Johnson and Rangel: Examples of Blacks Taking Other Blacks Into the Gutter!

Last week, I wrote a post about the ways that Black people often hate on other Black people. I started by discussing comments that Black coworkers have made about Sen. Barack Obama as a way to diminish his candidacy and prop up the candidacy of Sen. Clinton. My point wasn’t that they didn’t have a right to support whomever they chose to support. My point was that they weren’t using any facts and there was a race-based edge to what they were saying about Sen. Obama. I then tied that to the way Blacks mistreat other Blacks in the workplace and how we sometimes assist racists by engaging in “crabs in a barrel” antics at work.

Today, I want to talk about Robert Johnson, the former owner of B.E.T. network and Rep. Charles Rangel of NY. First, to Robert Johnson who stumped for Sen. Clinton over the weekend and went on a nasty tirade against Sen. Obama. Robert Johnson said he was offended by any insinuations that the Clinton’s were racist or diminishing Dr. King. He said:

“And to me, as an African-American, I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues since Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood –­ and I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in the book –­ when they have been involved.”

And, then he referred to Sen. Obama as “Sidney,” in reference to actor Sidney Poitier’s portrayal of any righteous and noble characters throughout his movie career.

“That kind of campaign behavior does not resonate with me, for a guy who says, ‘I want to be a reasonable, likable, Sidney Poitier ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.’ And I’m thinking, I’m thinking to myself, this ain’t a movie, Sidney. This is real life.”

"What has happened, in my opinion, is that what we have created is the quote-unquote 'perfect candidate' that's like in the movies, that has absolutely no blemishes," a vision that is unrealistic, said Johnson. "White America is saying, 'He's safe for us, he should be safe for you guys,' " Johnson said, referring to blacks. " We're letting other people pick our leaders."

Why is Robert Johnson a hater? It’s not because he supports the Clintons. It’s because he went into the gutter—in a national platform—against another Black man. He went to drugs and drug dealing and he went to the image of “Sidney the super ni**a” to tear down Sen. Obama. Then, he used some race-baiting trying to convince Blacks that voting for Obama was akin to giving White people what they want by letting them “pick our leaders.” If that’s the case, why did Sen. Clinton and not Sen. Obama win in New Hampshire? Clearly, not all Whites are trying to use some Jedhi mind-trick on Blacks folks, if we go by Johnson’s warped logic.

Is that the best Johnson can do? Don't vote for Obama because he "think he White," "act White," "ain't real enough," or "isn't ghetto enough?" What is he talking about?

At first Robert Johnson issued a statement—not an apology—saying that he was talking about Sen. Obama’s work as a community organizer. Only and idiot would believe that, yet Sen. Clinton and former President Clinton said they took Mr. Johnson “at his word.” Yes, they want Blacks to put them back in the White House. Yet, they initially wouldn’t be accountable for one of their surrogates playing to stereotypes and resorting to mentioning drugs (again). Later, Pres. Clinton said that we’d have to ask Bob Johnson what he meant. And, at the Las Vegas debate (on Dr. King’s birthday), Sen. Clinton said the remarks were regrettable. Apparently, she put some pressure on Bob Johnson because he finally issued a formal apology the other day. Bob Johnson called his comments “uncalled for” in his prepared statement. Clearly, this apology supports the belief that Bob Johnson was talking about drug use and not community organizing because community organizing wouldn’t require an apology.

Still, I want you to think about what Bob Johnson had to say.

In the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner who’s afraid? White people. What are they afraid of? A Black man. Why? Because he’s invading the innermost circle of their lives. He’s getting too close. He’s threatening their race. And, he’s threatening their legacy. They were afraid of him. They were mistrustful. They were offended by his presence. Etc.

This is the argument that Robert Johnson chooses to use against another Black man? Crab in a f*cking barrel!! I don’t care about how they movie ended…Robert Johnson went to the White man’s historical fear of Black men. He conjures up the image of a Black man with a White woman in order to defend the Clintons (even though Sen. Obama has a Black wife). This is just as bad as the ads Bob Corker (Rep. Sen. of Tennessee) ran against Harold Ford, Jr. (Black).

Robert Johnson refers to Sidney Poitier. Super ni**a? Really? When has Sen. Obama presented himself as the “perfect Black man”? If anything, he’s been too damn honest about his flaws, when everyone else around him is lying and refusing to admit to any of their mistakes. Sen. Clinton’s Iraq war vote, anyone?

Sen. Obama wrote about his indiscretions and his life—honestly. More honestly than most people, especially politicians, ever have. Contrary to that, we have former President Bill Clinton saying that he “never inhaled.” Sen. Obama has openly said about his marijuana use, “isn’t that the point.” So, this character attack on Sen. Obama clearly diminishes President Clinton rather than Sen. Obama. I should say, to anyone who thinks this argument through.

By saying Sen. Obama is not a “perfect Black man,” Bob Johnson is essentially telling White people, “this is just another ni**a! He’s no different than the rest of us! You should be afraid of him. You should be suspicious of him. You should be concerned about him coming into your lives.” That is the nutshell of basically calling him super ni**a and openly chuckling about it.”

Now to drugs…Robert Johnson is more of a drug dealer than Sen. Obama. What did Bob Johnson do to our “neighborhoods”? Robert Johnson has propped up how many former drug dealers through his network B.E.T.? He thinks he can bring up drugs, when he’s made his money off of people who brag about slinging cocaine and weed and people who brag about being shot and people who push images of Black women as whores? Robert Johnson has done much more to harm Blacks and perceptions about Blacks—worldwide—through his network, B.E.T. than Sen. Obama. And, he thinks he’s better than Sen. Obama?

Are you kidding me?

