Anyone get the impression Tavis Smiley doesn't really like Obama?

[Unsane]

I feel like there's some sort of backstory there.

[Montauk6]

1. Ahhh... he's probably still miffed that Obama passed on the State of the Black Union conf.

[zulchzulu]

42. He was pissed that Michelle stopped by the conference instead of Barack

I remember him whining back then. It was a conference in New Orleans and he made it a point that he was supporting Hillary Clinton and that Michelle Obama showing up was not enough...

Personally, I don't give a shit whether he likes Barack or not. Screw him if he has a problem.

[babylonsister]

49. Did she? I don't recall that; she wasn't welcome, by Tavis. nt

[eleny]

2. i thought he was backing hillary clinton during the primaries

that's the only thing i can recall being a issue.

[politicasista]

3. Tavis is jealous of President Obama

In addition to still being miffed about the "snub". He is still miffed about him skipping the King anniversary in Memphis.

[sampsonblk]

25. And that translates into jealousy??? (nt)

[FrenchieCat]

26. For some folks with big egos....

Ye-Ah!

[EraOfResponsibility]

33. and egos don't get any bigger than Tavis Smiley's

trust me.

[FrenchieCat]

39. I've met him. I know.

He came to my church along with Cornel West sometime ago.
I judge them as I sense them, and he believes that he is totally fine,
and the cat's meow! Just not this Cat's meow though.

[EraOfResponsibility]

41. He is SOOO full of it

I can't stand him.

[mucifer]

4. He doesn't appear to like President Obama much. But, I do appreciate that he is trying

to push Obama further to the left. Smiley's criticisms of Obama mostly have to do with this.

[FrenchieCat]

11. He rather is trying to find a way to again criticize Barack Obama....

and that is what he concentrated on at this State of the Black Union.....

He didn't concentrate on the Stimulus that had been passed,
or the budget, and what that all could mean to Black Folks,
and how we could come together to support the passage of this budget.

Instead, he was trying to sell his book, and saying that Obama should be criticized
(without specifics), and that President Obama wasn't a Messiah, like anyone
other than Obama's critics had ever said that.

He was blatently transparent in his attempts,
but the good folks on the panel, except for Micheal Steele,
steered him away from that point,
but he kept drifting back to "Holding Obama's feet to the fire", aka Accountability,
which happens to be the name of his new book...

If you are going to criticize, get specific,
otherwise, STFU......that was the message from the panel to Tavis Smiley.

[mucifer]

19. Thanks for the recap. I've heard Tavis on other shows and I missed today's

Black SOTU.

[babylonsister]

35. Thanks. I missed this, and was wondering where the OP was

coming from. I hope there's a repeat.

[TTUBatfan2008]

12. He's a hypocrite...

He whines and moans about hero worship of Obama but he rarely criticized Clinton for his mistakes and has been a hero worshiper of both Clintons. One of his panelists completely smacked him down by pointing out that Clinton oversaw the largest increase of prison building in this country in history. Worse than even Reagan and Bush 1 combined. And what group of people is disproportionately thrown in prison?

[Cha]

14. Wow, it always amazes

me how some people can be so gifted in some ways but have problems with the big picture..i.e, something bigger than themselves.

[TTUBatfan2008]

18. The thing that bothers me about him...

is that he basically tries to send the message that Obama is somehow a wolf in sheep's clothing that is out to hurt the black community, meanwhile he never criticized Bill for his mistakes and he certainly didn't speak up when Bill tried to throw Obama and Jesse Jackson under the bus during the primaries. Some champion for the black community eh? Somehow Bill can do no wrong and Obama is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Right, Tavis.

[Cha]

21. Tres weird but that's the

human condition for you..my pesos are on Obama. Viva Obama.

[BlooInBloo]

5. He's a Jesse Jackson guy, I believe.

[goclark]

6. I'd say he is a Tavis Smily lover

Big ego and he can't get over the backlash in our Black Community last year.

Believe he lost his radio time etc.

[asjr]

7. I'd say you are right. To me he

seems somewhat artificial.

[kwenu]

8. He's never liked Obama and no one really cares.

[Peacetrain]

9. Tavis has had a wild hair about Obama for well over a year now

[Renaissance Man]

10. Tavis Smiley

Tavis Smiley is an opportunist, and anyone that doesn't see this, is frankly, BLIND.

