sacrifice a young brother seeking a seat at the table in order that they may gather the crumbs that fall underneath.
