Hang in There Tavis Smiley, Don´t let the Black Obama Thought Police Run You Out

[journalist3072]

Hang in There Tavis Smiley, Don´t let the Black Obama Thought Police Run You Out

Earl Ofari Hutchinson
April 11, 2008
As late as this past January, black talk show host Tavis Smiley was the darling of black America. Three months later he´s the butt of black America. The tip off that Smiley´s personal stock has plunged was his abrupt announcement that he was quitting his long standing post as political commentator on the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner morning show. The Joyner show is virtually the airwaves Bible for legions of blacks. For more than a decade, Smiley was the show´s black political and social issues voice. He was widely considered the go to guy for blacks on cutting edge social and advocacy issues.

So what is Smiley´s great sin? He had the temerity to be less than a court cheer leader for candidate Obama. He compounded the sin with the black Obama thought police by having the added temerity to invite and warmly greet and thank Hillary Clinton for speaking at his annual State of the Black Union (formerly State of Black America) forum in February. Then he had the added added temerity to publicly criticize Obama for offering to send his wife Michelle as a fill-in.

That did it. The howls went up that Smiley was A. anti-Obama B. A closet Hillary backer C. an egoistic, self-absorbed, full of himself, bad host and ingrate. One columnist summed up the chorus from the black Obama thought police with this plunge the knife in the back title "Who Died and made Tavis King?" That title and the sentiment behind it would have been nothing short of heresy in January.

-snip-

The second shame and disgrace is that those blacks that exercise their democratic right to pick the candidate they think will do the best job and not blindly back a candidate based solely because he´s black are considered race traitors. This is almost a text book variation on the old Orwellian Animal Farm saga of when the formerly oppressed flip the power table and suddenly become the new masters. They think, act and behave like the bunch that they kicked out of power. They are just as oppressive, stifling and thick headed toward any views and opinions that don´t conform to theirs.

Given the history of the racial scorn heaped on them, blacks should be the absolute last ones to impose a racial code of conduct on other blacks. Unfortunately, in their absolute dogmatic, unyielding, Obama mania, they have turned what in any other season would be a healthy give and take reasoned dialogue and even debate on political issues into finger pointing, name calling, bashing, and yes as Smiley unhappily said "hate" toward any black who disagrees that Obama is the second coming of Dr. King.

Entire article at:

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/58239

[Little Star]

1. That voting block has turned into a mob!

[journalist3072]

2. Precisely. That's the biggest problem I have with the Obama supporters.

They don't want a true dialogue and exchange of ideas.

They want a monolithic conversation where everyone agrees with them.

Pretty sad.

[Orrex]

4. That's the funniest post I've read in weeks!

:rofl:
:applause:
:rofl:

I would have to guess that you haven't heard any of Obama's speeches, except what the media has dispensed as flashcut soundbytes.


Pretty sad.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

5. I believe the poster referred to Obama's supporters and NOT to

Obama himself.

[journalist3072]

6. Exactly! Thank you for taking the time to actually read. eom

[Orrex]

7. Don't get cute with me--I'm trying to jump right into indignant outrage

Rereading your post, I see that your intent was clear.


Sorry about that!
:blush:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

14. ~

:hug:

I know you are a good egg, Orrex ;) :hi:

[AP]

3. Obama is running a campaign of moderation? If Smiley isn't hearing from the Obama campaign about the

issues he wants discussed, should Smiley act like it's OK, because he should assume that those issues will get addressed in an Obama presidency, or should he be worried that the moderation will extend beyond the campaign?

[susankh4]

8. Despicable

The way they are treating Tavis.

[journalist3072]

9. Exactly! I'm really disgusted by it. It shows my community has a long way to go. We are not a

monolithic group. Never have been. And we shouldn't start being one now.

But that's not the way Obama supporters see it. They want all of us in the A-A community just blindly supporting him and singing his praises.

Sorry....I have no intention to just fall in line.

[susankh4]

10. Stand Tall!

And don't back down, my friend.

This too shall pass.

[journalist3072]

11. Thank you! And no, I will not back down at all. I know where I stand on the issues. And even more

importantly, I know where my candidate stands on the issues.

So I am proud to support Sen. Clinton.

[Faygo Kid]

12. ". . . blindly back a candidate based solely because he´s black "?

What, he doesn't think Obama's black supporters back him for any other reason?

What a poor excuse for analysis. Plenty of hyperbole and name-calling, though. As we've come to expect. Reads like Taylor Marsh wrote it.

Trash.

[journalist3072]

13. Have you been awake during this campaign?

There are a lot of Black Obama supporters backing him simply because he's black.

Tom Joyner has been very unapologetic in backing the Black candidate. In fact, when he had Rep. Kendrid Meek of Florida (an African-American congressman supporting Sen. Clinton) on his show to endorse Sen. Clinton, the first words Tom uttered to Rep. Meek were "There's a perfectly qualified Black man running for President. Why aren't you supporting Sen. Obama?"

He did the say thing to Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. When he had Mayor Kilpatrick on, and asked him who he supported, Kilpatrick responded that he was undecided. That he wanted to see where the 2 candidates stood on issues of importance to those in Detroit.

And Tom said "You're not supporting the Black man?"

Also, there was Barack Obama's comment to Tavis Smiley that "There's no doubt that if we consolidate the Black vote, that would cause a profound shift in the national polls."

There was a women who called in to Randi Rhodes' show and said she vote for Obama because he's Black.

So there have been plenty of people in my community this campaign season, admitting they are voting for Obama based on his race.

And that saddens me.