CBC accuses Tea Party of wanting to lynch blacks.

Posted by on Thursday, September 1, 2011 · 29 Comments 

Today reports are out in the press that the Congressional Black Congress has accused the T-Party of being racist and house representative Andre Carson of Indiana went as far as to suggest that some members of the T-Party might want to string a few black folks up.  Now, I’m no fan of the T-Party and I don’t doubt that there are some folks within it that harbor racist sentiment, but the fact that there exists racist people shouldn’t be exactly earth shattering for those of the blood Afric– so my thing is this—now that you’ve made the accusation, now what?  Am I supposed to believe that the eradication of racist elements within the tea party is going to improve the conditions within the African-American community?  If I’m a black man who’s concerned about what’s happening in black communities, where should I spend my time?  Should I be convincing white folks to eradicate the racist elements and reform themselves or should I be trying to reform myself and build my own thing and my own community independently of how someone else “feels”?   I choose the latter because to do otherwise is to cede power unnecessarily by allowing one’s progress to be held hostage to someone’s feelings.  It sets up the paradigm that I can’t progress unless white folks change their minds.  I reject that notion on its face and that’s the main reason I don’t like to bother with accusations of racism.  It merely repeats what’s already known and does little to advance my agenda.  I could care less about reforming racists, but I care a great deal about mitigating any effect they can have on my circumstances.  That means that I need the power to do that and that never comes from begging someone else to reform their behavior.  That only comes from reforming and controlling my own behavior.   Ultimately, I know this–the world has to deal with you based on how you see yourself.  If you deal as a victim, you’ll be treated as one.  If you deal as an equal, you’ll be treated as one.  And just as that works individually, so too does it work in a collective sense.   Black folks need to start changing the conversation beyond accusations of racism.  This has the effect of limiting our voices when we need to be weighing in on a whole host of issues. 

Having said that, I think it’s useful to examine what possible outgrowth can come out of these accusations of the T-Party.  Can we really expect the T-Party to find and expunge the racists among them?  That’s doubtful.  But assuming that they were agreeable to that, would that mitigate joblessness, marauding flash mobs and the litany of woes that plague the African-American community?  That’s even more doubtful.  The CBC knows this as well as I do, so what gives here?

It’s vote gathering time for the 2012 presidential elections and there’s nothing like a few scare tactics to galvanize folks to the polls and a few well placed accusations of racism is presumed to be all that’s needed to get black turnout up.  This is a little like what the T-Party types pull off on the right with the scare tactics about  Obama being a socialist, the birther nonsense and etc.  The issue isn’t whether black folks will vote democratic as the democrats have a lock on the vote. The issue is enthusiasm or turnout which seems to be lagging across all the demographics that supported Obama in 2008.

There’s a reason for that waning enthusiasm.    Obama has not attempted to do what he promised.  Looking at what he could do pragmatically, most of his supporters  knew that he’d be facing entrenched interests and change was the last thing these interests wanted, but they  figured he’d put up a fight even if he didn’t win all of the battles.  He certainly had before him an historic opportunity to do so given the crisis we were in (and remain in).  So the fact that he failed at changing much isn’t really the issue, but the fact that he hasn’t tried is where the problem lies.  Not only has he not tried, he’s actually bent over backwards to accommodate those same forces who’ve been the source of the problem on the economic front and he’s extended the Bush policies largely on the foreign policy front.  He’s continued the neocon wet dreams of a middle east takeover with the attack on Libya, designs on Syria with Iran being the target once Syria is done.   He’s not only lacked the backbone to face down those on the right, but has actually helped advance their agenda by extending the Bush tax cuts and caving on the debt ceiling negotiations by ensuring that the burden of austerity is on the backs of the people rather than those who’ve caused this mess.  Most of this is just unforgivable and like I said, there’s a reason for the waning support.

To add insult to injury in the African-American community, his recent bus tour included no African-American communities, many of which have been devastated by the nation’s economic reversals.  His concern is to shore up the waning white vote while deferring to the CBC and others to handle getting black folks to turn out.  And because Obama has not done what he’s promised, the only thing in the CBC’s hand is T-Party racism.  There’s really nothing else they can offer as a compelling reason to support Obama and rather than delve into some of the issues with Obama, they just want to change the subject.  As an aside, this does a real disservice to their constituents by effectively muting the African-American community by limiting our offer to the political discourse to concerns about T-Party racism.  This limits our ability to weigh in on the larger issues and virtually eliminates any political influence that could be exerted to make Obama (or anyone else) accountable.   It’s this sort of positioning that leaves us powerless.

My vote or my trust does not come cheaply.  To gain the support from some of us, Obama is going to need far more than racial solidarity or T-Party racism as compelling reasons.  Yes, we know that there’s been some stuff set up against you, but those of us who watch closely can also see where you’ve actually helped in that regard and that opens the question as to what you’re about.  Moreover, some of us are a bit too sophisticated to fall for the oki-doke being laid down by the CBC and we don’t like getting played.  I’m not saying that I’m about to go over to the dark side (i.e. republicans), but I’m damn sure just considering sitting on my hands come election day.  Increasingly, that’s looking like the only sensible thing to do when there’s no real choice and I’m tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. 

  

 

 

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  • Anonymous

    “And because Obama has not done what he’s promised, the only thing in the CBC’s hand is T-Party racism.”
    .
    I have addressed all this in previous posts. All black leadership has is racism, they are bankrupt of any ideas or morality..
    “I’m not saying that I’m about to go over to the dark side (i.e. republicans)”
    .
    Blacks are slowly becoming the less important part of the Democrat party. Hispanics and illegals are the big play and Democrats know blacks won’t go anywhere else. Ole Barack may throw ya’s a small bone of some sort, but you folks are yesterday’s news. Remember, Barack left his heart in San Francisco, not Newark, NJ or Gary, Indiana.
    .
    If Blacks had any brains they’d be sitting down NOW with Republican leadership and having a conversation. Right now they have some play, they wait too long, they’ll have little to offer.  Forget about love, see if common ground could be found.

    • http://theafricanamericanclarioncall.com Greg L

      "If Blacks had any brains they'd be sitting down NOW with Republican leadership and having a conversation. Right now they have some play, they wait too long, they'll have little to offer."

