Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Obama says to Black voters: Do not ask what I can do for you, ask what you can do for me!


President Obama has been ignoring African American voters since the day he took office but no more. Now he's remembered that we exist. Why? Because it's time to get us out there to vote in the mid-term elections, that's why.

"Head to your beauty shops and your barber shops, and spread the word", the President told a group of African American voters in Philadelphia recently.

And we all know that the only places that African Americans hangout are beauty shops and barber shops, right.

Isn't it amazing that when Obama speaks in front of groups other than African Americans he tells them what he will do for them but every single time Obama speaks in front of an African American audience he is always asking us for something or worse, telling us to do something.

I learned long ago that people who are always asking for something from you but don't ever seem to be able to return the favor are just dead weight in your life. Barack Obama has become dead weight in the lives of African Americans.

During non-election times Obama is adept at ignoring or belittling the needs of African American voters. The President talks about unemployment to White voters but refuses to acknowledge the higher than the general population unemployment rates among some groups of African Americans.


Obama never seems to have anything for African American voters and yet he breaks his neck trying to assure White voters that he's keyed into their needs. The President never misses an opportunity to make promises to groups of White voters and never misses an opportunity to ignore African American voters concerns.

African Americans and in particular African American women have suffered disproportionately in the mortgage meltdown and yet it's Whites who have lost their homes that the President seems to focus on.



The President made sure that White farmers in Missouri got over a billion dollars in aid this past summer while Black farmers who are owed billions by the government didn't get a cent. In 2009 Obama took funding away from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and in 2010 gave it back. And I suppose we were supposed to ignore the fact that HBCU's gained nothing in all of that and are in fact still underfunded?

And when it comes to education policy for public schools Obama hired Arne Duncan who ran one of the worst public schools systems in America in Chicago and since Obama has done nothing but talk about firing teachers. And the teachers who he is ready to fire are mostly African American women who teach in failing inner city school systems.

And do I have to remind you of the list of Black people Obama has fired from his administration?

But forget all of that, it's election time and Obama needs us to get out to vote for those wonderful Democrats. According to polls quite a few incumbent Democrats will have a fight on their hands in November. And trust me if they didn't have a hard way to go to re-election Obama would not even be speaking to African American audiences. He's desperate and that's why he's coming calling.


Well many of us are desperate too. The unemployment rate in many Black communities is double the White unemployment rate. Many of our schools are failing. Many of our communities are ridden with crime and despair. Many of us are lacking basic health-care despite the Presidents fancy new health-care bill.

So it seems to me that when President Obama comes knocking on our collective door that we should treat him like the friend that is always asking for something but is never there when we need something.

Don't answer the door.


8 comments:

Don said...

Incredible read.

I realize that you and I are on different sides of the fence, as it relates to Obama. But it has never prevented me from hearing your thoughts with a clear and open mind.

So when I tell you that this particular post is as point blank as it comes ... believe me.

What more needs to be added? Hardly anything, if you ask me. I could speak upon the less than impressive manner that Obama has with other voters as well, but what good would that do? Lol. It would prove even more damaging.

I guess the only thing I can do is sit here and wonder if Obama truly has thrown his African American people under the bus.

If so, then why?

Anonymous said...

I won't be opening my collective door this November, that's for sure! There's this saying in the black community, don't know if it originates there: Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me!!
I haven't watched any Obama stuff for months and especially not this call on the black community--I'm too easily embarassed. And I hate watching someone lick his own ass and pretend like he's not--makes me feel like they don't think I can decipher what my own eyes are telling me!!

But when we voted him in (those who did) what did we truly expect beyond having a New Negro First?
If he would give black people their fair share and fair due, that would go against what makes America great, standing on our backs! If he would stand for poor people throughout the world, he would truly be an anti-American president!
It was impossible for him to be what some of us would have wanted. And now the bitter horse pill has to be swallowed.

Anna Renee

Citizen Ojo said...

