The White Media and Tavis' ego

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The negro will shine your shoes too.

Sigh.

CNN: Obama takes heat for skipping State of the Black Union
Taylor Marsh's crazy ass: Obama Ducks State of the Black Union Forum
CBS News: Clinton leaves Primary States for "State of the Black Union"

The larger media is reporting on Tavis Smiley's "State of the Black Union" forum and the tempest in a teapot that has been stirred up about Obama's abscence from the event.

As usual, the media does a drive by with the facts not even touching on the fact that this is not a controversy at all within Black America if they are being fair to outright lying about the 99% of us who have no problem with Obama missing the event.

I can't get too angry at these media outlets. They really don't know better at this point and any energy spent on wondering why they are so duplicitous and stupid is wasted energy.

I'll save my venom for Tavis.

The question isn't why isn't Obama there it's why is Tavis doing this?

There is no reason for any report of infighting within the community. There is no controversy and any reports of such could be put immediately to rest by Smiley who knows from the angry emails and calls he's been receiving that his listeners have spoken and that's that.

So what does Tavis gain by the larger media portraying a split in the black community and a split between the community and himself?

For Tavis us black folks are the first wife. We're the ones who have supported him why listening and watching his shows and buying his books while no one else knew or cared who the hell he was.

We have been with him every step of the way paving his way for potentially a larger career.

And the larger career is what this is about.

Tavis can now portray himself as the victim of the irrational group-think of the blacks in America. He can shake his head and sigh as he has a meeting with some media bigwig and say "See what I do for these people and this is hwo they repay me. You know I would do a better job in a larger forum. How about a primetime show."

This about his name and his money and being able to reach out to a larger white audience using what was traditionally a black forum. By keeping the idea of a controversy going and by only having Clinton there in the last desperate throws of her campaign, he will get a slice of the demographic pie that would have never thought of tuning into C-SPAN on a Saturday afternoon.

If you go to Tavis' website you can see his slogan "Enlighten. Encourage. Empower."

From how he has acted over this apparently that only applies to his fan's ability to advance his career.