      And what is it that we have to offer the republican party?  A few black faces in the marketing literature so diversity can be marketed to those whites who have some disquiet the lack of diversity in that party?  I guess we'll be "less valuable" in that regard if it's able to put some Hispanics to work in that regard.   Moreover, It's a well known fact that fact that if the republican party could garner 15% or so of the African American votes, they'd be far more competitive in national contests and that's all they care about.  Thanks but no thanks.  The republican party has even less to offer than the democrats do and some of us aren't into trading who we dress windows for.

      The path to power for African-Americans lies not in supporting the two party structure as neither of them give a damn about us.  The path to power and relevance lies directly in fixing what ails the community.  To do that will require the development of a vision and the supporting management skills to turn things around.  This needs to be an indigenous effort done totally independently. The outcome of that would necessarily build self respect and confidence.  A successful effort would see no shortage of people trying to jump on the bandwagon while we'd displace those elements that make a living off the misery and chaos that currently exists.  This thing is not about siren song offered by the political parties and it's really not about bidding for a spot on your bus in support of your agenda.  It's about power and our agenda.  And you don't get that seeking others to confer it with offers of window dressing.  We've got to put in some work and forthrightly address the challenges in front of us. Bottom line is that neither political party has any particular relevance to that agenda.

      The challenge for African-American leadership is the defining of an agenda strictly independent of the political system.  That doesn't mean that we constantly run outside of it or don't deal with it, but the fact of the matter is that unless we develop our communities, there's no capacity to accept any "spoils" from supporting a political party and the operative definition of spoils goes well beyond black folks in controlled patronage jobs or the opportunity to bask in the klieg lights while representing someone else. Thanks but no thanks.

      ________________________________

      • Anonymous

        “The republican party has even less to offer than the democrats do and some of us aren’t into trading who we dress windows for. ”
        .
        There in lies the problem… you are looking for offers. If that is the case, stick with the Democrats. What is needed is a party that offers less “help” and more room for self reliance. That is the Republicans. They don’t offer love, but they won’t tell you how to enjoy your burger and they’ll let you enjoy what you have earned.
        .
         ”To do that will require the development of a vision and the supporting management skills to turn things around.  This needs to be an indigenous effort done totally independently.”
        .
        I pointed this out in a previous posting on here, about the endless talk panels. Ask them about economic development and get a deer in the headlights look from them. I’d repost it but thanks to Verizon’s ineptness over a FIOS installation, I am reduced to dial up and can not go from page to page easily.
        .
        Blacks have to start demanding real solutions from their leadership instead of Vietnam War era retread social thinking. This retooling will require blacks ask very hard questions of the encrusted leadership they  now have and demand their replacement with people experienced in private economic development in these self appointed saviors can’t produce a serious plan.
        .
        The rest of America has to do the same. The world is changing and Americans haven’t accepted it.

        • http://theafricanamericanclarioncall.com Greg L

          >>>There in lies the problem… you are looking for offers.<<

          You're too busy wanting to say what you want to say rather than actually reading what I'm advocating.  If you did that, you'd understand that I'm not advocating looking from anything from anybody, particularly the republican party.

          Some of us don't want offers and furthermore, we're not looking to "offer" a black face so someone can present a "color garden" for their marketing schemes which is basically what the republican party is about..  For the most part, this is all that's being offered by either political party in most instances where African-Americans are being recruited. And no, some of us of aren't flattered to be wanted in this regard.  The republicans (or the
          democrats) have little to offer in the sense that either of them only offer diversity
          plans.  Sure, the democrats are more diverse and hence offer more jobs to blacks, but those positions don't translate to much on the ground as far as most blacks are concerned and some of us are well beyond celebrating someone's "job" and whether they're acceptable" to the larger community.  I suppose one could argue that blacks being accepted by whites in various positions as a measure of racial progress, but for
          me that's not the point.  The point is power because that's what it going to take to have respect and control over own our destiny in a collective sense.  Your party isn't offering that, so it's a waste of time to sit down with you "NOW".  The only benefit from sitting down with you people is for YOU, not us.  You have nothing to offer.

          For the most part, blacks within the republican party are as powerless as blacks within the democratic party and perhaps even more so.  The republican party has this myth about self reliance, but how self reliant is it really?  Low taxes can help blacks keep more of what we make huh?  Guess what, that doesn't help when you run up debts as a consequence.  No, there's nothing you've to offer as far as helping African-Americans or anyone else with notions of self reliance.  Your party would be better off turning that myth into a reality.  At best, the solution you offer is as false as the one you offer for the nation at large.  It's a cruel fiction simply to get votes.

          The African-American community definitely faces a leadership challenge and in many ways, it's not unlike the leadership challenge the nation faces at large.  The problem is that we basically don't "own" the leadership.  They are "owned" by who funds them.  The CBC, like most other ostensibly black organizations, is funded almost entirely from outside of the black community.  Even major so called civil rights activists are funded almost entirely from outside of the black community.  This means that the "leadership" is only going to address issues that they're funded to address.  Basically, the political stage has been setup largely from outside of the black community even though the so called leaders
          ostensibly represent us.  In this sense, the leadership problem in the African-American community is not unlike most other communities.

          There's been long historical precedence for all of this.  Booker T. Washington, the "conservative" of his day was funded primarily by northern industrialists.  The NAACP, which rose to counter Washington with a liberal element was started and funded primarily by Jewish philanthropists.  Up until the 1950's or so, the presidents of the NAACP were Jewish, not black.  Indigenous movements like Marcus Garvey's United Negro Improvement Association were plagued with mismanagement and also subterfuge as his movement, while having problems, was reliant strictly on black funding and  other groups like the NAACP had problems with the competition.  In many respects, the NOI is an outgrowth of Garvey's movement with a Muslim twist.

          Fixing the leadership problem is strictly a function of an indigenous self funded movement that's actually focused on solving problems and that can attract the some of skills to overcome the existing skills deficit within. (There are many black folks with skills, they just happen to be deployed outside of the community).  This is something that will need to arise strictly independent of the political parties and other systems of interference.  Such a movement would face much resistance from those who have a vested interest in the existing conditions or who otherwise want to shape the direction and pace of the progress as any success at addressing real problems will displace them, their funders and those who exploit the existing conditions for economic gain. The problems are big.  Any group taking up the challenge has to know what they're up against.

          • Anonymous

            “The only benefit from sitting down with you people is for YOU, not us.  You have nothing to offer.”.
            I never said the Republicans should “offer” anything at all. The idea is to create a framework where the collective improvement you talk about can happen. The Democrats want to control your destiny for you. The Republicans are lesser control freaks so one could make mistakes or fortunes without “mom” always looking over your shoulder.

