Barack's Sista Souljah Tactic

I reserve complete judgment until I can see the speech. But this continued hectoring of black folks by Obama feels disingenuous. Are there anti-semites and homophobes amongst us? Damn right. But there is something bullying in the idea that Obama pointedly refuses to confront white audiences over America's very real and well documented legacy of racism, and at the same time routinely throw darts at black folks.

This all started with the "acting white" canard that Obama brandished back in 2004. White pundits routinely applaud Obama's "courage" when he plays the black pathology card, and then they applaud him for "transcending race" when he says little about white racism in his speeches. Less noted is that Obama will loose no support among black people for saying things like this, as the "what's wrong with niggers" is a perennial conversation among us.

Let's be clear: homophobes, anti-semites, racists, bigots and demagogues should be shunned, denounced and purged from our midst. But don't talk that shit, and then come to Harlem and have dinner with Shartpon. And don't act like black America is the only--or even the major--source of these ills. We have our problems, no doubt. But it wasn't us who gave the world Matthew Shepard.