I was talking to older black folks this weekend and one of them said something very interesting. He said that we “Black Folk” expected Obama to be act black once he got in office. I guess because he was a community organizer in “The Hood” we thought he would be sensitive to “our” needs. I never thought that because of his background. His family tree looks like a Benetton ad. I know I have been tough on Obama on my blog and I have been catching hell from folks. The reality is that I think Obama is a nice guy and in his mind he means well. But Val has made some very good points that shouldn’t be overlooked because we feel the need to support “Symbolism over Substance”. Although I disagree with the Health Care Bill because it doesn’t have a public option. But while they were trying to get public support for that they should have been talking to black folks then. When they were bailing out the banks they should have been talking to black folks then. Until recently I haven’t heard Obama on any “black” radio programs. It reminds me of when politicians show up at black churches near election time. The same people that were running around talking about how Obama was going to save the world are now talking about “voting for the lesser of two evils”. When did Obama become the lesser of two evils when he was so well loved 2 years ago? I left the Democratic party partly because of stuff like this.

Val said...

@Don

"I guess the only thing I can do is sit here and wonder if Obama truly has thrown his African American people under the bus."

I think Obama and his people have made the political calculation that no matter how much he ignores us that we will still support him at election time. And it's not just him but the Democrats as well.

Val said...

@Anna Renee

"If he would give black people their fair share and fair due, that would go against what makes America great, standing on our backs!"

That is both true and sad. I suppose it would be nice if we got a few crumbs at least. We've always at least gotten that. Now we just get ignored until election time.

Val said...

@CO

"...we “Black Folk” expected Obama to be act black once he got in office."

I didn't expect that but I didn't expect him to be harder on us than White Presidents, that's for sure.

Yep, Democrats have been pulling the 'church move' on us for decades now. It's old and we need to be more politically sophisticated.

At some point we are going to have to stay home to show the Dems that we are tired of being both used and ignored.

? said...

Every brother ain't a brother.

Val said...

@?

Ha! You summed up my post in one sentence!

Buy Life!

