in Indianapolis, snubs the NAACP in Milwaukee. Will focus on education and the economy:

from WTHR.com:

Indianapolis, July 13 - Marvin Boatright and his family have run a near north side funeral home for decades. He's a proud supporter of the Black Expo.

As usual, he bought a full table for the annual awards luncheon.

Although he disagrees with many of President Bush's policies, he plans to attend, and listen to the speech. He says he is "Proud of the staff and the volunteers of being able to secure our President to be here."

But he and others are concerned about the Black Expo's decision to honor the President with its Lifetime Achievement award.

"I think the lifetime achievement award is really stretching it, not simply because many African-Americans are Democrat. He has not really got to that level yet and many people, including myself, don't believe he's deserving of that."

Speaking for Black Expo, Alpha Garrett disagrees. "There are a lot of initiatives that he has on his plate."

Black Expo organizers defend the decision, according to Garrett, citing a number of the President's community initiatives. "As far as explaining the steps we took and the reasons why we feel he is deserving of the award, that the community will definitely understand and see that he is rightfully deserving of it."

Businessman Marty Goens says politics won't keep him from honoring the President and the Expo. "The things that he has set in place, the faith-based initiatives and so forth, they have potential and I think that's what we should keep our eye on, the potential for some of the things in place. Focus on the positive, I mean that's what I believe in. Build bridges, not walls."

Others share that sentiment. They say they'll put politics aside and listen to what the President has to say. At the same time, they'll show their support for Black Expo.


From IndyStar:

President Bush will focus on education and what he calls the "ownership society" in his speech today at Indiana Black Expo, his top domestic policy adviser said.

Claude A. Allen, a former deputy secretary of Health and Human Services named by Bush earlier this year to be his chief domestic policy aide, said Wednesday that the message Bush brings to the RCA Dome will be one of opportunity for all Americans -- and in particular black Americans.

"When we talk about ownership, we look broadly at the issues that affect Americans, in this case African-Americans, where they live and where they work," he said. That includes, Allen said, the No Child Left Behind education reforms that Bush initiated in his first year in office. They let students transfer to other schools if their local schools fail to meet certain standards.

"African-Americans, particularly in urban settings, are the core beneficiaries of the rigorous standards we are demanding of schools," Allen said.

To Democrats, "ownership society" is shorthand for privatization and cutting federal support for such things as health care, education and Social Security.

To Republicans, however, it means giving people more choices in those areas and a personal stake in helping to shape their own future.

Bush will deliver the speech -- which the White House said could include some new education initiatives -- to about 3,200 politicians, business leaders and others at the Indiana Black Expo's sold-out luncheon.

Allen said the president can be expected to talk about the war in Iraq, too. "You can't talk about ownership without talking about freedom," Allen said, adding that Bush also will speak about the billions in aid to Africa pledged at the recent Group of Eight summit he attended in Scotland.

But the main focus will be the home front and economic security, Allen said, including Medicare, the health care program for seniors; restructuring Social Security; and "making sure African-Americans are able to participate in home ownership and small-business ownership."

Allen, 44, said Indiana Black Expo -- a nonpartisan event that includes job fairs, health screenings and business networking -- is a perfect forum for Bush to address such issues.

Black voters generally have not been receptive to Bush.

A recent survey by national polling firm Zogby International of 905 likely voters found blacks have a much dimmer view of Bush than whites do. More than 75 percent of black voters said they had an unfavorable view of Bush, while about 55 percent of whites viewed the president favorably.

Allen said the 2004 election results show Bush winning support from black voters. In 2000, he received about 8 percent of the black vote. In 2004, that grew to 11 percent, still low, but more than past GOP presidential candidates.

Allen -- who in 1983 became the first black on the staff of Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C. -- once was part of that Democratic base himself. In 1980, he said, someone told him to read the two parties' platforms, with the labels removed.

He said he discovered that he shared the values the Republicans espoused of "opportunity, ownership, a strong national defense and strong family values."

Mike Edmondson, executive director of the Indiana Democratic Party, said the difference between Democrats and Republicans on minority outreach and support is "we walk the walk, instead of just talking the talk."

"The president's record on minority issues is very sad," Edmondson said, noting that the president has missed funding targets for No Child Left Behind by $22.4 billion over the past four budgets and that health and nutritional services have been cut for about 324,000 black children enrolled in Head Start.

Edmondson also criticized Black Expo's decision to honor Bush with its Lifetime Achievement Award, saying he didn't know what Bush had done to deserve it.

