Essence.com blog: Why Obama should skip Tavis Smiley’s State of the Black Union

02/14/2008 6:20 am 3 comments

Sen. Barack Obama took a lot of heat last year from participants in Tavis Smiley’s State of the Black Union annual confab, which was held in Virginia. To be fair, he was a little busy that day…announcing HE WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!

Some of the folks there were besides themselves, and frankly, were childish about it, even saying that he should have put off his presidential announcement to be there.

Now, almost a year later, he is faced with a similar dilemma.

Tavis has announced that he will hold his State of the Black Union annual talkfest on Feb. 23 in New Orleans, La. This is a huge event attended by thousands each year; broadcast on C-SPAN; and attracts some of the nation’s top black activists, politicians and intellectuals.

During his commentary Thursday on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, the most listened to black radio show, Tavis said he’s invited the three top candidates, Republican frontrunner, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. He said only one has accepted, and he will wait until tomorrow for the other two to decide.

He didn’t say which one decided to attend, but on Friday, Clinton announced that she was attending.

In his commentary, Smiley said he was going to snap on those who don’t attend on Tuesday’s show, demanding that they own up to black issues and zero in on social justice issues as outlined in the book he edited, “The Covenant with Black America.”

Here is my analysis of the situation, and hopefully it will put this presidential campaign and the delicate task of navigating the waters of black politics in perspective.

Read more and weigh in!

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  • Bahamas Man

    Rolin
    I am a bahamian and so I wont be able to vote for my candidate, but I am writing to talk about what I saw this morning of Fox & Friends. Just after 8am the crew of Fox & Friends had an interview with Geraldo Rivera and it was the most unprofessional, disgraceful interview I saw. It was more like a let’s get everyone onbaord and try to bash Obama to the point of destroying his chances of winning. I always knew Fox is a republican network, msnbc a flip flop between the two and CNN makes the biggest effort to be nuetral but sways for Hillary usually, but this morning it was horrible. Never mind there is story floating that Hillary contacted Canada first, but they spent there entire morning talking about this advisor that called Hillary a monster. Rolin the entire morning, it was ridiculous, the laughing never stopped, to the point that you could hear laughter coming from the off camera crew. The news briefs headlines were Obama advisor calls Hillary monster all morning, while with every talking moment the crew laughed among themselves for the entire show. Now if this was not suppose to be a repected news network I would say who cares, but non-biased went out the window with this one. Anyone knows Geraldo is a Hillary supporter and it lends to the Hispanic vs. Black issue, but he personifies it. Roland, I respect your professionalism because I always watch you during election night on CNN so please discuss this so that Fox & Friends can correct themeselves and admit that what happened this morning cant happen again.

  • Perfect Amenities

    HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON MOLD-DIRTY DISHES
    (Questionable Dealings)

    If, Sen. Barack Obama wanted to really throw the kitchen sink at Sen. Clinton, he’ll definitely have enough dishes, pots, and pans to throw with it: NO MORE SECRETS HILLARY!

    · Failure to give IRS tax returns, and her husband, White House Papers. “SHOW US THE STUFF HILLARY”! It’s time your supporter see the real Hillary Rodham Clinton stand up. It’s time to raise doubts about her.
    · Federal archivists at the Clinton Presidential Library blocking the release of hundreds of pages of White House papers on pardons that the former president approved, including clemency for fugitive commodities trader Marc Rich, and two men who each paid Sen. Clinton’s brother, Hugh Rodham, about $200,000 to lobby the White House for pardons — one for a drug conviction and one for mail fraud and perjury convictions.
    · Monica Lewinsky Scandal. Obviously her husband has moral issues, and will more surface?
    · Bill Clinton Impeachment while a sitting President. Because of Sen. Hillary Clinton ill dealings, will she be impeached too, during her presidency, if she became the President?
    · Controversy over Hillary Cattle Futures Contracts, where it was reported that she invested $1,000 and profited $100,000 from it. Maybe a deal like this is why she won’t show us the money!
    · Whitewater Scandal. White Water Corporation, was own in part, by Bill and Hillary Clinton. Read on, it gets deadly.
    · Hillary and Maggie Williams involvement in the removal of documents from Vince Foster office relating to White Water Development Corporation, after Foster was found in a park dead. They said he committed suicide, but some independent investigators didn’t buy it! Doesn’t this sound a lot like the movie Tom Cruise played in, called “THE FIRM”?
    · Jim McDougal was convicted of 18 felony counts of fraud conspiracy charges. His Savings and Loan Company was partnered with White Water Corporation, and Hillary has the audacity to bring up Tony Rezko. “Shame On YOU Senator Clinton”
    · Travel Gate, the stirring of travel business to Clinton’s friends: First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton gradually came under scrutiny for making false statements about the central role she played in the firings of seven longtime employees of the White House Travel Office, who were later reinstated after an investigation, when learned that Senator Clinton made false statements about her role in it.
    · Behind closed doors, the Clinton Administration put pressure on web giant “Hotwired”, to pull the link “Skeleton Closet” from “Hotwired” website, and then later said they did no such thing.
    · Mayo told Hillary Clinton Quarterly, that when a woman’s opponents are having trouble finding dirt on her, “this is always the fallback.” This was in reference to the rumors that Hillary Clinton, Donna Shalala, and Janet Reno are lesbians. John McCain may use this, but Barack is such a gentleman, and he respects Hillary as a wife and mother, therefore he’ll never go there.

    Senator Obama wants to, and should remain a gentleman. Therefore, I’ll fight for him, STRONG WOMAN against STRONG WOMAN, SISTA to SISTER. These are the types of scandalous things, that “if” Sen. Clinton becomes the Democratic nominee, John McCain will surely whip her with them. Because of Hillary secrets and skeletons, THE DEMOCRATS WILL LOSE THE ELECTION, if Senator Clinton is the party nominee. She has to, because her dishes in the sink are mold-dirty. I admire Barack for not letting Hillary lure him to the gutter, and remain focus on winning.
    Barack’s Tony Rezko dealings, Hillary shouts to the world, makes Barack look like a Saint, when compared to her and her husband questionable dealings above. She has dirty dishes in her sink that require tough detergent to wash them, when McCain starts attacking. Can she handle it? I know Barack has proven he can! She shouldn’t take his meekness for weakness, because when he strikes back, she won’t be able to withstand the raft of OBAMA.
    She’ll be just like BUSH, hiding what really happen behind a crisis such as 911. Can we elect someone like him again? E-MAIL THIS – AMERICA HAS TO KNOW THE REAL HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

  • http://www.inhelponline.com Daniel

    I couldn’t understand some parts of this article Essence.com blog: Why Obama should skip Tavis Smiley’s State of the Black Union, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.

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