Obama Skipping African-American Event, Stirs Controversy

It seems that Obama can't win for losing. He is obviously doing as well as he is because people perceive him to be calling us to reach beyond the issue of race. Is this not what MLK's dream was about? So now he gets bashed for not attending a "black" event. God help us. We have met the enemy, and it is us.

Let me get racist too! I'm of Black/Hawaiian heritage. Three generations before me fought for the right(so sick)to be just that. They weren't asking for reparations, or even a hand up. Just wanted to be treated like every American - and were still looking for acceptance?! Get off this African - American moniker also! Sen. Obama is one of the few people in this country that can actually lay claim to that title. I was born HERE, and there isn't a person of color in America that isn't mixed into the fabric that is America. So can the Africa shit, but, if scientists from around the world are to be believed - we ALL are from the "Cradle of Civilization", and therefore - ooh! shall I say? - there isn't a full caucasian around either. Mr. Smiley will say his shit - Rush Limbaugh will spout his shit - everybody in between will put this American half-breed into office, funny the world just sees him as another American, maybe all should start conducting themselves as such.

I will go ahead and close this off and put it to rest. This controversy blew up into more than it has to be. Many of you are weighting and you dont even know what has gone on and what has been discussed involving the matter.
I will go ahead, and let you know my opinion. It is a busy campaign season, Barack Obama needs every single moment that he can get!! Hillary Clinton on the other hand, needed to go to the SOBTU in order to apologize and try to gain back support from black voters. She has realized how much the lack of black voters has hrt her in this election. Unfortunately, she was not thinking about that when sheher campaign offended many black voters and when she discounted the states with black populations over 20%. Remember that Hillary Clitnon was NOT in NOLA when Louisiana was having their primaries. She discredited the state. Barack Obama was there, outlining his plan for those affected my the 2005 disaster and speaking about what he has done thus far for those people. Next, anyone who has looked at Obama's record and what he has done, they would know that he has spent many years trying to improve the lives of those in the black community and he has fought discrimination in various institutions.
Read this:
http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2008/02/14/audio-tavis-smiley-criticizes-fights-calls-out-barack-obama-attending-state-black-union/

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2007/11/27/jesse-jackson-needs-to-blame-media-not-barack-obama-for-neglecting-issues-facing-blacks/

In addition, He wouldn't have given up his offers from corporate America after leaving Columbia to be a community organizer on Chicago's South Side making $10,000 dollars a year. He wouldn't have fought against discrimination in employment, the criminal justice system, voting etc... He went to Harvard Law because he felt that he could make more of an impact if he got a law degree. After receiving his law degree, he went right back into the streets of Chicago. Obama worked as a civil rights lawyer and he was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, where he represented a mostly black district. He was brought up the political ranks by the African American community in Chicago. He also attended a church, Trinity United which speaks about using faith to empower the black community, the pastor their is Jeremiah Wright. I dont think that a guy who disliked black people or wanted to keep away from black people would attend such a church. There is some other stuff that I can point out but I dont want to make it took long. But look into him. I completely understand your skepticism. I was skeptical when I first began hearing about him but I looked into him and liked much of what I saw. You will never be able to get a real understanding of Senator Obama from the media. Many African Americans know this and that is a big reason why they consider him. The media does not find black issues to be important hence, when he speaks on the issues, they ignore it and they ignore his track record of what he has done in and for the black community. As the wonderful blogger said over at Think On These Things, "The Media is to blame for neglecting black issues, not Obama!"
That should put a lot of the speculation about where Obama stands on black issues to rest. As a black Obama supporter, I will always hold him accountable for not only issues in the black community but to uphold his stance on many of the issues that he has been speaking about.

I will go ahead and close this off and put it to rest. This story broke a while back. It was being discussed by black radio hosts and the black blogosphere.

This controversy blew up into more than it has to be. I agree with absolutely no one on this comment board, except mabye two or three people. Many of you are weighting and you dont even know what has gone on and what has been discussed involving the matter.

I will go ahead, and let you know my opinion. It is a busy campaign season, Barack Obama needs every single moment that he can get!! Hillary Clinton on the other hand, needed to go to the SOBTU in order to apologize and try to gain back support from black voters. She has realized how much the lack of black voters has hrt her in this election. Unfortunately, she was not thinking about that when sheher campaign offended many black voters and when she discounted the states with black populations over 20%. Remember that Hillary Clitnon was NOT in NOLA when Louisiana was having their primaries. She discredited the state. Barack Obama was there, outlining his plan for those affected my the 2005 disaster and speaking about what he has done thus far for those people. Next, anyone who has looked at Obama's record and what he has done, they would know that he has spent many years trying to improve the lives of those in the black community and he has fought discrimination in various institutions.

Read this:

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2008/02/14/audio-tavis-smiley-criticizes-fights-calls-out-barack-obama-attending-state-black-union/

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2007/11/27/jesse-jackson-needs-to-blame-media-not-barack-obama-for-neglecting-issues-facing-blacks/

That should put a lot of the specutaltion about where Obama stands on black issues. As a black Obama supporter, I will always hold him accountable for not only issues in the black community but to uphold his stance on many of the issues that he has been speaking about.

I think he made a good decision in this situation.

