Cornel West yanks Obama’s credentials as a black man
I just finished reading Princeton academic Cornel West’s diatribe against Barack Obama, in which West complains that “my dear brother Barack Obama has a certain fear of free black men” and calls Obama “a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats.”
West frames his disenchantment in terms of class struggle, and argues that Obama has chosen the wrong side, selling out less fortunate Americans in return for the favor of the powerful.
“The escalation of the class war against the poor and the working class is intense,” West writes. “More and more working people are beaten down. They are world-weary. They are into self-medication. They are turning on each other. They are scapegoating the most vulnerable rather than confronting the most powerful.”
“When you look at a society you look at it through the lens of the least of these, the weak and the vulnerable; you are committed to loving them first, not exclusively, but first, and therefore giving them priority,” West writes.
Many on the left do criticize Obama for being too mainstream and insufficiently aggressive on behalf of those less fortunate. While that debate is legitimate, I think those who make such claims are for the most part politically naive about Obama himself and about the political environment in which he operates. But again, it is a legitimate topic of discussion. The issue of whether Obama has been too gentle with Wall Street and its supporters is particularly pertinent, given their role in creating our current predicament.
But West does not discuss it legitimately.
In West’s account, Obama has sided with the rich and powerful in part because he “feels most comfortable with upper middle-class white and Jewish men who consider themselves very smart, very savvy and very effective in getting what they want.” But as in most rants, this one includes a tell, an unwitting revelation of its deeper motivation.
“I used to call my dear brother [Obama] every two weeks. I said a prayer on the phone for him, especially before a debate. And I never got a call back. And when I ran into him in the state Capitol in South Carolina when I was down there campaigning for him he was very kind. The first thing he told me was, ‘Brother West, I feel so bad. I haven’t called you back. You been calling me so much. You been giving me so much love, so much support and what have you.’ And I said, ‘I know you’re busy.’ But then a month and half later I would run into other people on the campaign and he’s calling them all the time. I said, wow, this is kind of strange. He doesn’t have time, even two seconds, to say thank you or I’m glad you’re pulling for me and praying for me, but he’s calling these other people. I said, this is very interesting. And then as it turns out with the inauguration I couldn’t get a ticket with my mother and my brother. I said this is very strange. We drive into the hotel and the guy who picks up my bags from the hotel has a ticket to the inauguration. My mom says, ‘That’s something that this dear brother can get a ticket and you can’t get one, honey, all the work you did for him from Iowa.’ Beginning in Iowa to Ohio. We had to watch the thing in the hotel.”
When you committed to “look at a society … through the lens of the least of these, the weak and the vulnerable,” when “you are committed to loving them first … and therefore giving them priority,” you do not whine that the lowly person picking up your bags for you in your very expensive DC hotel somehow wrangled a ticket to the inauguration, while you, the very well-paid Ivy League academic and cultural star who walks among the elite, did not. You cannot attack another for seeking the trappings of power while complaining that you yourself were not supplied the trappings to which you feel yourself entitled.
Or if you do, you give the game away.
As Adam Serwer points out in The American Prospect, West also claims the self-anointed power to confirm or withdraw Obama’s standing as an authentic black man. West withdraws it on the basis of Obama’s ability to feel “at home” “with upper middle-class white and Jewish men” while allegedly harboring “fear of free black men.”
Serwer concludes:
“This remark made me wonder: Which of these men do you think is actually free, and which afraid of who he truly is?”
– Jay Bookman
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846 comments Add your comment
Adam
May 19th, 2011
2:09 pm
md: Wasn’t it just this week that Newt was blasted for his social engineering comment??
Yeah but no one on the left is picking this up as a talking point to persist for months and years. They’re only talking about it as “haha that’s pretty funny”
aaaaaand this half and half talk towards the end there is just stupid. Are you calling him a mudblood? Are we back in grade school now?
Jay
May 19th, 2011
2:10 pm
The Israelis will not be happy…
Good.
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:12 pm
Obama WH spin
Carney was asked straight up on Tuesday if he would talk about a report in the Israeli paper Yedioth Ahronoth, which said a purported draft of Obama’s speech calls for Israel to return to the pre-1967 borders. His response:
“Yes, I can. That report is completely false. We have not shared a draft of the speech with anyone outside of the administration.”
