NAACP:Gone Fishing
One cannot help but ask the question, in the wake of all of the attacks made against our President by Fox News racist pundits, where was the voice of the NAACP and prominent African American leaders such as Jesse Jackson and Reverend Al Sharpton? Who can forget the Reverend Jesse Jackson's infamous crude remark which he made against our President? The real shocker is that he made the comment on Fox News. And who will forget the brouhaha that ensued after radio talk show host Don Imus made an insensitive racial remark in reference to a Black women's basketball team? As I recall, it was the Reverend Al Sharpton that called for the firing of Imus. Not to make light of that event, but one would wonder, is calling the President a racist not equally offensive, if not more?
There is no question that President Obama is popular among Black Americans, but is he as popular with Black leadership? I believe the answer is no, he is not. The question that remains is why? I believe the answer is envy with a touch of resentment. There are those who say that Reverend Jackson had wanted desperately to be in the President's place. He did run for the office of Presidency in 1984 with no success. That might explain the crude comment he made on Fox News. As for the rest of Black leadership, one could suggest that while a part of them is proud that the Country chose to elect the first Black President of the United States, another part of them feels threatened by this great accomplishment. Perhaps they also believe that the President does not need their help and if that is the case they are terribly wrong.
The President needs the help and support of our entire country in order to succeed. Resentments and politics aside, when our President is attacked, our Country is weakened and those who might be our enemies gain strength. When President Obama was elected, the racial divide lessened. It was a clear sign that the majority elected who they believed was the best man for the job. For many, race was simply not a factor, yet here we are back at square one, bombarded daily with vicious media attacks by a small group of pundits whose goal is simply to incite. This is nothing more than a small group of conservative extremists, who just cannot accept the fact that the Country choose to elect a Black man as President. The irony is that the silence of the Black leadership speaks volumes to those of us who are listening. They need to wake up and realize that if they are not part of the solution, they are part of the problem.