He's attempting to position himself as respected among the old Civil Rights guard (many of whom gave President Obama flack during his run for President), and frankly, it's disgusting. He's also a media whore, and receives funding from ExxonMobil, Wal-Mart and Wells Fargo for his projects -- do the words manipulation of crude oil prices and records profits and adjustable rate mortgages come to mind?

He received a lot of backlash (and rightfully so) from the African-American community because of the fact that he criticized Barack Obama's non-presence at last year's State of the Black Union (which I attended in New Orleans), rejected Michelle Obama's presence as a substitute (which would have been warmly received), and pissed and moaned and left the Tom Joyner Morning Show because he couldn't handle the heat when he inserted his ass into the kitchen.

Now, he comes out with a book called "Accountable" (the next in a series of yawners), and uses this State of the Black Union as some sort of soapbox for holding a President (who hasn't been in office a full two months) accountable...

... after the abject ignorance and incompetence of the last administration.

Fuck. Him. Seriously.

[Cha]

15. This is all good information..

I will not be watching his show any longer.

[babylonsister]

37. Wow. Good to know, and I do remember when

Senator Obama couldn't appear last year because of the primary and the prior commitments, offered his wife's presence as a great replacement, and Smiley turned them down.

[traxster]

38. Wow....

You are so right! On another note, I watched the entire State of the Black Union on TV last year and mostly it seemed like an event to blow up Tavis's already inflated ego.

AND, I still can't believe that Michelle wasn't "good" enough to attend in Obama's place.

[Jennicut]

40. Hmmm, that pretty much sums it up for me!

He sounds like a real winner...huge ego, jealousy and a hypocrite.

[uponit7771]

53. Folk callin into TJMS was askin why Tavis was hatin, on Bill Maher Tavis let the cat out of the...

...bag to me by sayin Obama was in for a "shock" when it comes to white America and the "hatred" he'd get racially...I don't see that hatred and I don't think he can stand being that wrong, for some people that cynicism of whites in America is part of their persona and when someone totally tears it apart limb from limb they don't know how to act...I've seen it in some of my relatives before, like Rev Wright in to a degree they don't see that a good portion o America has changed and the Limbaughs and Hannnity's are called fringe instead of mainstream.

[Cha]

13. I was on the

Black State of the Union thread earlier and we were discussing that very thing.

Too bad 'cause I've seen him really supportive of other African Americans but not Obama who has the toughest job in the world right now.

[Nedsdag]

16. From last month's Atlantic Monthly:

Last February, the black journalist Tavis Smiley held his annual State of the Black Union forum in New Orleans. For the second year in a row, Obama declined to attend. (The 2007 forum took place on the day he launched his campaign.) Smiley was angry about the slight and criticized Obama openly. The backlash against Smiley was intense. This was just after Obama had won the South Carolina primary, after African Americans had united around Obama in part because the Clinton campaign seemed to be writing him—and them—off. Smiley quit The Tom Joyner Morning Show, one of the country’s most popular radio programs among African Americans, because, as Joyner explained to his audience, “He can’t take the hate he’s taken over Barack Obama. He’s always busting Barack Obama’s chops.”

The Smiley backlash was evidence to Obama’s inner circle that, in the words of one adviser, “Barack became untouchable in the community,” in much the same way that civil-rights heroes such as John Lewis had earned a lifetime’s worth of goodwill and benefit of the doubt. “Tavis Smiley was the object lesson for everyone,” says Anita Dunn, a senior campaign strategist.

[Cha]

22. Maybe if jealousy hadn't been

the reason and there was logic to Tavis' points it would have been different but it doesn't take a psychologist to notice the disingenuous hypocricy.

[BeyondGeography]

30. Joyner's right

Tavis is always busting Obama's balls over something.

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

17. I feel like he thinks Obama thinks he doesn't have to answer any questions the AA

community may have because they are so supportive. That's why I feel like he doesn't like him. He keeps saying on tv shows I've seen him on that he needs to be "accountable" to the black community.

[goclark]

24. I agree . Why is Tavis so worried about Obama's accountability?

He built his entire Forum around "how do we hold Obama accountable?"

I am Black and believe me,we don't have any problem expressing our opinions to the President.

In fact, Obama is the most open President that America has ever experienced.


