Is Barack Obama a Racist?

Radio and TV Host Glenn Beck has created quite a stir this past week in stating that Barack Obama "is a racist." It has been interesting reviewing the news headlines and seeing stories of deaths due to the war on terror, political scandals that are bringing down governments and international tensions caused by rogue regimes that we find Glenn Beck right there with all of them, because of his statement on an early morning cable show.

The political left, predictably, has come out in full force dismissing the claim:

The Osterly Times declares that "Glenn Beck's inability to hide the fact that he is an utter moron explodes into the open once more on Fox News when he, without bringing forward a single example, decides that Barack Obama is a racist."

Rose Conley of the Examiner simply declares that "Glenn Beck is stupid."

Comedienne Whoopi Goldberg proclaimed that Beck is a "Lying Sack of Dog Mess" in the Huffington Post.

Robert Paul Reyes, at Newsblaze.com, says: "Beck's claims are so crazy that I feel silly refuting them. Obama with his multi-cultural background, and his inclusive and open administration, is the very symbol of racial harmony." He goes on to say that "Moderation, contemplation, reasoned discourse and a bipartisanship spirit have been banished from the GOP. The birthers, tea baggers, Palin nuts and demented pundits like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Beck are now in control of the Republican Party. "

That last quote is worth further review. It is time to simply look at the facts.

• Obama nominated a person for the Supreme Court who is, without question, a racist. Sotomayor has demonstrated such in many speeches as she discussed the superiority of "Latina women" over white males in the courtroom on the lecture circuit and was demonstrated in how she discriminated against white firefighters in a court case that was later overturned by the Supreme Court.


• When a well respected police officer (who actually teaches racial sensitivity training) arrests a black man for disorderly conduct (when a person yells they will not show a police officer his ID because it is "racist," that is disorderly), Obama calls the officer and the police department "stupid." Comedian Bill Cosby, when asked about it, simply said "I wasn't there." He went on to suggest a sensible approach would be to ask both sides. That does seem more Presidential.


• In his biography and speeches, you would never know that Obama was raised by white family members and that the black side of his family lineage virtually did not exist in his life. He had only a brief encounter that is measured in days with his African father. He seems to love a culture that abandoned him and is embarrassed by one that embraced him.

So, is Obama a racist? I think it is safe to say that he is certainly predisposed to such. Furthermore, he is an elitist of epic proportions as demonstrated in his treatment of individuals who didn't enjoy the education background afforded to him, be it the rural white people who "cling to their guns and religion" or the police officer trying to make tough decisions in the rough streets that surround Boston. The bottom line is Obama does not have the temperament necessary to represent the needs and interests of all Americans.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. His articles often appear in Chicago Sun Times, Reuters, USA Today, and other national media. Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

The New face of Discrimination

There appears to be a new discrimination that is rampant across our country. This past week there was an arrest of an African American Professor (Henry Louis Gates) of Harvard by the Cambridge police and I found it interesting that President Obama and Governor (Deval) Patrick came out and immediately cried "racism" by law enforcement without asking a single question. They didn't ask about the protocol used by the police, they didn't ask what witnesses saw, they appeared to simply just jumped to conclusions. The reason why is because 'one of their own' had to have been mistreated, in their minds. Before you accuse me of using the "race card," I am not. I recognize that Obama, Patrick, and Gates are all African American and the arresting office was white. But that isn't what I mean. Gates and his supporters have something else in common, they are elitists.

• Patrick graduated from Harvard University for both his undergraduate degree and a law degree. Furthermore, he went to the prestigious Milton Academy.


• Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and then went on to Harvard Law School, becoming the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review.
  
• Henry Louis Gates, the man at the center of the storm, has his BA in History from Yale and a PhD in English from Cambridge University.
  

What seems to be playing a bigger role in the things these men have in common is elitism, rather than race. We don't want to miss, in this story, the poor police officer, Sgt. James Crowley, who could not be more "blue collar" in his uniform. Like most police officers today, he likely has some college experience. A couple of years of college maybe or, who knows, an undergraduate degree from a solid college some where. His academic credentials are not nearly as easy to find of those of his accusers. I do know he teaches a course on race relations at the police academy because of his years of experience and exceptional conduct in this area. Now being tarnished by a Governor and President who don't know enough about the situation and a professor who knows more than exists in the hearts of men. At least, it appears, this man.

All we have are some facts, laid out nicely by The New York Daily News. The information surrounding the case that all parties agreed on:

"Crowley, an 11-year veteran of the Cambridge Police Department, responded to a reported break-in at the renowned scholar's home last Thursday. A neighbor reported seeing two black men break into the professor's home. She was unaware the man forcing his way inside was Gates, who had locked himself out. When Crowley arrived, he told an incensed Gates he was investigating a report of a break-in and asked for his identification. 'Why? Because I'm a black man in America,' Gates responded, the police report says. Gates initially refused to hand over his ID, instead angrily accusing the officer of being a racist and 'leveling threats that he wasn't someone to mess with,' the report says. After Gates produced his Harvard University ID, he repeatedly demanded Crowley state his name, which the officer claims he had already done. Crowley said Gates continued hurling insults at him as he left the home. Crowley arrested the scholar for disorderly conduct. The charge was later dropped. 'He was arrested after following me outside the house, continuing the tirade even after being warned multiple times - probably a few more times than the average person would,' Crowley told the radio station." You can hear the entire interview here.

