"Barry-bashing!

"Let's Talk Politics with Adrienne Washington," from Lyndia Grant's "Think on These Things" show on WYCB-1340AM, www.MySpiritDC.com, airing Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 at 6.p.m.


Barry Bashing!


How much Barry Bashing can one American take? I’m not talking about the favorite political pastime in the DMV (District-Maryland-Virginia) region of badmouthing former DC Mayor Marion Barry. I’m talking about the colorless GOP convention where a battered President Barack “Barry” Obama was called everything but a child of God. Even the political junkie that I am, it was really hard trying to stay tuned to the Obama Hatefest that was the Republican National Convention in Tampa this week. No, no respect for the Office of the President of the United States to be found there capped off by the most bizarre “Make My Day,” spectacle of actor Clint Eastwood pretending that President Obama was using filthy curse words in some weirdo imaginary conversation with him? Not funny.

It comes as no surprise that the Republicans bashed President Obama for his fiscal policies, repeating outlandish lies about the president’s record. Former Gov. Mitt “Robot” Romney was long on criticism and short on his presidential vision to bring back jobs but the worst offender being VP candidate Paul Ryan who said President Obama closed a auto plant in his Wisconsin backyard when, in fact, it was under President George Bush that the plant was shuttered. Folks need to make sure they log on to www.FactCheck.org after these fallacy-laden speeches and view their “Truth-o-Meter.” Get their unbiased information on health care programs, for starters.

However, the worst charge against the Democratic presidential incumbent that President Obama is the main one being “divisive,” and he only issues “recriminations” is about as hypocritical as you can get. What about the colorless GOP convention did you see that was inclusive? Surely not the moment that white GOP delegates were ejected for throwing peanuts at a black CNN camerawoman with one them reportedly heckling, “this is how we feed animals.” Patricia Carroll, 34, the camerawoman said she was “not surprised,” according to Richard Prince’s blog “journalisms.” She also said the racist incident was “spurred by a lack of diversity.”

It’s too bad that Republicans continue to pass up the opportunity to tap into the pool of African Americans whose traditional religious views which actually match more of the GOP’s conservative social views, particularly on the issue of same-sex marriage. DC Council Candidate David Grosso, who participated with a group of Log Cabin Republicans in paying for ads that played during the convention which depicted happy-faced same-sex families, would do well to remember African Americans’ opposition to same-sex marriage when he returns to town to campaign for the November election.

“Where are the African American faces?" Republican commentator Raynard Jackson was compelled to ask. Exactly, in a sea of white faces on and off the stage, especially at the top of the GOP ticket, you could count the number of sightings of African American black delegates, staffers and speakers with one hand. Former RNC Chairman and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele wasn’t even invited to the convention, let alone to speak. How can its party leaders talk about bring back unity to America when its token African American speakers bashed President Obama for what they called “failed” programs and policies which they either obstructed or cut. For example, the GOP’s darling, former Sec. of State Condi Rice said President Obama, who took out Osama bin Laden, was weak on foreign policy, and, of all things education reform. Calling education the civil rights issue of the 21st Century, Ms. Rice seems to have amnesia; it wasn’t Mr. Obama who wanted to cut Pell grants, increase student loan rates, and demonize the teacher’s unions and cut their positions as part of state education budgets.

Same for Va. Gov. Bob McDonnell who touted how he and other Republican governors have better fiscal records than the Obama administration even as he downplayed social issues such as his ill-fated attempts to force women to have vaginal invasive ultrasounds before getting an abortion. Gov. McDonnell’s lackluster podium speech also did not mention the accounting gimmick he played with state employees’ pensions to balance his initial budget.

Hailing from the "Free State," one unwelcome “DMV” convention gate crasher was Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley who helped to man the Democrats “rapid response” center just outside the GOP Tampa convention hall. He angered Maryland Republicans when he criticized Romney as a “corporate buyout specialist,” and provided counter commentary during an appearance on MSMBC.

What exactly did Mitt “Robot” Romney mean when he said, “When the world needs someone to do really big stuff, you an American?” Who, to the man who has a good shot of becoming the leader of “this great nation,” constitutes “an American?” We can only hope it is more colorful and inclusive than the homogeneous peanut-throwing delegates this week sneering in the divisive "Barry"-bashing Tampa GOP convention hall.