
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Bookends hosted a book signing for Stephen A. Smith Analyst and Star of First Take on ESPN . Smith’s new book is called , “Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Bookends hosted a book signing for Stephen A. Smith Analyst and Star of First Take on ESPN . Smith’s new book is called , “Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes”
CNN Confronts Stephen A. Smith for Wanting Black Americans to Vote GOP – And He Doesn’t Back Down
By Jennifer Van Laar
In a speech earlier this week, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith urged black Americans to vote Republican at least once. Smith also said that by blindly voting Democrat blacks label themselves “disenfranchised.”
Smith was interviewed by CNN’s Michael Smerconish to offer further explanation of his comments:
“We’ve bought it hook, line, and sinker … The vast majority of black Americans look at the Republican party as the enemy. We look at the Democrat party as our support base.
Because of it, they have a license to take us for granted. The Republican party has a license to summarily dismiss us because they believe they’ll never get our vote anyway, and then we end up finding ourselves devoid of any kind of representation whatsoever because nobody is really competing to garner our vote and our support.
I wanted folks in my community to stand up and recognize that if you go to a house or you go buy a car or whatever the case may be, you don’t just see something you want and say, ‘I want that. Tell me what the price is and I’ll pay for it.’ Somebody has to flatter you in order to garner your dollars and your support.
I think the same should apply to politicians who want to represent us.”
Smerconish agreed that most Republicans “never even make the ask” for the black vote, but that Rand Paul seems to be doing just that. Smith had some advice for Rand Paul:
“He can highlight some of the inconsistencies and the discrepancies the opposing party might be throwing in our direction, things that we may not know.”
“If you’re running for the presidency, you have to surround yourself with a bunch of folks that look like us.”
Smith contends the Hispanic community has already figured this out and this is why immigration reform is such a hot topic. He believes the black community should be following this lead, and pressing both parties more on issues important to their community.
After Smerconish expressed his hesitation to embrace identity politics, and a fear this would lead to “Balkanization,” Smith replied:
“I am a black man, from a black community, and I’ve watched us suffer religiously, whether it’s with unemployment … whether it’s incarceration, whatever the case may be.”
“I think that the interest of the country is paramount and should usurp all other interests. but if you’re talking to me about my community, I’m going to speak on what’s affecting us and how we can alleviate those concerns.”
Smith ended by saying he isn’t advocating for one party over the other, but rather advocating for blacks to not be so transparent in their support for one party over the other.
https://www.ijreview.com/2015/03/276880-stephen-smith-follows-request-black-americans-even-straight-talk/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic&utm_content=conservativedaily&utm_campaign=Politics