"If it's for focusing on minorities, I'm awfully suspicious," Edmondson said, saying better recipients would have been state Rep. Bill Crawford, D-Indianapolis, or Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson, also a Democrat.

bush only speaks in front of friendly crowds, and it's always stage managed to make him look good.

It's cowardice. And it's part of his staff's manipulation of public opinion using his carefully-managed PR persona. Someone told him to speak in front of black folks this month, since he skipped the NAACP convention as always and they can't be seen as ignoring blacks.

His staff perfected the idea of having a few rows of supporters behind him, so they can clap on-camera. Though that's mostly at the events they totally control.

You are exactly right, mhays.

Yes, it is pathetic. He only came to get some lifetime achievement award, which angered a lot of people because of his lack of support of the black community.

Someone told him to speak in front of black folks this month, since he skipped the NAACP convention as always and they can't be seen as ignoring blacks.

In honesty, it should be noted that he spoke at the 2000 NAACP and was harshly received and harshly treated immediately after he spoke. These people will never vote for him and they are outright hostile to him. They have spent millions of dollars working to defeat him and his causes so why shoud he even bother with them.

Here is a newspaper article I found recapping his 2000 conference visit. Read it and tell me you would go back again:

Bush Blasted at NAACP meet

By Tim Wheeler



BALTIMORE, Md. – An hour before Texas Gov. George W. Bush spoke to the 91st Convention of the NAACP, here, Texas delegates convened a news conference and denounced him for blocking a hate crimes bill and for obstructing measures to assist poor and hungry children in his state.

Texas State Rep. Senfronia Thompson of Houston is author of the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Act, named for the Black man dragged to death behind a pickup truck by three white racists outside Jasper, Texas in June 1998. Thompson told the press that she arranged a meeting of Byrd’s family with Bush in his Austin office soon after Byrd was lynched.

Polls showed that 80 percent of Texans supported a hate crimes law, she said. "But when James Byrd’s relatives met with Bush, he said he would not support the law and dismissed them from his office. The James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Act was killed by George W. Bush."

Thompson told the World that Bush’s explanation was that he would not support the bill’s inclusion of attacks on gays and lesbians as hate crimes. Bush had sidestepped the issue of lynchings in his own state by claiming that "all crimes are hate crimes" and, therefore, no special laws are needed to combat violent assaults instigated by racism, anti-Semitism or homophobia.

"There are 23 hate groups with headquarters in Jasper," Thompson said. "Every month someone desecrates the grave of James Byrd. Do you think the governor went to Byrd’s funeral? No, he didn’t. Bush was nowhere to be found."

U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) said Gov. Bush "talks the talk" on compassion for the poor and disenfranchised but, in fact, "reversed the progress that minorities have worked so hard for."

Texas has 1.4 million children without medical insurance protection, the highest rate in the nation, she charged. "The Bush Administration failed to take measures to enroll these children in Medicaid and 200,000 more fell off the Medicaid rolls," Johnson said. She cited a federal report that Texas has the highest rate of child hunger and malnutrition.

Bush’s response was that he knew nothing of child hunger. "It’s hungry children and hungry adults," Johnson said. "That’s another example of him not even caring enough to learn the facts of hunger in his own state. We have gone backward under him. Our environment is so bad that Oklahoma is complaining."

Several candidates were scheduled to speak at the five-day convention that attracted as many as 10,000 delegates and guests to the Baltimore Convention Center, including Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, Green Party nominee Ralph Nader and New York Senate candidate Hillary Clinton.

The theme of the gathering is "Race to Vote" as the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights organization seeks to register four million new voters. So far, the drive has enrolled three million new voters.

As Bush was about to speak in the crowded ballroom, several people stood and chanted, "Remember Gary Graham. Gov. Bush executed an innocent Black man." They were escorted from the room.

Bush was silent on the race and class discrimination in the death penalty which he has imposed 133 times, more than any other governor. But he admitted in his speech that "racism still exists today."

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee promised to make enforcement of civil rights laws the "cornerstone of my administration." He echoed his father’s "thousand points of light" in calling on churches to provide charity in place of government social welfare programs. He touted his private school voucher scheme and his plan to privatize Social Security. "I believe in private property so strongly that I want everybody to have some," he said.

An hour or so later, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) drew applause and cheers with a biting rebuttal. "He says he will enforce the civil rights laws. I wonder what civil rights laws he is talking about," she said.

"They are killing a whole lot of people down in Texas. Did we hear anything from Gov. Bush about a death penalty moratorium? About funds to provide credible legal representation for those facing the death penalty?"