If Hillary Clinton had to defend Bob Johnson or Charlie Rangel, do you think she’d attack another White person on such terms? Do you think she’d go to the carpet like this for them? “Oh, that’s just the White man!” Do you think she’d go there?”

Crabs in a barrel!!!

He took it so hard to race, to defend the Clintons, that it sickens me. Now to Charlie Rangel, who said:

"How race got into this thing is because Obama said 'race.' But there is nothing that Hillary Clinton has said that baffles me. I would challenge anybody to belittle the contribution that Dr. King has made to the world, to our country, to civil rights, and the Voting Rights Act. But for him to suggest that Dr. King could have signed that act is absolutely stupid. It's absolutely dumb to infer that Dr. King, alone, passed the legislation and signed it into law."

Charlie Rangel was DEAD WRONG! Sen. Obama NEVER said anything about Sen. Clinton belittling Dr. King AND he never introduced race into the campaign—he was going to great lengths to keep race OUT of the campaign. Sen. Clinton was on the stump and in interviews mentioning Obama and race (FOX News and Meet the Press). She repeatedly brought up race! You didn’t have any quotes from Sen. Obama until he was asked about Sen. Clinton saying the race debate was his fault and created by his campaign. He responded by saying he found it baffling that Sen. Clinton was blaming him because his campaign didn’t release an official statement. He didn’t say that Sen. Clinton was diminishing Dr. King or anything else. He surprised and baffled that he [Sen. Obama] was being blamed for the fallout.

Rangel went on to say that Sen. Obama was a fool for mentioning his previous drug use and said that Obama probably did it just to “sell some books.” However, Sen. Obama wrote the book after graduating from Harvard Law School. The book didn’t become popular until AFTER he made a speech at the DNC convention for John Kerry and John Edwards! Get it right, Mr. Rangel. It wasn’t until that speech that everyone wondered who Obama was and wanted more information on him.

Mr. Rangel was wrong. He knew it or should have known it before he started running his mouth. In the end, he had to go all over TV saying that he “regretted” making all of the statements. But, why did he do it in the first place and why did he have to go so hard on behalf of Sen. Clinton? Why did he have to go to the gutter against Sen. Obama?

There he was using words like “dumb” and “stupid”—on a national platform—against another Black man. Everyone knows the stereotype of Blacks being of inferior intelligence to Whites. But, here we go playing into our own stereotypes and bringing ALL OF US down in the process!!

“Dumb” and “stupid.” Is that how he should refer to one of our few Black senators? Why resort to name-calling? Why play into stereotypes? Was he that offended for Hillary Clinton that he would resort to making attacks that were slap in a face to all Black people?

I can’t tell you how sorry I feel for Sen. Obama. The Clinton camp is being nasty and poisonous enough to him. They’ve played up race, intentionally, after what may have been an unintentionally offensive comment. They wanted to make Sen. Obama talk about race.

Black people think about it. If he’s talking about race, he is a Black man. He’ is not an American. He is a n*gger. Period! He’s the candidate ONLY for Black people and he can’t possibly win. That is the sole reason why the Clintons kept this going.

To see people like Bob Johnson and Charlie Rangel playing into racially divisive strategy—intentionally or unintentionally—just goes to show how so many Black people in the workplace get caught up selling out, tearing down, diminishing and destroying another Black person. I can’t tell you what I’ve seen Black people do to each other at work. How hard they’ve intentionally stabbed them back. You’ve probably got your own stories of being sold out or torn down by a Black coworker or having seen them do it to someone else. Heck! Maybe your own of the backstabbers or crabs I’m talking about?

Are you?

To watch these prominent Black men publicly eviscerating our FIRST VIABLE BLACK PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, just makes me think that we (Black people) may not deserve to have one!!

That is not a misprint.

Maybe we need to get what we have coming to us…a Republican president or Sen. Clinton as president. A republican will typically have policies that ignore or harm some Blacks, especially the poor. And, Sen. Clinton is going to govern from the center, so that she woill be reelected in four years. She won’t pander to Blacks because it would harm her chances for a 2nd term.

“I don’t hear enough from Sen. Obama? What’s he going to do for us?” What have Clinton or Edwards told you they’re going to do for Blacks? Have you called on them to speak to it? Have you looked at C-Span or cable news or online to see/hear his speeches? Yes, there are links you can click on. You can go to Obama’s website (www.barackobama.com) to click on his speeches. Did you make the effort? Did you click on the links to his papers containing the details on how he will fight poverty, his plans for the environment, energy, etc.?

No? Right? You don’t want to do any work to find out more about him. You just want to complain about him not being Black enough or more specific, etc. Right? Hillary Clinton doesn’t have to tell you anything about “Black Brown” issues as she calls them. You just assume she’s gonna have your back and you assume the worst about Sen. Obama—that he won’t. Keep looking for excuses.

Once we’ve helped derail and destroy Sen. Obama by bringing up drugs over and over again, bringing up stereotypes over and over again, calling him names over and over again, how long before we get another viable Black candidate? I don’t want to hear that one day we’ll have a Black president or hear people telling their kids to dream about it. We’ve had our chance!! And, look what many of us are doing with.

I am so sick of hearing Black people hate on Sen. Obama on such non-issue related terms. We are truly crabs in a barrel. We talk a good game about equality and all the like. But, when push comes to shove, maybe we just want what we’re accustomed to. Maybe we don’t want to hope. Maybe we don’t the ultimate dream to come true.

And, when he’s been done in—with our assistance—we’ll say, “See, White people would never let a Black man be President.” We’ll wash our hands of our role in this! The Obama campaign really makes me wonder about our people. And, what I hear and see saddens me.

Crabs in a freaking barrel!!