Dear CBC, Tavis & Cornel: Have Some Seats
I’m beyond over the ridiculous criticisms that President Obama has faced in his less-than-three years of office. The ridiculous criticisms, mind you, not the justified ones — such as his upsetting appointment of the top legal adviser to radical Tea Party wing-nut Senator Mike Lee to a U.S. attorney position. Um…what?! But Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornel West wrapping up their “See What Happens When You Don’t Invite Me to the Party?!” bus tour today and the Congressional Black Caucus’ “anti-Obama selective outrage” about the dire unemployment rate for minorities, are two examples of unfounded criticisms of our President.
Dr. West & I in happier (dorkier) times
I’ve been ignoring all of their tantrums for some time now. But today I was forwarded this awesome letter, written by a constituent to the chair of the CBC, Rep. Barbara Lee, that I had to share.
Joan Ruaiz criticizes the CBC for engaging in the latest Republican political strategy du jour: turning Black folks against the President. She writes:
“The well-paid professional propagandists don’t ask African-Americans to lay the blame for the lack of employment at the feet of the business world (which is hoarding up a couple of trillions in their rainy-day fund), or to consider the fact that governors everywhere are cutting down on the public sector workforce (comprised of large numbers of black Americans per capita), or to holler at the Republican-dominated House, which has blocked most of the job-creating programs introduced by Democrats. Instead, they want us to aim our fire solely at our President and to blame him for 30 years of white men’s policies.”
Now, moreso like this...
She goes on to list all the things that President Obama has actually done to benefit the Black community:
Considering 2.7 years as the current timetable of his accomplishments, I would note that President Obama has reformed the health care system, which will provide subsidies for lower-income individuals who may not currently be covered (many who are AA), and also provides funding for badly needed community clinics, while doing away with pre-existing condition restrictions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease, all ailments suffered in alarming rates by members of the black community.
In addition, women will soon get birth control free of charge if insured, which means that women who were previously going to Planned Parenthood – because, even with insurance, they couldn’t afford the price of contraceptives – won’t need to anymore. This leaves women who are uninsured more resources to get birth control via Planned Parenthood. Plus, the stimulus saved the biggest health care provider to the black community, the various state Medicaid programs. As well, the President closed the Medicare donut hole in prescription drugs, reduced seniors’ prescription prices by 50% through the use of generic drugs, and sent $250 payments to seniors to make up to the lack of a COLA increasefor two years now.
Further, the President literally, by his lonesome, saved the auto industry (while being criticized for it all the while), and in so doing saved many jobs held by African-Americans in the Midwest. No less, the Cash for Clunkers program provided needed cash to those with clunkers permanently parked or about to stop running.
Benefiting young people who are attempting to afford rising college tuition, President Obama increased Pell grants, supported funding community colleges at unprecedented levels, and reformed the private student loan programs to eliminate the middleman, thereby reducing loan interest rates. He also revamped the actual repayment of loan programs, reducing them to not more than 10% of income, while providing incentives to those who would choose community service careers. His credit card reform bill stopped the predatory practice of credit card companies gifting young people with the ability to ruin their credit at an early age (something that hits our community harder than most). He is also cracking down on for-profit educational enterprises, some of which charge outrageous fees for inferior post-secondary education. These same young people are now able to stay insured under their parents’ health insurance until the age of 26, whether they are enrolled in school part-time, full-time or not at all.
For the younger children, President Obama is responsible for signing a bill insuring healthier meals are served in our nation’s public schools, thereby addressing the issue of childhood obesity, a subject that affects more children in the African-American community than in others. Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is also addressing this serious issue. And we shouldn’t forget that early in his term, President Obama provided healthcare to 11 million additional children via the CHIP program previously vetoed by President Bush.
As states cut funding for public education, President Obama recently allowed waivers to states to do away with strict requirements set by No Child Left Behind, requirements which would have marked many of the public schools in low-income neighborhoods for closure. He has also invested in the development and replication of successful charter school programs, again focusing on low-income communities, whilerewarding teachers who plan to teach in such areas.
President Obama has assisted all Americans, which includes African-American workers, by providing a payroll tax reduction (beneficial to workers who may or may not pay income tax), extended unemployment benefits, kept income tax low for the working class, and signed financial reform into law (which benefits our community largely because minorities were especially hard hit by the subprime mortgage crisis). There is also the up and coming Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which promises to be on the side of consumers, and we as black people are certainly that!
I cannot forget that the first black president increased military pay and improved veterans’ health care, is drawing down troops in Iraq, and has set a timeline for our departure from Afghanistan.
Lastly, President Obama instituted reform of crack cocaine sentencing, and the deadly killer, the tobacco industry. And – lo and behold – black farmers were recently finally awarded their long awaited settlement!
Ruaiz makes great points in her letter. I hope the CBC, Tavis & Cornel all read it — and then have some seats.
But Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornel West wrapping up their “See What Happens When You Don’t Invite Me to the Party?!” bus tour last week and the Congressional Black Caucus’ “anti-Obama selective outrage” about the dire unemployment rate for minorities, are two examples of unfounded criticisms of our President.
