Guess Who's Back? - Tavis Smiley

Guess who's back?

Yes, Tavis is back.

From HuffingtonPost.com:

Tavis Smiley Tackles Obama And Race
KINNEY LITTLEFIELD | July 21, 2008 04:14 PM EST

LOS ANGELES — Tavis Smiley is all wound up. His voice is rough from too much vocalizing, but the host of public television's "Tavis Smiley" talk show and public radio's "The Tavis Smiley Show" is on an oratorical roll about race, politics, and his fellow African-American, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

"There is no such thing in America as race transcendence, and Obama's going to find that out real soon," says Smiley, leaning into his words. As he sermonizes, he sheds suit jacket, tie and belt in succession, getting comfy in his spacious suite at KCET in Los Angeles after taping two installments of "Tavis Smiley" (Monday-Friday in various time-slots on PBS stations).

Despite the peaceful vibe inside his sanctuary, with its African masks and scented candle, Smiley frowns. "There's no such thing as 'post-racial' in America, because if you push the envelope too far, you're going to hear about it."

Smiley should know. For months he has been the object of an Internet firestorm for his perceived negative comments about Obama on commercial radio's syndicated "The Tom Joyner Morning Show."

Smiley found himself between race and a hard place when he criticized Obama on-air for choosing not to appear on Smiley's annual State of the Black Union cablecast on C-SPAN in February. Smiley's remarks sparked a blaze of invective by African-American bloggers, who questioned Smiley's loyalty, motives and ego.

Rest of article at link above.


We're going to take it point by point.

"There is no such thing in America as race transcendence, and Obama's going to find that out real soon,"

Uh huh.

I didn't know precisely why this bothered me until taritac wrote this:
Tavis sounds like a broken record. What in the hell does he mean about Obama finding out about "race transcendence?" Obama is no fool. I am sure he recognizes the racism that has come his way during this campaign, but he sure as hell understands that crying "racism," even when it's true, only shuts white people's ears off.

Tavis is uttering his same nonsense. Obama will find out that there's no ' race transcendence'.

WILL FIND OUT?

Color me clueless, but I would have already bet that Barack Obama already KNOWS about that.

And, he didn't find out through anything that the GOP has done.

No, we stopped the race transcendance train due to the Dogwhistle Racial PoliTRICKS of Camp Clinton.

Tavis is trying to perpetrate, everyone.

He's trying to perpetrate that the Dogwhistle Racial PoliTRICKS of Camp Clinton didn't happen.

That the incidents at the ClintonAttacksObama Wiki Page, were all our 'imagination'.

Because, if they DID happen, and he was a MUTE during this time, then what does that say about his ' Race Man' credentials?

Ah yes....

Uh huh.

GOTCHA, Tavis.

And, you have to love folks trying to do the shorthand version of what happened between Tavis and the TJMS audience.

Black folk have never had a problem with 'constructive criticism' of Obama.

But, Tavis ran into the following:
1. It began to be perceived that it went PERSONAL for him and Obama.
2. Then, it began to be perceived that it wasn't even personal for TAVIS, but that he was doing it for Camp Clinton.
3. Then, he disrespected the offer to send Michelle Obama to the SOTBU, and LIED about it. And no one remotely believes that if it had been reversed - if BILL Clinton had been offered, HE would have been turned down.
4. When Hillpatine gets to the SOTBU, he was MUTE and didn't 'challenge' her on #($*. Nada.
5. You wanna talk about someone who was talking down to Black folks...rerun those TJMS commentaries for the last 6 months. He acted like Black folks had no sense.

THAT is why the TJMS audience told Tavis to go somewhere and sit down and take a chill pill.

NOT for simple-simon ' Obama didn't go to the SOTBU' nonsense.

Tavis Smiley, SOTBU, and Barack Obama - some final thoughts

I got around to watching the SOTBU.

I've grown tired of Tavis in the past few months because of his repeated condescending commentaries on Tom Joyner insulting Black folk about their support of Barack Obama.

Unlike a lot of Black folk, I've been supporting Obama from early on.

Just recently became an Obamaholic, but I supported him with my money, time, effort, and feet months ago.

I'm tired of Tavis insulting Black folks, intimating that they can't read and choose for themsleves who they want to support.

Quite honestly, he continued that same line of bull at the SOTBU, where he was constantly condescending and questioning the ' emotionalism' of the Black Community's support of Obama.

And, isn't it interesting that Tavis sounds like a milder version of the mocking Billary that has shown up this weekend, insulting Obama AND his supporters. Interesting indeed.

My question, if I had been at the SOTBU, would have been..

I'll have to doubt the RATIONAL thought process of folks supporting someone, Hillary, who the polls have told us, a YEAR OUT

HALF OF THE COUNTRY HAS SAID THEY WILL NEVER EVER VOTE FOR HER.

Now, explain to me the RATIONAL thought process behind supporting someone with THOSE kinds of negatives.

Folks have to make up their damn minds about Obama.

You've got those who perpetrate that him voting record is akin to Sam Brownback...which is why we can't vote for him.

Then, there are those who say he is ' too liberal'...and, to be honest, I never thought LIBERAL could be used as a bad word IN BLACK CIRCLES.

Then, there are those who bitch and whine about him not 'talking about Black issues'.

Just exactly what the hell is a Black issue?

I'll give you one that I believe IS a Black issue - retroactivity with regards to those hideous drug sentences....relates to criminal justice, and ' just-us', and the feeding of young Black men and now women to the Prison Industrial Complex.

Well, guess what? Hillary's already told you that she intends to get elected on the back of sending ANOTHER generation of young Black men and women to the Prison Industrial complex - she's AGAINST retroactivity, which puts her to the right of Scalia, and ON PAR WITH UNCLE CLARENCE.

