Tavis Smiley and Joe Madison
*Tavis Smiley appeared on the Joe Madison show on Monday (01-09-12) and said that if the election were held today that he would vote a second time for President Obama.
Hmm, that outta surprise the Tavis haters out there.
RELATED: Tavis Smiley Says Everybody is Hating on Him
Like Fredrick Douglas, A Philip Randolph and Martin Luther King Jr, all he’s trying to is motivate Obama to be a better president.
“There’s no doubt about the fact that Barack Obama is the best of what’s out there,” Smiley said.
Ironically, as we reported yesterday, Smiley was booted from being a speaker at an MLK luncheon just a few days ago because of his on-going criticisms of President Obama.
Smiley made his comments Madison in Washington, DC while promoting his upcoming “Remaking America: From Poverty
image damage control. its not gonna matter fool. u mouth wrote a check that your azz cant cash. u aint neeevvverrr gonna have the support of the black people that u had before. its a wrap for the whole black super hero, venacular acrobat shows that u toured the country with. beat it loser.
so he figures he this fredrick douglas of negros. stfu tavis.
Liberals/progressives can sometimes unintentionally masterful in undermining their own. I lost tremendous respect for both Tavis and Prof. West.
Agreed that the black community is not as monolithic as one would think. In fact, a lot of the black community is rather conservative especially in regards to social issues.
It seems a large portion of the American populous placed unrealistic expectations on President Obama’s election. It is understandable because we were suffering from great fatigue from the bush-cheney cabal.
But President Obama never said he was a progressive. Progressives/liberals projected that on to him. Myself included. However, I never lost sight in the fact that the damage the bush-cheney cabal (also dating back to Reagan) did to this country. There was no way any President would be able to repair that damage in 4 years. This is something that dated as far back to the old sleaze bag himself, Reagan.
Considering how the rethugs have been so downright disrespectful and hateful towards President Obama even before the inauguration was over, if he had tried to position a bill to help black unemployment exclusively, it would have been the start of one of the ugliest confrontations we have ever seen in this country? He had to be strategic.
I stand in the belief that the next 4 years under President Obama will be a huge win for the progressive/liberal agenda……affording better policies affecting the black community.
liberals/progressives can sometimes unintentionally masterful in undermining their own
I agree. That’s why I think the anti-”don’t criticize the gov’t” routine we’ve adopted will come back to haunt liberals/progressives and w/o a doubt..black folk.
But President Obama never said he was a progressive. Progressives/liberals projected that on to him. Myself included. However, I never lost sight in the fact that the damage the bush-cheney cabal (also dating back to Reagan) did to this country
Whether he’s a progressive or not is irrelevant. Bush hasn’t been in office for almost four years, Obama has. Black people are faring worse at historic levels under this president..not Bush. He is the current occupant of the WH and sits at the head of the federal gov’t. So enough with that “whatbushdid” line of poor reason.
While you give him time to craft a “political strategy” Rome is damn near burning.
You can believe, or rather “hope” that fat meat ain’t greasy. But if you keep eating it and your blood pressure keeps rising, and you keep gaining weight and end up having blocked arteries, that “hope” will only get you so far. The evidence is already there…you had a stroke. But you’re still hopeful that the salt pork and scrapple will make you healthy.
No evidence to suggest otherwise. You just HOPE.
Bartholomew, 10…9…8…7…6..5..4…3…2…1 until the eurweb resident pseudo political pundits come and pick apart your post like vultures on a carcass. I’ll check back in a few…
dang, beat me to it while i was typing, lol
You’re welcome to disprove anything I’ve said. Chances are, you can’t.
3-|
Very well said and I totally agree…
With all due respect to Tavis, there are more reasons than one why blacks and progressives should at least leave the option open for Ron Paul comes election day.
There are many allegations regarding Ron Paul’s racist past, but the significance of his candid statement on racism in the American judicial system, carries far reaching implications in our struggle against an institution which has led to untold suffering and the silent genocide of black people. Although we all know that the American judicial system is inherently racist, no Republican or Democrat (including the black president), is willing to admit to this fact. Ron Paul’s assessment therefore provides significant support in our agenda to eventually reform this racist institution.
Because of racist allegations, blacks will understandably be hesitant on whether or not to support Ron Paul. Are the allegations untrue and he was never a racist? Are the allegations true, but he Is now a reformed racist? Are the allegations true and he is still a racist but only trying to fool us?
Well, consider this. We have nothing to lose. In the worst case scenario, we end up being fooled by Ron Paul, who does nothing to reform the racist criminal justice system. But that would make us no worse off than having a second term of Obama, a man who’s DOJ has refused to consider the role that race plays in the high incarceration rates of blacks. By Ron Paul acknowledging the problem in the campaign, he is somewhat obligated to do something about it if he becomes president. We also know that Ron Paul is not one to go back on his word.
Considering what’s at stake, it would be wise to support Ron Paul’s efforts to win the nomination, even if you are still uncertain about him at this point. By election day, he would be given more chances to prove his sincerity. But voters will at least have the option then whether or not to vote for him.
Tavis says barring some unforeseen incident, he’s voting for Obama. But if Obama voting for the NDA act did not cause him to change his mind, I can’t see what unforeseen incident could change, because there is absolutely nothing worse that Obama could do than vote for the indefinite detention of individuals without trial.
Given the fluid situation regarding Ron Paul, I’m not making any promises yet, but I’m also encouraged that there are active discussions amongst blacks regarding Ron Paul’s brave gesture on indicting the racist justice system.
The vast majority of black are not going to vote for Ron Paul.
