GOP Presidential Hopeful Newt Gingrich Slams Obama for Ignoring Black Community, But Hasn't Every President in Recent Years Done Just That?

COMMENTARY: I have long maintained that Republican Party never cared much for the needs of the black community in this country, unless they had financial means. So, it is a little disingenuous, at best, to hear some of the Republican presidential candidates express shock that President Obama hasn't done much to help the black community, which has been hardest hit during the recession. You see, had President Obama come to the rescue of the black community, these same Republicans would say, "see, see, he's looking out for one group of the country and ignoring the others." He can't win. No matter how hard he tries.

Enter Newt Gingrich, whose campaign is on life support and dying a sure death, albeit a slow one. He said: "No administration in modern times has failed younger blacks more than the Obama administration.""Think of the social catastrophe of 41% of a community not being able to find a job.” He is right, but I don't care much for the messenger, who hasn't had a record of helping blacks during his political career. So, it just seems to me that this is nothing more than talking points and a means to divide President Obama and the black vote.

President Obama got nearly 97 percent of the black vote in 2008, and I suspect some blacks voted for him because of his race. Personally, he got my vote because I could not in good conscience support a GOP ticket with an idiot as a sidekick -- John McCain & Sarah Palin. Barack Obama wasn't my first choice and he's still not my first choice in 2012, but I will be damned if I would vote for any of the candidates on the Republican ticket, whoever should prevail and become the GOP presidential nominee. So, I will be voting for Barack Obama in 2012.

Why do I have an issue with Barack Obama? Because I don't think he has a backbone and is always slow out of the gates or haven't come out at all -- BP Gulf oil spill, failing to close Guantánamo Bay,  extending Bush tax cuts for the rich, waving the white flag on the public option, etc. Can I blame him for all that ails this country? Absolutely not. This has been a long time coming and I am glad he walked out on the Republicans during the deficit meetings. He finally lost his cool for the right reason. I will concede one point, he understands that he can't possibly govern from the left and get anything accomplished, so he has moved to the center. Right where I want him to be, as a centrist like me. That's the same position Bill Clinton took in his second term and he left office a very popular president. I didn't like everything about him either but he got things done with his enemies, the Republicans.

Where does that leave the black community? This is a complex issue. Blacks have been largely maligned in this country and treated like sh*t, to put it bluntly. We were the last out of the gates of innovation and education. We were held back by whites for no other reason but because of the color of our skin. Years of racial unrest, Jim Crow, economic discrimination and mental slavery has undermined our race and have largely contributed to much of the issues that dog our communities today. I'm not making excuses, but when we have had such a rocky history in a country, it is bound to manifest itself generation after generation. The problems are endemic and won't be solved for generations to come. I am not asking for a hand-out for the black community, but for the elected officials, both black and white, to stop taking our community for granted and help us help ourselves. Don't close schools in the inner cities, improve the infrastructure. Don't build more prisons, help the young people stay out of crime by providing skills training for those who don't have the aptitude to attend a four year college.

On the flip side, personal responsibility plays a role in some of what ails the black community, from inner city crime, having children out of wedlock, dropping out of school, absentee fathers, no-snitch policy, etc. No amount of government intervention can change what's in the hearts of some in our communities. Take a look in the mirror. It starts with self. There are many rags to riches stories within the black community that should be embraced and emulated. We aren't living in the era in which we were denied basic rights and services. Our kids can attend college, become doctors, engineers, teachers, system administrators, architects, chemists, etc. We can do the right things to achieve the level of financial freedom we want. That starts with self. Not the government. Of course, there are extenuating circumstances, such as the current economic climate in which many people have lost their jobs. This is where the government should come in, to give a lifeline to people who need to be retrained to earn again, not to remain on the public assistance for years.

Syndicated radio personality Tom Joyner vehemently defended President Obama from criticism by blacks, calling them "haters." But shouldn't we be calling most politicians the real "haters" of the black community? President Obama said he can't segment his presidency along ethnic lines, but he seems to be doing a lot for those heavyweights among us at the expense of the less among us. Take the $4 trillion in budget cuts over 12 years that targets “non-defense discretionary spending.” These cuts include programs that help the working poor and the needy heat their homes, expand access to graduate-level education, put children in HeadStart, provide summer jobs for youth, career development, after-school programs, child care, GED programs, affordable housing, homelessness prevention, housing court advocacy, food pantries, and community service block grants (H/T Progressive). Should I go on?

The real issue is that President Obama isn't the first U.S. president to "ignore" the black community. If you want to call it "ignoring the black community." This has been going on from president to president, with no end in sight. But it's particularly glaring because he is one of us, a black president. At least that's what some people would have you believe. The reality is that it's time for blacks to stand tall and strong and tell elected officials they have to earn their votes and stop taking us for granted. We have to work together for the common good of our communities. Not work against one another. We have to take personal responsibility and pull ourselves up by the same bootstraps used by the unsung heroes and heroines who fought for racial equality and justice in this country. Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann are suddenly touting black unemployment as a rallying cry to energize the black community to look to the Republican Party for help, when the GOP has ignored the black community for decades. This boils down to nothing more than talking points and politicking. Don't be fooled. Get schooled on the art of politics and start the change we need one community at a time!