President Making Rare Appearance Before Black Group

[Judi Lynn]

President Making Rare Appearance Before Black Group
By Scott Lindlaw Associated Press Writer
Published: Jul 28, 2003




WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is making a rare appearance before a group that represents black Americans, part of an effort to build ties to a demographic group that overwhelmingly voted against him in 2000.

Bush was to travel to Pittsburgh on Monday to address a conference of the National Urban League, a group less critical of his policies than the NAACP, which he has shunned during his 2 1/2 years in office.

It was his second trip in a week, and the 21st of his presidency, to Pennsylvania, a state he is working hard to capture next year's election.

Bush planned to give a 25-minute speech, but not to meet otherwise with Urban League leaders or members. (snip/...)

~~~~link~~~~

[liberalnurse]

1. Howard Dean will be in Pittsburgh too!!!!

I bet Dean gets a better turnout.....

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. He's counting on

the Urban League folks to be polite so he can get some still shots to use on his campaign. I doubt if he'll use sound bites, as it is hard to incinuate enthusiasm when your remarks are met with silence.

[spinbaby]

3. Protesters meet at...

...the Penn Avenue entrance of the convention center at noon. I'm surprised our local news actually announced where the protesters will be meeting.

[DemPopulist]

4. The Four Tops?

Kidding ;)

[fertilizeonarbusto]

5. I'm just sorry I'm stuck in a meeting.

I have way too many tomatoes this year and he could use some flavor improvement. BTW, any shamen out there, those of us here in Pittsburgh need a ritual purification done after he leaves-YEEEECCCCH!!!!!

[RapidCreek]

6. Hehehehe

This probably has something to do with softening up the peanut gallery before he throws Rice under the bus.

RC

[Jacobin]

7. Let me guess

They are staging a joint family reunion among Condi and Colin's relatives, and Smirk will drop in for a hot dog.

[wontmoveon]

8. If they don't boo him out of the meeting they lose credibility in my eyes.

This group has a history of hard-fought civil and legal rights. Why would they even want an
idiot President, not elected, and really no friend to minorities and the poor to even address them.
I have read a lot about black history and it seems to me that they are always seeking confirmation and
acceptance from the people who should be viewed as the lowest of low to them. Why do they
continue to seek the approval of the group of people who really despise them?
It puzzles me.

[noiretextatique]

24. approval?

publicity is more like it. bush won't change any minds or votes with his speech. recall clarence thomas's speech to the NAACP a few years ago? he made a complete fool of himself...i suspect the same will happen. approval is not any group's to give, since no group "owns" it.

[study_war_no_more]

25. why would anyone want to be a rebuplican?

Is that the question?
Fear and personal gain and fear and personal gain and fear and personal gain...

[prolesunited]

9. I don't know why

this group is allowing itself to be used in this way.

"Bush planned to give a 25-minute speech, but not to meet otherwise with Urban League leaders or members."

Here, listen to me but I won't give you the dignity of allowing your leaders or members to actually talk to me nor will I actually listen to any of you. I guess it's all part of its "who cares what you think?" administration.

[Atlant]

10. They need photos of "black faces in the crowd"...

The Bush PR people need new stock photos of "adoring black faces
in the crowd" so they can Photoshop them in to the all-white crowd
shots taken at all the all-white events that Bush normally attends.

People are starting to recognize the people in the two or three
photos they've been using up until now, and people are starting
to figure out that Colin and Condi don't really like Bush or
think much of him.

Atlant

[psychopomp]

11. No q/a either, you can be sure.

Dumbya is a real chickensh*t and would likely have his chance at a pre-election PR victory quashed if the audience had a mic for questioners.

From the NUL site:



National Urban League Responds to President Bush's State of the Union Address
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

New York, NY, January 29th, 2003 In his State of the Union Address President�Bush endeavored to reach out more aggressively to the African-American community by calling for an accelerated campaign to combat AIDS in Africa, provide funding for those addicted to drugs and offer mentoring for children whose parents are in prison.

The goals of these initiatives are highly commendable, yet compared to the cornerstone of his economic message�a huge new tax break for the individual owners of stock and accelerated tax breaks for the richest Americans�these new programs are disappointingly modest. If the President�fs challenge in an era of scarce resources and economic stagnation to fund only the nation�fs most pressing priorities is to be taken literally, then we question the wisdom and massive size of his proposed tax cut which would disproportionately benefit the wealthiest Americans while running up huge federal deficits.

