Obama to Harry Belafonte: When are you and Cornel West going to cut me some slack?

[Enrique]

(...)

AMY GOODMAN: And to those who say, "If you want President Obama re-elected, you will undermine him if you criticize him; and consider the alternative"?

HARRY BELAFONTE: I think we will not only undermine him, but undermine the hopes of this nation, if we don’t criticize him. Absence of protest in the times of this kind of national crisis—Theodore Roosevelt once says, "When tyranny takes over the national agenda, it is that time that the voices of protest must be awakened. And if you don’t raise your voice in protest, you are a patriotic traitor." And I believe that patriotism is betrayed by those voices that are not heard. Those who would detract you from that fact are those who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Nothing will happen but good for Barack Obama and the United States of America, and indeed the world, if everybody stepped to the table and said, "This is the course we must be on."

AMY GOODMAN: Have you let President Obama know your views? You have been with him.

HARRY BELAFONTE: Every opportunity I’ve had to put that before him, he has heard. I have not had a chance to put it to him as forcefully as I would like to, because he has not yet given us the accessibility to those places where this could be said in a more articulate way and not always on the fly.

But he once said something to me during his campaign for the presidency, and he says—he said, you know—I said, "I’ve heard you"—he was talking before businessmen on Wall Street here in—there in New York. And he said to me—I said, "Well, you know, I hope you bring the challenge more forcefully to the table." And he said, "Well, when are you and Cornel West going to cut me some slack?" And I got caught with that remark. And I said to him, in rebuttal, I said, "What makes you think we haven’t?" And the truth of the matter is that we were somewhat contained even at the extent to which we criticized him during the campaign, in the hopes that it would energize his capacity to get elected and that, once he was elected, that burden would be off his back and he would use this new platform to do things other than what we have been experiencing. And I think any further retreat from bringing truth to power and forcing him to hear the voice of the people would be a disservice to this country and all that it promises to be.

(...)

[whathehell]

1. With alll due respect, why does Obama think he deserves to be " cut slack

all the time, as with "The Left"?...

My God, he has one of, if not THE most important job in the world, and he seems

to actually "pout" when people criticize him...


I wonder if his mother and grandmother didn't dote on him a little TOO much when he was young...He did

say once, laughing, that his mother "really loved" him, and that Michelle brought that up to him, implying

she thought he was spoiled by it.

[tblue]

11. He's perfect.

Don't ever forget that.

[whathehell]

17. My worry is...

that he thinks that..:eyes:

[WI_DEM]

26. No it's only his critics who think that everything can be done with a wave of a hand

who say idiotic things like "he's perfect. Don't ever forget that."

[bigwillq]

28. And he plays

one heck of a game of chess!! :rofl:

[treestar]

29. Everybody feels that way

Everybody. Period. If your boss or whoever were constantly carping and never had anything good to say, you'd be saying the same thing. He's human.

[whathehell]

31. Sorry...but he's not "everybody"

He's the president...He could at least ACT like a grownup instead of some sulking, entitled adolescent.

[treestar]

40. He's still human

Maybe that is a problem for some people.

Where is the line? Is it just the President who is to put up with nothing but carping? Or does that include the Veep, the Cabinet, Senators? Does it include me? You?

Where is the line where we can be treated like a human? Would you really think someone who did nothing but criticize your every move was someone you wanted in your life?

Being President doesn't mean you can't get annoyed. And I understand being annoyed at people who have nothing good to say, to your face, about you.

It's like the kid who gets straight As and then one semester gets one B and they catch hell for it. Or the person who wins the silver medal at the Games who is said to have "lost." I have no patience for that kind of person.

[whathehell]

41. I don't think it's a question of "being human"...

IMO, he whines too way too about being criticized, especially when the criticism is from his "friends".

Frankly, I think you could turn that "kid who gets straight As.." analogy right back on HIM.

The people he beefs about are exactly the ones who DO generally support him and voted for him..

Were he only that testy with the Right Wing...

[Lucky 13]

2. Cut me some slack?

That sounds like a whiny petulant little child.

It sounds like W.

Pathetic.

[treestar]

30. You're assigning that tone

We don't know what that was. Obama could have been laughing as he said it.

[ProSense]

3. Here's part of his previous response

Belafonte:

<...>

And when you ask me about Barack Obama, it is exactly what happened to Kennedy. We, the American people, made the history of that time come to another place by our passion and our commitment to change. What is saddened—what is sad for this moment is that there is no force, no energy, of popular voice, popular rebellion, popular upheaval, no champion for radical thought at the table of the discourse. And as a consequence, Barack Obama has nothing to listen to, except his detractors and those who help pave the way to his own personal comfort with power—power contained, power misdirected, power not fully engaged. And it is our task to no longer have expectations of him, unless we have forced him to the table and he still resists us. And if he does that, then we know what else we have to do, is to make change completely. But I think he plays the game that he plays because he sees no threat from evidencing concerns for the poor. He sees no threat from evidencing a deeper concern for the needs of black people, as such. He feels no great threat from evidencing a greater policy towards the international community, for expressing thoughts that criticize the American position on things and turns that around. Until we do that, I think we’ll be forever disappointed in what that administration will deliver.

