Article from Black Chamber of Commerce: Did Barack Obama Lie?

[Little Star]

“BEYOND THE RHETORIC”

By: Harry C. Alford




This caught us by surprise. The Washington Post quotes Barack Obama, “In Chicago, sometimes when I talk to the black chambers of commerce, I say, ‘You know what would be a good economic development plan for our community would be if we make sure folks weren’t throwing their garbage out of their cars’”.


First of all this sounds very derogatory ala Amos ‘n Andy or Stepin’ Fetchit. Our chambers have sound and progressive economic development plans and they are far more intricate than stopping litter. Second and most importantly, Senator Barack Obama refuses to meet with any and all Black chambers of commerce. There are 21 Black chambers of commerce in the state of Illinois which is the most for any state in the nation. They are well run, hardworking and dedicated to the economic development of Black communities throughout the entire state. They are respected by their Governor, the entire Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and the powerful Chicago political machine. But they get no props from Senator Barack Obama. He appears to despise Black chambers of commerce.


There are 100 senators on Capitol Hill and the National Black Chamber of Commerce can make appointments with 99 of them. “Brother Man” refuses to allot time while we interact with the leadership of the Senate on a daily basis. I guess it’s the syndrome “The white man’s ice is colder”. Yes, I think it is clinical. The best example of his problem happened in New Orleans last July at our 14th Annual Conference. It was co-incidental that three US Senators were in the area, Senators John Kerry, Mary Landrieu and Barack Obama. Two of them, Senators Kerry and Landrieu, jumped at the opportunity to visit our conference. In fact, Senator Kerry gave an inspiring keynote address while Senator Landrieu was eloquent with her welcoming remarks. They stayed one and a half hours networking with chamber executives and entrepreneurs from around the nation. Where was Barack? He refused to come. He actually peeled off from their touring party while the other senators met with us. He just couldn’t do it even though 15 Black chambers from Illinois were there.


At first we thought it might be a heritage thing. He isn’t a descendent of slaves, sharecroppers and victims of Jim Crow like us. But no that can’t be it because he will run from the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an affiliate of ours, in like fashion. The next time he goes to Kenya he might want to allot 15 minutes with them. They will tell him that the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA, is flawed with serious loopholes. China brings in raw materials such as cotton and produces fabrics to be sold to US companies tariff free under AGOA. This assault has killed jobs for hundreds of thousands of African workers and has decimated agri-business in various nations including Kenya. It’s kind of insulting to go over there, smile and give out some cheers but be brain dead on the economic issues. ...............................................

.....................Senator, you don’t have to meet with us. But don’t say you do, when you don’t. We don’t need the lies or the jive.

More at:

http://www.nationalbcc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=199&Itemid=112

[Didereaux]

1. wait until certain groups find a real need to after Obama, this is a 'rough' one to counter.

[papau]

2. WOW - now that has NOT made it to main stream media

[Dhalgren]

3. Wow! This is not good for Obama, not good at all.

What could be his problem with the BCCs? And why the snotty remark about throwing garbage out of their cars? I don't think that issue is necessarily a BCC issue or problem, is it? I understand that a lot of the BCC may be Republican, but I thought Obama was all about working closely with Republicans? Not good...

[KennedyGuy]

4. Ruh-Roe...

[kelligesq]

5. HOLY COW - shades of junior - apparently bama thinks he's too white to

meet with the black chamber of commerce

[maximusveritas]

6. You do know this is a Republican, right?

Perhaps the fact that this organization is a "Chamber of Commerce" should have tipped you off. This is a corporate organization that supporters black Republicans. They supported Michael Steele and Clarence Thomas' nomination before that.
Alford is a member of the Republican National Committee's African American steering committee.

[Little Star]

8. He lied, that is the point. His dishonesty is very telling. nt

[maximusveritas]

13. So you have no problem posting propaganda from the Republicans?

as long as it hurts the candidate you don't like.

[Little Star]

14. You need to join in reality here. He lied in the Post, that is the point of this. nt

[cali]

17. you know it's entirely possible that there are other

black chambers of commerce that aren't associated with this right wing nut Clarence Thomas loving group. That never struck you as a possibility? How interesting.

Yours is but another pathetic and desperate little attempt to damage Obama. Tough shit for you that it won't work.

[Didereaux]

9. be that as it may, is what he said true or not? If it is Obama has a BIG problem

[jackson_dem]

12. John Kerry and Mary Landrieu are black Republicans?

:crazy:

[KoKo]

36. Clarence and Condi's homeg ground trying to trash Obama...figures..

:-(

[msongs]

7. the "regular" chamber of commerce is pretty much a right wing repub front group nt

[Little Star]

11. I don't know if they lean right, or are right wing, or are moderate of if they are liberal etc, the

point here is that he lied.

