by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret KimberleyIf there is a possibility of Black victory over white power and wealth, Barack Obama will find and eliminate it. “Obama’s behavior has demonstrated not only his eagerness to smack down black politicians, but his love of currying favor with the captains of finance capital.” Michael Bloomberg, New York's billionaire mayor, also brings out the worst in the Black preacher class
Freedom Rider: Obama and Black Preachers Love Bloomberg
by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley
“Team Obama treated Thompson like a leper.”
President Barack Obama is putatively a Democrat. However, his true ideological loyalty is decidedly in favor of the moneyed classes. If there was any doubt about where Obama’s interests lie, the recent New York City mayoral election settled any debate on the matter. Obama’s behavior has demonstrated not only his eagerness to smack down black politicians, but his love of currying favor with the captains of finance capital.
He has kindred spirits among New York’s black clergy. Pastors who double as businessmen such as Calvin Butts at Abyssinian Baptist and former congressman Floyd Flake at Greater Allen AME joined the president in singing the rich man’s praises. In return their churches can receive up to $1 million from billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg’s private philanthropy and also numerous opportunities to win city contracts.
“In 2009 Bloomberg spent a record $100 million on his re-election campaign.”
Bloomberg is a very wealthy man with a fortune estimated at $20 billion. He used that wealth to be elected twice and to overturn term limits legislation in direct opposition to two voter referenda. In 2009 Bloomberg spent a record $100 million on his re-election campaign. Both his hoard of campaign money and his heavy-handed end run around voters’ wishes made him extremely unpopular with many New Yorkers.
Yet they were told that his opponent, Comptroller William Thompson, had no chance to win. Although most polls throughout the race showed Bloomberg with a double-digit lead, Thompson reported closing the gap in the week before Election Day. Obama and the preachers ignored that news because it was incompatible with their very narrow self-interest.
Obama did not endorse Thompson. His press secretary claimed support for “the Democratic candidate” but didn’t mention Thompson by name. On a fund raising trip to New York City Obama gave Thompson a “shout out” without giving what could ever be considered an endorsement.
“An Obama endorsement could have made all the difference.”
While team Obama treated Thompson like a leper, they sent the president on numerous trips to New Jersey in an effort to resuscitate the flat-lining Jon Corzine gubernatorial campaign. Incumbent Corzine lost his race by just four percentage points, as did Bill Thompson. If Thompson lost by such a slim margin despite being outspent by a ratio of thirteen to one, an Obama endorsement could have made all the difference. Instead Obama and the greedy preachers chose to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Yet even this awful outcome has within it the seeds of fomenting not necessarily rebellion, but at least a willingness to speak up and call out the saintly Obama when he deserves it. It is rare for him to be publicly criticized by prominent democrats. Former mayor, and still the only New York City black mayor, David Dinkins, made it simple. “The president should have done more. He found time to go to Virginia, he found time to go to New Jersey and he should have been here." Dinkins was not alone in taking the previously untouchable Obama to task. Barbara Fife, who served as a deputy mayor in his administration, was even more blunt in her assessment. “Obama had lists he could have given, and support. But he never said boo.”
The dirty secrets came falling out of the closet. Not only was Obama unwilling to publicly endorse his party’s candidate, but he also chose to do nothing behind the scenes. Obama didn’t want to mess with the rich guy and his staff admitted as much.
“Obama preferred a Bloomberg victory.”
"[Bloomberg's] an ally, so I'm not sure we would have spent the political capital. Obama didn't even put out a statement endorsing [Thompson]. That tells you how we feel about Bloomberg." So there we have it. Obama sucked up to the rich guy who has shown no signs of being the ally of the average, struggling New York City resident. There is no longer any pretense that the Democratic party acts on behalf of working people or takes their concerns into accounts when making policy decisions. Obama preferred a Bloomberg victory.
Obama has delivered trillions of dollars into the hands of the Bloombergs of this country. Public money is treated like a bottomless pit for the insatiable finance capitalists. If Bloomberg is an ally, it is only to Obama’s scheme to keep the capitalist casino afloat. He should not be let off the hook because Bloomberg is helpful in allowing him to grease the wheels for the greedy.
