Question of the Day: Obama Versus the CBC
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 12:00PM
The Congressional Black Caucus started doing a little shoving on their end in regards to President Obama this month. To kick of December they started in on demanding to know what the President was going to do about economy and how it has decimated a sizable chunk of the black middle class (and further impoverished blacks who were already struggling).
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Tension between the 42-member black caucus and Obama has been building for months. Some members of the group who complained about what they consider years of neglect and indifference by the George W. Bush administration now say they're growing increasingly frustrated with the Obama administration, too.
Last week, 10 members of the black caucus boycotted a House committee meeting until some of their demands were included in banking reform legislation that Obama wants passed.
And earlier this week, after Obama gave a speech on jobs, black caucus chairwoman U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said the president needs to do more to help jobless minorities.
"While we agree with the president that support for small businesses, infrastructure investment and green jobs is essential, we also believe that much more needs to be done, particularly for those Americans who are hurting most," Lee said in a statement.
While the unemployment rate for all Americans is about 10 percent, it's 15.6 percent for African-Americans, Labor Department figures show. African-American workers remain unemployed an average of five weeks longer than the rest of America, according to the black caucus.
"The president is without question the president for everybody -- it's important that we all respect and understand that," said U.S. Rep. David Scott, an Atlanta Democrat and a member of the black caucus. "However, when you have a segment of the population that is overwhelmingly, disproportionately impacted … then we must pay attention to that."
The response from the White House was strong, essentially telling the CBC to take a step back and realize that the President can't be seen as proritizing one group's economic woes over another.
From USA Today:
President Obama said today it would be wrong for him to narrowly focus on the troubles blacks face in the recession, rejecting criticism from the Congressional Black Caucus that the government was ignoring the economic plight of minorities.
"I will tell you that I think the most important thing I can do for the African-American community is the same thing I can do for the American community, period, and that is get the economy going again and get people hiring again," the president told Richard Wolf of USA TODAY and Justin Hyde of the Detroit Free Press in an exclusive joint interview.
Which brings us to the "question." Naturally, everyone, including blacks, would benefit from an improved economy. No one is arguing against that. But unemployment in the black community has been bad for years, not just recently, but years, lingering in the double-digits. The recession hit us sooner and harder and while everyone is suffering, shouldn't some attention be paid to this huge discrepancy? As in ... WHY is it so huge? And WHY has it lasted so long? And while I get what members of the CBC are doing, black unemployment was horrific under the previous administration as well. Was there any push back then? Or was it just ignored (which wouldn't shock me either)? After all, black-on-black political fight is a much more "sexy" headline than "CBC complains to Bush -- Again."
Where do you stand on this debate? Is the president doing enough? Are you with the CBC? Or do you have some questions for them as well?
Reader Comments (29)
I was glad to see the CBC stand up to the President. His cowardice on race is ridiculous. i wish he was just a professor in Kenwood so he could get his ass jacked up for being AA by the Chicago Plolice whielthey are on man hunt.
If you watched Roland Martin's program on Sun 13 Dec you saw the CBC and other commentators sgive specific ways in which he could raise the issuewithin the context of programs for everyone else. The President can't keep going construction unemployment is at20% and not acknowledge that AA unemployment is 30% in part because of segregtion, today tommorow and for ever, in the construction trades. This situatiion means that if construction employment goes back up if you are excludedfrom it your program is essentially failure.
The president could have said in times of emergency, which I think everyone will agree w/ in reagrds to employment in this country, I am suspending the Davis Bacon act. If labor bitches, he can point out it prevents everyone from working and it isn''t it long past time we take out impediments to equal opportunity in the economy.
Lassie is such a coward.
The conspicuous absence of protest during prior years makes this appear contrived like there is a expectation of favoritism because of race. It would be seen as less conspicuous pandering and grandstanding on the part of the CBC if a complaint had been lodged previously. If it really matters protest even when it will be a struggle not just when the climate is favorable. This puts the leadership in a position where appearing impartial is vital - but that gives the CBC the chance to play the 'martyr' and fairly or unfairly cry foul. The timing is more like a self serving self defeating tactic for crying wolf.
Cosign w ssdd
I would have loved to see ANY sign of them even slightly posturing like this with ANY of the previous administrations -EVER!!!
Perhaps Obama should learn to play the saxophone to be more popular with that Hill clique.
I think there are both right.
The CBC isn't always on top of things- but they have a duty to represent the B in CBC. The president is well within his right/role to push back. I can appreciate certain members believing that our issues would get more visibility now. Ultimately what is good for us is good for U.S.
I agree with ssdd, int the past the CBC has not been concerned about the issue of black unemployment that has simply grown because of the bad economy. The disparity in unemployment has always existed. And, most blacks know that there are so many other issues (that the CBC has not addressed) that feed into the current unemployment problem. Instead of barking at a large symptom from a variety of other problems, they are trying to bully the black president. I think this action makes them look very simple. Plus, how do you address jobs for blacks? Even if the President created policies for contractors and affirmative-action; issues like drug testing, education, skills and other social barriers will leave the jobs available to other minorities. Maybe the CBC could address some of the concrete issues in the black community that may help alleviate the unemployment problem in the long-term. In the short-term there are very few solutions if African-Americans lack preparation for policies that do exist.
