Raynard Jackson: Obama & Business as Usual
By HHR | February 19th, 2010 | Category: Opinion/Reviews | 4 comments
By Raynard Jackson
Can you imagine Michael Jordan seeking advice on basketball from a ping pong player, or Tiger Woods seeking advice on his golf swing from a rugby player, or Bill Gates seeking advice on technology from a Buddhist monk? Even Hollywood, with all its creative energy, could not have come up with such a script. Even if they did, no one would believe them. They would be run out of town. But, what would you say if I told you of a real life story that seems just as ridiculous, but yet, actually happened?
What if I told you the irony of all ironies was that it happened during Black History Month and there has been little public reaction to this amazing occurrence.
On February 10th, president Obama met with supposed “leaders” from the Black community to talk about the economy, how to create jobs, and the high unemployment rate within the Black community. So far, so good. I don’t think anyone would have an issue with that. As it is often stated, “when America sneezes, Black folks get pneumonia.” It is also well documented that during recessions, Black unemployment is always higher than the official number.
So, the president wanted to have an intimate, hour long meeting with 4 Black “leaders” that could shed some light on this problem. The invited participants were, Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP and Dr. Dorothy I. Height, chairman, National Council of Negro Women (she was unable to make it due to the bad weather, she is 97).
I will give you a few minutes to stop laughing.
I find this to be an insult to every successful Black businessman and entrepreneur. What do these 4 people know about economics or job creation? How many jobs have they ever created, individually or collectively? Zero! Nada! Zilch!
I think Obama’s presidency is about over if he is really seeking economic advice from people like these, whose policy agenda is antithetical to job creation (higher taxes, increased minimum wages, etc.).
Am I the only Black who is not only embarrassed by this, but also insulted by Obama’s actions? If he was serious about dealing with these issues he would have met with Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Here’s a former professional athlete who has proven you can make money by investing in the inner cities across America. He owns a chain of Starbucks, movie theaters, and restaurants all located in the inner city.
Then there is Junior Bridgeman, retired N.B.A. player. He is president of Bridgeman Foods, Inc., which owns and operates Wendy’s Hamburgers and other restaurants (103 Chili’s) across the country. He is (and has been for many years) one of the largest Wendy’s franchisees (over 160) in the world and is estimated to have revenues in the hundreds of millions dollars annually.
Stephanie Drake, president of Drake Incorporated, an up and coming female owned construction company in Washington, DC. The rapper Jay-Z (estimated to have a net worth upwards of $ 150 million). He owns a very successful fashion line and is part owner of the New Jersey Nets of the N.B.A. Then you have the usual cast of characters Obama should have met with, Dick Parsons, chairman of Citigroup, Ken Chenault, CEO and chairman of American Express.
These are just a few of the people Obama should have been meeting with. What Obama did should be insulting to all Blacks. Let’s be real. Obama had to do something to quiet the discontent from the radical liberals in the Democratic Party in general and Blacks specifically. This was his symbolic way of showing Blacks that he has not forgotten about us. He specially chose these individuals to meet with because they each have loud microphones plus he knew that would be happy with just a meeting. This cynical stunt buys the president some time to deal with other radical liberals who are giving him problems. He has silenced the gays by talking about “don’t ask, don’t tell.” He’s silenced the Hispanics by giving them Sonya Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. But, ironically, the biggest problem he has is the Democratic members of the House and Senate.
Obama knows that the Black folks he met with can do absolutely no harm to him politically. They can now go back to their groups and brag about being in the White House. They have already forgotten the fact that the president made no substantive commitments to them. Also unusual was the fact that the White House did not release any photos of the meeting, an indication of how unimportant they viewed the meeting.
Obama had no intention of having a serious discussion with these people about the economy and the Black community. They wouldn’t have understood the conversation even if the president did have sincere intentions. What a cynical slap in the face to Blacks in general and Black business owners specifically
Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (www.excellstyle.com). For those who use skype (www.skype.com), please add him. The name there is: raynard jackson
on 
on 
Well said
The problems with this analysis are both several and obvious. Among other issues:
(1) This article isn’t even remotely insightful. Obama CLEARLY invited Sharpton, et al. to co-opt opinion in that quarter, and to preempt the increasing dissatisfaction of supposed liberal opinion leaders. I’m not a fan of Sharpton or other self-proclaimed leaders, but does Mr. Jackson really believe he’s added value by pointing out the obvious?
