“We don’t put pressure on the President because y’all love the President … When you let us know it’s time to let go, we’ll let go.”
— Rep. Maxine Waters
DETROIT. The second stop on the CBC JOBS TOUR was lively. Very, very lively. The Grio’s Jeff Johnson, who moderated a jobs town hall, brought up an interesting question: With unemployment in big cities at depression level highs, why is President Obama in Iowa talking about rural unemployment? Rep. Maxine Waters addressed an interesting dilemma for CBC members. Can you pressure and be critical of a President your constituents are in love with — even with 50% unemployment with no end in sight?
Waters said: “When YOU tell us it’s alright and you unleash us and you tell us you’re ready to have this conversation — we’re ready to have the conversation,” Waters said. “It’s alright!” — a woman in the audience loudly responded. The “conversation” Waters appeared to be referring to is a referendum and a challenge to the Obama White House on targeted help for black Americans facing high unemployment.
“We want to give the President every opportunity to show what he can do and show what he is prepared to lead on… But our people are hurting. The unemployment is unconscionable. We don’t know what the strategy is. We don’t know why — on this trip he’s on now — he’s not in any black communities. We don’t know that.”
“We’re politicians. We’re elected officials. We are trying to do the right thing and the best thing,” Waters continued. “When you let us know it’s time to let go, we’ll let go.”
With all due respect, why does help for the unemployed need to be targeted at blacks only?
If you believe in equality, wouldn’t it be better and more fair to help *all* the unemployed?
Why does the color of my skin make me less deserving of help?
As a nominally-Caucasian, (my family tree in in fact more mixed than my appearance would suggest), unemployed man over 50 years of age, as someone who has always staunchly advocated equal rights for all, I find it highly disturbing that you would suggest sending me to the back of the bus like this, because my skin is white.
Is that really what the Reverend Doctor King was dreaming about?
I’m a 99er, just like the other 99ers. My life is in tattered ruins, just like that of all the other 99ers.
Why would you advocate doing this to me?
“Is that really what the Reverend Doctor King was dreaming about?:
He didn’t just dream about it- he did it. MLK helped establish Operation Breadbasket.
Acanthus -
Forgive me, please, but I don’t understand. I went and looked up Operation Breadbasket, and read about it, but I still do not grasp what you’re saying.
Rep. Maxine Waters said…
“We don’t know why — on this trip he’s on now — he’s not in any black communities. We don’t know that.”
May i suggest she read Crew of 42 article Aug 14, 2011
“Is WH Economic Strategy All About 2012″
William M. Daley, want him to maintain a pragmatic strategy of appealing to independent voters…
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I would like to know the results of this job tour bus. Have their been people hired by the various firms that have been at these job fairs? This, is the most pertinent information for this whole trip…..number of people employed, from this job bus tour.