My admiration of the singer/activist is second generation. My father, also a New Jersey communist attended Rutgers College , as did Robeson. My father admired him greatly.
Robeson could not attend Princeton because he was black, my father being denied access to MIT due to quotas for Jewish students.
Robeson had a brilliant voice, talent and acute intelligence. Still, he managed to offend a lot of folks during his career.
Blacks for singing in dialect and being colorblind in whom he supported. Robeson crusaded for the oppressed, be they Welsh coal miners or the American civil rights movement.
The singer met with President Truman to ask him to speak out against lynching.
Truman refused.
What upset most people about Robeson is that he was an avowed Communist. For the record, my father explored it intellectually but perceived that it was too Utopian to work.
But Robeson remained loyal to this governmental philosophy and the Soviet Union, even during the Stalin reign.
My theory is that Robeson had no where else to go and had too much invested in the cause.
President Obama should not make that mistake. I don't know if he can sing or act but he certainly hasn't been at the forefront of important societal change.
Thus, his life has none of the victories of Robeson. But he can learn from him.
Obama must divest himself and his administration of the true American predators.
That would be the financial community.
Only on television are criminals sprung from jail to become agents and consultants.
In reality, fiscal villains should never become policy makers.
Obama can say anything. But as of now, he is lying in regard to the power and access too many Wall Street power brokers have with him and government.
Kick them out.
Prosecute them and make certain that regulations are in place to prevent future meltdowns.
If Obama would take on Goldman Sachs et.al, maybe many of the Tea Party folks would forget socialism or racism and recognize the importance of reclaiming our country.
Let's face it, enough folks with conservative views, red state residence and GOP bumper stickers put America first when they denied Sarah Palin the chance to be next in line.
President Obama. We are all waiting.
Oh and ..... Indict Bush.
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