It's not quite the Hatfields and MCoys, but the on-air dust-up between Tavis Smiley and Al Sharpton has people talking. The gang over on The Urban Politico share their points of view on the squabble.
I'm going to start with my conclusion: Tavis needs to sit down and be quiet.
Why? I've never been on Team Tavis, but especially when it comes to critiquing the Obama administration or even Obama during the campaign, Tavis comes across as a bit of a hater.
I do not understand how he thinks bashing Obama is going to help the black agenda. Do you want a Republican to win in 2012? How is that going to help black unemployment exactly?
The main issue here is whether Tavis has a point?
Short answer: No, not really.
If Tavis cared at all about black unemployment he should first take a look in the mirror. Instead of focusing on all that Obama is not doing to help black people he might want to focus on the fact that 3 of his main sponsors are Wells Fargo, Walmart, and McDonalds. If you cared at all about black people you wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a company like Wells Fargo who is notorious for predatory lending in minority communities.
You know how the saying goes Tavis…glass houses or something like that. And while we are on the subject of Tavis not holding himself accountable, how about his company publishing R. Kelly's book?! Is that sending the right message to our our young black girls?
Continue reading the take at The Urban Politico
Rebuttals?