Dave R.
May 19th, 2011
2:12 pm
Mick, never mind Adam.
I don’t.
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:13 pm
I like Austan
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0511/no_laughing_matter_aa8715d3-f385-4dbd-9fa8-dd70b38caf4d.html
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:14 pm
Jay 2:10 nothing like ticking off an ally for no reason since nothing is going to happen anyway. That seems to be the Obama Doctrine these days: offend your allies.
USMC
May 19th, 2011
2:15 pm
“Obama blathers, the government’s finances meanwhile go in the tank.”—jm
Obama and Bill Clinton, Post election 2012 after Obama LOSES:
Obama:
“Bill, What happened, I lost re-election. I am gifted with the teleprompter, and I thought the media and people loved me and….. I LOST!
Bill Clinton:
Simple, Brother… IT’S THE ECONOMY, Stupid!
Adam
May 19th, 2011
2:15 pm
AmVet: Good points. But I’ll take progress over going back to whatever decade the “good ol days” were in. Even if it takes baby steps, it’s better than taking giant leaps backward through war, reduction in disease research, reduction in LIFE SAVING regulations, denial of basic science, reliance on the idea of a “mandate” that had nothing to do with the election in question, etc.
USMC
May 19th, 2011
2:16 pm
“The Israelis will not be happy…Good.”—Jay Bookman
Jay must HATE Jews…
(see we can borrow a page from the Liberal Playbook too
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:16 pm
I think Obama’s mind is all twisted up. Since he got slapped in the face by Iran and others, and realized he can’t coddle and hug the enemy, he’s elected to start ticking off all our allies. Briiilllllliant.
He must need a shot of espresso or something.
Adam
May 19th, 2011
2:17 pm
Dave, Mick, Many a truth are spoken in jest.
DebbieDoRight
May 19th, 2011
2:17 pm
Dave R Can take a joke…he’s cool.
Oh wait, unless you tell a joke about Saaarrrraaahhhhh…..then all bets are off!
Go Miami! Beat those upstart Bulls!!! Game 3 on Saturday!
DebbieDoRight
May 19th, 2011
2:20 pm
jm: Jay 2:10 nothing like ticking off an ally for no reason since nothing is going to happen anyway. That seems to be the Obama Doctrine these days: offend your allies.
They’ve been bought and paid for, just like Pakistan. True allies don’t need billions of dollars a year just to remain your friend. Ask England.
Dave R.
May 19th, 2011
2:20 pm
Jay, I guess I’m a bit old fashioned, but if someone were to attack, say the United States of America, and we ended up kicking same attackers butts, why couldn’t we keep the land we took from them in the butt-whipping?
Are we supposed to give back Texas to Mexico because we took it by force?
Are we required to give back the colonies to England because we won?
If the antagonists had won in 1967, would they have to give back their gains to Israel?
What is war about, if not ultimately to gain land? Why should Israel’s gains be forfeit? Because they are Israel?
Not seeing it, Jay.
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:21 pm
Who do I like better? A bunch of high-tech, democratically managed, hard working folks? Or a bunch of people who still live in the comparative dark ages, with beliefs that are equally sophisticated?
I like Israel.
DebbieDoRight
May 19th, 2011
2:21 pm
Adam: Even if it takes baby steps, it’s better than taking giant leaps backward through war, reduction in disease research, reduction in LIFE SAVING regulations, denial of basic science, reliance on the idea of a “mandate” that had nothing to do with the election in question, etc.
Amen Brother Adam, Amen.
Jay
May 19th, 2011
2:21 pm
When we took Texas, everyone in Texas became US citizens with the right to vote, Dave R.
Is Israel going to give the Palestinians the right to vote? Own and buy property? Etc.? The answer is no, because Israel would soon cease to be a Jewish state. The implication is an Israel that operates as an apartheid state.
USMC
May 19th, 2011
2:22 pm
“Oh wait, unless you tell a joke about Saaarrrraaahhhhh…..then all bets are off!”
Another unattractive, unintelligent, unsuccessful, dependent woman JEALOUS of Sarah Palin
ooooohhhhhh, the HATE is boiling inside of you!