            • http://theafricanamericanclarioncall.com Greg L

              >>I never said the Republicans should “offer” anything at all. The idea is
              to create a framework where the collective improvement you talk about
              can happen.<<<

              And that presumes that we can not construct that framework ourselves or that we're incapable of doing so without "assistance".  So, in essence what we have here is yet another political "solution" which essentially means that we switch "plantations".   You may not mean this in this manner, so I'm not necessarily accusing you of being condescending or whatever.  Whatever context this comes from is really beside the point, so I'm not concerned about that nor do I wish to take up time making accusations.  I do wish to drive home my point so it's absolutely clear where I'm coming from.

              Let me pose a question to you LTE.   Can you imagine African-Americans being in charge of something like B'nai B'rith and setting policy direction, funding  it and otherwise constructing a "framework" to address antisemitism?  Sure, there might be a degree of empathy felt for Jewish concerns in this regard, but most people would see this as being wholly inappropriate, not due to racism or some idea of seperatism, but based on the idea that no one is going to have an understanding of antisemitism like the Jews have.  So, no one is going to question their right and responsibility to address this issues with internally developed policy directives.  No one is going to suggest that the republicans or the democrats are going to construct a "framework" for them.  Of course, what they've done is fully fund and direct their own initiatives.

              When it comes to African-Americans however, things are rather controlled and rather than having people and organizations who we've funded to pursue policy initiatives directly linked to the community's needs, we get paid representatives to us.  They're not funded to address real issues but are to focus almost exclusively on the grievance political model.   You have another group of black folks— black conservatives— that are similarly funded to argue against that, but just like those they're arguing against, they too are controlled.  Basically, we have a political stage of sorts that's been set up, bought and paid for by someone else—- and that someone else is white folks.  Most blacks are unwittingly caught in this and don't realize how this is working against our interests.  Most are all to happy to have the jobs that  come out of this setup and are actually vying to get "hired".  This is not unlike that which occurs generally given the undue influence of money on the political process in this country.

              I don't absolve black folks of responsibility here because it's incumbent on all of us to see through the game.  But the fact of the matter is that truly addressing the issues in the community doesn't "pay" but by the same token this is "full time" work.   (Again those who are available to do this "full time" are generally on someone else's payroll—what I refer to here are our political representatives and many of the major "activists").  So the issue in filling this leadership gap is locating and identifying those with a independent source of income preferably tied to the community they're representing.  In most communities, these would be the business people or other folks similarly situated.  These people, although presently small in number,  constitute a leadership reserve, as MLK once suggested, and need to be tapped .  Generally, as their income is tied to the community, they would tend to have a vested interest in its improvement.  So, the key for developing the community is the development of this leadership group.   There are a couple of trends that will drive this which are somewhat below the radar.  The main one is the high rate of business formation that's occurring among blacks.

              • Black Diaspora

                “So, no one is going to question their right and responsibility to address this issues with internally developed policy directives.”
                Yet, when it comes to blacks, whites have no qualms about lecturing us on how to proceed on issues facing us. Such advice is all over the Internet! That unrestrained paternalism (whites know what’s best for us) had its origin in slavery and continues to this day.

                Glenn Beck (not him again!) after admitting that slavery “sucked” says that nothing is now holding blacks back.  

                The question becomes: What’s holding millions of whites back?

                Truth be told: The same forces that array themselves against black progress are the same forces arraying themselves against whites–although blacks have higher hurdles to jump.

                Yet, I’ve never permitted racism (and I’ve encountered more than my share) to dictate the extent or type of my success. I don’t ignore it (as some would suggest), I merely treat it as another obstacle standing in the way of what I want, confronting it, either to destroy it, or to make it irrelevant, as one would a lion standing in one’s path blocking progress. 

                Depending on the size and power of the lion, safe passage may dictate going around the lion (avoiding it altogether), and not engaging it. And a few who have lived in this country have done just that,  Josephine Baker comes to mind. Others, not spoiling for a fight, have proposed leaving lion country to the lions, Marcus Garvey’s approach to dealing with flesh-hungry lions.

                Yet others have chosen to use whatever weapons were at their disposal to kill the lion or to scare it off. The NAACP used the lion’s own nature to render the lion less harmful, as did Martin Luther King, while Black Panthers hoped to present a figure more intimidating than the lion itself to make the lion reconsider blocking the path to success.

                To confront lions just for the sake of confronting them or to use them as a way to hold sway over a community that knows all too well that lions are lurking in the bushes, is unconscionable. It is as unconscionable as Bush using the threat of terrorism to stay in office and Rudy Giuliani attempting to capitalize politically on the part he played post-9-11.

                For me: It’s those who say blacks should never confront racism that raises my concern. They say we’re  ”free” to the extent that we turn a blind eye to racism. I say: If racism is standing in the way of your success (in the work place, in society, in politics, in the military, in sports, in Hollywood, in whatever arena you’ve chosen to take your stand), use whatever means necessary to circumvent the enemy, to bypass it, or to destroy it. 

                Ignoring it, as though that’s ever worked, will likely get you eaten, and riding inside the belly of the beast and not atop it.

                Success is the goal, not the defeat of racism. As you’ve eloquently pointed out, we can do very little to change another’s soul hellbent on keeping us in our place, but that doesn’t mean that we should quit in the middle of our pursuit of happiness, it means that we should quicken our pace, and strengthen our resolve–and say instead, ”Damn [racism]! Full steam ahead!”

              • Anonymous

                “And that presumes that we can not construct that framework ourselves or that we’re incapable of doing so without “assistance”.
                .
                The idea is to create the space to build that framework.
                .
                .
                “Basically, we have a political stage of sorts that’s been set up, bought and paid for by someone else—- and that someone else is white folks.”
                .
                I bet that plays well in The Black Liberation Circle 50th Anniversary Dinner get together, but it’s really hokum all that way. You are seeing race when what you should be seeing is class*. Haven’t you noticed one player is ole Barack himself? He makes nice noises about the middle class but all his free time ain’t spent with the little folks. C’mon Gregg, wake up. Any black with a little jingle in their pocket wants to join the club Barack is in.
                *- Following your theory all white men should be lighting their cigars with $100 bills and all their women would have bad backs from the 100 carat diamond necklaces they wear around their necks.
                Race to some degree played a part, but the real issue is class.
                .
                Money and politics go together like love and marriage. Trust me, you become worth millions, you’ll be right up there with lobbyists in Wash, DC to protect your stash (and well within your rights to do so).
                .
                .
                “In most communities, these would be the business people or other folks similarly situated.  These people, although presently small in number,  constitute a leadership reserve, as MLK once suggested, and need to be tapped .  Generally, as their income is tied to the community, they would tend to have a vested interest in its improvement”
                .
                I agree with this. Oddly enough, you agree with George Bush who said the same. I do not see any Democrat programs helping this group of people, the Republicans will give them a chance to grow. Problem is, the Republicans are not addressing the problems that will eventually stall their growth.
                .
                This is where programs are needed that would be good for all Americans comes in. With the tremendous drain of capital out of this country because of imports (oil and merchandise), there will be less money to support many smaller businesses.

