Black support for Obama's race-neutral stance is high

I've often wondered about his thinking on all this. Guess he's doing it right.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Discontent is surging among some black advocates over President Barack Obama's refusal to target rising black unemployment, but many black residents in Charlotte, N.C., say they support his racially neutral approach to joblessness.

(snip)

African-Americans interviewed last week by The Associated Press say the president is correct to focus on the needs of all Americans, and black people should take responsibility for solving their own problems.

They include Shenika Simpson, an unemployed single mother. Simpson says Obama "can't just jump in the chair and fix everything within a year."

County NAACP joins protest against “Glenn Beck Day” in Mount Vernon

By GottaLaff

Blech-ch!

The NAACP has now added its voice to the protest against Mount Vernon Mayor Bud Norris' controversial decision to present FOX news TV and radio talk show commentator Glenn Beck with a key to the city Saturday September 26 in a $25 dollar a ticket event called "Glenn Beck Day" in Mount Vernon.

The Snohomish County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People announced its protest Friday with president Janice R. Greene, saying “Holding him up in honor stimulates the worst impulses of human nature and makes a mockery of our nation's values," highlighting Beck's inflammatory July 28th remark that he believed President Obama to be a "racist." [...]

In statement released to media, the NAACP chapter said it sent a letter to Norris requesting a meeting on the matter adding, "Beck has a history of making divisive, offensive statements. [His] ideology is inflammatory and insulting to many of your own constituents."

And what better way to drive that point home than to give him a key to the city, right Mayor?

The NAACP statement went on to say, "we cannot stand idly by while actions are taken which deliberately seek to stimulate the lowest impulses of human nature: using techniques of insult, intimidation, falsity, and fear. The Executive Committee of the Snohomish County Chapter has indicated its unanimous and strenuous objection to this ill-considered action. We have faith that this type of rhetoric and behavior is not embraced by the majority of the citizens of Mount Vernon or those residing in the surrounding communities."

Well, dang, whose brilliant idea was this anyway?

The event was Norris’s idea and was not voted upon by the city council. When Norris asked City Council members if they wanted tickets, six of the seven declined. To date the event is sold out at some 700 tickets.

This guy runs a city? Really? I bet there's mandate that every Tee Vee Machine in Mount Vernon must be set to ClusterFox. Just a hunch.

Kristen Whitener, director of Mount Vernon's Chamber of Commerce has said the chambers has gotten calls from people who are very upset and are threatening not to shop in Mount Vernon.

There goes what's left of their economy. New city motto: Blame it on Blech.

Here's the icing:

Not to be outdone by neighbors to the south of him, Bellingham’s Mayor Dan Pike says he's offering a key to his city to Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's satirical news/comedy program "The Daily Show" and a classic left wing, anti-hero antidote to Beck’s right wing appeal

Pike says if Mount Vernon can give native son Beck a key to the city, "perhaps Bellingham could provide a key to Mr. Stewart for the better reasons of providing cogent yet comedic analysis of news events and personalities."

Mmm, dee-lish.

H/t: BuzzFlash

VIDEO: President Obama's complete NAACP speech

By GottaLaff

Here you go:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

VIDEO: President Obama NAACP Address Close

By GottaLaff

I'm trying like crazy to find the entire speech, but so far, it's excerpts only. Here's another:

VIDEO-- Pres. Obama NAACP Address: Good Parenting, Good Whooping

By GottaLaff



This is the excerpt that got an immediate response in the Twitterverse. Melissa Harris-Lacewell:

Oh LORD! Did he just advocate child abuse. Come on. Beating children you don't know is NOT the meaning of community.

Oliver Willis:

Barack KNEW he could make a whoopin' reference to this crowd. He knew it.

remember when some people were asking if obama was black enough?

President Obama to address NAACP convention in July

Even at the CNN site the comments on this are scary.

NEW YORK (CNN) — President Barack Obama will address the NAACP's centennial convention this summer, the organization announced Tuesday.

Obama, the country's first black president, will address the convention on its final day. Attorney General Eric Holder, New York Gov. David Paterson, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sen. Charles Schumer, Rep. Charles Rangel, retired Gen. Colin Powell and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will also speak at the convention.

Obama's predecessor, President George W. Bush, faced criticism for refusing to address the organization until his sixth year in office.

Bob Jones University is sorry

By GottaLaff

From the Department of Better Late Than Never:

Bob Jones University has apologized for racist policies including a one-time ban on interracial dating that wasn't lifted until nine years ago and its unwillingness to admit black students until 1971.

The private fundamentalist Christian school that was founded in 1927 said its rules on race were shaped by culture instead of the Bible, according to a statement posted Thursday on the university's Web site. [...]

"We failed to accurately represent the Lord and to fulfill the commandment to love others as ourselves. For these failures we are profoundly sorry. Though no known antagonism toward minorities or expressions of racism on a personal level have ever been tolerated on our campus, we allowed institutional policies to remain in place that were racially hurtful," the statement said. [...]

Bob Jones University President Stephen Jones decided to issue the apology because the school still receives questions about its views on race.

The leader of the South Carolina NAACP said the civil rights group welcomed the statement.

"It's unfortunate it took them this long - particularly a religious, faith-based institution - to realize that we all are human beings and the rights of all people should be respected and honored," said Lonnie Randolph, president of the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Randolph said that when Jones became president three years ago, he asked the civil rights leader not to hold the decisions made under his father and grandfather against him.

File this under "Never should have happened in the first place."

North Carolina cops investigated for MySpace slurs toward Obama

By GottaLaff

Two posts in a row on racism by the police make Laffy a very sad blogger:

Police in Durham, NC, are investigating derogatory and potentially racist Web postings from at least two of their officers directed at Barack Obama.

Details of the investigation remain murky, and Durham's chief of police has insisted that a "racial slur" is not the subject of the investigation, but civil rights groups are demanding more information.

The local NAACP says police need to release copies of the Web postings, which appeared on officers' MySpace or Facebook pages.

Durham's NAACP president Fred Foster Jr.:

"We believe that if these comments are against people of color, then it will be hard for those officers to serve and protect without prejudice and that they should not be allowed to wear the uniform representing public trust." [...]

"There's no exact words that were said," said Police Chief Jose L. Lopez Sr. told the paper. "It wasn't a racial slur, but we're still investigating it."

Why? ::heavy sigh::

Coffin with Obama's photo displayed at early voting station

By GottaLaff

Crossing the line has become a habit with anti-Obama types. This is disgusting:

A former North Carolina County Commissioner displayed a coffin carrying the photograph of Sen. Barack Obama outside an early voting station Saturday, setting of a firestorm from the NAACP.

The National Association of Colored Persons wrote a letter today asking both political parties and its members to condemn the coffin. The NAACP's Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II says the symbol suggests a death threat as a way to demean a candidate, and possibly intimidate voters, or frighten them away from the polls.

The coffin was displayed by a former Craven County Commissioner, Bill Harper for several hours at the firestation used for early voting in Craven County.

Craven, indeed.

Election officials and polling staff were aware of the display and told Harper that he needed to stay behind the line where political supporters and political signs must stay.

[...]Harper was not fined or arrested as the coffin display did not violate any laws.

Harper said he displayed the coffin because it "symbolizes his belief that democrats will tax Americans to death if they are elected" and that he first displayed it in 1992 when Bill Clinton ran against George H. W. Bush.

What is happening to this country? Two more days.