The Black man who wants to be president spends Father's Day at church in loud and general denunciation of Black males. For added insult, he describes them as "boys." Barack Obama's primary audience isn't the conservative Black Pentecostal congregation, but "white social conservatives in a race where these voters may be up for grabs," says the New York Times. In America, even the "Black" corporate candidate runs against Black people. How did such madness come to pass in 2008? Blame the Black "progressive" misleaders who failed to challenge Obama when they had the chance. Now it's too late, and African Americans are reduced to objects of derision.

Obama insults 1/2 a race

"We can't simply write these problems off to past injustices," Obama said to applause Sunday. "Those injustices are real. There's a reason our families are in disrepair, and some of it has to do with a tragic history, but we can't keep using that as an excuse."

Obama urged black parents to demand the best from themselves and their children.

"Any fool can have a child. That doesn't make you a father," he said. "It's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father."

...

The call for fathers to be involved in their sons' lives ... well, again I understand where that is coming from, and I think that transcends race. There are plenty of white deadbeat dads in America, too.

I can attest to that ... one of my daughters in law has been through several relationships in the last 5 years. Every one of 4 "men" she was involved with had at least 3 kids, by at least 2 women, and they are caring for none of them, neither with their time nor money. Drugs were always involved. Most of the resulting kids are now cared for by grandparents, who apparently have a greater sense of concern about the kids than the fathers do. I am one of them, and am caregiver for a 4 year old, at 61.

The Black man who wants to be president spends Father's Day at church in loud and general denunciation of Black males. For added insult, he describes them as "boys." Barack Obama's primary audience isn't the conservative Black Pentecostal congregation, but "white social conservatives in a race where these voters may be up for grabs," says the New York Times. In America, even the "Black" corporate candidate runs against Black people. How did such madness come to pass in 2008? Blame the Black "progressive" misleaders who failed to challenge Obama when they had the chance. Now it's too late, and African Americans are reduced to objects of derision.

Obama insults 1/2 a race

The Black man who wants to be president spends Father's Day at church in loud and general denunciation of Black males. For added insult, he describes them as "boys." Barack Obama's primary audience isn't the conservative Black Pentecostal congregation, but "white social conservatives in a race where these voters may be up for grabs," says the New York Times. In America, even the "Black" corporate candidate runs against Black people. How did such madness come to pass in 2008? Blame the Black "progressive" misleaders who failed to challenge Obama when they had the chance. Now it's too late, and African Americans are reduced to objects of derision.

Obama insults 1/2 a race

I am one of them, and am caregiver for a 4 year old, at 61.

Who's really behind Black Agenda Report?
by Underground in Ohio
Mon May 19, 2008 at 05:42:06 AM PDT

Since it's first issue in 2006, the Black Agenda Report has posted 61 anti-Obama articles.

Number of articles dedicated to Hillary Clinton? 0.

Number of articles dedicated to John McCain? 0.

Here is a link to their sites and their stats.

* Underground in Ohio's diary :: ::
*

I'm not sure who is being endorsed by Glen Ford, the executive editor of the Black Agenda Report, but I do think that it is curious that the online journal started in 2006; it had one issue with no mention of Barack Obama, then it's next issue began what has been a 2 year dressing down (and a series of misreadings of Obama) of Barack Obama.

I came across the website while reading comments over at Mydd. I clicked on the site to see if it was a legitimate website; it appears to be, except that it's coverage of Obama is overwhelmingly biased.

Since I've never encountered the website before, I am wondering if any kossacks know anything about it and have any input. Why is it so aggressively anti-Obama? It has even co-oped right wing language about Obama supporters (calling us cultish, etc.). It says that Kucinich is "blacker" than Obama (and has 6 items about him). It reams Obama for distancing himself from Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

What gives? I would love to know if there isn't a not-so-hidden agenda behind BAR's Obama-bashing. Is this just a front for the opponent (who has now been defeated)?

Though I'd never heard of them (and they seem to be in trouble, they are asking for up to 30K on their website) I find it curious that everything they have to say about Barack Obama is negative. If anyone has any background on this website, I'd love to hear it.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/19/84...1693/618/518062

What I found interesting were the comments to this piece, some looking into BAR's world view.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/19/84...1693/618/518062

What I found interesting were the comments to this piece, some looking into BAR's world view.