The child tax credit the President wants to accelerate will be of little help to millions of needy American children. Poor children have already received their modest benefit from the 2001 tax cut. Now, only the children of high-income families will stand to be the primary beneficiaries of the accelerated cuts. Almost two-thirds of the benefits would go to children in the top 40% of the income distribution, with one-third of the benefits going to those families in the top 20% alone. While less than one percent of children in the bottom 20% would get any new benefit. In fact, almost one-third of American families and single households will receive no tax benefits from the President�fs proposals, and almost half of families and singles will receive less than $100 in tax relief.

Further, the President said that neither he, nor Congress, should leave a burden for a future president or Congress. Yet, his call to make the 2001 tax cuts permanent, coupled with the new tax break for corporate dividends, would create a gaping hole in the federal budget for years to come. These mounting deficits will force massive cuts in important federal programs to be made by a future Congress and president.

-more-

What could he possibly say in his "speech?"

[IDUDOYOU]

12. Why do you think Bush ordered troops to the "shores" of Liberia?

To the "shores" mind you, not "ashore".
Where is Operation Liberian Freedom?

NUL conference, Lineria in crisis.
Hello, McFly!
How much do you want to bet Liberia disappears from the Bush radar screen shortly after this conference unless some dramatic happens?

[DS1]

23. Because that's how they did it in that Bruce Willis documentary

"Tears of the Sun"

:eyes:

[ewagner]

13. This is rare

Bush's handlers usually don't take the risk of putting him in front of any group that isn't wildly enthusiastic about him (AEI, Veterans etc.)

IMHO they want something very specific and very profound out of this group. Almost too risky for just a photo op.

[realFedUp]

14. Can he tap dance though?

I hope they have better entertainment than that planned.

[htuttle]

15. Why is he doing this? Not for the African American vote

He stands about as much chance of winning a significant portion of the African American community's vote as David Duke.

He does these events to convince the white centrist vote that he's not a racist. He is essentially using the Urban League as a 'prop'.

See:

Bush planned to give a 25-minute speech, but not to meet otherwise with Urban League leaders or members.

He says he'll talk, but he has no time to listen?

[noiretextatique]

27. bingo, htuttle...

remember, black people, moreso than ANY other demographic, have never trusted bush or bush, inc....or the republican party, in general. therefore, this "appeal" is targetted at those who aren't as mistrustful...and don't vote as solidly democratic.

[hatrack]

16. Right after the Africa photo-op, he asked to meet with the CBC

The Congressional Black Caucus, to their great credit, politely told him to get stuffed.

They pointed out that he'd deigned to meet exactly once with them since 20 January, 2001, and that they'd been asking for another meeting for the past two years.

[gratuitous]

17. Geez, what did the National Urban League do?

I mean, having to listen to Chimpy for 25 consecutive minutes? Those poor schlubs!

[dArKeR]

18. The Secret Service will remove the guests tongues to protect

the pResident.

[revcarol]

19. I hope they all have their heads bowed in prayer,

while sitting on their hands."Nice photo-op."

"Lord, take this burden from us..."

[Rex]

20. I'm sure Rove forced him to do this.

"Bush planned to give a 25-minute speech, but not to meet otherwise with Urban League leaders or members."

I wonder if Bush gets all squeamish when he has to shake hands with anyone who is non-white?

[Rose Siding]

21. 7 of the Dem candidates will speak after him

but I don't see it listed on c-span. It would be sooooo good. Some of them make their remarks on the fly and I'd love to see if comments are made about what Bush says. The crowd response would be good to know about also.

Anyone in Pittsburgh know if it will be on locally?

[sonias]

22. Bush's speech a C

Typical performance by bu$h, he barely passes muster and I'm sure this group was just being polite. I think the tactic that the Black Political Caucus took was more effective, just tell the great pretender to f**k off. After all he doesn't really give a damn about African Americans, he just wants some photo ops so he can say he cares. They shouldn't play into his game.
---------------------------
Here's the AP Version of same story
Bush to Urban League: Economy Looking Up
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=544&ncid=716&e=4&u=/ap/20030728/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush
John Bugg, vice president of the Baltimore Urban League, graded Bush's speech a C. "He addressed a lot of issues that we had really come to listen to, but it wasn't anything we hadn't heard before," Bugg said.
