Bush, Black Leaders Seek New Start

[seriousstan]

(AP) President Bush is opening the White House this week to black leaders including pastors and legislators, a second-term overture to a community that overwhelmingly opposed his re-election.

"I believe in fresh starts," said Rep. Melvin Watt, D-N.C., new chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, which has had an adversarial relationship with the president but has a chance to get off on a better footing at a meeting Wednesday.

The meeting with black lawmakers comes after Mr. Bush is receiving 14 black clergy and 10 black leaders in business and non-profit agencies Tuesday afternoon at the White House.

Exit polls showed that Mr. Bush received just 11 percent of the black vote in November's election, a slight increase over the 9 percent he received four years earlier.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/25/politics/main669089.shtml

[Redstone]

1. Well, as my Uncle Tom always said...

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

(Sarcasm intended.)

Redstone

[hector459]

14. I think these blacks have a lot more political savvy than we give them

credit for. They certainly have a lot more courage than a lot of our white Dems who suck up daily. I don't think it serves the DU well to invoke the "Uncle Tom" label for people who are honestly trying to make a difference for their constituency. They stood tall when ALL of the other Dems did not.

[Redstone]

21. I'd disagree...

See posts number 7 and 8 in this thread.

Redstone

(Disclaimer: I will indeed agree that almost any black congressmen / women are likely to have, as you said, "more courage" than, as you said, "white Dems" just to get to where they are. But I've had to put with some amount of abuse on these boards lately whenever I've said anything even faintly critical of white people, so I won't praise the black congresspeople any more than to agree with you.)

[bobthedrummer]

2. LOL!

Absurd to consider with The War pResident. It must be part of his "perception management" plan that was recently announced.
Another example of mind control-"let's start all over"-- imo.

[arwalden]

3. This Is Not Smart.

[buff2]

4. Oh,Great........

Now we have more blacks getting ready to kiss bu$h's ass. :puke: Why can't people see through this lying,scamming moron? Geesus,you'd have to be deaf dumb and blind not to know how he operates. Everything he does is done for political gain...for him and his repuke party. :puke:

[Just Me]

22. Well, ya' never know. Could represent a covert undertaking by,...

,...those who are the "conscience" of America.

Ya' just never know *grin*. :shrug:

[priller]

5. If it doesn't go better than his latest attempt with the Canadians

then we have nothing to worry about.

I don't think we have much to worry about anyway.

[VegasWolf]

15. Snort! Snicker! n/t

[wildflower]

6. Exit polls?? n/t

[TahitiNut]

19. Yeah. So convenient when the M$M pimps for Bu$h ...

... but don't dare rely on them when they show fraud. :eyes:

[Solly Mack]

7. Fresh starts with predictable outcomes

"Unless the president can and is willing to assist us in achieving items on our agenda, there's no particular reason that the Congressional Black Caucus needs to be meeting with him," Watt said in an interview. "This is not about being able to say that we met with the president. We actually think it's about advancing and supporting our agenda."

Watt said he hopes the president will help support at least some caucus goals, although he said the president helped with nothing on the black caucus agenda in his first term. Watt said that might be because the caucus had not explained its goals to Mr. Bush clearly enough four years ago, which is why he plans to give him a written agenda Wednesday.

:::: oh, yeah...that's it. The CBC didn't explain itself clearly enough for the Chimp...sure, blame yourselves :::::

"That's why I want to make sure there are no excuses any more," Watt said. "Here it is, Mr. President. Come on, let's go."

[Northern Experiment]

8. Well.... personally the current administration....

Can kiss my black ass. Same with these "reverends" who are looking to join hands with a man who can careless about the various ethnicities/beleifs/ideas in America.

[callous taoboy]

9. Where? In the back of the bus?

Come on! What a goddamn poser he is.

[w4rma]

10. Good. When the Republican leadership turn them down on everything

they ask for (again) they'll fight even harder to get those racist wackos out of power.