<...>

Cornel West made a similar point.

There are too many people who engage in criticism of the President, the man, not the policy. They use everything as a reason to portray him as responsible for everything that's wrong and everything that can't happen politically because there is no pressure --- no pressure on Congress, no movement, just criticism of Barack Obama as someone who wants to do the country, Americans, Democrats, the left harm.

It's utter bullshit.


Edited to clarify that the point made above by Belafonte and West (at the link) is spot on.

[mkultra]

6. yeah, the "empty criticism does good" argument is just a shelter for the foolish

and the angry.

[tblue]

13. And there are lots of people who staunchly support the man and not the policies

which I don't understand.

[These Eyes]

21. This place has become utterly pathetic.

All day long is negative post after bitter post.

[Kdillard]

4. Yeah because it is helpful to have people who don't have a clue what it takes to do your job be on

your back all the time. I love the people calling him whiny for saying something.

[tblue]

10. His people called people whiny.

I didn't much care for that either.

[whathehell]

18. Damned right...

although while I'm here..isn't it "whiney"?

I'm seeing "whiny" a lot lately...If I'm not mistaken, you need an "e" at

the end to make the "i" long.

[QC]

25. Bush's fan club used to say the very same thing about his critics. n/t

[xchrom]

5. recommend

[texshelters]

7. Cut him some slack, like

Obama, Gibbs, and Emmanuel gave to the "professional left" and progressives?

You have to give to receive, but apparently, only the Republicans deserve consideration in Obama's White House.

What a cry baby. Bill Clinton, for all his faults and talents, didn't ask for slack, he fought back. The only time Clinton was off his game was one interview with the persistent Amy Goodman.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[ElsewheresDaughter]

8. "what makes you think we haven't"

[tblue]

9. Heard this this morning and it made me so happy.

It's what needs to be said. No one is above accountability or honest critique. No one in the world, and certainly not any politician.

[Uzybone]

12. yap yap yap

More power to Dr West and Harry Belafonte for playing their roles. More power to President Obama for doing a great job as president of the United States.

[tblue]

14. Great job. Gotta love those predator drones.

[Uzybone]

15. yes sir, I'm in support of them too

I wish we had more drones and less troops in the Af-Pak.

[sad sally]

27. Yeah, it's a lot easier to kill people from way far away then seeing the destruction up close.

[Teaser]

38. it's pretty easy to kill them up close

really easy, actually.

[saras]

16. The guy's been given more slack than Bob Dobbs

And he hands it over to the corporations as fast as he gets it. Not surprised he wants more.

[Blasphemer]

19. Belafonte's first two sentences say all that needs be said... nt

[Dr Fate]

20. When they become centrists.

Liberals are never happy with anything those hard working, clear eyed centrists do. If you want to be happy, just become a "centrist" then by definition, you will magically agree with everything Obama does or does not do.

[Jakes Progress]

22. "Cut me some slack" That defines

this president.

[Starry Messenger]

23. I've always liked Belafonte.

I'm surprised this interview is getting so much flack. It's actually quite optimistic about Obama if one reads the entire interview.

[namahage]

32. Funny how we can't do just that.

No link or anything provided by the OP.

Why, one might think that the OP isn't actually interested in providing the whole story--just the part that makes Obama look bad.

[Starry Messenger]

36. It's on Democracy Now.

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/1/26/harry_belafonte_on_obama_he_plays

That's Amy Goodman's website, so maybe the OP assumed people would know how to find the rest of it.

Harry Belafonte on Obama: "He Plays the Game that He Plays Because He Sees No Threat from Evidencing Concerns for the Poor"

[maryf]

33. He was the one of the few true voices on October 2 in DC...nt

[Starry Messenger]

37. He's a trooper! nt

[Raine]

24. GOOD on Harry Belafonte

He gets two BIG :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[hollowdweller]

34. I love Cornel West

Smiley and West is one of my favorite PBS shows.

Most shows have a blue dog and a right winger. Smiley and West have a liberal and then West, whose to the left of liberal.

[Vidar]

35. Harry Belafonte would make a far better president than Obama.

[Teaser]

39. incorrect

.

[edsmeal]

42. People acted like all Obama had to do was snap his fingers

and all would get done. DId they think the right would not fight back?