Buy Life!
click on Alicia for info

Check out some of my other posts below

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Val's Library

1963 (1) 1982 (1) 1984 (1) 2011 (2) 2012 Election (3) 50 cent (1) 52nd Street (1) 60 Minutes (1) 900 Number (1) 944 Magazine (1) A Verse by Val (2) Aaliyah (3) Abbey Lincoln (1) ABC (6) Actresses I'd like to see work more (1) Adina Howard (1) Adrian Fenty (1) Africa (1) African American Family (1) African Americans (7) Al Di Meola (1) Al Green (1) Alicia Keys (21) Aliens (1) Allergic To Vanilla (2) Aloyisus Leon Higginbotham (1) Alpha Kappa Alpha (1) Amazon.com (1) Amazulu Montego Bay (1) Amber Rose (1) America's Next Top Model (1) American Slavery (1) American War in Iraq (1) Amour-propre (1) Amy Winehouse (2) Andy Garcia (1) Angela Bofill (1) Angela Davis (1) Angela Simmons (2) Anika Noni Rose (1) Apple (1) Archie panjabi (1) Archie punjabi (1) Arizona (1) Arrested Development (1) Art Deco (1) Arundhati Roy (1) Ashton Purvis (1) Atlanta (4) Awards (1) Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim (1) Barack Obama (13) BART (1) Baseball (2) BBC Radio (1) Beautifulness (1) Ben Franklin (1) Bethany Storro (1) Beverly Peele (1) Beyoncé (3) Bill Withers (1) Billie Holiday (1) Birthdays (11) Births (1) Bishop Eddie Long (1) Black Ball (1) Black Farmers (1) Black History Month (5) Black Men (4) Black Panther Party (3) Black Women (25) Blair Underwood (1) Blanka Vlašić (1) Blogger (1) Blogs (4) Blu Cantrell (1) Bobby Womack (1) Bolero (1) bombs over baghdad (1) Boo Berry (1) Books (1) Boris Kdjoe (1) Bosnia (1) Boycott (1) Boycott Target (1) BP (2) Brandy (1) Breaking News (1) Brick (1) British Petroleum (4) Brittney Griner (1) Brownstone (1) Buffalo Stance (1) Burqa (1) Bust Magazine (1) California (3) Canada (2) Cape Cod (1) Carl's Jr (1) Carmen De Lavallade (1) Carolina Chocolate Drops (1) Cassie Ventura (1) Catholicism (1) CBS (6) Cell Phones (1) Cessna Citation X (1) Chad (1) Change (2) Charlayne Hunter-Gault (1) Charles Rangel (1) Chicago (3) Chill Rob G (1) Christianity (1) Christine Beatty (4) Chubb Rock (1) Chuckii Booker (1) Cinco de Mayo (1) Civil Rights Movement (1) Coke (1) Colonel Abrams (1) Colts (1) Columbus Day (1) Comedy (1) Common Sense Val (1) Complex Magazine (1) Concert (1) Congo (1) Constance Jablonski (1) Corinne Bailey Rae (1) Corporate America (1) Countermeasures (1) Crazy but true (1) Crime (1) Crystal Waters (1) Curtis Mayfield (2) Curvy Gurl (1) Darfur (1) Daylight Savings Time (1) Dazz (1) De La Soul (1) DEA (1) Death Penalty (1) Debbi Morgan (1) Debbie Dunn (1) Democrats (1) Denise Williams (1) Deon Estus (1) Depression (1) Desertflower (1) Desirée Rogers (3) Detroit (5) Disco (1) Dolly Freed (1) Dominique Reighard (1) Don't Stop The Music (1) Donell Jones (1) Donna Summer (1) Dorothy Dandridge (1) DRC (1) Earthquake (2) Ebonics (1) Ebony (2) Ed Lover (1) Education (1) Edwidge Danticat (1) El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (2) Elaine Brown (1) Ella Thomas (1) Elle (1) Eminem (1) England (1) Erykah Badu (1) Espana (1) Esperanza Spalding (1) Essence (2) Ethel Waters (1) Facebook (4) Fame (1) Famous People (1) Fashion (4) Fatima Siad (1) Favorite Models Series (8) Favorite music videos of all-time (1) Favorite stuff (1) Film (5) Five Star (1) Flashback Friday (45) Floetry (1) Food (5) Football (1) Fox Cough News (1) Foxy - Get Off (1) France (1) Freegan (1) Frida Kahlo (1) Friday Quote (1) Friday Quotes (1) Fugees (1) Further/ Farther (1) G20 (1) Gabourey Sidibe (2) Gary Coleman (1) General Stanley A. McChrystal (1) Genocide (1) George Benson (1) George Orwell (1) Georgia O'Keeffe (1) Ghetto Boys (1) Glow of Love (3) Good Morning America (1) GOTAN PROJECT - TANGO 3.0 - Peligro (1) Gotham Magazine (1) Grammy Awards (1) Grape (1) Gregory Porter (1) Groove Theory (1) Gulf of Mexico (8) Gypsy Woman (1) Haiti (17) Halle Berry (2) Hardee's (1) Harold Dow (1) Harriet Tubman (1) Harvard (1) HBCU (1) Higginbotham (1) Hillary Clinton (1) Hinduism (1) Hip Hop (1) History (1) Holiday (5) Holidays (1) Holly Robinson Peete (1) Hoosegow (1) Howard University (1) Hurricane Katrina (1) I Can't Wait (1) Idiot Rappers (1) If You're Girl Only Knew (1) India (1) iPad (2) Iran (1) Ireland (1) Irene Cara (1) Islam (2) Islamophobia (2) Isley Brothers (1) J. Cole (1) Jade (1) James "D Train" Williams (1) James Baldwin (1) Janelle Monáe (1) Japan (1) Jasmin Guy (1) Jason (1) Jay z (1) Jazz (2) Jean-Michel Basquiat (1) Jennifer Lopez. Halle Berry. (1) Jermaine Jackson (1) Jermaine Stewart (1) Jesse Jackson junior Harold Ford junior (1) Jessica Ennis (1) Jesus Christ (1) Jet Magazine (4) Jimmy Smits (1) Jodeci (1) Jody Watley (2) Joe Public (1) John Coltrane (2) Jonathan Butler (1) Jr. (1) Juan Williams (1) Judy Marte (1) Julianna Margulies (1) July 4th (1) Jurnee Smollett (1) Just a Laugh (1) Just a thought (1) K'naan (1) Kama (1) Kamala Harris (3) Karyn White (1) Kelis (1) Kelly Rowland (1) Keri Hilson (3) Kerry Washington (1) Kindle (1) King Pleasure (1) Kool and The Gang (1) KPFA (1) Kwamé (1) Kwame Kilpatrick (1) Lady Gaga (1) Lady T (1) LAPD (1) Las Vegas (1) Latice Sutton (1) Lauryn Hill (1) Lauryne Hill (1) LaVena Johnson (1) Lee Morgan (1) Left