As for the not so good reverends, they would feel shame if they had any. Butts made a personal promise to endorse Thompson, but the lure of dollar signs made his word less than his bond. He claimed otherwise and succeeded only in insulting the intelligence of millions of people. “This is not about Bloomberg’s money.” Bloomberg would disagree with that assessment. It is doubtful that he writes checks without getting something in return.
“The president has little experience with criticism from most of the black community.”
Obama and the well connected preachers do what they know they can get away with. The president has little experience with criticism from most of the black community. He has been given carte blanche to do as he likes and critics willing to take him on have been shouted down. The preachers know that they and their churches can do quite well if they play their political cards right.
Democrats had a chance to return City Hall to their party's control. They were thwarted by self-interest, inertia and apathy in the church and in the state too. The voices expressing dismay after this election should not return to the status quo state of self-censorship. As for the city’s black church-goers, they would be well advised to consider moving on to different, more deserving church homes. Amen.
Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgandaReport.com.
Comments
Money Ministers and Politicans
Thanks Margret for another Big Bang of truth. There is only one party it is called the MONEY party. There are two primary factions of the MONEY party the Democrats and the Republicans. Both parties are beholding to the MONEY party and fight each other to do their bidding and (GET MONEY!!!). They have little or NO regard for the ordinary people IE US!!! Barack Obama is just the latest greatest political face representing the MONEY party as a democrat. The Repugs response to this is Michael Steele (I thought you knew)!!! The point is if you have not been paying attention is as Wu Tang puts it C.R.E.A.M Cash Rules Everything Around Me!!!! Or the tried and true Money talks and BullSh*t walks. Obama is doing what ALL politicians (with few exceptions) do; go where the CASH Flows Patterson and Thompson be DAMMED!!! Here is a link to a series of articles on the MONEY party http://www.electionfraudnews.com/themoneyparty.htm so that there will be no misperception misinterpretation or misunderstanding.
Scripture says that “The LOVE of money id the root of ALL evil”. The prosperity pimps/ministers/politicians of today are just like the Pharisees/Sadducees/money changers during the time of Jesus. They were the prosperity pimps of that time. They held sway of the people and were Rome’s talking heads. They feared losing their status when Jesus came along because he confronted and challenged them about misinforming and misleading the people (does this sound familiar). A lot of the ministers of today have been co opted. They are preaching the gospel one day and paling around with the money changers/ politicians the next day (the LOVE of money is the root of all evil thing). If the people do not call these ministers out on the carpet about this kind of callous compromising they will continue to do it. The only reason folks will not do this is because they have a misplaced respect for these ministers or they are just plain scared. Ether way we the people loose. Scripture says that “we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD” that includes Pastors too. Some of the pastors of today are misinforming and misleading the people in the worst way. We need to hold their feet to the fire just like they hold our feet to the fire when we stumble and fall short. In other words we have to force them to practice what they preach to us to do.
Peace
S Murph
The Present Day "Black" Church is an abysmal failure
I was "raised in the church, " although I don't consider myself a "Christian" as that term is defined by either "mainstream" or "fringe" Black/White Christians. I don't buy the literalism nonsense. I consider myself "spiritual," for whatever it's worth.
One of the primary reasons I (and Black men in general) don't go to church is because, unlike the Black Church of the Civil Rights Era, today's "Black" Church would do Rev. Ike proud. How many of us had the "spiritual discernment" to predict that what was a "fringe",--the prosperity pimps like Ike--would now be mainstream? See, a Bible literalists would never see that coming, would they?
Another reason I refuse to attend church is that the so-called Black Church remained silent as the most virulent and hateful forms of White Christian nationalism trumped the national discussion of what would Jesus do as well as define the contours of Christianity as a cultural or political expression. Why did Black Churches REFUSE to offer a counter-narrative to White Christian Nationalism? Well, we know the answer in part don't we? It's because the love of manna (and dollars) will always compete with the (so-called) love of God. I will have a hell of a time forgiving Black Churches for abdicating their historical role. And forgiving won't be necessary will it, if they continue to sit on their asses and say nothing. After all where is their redemption?