I am not asking for any special treats just because I am African American and I don't think that is what "our community" wants either.
And frankly, I have not heard one AA say, " Obama better do what we say or else!"

IMO, we don't think of him as "Our President." If anything we are proud that he is a gift for ALL people.

Tavis had a magnificent panel that gently told him to get a life.

I didn't hear Steele(did I miss anything brilliant) but at least he was there.

Just learned that Obama turned down an appearance again this year- that must have been the moment of horror for Tavis.

[tonycinla]

27. The real reason?

I have had a tremendous amount of involvement in the black community on many levels for many years.If I had to guess I think one of the main things that irriates Tavis about Obama ,and irriates Jesse Jackson too for that matter,it is that Obama is not "black enough" on several levels.Firstly He is genetically only half black and not black at all when it comes to a descendant of slave status.He also was not in the avant guard in the "MOVEMENT" as many other blacks were.Some of the older establishment blacks feel like Obama is a "Johnny Come Lately" to the scene and is cashing the hard earned paycheck they worked for.This is simply human nature.I have no dog in this fight,this is just an observation.

[FrenchieCat]

31. I don't think that anyone in the Black Community questions Obama's blackness

Or they would be questioning the issue as to whether Barack Obama actually is the First Black President. When you can say that about someone like Bill Clinton, one understands that it can't be withheld from Barack Obama. Also many in the Black community note that Obama's Black Half is African, actually makes him more if not as Black as many Black Americans who are descendents from Slaves. In other words, his Black half is Pure Black, and therefore quite potent. LOL!

Also, Obama is too young to have been part of any old guard movement. But, one should note that Obama started out his political interest by standing and speaking against Apartheid in South Africa, so that is good enough. The fact that he turned down a lot of money and worked as a community organizer in the Chicago's southside also speaks volume.

Tavis is just hatin' on the brother, because that is how he started out (when Tavis had no clue that this Obama guy could actually win), and things got out of hand before that genie could be put back into that bottle. Tavis' ego is too large to show him going from being against Barack Obama to supporting him, so he's using the "Hold him Accountable" rationale in order to cover the fact that he just called them wrong, and supported the wrong individual throughout the primaries.

[babylonsister]

43. Jesse Jackson disabused me of that notion when I saw him on Nov. 4th.

I don't discount how these guys might have felt, but not anymore. There's no reason for it. I'm so proud of my president and I'm white. He could be purple and I'd love him. Smiley needs to get over it.

[TTUBatfan2008]

55. That still doesn't explain...

why Tavis never criticizes Bill Clinton for his mistakes. One of his panelists brought up the fact that more prisons were built under Clinton than under Reagan and Bush 1 COMBINED. Given what we know about racial profiling and the disproportionate number of minorities who end up in jail compared to whites, you would think old Tavis would have criticized Clinton for this kind of thing in the past. But not a peep out of him on that front or any other front criticizing Clinton for that matter. Tavis is a grade-A hypocrite.

[traxster]

32. His worst was commentary after Obama's Speech on Race

He had written his commentary BEFORE he watched the speech and basically made his commentary about Obama being a sellout. He had no idea that Obama would keep it real and speak the truth like he did so he already had his commentary ready to bash Obama up and down, right and left. So he sounded like a ASS in his commentary and that is when people were really calling for him to be gone.

Even last week, he was asked about Obama's speech to Congress and he said he hadn't watched it and said something flippant, and people were calling and upset that he would be so hateful towards him. Not that all blacks should support Obama because he is black. Absolutely not. But, he had such obvious disdain that you could tell it wasn't objective.

[MadMaddie]

20. Jealousy my friend jealousy!

Penis envy....typical human behavior.

[Cha]

23. Yes, how

trite.

[Hieronymus]

28. I've never liked Tavis, so I could care less if he likes President Obama or not.

[Fire1]

29. Tavis Smiley and alot of the activists of the CR movement

have got to understand that President Obama is NOT of the 'old school' of thought and he is accountable to a NATION not just a community. Such thinking on the part of Tavis Smiley is indicative of small narrow minded people suspended in time.

[EraOfResponsibility]

34. Check out this blog post from jackandjill (an AA political blog)

"Same Ole Negro Super Bowl"

http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2009/02/same-ol-negro-super-bowl-pt-ii/

Tavis tried his DAMNDEST to get that panel to criticize Obama the whole day, but thankfully they didn't fall for the okie doke.