She criticized Bush for his patronizing tone in quoting African American baseball great Jackie Robinson. "When we give you our platform, come prepared to talk business with us, discuss the issues. Give us some respect."

Outside the ballroom, the Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the 22,000-member Detroit NAACP, angrily assailed Bush’s speech. "It was an insult," he told the World. "I thought he would come with a plan to address the hurt and pain that afflicts millions of poor and unemployed people across America. He failed miserably. I am the pastor of a church. We have charitable programs to assist our members but it is simply not enough. It cannot take the place of government social assistance programs. There must be an urban strategy and Bush did not present one."

Anthony pointed out that the governor of Illinois, a Republican, imposed a moratorium on the death penalty when it was found that 13 men on death row were innocent, several of them framed up by police and prosecutors. "Mr. Bush’s state leads the nation in victimizing people with the death penalty," he said. "Mr. Bush ought to lead the way on a death penalty moratorium since his state leads the way in executing people."

James Gallman, president of the South Carolina State NAACP, told the World that Bush’s refusal to take a stand against the flying of the Confederate flag over the State Capitol building and his speech to the openly racist Bob Jones University "is an indication of his insensitivity to African Americans."

Gallman rejected the so-called compromise in which the flag has been lowered from the capitol but will be flown round-the-clock and illuminated on the capitol grounds. "We will continue with the sanctions until the flag is removed," he said. "We’re talking about a very racist state and we are in a constant battle for our rights. We’re trying to register four million voters across the country and we are doing our part in South Carolina. We have to educate people and get them out to vote."

again, pathetic!

"All crimes are hate crimes." What an idiot.

"All crimes are hate crimes." What an idiot.

Of course, when the drug dealers in W. Baltimore kill each other, its done out of love :bash:

IMO, it just shows how disconnected he is. Certainly, there is a hate behind any murder, beating, etc, but for him to state that "all crimes..." shows that he has no clue. He is a wealthy, white male, from one of the most prominent familys in US history. He has no icdea of what it is like to be a middle-class gay man living in Indiana!

He has no icdea of what it is like to be a middle-class gay man living in Indiana!

Percentage wise, I don't think very many people in this country know what that is like.
:)

All it is is a damned if u do, damned if u don't situation for Bush. While he's thinking from a political standpoint in appearing, how much is he supposed to do, if he didn't appear it's b/c he's ignoring them, there are other capitalistic reasons why blacks are in a bad situation, not as much of it is contributed to Bush and to think that blacks were that much better under Clinton is BS, I think Blacks have internal issues that must be resolved more. IMO, Blacks these days are as disconnected from reality as Bush is on some.

All it is is a damned if u do, damned if u don't situation for Bush. While he's thinking from a political standpoint in appearing, how much is he supposed to do, if he didn't appear it's b/c he's ignoring them, there are other capitalistic reasons why blacks are in a bad situation, not as much of it is contributed to Bush and to think that blacks were that much better under Clinton is BS, I think Blacks have internal issues that must be resolved more. IMO, Blacks these days are as disconnected from reality as Bush is on some.Okay dude, go back to the suburbs.

And I speak for probably 70-75% of all black folks=BUSH, THE REASON WHY WE DIDN'T VOTE FOR YOU IS BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE YOU. Simple as that. White people don't get mad, it's the truth.

again, pathetic!

"All crimes are hate crimes." What an idiot.

I am certainly not a Bush supporter, but I can honestly say I do not see the need for "hate-crime" legislation. I mean, if someone were killed because of their race, religion, or sexual orientation; or if they were killed because they cut someone off in traffic, wore the wrong color in a certain neighborhood, or called someone a name they didn't like, what difference does it make? They'll be tried on murder charges, and if convicted, more than likely spend the rest of their life in prison. This same logic works whether you are speaking of murder, or simply assault; I don't think the fear of more severe consequences in these situations is a factor. If you are going to physically assault someone, I think you must be out of your damn mind anyways!

Nic, I certainly see your logic, but logic doesn't always work. I think that hate crimes need to be isolated because of how the "hate" got there in the first place. There is certainly a difference between a crime of passion and one in which someone if hunted down because of their skin color or sexual orientation. Attention needs to be paid to these situations because hate breeds hate.

There are two main problems with hate crimes legislation. The first is that its impossible to truly know motives. If I beat and rob you, did I target you b/c you're gay or b/c you were just the closest target. Unless I come out and say I hate gays or blacks or whatever people, then you can only speculate on darker, more sinister motives.

