Herman Raises Cain Over Jon Stewart's Comments

While giving a speech in Iowa on 6/22, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain addressed the criticism he feels he's received because he's a black conservative. In particular, Cain shared his thoughts on The Daily Show segment in which host Jon Stewart lampooned Cain's comments in a recent speech regarding shorter bills if he was to become President of the United States:



Below is the clip from The Daily Show in which Jon Stewart pokes fun at Herman Cain for the "3-page bill" statement.. The Cain segment starts around the 1:54 mark of the clip.




Here are my thoughts:

I think Herman Cain was serious with the “3-page bill” proclamation. Judging by the applause he received from some of the audience members, they thought he was serious too. To be fair, there were some in the audience who did laugh. If the message Cain was conveying in the speech was that bills would be short and understandable once he became POTUS, why include the number? It sounds to me like Cain is trying to cover now that he’s being ridiculed for his comments.

Herman Cain and his supporters are playing the race card with their attacks on Jon Stewart. Stewart isn’t doing an “Amos & Andy” type voice in that clip. It sounds like he’s speaking in a loud, bombastic style with a bit of a Southern dialect… similar to Cain’s. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard Stewart use a similar voice when he lampoons white politicians as well.

Cain is the one who keeps bringing up his race. Listen to the first clip… he mentions his skin color four times! It’s almost as if Cain is trying to assure the Tea Party segment of the GOP… “Look at me… I’m black! But don’t worry; I’m one of the good Negroes”. We get it Herman, you’re black!

I don’t think the fact that Herman Cain is a black conservative is the reason he gets ridiculed. This is a right-wing talking point that gets repeated regardless of skin color. It was even the subject of a guest post here last year. The reason Herman Cain gets criticized by me and many others is due to the idiotic/bigoted things he says. Here are some of them...

His misunderstanding of the “right of return” regarding Israel and Palestine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSI1hPSHRtk

His anti-Muslim comments:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8jGnpbED9E&feature=related

His epic failure in trying to quote the Constitution:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrGyymtped8

We criticize non-black conservatives such as Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Louie Gohmert, and Michele Bachmann when they make idiotic and/or bigoted statements. Why should we give Herman Cain a pass just because he’s black? Let me also add that I have no issue with a black person being a conservative. It's possible to be black, conservative, and be rational. Colin Powell and J.C. Watts come to mind. Even Michael Steele has become more sensible since his ouster as head of the RNC.

What are your thoughts on the Jon Stewart/Herman Cain controversy?

Guest Post: Neal Boortz Calls for Vigilantism

Recently, I contacted Mary (whose blog is titled Mary's World) and asked if she was interested in writing a guest post. She offered up the following about comments Neal Boortz recently made on his radio show:

Why is Neal Boortz Still Broadcasting on American Airwaves?

BOORTZ: You know what? I, for one, am tired of putting up with this crap. And you want to know why I moved out of Atlanta and only spend a couple of weeks a year in this town? That's one of the reasons. Carjackings, violence, people getting shot. It's ridiculous. This city harbors an urban culture of violence. And I want you to look around. You drive into the city. The railroad overpass is on the downtown connector covered with graffiti. And that-- That is just an advertisement for everybody coming into this town that we really don't give a damn about those who would screw up our quality of life around here. We really just don't care. We don't care enough to paint over graffiti on the overpasses that come into our city, advertising welcome to Atlanta, here's some of our finest graffiti, from some of our finest urban thugs and their little gang signs. And pick up the paper tomorrow morning. Read about all the carjackings. Read about the innocent people shot for the pure de-hell of it.

This town is starting to look like a garbage heap. And we got too damn many urban thugs, yo, ruining the quality of life for everybody. And I'll tell you what it's gonna take. You people, you are - you need to have a gun. You need to have training. You need to know how to use that gun. You need to get a permit to carry that gun. And you do in fact need to carry that gun and we need to see some dead thugs littering the landscape in Atlanta. We need to see the next guy that tries to carjack you shot dead right where he stands. We need more dead thugs in this city. And let their -- let their mommas -- let their mommas say, "He was a good boy. He just fell in with the good crowd." And then lock her ass up.

Media Matters

Neal Boortz has called for killing!  He claims it is self defense, but he has taken law enforcement, the court system and the rule of law totally out of the picture.

He has put out a call for all his listeners, you know them, the 'good citizens of Atlanta' to pick up arms!  Go get "trained" people, before you head out to do some "urban thug" hunting.  Don't forget your permit, while you drive down that Atlanta street, sweaty palmed, just waiting for that "urban thug, Yo".  Every stop light is a potential killing ground.  If one of those "urban thugs" come near your precious car, the car you work every day to pay for, the car that is the life blood of your family, when that "urban thug" comes to take your car away, you will be ready to shoot him dead "right where he stands!"  That car of yours is far more important than any "urban thug's" life, "yo."...but why wait until they get to your car, like the Bush doctrine taught us (get them before they get you) and "see some dead thugs littering the landscape" in the ATL!