The Black man who wants to be president spends Father's Day at church in loud and general denunciation of Black males. For added insult, he describes them as "boys." Barack Obama's primary audience isn't the conservative Black Pentecostal congregation, but "white social conservatives in a race where these voters may be up for grabs," says the New York Times. In America, even the "Black" corporate candidate runs against Black people. How did such madness come to pass in 2008? Blame the Black "progressive" misleaders who failed to challenge Obama when they had the chance. Now it's too late, and African Americans are reduced to objects of derision.

Obama insults 1/2 a race

We are all too worried about people's "feelings". Personal attacks aren't cool, but general statements of true are a different story. If you're wrong, then you're wrong and men leaving their babies is wrong. Period. Sometimes you have to take a stand and say what needs to be said... regardless of the blow back. It shows courage and strenght of conviction. I like it!

Well, somewhere around 65 percent of African American homes are single parent, and most of them are the mother raising the children.

So are you implying that he and Bill Cosby and many other black leaders are all "Uncle Toms" if they speak out for what they wish for the African American community? Bill Cosby was deeply involved with the civil rights movement and by all accounts is a loving father and a decent role model. The same, obviously, can be said for Barack Obama.

Is it just the "airing our dirty laundry in public" slant that irritates you?

On the other hand I can tell you it gets on my fucking nerves to hear the world lecture black men.  It seems that any problem that disproportianately effects melinated people is somehow attributed to their race.  When it comes to blacks people stop at the description of the people and never get down to the why.  You never hear people lecturing white people on stealing peoples land or murdering each other and world by the boatload.  Somehow we are able to look at each situation of conflict for what it is and distinguish based upon factors other then how people look.  

The Black man who wants to be president spends Father's Day at church in loud and general denunciation of Black males. For added insult, he describes them as "boys." Barack Obama's primary audience isn't the conservative Black Pentecostal congregation, but "white social conservatives in a race where these voters may be up for grabs," says the New York Times. In America, even the "Black" corporate candidate runs against Black people. How did such madness come to pass in 2008? Blame the Black "progressive" misleaders who failed to challenge Obama when they had the chance. Now it's too late, and African Americans are reduced to objects of derision.

Obama insults 1/2 a race

1. true to an extent... I think the numbers of women are going down, and the numbers of men being single parents is going up....


2. I'm not implying anything, I didn't write the oped.... I wanted to post it for discussion sake, is that alright w/ you?

3. i kind of found the article from Daily Kos entertaingly funny.... I don't think the folx at BAR really care.... but they were right regarding their anti-Obama articles....

4. and I have to disagree w/ you on the 'Cos'... who has made HIS agenda more of an attack than anything poignant... he has become the poster child for Faux News along w/ the Wrong Rev. Je$$e Peterson to attack black folx, clean or dirty laundry.... as for role model? naw, not when you're having affairs w/ other women not your wife....

5. no, does it irritate you? and how do you know what does and does not irritate me? your lucky you have that cute avatar....

Politics is ugly, and BHO is a politician.

The rule is - in the general election, court the girlfriend and beat the family. If McCain's percentage of the Black voters goes from 1% to 10% because BHO has turned off 10% by rudeness, that's how it goes.

Politics is ugly.

If you wish the best for someone, if you want them to live better lives, if you care enough to say something when it's easier to just say nothing, thats not indifference, thats compassion.

2. The point I was making is that the article you posted is biased and at the end asks for donations for McKinney. The validity of the piece is obstensibly zero with that at the end when you can infer that any stance Obama takes is going to be criticized at that site. It is an anti-Obama website. If it were posted from the Huffington Post, I would look at it different.

4. I am aware of a situation where a young woman said she was his daughter, and it turned out to be not true. He did have an affair but he reconciled that with his wife and they received counseling. Never said he was perfect, but he is still a good man. Is he disproportionately on Fox News? Probably not, but perhaps they find it novel when someone in the African American community is more critical of their own, and thus shows clips of his speeches. Not his fault.

5. It doesn't irritate me, the point was that the article is inflammatory and the source is not a valid one. Your title evoked the impression that Obama insulted the black male vote, which is far from true

no kidding rain man.... I knew it was an anti-obama oped, the majority of them on that site are.... as I said, it was for discussion sake.... you don't like the source, then don't discuss....

The point is, what the Title you put on the post shows is your point of view about the article.

If your post was titled "Whatta bunch of BS look at this crap" then we would know or infer your sentiment and reason for posting it.

Your title implies something entirely different.

Now then, if your purpose was to fool the reader into reading your post even though you didn't agree at all with the entire piece, then you fooled me.

It seemed like you were posting something that reflected your point of view. It's a good thing too, because anyone who would consider that article valid or well constructed would have to be fairly dense.