[cali]

10. This smells like bullshit to me

"There are 100 senators on Capitol Hill and the National Black Chamber of Commerce can make appointments with 99 of them. “Brother Man” refuses to allot time while we interact with the leadership of the Senate on a daily basis. I guess it’s the syndrome “The white man’s ice is colder”. Yes, I think it is clinical. The best example of his problem happened in New Orleans last July at our 14th Annual Conference. It was co-incidental that three US Senators were in the area, Senators John Kerry, Mary Landrieu and Barack Obama. Two of them, Senators Kerry and Landrieu, jumped at the opportunity to visit our conference. In fact, Senator Kerry gave an inspiring keynote address while Senator Landrieu was eloquent with her welcoming remarks. They stayed one and a half hours networking with chamber executives and entrepreneurs from around the nation. Where was Barack? He refused to come. He actually peeled off from their touring party while the other senators met with us. He just couldn’t do it even though 15 Black chambers from Illinois were there."

That's just a bizarre attack passage. I mean c'mon, the Black Chamber of Commerce meets with the leadership of the Senate on a daily basis? I doubt it. This whole thing sounds personal. I need more evidence from another source before I believe this. If it's true, it stinks, but I'm not sold.

[progressoid]

33. I don't think that's what he's implying.

He said, "we interact with the leadership of the Senate on a daily basis". That doesn't mean they have a sit-down meeting every day. It could be something as simple as a "hello" in the hall or an email. But certainly his statement that "“Brother Man” refuses to allot time" is more damning.

I would like to see a response to this, however, the smart thing to do is ignore it. Confronting the issue would highlight it all the more. Much like the Donnie McClurkin incident. Other than us denizens of the internet and political junkies, most people have no clue about it. I'd be surprised if the MSM even picks up on it, let alone investigate and report it.

[MADem]

15. It's not dated, that article. Do we know how recent it is? Has anyone checked it?

Is this accurate? Has it been resolved?

[maximusveritas]

18. It's from May 2007

http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20070514l

It's not even close to accurate. The guy writing it is a Republican. If Obama's ignoring him, that's a big positive in my book.

[MADem]

20. If it hasn't grabbed traction in almost a year, then it's probably 'dismissable.' NT

[Anouka]

16. Crabs in a Barrel.

They're obviously more to this story. I wonder what it is.

[indimuse]

19. very strange...

:yoiks:

[LaStrega]

21. hmmmmmmmm ...

( sent to http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/contact2 )

I'm curious why you, Mr. Obama, refuse to meet with the Black chambers of commerce in your own state of Illinois?

Source:

http://www.nationalbcc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=199&Itemid=112

Thank you for your time,

Amber LaStrega
- address -
- city state zip -
- phone -
Vigorous supporter of Edwards

[zulchzulu]

22. "He isn’t a descendent of slaves, sharecroppers and victims of Jim Crow like us."

Bitter much?

Yeah, Obama's father is from Kenya...so he's not "black" enough, right?

I was in New Orleans last July when Barack was in town for the big BET convention and spoke there. It went very well according to reports I saw at the time.

As for Obama's ratings with groups like the National Black CoC:

2005-2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 100 percent in 2005-2006.

2005 Senator Obama supported the interests of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 94 percent in 2005.

2005 Senator Obama supported the interests of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 100 percent in 2005.

http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=9490

[Didereaux]

23. which does not address in any way the contentions made in the article.

[cali]

25. Sure it does.

The article essentially accuses of him of shying away from black groups. Those ratings refute that accusation. Furthermore, there's no evidence that Barack lied. There may well be other black chambers of commerce.

If you don't have enough brains to be able to decode this piece of shit, oh well.

[Didereaux]

24. Does he, or does he not refuse to meet or speak to the Black Chambers? That is the sole question.

[sandnsea]

26. Maybe black chambers are black republicans

Most chambers are Republican. And maybe he never said what the Washington Post said he said, since he never goes to black chambers.