Comedian Bill Cosby, who has become something of a conscious to many in the African American community, commented on the controversy with three simple words, "I wasn't there." He wants both sides to simply speak the truth and the facts to be examined. He doesn't conclude that the person with the better credentials is a better person, an impression that the Governor of Massachusetts and the President of the United States seems to be conveying.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. His articles often appear in Chicago Sun Times, Reuters, USA Today, and other national media. Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

The Arrogance of Officialdom

"The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt." Marcus Tullius Cicero, circa 63 B.C.

Cicero's quote is one of my favorite when it comes to expressing my frustration with politicians who are out of control. The Obama administration is full of such characters. Very rarely has a politician failed to be confirmed by the United States Senate because of tax issues. We have never certainly seen this happen to three in one administration (with two on one day with former Senator Tom Daschle who was nominated for Secretary of Health and Human Services and Nancy Killefer, who was chosen as the President's performance czar).

It is extremely bold that the candidates forced to pull out of their positions found themselves in this predicament:

• Tom Daschle was a member of the Finance Committee for many years while in the United States Senate. This is the committee that oversees tax laws. It is hard to imagine that someone with that kind of background could find himself owing over $140,000 in back taxes, interest, and penalties. This is more than what most Americans make over several years. To be ignorant about owing this amount in taxes seems very hard to believe.


• Nancy Killefer has years of experience as a government and business consultant. With a BA in economics from Vassar College and a MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Killefer looked like a great appointee on paper, but she too had to withdraw because the District of Columbia had filed a more than $900 tax lien for failing to pay state unemployment taxes on domestic help. A person in charge of the efficiency of the US Government being unable to keep track of her tax obligations became more than the administration could bear and she withdrew as a result of it.


• Timothy Geithner, our new Secretary of Treasury and the man who oversees the IRS is another person who had serious tax issues. Geithner failed to pay tens of thousands in taxes over several years. You would think that, if any person would be forced to withdraw, it would be Geithner. However, the Obama administration told us that this would be an isolated incident and the Senate chose to over look it. Now, tax evasion seems to be a prerequisite of getting an offer from this President.

Obama lectures us about the importance of maintaining the highest standards in government and tells us that he is choosing the "best and the brightest" for his administration in the Kennedy tradition of "Camelot." However, it is looking more like "Spamalot" as people ask if Obama's appointees believe they are "so good" and "so smart" that they don't have to abide by the same standards as the rest of the population? That is the exact impression that the Obama administration is conveying to the American people.

Kevin Price is a syndicated columnist whose articles frequently appear at ChicagoSunTimes.com, Reuters.com, USAToday.com, and other national media. Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at PriceofBusiness.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Barack Obama's Legacy

There is no question that Barack Obama will go down in history as one of the most significant individuals in US political history. Love him or hate him, he is huge on the political landscape. This is true, regardless if he wins or loses. He is the first African-American candidate that was able to break the color barrier and transcend virtually all ethnic groups. But will that be his legacy?

Certainly that would have been the case at the beginning of this election cycle with his theme of "unity" seen through out his literature, commercials, and messages. But will that be his historic legacy? The following are some areas that could harm that reputation.

* The issue of elitism

His words are now famous: "You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them," Obama said. "And it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." Such elitist rhetoric tends to divide, not unify.

* His United Church of Christ

Obama finally walked away from his beloved church of twenty years, but most would describe that action as "too little, too late." This came after his former pastor, Rev. Wright, was found yelling "God d--- America" and sounding very supportive of the attacks the US has faced on video and a Catholic priest, Michael Pfleger who described Hillary Clinton as an entitled racist, who believed she should get the nomination just because she is white. This offends most Americans and was the straw that "broke the camel's back" and lead to Obama breaking ties with the church.

* Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama stirred quite a ruckus when she said that "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country," she told a Milwaukee crowd, "because it feels like hope is making a comeback." This was shocking to most Americans. We may not like some of the things are country does, but I am proud of this nation every day. Most Americans fit that bill.

Later Mrs. Obama complained about her huge student loans she and her husband have had to pay for their undergraduate and law educations. She doesn't mention that, partly as a result of those educations, they both made over $4 million last year in salaries and book sales. Furthermore, she failed to mention that she attended Princeton and Barack attended Columbia, and that they both attended Harvard Law School. They probably should have went to more affordable schools or, at the very least, be extremely grateful to have the opportunity to attend the most elite schools in the country and to have the incomes to afford such. This separates them from the rest of us.

Any of these on their own would leave a devastating impact on a politician's legacy. Combined they have the potential of taking an individual who has clearly worked very hard to appeal to many and making him one who is historically recognized as acceptable to few.

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Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.