AmVet
May 19th, 2011
2:22 pm
Adam, agreed.
It is my fervent hope is that BHO, in his second term, lives up to some of his so far, unfilled potential, as a man who took on the failed status quo in a major way.
And yes, given the debacle that is the modern day GOP presidential candidate, I’d say the odds are *very* much in favor of him staying at 1600.
It is funny, because the older I get, I also get younger. In that I mean, I become more impatient and less willing to buy into the BS. Where are the men of great moral courage making valiant efforts to tackle the myriad of problems in this greatest of nations, that these little men will not.
And this tinkering around the edges of these great issues does not impress me.
We deserve better, and somebody needs to help us take back OUR power and our sacred sovereignty from Wall Street and Beijing…
DebbieDoRight
May 19th, 2011
2:23 pm
Another unattractive, unintelligent, unsuccessful, dependent woman JEALOUS of Sarah Palin
Your sister joined the blog forum? Wicked!
Jay
May 19th, 2011
2:24 pm
But let me finish my AJC column for tomorrow and we’ll tackle this more directly.
USMC
May 19th, 2011
2:25 pm
Obama is the new ARAFAT…
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=221383
Jay
May 19th, 2011
2:26 pm
I like Israel too, jm. I like it very much. And its present course is longterm suicide, as even many Israelis understand.
Friends don’t stand back in silence and let friends commit suicide.
DebbieDoRight
May 19th, 2011
2:27 pm
AmVet: We deserve better, and somebody needs to help us take back OUR power and our sacred sovereignty from Wall Street and Beijing…
I’m hoping by his second term that “Angry Black Man”, will come out to play.
AmVet
May 19th, 2011
2:27 pm
jm, ask yourself this question.
Why have American Jews voted OVERWHELMINGLY against Republicans for the past eight decades?
md
May 19th, 2011
2:28 pm
“aaaaaand this half and half talk towards the end there is just stupid. Are you calling him a mudblood? Are we back in grade school now?”
And what prey tell are you yammering about now?
I think you may want to go back and read if you are trying to attribute this to me………may help you look not quite as silly…………..
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:29 pm
This speech was non-news. Nothing is going to happen…. especially not right now with an Egypt and Syria in complete turmoil. Obama is delusional.
Dave R.
May 19th, 2011
2:29 pm
“Is Israel going to give the Palestinians the right to vote? Own and buy property? Etc.? The answer is no, because Israel would soon cease to be a Jewish state. The implication is an Israel that operates as an apartheid state.”
But isn’t that Israel’s choice to make, Jay? When are their borders no longer sovereign?
stands for decibels
May 19th, 2011
2:29 pm
When we took Texas, everyone in Texas became US citizens with the right to vote, Dave R.
as opposed to keeping those residents in limbo for 40+ years…
I’m not unsympathetic to the notion that “to the victor go the spoils” and all that, but sooner or later Israel has to s–t or get off the pot with regards to, you know, the actual inhabitants of the occupied territories.
Message from Matti
May 19th, 2011
2:30 pm
AmVet: “We deserve better, and somebody needs to help us take back OUR power and our sacred sovereignty from Wall Street and Beijing…”
So, how do you like our chances?
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:31 pm
AmVet – I don’t disagree regarding the tilt (though I’d like to see a poll). But I’ve got plenty of Republican Jewish friends, so I don’t know that I’d say “overwhelmingly”. But the obvious issue is historic civil rights progress.
But eventually people vote for their wallet, at which point Republicans will win.
Mick
May 19th, 2011
2:31 pm
usmc
Jeez, what happened with you? Did obama steal your seat at columbia? Or did he push you out of your plush community organizing job in chicago? What’s up with all the daggers? He is ok, not bad, not great and there is not one repub right now who could be doing any better, not with all the complex problems confronting us. Give the president a break, do you really believe mccain/palin would have been better?
BADA BING
May 19th, 2011
2:31 pm
AJC headline, online right now, about the woman who shot her would-be rapist .”Woman: I shot him as many times as I could”. Best headline EVER.