I also agree with dilettante in that they both are right but like snob said in her piece the unemployment numbers for the AA community have always been high. So if what the president say about getting the economy going again and getting people hired, might not be the only answer for the AA community. I believe sometimes when things happen in life and it affects certain groups more than others that group has to be focused on it might not be by the president but something has to be done.
The CBC shouldn't be pressuring the president more than they've pressure any previous president. Though we may not have been in a recession when Bush or any other president was in office, the unemployment rate for blacks was still higher than the general population so they should've been pressuring those presidents as well.
This one size fit all approach that president obama have in mind is not the answer either. Yes the economy has to improve but when it does the ones that was affected long before the recession will still be in a recession. Some of that stimulus money should’ve been used to fund or build educational centers for these communities that have historically high unemployment rates because a lot of this goes back to the lack of education and skills.
Of course none of those negroes confronted Dubya disrespectfully.
LMAO @ obama being a coward in regards to race. what is he supposed to say? and if he says it, will he be in office after this term is up?
obama isn't the president of just black people. he is the leader of a country where 85 percent of the country ISN'T black. so really, what's good for the US is good for black people. but not always the other way around.
We should know that President Obama can't appear to show favoritism by focusing on a certain group. Let him fix the economy for all Americans and create programs for boosting job skills and education across-the-board.
I am really tired of this. Why do we always have to ask for a hand out? Why must we always turn to the government to fix our problems?
this past week was the best Washington Watch Roland has done to date. Everyone commenting on the show had serious things to say, and explained well their difficulties with the White House.
Obama can't do anything about the 70% of black kids that are born to single mothers. We all know who's going to have to fix that problem.
kudos to the cbc!
obama has been grossly coddled by ALL for FAR too long!
happy holidays!!!
http://aliciabanks.vox.com/library/post/obama-drama-the-poor-are-getting-poorer-the-middle-class-becomes-the-new-poor.html
I think that the problem of unemployment in the Black community is caused by fundamental errors and cannot be "fixed" by the President. After all, he heads a two-parent home, sets a positive example for his children, supports his wife and treats her as an equal, and encourages his children to do well in school. How many single-parent households are there in the Black community? I don't have the exact numbers but you could easily google it and get enough stats to make you SICK. I, for example, grew up without my father for the first five years and without both my father AND mother after that (my grandmother took over).
So, in short, it starts with US. It's selfish and immature to feel a sense of entitlement just because the President's skin is the same color as ours. Give me a break! It's OUR responsibility to be there for our children. It's OUR responsibility to set an example, to demand excellence, to insist on better education and resources for our children. We can't go to the White House like, "Do something!" We have to have a plan. Present a solution, suggest funding ideas and get the ball rolling. Mr. Pres. can sign off on it once WE get it on paper. That's all I have to say.
Interesting concept....Once again, blacks as a whole are looking for the President *our government* to fix what has been ailing us for years... We are going to have to figure this one out ourselves... Although I do believe our President has our interest at heart, and for some reason I feel somewhere hidden in his agenda are a few gold nuggets... We just have to find them.... With that being said I believe that the CBC has to do something *quote-unquote*... Why don't they introduce some type of legislation that gives us an arsenal to fight against this high unemployment crisis...
My quote of the day ~ Remember they brought us over here to work ~
UnApologetically Black
Cosign Nisha! The President can't do anything about folks who didn't or only finished high school, who have no marketable skills because they have only worked on an assembly line, etc.... This recession hit the Black community harder because we work the kind of jobs that are off-shored for less, or are not in key positions to be protected. Even when we are, things happen. Ultimately, if we don't want to bear the brunt of this stuff we need to get educated and skilled...unskilled/factory work is going the way of the dinosauer....
John D,
No one asked him to fix that problem and this post isn’t even about that though his black father created one of those black kids that was born to a single mother.
Who fixed the problem of people who brought houses that they knew they couldn’t afford? We all know who fixed that problem.
70% of black kids are born to single mothers but more importantly how do this change and why is it this way?
How do we make it so that the next generation of boys and girls don’t fall into the same trap as their mother and father while being brought up in a single parent household?
I think with education and empowerment many problems could be fixed including the single mother issue. I’m not saying the president haft to do it but eventually something has to be done by somebody. I like many others believe the main people who can help these people are themselves but I also believe that they aren’t going to save themselves. We are asking the blind to lead the blind; the uneducated to lead the uneducated and many may not know where to start or begin to help themselves and whatever ways some have tried to fix these problems haven’t worked. People need education but while they are being educated they still need jobs.
I think you haft to take people where they are education is important but it’s not the only answer.
There need to be short term solutions and long term solutions for many of the problems that plague communities.
Cosmicsistren,
I think it’s time for the people to take a bigger role in their lives as well but if you think they can do it without any government involvement or support you’re wrong even though one of the reasons why some of these problems (2 in particular) exist is because of our government.