Eye (1) Lena Horne (1) Lenny Kravitz (2) Lesbian (1) Letterman Show (1) LGBT (2) LGBT Rights (1) Liam (1) Life and Style Magazine (1) Lil' Wayne (1) Lin A Woman (1) Lindsey Lohan (1) Lisa Bonet (1) Lisa Jackson (1) Lisa Lopes (1) Lisa Stansfield (1) Liya Kebede (2) Lolo Jones (3) Los Angeles (2) Love (3) Luther Vandross (3) Magazines (13) Malcolm X (1) Malcolm-Jamal Warner (1) Malia Obama (1) Malika Saada Saar (1) Manic Monday Music (1) Manu Dibango (1) Mariah Carey (2) Marion Jones (1) Marriage (1) Marshall Mathers (1) Martha Reeves (1) Martin Luther King (1) Marva Whitney (1) Massachusetts (1) Maxine Waters (1) Maxwell (1) MC Solaar (1) McDonald's Restaurants (1) McGhee sextuplets (1) Media (20) Medicine for Melancholy (2) Mel and Kim (1) Mellow Wednesday (1) Memphis (1) Mental Illness (1) Meryl Streep (1) Mes Deux Cents (1) Meseret Defar (1) Mexico (1) Mi Corazón (1) Michael Boatman (1) Michael Jackson (1) michelle Obama (2) Middle class (1) Miguel Jontel (1) Mireille Durocher Bertin (1) misogynists (1) Miss America 2010 (1) Miss Black USA (1) Miss Haiti 2010 (1) Miss Universe (1) Miss USA (1) Missing Person (3) MIT (1) Mitrice Richardson (5) Mizrepresent (1) MLK (1) Models (3) Money (1) More Than A Woman (1) Mos Def (1) Mother's Day (1) Music (10) Music for a Tuesday (1) Music Video (5) Mya (1) Natalie Stewart (1) NBC (7) Nellie (1) Nelson Mandela (1) Neneh Cherry (1) New Jersey (1) New Orleans (2) New York City (5) New York Series (1) Newark (1) News (18) NFL (1) Nice Shoes (1) Nicki Minaj (6) Niqab (1) No Wedding No Womb (1) Noémie Lenoir (1) Noisettes (1) Nothern California (1) NPR (1) Nu Shooz (1) Numero Magazine (1) NYC (5) Obama (9) Obscure Heroes (1) Octavius Catto (1) Of Monreal (1) Off the beaten path (1) Oil Spill (2) Oil Spll (3) Olympics (2) Omar al-Bashir (1) One In A Million (1) Opinion (16) Oprah (4) Osas Ighodaro (1) Oscar Grant (1) Otis Mathis (1) OutKast (1) Ownlee Eue (1) Pacifica Radio (1) Pam Grier (1) Paris Vogue (1) PBS (4) Pebbles (1) Penny Wize (1) Petroleum (1) Photo (6) Photo de Jour (23) Phyllis Hyman (3) Pink (1) Pink Friday (1) Plutocracy (1) Police Brutality (1) Politics (32) Poor (1) Possum Living (1) Poverty (1) Prince (2) Private Jet (1) Prop. 8 (1) Prophet Muhammad (1) Public Schools (1) Punk Rap (1) Punk Rock (1) Queen Latifah (2) Question de Jour (5) R and B (1) Race (1) Radio (1) Random Sunday (1) Rant (1) Rape (1) Ravel (1) Rebbie Jacson (1) Religion (2) Republicans (5) Reverend Jesse Jackson (1) Reverend Jesse Jacson (1) Rich (1) Right On Magazine (1) Rihanna (1) Rima Fakih (1) Rosa Parks (1) Rose Cordero (1) Run DMC (1) Rwanda (1) Saddam Hussein (1) Sade (17) Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtian (1) Sam Cooke (2) Same-gender marriage (1) San Francisco Bay Area (3) San Francisco Giants (1) Sarah Palin (1) Sarodj Bertin (1) Sasha Obama (1) Saturday Flashback (2) Saturday Funk (6) Saudi Arabia (1) School Daze (1) Seattle (1) Selita Ebanks (1) Serena Williams (1) Shalamar (1) Shari Headley (3) Sharon Brown (1) Sharone Simpson (1) Sheila E (1) Sheila Escovedo (1) Shoes (1) Sidewinder (1) Sinbad (1) Singers (1) Skin (1) Snap (1) Solange (2) Somalia (1) Sophie Okonedo (1) Soul Makossa (1) SoulSonic Force (1) South Africa (1) Space (1) Spain (1) Spelman College (1) Spike Lee (1) Sports (9) Spring (1) Stacey Dash (1) Stacyann Chin (1) Stereotypes (1) Stuff (30) Sudan (1) Suleka Mathew (1) Summer music (1) Sunday Music (3) Superbowl (1) Supreme Court (1) Surface (1) T Pain (1) Tamara Taylor (1) Tammi Terrell (1) Taral Hicks (1) Tea Party (1) Technology (1) Teddy Pendergrass (1) Teena Marie (1) Tell Me (1) Teresa Gueyser (1) Tevin Campbell (2) Texas Rangers (1) Thanksgiving (1) The Academy Awards (1) The Boondocks (1) The Bronx (1) The Good Girls (1) The Good Wife (1) The Power (1) The Simple Life (1) The Stoning of Soraya M. (1) The Sunday Report (2) The Twin Towers (1) The U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships (1) The United Nations (3) Then and Now (4) This Masquerade (1) Thursday Music (2) Tiger Woods (1) Tisha Campbell (1) Tje Jimmy Fallon Show (1) Today Show (2) Toronto (1) Toshiba Electronics (1) Tracee Ellis Ross (1) Tracey Heggins (3) Track and Field (8) Trains (1) Travel (2) Travis Barker (1) Treat'em Right (1) Trial (1) Trina McGee-Davis (1) Trudie Hall (1) Try Again (1) Tuck and Patti (1) TV (12) TV Theme Songs (1) Twitter quote (1) Two4er Tuesday (8) Tyler Perry (3) Tyson Gay (1) U.K (1) U.S Oil Companies (1) UN Peace Keepers (1) Unemployment (1) United States (1) Usain Bolt (1) Vacation (1) Val Recommends (4) Val's Links (1) Val's week in review (1) Valentine's Day (1) Vanessa Williams (2) Venus Williams (1) Verses by Val (2) Video de Jour (1) Violence (1) Virginia (1) Vogue (3) Vogue Italia (1) Wakeema Hollis (1) Wanda Jean Allen (1) War (3) Waris Dirie (1) Washington DC (2) Weather (1) Weddings (2) Weekend (2) White Women (1) Whodini (1) Will Smith (1) Willow Smith (1) WNBA (1) Woman (1) Women's History Month (4) Word de Jour (1) Word Play (3) World Cup (1) World Series (1) World Trade Center (1) WTF Files (13) Yarbrough and Peoples (1) Yasmin Warsame (1) Yo MTV Raps (1) YouTube (1) Zap Mama (1) Zoë Isabella Kravitz (3)