Of course we'll have to wait for the lies and stalling and stonewalling to pan out.

[candy331]

11. Did you see Bill Frist trot out Blacks to say how appalled they were that

Condi is being subjected to torture by Dems, Andrew Young(a former Ambassador) included in that number. Repubs have the full bully pen e at this time, and don't laugh because because many Blacks are fooled just as many Whites and some such as Armstrong will sell their soul for the almighty dollar. The Democrats have really lost the edge on Black votes whether they concede to it/not. Blacks may not vote repug but they will stay home which is just as good as a vote for repugs. It will take genuine changes to get them back to the polls in 06 and 08 in any significant numbers. 2004 was a bitter disappointment with the ABB mantra and no serious overtures to them until the very end with a few church stops to only solicit votes.

[politicasista]

12. I agree, the Democrats have lots of work to do

So far, many say Smirky has "the most diverse cabinet" in history. I thought Clinton put a lot of us in the high ranging positions, but I guess not. The GOP is winning the diversity factor. I hope Dean gets the DNC Chairman. He seems to care about embracing us, not rejecting us. And I am sorry, but Smirky is not my president.

[Cornjob]

13. Not one of Bush's black appointees has any resemblence...

to the vast majority of black citizens of this country!

Maybe the closest was Powell, Sr., and he's gone.

Somehow the madman thinks that Black America should share his own twisted vision of corporate power, southern-fried white evangelical moralism, and deprivation of the poor as the road to the American Dream.

He is a privileged white boy who is quite comfortable in a nation owned and operated by privileged white boys!

[JAbuchan08]

16. Amen!

The Republican party thinks that they can win the minority vote by setting the black and hispanic middle-classes against the poor.

on edit: or win at least enough of the minority vote to win

[hvn_nbr_2]

17. Shrubler's idea of "fresh start"

"I'll give you another chance to kiss my a**. But don't expect anything in return and don't expect to vote and have it counted right next time either."

[mtnester]

18. I'll say it, and you all will hate me for it but

People of ethnicity in a position of authority in the ** administration are there for a two fold reason....

1. To trot out the race card in just this instance (i.e. "whaddya mean you won't confirm Condi, you racist liberal")

2. To take the fall when things go bad - (i.e. Kenneth Blackwell) and keep their true base happy when it happens ("see what that damn black/Latino/name your ethnic group here man/woman did!")

Flame away, but even here in the Midwest we hicks can see it for what it is. The ** administration doing a CYA either way.

[superconnected]

20. oh I'm sure the blacks messing with the republicans are okay

providing the blacks don't try to move into the white republicans neighborhood.

Okay, the blacks are getting used here, we all know it. They're hopeful that the pres will help black causes, and we all know the pres doesn't help or even like minorities. The republicans want the mexicans out of the country, and to stop all immigration, do the blacks really believe they aren't on the republicans list for the concentration camps?

It would be nice if blacks could win every lottery from here on out and gain enormous wealth, because at that point, I think the fundies would embrace them.

Okay maybe I'm just biased. I'm bigoted against the fundies understanding everyone has the same hopes, dreams, fears, etc. no matter what color their skin is. I just can't see the fundies grasping it.

[deadparrot]

23. Heh, that's cute.

[Rainscents]

24. Bush is using Black...

for his own advantage and this is disgusting!!! Look what he did to William??? He used him to do the dirty work for him and when William got caught, Bush pretty much turned his back on the guy.
If Republicans really cares about Black, why would they try to stop them from voting and also, why would police are always beating up blacks??? Give me a break... This is all about image and that's it. Bush don't give a shit about anyone but himself.

[Magmadona]

25. The CBC has always been this pathetic.

What he means by helping the cause is an insert to donate money because there is no other agenda that would help the Black race right now other then adding the city and installing a system of production and distribution for black businesses, that in it self means a call for self determination but it also as stated above means that those too poor to gain from such an endeavor would be ignored because they are already trapped in the system we know as poverty.