  • Black Diaspora

    “He’s not only lacked the backbone to face down those on the right, but has actually helped advance their agenda by extending the Bush tax cuts and caving on the debt ceiling negotiations by ensuring that the burden of austerity is on the backs of the people rather than those who’ve caused this mess.  Most of this is just unforgivable and like I said, there’s a reason for the waning support.”
    Republicans have nothing to lose. It’s the president with his back against the ropes: He’s the one who will take the hit if the economy doesn’t improve. Republicans, on the other hand, will merely bide their time, and offer nothing in the way of job creation, since a rising unemployment reflects on the president more than it does the Congress–despite Republicans running on a platform of job creation that saw them retake the House of Representatives.

    Republicans won the argument, as the Tea Party made sizable gains in the House and largely controlled the dialogue therein, using blackmail, and threats, to win the debt-ceiling debate. 

    Once Republicans recaptured the House, and made gains in the Senate, the center of gravity of congressional power shifted away from Democrats, and toward Republicans, notwithstanding their inability, without the help of Democrats, to achieve much on their own.

    Herein lies the rub: Republicans aren’t eager to do anything that might lift the nation’s economy out of the morass that they were responsible for making–slow economic growth, declining consumer demand, and weak job growth.

    In addition, they’ll blame Obama for the sluggish GDP, and attack his stimulus plan as just another Democrat wasteful effort in the wrong direction, touting, once again, tax cuts, and cuts to supposed job-killing regulations that are in place to protect both our air and water.

    Just this week,

    “President Obama has asked EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to withdrawal the draft
    of the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards, a rule that would protect
    our communities from dangerous smog pollution. This decision will delay
    critical, long-overdue protections from smog until at least 2013.”

    If Republicans were obstructionists before, after winning the House, a Democratic agenda was dead on arrival. There was no way the president could advance his causes–one of which was to minimize damage to the economy, and spur consumer demand–without making huge concessions to Republicans. 

    In that spirit, Obama gave them what they wanted in the hope that he could provide a check for those who hadn’t yet become the ninty-niners, the chronically unemployed, who had exhausted their unemployment benefits.

    Without a majority Democratic congress to stiffen his backbone, Obama is powerless to do anything but mount his bully pulpit and plead with the American people to berate uncooperative Republicans.

    The president is pretending he has power.  But we know he’s a lion with most of his teeth extracted–a Congress consisting, not of many members of his own party, but of an opposition party that’s devoted to “making him a one-term president.”

    “His concern is to shore up the waning white vote while deferring to the CBC and others to handle getting black folks to turn out.”

    I think the CBC is only interested in their own jobs. Maxine Waters has been attacking Obama on the regular with no sign of letting up: 

    “Leading African-American congresswoman Maxine Waters renewed her assault on
    President Barack Obama on Thursday, a day after admitting that black Democrats
    in Congress don’t criticize him because they fear a backlash from
    constituents.

    In a swipe at Obama’s bus tour through small-town Iowa,
    Minnesota and Illinois, she said, “He went to rural communities and he went with
    a plan…to invest money in those rural communities in order to develop
    jobs.

    “We want the rural poor to be attended to,” Waters said in an
    interview on CNN. “But we also want the urban poor to be attended to.”

    In
    a separate interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, she picked up a copy of the Wall
    Street Journal. “Take a look at this headline,” she said, “‘Obama aims to keep
    white voters on board.’ Well we want to be on board, too.”
    The California
    Democrat’s comments are the first sign of a rift between Obama and his most
    steadfast supporters, and were quickly picked up by radio host Rush Limbaugh who
    called Obama’s Mid-West trip the “white-like-me tour.””

    “Obama does not
    seem to want to hang around with them,” Limbaugh said, referring to African
    Americans. “Obama does not seem to want to do anything for them.

    Read
    more on Newsmax.com: Maxine
    Waters Ask Blacks for Permission to Attack Obama 
    Maxine’s attacks aren’t going to fire up blacks, but douse the fire that blacks have carefully guarded during the past three years, despite O’Reilly’s assessment:

    “O’Reilly argues that because there’s some
    disenchantment within the African American community toward President Obama, the
    Congressional Black Caucus is worried that the population won’t turn out in
    support of him the way they did in 2008. To counter that, they’ve taken to
    creating an enemy in Fox News and the Tea Party, so they can encourage people to
    vote against the enemy and not necessarily for President Obama.”

    And I understand your frustration:

    “I’m not saying that I’m about to go over to the dark side (i.e. republicans), but I’m damn sure just considering sitting on my hands come election day.  Increasingly, that’s looking like the only sensible thing to do when there’s no real choice and I’m tired of voting for the lesser of two evils.”

    The system is broken and corrupt. We both know this. We also know that the Republicans who are vying for the presidency in 2012 are emblematic of that corruption–each one bringing with him or her sizable baggage, an anti-big government agenda, and more flawed prescriptions to cure our ailing economy.

    We know, too, that this nation is in decline, and that China could, in a decade or two or sooner, stand on top of the heap that was Western civilization and our crumbling empires.

    We have a choice at this juncture, and it’s not a pretty one: As a nation, we can die quickly under the governance of Republicans who, more than the Democrats, have created a plutocracy, and a corpocracy, too boot, or die slowly, and painfully, holding out for a miracle to come along and restore us to our former glory.

    I believe in railing against death, although our end may prove to be as inevitable as China’s economic rise. 

    I think Obama is trying to outmaneuver Republicans by removing anything they might be able to use against him, or attack him on, in his 2012 bid for reelection. The risk of this strategy, of course, is that it will more than certainly alienate his base, and disaffect voters like you. 

