Oh Yeah, Tavis Quit Tom Joyner - Oh, Oh, Oh!

I don't have much to add except to say that Tavis's departure from Tom Joyner looks petty and childish.

(for some of our past coverage of Tavis/Obama, check here, here, and here)

Now, I'll pass the mic to Black Snob and AAPP.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. on Tavis Smiley/PBS tonight

The creator of The Root has some interesting things to say about Obama's big speech yesterday.

Tavis Smiley, SOTBU, and Barack Obama - some final thoughts

I got around to watching the SOTBU.

I tired of Tavis in the past few months because of his repeated condescending commentaries on Tom Joyner insulting Black folk about their support of Barack Obama.

Unlike a lot of Black folk, I've been supporting Obama from early on.

Just recently became an Obamaholic, but I supported him with my money, time, effort, and feet months ago.

I'm tired of Tavis insulting Black folks, intimating that they can't read and choose for themsleves who they want to support.

Quite honestly, he continued that same line of bull at the SOTBU, where he was constantly condescending and questioning the ' emotionalism' of the Black Community's support of Obama.

And, isn't it interesting that Tavis sounds like a milder version of the mocking Billary that has shown up this weekend, insulting Obama AND his supporters. Interesting indeed.

My question, if I had been at the SOTBU, would have been..

I'll have to doubt the RATIONAL thought process of folks supporting someone, Hillary, who the polls have told us, a YEAR OUT

HALF THE COUNTRY HAVE SAID THEY WILL NEVER EVER VOTE FOR HER.

Now, explain to me the RATIONAL thought process behind supporting someone with THOSE kinds of negatives.

Folks have to make up their damn minds about Obama.

You've got those who perpetrate that him voting record is akin to Sam Brownback...which is why we can't vote for him.

Then, there are those who say he is ' too liberal'...and, to be honest, I never thought LIBERAL could be used as a bad word IN BLACK CIRCLES.

Then, there are those who bitch and whine about him not 'talking about Black issues'.

Just exactly what the hell is a Black issue?

I'll give you one that I believe IS a Black issue - retroactivity with regards to those hideous drug sentences....relates to criminal justice, and ' just-us', and the feeding of young Black men and now women to the Prison Industrial Complex.

Well, guess what? Hillary's already told you that she intends to get elected on the back of sending ANOTHER generation of young Black men and women to the Prison Industrial complex - she's AGAINST retroactivity, which puts her to the right of Scalia, and ON PAR WITH UNCLE CLARENCE.

She's ready to get elected on the backs of young Black men and women and tell me again why MY support of Obama is ' emotional'.

Obama is more progressive. Obama is the only chance of ridding ourselves of the Imperial Presidency. If Obama implements HALF of his transparency in government policies, it will transform how government is scene by the average citizen.

Obama was against this war.

Not only did she vote FOR the war, she refuses to apologize for her actions that have cost 4,000 lives, mutli-thousand permanent casualties, nearly 1 TRILLION DOLLARS that could have been used elsewhere.

She refuses to apologize for her vote, and would have had us in IRAN.

Once they race-baited Obama, it wasn't even about Obama anymore.

It was about ANY future Black politician with political aspirations higher than a safe, gerrymandered Congressional seat.

If she is allowed to racebait her way into the nomination, then this will be the future blueprint as to how to take out ANY Black politician, which is why I will NEVER vote for her. I will NEVER be complicit in setting into cement the ceiling for future Black politicians.

Tavis is SUSPECT, because, he didn't just fall off a turnip truck. Stevie Wonder could see the race-baiting being done on Obama, and he didn't say JACK about it.

A LOT of the ' usual suspects' are SUSPECT because of their silence.

If a Republican had done to Barack Obama what the Clintons did, the ' usual suspects' would have been up in arms.

As it is, they were doing Marcel Marceau impersonations.

I fully expect the GOP to go after Obama with race-baiting full throttle.

But, here's the rub...

The GOP has never pretended to be THE FRIEND of the Black community.

And, the Clintons did..but, when push came to shove, and this Uppity Negro began to beat them.....

They pulled out Lee Atwater's manual and used it without abandon.

And, anyone who stands with that race-baiter AFTER she's done that to Obama is SUSPECT, A TOOL, AND NOT TO BE TRUSTED.

If the shoe fits, then Tavis should wear it, no matter how many Black Covenant books he writes.

More SOBU: Jackson Lee Says Don't Be Angry; Sharpton Kills; And More

My people, I have spent some time arranging these clips, so look hard and remember well. There are several, but it's worth it to sit through them.

First up. Around noon, Stephanie Tubbs Jones somehow fixed her face to say that "you can't change the rules just because they favor your candidate." Obviously, there's not much love for her on this blog. I'll limit her to 2 minutes. Watch this.

Next, Sheila Jackson Lee in a short clip about how she's not against anybody but rather the CBC is for somebody. Watch (2 minutes).






Now, a longer segment from SJL really workin it for Senator Clinton. Her key points include Hillary's experience and background which "cannot be challenged" plus the inappropriateness of challenging people's blackness who don't support Obama. Finally she closes talking about how significant sexism still is and how Hillary's nomination would also be historic (check the crowd shot when she says this). This is about 8 minutes. Sorry for the length, but take the time if you can.





My take on some of her comments.

I am a bit disturbed that folks who support Clinton would have their black credentials challenged. I hesitate to be so heavy-handed in judging the average citizen supporting Hillary because I know what it's like to have your blackness called into question, and I hated seeing people do it to Obama.

My issue is not with the average (uninformed) citizen, however. You can support Hillary on her merits. Although I call her "35 years of experience" into question, what I really have a problem with is her claiming "35 years" while only giving Obama credit as a "first term Senator." And I do believe there are legitimate reasons to support her for some of the work she's done and the plans she's laid out.

What I find unacceptable, however, are those black leaders who came out early attacking Obama, questioning his blackness, making insane claims about the blackness of Billary and refusing to see the racial ugliness the Clinton campaign (and not just Bill) injected into this race.

And Ms. Lee, don't tell me not to get angry!

When I'm being told that my legitimate observations are actually orchestrated by the Obama campaign or that votes for my candidate don't count as much as votes for yours and when you can't even bother to congratulate my candidate for his repeat and landslide victories, I'm going to get angry.

When your candidate says my candidate is acting like George W. Bush and Karl Rove and yet falsely accuses him of refusing to take a stand on choice even after being corrected on this lie, I am going to get angry.

When I'm told that my candidate is full of nice speeches but no substance, that he's peddling false hopes and that my well-considered and informed support of him can be explained away by my mindless membership in a cult, I am going to get angry and my anger is justified and you are in no position to deny the validity of that anger. Okay??

The fact is that many supporting Hillary have not merely been for her. They have been part of a systematic effort to destroy Obama and the hope and participation he has helped inject into this campaign. What kind of jackass runs against hope anyway!?

See what you made me do? Now I'm even angrier because you're telling me I don't have the right to be angry.

The final clip is from Al Sharpton who does a fantastic job, really, in delivering an on point, intense rebuttal to the half-truths and lies perpetrated by Tubbs Jones and Jackson Lee, and he does it in just three minutes.





Man, it's 2am. It could be a full time job just responding to b.s. with information. I'm so tired yall. I'll be back tomorrow with clips from Dick Gregory, Bill Simons and Eddie Glaude.

Peace.