Obama; Black men are not going to be your whipping-boy for you to get white votes
By The Honorable, Sinclere Lee
CHICAGO, Illinois (BNW)— We supported you against the Clinton machine so you could win the Democratic nomination for president; we supported you when you threw your pastor, the Black community and your church under the bus to show white folks that you can be hard on the Black community for telling the truth about racism in this country, but Black men in this country are not going to be your whipping-boy so you can try to win over white voters who you can’t get in the first place.
Sure, there are some Black men who are not stepping up to the plate when it comes to parental responsibilities to their children; sure there are Black men who haven’t seen or supported their children in years, but those examples are just symptoms to a bigger problem in this country... one, is the problem of blatant racism against Black men in this country that involves every corner of Black life. And, another problem is this ‘Baby-Momma Drama’ that white people exploit in their courts to take advantage of poor Black men..
With a criminal just system that preys on Black men like hunters prey on wild game, and a business community that denies equal access to the market place for Black men as a matter of course… what in the hell do you expect from Black men? Those are just two problems, along with an educational system, that only in the past few years have cared if Black men even got an education or not. Talk about that first, fool, before you start talking about what Black men can or cannot do for their children.
So next year Barack Obama, if you are elected president, and remember you can’t get elected without the Black vote, when you celebrate Father's Day by calling on Black fathers, who are "missing from too many lives and too many homes," to become active in raising their children, place some of the responsibility on these rotten whites who have oppressed Black people for so many years. Oh, of course you don’t know about that because you’re not Black!
He went on the say that Black fathers are "missing from too many lives and too many homes, but forgot to say that white men and men of other races are missing too, but they don’t have an excuse.
"They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it," the Democratic presidential candidate said Sunday at a largely Black church in his hometown.
Reminding the congregation of his firsthand experience growing up without a father, Obama said he was lucky to have loving grandparents who helped his mother. He got support, second chances and scholarships that helped him get an education. Obama's father left when he was two.
"A lot of children don't get those chances. There is no margin for error in their lives," said Obama, an Illinois senator.
"I resolved many years ago that it was my obligation to break the cycle — that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father to my girls," added Obama, whose daughters, Sasha and Malia, and his wife, Michelle, watched from the audience.
Obama's appearance at the Apostolic Church of God was his first address to a church since he ended his membership at Trinity United Church of Christ, where he had worshipped for 20 years, following inflammatory remarks there by his former longtime pastor and others.
Obama frequently emphasized the importance of God in his life and ended the speech by asking the congregation to "Pray for me. Pray for Michelle."
Obama often speaks about the importance of parental involvement. In Washington, he sponsored legislation to get more child support money to children by offering a tax credit for fathers who pay support, more efficient collection and penalties for fathers who don't meet their obligations.
The issue adds to his family values credentials and lets voters see him delivering a stern message to black voters.
"We can't simply write these problems off to past injustices," Obama said Sunday. "Those injustices are real. There's a reason our families are in disrepair ... but we can't keep using that as an excuse."
Obama urged Black parents to demand the best from themselves and their children.
He compared it to his own presidential campaign and early comments from black voters who said they liked him but didn't think a black man could ever be elected president. He said they were admitting defeat before the competition had even begun.
"That was when I wasn't Black enough. Now I'm too Black," he said in a joking aside. Right!
He said parents who proudly tell him their child gets great grades, all B's, should encourage them even more.
"All B's? Is that the highest grade?" Obama said. "It's great that you can get a B, but you can get a better grade. It's great that you've got a job, but you can get a better job."