    This nation is at a crossroad. The 2012 election will settle it once and for all as to whether this nation is suicidal. If it is, we’ll see Republicans take control of this nation’s governance–from the two chambers that make up our Congress, to the White House.

    “Veritas et Utilitas” is dead! 

     

    • http://theafricanamericanclarioncall.com Greg L

      I was out of pocket for a few days BD and I wanted to get back here and respond.  Thanks as always for your comments. 

      >>Republicans won the argument, as the Tea Party made sizable gains in the
      House and largely controlled the dialogue therein, using blackmail, and
      threats, to win the debt-ceiling debate. <>>Herein lies the rub: Republicans aren’t eager to do anything that might
      lift the nation’s economy out of the morass that they were responsible
      for making–slow economic growth, declining consumer demand, and weak
      job growth. …In addition, they’ll blame Obama for the sluggish
      GDP, and attack his stimulus plan as just another Democrat wasteful
      effort in the wrong direction, touting, once again, tax cuts, and cuts
      to supposed job-killing regulations that are in place to protect both
      our air and water.<<>>I think the CBC is only interested in their own jobs. Maxine Waters has
      been attacking Obama on the regular with no sign of letting up: <<>>And I understand your frustration:<<<

      From what I'm reading, Obama is really having problems on the left and generally folks on the left are far more thoughtful and analytical, so slogans are only going to go so far.  Folks like me have taken the measure based on what we see are facts, and find him a far short of expectations.  The caving in , the foreign imperial excursions , the accommodation of Wall Street and the inability to at least fight are my biggest issues with him.  The only way he wins is if the republicans nominate a monster type, which it looks like they're set to do.  If they nominated a moderate republican, Obama would have problems.

      Generally, I think that the powers that be will keep this pretty close and not allow a clear cut win by either party.  We've been living with gridlock for awhile with one party in control of the presidency and another in control of congress.  That seems to be the preferred setup as it keeps everyone fighting while the oligarchs quietly get their trade deals, tax breaks and wars.  Because of this, I think a republican win of the executive branch will not be fatal. It certainly won't be positive

      I just think we're  inexorably moving towards a fascist security state regardless of the party in charge and that the only thing that will change that is a complete overhaul of the political and economic systems.  More political parties might be a step in the that direction.

      • http://functionalculture.blogspot.com Constructive_Feedback

        [quote]Herein lies the rub: Republicans aren’t eager to do anything that might 
        lift the nation’s economy out of the morass that they were responsible 
        for making–slow economic growth, declining consumer demand, and weak 
        job growth. …In addition, they’ll blame Obama for the sluggish 
        GDP, and attack his stimulus plan as just another Democrat wasteful 
        effort in the wrong direction, touting, once again, tax cuts, and cuts 
        to supposed job-killing regulations that are in place to protect both 
        our air and water.[/quote]

        My dear friend Black Diaspora:

        Do you ever type your comments, print them out and then – first READ THEM for your own satisfaction but pass them along to a neutral third party in order to receive some psychoanalysis of your afflictions?

        WHY are you so competent in telling the world what your IDEOLOGICAL ENEMIES have damaged about this world YET…………………..when it comes to measuring the PROMISES that you and so many other Progressive Blacks INVESTED INTO – you appear to be quite reluctant to do introspection in this area of pain?

        Is there a certain index that you can image the Black community should have attained:
        * ACADEMICALLY
        * ECONOMICALLY
        * INTRA-SOCIALLY

        with regards to the erection of the infrastructure of the machine that controls our community?  
        THIS is the VESSEL through which our PERMANENT INTERESTS were to have been achieved.
        With all due respect sir – you have lost my confidence in your willingness to transparently appraise the situation that the Black community faces.

        • Black Diaspora

          “With all due respect sir – you have lost my confidence in your willingness to transparently appraise the situation that the Black community faces.”
          I can’t do anything about your loss of “confidence,” nor would I, if I could!Yet, theres’ nothing wrong with my “willingness,” nor my “transparency.”My “appraisal of the situation” is no better nor worse than yours or any other. I must admit though: I do have a unique vantage point from which to “assess,” not only black community “attainments,” but the attainments of this nation, and the attainments of the world.I’m afraid you wouldn’t understand the entirety of that assessment, so it would be futile to explain. So let me focus on what you may be able to apprehend.The black community operates as a social subset of this nation, reacting to stress from without as well as from within it boundaries. To suggest that external forces on its attainments are irrelevant is to miscalculate both the depth and nature of the problem.Here’s a blunt assessment, transparent enough to permit sunlight: In the black community, colorism is still felt, and reacted to, and bleaching cream is still a big seller–all of which point to a social pathology that still grips black America. Tyra Banks has taken a recent look at this pathology: Video: Tyra Banks Tackles Skin Bleaching. And blacks aren’t the only society struggling with issues of color. Consider this link: http://www.the-nri.com/index.php/2011/02/indian-obsession-with-fair-skin-and-whitening-creams/Until social issues around color are laid to rest, resulting in negative, and at times, positive “achievements,” black progress, or lack thereof, will be subject to each person’s understanding of where he or she stands in this country in relationship to the mostly white macrocosm.You, and other black conservatives, attack black America’s focus on racism and deplore that, I, on the other hand, look at the damage that living black in a mostly white world has inflicted on the black psyche.It’s telling that black conservatives ignore these issues, yet highlight others. You should have done the first (the damage that colorism causes), first, and the  lack of “black achievements” second, and not ignored it.White resentment, justified or not, has led to a variety of responses from blacks, some of which manifest themselves in a continuum, from an unwillingness to participate with the oppressor (the same response of some American Indians) to a willingness to outperform.Regrettably, the willingness to “outperform” is not as ubiquitous as we’d like it be, as pathologies are more likely to be internalized than externalized.Until the color of our skin is as inconsequential as the color of our hair, it will always impact us “intra-socially,” “economically,” and “academically.”It would be great if blacks were about the business of making color irrelevant (I’m black and I’m proud!”), rather than hoping that whites will heal themselves of “color arousal.” We’re moving in that direction, but we ain’t there yet! Not as a people. Not as a collective.”Do you ever type your comments, print them out and then – first READ THEM for your own satisfaction but pass them along to a neutral third party in order to receive some psychoanalysis of your afflictions?”I have no “afflictions,” not around color or any other perceived deficiency. But in terms of a “psychoanalysis,” I’ve taken the liberty to offer up one “affliction” with which the black community struggles, and one with which it must come to terms, if it’s to move pass “color,” and all that that means in a color-conscience, and color-sensitive society. There’s a saying that came into vogue during Martin Luther King’s civil right struggles: “Dr. King,” some black people lamented, “asked us to love the white man, before asking us to love ourselves.”Is that “transparent” enough for you?  

