Bush and Nat. Urban League

[dennis4868]

I just finnished watching Bush speak at the National Urban League. Anyway, after the speech Bush walks around shaking peoples' hands and seems to be laughing it up with everyone, including Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. WTF? Here you have a so called pResident who suppressed thousands of black voters from the voting rolls and has done everything in his power to make life harder for many african americans these past 3-4 years and they are having a good time, laughing it up with Bush, including Sharpton and Jackson?

If I was FORCED to shake Bush's hand after a speech I would quickly do it, look away and take off to shower....

I could not believe what I was watching. Am I overreacting?

[K-W]

1. There is no reason for them to not be civil.

As much as we, and probably most of the Black community would cheer at a snubbing, it would make someone like Jackson look extreme, rude, and obnoxious, hardly an image we want attached to him.

[dennis4868]

3. But...

why even attend the speech...everyone should have snubbed the creep!

[Droopy]

2. I'm very surprised that Sharpton did that

given all the bad things he said about Bush in the primaries. I don't know what he and Jackson were thinking.

[Sugarbleus]

4. I caught that appearance just a few minutes after it came on...

As I watched it, I worried. On the one hand I, like the other poster here, thought it was appropriate that the people were not rude because that wouldn't help anything at all. It would make our more notable black leaders look ..well, undignified.

Yet, when they panned the camera around, I noticed that not everyone in the audience was applauding Bush, not every face was bright and "Happy" as they watched him. lol

I believe it was Sharpton that said on Norville's show...something to the effect that all black americans don't think alike, they don't have to think alike. Black Americans are free thinking individual human beings who can make up their own minds on issues. They have issues they want addressed that are separate from mine; they have the right to get any sitting president to come and try to address them.

The Dems have been very helpful to the black community but not always in all ways.

Having said that, I still worried because Bush really did look like he was getting his "agenda" across to many of those good folks. He "almost" looked convincing and that's the "worry". He was pretty slick........... :scared:

[AngryLizard]

5. Whatever.

No one's buying his crap.

And as far as the handshaking, maybe it was a matter of "Respect the Office, If not the man"? Although personally, I would showered if I just found myself in the same room with the man. Cannot. STAND HIM.

[fujiyama]

6. My mom was telling me that

(she doesn't like Bush either but sometimes says things because she knows it'll annoy me) and I just said that I didn't even want to hear about it.

Basically the only way the SOB can win this state is by cheating and stealing. Detroit has been especially hard hit as has the entire state of MI during Bush's time in the WH. This is a city where Bush only git 8% of the vote.

Jackson was trying to be respectful of Bush, and probably figured it was good Bush did address the league, rather than ignore it like the NAACP.

Sharpton on the other hand...who knows?

After his attacks on Dean during the primaries, hearing about some questionable people working for his campaign, and his history in general, I just don't know what to think about him.

I will admit he was very entertaining during the primary debates though.

[uhhuh]

7. I think it more likely

That Al and Jesse were being respectful of the Urban League than of the chimp. He was invited there to speak. If they went out of their way to snub him, or dress him down, it would have made it look like the went there to humiliate the chimp, rather than support the organization.

They will be able to address what was said there later. While he was there, it is good they pretended to respect his presence.