Glad thats not the case, thanks for the clarification.

And by the way, rain man isn't a very nice thing to call someone engaged in civil discourse.

The Black man who wants to be president spends Father's Day at church in loud and general denunciation of Black males. For added insult, he describes them as "boys." Barack Obama's primary audience isn't the conservative Black Pentecostal congregation, but "white social conservatives in a race where these voters may be up for grabs," says the New York Times. In America, even the "Black" corporate candidate runs against Black people. How did such madness come to pass in 2008? Blame the Black "progressive" misleaders who failed to challenge Obama when they had the chance. Now it's too late, and African Americans are reduced to objects of derision.

Obama insults 1/2 a race

All this time we've been wanting politicians to talk straight to us. Let's not get pissed off when they do. The sentiment was moving and the leadership skills of Obama evident. He's acting like a President.

It was a strong message, black oriented yes, yet should be taken to apply to deadbeats of all stripes.

Sorry that BS won't work on me.

There are more white young men in the same situation. How can I say that? there's more of them!

He didn't say anything wrong. Neither did Bill Cosby!

doesn't work w/ alot of people, not just you...


really? links?


depends on who you ask regarding either Obama's speech or the Cos' crusade....

Of all the rocks upon which we build our lives, we are reminded today that family is the most important. And we are called to recognize and honor how critical every father is to that foundation. They are teachers and coaches. They are mentors and role models. They are examples of success and the men who constantly push us toward it.

But if we are honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that what too many fathers also are is missing – missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.

You and I know how true this is in the African-American community. We know that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households, a number that has doubled – doubled – since we were children. We know the statistics – that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home, or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it.

How many times in the last year has this city lost a child at the hands of another child? How many times have our hearts stopped in the middle of the night with the sound of a gunshot or a siren? How many teenagers have we seen hanging around on street corners when they should be sitting in a classroom? How many are sitting in prison when they should be working, or at least looking for a job? How many in this generation are we willing to lose to poverty or violence or addiction? How many?

Yes, we need more cops on the street. Yes, we need fewer guns in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. Yes, we need more money for our schools, and more outstanding teachers in the classroom, and more afterschool programs for our children. Yes, we need more jobs and more job training and more opportunity in our communities.

But we also need families to raise our children. We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child – it’s the courage to raise one.

We need to help all the mothers out there who are raising these kids by themselves; the mothers who drop them off at school, go to work, pick up them up in the afternoon, work another shift, get dinner, make lunches, pay the bills, fix the house, and all the other things it takes both parents to do. So many of these women are doing a heroic job, but they need support. They need another parent. Their children need another parent. That’s what keeps their foundation strong. It’s what keeps the foundation of our country strong.

I know what it means to have an absent father, although my circumstances weren’t as tough as they are for many young people today. Even though my father left us when I was two years old, and I only knew him from the letters he wrote and the stories that my family told, I was luckier than most. I grew up in Hawaii, and had two wonderful grandparents from Kansas who poured everything they had into helping my mother raise my sister and me – who worked with her to teach us about love and respect and the obligations we have to one another. I screwed up more often than I should’ve, but I got plenty of second chances. And even though we didn’t have a lot of money, scholarships gave me the opportunity to go to some of the best schools in the country. A lot of kids don’t get these chances today. There is no margin for error in their lives. So my own story is different in that way.

Still, I know the toll that being a single parent took on my mother – how she struggled at times to the pay bills; to give us the things that other kids had; to play all the roles that both parents are supposed to play. And I know the toll it took on me. So I resolved many years ago that it was my obligation to break the cycle – that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father to my girls; that if I could give them anything, I would give them that rock – that foundation – on which to build their lives. And that would be the greatest gift I could offer.

I say this knowing that I have been an imperfect father – knowing that I have made mistakes and will continue to make more; wishing that I could be home for my girls and my wife more than I am right now. I say this knowing all of these things because even as we are imperfect, even as we face difficult circumstances, there are still certain lessons we must strive to live and learn as fathers – whether we are black or white; rich or poor; from the South Side or the wealthiest suburb.

The first is setting an example of excellence for our children – because if we want to set high expectations for them, we’ve got to set high expectations for ourselves. It’s great if you have a job; it’s even better if you have a college degree. It’s a wonderful thing if you are married and living in a home with your children, but don’t just sit in the house and watch “SportsCenter” all weekend long. That’s why so many children are growing up in front of the television. As fathers and parents, we’ve got to spend more time with them, and help them with their homework, and replace the video game or the remote control with a book once in awhile. That’s how we build that foundation.