True. The vast majority of blacks will not vote for him, but more and more blacks are feeling the way you and I feel, and they are willing to consider an alternative to Obama .
The main problem is that for a long time, none of us could recognize a viable alternative.
Ron Paul is becoming more and more that viable alternative. His denunciation of the racist judicial system was a large step in that direction. What he needs to do, is continue in that direction giving more and more blacks a reason to give him a second look.
Make no mistake, if Ron Paul gets the nomination, he will be a viable candidate to win the general election. Not only will he get blacks who are disenchanted with the Obama admin, but like Obama in 2008, he will capture the vast majority of the young and independent votes, two other groups that are disenchanted with the Obama admin.
Check out these statistics from the New Hampshire primary.
Paul dominated among voters aged 18 to 29, winning 47 percent of them.
Paul won 32 percent of independents, with Romney getting 29 percent.
REDS, while I understand the need to look for alternatives, Ron Paul is just not a viable option. He’s just not.
He will not win the primary. He will not win the general.
He will, however, continue to talk about business owners being allowed to run their establishments as they choose, even if they end of discriminating against blacks or any other group.
He will continue to believe that the Dep’ts of Education, Energy, Commerce, Homeland Security and the IRS should be shut down. .
I will give him credit for bringing attention to the whole judicial system thing BUT, how we fare in the judicial system is not at the top of most blacks minds.
He is rather quirky but I believe the uncertainty about a Paul presidency will leave many unenamored and not likely to consider him – at all. Much like Lyndon Larouche
“He will not win the primary. He will not win the general.”
I wouldn’t bet so sure. There are a lot of primaries left to run. As soon as Romney stumbles, Paul is positioned to take over. Look for Romney’s number to be decimated in SC. Newt Gingrich supporters are going to be running the movie “When Mitt Romney Came to Town.” I also heard that two separate polls just showed Ron Paul best at running against Obama.
“I will give him credit for bringing attention to the whole judicial system thing BUT, how we fare in the judicial system is not at the top of most blacks minds.”
I don’t really agree with that. The racist criminal justice system has played a significant role in black people’s life. According to the sentencing project, one out of every eight black men in their 20s is in prison. And one out of every three black men born today is expected to go to prison. And this is mainly due to the racism inherent in the criminal justice, as Ron Paul candidly highlighted at the Republican debate. Prison plays a significant role in robbing the black community of wealth and breaking up families. There is no other form of racism that has such a huge effect.
Because of the severe resistance on the part of Democrats and Republicans to enact any form of reform of this system, blacks cannot afford to be selective in our quest to find someone who is willing to champion the cause. Because a president is in a unique position to address this situation by setting the tone of his Department of Justice, black people would have to be excited about a candidate like Ron Paul who is willing to start the dialogue.
At this time, there may seem to be less than expected interest on the part of blacks to endorse Ron Paul. But that is only because of the relatively few people who are presently aware of what he did at the debate, due mainly to the media blackout. I have yet to hear anything from the usual sources – Sharpton, Maddow, Shultz, Olbermann, Uygur …
We have a long way to go before election, enough time for the word to get around and generate more excitement for Ron Paul.
Ron Paul is not taking his potential black voters lightly, either.
Check out this ad: The Compassion of Dr. Ron Paul
You also got to watch this one:
Busted! Ron Paul racist rant caught on tape! OMG! OMG! (Don’t be fooled by the title. It’s actually, the opposite)
This is a collection of speeches in which Ron Paul makes the same statements against the racism in the justice system.
You can search for these videos on Youtube. My post goes under moderation whenever I try to include the links.
Ron Paul is NOT a consideration… End of discussion. Sorry, Reds.
So Tavis don’t like Obama’s polices, so what. I have never been one to carry water for any President and I won’t be starting now. If Obama can let some one embarrass the hell out of him and call him a liar during a national televised address and accept his apology than Tavis criticizing him on policy issues is no big deal to me. I am not in high school. I am beyond this silly ideology if you don’t like my friend( Obama) I don’t like you ( Tavis). Tavis has done nothing to warrant this type of overreaction. Funny, Obama can tell black people to take off your “bedroom slippers and stop complaining, tells you to stop feeding your children Popeyes chicken for breakfast, did not meet with the Black Caucus for two years and cancelled on them several times, but Tavis is a sell out.
Despite receiving 95% of the Black vote he speaks to us in a condescending manner, but you are mad at Tavis. Black people are a constituency like any other group ( gays, Hispanics, Jews) etc. and MUST advocate for policies that will help their constituency. When asked Obama high black unemployment Obama’s response was ” a rinsing tide lifts all boats”. Sounds like Reaganomics to me.
Preach Olivia, preach!!!
I disagree with this notion that you shouldn’t support someone because the corrupt, bought-and-paid for establishment tells you he/she has “no chance of winning.” Bull. The same folks who are saying Ron Paul is “unelectable” at 2nd place are finishing fifth and sixth, lol. As Paul says, that defies reality.
Someone sent me a “what candidate do you fit with most” link the other day and I filled it out, and it said my views fit most with Obama’s at 60%. Of course the positions listed were only positions he SAID he believed in, not ones he executes in reality. So I disregarded it. I will NOT be voting for Obama. He will probably win, but it won’t be with my help. I don’t know how anyone who truly believes in principles could vote for someone who as Harry Belafonte says, “has no moral compass,” like at all. Say what you must about Paul, but at least he has principles, and dares speak against the corrupt Washington and Wall Street establishment, and the only one who has even mentioned racial disparities. That’s enough for me. I probably won’t get a chance to vote for him, but if I did, I would, if only as a protest vote. I refuse to fall in line, I just can’t do it.