While no one seems to know who did what, there is an accusation that the words of Harry Belafonte about President Obama were censored on the national distribution of the Smiley & West radio show. It is not alleged that Tavis Smiley or Cornel West played any role in the censorship, but it is being alleged that the segment was snipped down, with many of Belafonte’s remarks being chopped out of the segment.
Here is a quote of what Belafonte said about Obama and the audio is below:
HARRY BELAFONTE: When I think of Barack Obama and I think about all that is at stake here I’ve really long since left talking about how many terms he will be as a president. My question is what legacy will he leave having had the opportunity to serve under such hugely dramatic circumstances and boggled the mind and boggled people’s thinking and had such a huge impact on the universal state of things.
And how could he have had such a splendid opportunity to do more than most presidents would have ever been able to do and he let that opportunity slip away from him. And I am very cautious of the fact of those who thinks that he has some hidden agenda and that if only he could be given a second term for us to see the new light new things will be revealed. A new efforts will be made to take us to a place other than where we have been and where we languish.
I just don’t trust that. I don’t think that a safe way an accurate way to look at the scenario. I think if there was the kind of moral compass serving Barack Obama in the way we had all hoped, the moral force would have helped him make choices. The absence of that force in his equations the absence of that barometer to guide him when he has to make these decision which are hugely complicated, especially from the political perspective. He should have come to the table with things that I think would have helped us in this moment of crisis.
5 comments:
Perhaps too many Americans are downplaying what Barack Obama found "was the Presidency" when he came to the office to rule. I think, ever since I have heard of the book called "Presidential Secrets" that my own opinion of his capacity to turn the economy at the pace he wanted was that it was severely limited from the get go. That there was more in the Presidency (in terms of secrets - who is owed what) that meets the eye and those who run for it unfortunately have no possibility of backing away from it having discovered the true nature of the beast or else would suffer the high office to be exposed to questions that could avert the course of history. Hence I was able to comprehend his words said awhile back of not being averse to being a one-term President. And Harry's words are befitting for all Presidential hopefuls, because they all hope to be "that change".
Mr. Belafonte speaks the truth that too many fear to do. African-Americans have the highest unemployment rate and it is worsening. Our nation’s largest employer, the federal government, continues to defend discriminating officials. Many Black federal employees recognize that the workplace environment under President Obama is extremely hostile. Of course, the federal government has always been plagued by racism. However, the situation worsens under the Obama Administration given the lack of discussion on the topic and the Obama/Holder Justice Department’s "unbridled & limitless defense” of managers who violate the civil rights of African-Americans. Google article entitled “She's At it Again: Wyneva Johnson, Black AUSA, "Defending Discriminators." Also google youtube video by the Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C) titled “Racism In the Federal Government A-Z.”
I agree with Mr Harry Belafonte's comments about President Obama. After three years of political brutality at the hands of Republicans and their teabag cohorts, President Obama still doesn't get it - the ideal of bipartisan cooperation with the GOP on presidential appointments and major legislation is a nonstarter. It appears that President Obama and his top advisors are ignorant of the LBJ domestic management style that transformed America into a better country with the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 & 1965, along with the Great Society programs that gave opportunities to Blacks, Latinos, women, and other so-called minorities. I sense from President Obama's willingness to make deals with Republicans on core Democratic institutions like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid is bad politics for a majority of poor, working class, and middle income Americans. Its time for President Obama to get tough with the Do-Nothing Republicans and fight them tooth and nail for the institutions Democrats since FDR have promoted. President Obama needs to understand Republicans don't respect a political wimp they can push around and impose their policies on. In my youth it was called being a chump.
Personally i'm kind of tired of celebs and their comments about Obama everyone has an opinion if they think they can do a better job then maybe they themselves should run for office and do a better job ,bottomline Obama has had a hell of a task giving to what he's inherited form the bush administration everybody seems to think that Obama is going to solve everything in one fell swoop ,personally i would vote for Obama for another term god help folks if the republicans get in power again after the mess they left behind ,if the republicans get in power america deserves everything it gets.
I believe that President Obama suffers from what many successful blacks suffer from. The fear of being labelled angry. Its like during Katrina, when white people were seen looting stores it was called "surviving". When blacks did it, it was "theft, looting, and vandalism".
If a white President played hard ball with the Republicans he would probably be called a "shrewd statesman". Let Obama do it, and he'll be called an "angry black man". The old double standard, only its not old, its alive and well.
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