You better PEACH IT!!!
Great article. I caught it from the freshXpress earlier. You’ve captured the fair and unfair criticisms of Obama quite well.
Keep doing what you do!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting and coming over to the site from Fresh Xpress! Big fan of your site, as well!
Dear Representative Laura Richardson:
I would like to congratulate you and the CBC on your sponsoring the job fairs around the Country. It is a wonderful idea. However, what took you so long? Nonetheless, I wish you success.
Never the less, I fail to understand how the CBC not being able to get their 40 job bills onto the house floor is the President’s fault. He does not make law, you do. It seems to me that the CBC and the other Democrats need to fight harder. Maybe you can explain it to me. I watched the town hall meeting in Miami and you and Maxine riled up the people and completely disrespected the President’s Representative. You acted like ghetto bullies. What was the purpose?
Most of the CBC stubbed the President when he was a Senator and did not support him in the primaries. Is this a carry over? Maybe if you worked together and stop unjustly blaming him and worrying about whom the credit will go to, you would accomplish much more.
I have watched this President, time and time again look out for working America and the poor with little appreciation all because he made a deal so the middle class and poor would not have to suffer. I have heard him called every name in the book and not just by the just say no Republicans who block him and the Democrats at every turn.
The extreme Progressive Democrats are even worse. They completely disrespect him and his accomplishments, even though more Progressive policies have passed under his administration than any other President. In spite of this, they refused to support him and contribute to his re-election. During the mid-term elections they unjustly riled up his supporter against him and they stayed home. They were upset, because they did not get a public option in the heath care bill. In addition, because he got some results for the people but not everything the Progressives wanted in order to pass his budget. They were willing to let the middle class and poor suffer just to be able to say that they fought for the Bush tax cuts to expire even if it meant tax increases for the middle class and poor. They never mention that taxes were not increased on the middle class or unemployment benefits were continued or even college students benefited from that law.
We see what happened as a result of the Progressive boycott. The truth is Republicans took over the house in large numbers and you will never be able to get any job bills through the house. Yet, you blame the President. Never once during all of this time did most CBC or Democrats bother to publicly speak up and support the President and now you are blaming him for your failures. You also did not publicly attack the Republicans for blocking everything until now. You allowed the blame to be place on the President and not the Republicans and Tea Party. In addition, you allowed the Tea Party to portray him as a monkey, with a bone through his nose, call him names and carry guns to town halls without publicly calling them out.
I am also tired of hearing that this President does not do anything for Black People. Tell that to all those Black firemen, policemen, teachers, doctors, nurses, Eligibility Worker, clerks, etc. that did not lose their civil service jobs because of the stimulus package. Tell it to all those Blacks who got their unemployment benefits extended and health insurance because they lost their jobs, Black college students who got grants and loan reform, Black General Motors employees who did not lose their jobs and those who are working again because of General Motor’s success, etc. Then there is health care. The private sector is hoarding their money and will not hire and that is the President’s fault? The CBC Chairman, Congressman Cleaver, Congressman Clyburn and Congresswoman Wilson are among the few who acknowledge this. Why is it that the CBC keeps saying that the stimulus did not help Blacks? Why is it that the CBC and other Blacks want Blacks to think the President is deliberately stopping them from getting something they want and need? The President did not cause their unemployment. The Black unemployment rate has always been higher than everyone else.
I often ask Blacks who say the President has not done anything for them, just what is it they want that he has not already done for them. What makes them think that he can provide it since he does not make law, did previous Presidents provide it and why they don’t have it now? I thought that health care, education, the economy, crime, etc were Black issues. I do not get a response.
I am a sixty-eight year old woman, who retired from civil service after 42 years. I do not get Medicare or Social Security. However, that does not stop me from trusting the President enough to know that it is not in him to let those who do receive them suffer. Frankly, I have never seen any President fight harder for the people and accomplishing as much in this short period of time as this President. Then again, I have never seen one disrespected more.
President Obama is not Clinton, Regan, Roosevelt or any other President. He is Barack Obama and no matter how the news media and Progressives want him to be someone else, he is not and will do things his way as long as he thinks it is the right thing to do. I would rather have his calm logical manner during this critical time than anyone else. I do not agree with everything he says or does. But, in my heart I know he will do what is right for the American people. I use to say that about the CBC and would like to say it again. However, until they decide to work with the President and not against him, I will not be able to do that.
The President’s critics are quite now, they can just sit back and watch and hope that the CBC, Tavis Smiley, Cornell West and others will divide the Black community and help them destroy the BLACK President and make him a one term President. Are you willing to do this in spite of what we have already seen? WORDS DO MATTER.
I know he must be tired because I am exhausted and I am not even there. But, I and most informed Blacks will always have his back. WHAT DID THE WORLD DO BEFORE THE PRESIDENT WAS ELECTED. HE IS ONLY A MAN. NOT GOD.
*throws shoe at Anonymous* you better say it!! 🙂
Pingback: A Dream Postponed: The Irony in Delaying MLK’s Memorial Dedication
Pingback: DCDistrictDiva.com