If the timing was different and he wasn't involved with winning Ohio and Texas and leaving Hillary in the dust.

but it could have played two ways.

If he goes then Hillary and the right wing can try to paint him into a corner as a "black" candidate.

When infact he is a AMERICAN.

He supports the hopes dreams and wishes of all AMERICA.

It would have been good on his intent but it would have played much differently in the media.

good choice get the nomination first.

if you loose you wont be the keynote next year.

Why has Obama's decision to skip this event caused so much controversy??? Personally I don't think he will improve the lives of Black people anymore than he will improve the lives of other Americans. Once everybody gets over the symbolism of potentially having a Black president, a Change president, a Hope president, people will see that ultimately we have to do something, nobody will give us anything, thats not how it works. Just because Obama is Black does he have to show up at every Black event held throughout the US. Should he also show up at every Christian event, and so on. He job isn't to help Black people, his job is to lead and create policies that Americans can take advantage of. Some of those people will be Black but his priority should be to place good policies that anybody with some initiative can take advantage of.

Do you know how many events Black event Obama has missed??? Hundreds, and there will be more. Really people, who made this an issue? On the surface this is a racial issue but read between the lines, its about politics, positioning, and the media cycle.

Obama is not trying to do same thing black leaders have done in past.
We go to remember this, Obama is not running to be the president of African Americans. he running for all Americans.
I'm very sure Obama is aware of black peoples issues and will do something about it if he become president.
We have seen in the pass Clinton's have try to paint Obama as a another Jesse Jackson and they were wrong in doing that.
At this point in game Obama don't need to be distracted.

Shame on you Tavis Smilley

Obama is not trying to do same thing black leaders have done in past.
We go to remember this, Obama is not running to be the president of African American. he running for all Americans.
I'm very sure Obama is aware of black peoples issues and will do something about if he become president.
We have seen in the pass Clinton's have try to paint Obama as a another Jesse Jackson and they were wrong in doing that.
At this point in game Obama don't need to be distracted.

Shame on you Tavis Smilley

Seriously - if this is really a "black" issue (I think this is just silly crabs in a barrel stuff, but I digress) - if this is REALLY a "black" issue - how about we get a black man elected first?

Jesse Jackson's runs in 84 and 88 set the foundation for an Obama 08 run. Jesse ran as the "black" candidate, and broke the heart of black America and all of the rainbow coalition by turning over all of his delegates to the Democratic party instead of making an independent run. Lots of black folks called Jesse a "sell-out." But - what did Jesse do? He engaged lots of people in the workings of the democratic party. Now here's Obama - running AS a DEMOCRAT, not a third party candidate - with the most credible chance EVER of being the party's nominee. He's not running to promote black issues - he's running to be the democratic nominee to the presidency. And, let's not forget that he, along with the other candidates - showed up for Tavis's debate a while back, while the Republican party entirely ignored Tavis's effort.

Let's get real. Demanding, all of a sudden, that Obama be the "black" candidate negates the actual incremental progress that Obama is relying upon to get where he is today. Jesse didn't even come CLOSE to winning - but he made it possible for people to imagine the possibility. Colin Powell didn't EVEN run - but he made it possible for a large number of whites to conceive a viable black presidency. Obama is running. Let's get him elected. If he doesn't turn out to be the "black" president - so what? The next "black" president might have the luxury, once there's already been a precedent set, of being more forthright about black issues.

QT

I thought that Hillary was EXTRAORDINARY at this event. I saw it on C-Span. Talk about a HOSTILE crowd!

Before Hillary arrived, Dick Gregory was foaming at the mouth about how it was all white people's fault that blacks get drunk on malt liquor. Unreal.

Then what's his face was yelling and screaming about the Superdelegate conspiracy. You know, the self-righteous (A-word) who got Imus fired.

Hillary had major BALLS just to walk into the place. Unfortunately, many of those people are what I would call "black racists".

I doubt that Hillary won any converts from Obama, who is their beloved, but I am sure that she won some grudging respect.

She certainly won MY respect. That was a hell of a lot more impressive then the stupid "I love you, you love me" CNN so-called "debate".

I would like to see Barak Obama speak at a KKK convention. That's about the equivalent.

Obama offered to send his wife in his place to attend the African-American Event but Tavis Slimy refused to let her participate. Now Slimy is trying to gain national attention for himself by telling the public media that he is receiving death threats. Welcome to Sen. Obama's world. He and his family have to deal with death threats every day. You were a hateful man before and you still are. You are nothing more than an Uncle Tom for the
RNC.

Clinton goes to a black event and all of a sudden Obama is anti black-issues. If these accusers had looked into Obama's past activism, they would know this is total bullS#*!

Farrakhan praises Obama at Nation of Islam convention in Chicago on Sunday (2/24/08)
Farrakhan compared Obama to the religion's founder, Fard Muhammad, who also had a white mother and black father.

"A black man with a white mother became a savior to us," he told the crowd of mostly followers. "A black man with a white mother could turn out to be one who can lift America from her fall."

http://www.centredaily.com/living/story/422767.html

Like I said, Barack Obama already destroyed that bitch in Louisiana. He doesn't need to go there (and neither does she -- it just prove she dumb). He needs to focus his various attention on Ohio and Texas where that attention can make all the difference.