Posts Tagged ‘Rusty DePass’

In this 24-hour news cycle, ostensibly we should be inundated with more news, information and substantive analysis, which would provide a solid foundation to measure the performance of politicians.

Instead, we seem to get bogged down in soundbite minutia, to the point we miss the obvious.

For example, when President Obama spoke about immigration reform while in Cartagena, Colombia last month, the rest of us were still too busy cackling over the absurdity of the Secret Service prostitution scandal. The real news was that President Obama promised immigration reform in the first year of his second term.

Yes, he’s running for re-election and is seeking to shore up his Latino support, but seemingly, the tired meme of President Obama not being the president of “just” (insert group) but of “all Americans” was nowhere to be found in an editorial sense.

But that’s ok, President Obama did sing for us. That should count for something.  Sales of Let’s Stay Together jumped 490%.  Al Green should definitely be voting for President Obama.

Even more recently, Vice-President Joe Biden offered personal and sincere sentiments, supporting the legalization of gay marriage. Predictably, the nation then turned to look at President Obama to see if he would either embrace, distance or dance around his Vice-President’s stance.

We’re still waiting…as the president is still “evolving.”

The LGBTQ community and also African-Americans in support of Gay marriage have not made any distinction that President Obama isn’t “just” the president of the LGBTQ community. This is not to cast aspersion on any community but let’s be honest about the shifting rationale as to what is fair in terms of criticism of President Obama and fair relative to African-American expectations.

In 2011 President Obama endured considerable criticism from high-profile members of the African-American community for allegedly not doing enough to address issues of specific relevance.

Depending on how cynical one wishes to be, President Obama wasn’t the president of just General Motors but of all Americans when he bailed it out. The president spoke at the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department Legislative Conference a few weeks ago again pledging to work on the behalf of unions.

Again pledging…

I’m still waiting on someone to say that President Obama isn’t the president of just the unions, but of all Americans. I shudder to think what would be said if President Obama pledged to work on behalf of African-Americans or promised to work on African-American specific issues during the first year of his second term.

Don’t say “but that’s different.” It’s NOT different at all. It’s EXACTLY the same, just with a different set of expectations for African-Americans.

President Obama has endured multiple tar baby references from elected Republican officials and presidential hopefuls. Senator and former GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann, Colorado Congressman Doug Lamborn and former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan all found a way to creatively use “tar baby” and “Barack Obama” in the same sentence. I can’t seem to find any tar baby references in connection with other presidents, much less three times in reference to just one. Oh…a “coincidence” to be sure. But the moment President Obama cares to comment on the arrest of Dr. Henry Louis Gates or the death of Trayvon Martin, he supposedly is using race to “divide” America?

Really?

The inconvenient truth about being the first Black president is the Black part. It seems America wants all of the credit for electing a man of color to the Oval Office but wants no part of the reality that race still matters in America. Electing a Black man president renders race moot no more than electing a woman would render gender moot. If you don’t believe me, I’ll refer you to Pakistan, Argentina, Liberia and Great Britain as examples.

You can’t have it both ways America.

You can’t elect an African-American and also refuse him the right to remember he’s African-American. In the same way, if Mitt Romney were elected, we should not expect him to forget he’s Mormon or for Barney Frank to reject he’s gay while in office.

Such truths highlight the difference between Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, and why history reveres the former and is largely indifferent to the latter.

Nobody expected Sarah Palin to present herself in a genderless fashion or deny addressing issues of greatest importance to women. I remember too many “lipstick on a pig,” “hockey mom” and “Mama grizzly” references for anyone to argue otherwise. Nevertheless, Palin was running to become VP of all Americans, not just women as it were.

Or put another way…

To suggest that incidents such as Republican operative Rusty DePass referring to Michelle Obama as a gorilla don’t indict the idea of a post-racial America is a joke. To argue there is no racial connection between Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s birther crusade and the preceding illegal immigration one in Arizona is another unfunny joke.

African-Americans have a duty and a right to be vocal in regards to its community’s needs. There is no other single constituency who will vote for Barack Obama in November to the tune of 90%. Not the LGBTQ community, not Latinos, not unions and arguably not even registered Democrats as a whole…and he’s promised the world to all of the aforementioned.

We as African-Americans should be sober in our assessment of whether President Obama has met our community’s expectations. If the Latino community can predicate their support of Barack Obama around the community-specific issues of the DREAM Act and immigration reform, then we in the African-American community should not settle for platitudes of rising tides lifting all boats in relation to Black unemployment…which is double the national rate.

As long as the LGBTQ community can frame their support of Barack Obama around such community-specific issues as DADT and gay marriage legislation; it is more than reasonable for us in the African-American community to apply pressure on the issues of inner city crime and public education.

