West's Hateful Comments About President Obama Are Not Surprising

This is a very good example of why I have an issue with a large number of black conservative Republicans.

Rep. Allen West is all too willing to be used by the far-right element of the political spectrum to say nasty and borderline hateful things about President Obama ... black-on-black crime if you will (in politics).

Rep. West goes on the attack and his fellow conservatives are all too happy to watch him go on the attack while their hands remain clean. This man is a disgrace to his district, but it is his district and if they support his nasty views then that is a stain on the character of his voters.

Here is a little of what West said, as documented by Huffington Post:

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) stood by eyebrow-raising remarks he recently made about President Barack Obama during an interview with Fox News host Greta Van Susteren on Thursday night.

Speaking recently on "The Laura Ingraham Show," West asserted that the president demonstrated "third world dictator-like arrogance" in delivering a speech on the federal budget and government spending.

"I do stand by those words," said the conservative congressman, who was elected into office last November with support from the Tea Party movement. "The truth needs to be said."

"I am sick and tired of this class warfare, this Marxist, demagogic rhetoric that is coming from the President of the United States of America," West explained. "It is not helpful for this country and it's not going to move the ball forward as far as rectifying the economic situation in our country. And I'm not going to back away from telling what the truth is."

In that excerpt, we see a snapshot of so many of the politically hateful things that have been said about President Obama coming out of one filthy mouth for the gratification of a far right that has been mostly hostile to minority voters.

West's words are hateful and disgusting, but they obviously bring comfort to his voters and to the far-right commentators (such as Laura Ingraham) and networks (Fox News) who relish the opportunity to witness black-on-black political crime as they keep their hands relatively clean.

I will leave you with this excerpt from a commentary by Dr. Boyce Watkins:

West being a Republican doesn’t offend me. What offends me is that he is an unintelligent Republican who lacks the kind of class that men like Colin Powell have shown in their disagreements with the Democrats. West doesn’t have to call Obama names; he can simply critique his policies. There is almost nothing insightful or substantive about his remarks about the president, for he simply appears to be basking in the sunlight.

Another interesting thing about political pawns like Allen West and Michael Steele is that their love affair with the Republican Party will be short-lived. Once their usefulness has passed, they will be thrown to the side like worthless political prostitutes, for the need for a black face on racial hatred is what has kept them in business. To some extent, they should send President Obama a thank you card, for they could never get this much attention without him.

President Obama, Dems Are Wrong About Jesse Jackson

Editor's note: This blog will surprise some people who think that I am never critical of Democrats, in general, and President Obama, in particular.

I could not agree more with a particular portion of a column I saw written by Boyce Watkins on Black Voices.

Now, there was a lot to the column written by Watkins, but one part I want to point to was a part where the author discusses how the Rev. Jesse Jackson seems to have become an outcast for some in the administration of President Obama. These days, it's difficult to earn a lot of friends defending Rev. Jackson.

I'm not altogether sure why, but I've been reading and studying more about Rev. Jackson to try and understand him a little more. Currently I am reading a biography on him, and I've listened to several of his speeches, including his 1988 speech at the Democratic National Convention as he had again attempted to run for president.

In 20 years, however, Rev. Jackson has gone from being one of the most important black figures in America to largely marginalized (sadly, even by a large number of Democrats).

I find it disappointing and sad. For a lot of people, Rev. Jackson is associated with the so-called "race card" and is accused of trying to essentially make up racism to profit from it (if you believe far-right commentators like Bill O'Reilly, who I strongly believe has a personal disdain for Rev. Jackson). Still, I had not written about it for some reason. Then, this weekend, I read an article by Watkins in which this excerpt caught my attention.

Making matters worse is the Obama Administration's commitment to continued marginalization of Rev. Jesse Jackson. I am not sure if Jackson was marginalized for his verbal mishap on Fox News two years ago or something else. Either way, Jackson should be brought back into the fold of the administration and appreciated as a significant figure within the African American community. With all due respect to Obama, I am not sure how his conscience can allow him to undermine 40 years of committed service just because Rev. Jackson has become an inconvenience to him. If there is room in White House meetings for unqualified Harvard chums like Elena Kagan and Lawrence Summers, then there must also be room for committed Civil Rights veterans like Jackson, who've put their lives on the line to protect American freedoms.

For the record, here is the "mishap" that Watkins mentioned.

That aside, Rev. Jackson has meant too much to the black community to be kicked aside as has been done by Democrats. I don't agree with Watkins that Elena Kagan is unqualified, but he is entitled to his opinion. But I do think Watkins has a great point about the White House wrongly turning its back on Rev. Jackson, who is a good man and who has done so much for the good of people of all races.

I echo Watkins' call for the Obama Administration to bring Rev. Jackson into the fold. However, I do not plan to hold my breath until it happens. These days, Rev. Jackson is not too popular and is seen by some Democrats as political poison. That is sad and perhaps shows Democrats are not strong enough to stand up against that kind of B.S.

Republicans can stand up for Rand Paul, but Democrats will not stand up for Rev. Jesse Jackson. That is sad.

A good man, and Rev. Jesse Jackson is, is being treated like yesterday's news by a new age of people who fail to appreciate his outstanding contributions to society and are instead paralyzed by fear of how Rev. Jackson is perceived by conservative haters.