DebbieDoRight
May 19th, 2011
2:32 pm
Swarming Miami Heat defense puts the wraps on Derrick Rose
After dominating Game 1, Derrick Rose struggled against a Heat defense intent on making sure he didn’t steal the show again.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/19/2223735/swarming-miami-heat-defense-puts.html#ixzz1MpBimQSk
stands for decibels
May 19th, 2011
2:34 pm
AmVet – I don’t disagree regarding the tilt (though I’d like to see a poll).
here’s a list of exit polling results, you can decide for yourself if the sampling is accurate…
http://www.njdc.org/site/page/jewish_vote_for_obama_exceeds_all_expectations
it’s in line with other stuff I’d seen, though.
md
May 19th, 2011
2:35 pm
“Why have American Jews voted OVERWHELMINGLY against Republicans for the past eight decades?”
I’d like to hear your answer……..I’ve read some accounts from jews themselves that relate it to Christianity inside the r party………
Billy D
May 19th, 2011
2:37 pm
Cornel West has done what any honest observer has done-He has pointed out the facts and Obama comes up lacking. I agree with Brother West that Obama has allied himself with the interests of his campaign donors and not with the interests of their victims-the working class. Case in point nothing has been or will be done to allieviate the foreclosure crisis that disproportionately affects communities of color. There has been no meaningful jobs initiative to stem the tide of unemployment of young black males which stands at 60% in some communities.
Yet when Cornel West correctly points out that Obama was raised within the confines of a mid western white family, he is being labelled as racist and out of touch. The messenger may not be perfect but the message is on point.
getalife
May 19th, 2011
2:37 pm
Stay the course.
Tundra Dude
May 19th, 2011
2:37 pm
JB wrote:
Isreael returning to its 1967 borders has been a central part of US foreign policy since, well, 1967.
Owww…. say it ain’t so…changing presidents doesn’t change foreign policy….??
The Impotence of Elections
By paul craig roberts (Ronaldo’s Ass’t Treasury Sec)
Elections mean nothing, as both parties are dependent on the same powerful interest groups for campaign funds. The most powerful interest groups are the military/security complex, which includes the Pentagon, the CIA, and the corporations that service them, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, the oil industry that is destroying the Gulf of Mexico, Wall Street (investment banks and hedge funds), the insurance companies, the pharmaceutical companies, and the agri-companies that produce food of questionable content.
These corporate powers comprise an oligarchy that cannot be dislodged by voting.
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:38 pm
sfd 2:34 – if you have a 2010 exit poll, that would be handy…. (solely as a tool for relative perspective)
nevermind, found the answer to my own question-
Of particular interest in this election was some exit polling regarding the Jewish vote. On its face, the Jewish vote did not shift as strongly to the right as many Republicans had hoped, despite President Obama’s willingness and indeed comfort in openly challenging Israel in multiple forums. According to exit polling taken by various Jewish organizations, Jewish voters chose the Republican Party at a rate of approximately 30%, which is modestly higher than average.
Shari Louise
May 19th, 2011
2:39 pm
I grew up in South Central LA, Watts. I knew this guy wasn’t Black. I only voted for him because Reve. Al suggested it. I’m glad to hear this comment. Now all we have to do is hog tie Whoopi Goldberg, who is so Black, she took up a Jewish name so she could get a career. She won’t even use her real name. Talk about trying to be white.
My husband was a community organizer for the same organization Obama worked for, up in Sacramento. That was just a front for the mob. They took the money, and it went straight to a slush fund. Obviously nothing changed in Chicago. Eerybody is just as poor.
AND SURPRISE – I’M WHITE. I GREW UP IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. IF I CAN TELL, THAT’S PRETTY BAD. I WAS IN A CIRCLE K IN LAS VEGAS LAST MONTH, AND A BLACK PANTHER GUY STARTED RANTING TO ME, ABOUT WHAT A JERK OBAMA WAS — I TOLD HIM, YOU’RE NOT GETTING ANY ARGUMENTS FROM ME. I COULD HAVE TOLD YOU HE WAS WHITE.
getalife
May 19th, 2011
2:40 pm
“These corporate powers comprise an oligarchy that cannot be dislodged by voting.”
The game is rigged and corrupt.
What do you propose?
md
May 19th, 2011
2:40 pm
And here Adam, I’ll repost my quote in context:
“The right, on the other hand, seems to embrace every extreme statement that comes from their side.”