We know that education is everything to our children’s future. We know that they will no longer just compete for good jobs with children from Indiana, but children from India and China and all over the world. We know the work and the studying and the level of education that requires.

You know, sometimes I’ll go to an eighth-grade graduation and there’s all that pomp and circumstance and gowns and flowers. And I think to myself, it’s just eighth grade. To really compete, they need to graduate high school, and then they need to graduate college, and they probably need a graduate degree too. An eighth-grade education doesn’t cut it today. Let’s give them a handshake and tell them to get their butts back in the library!

It’s up to us – as fathers and parents – to instill this ethic of excellence in our children. It’s up to us to say to our daughters, don’t ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for those goals. It’s up to us to tell our sons, those songs on the radio may glorify violence, but in my house we live glory to achievement, self respect, and hard work. It’s up to us to set these high expectations. And that means meeting those expectations ourselves. That means setting examples of excellence in our own lives.

The second thing we need to do as fathers is pass along the value of empathy to our children. Not sympathy, but empathy – the ability to stand in somebody else’s shoes; to look at the world through their eyes. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in “us,” that we forget about our obligations to one another. There’s a culture in our society that says remembering these obligations is somehow soft – that we can’t show weakness, and so therefore we can’t show kindness.

But our young boys and girls see that. They see when you are ignoring or mistreating your wife. They see when you are inconsiderate at home; or when you are distant; or when you are thinking only of yourself. And so it’s no surprise when we see that behavior in our schools or on our streets. That’s why we pass on the values of empathy and kindness to our children by living them. We need to show our kids that you’re not strong by putting other people down – you’re strong by lifting them up. That’s our responsibility as fathers.

And by the way – it’s a responsibility that also extends to Washington. Because if fathers are doing their part; if they’re taking our responsibilities seriously to be there for their children, and set high expectations for them, and instill in them a sense of excellence and empathy, then our government should meet them halfway.

We should be making it easier for fathers who make responsible choices and harder for those who avoid them. We should get rid of the financial penalties we impose on married couples right now, and start making sure that every dime of child support goes directly to helping children instead of some bureaucrat. We should reward fathers who pay that child support with job training and job opportunities and a larger Earned Income Tax Credit that can help them pay the bills. We should expand programs where registered nurses visit expectant and new mothers and help them learn how to care for themselves before the baby is born and what to do after – programs that have helped increase father involvement, women’s employment, and children’s readiness for school. We should help these new families care for their children by expanding maternity and paternity leave, and we should guarantee every worker more paid sick leave so they can stay home to take care of their child without losing their income.

We should take all of these steps to build a strong foundation for our children. But we should also know that even if we do; even if we meet our obligations as fathers and parents; even if Washington does its part too, we will still face difficult challenges in our lives. There will still be days of struggle and heartache. The rains will still come and the winds will still blow.

And that is why the final lesson we must learn as fathers is also the greatest gift we can pass on to our children – and that is the gift of hope.

I’m not talking about an idle hope that’s little more than blind optimism or willful ignorance of the problems we face. I’m talking about hope as that spirit inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better is waiting for us if we’re willing to work for it and fight for it. If we are willing to believe.

I was answering questions at a town hall meeting in Wisconsin the other day and a young man raised his hand, and I figured he’d ask about college tuition or energy or maybe the war in Iraq. But instead he looked at me very seriously and he asked, “What does life mean to you?”

Now, I have to admit that I wasn’t quite prepared for that one. I think I stammered for a little bit, but then I stopped and gave it some thought, and I said this:

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me – how do I make my way in the world, and how do I become successful and how do I get the things that I want.

But now, my life revolves around my two little girls. And what I think about is what kind of world I’m leaving them. Are they living in a county where there’s a huge gap between a few who are wealthy and a whole bunch of people who are struggling every day? Are they living in a county that is still divided by race? A country where, because they’re girls, they don’t have as much opportunity as boys do? Are they living in a country where we are hated around the world because we don’t cooperate effectively with other nations? Are they living a world that is in grave danger because of what we’ve done to its climate?

And what I’ve realized is that life doesn’t count for much unless you’re willing to do your small part to leave our children – all of our children – a better world. Even if it’s difficult. Even if the work seems great. Even if we don’t get very far in our lifetime.

That is our ultimate responsibility as fathers and parents. We try. We hope. We do what we can to build our house upon the sturdiest rock. And when the winds come, and the rains fall, and they beat upon that house, we keep faith that our Father will be there to guide us, and watch over us, and protect us, and lead His children through the darkest of storms into light of a better day. That is my prayer for all of us on this Father’s Day, and that is my hope for this country in the years ahead. May God Bless you and your children. Thank you.