[rucky]

31. Bingo! See my post below...

[Little Star]

27. This is Mr. Alford... He worked with Evan Bayh.

Mr. Harry C. Alford
President & CEO,
National Black Chamber of Commerce
In less than a decade, NBCC President, CEO and co-founder Harry
Alford has established himself as perhaps the nation's preeminent
champion of African American business empowerment. From a
visionary concept of what Blacks need to do to fully seize their place in
the economic mainstream, Mr. Alford has built a global organization
that has earned a place at the table in the White House and at the top
levels of Corporate America.
As the intellectual and spiritual linchpin of the NBCC, Mr. Alford has
been responsible for opening doors that have led to billions of dollars in new business for Black-owned
businesses throughout the nation. His relentless energy and advocacy is helping forge international
business opportunities for African Americans and emerging entrepreneurs in Africa, the Caribbean, and
South America.
A native of California, Mr. Alford has made his mark at the highest levels of both the private and public
sectors. After earning top honors as Company Commander in the Army's Officer Candidate School class,
Mr. Alford put his leadership skills to work in a series of key sales and executive positions at Fortune 100
companies such as Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and the Sara Lee Corporation.
In the public sector, Mr. Alford made a dramatic impression as the minority business development point
person in Indiana Governor Evan Bayh's administration. In less than two years, he increased minority
business participation at the State level by more than 500 percent – a feat never before nor since
accomplished. For that achievement and others, he was named The U.S. Department of Commerce's
Region 5 Minority Business Advocate of the Year for 1991. In October 1996, The African Americans for
Corporate Responsibility of New York honored Mr. Alford for his successes in minority business
development. More recently, Fortune Small Business magazine ranked Mr. Alford #5 on its "Power 30"
list of Washington, D.C.'s most influential small business advocates.
Mr. Alford writes weekly business columns for the National Newspaper Publishers Association's
members across the country and consults and speaks on this matter to groups and agencies throughout the
nation. He was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the United States Chamber of Commerce and
is currently a member of the National Advisory Council, Small Business Administration, and also serves
on the Board of Directors for the National 4H Council. As a consultant, he has developed business models
tailored to specific corporations and public agencies.
Mr. Alford is regularly called upon by Congress to testify on various legislative initiatives related to small
business development, e-commerce and global trade issues. He has delivered key testimony, for example,
on the ongoing debate over the Kyoto Protocol. During his presentation, Mr. Alford argued that Black
businesses in America and those in developing nations would suffer disproportionately if the United
States agreed to adopt many provisions of the Kyoto Protocol.
Mr. and Mrs. Alford reside in Washington, D.C. with their teenage sons.

edit, here is link http://www.publicforuminstitute.org/activities/2003/dc2/HAlfordBio.pdf

[Yuugal]

28. Now I see

"In less than a decade, NBCC President, CEO and co-founder Harry
Alford has established himself as perhaps the nation's preeminent
champion of African American business empowerment. From a
visionary concept of what Blacks need to do to fully seize their place in
the economic mainstream, Mr. Alford has built a global organization
that has earned a place at the table in the White House and at the top
levels of Corporate America."

So Obama didn't meet with this republican bootlicker who earned himself a seat at Bush's table. Oh the humanity.

[Little Star]

29. Again, did he lie or not? Why would he say he met with, if he is so noble?

[Yuugal]

40. Maybe he did lie.

Unfortunately we'll probably never know because the guy complaining about it said so much nasty shit in that article and is such a republican bootlicker that most of us here will yawn and click the big x on the top right of our screens without giving it much thought.

These days, when I see its a repuke saying something, I just click through. I'm a huge Edwards fan and a real story about what a liar Obama is might help my guy, but YAWN, I get so sleepy when a reich winger speaks. Oh well.

[rucky]

30. This Mr. Alford - Endorsing Bush for President...

"Four years ago I had a very hard decision to make. My being president and CEO of the largest black business association in the world forced me to publicly and personally support a candidate for President. . .," wrote Harry Alford of the National Black Chamber of Commerce on july 16. Alford solicited pitches from the major presidential candidates. Gore ignored him, whereas "the other candidates explained their plans well. But with George W. Bush I saw that-besides the sincerity-he actually understood business, small business in fact. he explained his game plan and put timelines with it. I was convinced and stepped forward. For the first time in my life, I supported a Republican for the presidency of the United States." Bush received 9% of the black vote.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200408/ai_n9409692

[Little Star]

32. According to Obama it is a great thing to reach across the aisle. Plus, that

isn't the point of this.

Did he or did he not lie in an interview to the Washington Post?

I guess that's the question.