“Wasn’t it just this week that Newt was blasted for his social engineering comment??”
Pretty straight forward response to a statement if you ask me………………
willie lynch
May 19th, 2011
2:41 pm
I hope Obama’s not the new Arafat our the Israeli’s will kill him too.
How is it that so many support all the uprisings in the MIddle East and Africa but when the people being mistreated by Israel stand up they are called terrorist. One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
May 19th, 2011
2:41 pm
Of Men and MiceTraps & liberalefty:
LOL ……… at you !
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:41 pm
More important than Obama’s speech by far: CDC is providing Zombie warnings and alerts.
Ready for a zombie apocalypse? CDC has advice
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/19/zombie.warning/index.html?hpt=Sbin
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
May 19th, 2011
2:41 pm
Headline: “Obama tells Israel to resume 1967 borders”
Hummmmmm …………….. I wonder what El Jeffe would say if Chief Thunderthud told us to resume our 1607 borders ?
getalife
May 19th, 2011
2:42 pm
They are going to try to get Tunisia and Egypt for the global economy, new world order if you will.
More cheap labor.
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:43 pm
Scout – did you see the Secret Service tweet?
buck@gon
May 19th, 2011
2:43 pm
“Thomas, it’s perfectly legitimate to bring up food stamps usage. That’s not what Gingrich did, though, is it? He used it as a label, as if it somehow defined Obama.”
Jay,
What nonsense! You what you are making is called a “distinction without a difference”, or one might say, “sophistry”. What Thomas said echoes more loudly still, especially with such an inadequate answer from you. This is how the press treats Obama. Whatever he says is a final answer not open to questions.
So, if we take you seriously (always a risky prospect), we might assume criticism of Obama is legitimate ONLY if we give no indication of LABELING him? This is the trap John McCain fell for when he decided to always treat Obama with kid gloves for fear of himself being LABELED by jerks like YOU, JAY BOOKMAN. How often is it that conservatives start from minus 10 in the polls because we have to overcome ubiquitous labeling because we have let liberals define us?
I think your dippety boss, Cynthia Tucker needs to have a talk with you about labels and how they are perfectly OK to use. I saw “cowboy antics” on one of her two blogs this month, for starters.
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:44 pm
Scout – see link
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0511/mistweet_6e5bc846-6dd2-4afd-9d35-e0d9138547f9.html
getalife
May 19th, 2011
2:44 pm
How ya feeling Scout?
Tee
May 19th, 2011
2:44 pm
I can think for myself thank you…..
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
May 19th, 2011
2:45 pm
jm:
No. I’ve been gone since 2002 but what did the “tweet” say ?
P.S. When I started we used “teletypes” …………….
)
AmVet
May 19th, 2011
2:46 pm
so I don’t know that I’d say “overwhelmingly”.
Then you would, my friend, be incorrect.
And here’s your proof:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/jewvote.html
“But eventually people vote for their wallet, at which point Republicans will win.”
Interesting. I guess, like the blacks and other minorities they just can’t see the “truth” regarding GOP wisdom, huh?
“So, how do you like our chances?”
Matti, I don’t. UNLESS we start taking chances, empowering ourselves in a vibrant democracy (once again) and quit settling for the evil of the two lessers.
90% of us think America is in decline.
75% (AND GROWING) think corporations have too much control over our government and our lives.
66% (AND GROWING) think the two major political parties are failing us.
“Freedom is participation in power.” ~Marcus Cicero
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
May 19th, 2011
2:47 pm
getalife :
Super ………… can’t you tell …………..
Seriously, thanks for asking.
Dave R.
May 19th, 2011
2:47 pm
“The game is rigged and corrupt.
What do you propose?”
Keeping stupid people from voting would be a good start.
But then what would liberals do on Election Day with all that time off?
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
May 19th, 2011
2:48 pm
jm:
Ha ! I know Ed from way back. A good guy in a tough position.
getalife
May 19th, 2011
2:50 pm
“90% of us think America is in decline.
75% (AND GROWING) think corporations have too much control over our government and our lives.
66% (AND GROWING) think the two major political parties are failing us.”