The reality is that crime, education and unemployment are all inextricably linked. Another reality is that from a community perspective, Mitt Romney is not in any way a better alternative in addressing these issues. Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon us as African-Americans to make sure that President Obama earns our votes and is consistently reminded that being the first African-American president only means something as long as he is unafraid to acknowledge it through governance.

The Mo’Kelly Report is a syndicated politics and entertainment journal. Visit http://mrmokelly.com for the latest from Mr. Mo’Kelly.  Tune into The Mo’Kelly Show Saturdays from 6-9pm PDT on KFI AM640.  Contact Mo’Kelly at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

Follow The Mo’Kelly Report

If you were in any way unclear why the Republican Party is unable to build any measurable minority base…let’s just review recent history.  This isn’t 1964 Mississippi…this is 2009 with an African-American president.  Yes, the GOP is clinging tightly to the 20th century.  God bless their little racist hearts.  They’re so cute, yes they are (pinching their cheeks).

Let’s review the past 12 months through the eyes of GOP racism at its unparalleled best.  OF COURSE the GOP does poorly recruiting African-Americans.  Who in the hell wants to be associated with a party without outright contempt for you and anyone who looks like you?  And Mo’Kelly is only referencing the PUBLIC gaffes by party leadership.  Mind you, this is all POST the death of Jesse Helms.

Keep it up Republicans, you’ve just ensured another 50 years of African-American loyalty to the Democratic Party.  That stale argument of Democrats taking African-Americans for granted is lukewarm on its best day, especially when we have this RECENT history in which to prove that the Republican Party is and will always be the party of “Southern Politics.”

Yes, welcome to the “post-racial” America of the 21st century.  We may be in the 21st century, but the GOP has a stranglehold on 1964 and just won’t let it and the rest of the 20th century go.

6.17.09 – JUST ADDED! – South Carolina GOP operative tweets…

“JUST HEARD OBAMA IS GOING TO IMPOSE A 40% TAX ON ASPIRIN BECAUSE IT’S WHITE AND IT WORKS.”

6.16.09 – Tennessee GOP staffer emailed the “Spook” President photo

Sherri Goforth

Sherri Goforth, an executive assistant for Tennessee State Rep. Diane Black (R-Gallatin), sent this picture out to other legislative staffers.

Goforth admitted to sending the email, but she apologized only for sending it to the wrong people.

“I went on the wrong email and I inadvertently hit the wrong button,” Goforth said.

“I’m very sick about it, and it’s one of those things I can’t change or take back.”

Spook Jokes in the 21st Century?!

6.15.09 – South Carolina GOP operative

Rusty DePass

Rusty DePass

Over the weekend, a gorilla escaped from a zoo in Columbia, and according to the New York Daily News, DePass just couldn’t resist what he saw as the perfect opportunity for humor, updating his status message to read,

“I’m sure it’s just one of (First Lady) Michelle’s ancestors – probably harmless.”

6.4.09 - GOP operative Manuel Miranda

Manuel Miranda

“By the way, Hispanic polls, Hispanic surveys, indicate that Hispanics think just like everyone else.

We’re not like African Americans. We think just like everybody else.”

5.4.09 - GOP Chairman Michael Steele plays Magic Negro Card

2.27.09 – Republican California mayor Dean Grose and the “Watermelon Patch” email photo attachment

White House "Watermelon Patch"

12.27.08 – RNC Chairman candidate Chip Saltsman plays Magic Negro card

Chip Saltsman

Chip Saltsman, the former Tennessee state Republican chairman who ran Mike Huckabee’s underfunded but shrewd bid for the GOP’s presidential nomination.  Remember him?  Saltsman wanted to be Republican national chairman, and, apparently as part of his campaign, he sent his associates a Christmas gift consisting of songs by the satirist Paul Shanklin.

The title track, sung in a voice meant to impersonate Al Sharpton, is Barack the Magic Negro.  It parodies then president-elect as a Black man acceptable to whites. Another song, Star Spanglish Banner, disparages Latinos.

10.17.08 – Republican website encourages “torture” of Obama

9.6.08 – Obama called ‘uppity’ by Republican Congressman

Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)

“Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they’re a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they’re uppity,” Westmoreland said.

Asked to clarify that he used the word “uppity,” Westmoreland said, “Uppity, yeah.”

4.12.08 – Republican

Geoff Davis (R-CA)

Congressman calls Obama ‘boy.’

At an April 12 event in his district, Kentucky Rep. Geoff Davis (R) said of Obama: “I’m going to tell you something: That boy’s finger does not need to be on the button.

He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country.”

7.22.08 – Republican state senator directly compares Obama and “Osama”

Feel free to share this with your Black Republican friends…all 3 of them.

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.MrMoKelly.com.  Mo’Kelly can be reached at Mo@MrMoKelly.com and he welcomes all commentary.

http://twitter.com/mrmokelly

Subscribe to The Mo’Kelly Report HERE