The Root (WAPO) and The Grio (NBC) Working to Take Over Black American Politics?

Yes, I said it. And yes, I am wondering out loud, if Corporate black blogs like The Root and The Grio are working to control black political thought in America?





AAP says: "Move over grassroots black political bloggers, NBC and The Washington Post have hatched a scheme to take over black political thought over the internet. They are like ATT taking over the smaller telephone companies. They are buying co-opting as many black bloggers as possible, and unfortunately it just may be working."  

Now the question is, on the immediate political front, whether both of these corporate media giants (WaPo and NBC) are doing nothing more than under cover operatives (just like Rev. Al Sharpton) for getting President Barack Obama elected in 2012?

As I said in my earlier post, It get's under my black skin, that so-called black bloggers at (white controlled) corporate black blogs like The Root, owned by the Washington Post, and the The Grio, owned by NBC, are nothing more than a group of organized Obama loyalist who seem to never report on how blacks will lose $194 billion in wealth through 2012, or how the housing crisis continues to hits blacks the hardest and how President Obama (as Russell Simmons recently pointed out in his Open Letter To President Barack Obama) has all but ignored the plight of black America.  

I remember when I learned that NBC would launch a African American news site
and The Washington Post was planning to launch 'The Root', my gut reaction was, "there they go, white corporate America moving to "takeover" black political and social opinion over the internet."

I knew that folks at the Washington Post and NBC were getting concerned that black bloggers groups like the afrospear/afrosphere were getting too organized. I also felt in my gut that white media outlets, may have even sent its own operatives into the afrospear/afrosphere group to spread discontent. 

As I noted previously on this blog, there was a time when a group of black bloggers called the afrospear/afrosphere began to organize and became a force in the black America.

Unfortunately, the Afrospear/Afrosphere has seemed to 'step aside' as a group, and allow corporate black blogs like the Washington Post's The Root (owned by the Washington Post Company through its online subsidiary, Washington Post-Newsweek Interactive) and NBC's The Grio, to jump in feet first, and act as though they are the voice of on-line Black America. 

I guess the with big bucks from The Washngton Post and NBC, (The Root and The Grio) have just about become campaign organizations for President Obama's 2012 Campaign. Candidly, Both of these black corporate blogs or so-called black news outlets should be required to file with the Federal Election authorities as part of the Obama organization.

Will The Root and The Grio become the electronic voice of Black America?  I don't think so... the voice of the black blogging community continues to grow. It will take more than NBC and The Washington Post to control black political thought in this country... But they sure are trying...

Cross Posted on Black News Junkie.com, African American Pundit, MyDD, Networked Blogs.com, and African American Political Opinion, Independent Bloggers Alliance, and other blogs on the internet. Please feel free to link to, and report on this issue.

Black Caucus May Not Back Nancy Pelosi

Could the Congressional Black Caucus finally be showing some guts? Well, we will have to wait and see if they stand up to Nancy Pelosi like other Democrats who blamed Pelosi for their losses and suggested she step aside as leader. More HERE

The CBC has a bit of a history of flexing for a few days, then wimping out and getting nothing but promises without real outcomes for black folks.

They don't have much of a history of showing guts for the long term. They backed down when George W. Bush gave away the U.S. treasury to the banks, mortgage companies and Wall Street. What makes it any different this time?

According to Krissah Thompson of at The Washington Post a compromise designed to end a nasty political fight in the Democratic Party has left an important contingent dissatisfied - the Congressional Black Caucus. 

As you remember from my previous post I reported that Speaker Nancy Pelosi had developed a tentative deal in which she would remain the party's leader in the House when Democrats become the minority in the next Congress. The Washington post had reported that  Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (Md.) would take the No. 2 spot, and Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (S.C.) would move down to the third-ranking position, which Pelosi has called "assistant leader."

As I noted in my previous post, I was surprised that Clyburn accepted the position. Now we learn from Krissah Thompson that he is discussing what his new role will entail.  

OK, I don't get this. Why would someone as smart as Rep. Clyburn take a position, then after accepting the position discuss what his new role will be? Sounds kind of ass backwards to me.

Get this, Krissah Thompson also reports that after meeting with other members of the CBC on Monday night, he told reporters, "We're still working on it." Get this, The Washington Post reports several caucus members have suggested that they will withhold their votes from Pelosi (Calif.) if more details are not provided about Clyburn's responsibilities or that the caucus could go along with a bloc of moderate Democrats in the Blue Dog caucus and vote to limit Pelosi's authority as minority leader.

"We had a full discussion about this, and we actually wanted to look at the portfolio that is being developed with Mr. Clyburn's input, and we wanted to see what that portfolio would be," said the CBC chairman, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), explaining the decision to withhold support for Pelosi's plan.

Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) said she is "reluctant to want to vote" for the party's leadership without more details and wants to make sure that Clyburn's new role is "not a marginal, ceremonial type of position."

Pelosi met with CBC members Tuesday night to discuss their concerns. Afterward, members of the caucus gave no indication that they felt differently than they did heading into the meeting, an aide said.

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Clyburn said he has encouraged caucus members to support Pelosi and believes the new structure is fair. More HERE

AAP: "What new structure? It's the same old leadership that lost the mid-term elections, no change as far as this pundit is concerned." Nothing has changed, and the American people, particularly Democrats and independents such as myself don't get this musical chairs effort that does nothing but pat the current leadership on the back for losing the U.S. House of Representatives to the Republicans.

Cross posted on MyDD and African American Pundit