She's ready to get elected on the backs of young Black men and women and tell me again why MY support of Obama is ' emotional'.

Obama is more progressive. Obama is the only chance of ridding ourselves of the Imperial Presidency. If Obama implements HALF of his transparency in government policies, it will transform how government is scene by the average citizen.

Obama was against this war.

Not only did she vote FOR the war, she refuses to apologize for her actions that have cost 4,000 lives, mutli-thousand permanent casualties, nearly 1 TRILLION DOLLARS that could have been used elsewhere.

She refuses to apologize for her vote, and would have had us in IRAN.

Once they race-baited Obama, it wasn't even about Obama anymore.

It was about ANY future Black politician with political aspirations higher than a safe, gerrymandered Congressional seat.

If she is allowed to racebait her way into the nomination, then this will be the future blueprint as to how to take out ANY Black politician, which is why I will NEVER vote for her. I will NEVER be complicit in setting into cement the ceiling for future Black politicians.

Tavis is SUSPECT, because, he didn't just fall off a turnip truck. Stevie Wonder could see the race-baiting being done on Obama, and he didn't say JACK about it.

A LOT of the ' usual suspects' are SUSPECT because of their silence.

If a Republican had done to Barack Obama what the Clintons did, the ' usual suspects' would have been up in arms.

As it is, they were doing Marcel Marceau impersonations.

I fully expect the GOP to go after Obama with race-baiting full throttle.

But, here's the rub...

The GOP has never pretended to be THE FRIEND of the Black community.

And, the Clintons did..but, when push came to shove, and this Uppity Negro began to beat them...

They pulled out Lee Atwater's manual and used it without abandon.

And, anyone who stands with that race-baiter AFTER she's done that to Obama is SUSPECT, A TOOL, AND NOT TO BE TRUSTED.

If the shoe fits, then Tavis should wear it, no matter how many Black Covenant books he writes.

My Take On Tavis Smiley & The State of the Black Union

I believe Tavis Smiley started out with good intentions when he began hosting these events. However, they have now turned into irrelevant talkathons for the Black elite. It's more like an orgy of Black foolishness.... simply providing a showcase for self appointed and self anointed "Black Leaders" to blame Mr. White Man for all of the problems in so-called "Black America", when in fact, the source of many of the problems facing Black communities comes from within.

Tavis, his bogus Covenant Movement, and his efforts to use the event as some sort of validation for "real blackness", has become a tired affair. I have yet to see the event turn the mirror around and focus on problems that come from within the so called "Black community" and "Black culture", and to create relevant solutions. Because after all... it's the White Man doing all of this..... he's the boogey man that causes all things bad.

They just talk, showboat, have their Black themed celebration, and not a damn thing gets done in any real sense. The State of the Black Union has turned into a business, much like what the wider Civil Rights establishment has become. It's a forum for Tavis to sell his books. I think most of the annoying Negroes on the program simply enjoy seeing themselves on television.

And Tavis's antics regarding Obama have been extremely annoying. Tavis has quickly dropped down on the list of Black folk who I actually appreciate. I'm tired of this "you have to be validated by us to prove that you are really Black" bullsh@t. I'm glad Obama skipped the "Black Party". Tavis would have put Obama in a position where he would have been branded the "Black Candidate" at a crucial time when he is trying (for good reason) to avoid it. And this is exactly why Clinton decided to show up this time...it was a tactical maneuver to try to put pressure on Obama to show up... so that Billary could put him into that Box of being "The Black Candidate". Obama was smart to stay away...especially considering the fact that you don't know what kind of stupid comment one of these "Black Leaders" might make...which could sink Obama....just for being associated with the nonsensical event.

The bottom line is, Obama is running for the Presidency of the whole United States... and not for the office of Black President or Negro-in-Chief. And the man is in the middle of running a historic campaign. I think that takes precedence over Tavis's Black Elite House Party. Author Chris Chambers put it beautifully in his take on the subject.

Clinton is going to the event simply as an attempt to win a few Black votes, and to create a "gotcha" situation for Obama. I guarantee you that during the next debate...she will bring up the issue of Obama not showing up to participate in the Tavis Smiley event. But I am hoping that this tactic doesn't work...just like her other attempts to trip up Obama. But why is Tavis facilitating Clinton's tactical moves? It's no coincidence that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, an ardent Clinton supporter, is part of the "State of the Black Union" panel. The Black Elite has come out strongly in favor of Hillary Clinton (all the more reason why I want her to lose).

Tavis Smiley knowingly put Obama in a bad position on this issue. By showing up... Obama would be tagged as "The Black Candidate", which helps Clinton...and it's exactly what she has been wanting to do. On the other hand, by not showing up, Obama somehow wouldn't be "Black enough", because he isn't bowing down to "Black Leaders"- and of course, this helps Clinton as well, because she can then use the absence against him. See how this works? See the kind of Catch 22 they tried to put him in?

I watched several of these programs in recent years, but I will skip this one. I was flipping through the channels and caught a 5 minute snippet on C-Span (i'm a C-span addict), but I had to change the channel after Dick Gregory made a joke about Black men raping women. Just the kind of imagery we need Mr. Gregory. Just what I need as a man with Brown skin. More negative bullsh@t imagery and stereotypes to deal with.

Yeah... it's a bitch being Black, but I believe today, the source of most of the grief comes from within, particularly from the Black elite.... and not from "The Man", Jim Crow, or the KKK.

I'm sure they talked about Hurricane Katrina.... but I wonder when they will talk about Hurricane Negro.