Soldier Of Love

I've lost the use of my heart
But I'm still alive
Still looking for the life
The endless pool on the other side
It's a wild wild west
I'm doing my best

I'm at the borderline of my faith,
I'm at the hinterland of my devotion
In the frontline of this battle of mine
But I'm still alive

I'm a soldier of love.
Every day and night
I'm soldier of love
All the days of my life

I've been torn up inside (oh!)
I've been left behind (oh!)
So I ride
I have the will to survive

In the wild wild west,
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive

I am love's soldier!

I wait for the sound
(oooh oohhh)

I know that love will come (that love will come)
Turn it all around

I'm a soldier of love (soldier of love)
Every day and night
I'm a soldier of love
All the days of my life

I am lost
But I don't doubt (oh!)
So I ride
I have the will to survive

In the wild wild west,
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive

I am love's soldier!

I wait for the sound

I know that love will come
I know that love will come
Turn it all around

I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier

Still waiting for love to come
Turn it all around
(4x)

I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier

Still waiting for love to come
Turn it all around
(3x)

Still waiting for love to come

Miss Keri Baby!

Tracee!

Solange!

Solange!
The only interesting Knowles

un·for·get·ta·ble: Earning a permanent place in the memory; memorable: an unforgettable experience.

Alicia says...

Rest in Peace Mitrice

Rest in Peace Mitrice
Mitrice Richardson