----------------------------

Sonia

[RamboLiberal]

33. Here's Scaife's local Pittsburgh rag's reporting

Repug bias dripping here-note the Dubya familiarity and the thunderous applause - wonder if that will make the print version tomorrow. Did you know Dicky Mellon Scaife called his paper's editors during election 2000 furious that a Gore photo was on the front page during a stop in Pittsburgh by Gore?

President Bush today told people at the National Urban League convention that he wants more minorities to own homes before the end of the decade.
More than 2,000 people packed the David L. Lawrence Convention Center's main ballroom, Downtown, for the 20-minute speech at 11:30.

Dubya drew thunderous applause when he stressed the need for support for home ownership. Bush said he wants 5.5 million more minority Americans to buy homes before the end of this decade.

"A good way to make sure the economy remains strong is a housing policy that closes the gap for minority homeowners," he said.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/pmupdate/s_146868.html

Here's the non-Scaife paper the Post-Gazettes reporting:

President Bush praised government cooperation with faith-based institutions as he addressed the national convention of the Urban League today at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

"Our government should not fear faith; we should welcome it as an equal partner," Bush said as he lauded the contribution of such groups in education, health care and counseling.

--snip--

Bush's speech was greeted with polite applause, and he shook hands with audience members for about 15 minutes afterward.

http://www.post-gazette.com/breaking/20030728bushp2.asp

[diamond14]

34. again, bush* said "slavery set America free ! " (link)

hoping that someone from the Urban League calls him on it...shrub is such a racist...

this is the SECOND time, the first when he was in Senegal...it's now become shrub's standard "speech for Blacks"....
(cheap-labor conservatives...FREE labor being the best for their bottom line)...
__________________________________

-snip- fourth paragraph from end of transcript....

And by a plan known only to Providence, the stolen sons and daughters of Africa helped to awake the conscience of America. The very people traded into slavery helped to set America free. (Applause.)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/07/20030728-3.html

[cap]

26. I wonder what anti-African American initiative is coming ...

each time he does a photo op someone gets hammered.

[Flubadubya]

28. The group should do the right thing....

and not show up... not a single one of them! That'd be just perfect. Can you imagine the publicity that would get?

[robbedvoter]

29. Mark Morford: Bush says Yo 'Sup Homies I Be Down With That

== Bush Says Yo 'Sup Homies I Be Down Wid Dat ==
BushCo is making a rare appearance before a group that represents black
Americans, part of an effort to build ties to a demographic group that
overwhelmingly voted against him in 2000 and pretty much thinks he is
the niddering dinkwad spawn of a hollow WASP mafia empire that pretty
much thinks black people are a scourge and a menace just like gays and
Latinos and Asians and dogs and ferrets and small European cars and
solar power and organic foods and love. Bush was to travel to
Pittsburgh on Monday to address a conference of the National Urban
League, a group less critical of his policies than the NAACP, which he
has shunned during his 2 1/2 years in office. Bush was planning on
testing out some of his new humorous zingers about smackin' up some
skank-ass crack ho's and dazzling the crowd with the story of the time
he was snorting blow off Beyonce's ass while "schwizzling the whizzle"
to 50 Cent wid Da Krew, cuz he's down with it. Black people everywhere
were preparing to recoil violently at the very thought of Bush coming
anywhere near an organization of black people and daring to pretend to
care about anything resembling racial outreach. Bush also planned on
trotting out the old chestnut that Condoleeza Rice was rumored to be
black, when in fact everyone knows she is a freakishly rigid spinster
automaton who scares small children and whom the black race officially
disowned roughly two decades ago.

[robbedvoter]

30. Wow! Wise restraint from blaming Clinton for own recession!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=544&ncid=716&e=4&u=/ap/20030728/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush
Bush did not use what had been a common line in his speeches on the economy, suggesting that
he had inherited a recession from former President Clinton (news - web sites). Instead, he told
the Urban League that the most recent recession began "in the first quarter of 2001."


The National Bureau of Economic Research, a panel of academic economists that is the
recognized arbiter of recessions, said earlier this month that the recession began in March 2001
and ended that November � all on Bush's watch.

[Generic Other]

31. What will it say behind his head?

"Fight the Power"?

[LeftHander]

32. The last black "group" was Stevie WOnder's band

Remember he waved hi to Steve....