          • Black Diaspora

            I kinda felt that my response would publish as one large mass of text. I’ll try again, but it may not publish as I intended.

            • Black Diaspora

              “With all due respect sir – you have lost my confidence in your willingness to transparently appraise the situation that the Black community faces.”
              I can’t do anything about your loss of “confidence,” nor would I, if I could!Yet, theres’ nothing wrong with my “willingness,” nor my “transparency.”My “appraisal of the situation” is no better nor worse than yours or any other. I must admit though: I do have a unique vantage point from which to “assess,” not only black community “attainments,” but the attainments of this nation, and the attainments of the world.I’m afraid you wouldn’t understand the entirety of that assessment, so it would be futile to explain. So let me focus on what you may be able to apprehend.The black community operates as a social subset of this nation, reacting to stress from without as well as from within it boundaries. To suggest that external forces on its attainments are irrelevant is to miscalculate both the depth and nature of the problem.Here’s a blunt assessment, transparent enough to permit sunlight: In the black community, colorism is still felt, and reacted to, and bleaching cream is still a big seller–all of which point to a social pathology that still grips black America. Tyra Banks has taken a recent look at this pathology: Video: Tyra Banks Tackles Skin Bleaching. And blacks aren’t the only society struggling with issues of color. Consider this link: http://www.the-nri.com/index.php/2011/02/indian-obsession-with-fair-skin-and-whitening-creams/Until social issues around color are laid to rest, resulting in negative, and at times, positive “achievements,” black progress, or lack thereof, will be subject to each person’s understanding of where he or she stands in this country in relationship to the mostly white macrocosm.You, and other black conservatives, attack black America’s focus on racism and deplore that, I, on the other hand, look at the damage that living black in a mostly white world has inflicted on the black psyche.It’s telling that black conservatives ignore these issues, yet highlight others. You should have done the first (the damage that colorism causes), first, and the  lack of “black achievements” second, and not ignored it.White resentment, justified or not, has led to a variety of responses from blacks, some of which manifest themselves in a continuum, from an unwillingness to participate with the oppressor (the same response of some American Indians) to a willingness to outperform.Regrettably, the willingness to “outperform” is not as ubiquitous as we’d like it be, as pathologies are more likely to be internalized than externalized.Until the color of our skin is as inconsequential as the color of our hair, it will always impact us “intra-socially,” “economically,” and “academically.”It would be great if blacks were about the business of making color irrelevant (I’m black and I’m proud!”), rather than hoping that whites will heal themselves of “color arousal.” We’re moving in that direction, but we ain’t there yet! Not as a people. Not as a collective.”Do you ever type your comments, print them out and then – first READ THEM for your own satisfaction but pass them along to a neutral third party in order to receive some psychoanalysis of your afflictions?”I have no “afflictions,” not around color or any other perceived deficiency. But in terms of a “psychoanalysis,” I’ve taken the liberty to offer up one “affliction” with which the black community struggles, and one with which it must come to terms, if it’s to move pass “color,” and all that that means in a color-conscience, and color-sensitive society. There’s a saying that came into vogue during Martin Luther King’s civil right struggles: “Dr. King,” some black people lamented, “asked us to love the white man, before asking us to love ourselves.”Is that “transparent” enough for you?  

              • Black Diaspora

                Oh, well!

                • http://theafricanamericanclarioncall.com Greg L

                  BD,  Don’t sweat it.  I got you covered.  I’ll unblock the block shortly!! :-)

                  • Black Diaspora

                    Thanks, Greg. Structure is oftentimes as important as content. Occasionally,  by posts publish as expected, and, at other times I get scrambled eggs when all I wanted was over easy.

                    The link to Tyra Bank’s video didn’t come through. Here it is again: 

                    http://sandrarose.com/2008/09/video-tyra-banks-tackles-skin-bleaching/

                    • Black Diaspora
                    • http://theafricanamericanclarioncall.com Greg L

                      Ok. I missed this and went back and re-did the links in the comments.  I think it’s set now.

                    • http://theafricanamericanclarioncall.com Greg L

                      BTW, the thing begin giving me scrambled eggs upon editing.  I had to do it a couple of times.  The problem appears to start once the comments nest at beyond the second level.

                    • http://theafricanamericanclarioncall.com Greg L

                      BD,

                      I watched this link about a quarter of the way, before I had to stop in disgust as Banks interviewed the three boys whose mother was bleaching their skin.  I just had to just turn it off as I’ve rarely ever seen anything that ignorant and self loathing. 

                      We’ve got a lot of work to do.  A lot of work.

                    • Anonymous

                      “We’ve got a lot of work to do.  A lot of work.”

                      I agree. This is our dirty little secret that we rarely discuss among ourselves. I’m glad Tyra Banks exposed it, and subjected it to the light of day. 

                      And too, I have to applaud the women, despite their self-loathing, for the courage and the willingness to tell their stories, inviting all kind of potential repercussions, and attacks on their reputations.

                      It couldn’t have been easy.

                      Thanks for suggesting DisQus. I believe my troubles are behind me.

                • http://theafricanamericanclarioncall.com Greg L

                  There, got it done and I hope it appears as you intended.  BTW, if you set up an account with Disqus, you should be able to edit your comments.  I do this routinely (and reading through some of my prior comments, I see I need to do a bit more).  If you prefer not to do that, I’ve got you covered in any event.

                  You raise some very good points here BD that should not be overlooked.  I might have mentioned this before, but over the past year I read some things about the aboriginal peoples of Australia .  They were afflicted with a number of maladies not much different than those that affect us and the Native American in this country.  The common experience that’s shared among each of these disparate groups is the experience of colonialism and slavery.  Those systems were designed to create pliant subjects to support a system of economics.   Extirpation, psychological warfare and general degradation were the main tools used to accomplish these ends.  Those diabolical tools continue to be used today.  One only need to look at the wars and the torture we conducted to see that.

                  That some massive disrepair would set in is not surprising.  Quite frankly, that was intended and many of our problems also share this root cause.  The question in my mind is what does one do? How can we repair the disrepair ?  How can we begin to love ourselves?