[Cha]

36. Thanks for that..it

makes me feel better. Tavis is being too divisive..for what purpose?

[FrenchieCat]

45. Dang! I might have to go and hang out at that site....!

[angee_is_mad]

47. Jack and Jill is the realness

I wish more Duers would visit the Afrosphere. It will definitely open a lot of eyes on here.

[FrenchieCat]

50. Well, I've read some of their stuff, and of course,

them and I always seem to agree without comparing notes.

[angee_is_mad]

51. I visit and post on there as much as on here

It's kinda good to go to a progressive site where you don't have to always explain or defend yourself about the black culture or how something is offensive to black people.

ie, How offensive it is to see a cartoon of a dead monkey that was killed by NY cops.

[Number23]

57. Angee, got any suggestions on good Afro-sphere sites??

You've posted some good ones before. You can PM me if you think it would be better. Thanks

[angee_is_mad]

44. You don't know?

OMG, It was all over the afrosphere and black talk radio during the primaries and election.

tavis so go put on blast in the AA community for his actions toward Barack.

[truebrit71]

46. Tavis Smiley likes Tavis Smiley and that's about it...

...

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

48. "Impression"? He hates Obama. It came to a head during primaries, where Smiley was

in Hillary's camp.

Smiley made a big deal about Obama not going to his "State of the Black Union" in New Orleans during primaries (if I recall TX/OH was within days of this event, a major turning point in the campaign) and the fact that Hillary did speak there, even though Obama campaigned in LA (and won the primary there) and I believe Hillary did not.

If I recall further, Obama also did not attend this event the previous year because that was the day or weekend when he was in Illinois ANNOUNCING HIS CANDIDACY FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Fuck Tavis Smiley. I'm sure he'd be much happier if McCain and Palin were the administration. :eyes:

[uponit7771]

52. Smiley reminds me of one of many black folk who's cynicism about whites was a part of their persona

...and when someone came along and broke that they got pissed.

dunno, I have some folk in the family who are like that and try every now and then to say Obama is tryin to "fit" but then see him invite Steve Wonder to sing at the white house and don't know what to say about it.

Obama doesn't cover who he is, he keeps it real...that's a hard thing to get salty over.

[Imagevision]

54. Tavis is still PO'd Barack said sorry can't do your show?

[uponit7771]

56. I just get the feeling that Tavis is pissed Obama is proving him wrong about most of white America,

...on Bill Mahers show Tavis gave somewhat of a tell when he said "wait till Obama gets to Washington and feels the hate". To me he was talking about hate of just republicans but white America, I've seen this before ...folk can't stand to be wrong.

[Baikonour]

58. It all comes down to sour grapes, in my estimation. n/t

[Kermit77]

59. Even when Obama accepted the nomination - Tavis hated on him that night

I remember the night Obama gave his acceptance speech at the DNC, I made a point to watch Tavis's show on PBS and boy was I shocked.

I expected for Tavis to mark what a historic achievement this was but instead Tavis was hating on Obama's speech saying that he didn't talk about poverty enough. And I was even more surprised to see he had black commentators on their agreeing with him. I remember he had Cornel West and Julianne Malveaux. Cornel was softer in his criticism but Tavis and Julianne were beating up Obama left and right. I felt like I was watching the Sean Hannity show or something.

I really hope that Obama NEVER invites Tavis to the White House.

[alwysdrunk]

60. Self-important

Tavis, and many of the civil rights old-gaurd (whose support Tavis needs to survive) have a problem with Obama because he doesn't suck up to them as "leaders of the black community", like everything between Obama and black people should go through them. At the same time they can't be openly hostile to the first black president.

They will continue to be frustrated.

[firedupdem]

61. Tavis reminds me of a slimy pimp....

The way he kept promoting that book yesterday along with his sponsors, exxon and wells fargo. It was horrible. He has a real problem with Barack, but firmly planted his lips on Hillary's ass. It makes me think he was promised something because he hasn't been able to back off. He likes to hear himself talk and I can't stand him. What has he done to be accountable to the black community? Unless I'm wrong, I don't recall him doing any real work in the community. He can't say he's done even half of what the President did as a community organizer. Turning Michelle Obama away at his funky summit showed how petty a person he is. I hope he sells as many books as joe the plumber...5.