[tammywammy]

34. Do you have a link to the original Washington Post article?

Thanks in advance

[Little Star]

35. Here you go.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/02/AR2007050202813.html

[KoKo]

41. A little more from article about how Bill Clinton cautioned the Black Community...

Obama is not the first or only candidate to have a specific pitch in front of African American audiences. Bill Clinton occasionally adopted a tone similar to the one Obama is using. In a 1993 speech, Clinton told a crowd in the Memphis church where the Rev. Martin Luther King. Jr. gave his last sermon that, if King were there, he might have said, "I did not live and die to see 13-year-old boys get automatic weapons and gun down 9-year-olds just for the kick of it."

As his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), campaigns for black votes, she often adopts a Southern twang she does not usually use in front of white audiences and is more likely to assail the Bush administration over its response to Hurricane Katrina -- a particular frustration of many African Americans because that disaster struck majority-black New Orleans.

Obama, too, employs a slightly different style of speechmaking in front of black audiences, invoking, for example, a hypothetical "Cousin Pookie" in a speech in Selma, Ala., to talk about African Americans who do not vote. But while Obama has eschewed overt appeals to black voters, comparable to the way Hillary Clinton targets women with specific policy proposals, the substance of his remarks to African Americans, some Obama allies say, reflects an ability to speak about issues that a nonblack candidate probably could not have.

"There's no one else who could say what he said about black people and their responsibility to the larger community," said Charles J. Ogletree, a Harvard Law School professor who was a mentor to Obama there and is supporting his presidential bid.

"I suspect Obama has a special license for that kind of discussion," said Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), who listened to Obama's speech in front of his state's black legislators but has not endorsed any of his party's presidential candidates.

Some of Obama's recent remarks have called attention to a generation gap among African Americans, in particular when he criticized rap music lyrics for using the same offensive words that white radio host Don Imus used before he was fired.

[chascarrillo]

42. Did you or did you not quote a Bush supporter to attack Obama?

That's my question.

[rucky]

44. So it's Obama's word vs. Alford's

which one has an axe to grind?

[alcibiades_mystery]

45. It's not even that...Alford very carefully avoids saying that Obama is lying

He doesn't even say it. He implies it through weasel words, but doesn't say it. Why? Because Obama is not lying. That's why.

[alcibiades_mystery]

37. I dunno...Did Obama lie? You tell us

The article very skillfully avoids saying that he NEVER talked to black chambers of commerce in Chicago. The relevant passage:

First of all this sounds very derogatory ala Amos ‘n Andy or Stepin’ Fetchit. Our chambers have sound and progressive economic development plans and they are far more intricate than stopping litter. Second and most importantly, Senator Barack Obama refuses to meet with any and all Black chambers of commerce. There are 21 Black chambers of commerce in the state of Illinois which is the most for any state in the nation. They are well run, hardworking and dedicated to the economic development of Black communities throughout the entire state. They are respected by their Governor, the entire Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and the powerful Chicago political machine. But they get no props from Senator Barack Obama. He appears to despise Black chambers of commerce.

This is weasel language at its finest. It would be easy enough to say "Obama has never talked to any black chambers, period." He doesn't say that, however. He says that Obama "refuses to meet with" black chambers, which is a different thing altogether. If it's a lie, why not just call him on the specific lie? Why the weasel words? Next we hear about the Illinois chambers. That would be a perfect time to say "Obama has never talked to anyone at any Illinois chambers, so we really don't know what he's talking about." Does the article say that? No. It says that the Illinois chambers "get no props from Senator Barack Obama." Well, that's pretty clear. Like mud.

Here's the closest we get in the article - and really where the truly bizarre phraseology that screams "I'm gonna come within an inch of saying it, so the insinuation holds, but I'm not going to come right out and say it, cuz it ain't true." It's a beauty, so pay attention as you get took: "If Senator Obama ever decides to really speak to any of the Illinois Black chambers, he had better come correct." Ahhhh. If he ever really "speaks to" the black chambers. Not "talks to," but "speaks to." Because, you see, "talking to" could involve informal discussions or phone conversations, etc., none of which the article you posted rule out, by the way, while "speaking to" generally means a formal speech given at a meeting. If your guy there is so honest, why not dispute the exact phrase from Obama's quotation: "If he ever really talks to..." Why change the one word.

Nuance, my friend. Ya been had.

[mucifer]

38. I am from Chicago and I notice that Obama gives interviews far more often

to black talk radio. Check out www.wvon.com. He gives them more interviews than AAR or Jones radio. He talks and he takes questions from the listeners.

[zulchzulu]

39. Alford worked in the Evan Bayh administration in Indiana and his wife contributed to Hillary

http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/kay-alford.asp?cycle=06

You smelled a rat? You're correct.

[autorank]

43. Who would want to meet with this guy?

This doesn't make much sense.