Black Voices:
http://www.bvonmoney.com/2010/05/22/jesse-jackson-aiyana-jones/

Cowardly Syracuse Caves To Conservative Pressure; Denies Dr. Boyce Watkins Tenure

Dr. Boyce Watkins is one of the most strongest scholarly black voices in the United States of America. His willingness to strongly stand up, even in controversial issues that make most people cower and run for cover, has won him a lot of respect among people of all races over the years. He has been courageous in standing up against bias, speaking out against racism, the exploitation of student-athletes and more during his career. But, as we all know, that is a good way to make a lot of enemies – as Dr. Watkins fully understood going in. A professor at Syracuse University, Dr. Watkins was up for tenure, but was denied. Here is a excerpt of what he had to say when his case was denied by Syracuse University:

In case you don’t know, my tenure case was denied, which means I’ll be dismissed by Syracuse University. I personally am not offended, as I didn’t expect to receive tenure after the attacks by Bill O’Reilly last year and the work I’ve done speaking out on behalf of NCAA athletes (Syracuse earns tens of millions from athlete families and likely lost alumni donations after the Bill O’Reilly attacks – I stand by every word, however, since I won’t allow a racist like O’Reilly to speak of lynching Michelle Obama or any other Black woman for that matter). Additionally, our business school (The Whitman School of Management) has not, to my knowledge, recommended tenure for any African American, in any department, in its entire 100 years of operating history (I can’t concur with the conclusion that every Black scholar on the planet is unqualified to be here). So, while we can say all we want about elusive and idealistic concepts such as academic freedom, most scholars understand that the rules change when you are an outspoken Black man with no significant Black male power presence on your campus. My role was to support pre-existing intellectual, social and administrative paradigms, not to engage in active, progressive scholarship.

As Dr. Watkins says, shed no tears for him. He has worked hard to solidify his position and will thrive in spite of the cowardly actions of Syracuse University. Unless there is something significant that we do not know of and that hasn’t been reported … this is (if you will excuse the saying), bush league stuff. Universities should want professors who are strong and positive role models doing things to better the lives of young people. That is the essence of what Dr. Watkins has been about and I am sure will continue to be about as he moves into this next chapter of his life and professional career.

I wish Dr. Watkins, founder of http://www.yourblackworld.com/, the best of luck. Based on his track record, I know he will continue to thrive and continue to do things that have a positive impact on the lives of young people. He has beena tremendous advocate for education and self empowerment. It’s a shame Syracuse does not hold with those same values as strong as does Dr. Boyce Watkins.

Dr. Boyce Watkins:
http://drboycespeaks.blogspot.com/

Cowardly Syracuse Caves To Conservative Pressure; Denies Dr. Boyce Watkins Tenure

Dr. Boyce Watkins is one of the most strongest scholarly black voices in the United States of America. His willingness to strongly stand up, even in controversial issues that make most people cower and run for cover, has won him a lot of respect among people of all races over the years. He has been courageous in standing up against bias, speaking out against racism, the exploitation of student-athletes and more during his career. But, as we all know, that is a good way to make a lot of enemies - as Dr. Watkins fully understood going in. A professor at Syracuse University, Dr. Watkins was up for tenure, but was denied. Here is a excerpt of what he had to say when his case was denied by Syracuse University:

In case you don't know, my tenure case was denied, which means I'll be dismissed by Syracuse University. I personally am not offended, as I didn't expect to receive tenure after the attacks by Bill O'Reilly last year and the work I've done speaking out on behalf of NCAA athletes (Syracuse earns tens of millions from athlete families and likely lost alumni donations after the Bill O'Reilly attacks - I stand by every word, however, since I won't allow a racist like O'Reilly to speak of lynching Michelle Obama or any other Black woman for that matter). Additionally, our business school (The Whitman School of Management) has not, to my knowledge, recommended tenure for any African American, in any department, in its entire 100 years of operating history (I can't concur with the conclusion that every Black scholar on the planet is unqualified to be here). So, while we can say all we want about elusive and idealistic concepts such as academic freedom, most scholars understand that the rules change when you are an outspoken Black man with no significant Black male power presence on your campus. My role was to support pre-existing intellectual, social and administrative paradigms, not to engage in active, progressive scholarship.

As Dr. Watkins says, shed no tears for him. He has worked hard to solidify his position and will thrive in spite of the cowardly actions of Syracuse University. Unless there is something significant that we do not know of and that hasn't been reported ... this is (if you will excuse the saying), bush league stuff. Universities should want professors who are strong and positive role models doing things to better the lives of young people. That is the essence of what Dr. Watkins has been about and I am sure will continue to be about as he moves into this next chapter of his life and professional career.

I wish Dr. Watkins, founder of http://www.yourblackworld.com/, the best of luck. Based on his track record, I know he will continue to thrive and continue to do things that have a positive impact on the lives of young people. He has beena tremendous advocate for education and self empowerment. It's a shame Syracuse does not hold with those same values as strong as does Dr. Boyce Watkins.

Dr. Boyce Watkins:
http://drboycespeaks.blogspot.com/