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.
In this week’s segment, we discuss the legacy of Malcolm X and the state of the political party that many Black people feel trapped in. We are joined by a guest in Libya who explains the lasting…
Our guest is Richard Medhurst. He is an independent journalist whose work has been severely impacted by state repression in the UK and Austria. He was arrested and detained in the UK in August 2024…
Anthony Rogers-Wright is a Black Agenda Report contributor and host of the WPFW program Full Spectrum, where Margaret Kimberley was recently a guest. They discussed the legacy of Malcolm X on the…
Our guest is Dr. Abdelkarim Kashkar. He is a physician and author who writes about politics in Libyan newspapers. He joins us from Benghazi, Libya, to discuss how the United States impacts the people…
Israel is starving Gazans to death and continuing its bombing attacks on civilians. Israel also specializes in personal revenge, targeting men, women, and children who might be the subject of…