The other problem is the uneven way they are applied. There were two seperate cases here in Bmore from a few years back where some blacks killed a few asians. In one case the guy said he did it b/c he hates Asians. In the other case, the two guys bragged about killing the "Asian man." Neither of these cases were prosocuted as a "hate crime," though by definition they would have fit.

The most just thing we can do is prosecute cases fairly and evenly without guessing motives or applying uneven justice.

"Okay dude, go back to the suburbs.

And I speak for probably 70-75% of all black folks=BUSH, THE REASON WHY WE DIDN'T VOTE FOR YOU IS BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE YOU. Simple as that. White people don't get mad, it's the truth."

I'm black and I didn't vote for Bush, all I'm saying is that I think it's good for everyone to take a step back and work together, not everything Bush's fault. We need to take responsibility and understand that there is a culture that has developed in Black America. Some blacks are so out of touch with the way things are it seems, there are so many out there that are condescending and just laugh at us. I'm not really talking about Bush, but it's politicizing that I hate, who the hell cares if Bush comes to speak to the shitty NAACCP(National Association for the Advancement of Certain Colored People), if he does, than he's bad, if not he doesn't care, that's the politicizing I hate. So don't tell me to go back to the suburbs, I've lived in some of the roughest parts of the country, Jamaica Queens and Anacostia in DC so don't give me that "go back to the suburbs" bullshit mr. carson, california. There's no problem with hating Bush, while I'm conservative, I'm not too fond of him myself. But the good thing, is that more and more everyday, blacks are seeing things in a different light and becoming more conservative in areas, liberals have taken the black vote for granted for too long. And just to let you all know, I'm a social liberal and fiscal conservative.

It is pure myth that blacks are becoming more conservative. In fact, polling indicates blacks are becoming more independent, especially among young blacks- but this trend is widely represented among not just blacks, but also younger whites, hispanics and asians. It's a generational movement to align with NEITHER party.

What is driving a wedge between the party and the community, at least some quarters of the community, are the teachings of the black church. The black church has frankly gone from being an instrument for progress and change in the Civil Rights Era (though even MLK, Jr., was critical of the church in this arena) to an entity wholly unreponsive to pressing issues facing the black community: AIDS, crime, education, family. More and more, it seems, the black church has come to resemble the white evangelical movement. Deeply anti-gay and anti-abortion and willfully ignorant of real problems. In other words, the leaks that are appearing in the Black/Democratic coalition have less to do with fiscal issues (in fact, on fiscal policy blacks are far more liberal than the country in general) and more to do with social issues- social liberalism (which you apparently represent) specifically. Overall, though, Republicans have made about zero progress with blacks. Bush's miniscule improvement among blacks in 2004 can be attributed either to the margin of error or success in demonizing gay marriage.

Like I said before, I'm more independent than rep. or dem. and I respect more what you have had to say.

But the fact that it seems like there is more involvement and independent thinking is what makes me satisfied. And you're right with ur assessment about blacks fiscally, but that's the circumstances that many blacks face and that's understandable, but in the long run that kind of thinking doesn't change things. Affirmative Action for example, from a purely black standpoint, while it does have good effects, it creates stigmas and that impedes progress.

I know that it's different with Blacks, but many out there wonder why it is that minorities from other countries can come over and be successful at a greater frequency than Blacks. It's just a huge cultural problem that is so overwhelming and influential, it leaves many hopeless. Coupled with the corruption and apathy and lack of education, it's a bad situation.

But I agree absolutely about the Black church, it is resembling an evangelical church than before and I think with the other problems that exist it needs to change, but it is those very close biblical issues that take precedent but these other important cultural and family issues do deserve the bulk of the time.

Basically, if there's anything I need to say, it's that Black problems are not politically based and that if politics is an avenue that is pursued, it's free and long term thinking that I think is better.

And please don't tell me Blacks aren't becoming more conservative, not republican, but conservative, especially fiscally. I think it would be a better gauge if we looked at the voting when there isn't a war that is so divisive going on.

"Okay dude, go back to the suburbs.

And I speak for probably 70-75% of all black folks=BUSH, THE REASON WHY WE DIDN'T VOTE FOR YOU IS BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE YOU. Simple as that. White people don't get mad, it's the truth."