We are getting closer to change.
Not there yet.
SaveOurRepublic
May 19th, 2011
2:52 pm
I’m not a “fan” of West or BHO, but West had it somewhat correct…the current POTUS (like most all since JFK) is a puppet…but for the Globalist Elite. Of course, the Elite compromise many “arms”…the Central Banking Cartel (who’s largely arm & arm with Wall $treet) who JFK stood against, the military-industrial complex (whom Eisenhower warned of) & the “Sheepletainment” industry. Whether referred to as the “shadow government”, “NWO” or whatever…they are the true shot-callers (dynasty families such as the Rockefellers, Rothschilds, etc.).
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:52 pm
oh boy. headline.
Knesset member: Obama is the new Arafat…
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
May 19th, 2011
2:53 pm
Headline: “OBAMA SIDES WITH PALESTINIANS”
What do you expect from a “Muslim” president?
Note: Muslim is in quotes meaning I don’t know if he is one or not but he sure identifies with them as opposed to being 100% American. Our first “foreign” president and that has nothing to do with birth location.
jm
May 19th, 2011
2:53 pm
Jay – take note. Obama pulled a “FOX 5 Deal” on the Boston Herald.
“Former Bay State Gov. Mitt Romney fired back at President Obama for barring the Herald from full access to the presidential visit to Boston yesterday, saying the commander-in-chief’s “retribution” against the media has no place in the White House.
“The media has a responsibility to be truthful and to be interesting, and the Herald is both of those things,” Romney said last night. “The president barring the Herald from attending a presidential event flies in the face of the spirit of the First Amendment.””
getalife
May 19th, 2011
2:54 pm
Good news Scout.
getalife
May 19th, 2011
2:54 pm
I agree with that Secret Service agent’s tweet on fox.
Nothing but gop propaganda blather.
I can’t watch it too.
Doggone/GA
May 19th, 2011
2:58 pm
“Romney said last night. “The president barring the Herald from attending a presidential event flies in the face of the spirit of the First Amendment.””
Like protest “zones”?
whocares
May 19th, 2011
2:59 pm
@ Joyce, Bill Cosby called out the black family, and they damn near disowned him. There are a lot of issues to address in society…but the black community in general. We have to start with ourselves first.
WOODSTOCK MIKE
May 19th, 2011
3:02 pm
African Americans #1 enemy = THEMSELVES
Libertarian
May 19th, 2011
3:02 pm
I wonder what his definition of the “most vulnerable” is?
His argument is basically saying that all poor people are black and all rich/upper middle class/investment bankers are white and/or jewish. He’s basically demeaning his own race.
andygrdzki
May 19th, 2011
3:03 pm
@G Cancryn
They sure went with a Weiner…….. I mean winner……
People say the Repubs are bought and paid for,,, think this shows Dems are bought and paid for… now we know why the Government supports unions…… The Dems are bought and paid for by the unions… not the Small Business guys….. Do you remember….
(AP) President Barack Obama on Friday issued an executive order backing the use of union labor for large-scale federal construction projects.
The order encourages federal agencies to have construction contractors and subcontractors enter project labor agreements. Those agreements require contractors to negotiate with union officials, recognize union wages and benefits and generally abide by collective-bargaining agreements.
Obama’s order restores a Clinton administration order that was revoked by President George W. Bush.
It is the fourth union-friendly executive order that Obama has signed since he’s been in office, and one of about a dozen orders put in place by Bush that labor leaders have urged Obama to repeal.
“Project labor agreements are a win-win for everyone involved,” said James Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. “Contractors get highly trained, skilled labor with fixed costs, and workers are fairly compensated with their rights and safety protected.”
But the Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade group, said the order would unfairly steer federal construction contracts to unionized contractors despite the fact that 84 percent of U.S. construction workers do not belong to labor unions.
ABC president Kirk Pickerel said the effect would “drive up costs for American taxpayers” by reducing competitive bidding on projects.
Good for Unions, bad for the American Taxpayer…. so what else is new…. You talk about Cheney and Haliburton,,,,, These are all the construction unions… great payback
Bruno
May 19th, 2011
3:04 pm
AmVet–Rapture on Saturday. Time to get right with Jesus.
md
May 19th, 2011
3:07 pm
“Thousands of Spaniards defied a ban on a pre-election demonstration and mounted a protest camp in the heart of the Spanish capital to express anger at political parties and the country’s handling of the economic crisis.”