Obviously their "redemption" lies in the McMansions, the "Cathedrals," estates, chuming with pols, influencing the ballot boxes, not in bread-baskets and broken spirits. Last night, I watched Bill Maher's movie "Religuous." (It was decent although I think Maher has a special dislike of Islam, he doesn't point out there was no such thing as "radical Islam" until the USA funded and fomented it, that Muslims historically treated Jews better than Christians).
I mention the movie primarily because of his interview with the former singer with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. Bruh was a straight-up preacher/pimp; he clearly worshipped the material world over the spiritual one. Yes, I know about stereotypes, and I know there are good works being done, but the evidence is irrefutable that the Black Church as a whole has lost it's historical compass and is now engaged in material indulgence for the here and now mixed in with "other wordliness" attitudes w/r/t social change and agitation. "In the sweet bye and bye my ass."
Religion is now used by the Black Church as a crux and a weapon of status quo appeasement. I won't even delve into it's blatant anti-intellecutualism. Btw, "Your ass wouldn't be broke if you were going to church." Don't believe me? Well send me $10 and I'll send you my pamphlet and some prayer cloth and see if you won't get a job in 2 months." (I ain't said shit though, about what kind of job).
different church?
Unlikely since I believe that the positions the preachers took were not only influenced by money but also by the fact that they would have LOST tithe paying members had they bucked the Obama machine.
Why no recount?
Since the margin of "victory" for Bloomberg was 5 percent, where was the automatic recount?! I seriously question the accuracy of the elections on November 3rd. Despite the jack-legged religious pimps/hustlers being bought off by the miniature multimillionaire, the churchgoers voted for Thompson. Second, it is time that the black elites confess that they and the Mulatto-in-chief has a serious phobia about poor/lower-class black Americans(the ones who descended from slavery/Jim Crow). The professional classes should feel guilty about abandoning the black underclass during the post-Civil Rights era while championing the "rights" of illegal immigrants, white women, homosexuals, etc. They know damn well that they unfairly benefited from affirmative action/set aside programs at the expense of the black underclass.
grumpynyker:first sentence- I,too wondered why no recount, espec
ially as I sent in an absentee ballot. And NYC Councilmember Charles Barron kept saying it was 4.6% not 5%, on the radio: WBAI and WLIB (latter with Imhotep Gary Byrd). Disclosure: I support the "undo the coup" movement at WBAI. I do think Barron did not correct the host of the morning show on the 5%, but he did say it in other places.
I remember you are a WBAI listener. I hope people will look at the website www.takebackwbai.org for current information (including new video in Oct. by Bernard White) and "latest news" link that's excellent.
Please stop giving the Democraps a pass
While I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of Obama's penchent to side with monied interests, you seem to continue to push the false line that Democrats are not part of the problem.
You say:
"President Barack Obama is putatively a Democrat. However, his true ideological loyalty is decidedly in favor of the moneyed classes."
Margaret, the Democrats ARE part of the "monied class". A big factor in the maturing of black political opinion will be the final detachment with the defunct, democrats = good, republicans = bad meme. Both parties are bad, as the atrocious health care bill illustrates.
Some major changes are going to have to take place, but the current system is no longer working for the people.
Crap on the Democraps
Well stated Mahogany. The Democrats are part of the monied class just like the pimpster preachers who sold out to Bloomberg are part of the "monied class." Even the broke-ass ones are wanna be "monied class."
Not to get off subject but that's what American culture is all about, "getting mine," f***k everyone else. It's the world of personal responsibility w/o moral responsibility. It's the Christian nation with it's resurgence of (fake) Christianity that is one of the most mean spirited nations on earth. It's all the wannabe's and has-beens on "reality tv" proving that even the dumbest, ignorant, most shallow of us can be a "millionaire." Look at the new video game coming out this Winter, something about war. It's projected to be the number seller of all time.
http://www.stageselect.com/N4706-modern-warfare-2-launches-the-video-gam...
"Modern Warfare 2 launched today, with gamers lining up at midnight to buy the game. It's already seen blockbuster sales, and several people are saying that Modern Warfare 2 could be the most successful launch ever. "
http://www.cnbc.com/id/30948057?slide=11
America the beautiful, social engineering at it's finest. LOL