President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Very intriguing rumblings of discontent out of the Congressional Black Caucus this week. Friend of Ricochet Byron York describes a Tuesday session of the CBC's "For the People" Jobs Initiative tour during which Rep. Maxine Waters addressed an audience in Detroit:
"We don't put pressure on the president," Waters told the audience at Wayne State Community College. "Let me tell you why. We don't put pressure on the president because ya'll love the president. You love the president. You're very proud to have a black man -- first time in the history of the United States of America. If we go after the president too hard, you're going after us."
The problem, Waters said, is that Obama is not paying enough attention to the problems of some black Americans. The unemployment rate for African-Americans nationally is a little over 16 percent, and almost twice that in Detroit. And yet, Waters said, the president is on a jobs-promotion trip through the Midwest that does not include any stops in black communities. "The Congressional Black Caucus loves the president too," Waters said. "We're supportive of the president, but we're getting tired, ya'll. We're getting tired. And so, what we want to do is, we want to give the president every opportunity to show what he can do and what he's prepared to lead on. We want to give him every opportunity, but our people are hurting. The unemployment is unconscionable. We don't know what the strategy is. We don't know why on this trip that he's in the United States now, he's not in any black community. We don't know that."
...Waters asked the crowd for its permission to have a "conversation" with the president. "When you tell us it's alright and you unleash us and you tell us you're ready for us to have this conversation, we're ready to have the conversation," she said. Some members of the crowd immediately voiced their approval.
Meanwhile, the President and his family are getting ready for yet another posh vacation in Martha's Vineyard this week.
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Dec '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Hmm... that DOES bring up the question of why the President is so enamored of Martha's Vineyard. Why not mix it up, perhaps vacation in the gorgeous areas around Savannah or Charleston, where the water is warmer and the people less... monochromatic?
Dec '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Of course he's not in any black communities. He's already got their votes. Does anyone think blacks are going to vote Republican with Obama at the top of the ticket, whether he does anything for their unemployment problem or not? You've got no leverage, Maxine.
Aug '11
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
My mind instantly flashed to the clip of that woman saying "I'm exhaused of defending you, Mr. President." while he nods along with that uncomfortable smile on his face.
Dec '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
I believe they can. It's not all that hard to say, "All right, Barack, you've achieved your victory for history by breaking the color bar. Re-electing you won't make you the first Black President all over again, and electing someone else won't erase the fact that you will always be the first Black President. Take that title and your Nobel Prize and move over for someone who can, you know, actually help our community."
Apr '11
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Stuart Creque
I believe they can. It's not all that hard to say, "All right, Barack, you've achieved your victory for history by breaking the color bar. Re-electing you won't make you the first Black President all over again, and electing someone else won't erase the fact that you will always be the first Black President. Take that title and your Nobel Prize and move over for someone who can, you know, actually help our community." · Aug 17 at 12:39pm
The only kind of "help" Waters wants for her community is more gov't entitlements (ie, more $$$) and make-work jobs for the locals.
Dec '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Stuart Creque
I believe they can. It's not all that hard to say, "All right, Barack, you've achieved your victory for history by breaking the color bar. Re-electing you won't make you the first Black President all over again, and electing someone else won't erase the fact that you will always be the first Black President. Take that title and your Nobel Prize and move over for someone who can, you know, actually help our community." · Aug 17 at 12:39pm
I will be shocked, shocked, if Obama gets less than 90% of the black vote. I think a lot fewer of them may turnout in 2012 for the reasons you describe, but the portion voting for him will be very high, just as their approval of him remains in the high 80s.
Jul '11
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
I think this is only half of the equation, the other half being that Obama is not black in any significant sense. His only claim to that label is that his Y chromosome came from an African. However, his upbringing, education, cultural background, career, etc are anything but black. Consequently, he has no more understanding of the black community than your typical Harvard scholar.
I find it sublimely ironic that this president, who is a product of a political philosophy that loves to divide up people into competing constituencies, can't even begin to relate to the group that he should belong to more than any other.
Mar '11
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
The point isn't that blacks vote Republican, it's that the huge surge in places like GA, NC, VA or even in Philly not take place. Young voters, and I refuse to not believe Hispanics as well, are winnable due to current circumstances, but one of the keys in some of these swing states he picked up from Bush is enthusiasm. Blacks probably won't vote differently, but with unemployment so dire in their neighborhoods and families I dont think there will be the desire to vote for him again. Not that it shouldn't be said again and again, this is going to be very ugly.
Edited on Aug 17, 2011 at 12:57pmDec '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
ctruppi
Stuart Creque
The only kind of "help" Waters wants for her community is more gov't entitlements (ie, more $$$) and make-work jobs for the locals. · Aug 17 at 12:46pm
You are right about Waters, but her constituents (or at least, Black voters in other constituencies) may differ. This may be one of those rare moments in history when a critical mass of Black voters decides that its elected leaders no longer have their true interests at heart.
