Danny Cardwell's picture

    No Negotiations Without Preconditions

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    No Black person with a prominent platform should meet with Donald Trump or representatives from the Trump administration without preconditions. The United States government has a long-standing policy of setting preconditions for negotiating with hostile state actors. This is a policy Black America should employ as we move into the age of Trumpism. The duplicitous nature of Donald Trump’s rhetoric has damaged any credibility his words have. If he’s serious about his outreach efforts (something I doubt) his next move needs to be his best move. The CDC and Pfizer couldn’t make a panacea capable of eradicating his past racial transgressions, or the racially insensitive attacks on Barack Obama, but taking some bold steps in the right direction would be a good start to open the space for future negotiations.

    First, he should withdraw the nomination of Jeff Sessions for Attorney General. It was painfully obvious watching his confirmation hearing testimony that Sessions sees more law enforcement as a viable solution to problems facing the inner-city. More police on the streets does not address the socioeconomic factors that push kids into a life of crime. Redoubling the presence of law enforcement in struggling communities and giving them carte blanche to violate the civil rights of Americans based on race and ethnicity might offer short-term relief to those looking at these problems from the safety of their television screens, but it would further exacerbate the mistrust between police departments and the communities they work in. Stop-and-Frisk was a net failure that emboldened bad officers and put good officers in harm’s way. Jeff Sessions' inability to give clear and succinct answers about investigations into municipalities and police departments with problematic racial histories was, to me, more disqualifying than his alleged racism. If he can’t or won’t acknowledge the abuses of police power Federal probes have uncovered inside cities like Ferguson and Chicago how can those communities trust him to do what’s in their best interests?

    Next, Donald Trump should ask for Steve Bannon’s resignation and publicly disavow, in unambiguous terms, the white supremacist elements inside the Alt-Right and other fringe groups he helped elevate. He can’t have it both ways. His most loyal supporters have the rare ability to parse every Trump tweet, and defend his almost weekly indefensible statements, but the majority of Americans, irrespective of race, don’t have this ability. Donald Trump is too comfortable with people who use terms like “feral” and “subhuman” to describe ethnic and racial minorities. Whatever talents or skill set Steve Bannon has to offer is offset by the platform he built for racists. Saying Trump is not a racist doesn’t negate the racism he and Steve Bannon benefited from. Steve Bannon not only provided a platform for racists to espouse their beliefs, but he profited from it. Once someone knowingly benefits from racism it doesn’t matter if they are racist or not.

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    Donald Trump has proven that he’s incapable of going more than a few days without saying or tweeting something offensive. He needs to build some trust. Anyone surprised that he would tweet out such a ridiculous statement about Representative John Lewis on MLK weekend must have forgotten about a guy named John McCain. Donald Trump’s inability to process critique of any kind will be a hindrance to his ability to govern; this deficiency will affect all Americans, but If Trump wants to show Black America he’s serious about his outreach, he will quit trying to win us over with celebrities. Maybe he could seek the counsel of the best and brightest Black people in America instead of the richest and most entertaining. If he were to come up with policy proposals capable of improving the lives of people affected by decades of bad trade agreements and centuries of systemic racism, he could use his concrete actions to build the bridge he destroyed with his mouth and Twitter account. Donald Trump’s symbolic Black celebrity photo op outreach campaign is failing miserably. When he asked Black people, “what the hell do you have to lose?” It was obvious he didn’t listen to what we were saying about Trayvon, Tamir, Sandra, Freddie, Walter, or Philando. His rhetoric and cabinet appointments are symptoms of his tone deafness.   

     

    If you look hard enough you can see the shame!

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    Damn right, Danny.


    Driftglass:

    President-elect Donald Trump marked Martin Luther King Day Monday by praying with the slain civil rights hero’s son.

    “We did have a very constructive meeting,” said King, 59, who was just 10 when his father was assassinated...

    "In the heat of emotion, a lot of things get said on both sides," King said...


    In America, Martin Luther King Day comes once a year, but every fucking day is Both Sides Do It Day.


    Once someone benefits from racism it doesn’t matter if they are racist or not.


    There it is.


    MLK Jr on Barry Goldwater and the GOP

    The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism...On the urgent issue of civil rights, Senator Goldwater represents a philosophy that is morally indefensible and socially suicidal. While not himself a racist, Mr. Goldwater articulates a philosophy which gives aid and comfort to the racist. His candidacy and philosophy would serve as an umbrella under which extremists of all stripes would stand. In the light of these facts and because of my love for America, I have no alternative but to urge every Negro and white person of goodwill to vote against Mr. Goldwater and to withdraw support from any Republican candidate that does not publicly disassociate himself from Senator Goldwater and his philosophy.”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-mlk-quote-sums-up-the-rise-of-w...


    Another excellent post. Trump is 70 years old and cannot change. The bigger problem is that his white voter base knew that Trump was surrounded by racists and didn't care. Athletes, rappers, and comedians do not set or understand government policy. There is no reason for an athlete or entertainer to have policy discussions with Trump. The mere presence of these entertainers is an insult. I would take advise from Ray Lewis on defensive schemes. I would take advice from Steve Harvey on how to progress from merely telling jokes to being a comedian. Both occupations require skill. I would not trust Ray Lewis or Steve Harvey to craft a program beneficial to block neighborhoods. Note the Ben Carson is unqualified to head HUD. The skills required are not in his wheelhouse.

    I do give MLK III a break. He came with a demand about voting rights. He made an effort. King did not throw John Lewis under the bus in the post meeting interview with the press. He made an effort knowing that it would fall on deaf ears. Jim Brown, Ray Lewis, and Steve Harvey imagine that they had impact on Trump. These men are obviously delusional.

    Trump is the same guy sued for housing discrimination and later demanded Obama's birth certificate. We should expect very little to come out of his administration. King gave a shot. I doubt he expects any return.

     


    Jim Brown appeared to Fox News to state once again that he will support Trump.

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/01/17/jim-brown-donald-tru...


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