Yet another utopian socialist country feeling the rath of the masses…………so…..capitalism doesn’t work…..socialism doesn’t work………… and communism doesn’t work………….I’d sure like to hear what these folks think does work.
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
May 19th, 2011
3:07 pm
Well, I wish people would make up their mind so I’ll know what to think. Here, we all call Obama a Socialist. Now along comes this guy calling Obama a tool of Wall Street and a slave to the white middle class.
Color me confused. Next thing I know, somebody will be telling me I’m pregnant.
Have a good p.m. everybody.
willie lynch
May 19th, 2011
3:09 pm
whocares
May 19th, 2011
2:59 pm
We need to be more careful in our statements. There were a few highly publicised quotes that spoke to disagreement with Bill Cosby but the “people on the street” were very supportive of him and his message.
Bosch
May 19th, 2011
3:09 pm
So, I hear Jesus is coming back this weekend…..everyone…..look busy.
Dusty
May 19th, 2011
3:10 pm
Could we have a clean sheet upstairs? A nice black & white striped one so everybody can argue.
jm
May 19th, 2011
3:10 pm
Bosch 3:09 –
bad for the blog business though…
Bosch
May 19th, 2011
3:11 pm
Woodstock Mike,
Out of curiosity, would you say you agree or disagree with this statement?
Keep loving your heritage and keep witnessing to others that there is a better way than a war torn, violent, wicked, socialist, new world order. That way is the Christian way – law and order – love of family – love of nation. These are the principles of western Christian civilization. There is a war to destroy these things. Pray that our people see the error of their ways and regain a sense of loyalty. Repent America! Be faithful my fellow believers.
Bosch
May 19th, 2011
3:12 pm
jm,
I’d say it’s bad for all business, maybe Jesus is a Socialist.
getalife
May 19th, 2011
3:12 pm
Jesus meeting the cons would be hilarious.
md
May 19th, 2011
3:13 pm
“So, I hear Jesus is coming back this weekend…..everyone…..look busy.”
I was always told he sees all………and now you want to deceive him?
Good luck with that……………….
whocares
May 19th, 2011
3:13 pm
Here is a food stamp user…I wonder if he is a Republican or Democrat…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_localdtw/20110518/ts_yblog_localdtw/2m-michigan-lottery-winner-defends-use-of-food-stamps
USMC
May 19th, 2011
3:14 pm
“Friends don’t stand back in silence and let friends commit suicide.”–Jay Bookman
We’ve been talking Jay in off of the LEDGE for some time now
AmVet
May 19th, 2011
3:14 pm
Bruno, I’m ready brother! No regrets, no recriminations. Just crank it up loud when the time comes!
SaveOurRepublic, great post.
NWO?
Check out the lyrics in this stunner of a song…
Let me tell you ’bout the new world order
Not the kind to make you run for the border
It’s a new religion wrapped in a revolution
With a proven solution for your mental pollution
Cars and gold bars and chains and diamond rings
These are the symbols, we want the real things
Peace in the soul and a natural insight
Things that please the mind and make the body feel right
Don’t let no one tell you that god ain’t got a sense of humor
Someone said he’s pissed off, but that was just a rumor
I know he’s laughin’ when the preacher starts to scream about
How trippin’ is evil, and sex is unclean
Nature wants your life to go on long and on strong
To have children and show them where you went wrong
So if your life style leads you into hell or into prison
Wake up and listen, this is what you’re missing
Free will, we can’t seem to get our fill
We are beggers, we are choosers drunk on a lack of power
I believe in understanding, I’ve got to know where we’re landing
I’m takin’ my survey now, hands up if you’re with me
Do you want different choices? Can’t hear the quiet voices
Got to dim all the lights, turn down the volume
Put on a little more forgiveness, who’s gonna be my witness?