I can see how a racist would think those are the same comments...but they are not the same comments - at all.

The "black review" or whatever they are called, showed their own editorial racial biases imho.

Neither did Bill Cosby!

depends on your definition of who a racist is....

Ah yes, the Bill Cosby Card.

I am so tired of this stupid fingerwagging at The Blacks when you have white parents in FLDS compounds, Jesus camps, Susan Smiths, Andrea Yates, and these fertility clinic freaks who think they aren't a real woman unless they poop out at least 8 kids in their lifetimes.

I don't see anything wrong with what Cosby said, I just wish more would say it. Statements like his are more powerful when they come from the same community. For example, in the late 80's it was much more powerful anytime a gay person spoke to the gay community about AIDS.
Mind you, I'm not saying that all that Cosby was talking about is a Black problem. I think it would be great if some prominent, intellectual White person gave the same speech regularly to prominently White high schools. I have a kid I work with, just turned 19 and has an almost 1 year old child. She and the father aren't married and don't intend on doing so or they would lose the medicaid she receives. Neither one works a full time job and I just don't see how they will ever get ahead in life. Yes, she and the father are both White.

The problem I see now (and saw then, and said over and over again on this very board) is not so much what he said, but the reception of it.

Cosby hasn't said ANYTHING different that what we talk about in beauty shops, churches, etc. And it wasn't new to him -- it was part of a long-standing comedy act he had been giving for years at similar graduation functions.

It was only new to people who don't know anything about "the black community?™. Thus it became newsworthy and subsequently a manufactured controversy.

I'm not saying what he said was new.

wait, YOU thought I was tryin to be nice?

The worry is what ignorant people will do with the material which Cosby produced. That's always a difficult thing. If one wants to criticize one's own community, one runs the risk of adding fuel to the fire of those who are looking for a reason to criticize from without.

No, not you, but plenty of others, who saw an opportunity to hide their long-harbored resentments against Blacks behind Cosby.

The message wasn't rejected, it was this legendary tendency to dictate their own personal morals on an entire group of people.

Bill Cosby was overheard to say "Lincoln? what is the big deal, what did he ever do for us?"

dont know if it is true or not, but when I heard that he had said that, I learned more about black people in that one moment than I had learned prior to or since...

what I learned was that my knowledge of their community and their beliefs and their issues was completely zilch, nada...

my initial reaction (dont even know if he really said it) was how could he say that, Lincoln freed the slaves, for crying out loud...

but when i thought about it and researched it and put it together with other issues and statements, I stopped seeing the civil war and Lincoln as some big ass favor to African Americans and seeing it as doing the right thing which you dont get complemented for, you are supposed to do the right thing, why celebrate or pat someone on the back for being humane and human and not a pig...

i may not be making sense, but i am to me...it also makes sense that i cant use cosby's finger wagging as an excuse to criticize black america, what the fuck do I know about black america...

Bill Cosby was overheard to say "Lincoln? what is the big deal, what did he ever do for us?"

"See! Here's a Jew! Saying what we're saying."

This is why they loooooove Benjamin Freedman. The funny thing is I regularly see the idea of "self hating" Jews mocked on many sites, including this one. But the point is, Freedman was not only anti-Israel, he basically in effect said yes there was a World Jewish Banking Conspiracy ™ and wanted to tell the world about it. And of course, he had to be telling the truth, he had been Jewish at one point!

I mean, the guy basically confirmed everything the anti-Semites had been saying all along. Yes, the Jews are Khazars! (How the fuck did he know?) Yes, they control all the banks! Yes they start all the wars! Yes they singlehandedly created Communism! Yes Jews say horrible things about Jesus and Christians in the Talmud! And, of course, being formerly Jewish, of course he had to be telling the truth - right? (Or maybe he thought that as a bullshit artist, that might add credibility to his bullshit.)

I don't believe merely because a Jew is critical of Israel they are "self hating". On the other hand, though, how else to explain Freedman, or the fact that one of the leaders of the American Nazi Party in the 1960s was actually of Jewish ancestry?

I know from working with Native Americans that people internalize the hatred of others. Growing up Indian and watching decades of cowboy movies will do that to you. I think the same thing can happen with blacks and Jews.

i may not be making sense, but i am to me...it also makes sense that i cant use cosby's finger wagging as an excuse to criticize black america, what the fuck do I know about black america...