(2) Mr. Jackson’s understanding of economics and job creation is shallow, at best. Consider the examples he uses:
(a) Johnson, Bridgeman and Jay-Z – Sweet Christmas, can we be serious? The idea that we should look to ex-jocks and entertainment moguls for insights concerning job creation is silly. First, In each instance, these men amassed fortunes and developed networking opportunities as a result of their celebrity. They did not have to grow their businesses in the traditional manner because they were already well-connected multi-millionaires. Indeed, Johnson and Jay-Z actively promote their present business ventures via their celebrity, and even then they’re not always successful, as anyone who has been to Magic Johnson’s theater at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta can tell you. As soon as a more attractive facility was constructed down the road, the theater (and the adjacent TGIFridays) tanked. I live nearby and it’s an eyesore.
Second, these men are by no means experts in job creation. Johnson’s and Bridgeman’s enterprises pay minimum wage, and Jay-Z’s Roca-Wear is manufactured overseas in China. These enterprises do not, then, create jobs for employable African-American adults needing to support families; instead, they employ low-skilled teenagers and foreigners, making the proprietors rich in the process. I personally have nothing against money, but I mean c’mon – what does Jay-Z know about economics?
(3) Parsons and Chenault? In addition to the fact that Citigroup and Amex are both predicated on making money off consumers through the application of usurious interest rates, Citigroup and Amex both needed to be rescued via a taxpayer-financed bailout from the consequences of their poor decisions. And while Parsons and Chenault are obviously bright, the enterprises they lead are not vehicles for job creation — at least not beyond the exclusive club of mathematics and physics majors the enterprises employ in connection with their casino-like financial modeling.
(4) Mr. Jackson’s premise, i.e., Obama should be talking to rich shot-callers instead of broke shot-callers, is contradictory and short-sighted. Indeed, it’s obvious he’s pretty enamored of celebrity, and simply wants Obama to have a fluff meeting with some people as opposed to others. Missing, however, is any substance, including a basic understanding of the job-creation process. Indeed, contrary to Mr. Jackson’s author’s assertions, jobs are NOT created by entrepeneurs or businesses; rather, jobs are created by demand for a product or service (see sidenote, below). Thus, if you want to address the issue of joblessness, particularly in black communities, you need to address the issue of consumer demand for products and services and the supply of labor. A short list of solutions:
a. Identify sectors where demand is present, and train and retrain underskilled works to fill that demand.
b. Cap interest rates on credit cards, driving investment capital away from today’s suoernormal returns in the financial sector and into manufacturing pursuits.
c. Raise math standards for students. American children don’t get anywhere near as much math training as their foreign counterparts. Math skills are essential in the 21st century, and the demand for those able to apply mathematics is growing.
d. Adopt European-style apprentice policies that provide opportunities for non-college bound students to learn a skill or trade. Americans generally and blacks in particular mistakenly believe that everyone should go to college. There are, however, severe electrician, carpenter and plumber shortages in most large American cities, and the average plumber makes far more than a college-educated liberal arts major over the course of his lifetime. Hell, back in 1999, I deposed a 45 year-old plumber in Biloxi, MS who was making more than $200k per year. College is not the be-all and end-all.
e. Increase demand for American-made goods by imposing tariffs on goods manufactured overseas, thereby increasing demand for products produced by Amercan workers. Every other industrialized nation protects its workers; unfortunately, our laws and policies protect investors and corporate interests at the expense of workers.
f. Fine and imprison employers who engage undocumented workers.
These solutions are straightforward and would significantly address the issue of job creation in this country. And to nobody’s suprise, I didn’t even have to confer with Johnson, Bridgeman, Jay-Z or anyone else.
(sidenote, from above: I know a lot of so-called entrepreneus are likely to misunderstand this subtle difference, but let me explain it this way — you don’t add a job to your business, and say, “OK, consumers come to me.” Instead, you determine what consumers want and that demand creates the job. If you still misunderstand this point, consider it in the context of the current recession — when consumer demand falls, employers fire people, i.e., the decrease in the demand leads to job loss. We would never say that an employer “uncreated” a job, would we?)
Raynard, I think you should challenge the brother to a game. I think you still could take him with your shake n bake move.
peace my brother,
let’s do dinner,
Ronnie
Didn’t you abandon conservatives and vote for Obama? I’m confused. What side are you on now?