                  When I was in school, I took a rather quantitative course call “Operations Management” and being fairly decent with mathematical concepts generally, I did well in the course.  The focus of the course was how to set up processes to accomplish the productions of goods efficiency and one of the things  we learned about was PERT Charts.  These were essentially a diagram of the process one would pursue in managing simultaneous activities to accomplish to final goal of production of the product.  One of the concepts that was critical in designing the diagram was the Critical Path.  This concept basically revolved around the idea while there are various ways to achieve an end, there is generally one that’s most cost effective and efficient to arriving at the desired result.

                  Sometimes I wonder whether or not this Critical Path Method might be a management tool to achieve our desired ends.  Sometimes, if we look at where we’re at, the problems seem so massive and so numerous that most just throw up their hands and just say to hell with it.  The problem is that since the 60′s, no one has sat back and really thought about what is the most efficient and direct path for us to address some of these issues independent of the social justice model.  The main limitation of that model is that it’s not independent and it’s wholly reliant on the actions of others besides ourselves.  I’d have to believe that any analysis of what we need to do would need to start with things that are mostly controllable by us.

                  How can colorism  be attacked?  How can miscreant behavior be attacked? I don’t think you can attack them directly at this point, but you can do so indirectly by choosing some things on a Critical Path for development that can weaken them and perhaps ultimately eradicate them.  I just think that positive things ultimately overcome negative things because the latter gets challenged and that’s the first step in it being discarded as an accepted truth.  So the idea that black folks can’t run a business, can get challenged by someone doing it well.  The idea that beauty can’t be dark skinned, gets challenged by people who believe otherwise and behave consistently in that manner.  The idea that black politicians can’t be held accountable is challenged by someone beginning to do so.  What we need to overcome the legacy of racism and exploitation is heretics–the kind of heretics that reject as accepted truth all of the negativity that exists.  But they just can’t talk about it, they have to do it for all to see.

                    

    • http://functionalculture.blogspot.com Constructive_Feedback

      [quote]“He’s not only lacked the backbone to face down those on the right, but has actually helped advance their agenda by extending the Bush tax cuts and caving on the debt ceiling negotiations by ensuring that the burden of austerity is on the backs of the people rather than those who’ve caused this mess.[/quote]

      My dear friend Black Diaspora:

      Why is it that Obama’s success or failure is so frequently put in terms of his STANDING UP TO THE GOP instead of a cadre of other points of fact that make up the present conditions in Black America and America in general?

      I will spare you from my “Mission Accomplished List”, in which despite the presence of an evil Republican Tea Party force – the conditions for Black America continue to flounder.

      Do you ever think that certain suppositions are made for nothing more than the “Malcolm X Political football game” and NOT for the interests of the Black community?

      • Black Diaspora

        “I will spare you from my “Mission Accomplished List”, in which despite the presence of an evil Republican Tea Party force – the conditions for Black America continue to flounder.”
        The quote that you ostensibly attributes to me is not mine. Thanks for the “sparing.” One thing I’m sure of: Things don’t exist in isolation. You can’t separate issues in black America from those in white America–they’re interrelated, and, to some extent, causal.

        The problems that vex black America aren’t just a black problem, but an American problem. It’s tempting and seductive to see the problem as one-dimensional. It’s not. 

        As such, the problem has to be addressed as the multi-dimensional problem that it is. That doesn’t mean that the solution must be multifaceted, and interpersonal, but that the solution takes into account all the features related to the problem.

  • http://functionalculture.blogspot.com Constructive_Feedback

    Brother Greg L:

    Take your comments about Rep Andre Carson and then answer this one question:

    WHY do you feel that Carson, Waters, Wilson, Hastings and (the new Rep from New Orleans) FELT COMFORTABLE in promoting the TEA PARTY as a THREAT TO BLACK PEOPLE as they escaped THEIR OWN association with the establishment machine that dominates the Black Community?

    My analysis of Wilson and Waters in particular is that they stood in front of a mass of Black people who were desperate for JOBS and instead of THEM being the target of angry protests – THEY USED THEIR EXPERT KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT MAKES BLACK PEOPLE TICK – and fully exploited it.

    If you read my blog you will note that some Black politicians are expert in slipping past accountability by functionally WALKING OFF THE STAGE and into the audience to LEAD THEM INTO A PROTEST.   

    All of this is “Malcolm X Political Football version 2011″.   The goal is to PACIFY Black people by keeping them STRUGGLING against their known enemies rather than building up a TRANSPARENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM by which the community’s interests are governed by careful scrutiny of those we have invested in and the METHODOLOGY that they sold to us as the grand fix.

    As it stands the POLITICAL now so fused into the Black Consciousness – these conjoined twins will not survive if separated.  

    WHO DID THIS TO US Greg L?
    What consequence did they suffer for tricking Black people as such?

    More Blacks died attending the “NYC Caribbean Day Parade” in one weekend than the Tea Party has murdered us in 3 years.

    That which is a popular antic for unity in the short term proves to be damning to our log term interests of developing well managed communities. 

    • http://theafricanamericanclarioncall.com Greg L

      >>>If you read my blog you will note that some Black politicians are expert in slipping past accountability by functionally WALKING OFF THE STAGE and into the audience to LEAD THEM INTO A PROTEST. <<<

      I have to agree with this statement as an apt description of what goes on.

      Leadership, or the lack thereof, is a biggie whether the context is the home or politics and it's the serial failure of leadership in the African-American community that's at the very root of many of the problems we face.

      The problem is that we have an entire infrastructure set up around social justice and not much else, so when we speak to the world, social justice is the main context in which we speak even though the issues we face are much broader. So it stands to reason that most come to us bringing "gifts" in this context. This issue is pervasive whether we're talking social aspects, politics and even business.  No one can "give" you freedom, equality or much else.  These you must take.  If you want respect, that's the only way to go.

      As I say above, this will take a group of people working together totally independent of the political system to address these issues.  And that's my own litmus test to filter what I can support and what I can't. Unfortunately, that means there's little I can contribute to at times.

      ________________________________

  • Anonymous

    “There, got it done and I hope it appears as you intended.  BTW, if you set up an account with Disqus, you should be able to edit your comments.” 
    Greg, it’s a much improved version of what I intended. Thanks.  I’ll look into a Disqus account. 

    “You raise some very good points here BD that should not be overlooked.”

