Strengthening Constitutional Self-Government

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Bush and African-Americans

Bill Sammon reports on a meeting at the White House between President Bush and African-American political and religious leaders. More than one leader observed that President Bush doesn’t get enough coverage or credit for his appointments and initiatives. As if to confirm this observation, the only other major newspaper to cover the meeting was the L. A. Times. Not a word in the NYT or the WaPo.

Discussions - 9 Comments

This is not suprising at all. The NYTimes and WaPo will never give credit to the Republicans if there is some political advantage that can be gained from such a story. In this case, it would benefit the Republicans as being the party that is more "color blind." (i.e. the party that doesn’t cares more about your qualifications than your race.) Everyone knows that the Demo’s try to take credit as the only ones who care about minorities and running articles like this would hurt that image. The NYTimes and WaPo are not about to do that in the near or distant future.

(i.e. the party that doesn’t cares more about your qualifications than your race.)

Sorry, I changed the wording of the sentence and forgot to delete a word. It should read as follows.

(i.e. the party that cares more about your qualifications than your race.)

I like this. "Black Leaders" praise Bush. How many of these leaders? Anyone ever heard of this guy? Where was he when Bush shunned the NAACP for the most recent of many times that he was invited? Is it five times, now, he has been too busy? Probably asleep, since this passage:

" For example, the president announced yesterday that he would hold a summit in March to convince corporations and charitable foundations to relax restrictions on funding of black churches. He also explained his decision to spend billions fighting disease in Africa.
"I’m convinced that you’re genuinely committed to Africa," Leonard H. Robinson Jr., president of Africa Summit, said he told the president in yesterday’s session.
Mr. Robinson later told The Washington Times that Mr. Bush recently delivered "the most powerful speech any American president has ever made on U.S. commitment and interest vis-a-vis Africa." The president’s follow-up speech in Scotland "moved me to tears," he added. ".....

suggests to me that Robinson must have been asleep the last time Bush promised to send "millions" to Africa for AIDS prevention, and then failed to live up to that promise.

Has there been a big problem with corporations restricting charitable contributions to Black Churches? Should we expect the floodgates to open after Bush takes care of this boondoggle?

After Scotland, where will Bush be the next time he "reaches out" to African Americans? Iceland? Greenland? Lapland? I think I feel a tear coming on, myself!

First of all I don’t think blind charitable giving is the best way to help out the continent of Africa. Opening up trade barriers and restricting subsidies of U.S. and European farmers appears to be the best way of achieving this. However, if you feel that donating money is the best way then you can’t blame Bush since he has more than tripled the amount of aid that go to African nations. Of course this has not cured the AIDS problem in Africa. In most of these prostitution is still legal and is the main conduit for spreading the disease. The truckers in these countries go from brothel to brothel spreading it around. EVEN THOUGH AID has more than tripled the problems can’t eliminated without the local governments taking a more proactive role.

Shunning the NAACP? You consider it shunning the NAACP when Bush says no to speaking with them? Why don’t you look at the reasons why? He did back in 2000 (I believe) and they ridiculed him afterward. Not only that, what kind reaction do you expect when Julian Bond the Chairman of the board calls him "a confederate flag waving Nazi." It seems that as a group (NAACP) if you want to reach out to people the best way is probably not to call the president such things then 3 days later wonder why he declines an offer to speak with you. This is the same group that shuns one of their own prominent members in Bill Cosby when he says that African American parents need to take a more proactive role in their children’s development. Besides, he spoke with other prominent African American organizations and they were very welcoming and I believe were sincere in their commitment to work with the president.

Well said, Mike!

Fung,


You should look see President Bush’s address to the National Urban League in 2004. I think it is one of his best. I couldn’t find it on paper unfortunately, only on video, so you’ll have to deal with the faces he makes and the different voices he uses (things I assume get under your skin). Anyways, you can find it here:

https://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:puoTAULFqbUJ:c-span.org/Search/basic.asp%3FBasicQueryText%3Dbush%2Bpress%2Bconference%26SortBy%3Ddate+President+Bush%27s+Address+to+the+Urban+League+2004&hl=en

Here’s the text of the 2004 Urban League address.

Fred and Joe- I have to admit, it sounds pretty good. I’m skeptical, but more open about it than I was. I’ll shut up, and will wait and see what effect these policies have.

Thanks for the heads-up on this address.

Glad you read it Fung. Of course, I don’t know the answer either, and it is a problem. It’s worth noting, however, that Harlem was doing quite well (1920s) before the 1930s. Obviously the Depression was the cause, but the suspected cure only seemed to increase symptoms.

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