by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
Below you can watch the video of Allen West, a black Republican, engaging in a highly-disrespectful attack on President Barack Obama. West seems to swim like a happy little pig in the attention he is receiving from Fox News for his willingness to undermine the credibility of another black man in ways that would be maligned if he were white. Because he’s black, it’s hard to accuse West of racism. But he can certainly be accused of being a tool for racists to promote an agenda built on sloppy, malicious rhetoric feeding on white American fears of black men in true positions of power.
West being a Republican doesn’t offend me. What offends me is that he is an unintelligent Republican who lacks the kind of class that men like Colin Powell have shown in their disagreements with the Democrats. West doesn’t have to call Obama names; he can simply critique his policies. There is almost nothing insightful or substantive about his remarks about the president, for he simply appears to be basking in the sunlight.
Another interesting thing about political pawns like Allen West and Michael Steele is that their love affair with the Republican Party will be short-lived. Once their usefulness has passed, they will be thrown to the side like worthless political prostitutes, for the need for a black face on racial hatred is what has kept them in business. To some extent, they should send President Obama a thank you card, for they could never get this much attention without him.
