Michelle Singletary, in her Washington Post/Bloomberg column, asks if President Barack Obama really thinks that members of the Congressional Black Caucus and their constituents, many of whom are suffering in the economy, should just "shake it off."
Was Obama trying to appeal to the pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps crowd, which believes government should do less to help those in need? Or to those in Congress who want to dismantle the social welfare safety net?
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, told me he spent much of Monday fielding calls from CBC members, ministers and Obama supporters who took exception to the president's parting remarks.
"I think he got caught up in the moment," Cleaver said. "I don't think he intended anything. I think he was saying to supporters around the country, 'You don't have any more time to complain.' "
Read Michelle Singletary's entire column at the Washington Post/Bloomberg.