@ roderick they brought us over here to work....... FOR FREE.
also people who think the black caucus didn't stand up to bush are clueless. i remeber the black caucus begging the senate to look at what happend in florida during the 2000 election. not even al gore had their back and he stood to benefit from what they were trying to get acomplished. bottom line black folk getting the short end of the stick is the american way.
Until Black people are willing to purchase goods and services from Black people, this trend will continue. Neither the CBC nor the President can fix this.
Until the Black Community brings their money back to that community by creating and supporting local businesses and local banks base their lending principles on creating value, nothing will change.
The Black Community has more money as a group than practically any other group of the African Diaspora. We do not use this economic advantage to the benefit of the BC, instead we make everyone else rich.
Somehow after the Civil Rights era the message became warped and anything Black-owned was not good enough.
Unless we start creating jobs within, things will continue to deteriorate. The principles of micro-economies in the Third World, could be used in the BC to bring about an economic renaissance.
However, the underlying issue is will Blacks purchase and support other Black businesses whether it is lawn maintenance, local grocery stands or major companies??? As it stands today, everything that is currently purchased is provided by someone else, not US. How many pay Hispanics to do their yard work versus starting their own lawn business, how many of us have a side "hustle" (i.e. learning a trade whether it be as a bartender or plumber)?
When it comes to where could the money come from to start businesses; Asians have solved the problems with lending by establishing lending funds within their community.
Bottom line, NO ONE is going to help Black folks now. We have had 40 years since the Civil Rights movement to maximize on White folk's guilt, we wasted it by not focusing on establishing economic independence (walking away from established well-run Black Banks as one example).
The post-Civil Rights days are over, too many people are struggling now and too many of us have decided that even basic education or learning a trade is "not cool".
It is not a pretty picture but the sooner we accept it and start taking control of our own destiny, the better off we will be as a collective.
If one million BLACK jobs were created today, who among the whinners would be qualified to fill those jobs?
So many of the whinners are under-educated because they choose to be. They dropped out of school all together becaude it takes hard work to achieve an education so why bother? They have no marketable skills because they choose not to have learned any. And they have very poor communication skills because to learn to speak english and to become educated is, of course, acting white.
I have no complaints against the President who is doing the best that he can under trying circumstances. He is educated, knowledgable, speaks the english language (no dem, dat, dos, or ax from him) and has class and he does not embarrass me when he appears in public. How many of you whinners can fill his shoes?
Stop expecting him to act like a gettho thug with a do rag tied around his head and his butt-crack showing. You ought to be paying attention in the hopes that you pick up some of his qualities.
I would like to hear people like Roland Martin, Travis Smiley, Boyce Watkins, Cornel West, Eric Dyson, the crabs from the barrell who appeared on last Sunday's RM show AND the rest of the black blovators, commentators, pundits, so-called black scholars and intellectuals explain why they DID NOT HAVE THE BALLS TO WHINE ABOUT GEORGE W. BUSH and the republicans during the previous eight years?
President Obama is in office for eleven months and they can’t wait to whine WHILE OFFERING NOTHING OF VALUE TO THE CONVERSATION. I guess no matter how much education these folks are supposed to have, they can’t get away from the barrel.
Not one of the these pundits or whinners who appear on RM TV One (or the white tv shows wearing their their knee pads) to bash President Obama have DONE A SINGLE THING TO HELP THE BLACK COMMUNITY. Like tutoring or job training programs? Like teaching standard english? Like mentoring programs, or stay-in-school programs, or programs to encourage blacks people to clean up the filty streets in many black communities.
These blovators have so much to say about what the President has not done for black people but none of them could find a black neighborhood if a map of a black neighborhood was super glued to their noses.
Crabs in a barrell syndrone exists only among black people. No othe group does this.
The President should just give all of the lazy do-nothing black people who are sitting around waiting for handouts a welfare check and be done with it.
People come here from from other countries (China, Korea, India, Thailand, the jungles of Borneo) with just the clothes on their backs, work at the lowest and worst jobs in the universe, save and pool their money until they have enough to open a small mom and pop business. They save and pool that money until they have enough to open a larger mom and pop business, continuining the cycle.
Black people sit around and whine.
I don't think arguing about what is wrong in our community excludes the President form creating programs for AA whom are doing right but suffering in the economic downturn. if you define help as helping the "wrong" in the community you are perpetuating the racism of the Republicans and racists in the country whom yell the "negroes won't work. You have a plan for construction workers most of whom are white. When you created this plan you didn't argue about the white peopl who will only workwhen the government comes up w/ a program.
The CBC is playing right into the hands of unfriendly media by challenging the president this way. They never did this when Clinton or Shrub was in office. The media will love to run this story so it appears that not even the Black people are happy with Obama. Obama cannot fix unemployment nor can the CBC. This problem is way beyond them. Obama has been indirectly through his wife. If he were to blatantly stand up and declare that he is doing something for the Black employment problem he surely would be assassinated.
"You have a plan for construction workers most of whom are white. "
of course they're white. most of the U.S. work force is white.