I'm black and I didn't vote for Bush, all I'm saying is that I think it's good for everyone to take a step back and work together, not everything Bush's fault. We need to take responsibility and understand that there is a culture that has developed in Black America. Some blacks are so out of touch with the way things are it seems, there are so many out there that are condescending and just laugh at us. I'm not really talking about Bush, but it's politicizing that I hate, who the hell cares if Bush comes to speak to the shitty NAACCP(National Association for the Advancement of Certain Colored People), if he does, than he's bad, if not he doesn't care, that's the politicizing I hate. So don't tell me to go back to the suburbs, I've lived in some of the roughest parts of the country, Jamaica Queens and Anacostia in DC so don't give me that "go back to the suburbs" bullshit mr. carson, california. There's no problem with hating Bush, while I'm conservative, I'm not too fond of him myself. But the good thing, is that more and more everyday, blacks are seeing things in a different light and becoming more conservative in areas, liberals have taken the black vote for granted for too long. And just to let you all know, I'm a social liberal and fiscal conservative.
First of all, Jamaica Queens is a walk in the park compared to some parts of the real Jamaica. And the reason why I said "go back to the suburbs" was because of that Uncle Tom-ish post you made.

Well that's a real nice comeback then. So I have to be some kind of political refugee from a third world country to have a valid comment at all. And you can call me an uncle tom, if you met me in person it's the last thing you'd think, but there comes a time when you have to look at the entire scope of a problem, looking at issues and also seeing its public perceptions, I just want different thinking, that's why I personally don't like the NAACP. And that's why even if you don't agree with Bill Cosby, at least it has that startling effect to get people to think, and I personalyl don't think he's an uncle tom. But yeah, you can call me an uncle tom, doesn't at all offend me. If I think about it, I have a lot more in common with Malcolm X's line of thinking than I do with Mfume, or some of these other nuts we got out here.

Yes, racism exists, but I think that there are better, more productive and efficient ways that Blacks fix things and go about bettering our situation to be very vague.

It's a great topic of discussion, something that a message board probably wouldn't be as useful especially if not all of it is about the original topic.

Well that's a real nice comeback than. So I have to be some kind of political refugee to have a valid comment at all. And you can call me an uncle tom, if you met me in person it's the last thing you'd think, but there comes a time when you have to look at the entire scope of a problem, looking at issues and also seeing it's perceptions, I just want different thinking, that's why I personally don't like the NAACP. But yeah, you can call me an uncle tom, doesn't at all offend me.

Yes, racism exists, but I think that there are better, more productive and efficient ways that Blacks fix things and go about bettering our situation.
Those problems can't be fixed now. It's far too late, and they should've been fixed 150 years ago. Everything has been set up just right to keep us down. You can see it when you go down through your nearest overpopulated ghetto.

See, that's not the right thinking, there has been a lot of devastating effects, but the people that have been successful, have done it through hard work, determination and focus, not through gov't handouts. Blacks haven't given the rest of society a real reason to feel sorry for us, and it's kinda screwed those who are responsible and work their asses off day in and day out.

Most people outside of this are wondering, it was 150 yrs ago, why can't things change and that's the problem, while the atrocities that happened are significant, we need to collectively educate ourselves and become better prepared to survive in this society.

We don't need to look for reparations or programs, there isn't anything that we can say or implement in the form of a program that's going to make people less racist or make us better educated and compete in society in the long run, it comes through action.

There are thousands of Africans who come here with that idealistic view of America and come over here not very educated like many do from other countries, but they sure as hell can work their asses off and do what needs to be done to make ends meet, they haven't been corrupted by America's Black culture yet. You here comedians joke all the time about talk about the problems and it is funny no doubt but when are we going to change it.

And this brings me to liberals, one reason I can respect conservatives is if they think something is wrong they'll say it's wrong, but they won't dismiss it and allow it to happen for the sake of being tolerant, while we should be tolerant, there is certain behavior in the Black community that liberals will call alright just for the sake of being tolerant to other's view and IMO that's wrong.

Yeah, well that's that slave mentality coming back. After all-black cities like Rosewood, FL and Tulsa, OK got burned down because some white girl said she got raped(and she didn't) by a black man, the Civil Rights movement, and the Black Panthers moving on, it didn't seem like much hope. Yes, the black community can overcome these things, but with so many other problems, many people are thinking "Why bother?"

First of all, Jamaica Queens is a walk in the park compared to some parts of the real Jamaica. And the reason why I said "go back to the suburbs" was because of that Uncle Tom-ish post you made.

Name calling is usually the first sign of a lost argument

Name calling is usually the first sign of a lost argument
Not on a forum. Usually people say "<forum name> LOST!!!" or you just don't take it because the internet is not a real place.