I am writing this in response to the commentary published in the July, 9, 2011 issue of your newspaper written by George Curry, “Ostracizing Black Leaders Who Criticize Obama.” Specifically, I am nonplussed and take issue with the author’s garrulity in the suggestion that Cornell West reference to Obama as “a black mascot of Wall Street Oligarchs” was “over the edge.”West Statement is accurate. Even if the adjective “black” is removed from the statement, Obama would still remain a “mascot of Wall Street Oligarchs” just as all of the senators and congressional representatives within the beltway, as well all Presidents before him.
Telecom executive Donald H. Gips a vice president of Colorado-based Level 3 Communications LLC, delivered more than $500,000 in contributions for the Obama campaign. After being in charge of hiring in the Obama White House, in 2009, Obama named him ambassador to South Africa. In addition Level 3 Communications, received millions of dollars of government stimulus contracts for broadband projects in six states.
—though Obama vowed to end “special interests” from his administration, nearly 200 of his biggest donors have landed plum government jobs and advisory posts, and/or won federal contracts worth millions of dollars for their business interests. Just for raising $50,000 to $500,000 for his campaign. In total, 184 of 556, or about one-third, of Obama bundlers or their spouses joined the administration in some role. In fact, 80 percent of those who collected more than $500,000 for Obama took key administration posts. Also, President Obama's appointment of William Daley as his chief of staff is another example. Daley was an executive at JPMorgan Chase, the investment bank that received a $12 billion bailout during the financial crisis.
Former director of the Office of Management and Budget Peter Orzsag, for instance, resigned from his post and took a job at Citigroup. Incoming National Economic Council Chair Gene Sperling earned nearly $1 million from Goldman Sachs in 2008. Former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, for instance, in a short stint out of politics, earned reported $16.2 million working in investment banking for Wasserstein Perella, now part of Dresdner Kleinwort.
Moreover, I perceive this essay to be a dirigible attempt to misdirect attention from what is important for people to objectively evaluate political actions and policy, as well as advance the supposition that these people are ordained “leaders” by some amorphous corpus of out of touch people, as if we black folk are a monolithic group whom cannot think for ourselves.
In summary, Mr. Curry’s purview reflects the myopia and tolerance for tedium that makes most African Americans vote for democrats without question, or even a Presidential candidate because of his race, yet won’t even read the policies they proffer.
Yes the President is a mascot for the interest of a government in which a small group of people exercises control for selfish purposes. Yes, these people mainly thrive due to their involvement on Wall Street. I do not know of anyone who benefited from stimulus money. The members of his inner circle benefited from stimulus money, troubled asset relief programs and even comprise his core staff.
Unlike Mr. Curry, I can see this and still believe that the Preamble of this nation reads We the People, not we the corporation; something Obama seems have to intentionally forgotten albeit an expert in constitutional law.
