The Racial Worm Turns

If I said this, I know what the left would be calling me. But I didn't. The Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus did. And here it is: "If Barack Obama weren't the President, we'd probably be marching on the White House." Chairman Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri) was speaking about unemployment in general and black unemployment specifically.

As bad as the effects of Barack Obama's failure of leadership have been for all Americans, the effects have been far worse for black Americans. Cleaver went on to tell the Miami Herald "If former President Bill Clinton had been in the White House and had failed to address this problem, we probably would be marching." Cleaver and the Black Caucus have been pushing Obama for months to do more to address the needs of the black community. But rather than organize a Martin Luther King-type march on Washington and let the chips fall where they may, the CBC has held back public demonstrations which might hurt the President's personal popularity (or lack thereof).

Cleaver went on to say that "there is a less-volatile reaction in the CBC because nobody wants to do anything that would empower the people who hate the President." The implication is obviously that if you hate Obama, it's because you're a racist, and the CBC doesn't want to encourage racism--even if it means allowing a President to get away with utter failure on all fronts simply because he's black (partially).

Unemployment is bad. Black unemployment is staggering, reaching nearly 50% among black youth who wish to enter the labor market for the first time. Regardless of what reason any individual may ascribe to the high unemployment rate among blacks, it is clear even to doctrinaire Democrats that the President isn't doing anything much about it. Sure, there are racists who will blame blacks entirely for their own plight, or spout ignorant race theories about black inferiority. But they are a small, intransigent and largely unaffiliated group. But there are plenty of others who say that Obama has done little--good, bad or indifferent--to change the unemployment figures. That group includes old-time civil rights advocates like me.

Although he was talking about taxes, John Kennedy said "a rising tide raises all boats." And in the employment sector, that surely includes blacks. In his lack of action and constant speechifying about jobs, Obama has failed entirely to push those unemployment numbers down. He wants to raise taxes, but only on the rich "who can afford it." He supports temporary employment relief but at the same time perpetuates the uncertainty in the market (and for potential employers and business investors) that prevents positive long-term employment decisions. He throws billions in taxpayer dollars at "green projects" about which most blacks couldn't care less (along with most of their white counterparts), and which result in net losses in jobs.

Obama has supported and encouraged policies which by his own admission will dramatically raise energy costs. Blacks are particularly negatively impacted by such cost increases simply because they have the highest unemployment rates and the lowest income rates among all racial and ethnic groups. Says firebrand leftist race-baiter Rep. Maxine Waters (D-California): "We're supportive of the President, but we're getting tired, y'all. We want to give Obama every opportunity, but our people are hurting. The unemployment is unconscionable. We don't know what the strategy is." Even the Devil tells the truth occasionally when it suits his purposes. But it still doesn't explain why Waters is "supportive of the President." Or does it?

Rather than blame the President for his inaction and perpetual speech-making, many members of the CBC have aimed their blame at the Tea Party. Waters simply says it's the Tea Party's fault, and "they can go to hell." Fellow hell-raiser Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Florida) says that "the Tea Party is the real enemy which is holding Congress hostage." Though his hesitance to demonstrate against the President simply because he is black is not particularly commendable, Cleaver has at least admitted that Obama is a major part of the black unemployment problem.

Cleaver has identified Obama as a major cause of the stagnant employment numbers, and to his credit has convinced sole conservative Black Caucus member Allen West (R-Florida) not to leave the CBC. Cleaver did so even after West said he would leave the Caucus unless fellow CBC member Andre Carson (D-Indiana) withdrew and apologized for his remarks claiming that the Tea Party considers African-Americans "second-class citizens" and would be happy to see blacks "hanging from a tree."

Cleaver is never going to be a conservative, nor even a moderate. But he is, for the time being, the voice of reason within the CBC leadership. Rep. West says that Cleaver is willing to work with him to produce a plan which will confront the horrendous unemployment rate among blacks. Cleaver himself has said that some of the things being said by other CBC radicals are counterproductive and not in the interests of the agenda addressing black unemployment that he and West are working on.

Author's note: On Tuesday, O'Reilly touched on this subject. Unfortunately, he didn't cover it well because he once again made the mistake of having Columbia hip-hop professor of economics/urban studies/black studies/fill-in-the-blank studies Marc Lamont Hill as his guest on the subject. As usual, it produced more heat than light, and Hill kept talking about "the black agenda" but couldn't explain why there should even be a black agenda. It was the same obfuscation, distortion and double-talk that liberal elites use to keep blacks on the liberal reservation. And it didn't do anything to clarify the causes behind black poverty (other than white oppression) let alone the attempts of Reps. Cleaver and West to rectify systemic problems.