Earlier this week, comedian, best-selling author and now radio host Steve Harvey roasted Tavis Smiley and Cornel West and their nationwide “Poverty Bus Tour.” Both Smiley and West have spoken out publicly against the Obama administration in promotion for the tour.
Listen to the video above or read some of what Steve & his co-host said below.
“I was a huge fan of Cornel West,” he said. “Tavis, I seen him coming a mile away. His anger started when he had a town hall meeting, President Obama couldn’t come because of the campaign trail and he sent Mrs. Obama. He has held that grudge every since.”
Harvey cited the fact that Cornel West has mentioned not getting tickets to the president’s inauguration. “Have you ever been invited to the damn inauguration? Did Bush send for you? Did Clinton send for you? Did Reagan send for you?”
He also said, “You don’t have any real basis behind your dislike for this man…you keep masking it saying it’s not about hate. Then what is it about? Poverty existed before January 20, 2008. Where was your damn bus then?” [ READ MORE ]
According to Loop21, the poverty bus tour is equipped with leather seat and flat screen TVs. Interesting.
President Barack Obama speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House on Tuesday, August 2, following Congress’s approval of a compromise to reduce the deficit. The compromise, which cut spending by $2.4 trillion over the next decade and prevented the nation’s first default, is “an important first step to ensuring that as a nation we live within our means,” the President said.
In his speech, President Obama thanked the American people for contacting their elected officials but stressed that both Democrats and Republicans must work together to ensure the nation’s long-term economy and that we’re all in this together.
I’ve said it before; I will say it again: We can’t balance the budget on the backs of the very people who have borne the biggest brunt of this recession. We can’t make it tougher for young people to go to college, or ask seniors to pay more for health care, or ask scientists to give up on promising medical research because we couldn’t close a tax shelter for the most fortunate among us. Everyone is going to have to chip in. It’s only fair. That’s the principle I’ll be fighting for during the next phase of this process.
View the President’s remarks in their entirety below. Continue
First Lady Michelle Obama graces the September/ October cover of AARP The Magazine and talks sharing her husband with the world, dancing and being a role model.
On the difficulties of taking on White House roles: MICHELLE OBAMA: “For me it’s sharing my husband with the world. You get a little selfish sometimes. But every time I get irritated, or feel a little lonely or tired, I just think this is our duty. These men are doing a phenomenal service, and they’re doing it with dignity and calm.”
On being a role model for African- American girls: MICHELLE OBAMA: “We did an event for military kids, and there were a lot of African American young girls out there—little black girls who were just proud because they see themselves in somebody who they think is great.”
“You can see it in their eyes. You can see it with the hugs and the way they hold on so tight. It matters. So I do embrace it.”
On doing the Dougie at a Let’s Move! event: MICHELLE OBAMA: “I’ve got little kids. They’re always trying something. And I happen to be very good at dance-mimicking. [Laughs.] For some reason, if I watch somebody do a move for a while, and it’s not too hard or complicated or requires me to throw my leg over my head and flip, I can sort of figure it out.” [ READ MORE ]
On Wednesday evening, President Barack Obama appeared in his first presidential address since the death of Al Qaida leader, Osama Bin Laden. The Commander-in-Chief delivered a speech in which he informed the American citizens about his plan to withdraw the American troops from Afghanistan:
Starting next month, we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troop from Afghanistan by the end of this year. We will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer. Fully recovering the surge I announced at Westpoint. After this initial reduction, our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace. As Afghan security forces move into the lead. Our mission will move from combat to support. By 2014, this process of transition will be complete. The Afghan people will be responsible for their own security.