If we must endure this trial, someone is bound to touch us
Do you want more sex, more comforting
A little more foreplay and afterglow, let my people go
Everybody wants peace on the earth, children sheltering
Calling every man, every woman
We’re gonna take control of our own bodies
Peace breaks out in the battle of the sexes
We start to learn what the other one expects is
We stay away from what the other one rejects is
And have respect for individual perspectives
We’re gonna break out of this cycle of dependency
And liberate each other from a hopeless life of drudgery
And face up to the truth as we dispel all of this secrecy
And simplify the situation when we learn to speak plainly
We’re gonna take control of the machinery
Bad little actors that chew up the scenery
Job number one is gonna be findin’ a way
That we can rave all night and meditate all day
Mankind’s strugglin’ hard to see the light
To hear the voice of the spirit in the night
To lay down his heavy burden and pick up his soul power
And build a heaven on earth hour by hour by hour
Child protection, more careful mate selection
Everyone wants to be wanted by a natural father and mother
Lookin’ for a sense of wonder, don’t let your faith go under
This is a beautiful world, if we could only give up fighting
The answer is surrender, every race, every gender
Beat our swords into plowshares on the anvil of a pure heart
We gotta have honest answers and the courage to take our chances
Opportunity’s knockin’ loud, give me your attention
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qruz4MO6lg&playnext=1&list=PL99B37883F04625FC
Adam
May 19th, 2011
3:14 pm
Sorry md, that last paragraph was lumped in at the end but it was not meant to be attributed to you. Failure of writing on my part
Adam
May 19th, 2011
3:14 pm
Re: Rapture… I’m waiting for The Onion to run a “Obama reveals himself as the Messiah and ascends to heaven alone because everyone is a sinner” story.
Bosch
May 19th, 2011
3:15 pm
getalife,
Yes, indeed it would.
md,
getalife
May 19th, 2011
3:15 pm
The new world order is the countries making the rules in a global economy.
China is winning.
Bosch
May 19th, 2011
3:16 pm
getalife,
“The new world order is the countries making the rules in a global economy.
China is winning”
I think it’s VISA.
AmVet
May 19th, 2011
3:17 pm
jm, LOL!
Maybe he’s a Hebe! The Head Hebe!
jm
May 19th, 2011
3:18 pm
Why would God schedule the Rapture on a Saturday?
Tundra Dude
May 19th, 2011
3:19 pm
getalife@2:40 wrote:
“These corporate powers comprise an oligarchy that cannot be dislodged by voting.”
The game is rigged and corrupt.
What do you propose?
Well, considering even the Supremes support the oligarchy, meaning they think it’s just peachy that our political class become corporate-indentured, I think we could “outbid” them with a genuine People’s Lobby.
Jay
May 19th, 2011
3:20 pm
Yes, Dave R, it would be Israel’s choice to become an apartheid nation.
It would then become our choice whether to continue to support an apartheid nation, as opposed to a fellow democracy with respect for basic human rights.
WOODSTOCK MIKE
May 19th, 2011
3:20 pm
@Bosch
Do I think that society is going away from strict religion in America? YES
Do I believe that law and order – love of family – love of nation are good for society? YES
Do I believe in GOD? YES
Wasn’t clear on what you were asking me…
getalife
May 19th, 2011
3:21 pm
Bosch,
Corps are doing well.
All that cheap labor is utopia for them.
getalife
May 19th, 2011
3:21 pm
“I think we could “outbid” them with a genuine People’s Lobby.”
I was thinking that same thing earlier today.
Scary.
Doggone/GA
May 19th, 2011
3:22 pm
“Why would God schedule the Rapture on a Saturday?”
Reason it out: Jesus is God. Jesus is a Jew. The Jewish sabbath is Saturday. What better day to have a rapture?
AmVet
May 19th, 2011
3:22 pm
“What do you propose?”
What else will get their attention?
(And IMHO, still one of the most explosive, kick ass opening guitar riffs in all of recorded music…)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrkwgTBrW78
WOODSTOCK MIKE
May 19th, 2011
3:23 pm
@Jay
Are you implying that Israel doesn’t respect basic human rights? Israel is the only nation in the Middle East that has a clue, the rest are brainwashed by a violent and suppressive religion…
Bosch
May 19th, 2011
3:23 pm
Woodstock Mike,
I was asking if that particular statement resonates strongly with you — do you agree or disagree with it?