I know I went a little overboard here, but seriously, why is this guy still on the air?  I heard today that he is a lawyer so we can assume that he isn't a total idiot, but from a simple Google search he does have a history of being a racist.  Why is this guy who put out a call for citizens to pick up arms and become vigilantes still on the radio?  Have we become so desensitized by the "Right Wing Shock Jocks" of the world that this man's rhetoric is no longer shocking?  I found it extremely disturbing and so does Ed Schultz and Joe Madison.  Joe said on Ed's show this morning,  "I think that skin heads are thugs, does that mean I can go out and shoot them too?" Could you imagine the outrage if "The Black Eagle" Joe Madison went on his show and said what Boortz did, only about skin heads?  Both of these guys have called out Boortz on their radio shows and Ed has done so on his MSNBC show, but the big 4 networks have said nothing.  I do remember a story about 3 New Black Panther members standing outside a predominantly Democratic polling place in Philly in 2008, on not just the nightly network news but my local news here in Wisconsin, but not a peep about this "more dead thugs in this city guy".  I don't want this to just fade into another news cycle and neither does Joe Madison.  He is telling his listeners to call the people responsible for putting this man on the air: Cox Communications/Cox Media Group.  Several of his callers tried to call Cox directly, but they transferred them over to the Neal Boortz show producers.  Cox put out a statement saying they were sorry for anyone who was offended, and providing links to Boortz's show.

One of the Mom things that I used to tell my little "urban thugs" before they went out to play with a ball or bat was, "That is your responsibility, if something gets broken because of your ball or bat, you are to blame, even if you weren't holding it at the time.  You make the choice to take it outside or not." Knowing full well that if something got broken, my child would be the only one left stand there anyway, because the rest of the kids (non-urban thugs) would scatter.  And things did get broken, and my kids did take responsibility and were often rewarded with not having to pay for the window.  This is how Cox should be treated.  You have to take responsibility for what you put on your air!

Cox Enterprises: http://www.cox.com

Corporate Headquarters:
Cox Media Group
6205 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30328


Phone: (678) 645-0000
Fax: (678) 645-5002
Links to the Radio:  http://www.wsbradio.com/contact-us/
WSB-AM
1601 West Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone: (404) 897-7500
Fax: (404) 897-7363

You can't scream "fire" in a crowded theater and you can't call for the landscape of Atlanta to be littered with the bodies of dead "urban thugs, Yo!"

According To Right-Wing Blogger: Black Celebs Empowered in the Age of Obama

Recently, I got into a debate with a right-wing blogger in the comments section of a post he wrote about the incident at George Bush Intercontinental Airport involving Patti Labelle. Because the blogger connected the incident to President Obama, I asked him to explain the connection. He responded with the following:

"I feel that Black celebrities have a feeling of power and that they can get away with anything since Obama was elected. Case in point, the Professor Henry Louis Gates, where Obama RAN to his defense."

Although I disagree with this blogger's theory, I felt the topic could generate a lively discussion. As a result, I invited the blogger to write a guest post about it here. Since he declined, I decided to write it myself.

As I said previously, I disagree with the idea that black celebrities feel empowered to do whatever they want in the Age of Obama. I'll go even further by saying it's absolute nonsense! The blogger makes it sound as if there is a hotline for black celebs to reach President Obama so he can make their legal troubles go away. Oh and if people think President Obama serves as a human "Get Out of Jail Free" card for famous black people, tell that to Plaxico Burress and Lil Wayne among others.

The blogger cited the incident involving Prof. Henry Louis Gates as proof of "Black Celebs Gone Wild". Because President Obama and Prof. Gates were friends, I think it was this relationship (not race) which played a factor in the president coming to his defense. President Obama even admitted their friendship may have caused him to be a little biased when viewing the case. Also, there is no evidence President Obama played a role in the charges being dropped against Prof. Gates.

As it stands, I think the blogger is not only off base, but paranoid as well. If black celebs as a whole waited until the Obama presidency to start acting like they could do whatever they wanted, I'd agree with his statement. Also, if anyone can show me a stat illustrating an increase in black celebs causing trouble since President Obama took office, I'd love to see it. The bottom line is that any black person (famous or otherwise) is a damn fool if they feel they're above the law simply because Obama is president.

Do you think the Obama presidency has caused black celebrities to think they can get away with anything?

Note: If one buys into the right-wing blogger's theory, they must also be nervous over what would happen if a Latino becomes President of the United States. I can imagine them quivering at the thought of celebs such as George Lopez, Eva Longoria, Mario Lopez and America Ferrera in a smoke-filled room plotting all the mayhem they’ll unleash in the event Marco Rubio is ever elected president.