Yesterday Leftovers For 4/8/10: They Really Are Intentionally Blind

In some weird universe of jealousy and envy, Travis Smiley continues to criticize President Obama in a really embarrassing and erroneous manner. He continues to say simply that Obama hasn't focused enough on black people in his 15+ months as executive chief, only for the directly in his peripheral stating the exact opposite.

The usually sound Cynthia Tucker from the AJC at least provides a national column from someone with recognition to point out how ridiculously (and probably intentionally) myopic Smiley's perspective is on this issue.

And though the important distinction of health insurance doesn't necessary mean health care wasn't made by her in that column, the evidence has been clear that Obama has nowhere near abandoned or neglected African-Americans like Smiley and his brigade think. Rather, it's the opposite.

In addition to the pell grants, charter school education reform that Tucker also mentioned in her article, the obama Administration, with the help of the terrific George Miller and others in Congress, gave a lot of needed money to community schools and traditional HBCU's instead of caving to the Sallie Mae lobbyists .

But there has been one thing that Tucker, a lot of people, and especially Smiley, have also been unable to mention about the Obama Administration actually facilitating the black community in some way. And that's in fighting for aggrieved black farmers.

US Reaches $1.25B Settlement with Black Farmers

The Obama administration has reached a $1.25 billion settlement in a class-action lawsuit over longtime racial discrimination against African American farmers. The government settled a first round of claims in 1999 after a group of farmers accused the Agricultural Department of systemically denying them aid and loans granted to white counterparts. The discriminatory policy forced farmers to lose their land or plunged them deeply into debt. The new settlement would cover farmers denied payments under the initial settlement. The deal now awaits congressional approval. John Boyd, a lead plaintiff and head of the National Black Farmers Association, said he agreed to the $1.25 billion settlement despite viewing it as insufficient. Boyd said, ’’Many of the farmers have already died waiting for justice, so I thought this was the right thing to do.

The backdrop of this case is this. Now Congress needed to act on this before March 31, and it appears that neither the Senate nor the House did, which is a total shame and thensome, meaning the farmers will have to pursue a new agreement.

But clearly these things and the last under the radar story indicates that Smiley and his following are totally wrong.

For yet another time this is said: the Obama Administration's job is to be the President of everyone, not his race or any select group of people. There are blacks, whites, Hispanics, Asians, Southeast Asians, and Native Americans that need the Administration to arguably go further, possibly pushing a real progressive agenda instead of the "making everyone happy centrist" one. That can certainly be bantered on with reputable facts and rational outlook.

Still, for one to even say that he and his cabinet haven't bestowed some abetting to the black community (and that's not even mentioning all the diverse art programs and specials at the White House nowadays) is unbelievably blind and raising justified concerns about one's judgment.

Or in the case of Travis Smiley in this instance, one's jealous.