May '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Even among "black voters," do you think Rep. Waters has any significance? I do not
Jul '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
The indicators on black employment are the worst they've been since the Great Depression. If this were a GOP president there would be an unending drumbeat on the arrogance and hate shown by the White House toward communities of color. Obviously, it is not the problem if it is the ineptitude of color at work.
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Critical point.
May '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
My question is this: What do you really think black expectations were between November 2008 and Inauguration Day?
I believe that the white liberal fantasy was that the GOP would just suddenly understand that they would never be relevant again and dissolve and America would finally be ready to join the European Union.
Dec '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
The part Diane didn't quote highlights the level of disenchantment of Black voters with Obama:
As she discussed her dilemma -- frustrated with the president but hesitant to criticize him lest black supporters turn on her -- Waters asked the crowd for its permission to have a "conversation" with the president. "When you tell us it's alright and you unleash us and you tell us you're ready for us to have this conversation, we're ready to have the conversation," she said. Some members of the crowd immediately voiced their approval.
"All I'm saying to you is, we're politicians," Waters continued. "We're elected officials. We are trying to do the right thing and the best thing. When you let us know it is time to let go, we'll let go."
"Let go!" some in the audience yelled.
Jan '11
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Such tawdry comments make me feel ugly as an American. Its all about race and nothing but race. It's ugly, truly ugly. The man is just not cutting it and the policies of the left only deepen the problems of that community.
I pity them because they feel so trapped with their racial identity that they cannot criticize a member of their own community. I didn't feel like some traitor to my race when I felt Bush spent too much or McCain infuriated me.
Dec '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Stuart Creque: The part Diane didn't quote highlights the level of disenchantment of Black voters with Obama: ...
"All I'm saying to you is, we're politicians," Waters continued. "We're elected officials. We are trying to do the right thing and the best thing. When you let us know it is time to let go, we'll let go."
"Let go!" some in the audience yelled. · Aug 17 at 2:18pm
What does "Let go!" mean, Stuart? It certainly doesn't mean let go of your cradle-to-grave European welfare state fantasy! Not to Maxine Waters it doesn't. It more likely means, "you go tell that nice young man we elected that we are not happy and we want him to unleash the hounds of hell on those evil rich capitalists, like Mitt Romney!" The Dems have been using race mongering and class warfare for years, because it works. I think you are engaging in some hopey-changey optimism if you think a significant number of black voters will vote Republican for the first time in their lives. The Hot Dogs and Beans Era lady may be one of the few exceptions.
Dec '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
I think it is worth noting that the Historic President probably should have made the speech that Mayor Nutter ended up making.
I think the problem is that the part of the First Black President had already been written in the comic book and he was written as Morgan Freeman. Everybody knows that it was supposed to be Morgan Freeman. A wise, old, gray man. A man who had known bitter times, who had seen horrible racism up close. A man who marched with Dr. King.
But when they cast the movie, they gave the part to Barack Obama. And Obama is no Morgan Freeman. He's not a noble statesman, he's not an inspiration, he isn't even a crude politician. He's an angry ideologue.
My prediction is that as soon as he leaves office, there will be a movement to say that he wasn't really black anyway. First will come the idea that invisible forces (that are all Republican, by the way) kept a righteous president from bringing heaven to earth as they had before, but that does show Obama to be weak. So the Left -- all of them -- will simply disown him.
Dec '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
AmishDude:
I think the problem is that the part of the First Black President had already been written in the comic book and he was written as Morgan Freeman. Everybody knows that it was supposed to be Morgan Freeman. A wise, old, gray man. A man who had known bitter times, who had seen horrible racism up close. A man who marched with Dr. King.
It was supposed to be Dennis Haysbert - President Palmer on 24, the Allstate Good Hands Guy, the leader of The Unit on the CIA-themed TV show of that name.
What we got instead is a throwback to Damon Runyon and his character Alibi Ike.
Dec '10
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Western Chauvinist
What does "Let go!" mean, Stuart? It certainly doesn't mean let go of your cradle-to-grave European welfare state fantasy! Not to Maxine Waters it doesn't. It more likely means, "you go tell that nice young man we elected that we are not happy and we want him to unleash the hounds of hell on those evil rich capitalists, like Mitt Romney!" The Dems have been using race mongering and class warfare for years, because it works. I think you are engaging in some hopey-changey optimism if you think a significant number of black voters will vote Republican for the first time in their lives. The Hot Dogs and Beans Era lady may be one of the few exceptions.
These audience members are fed up with Obama and his bumbling and stumbling. They may not be ready to vote Republican, but they sure ain't ready to bust a hump to vote for Obama's re-election. That represents a first step in getting them to consider an alternative to what has failed them all these years.
Remember that Southern Blacks never voted Democrat until Kennedy came along and then switched all at once.
Re: President Obama in Trouble with Black Voters?
Black discontent with Obama is so much more relevant than what it'll mean as far as the black vote is concerned. Stories like this can have a much wider influence. For instance, when independents suffering from white guilt see and hear about this kind of thing, they feel a little less compelled to stand by the Democrat and a little more justified in voting for the other guy.