    For obvious reasons, color, as it pertains to how we relate to each other, and how the larger society relates to us, isn’t often the topic of discussion on black blogs. You have discussed it here, and I believe that Field-Negro has, at least once, discussed it, only to have it receive with a mixed review.

    Color in this society impacts our self-perception, which impinges on our self-worth, especially if our perception of the self centers around matters of color, and how color is used and abused by those in society.

    Self acceptance shouldn’t be about something as mundane as color, as though blue eyes are somehow superior to brown eyes. How others treat us shouldn’t be predicated on a color (a superficial consideration), but on something more central to the core of our being, that emanates from the soul–that is, who  and what we’re being, not what is being seen by onlookers.

    In that case, Stephen Hawkins, and his ideas, would be dismissed out of hand, because some may find his appearance (a quadriplegic that’s wheel-chair bound) repulsive.

    “Those systems were designed to create pliant subjects to support a system of economics.”

    How does one maintain sanity in a perverse system? How does one relate to the self and others in a social structure that he or she is thrust into, one fraught with depravity, abnormalities, and deviance?

    One  adapts. 

    And that adaptation to insanity makes one insane. 

    I’m continually amazed that blacks, to a large degree, have maintained some measure of sanity, given the social madness with which they have contended, and still contend, in a society that’s insane around the existence of colors that it abhors.

    Ours is a kind of Stockholm syndrome: blacks despising what the oppressor despises and abhors, colors that are too dark for comfort. 

    “Those diabolical tools continue to be used today.  One only need to look at the wars and the torture we conducted to see that.”

    As we cheapen the lives of others, we cheapen all life. Rick Perry received enthusiastic applause when he said that he had no regrets for the 250 odd people that were executed while he’s been governor. 

    That was a sad moment in the debate: It pointed out just how far many of us still need to go to achieve sanity, and how much more instructions (of the karmic kind) this country will receive,  before it can say it has evolved.

    “The question in my mind is what does one do? How can we repair the disrepair?  How can we begin to love ourselves?”

    “Sometimes I wonder whether or not this Critical Path Method might be a management tool to achieve our desired ends.”

    It would be an excellent tool. 

    “Sometimes, if we look at where we’re at, the problems seem so massive and so numerous that most just throw up their hands and just say to hell with it.  The problem is that since the 60′s, no one has sat back and really thought about what is the most efficient and direct path for us to address some of these issues independent of the social justice model.”

    I recall drawing up a model on this blog site where I outlined the broad sweep of such a plan. To work, the plan would have to have two orientations–a local orientation and a national orientation, with clear objectives, around a timeline. A PERT chart and a Critical Path Method would be ideal in the execution of such a plan, because it would require the simultaneous achievement of  several Nodes, events, or milestones, toward the completion of a final project.  

    “The main limitation of that model is that it’s not independent and it’s wholly reliant on the actions of others besides ourselves.  I’d have to believe that any analysis of what we need to do would need to start with things that are mostly controllable by us.”

    One doesn’t necessarily preempts the other. What is a community if it’s not a collection of people residing in proximity? 

    For a child to become proficient in a science, much of the work will, from necessity and practicality, have to be done alone, as a solitary pursuit. As a community goal (a thousand students becoming proficient in science), the community provides guidance, support, and a variety of tools, as well as close monitoring, and intervention where needed.

    It’s doable!

    “How can colorism  be attacked?”

    You attack it at its source. We need to, once again, make black beautiful. Right now, we aren’t doing that. We have accepted, without questioning, white as the paragon of beauty. 

    We need to get back to our own kinky hair, our own African, black features and accentuate them–our thick lips, and broad hips, our broad noses, and broad shoulders, our big butts, and big breasts–and celebrate the rainbow of black colors: from sepia to the blackest of blacks.

    We need to do this early in the life of a black child, for they will be bombarded, in short order, with images of the white world even before becoming conscious of their own unique selfhood.

    “I just think that positive things ultimately overcome negative things because the latter gets challenged and that’s the first step in it being discarded as an accepted truth.” I like this and the following: 

    “What we need to overcome the legacy of racism and exploitation is heretics–the kind of heretics that reject as accepted truth all of the negativity that exists.  But they just can’t talk about it, they have to do it for all to see.”

    Black Heretics, not necessarily by design, but by circumstance, who, by virtue of who they are, become a counterpoint to all that white existence says we’re not, or can’t become.

    Black Firsts fit that bill, as did a Jackie Robinson (a forerunner of every black player who has played in the Major League), and, of late, President Obama, the ultimate predecessor of black achievement for black generations yet unborn.

    It hard for many blacks to see that now (just as they couldn’t see it when Martin Luther King was alive), but it will become apparent after the passing of couple of decades or so.

  • Anonymous

    “And that presumes that we can not construct that framework ourselves or that we’re incapable of doing so without “assistance”. “.
    The idea is to create the space to build that framework.
    .
    .
    “Basically, we have a political stage of sorts that’s been set up, bought and paid for by someone else—- and that someone else is white folks.”
    .
    I bet that plays well in The Black Liberation Circle 50th Anniversary Dinner get together, but it’s really hokum all that way. You are seeing race when what you should be seeing is class*. Haven’t you noticed one player is ole Barack himself? He makes nice noises about the middle class but all his free time ain’t spent with the little folks. C’mon Gregg, wake up. Any black with a little jingle in their pocket wants to join the club Barack is in.
    *- Following your theory all white men should be lighting their cigars with $100 bills and all their women would have bad backs from the 100 carat diamond necklaces they wear around their necks.
    Race to some degree played a part, but the real issue is class.
    .
    Money and politics go together like love and marriage. Trust me, you become worth millions, you’ll be right up there with lobbyists in Wash, DC to protect your stash (and well within your rights to do so).
    .
    .
    “In most communities, these would be the business people or other folks similarly situated.  These people, although presently small in number,  constitute a leadership reserve, as MLK once suggested, and need to be tapped .  Generally, as their income is tied to the community, they would tend to have a vested interest in its improvement”
    .
    I agree with this. Oddly enough, you agree with George Bush who said the same. I do not see any Democrat programs helping this group of people, the Republicans will give them a chance to grow. Problem is, the Republicans are not addressing addressing the problems that will eventually stall their growth.
    .
    This is where programs are needed that would be good for all Americans comes in. With the tremendous drain of capital out of this country because of imports (oil and merchandise), there will be less money to support many smaller businesses.

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