So many of you have heard about the brew – ha ha between Tavis Smiley, Al Sharpton and Charles Ogletree.  Basically Tavis put Rev. Al, Tree and others on blast by getting on the Tom Joyner Morning Show and saying that they said the president doesn’t have to have a ‘black agenda’.   This was after Rev. Al and others met with the president at the White Black House regarding the ‘Jobs’ bill.

Sharpton felt that he was being misrepresented in Tavis’ commentary.  He called the show himself to speak his peace later in the morning.  And later on Sharpton’s own daily talk show, Tavis called and Sharpton put Mr. Smiley back on blast.

“I was doing fine Tavis till you started messin with me.  What’s wrong with you.”  Then it was on.

Anyway, to give a little more background.   A few weeks ago Tavis decided to do away with SOBU (State of The Black Union) and then a lil later he decided to put it back on again at the last moment.  This meeting will be in Chicago on tomorrow.   Sharpton won’t be there as he said his schedule won’t permit.  (He showed up at every other event Tavis requested.)  Tree is in China and will be for the rest of the month.

I have heard all the back and forth and let me just weigh in a little bit.

In context, Tavis has been my man.  I have appreciated his work greatly including SOBU.  I attended in Atlanta when he was at Eddie Long’s church a few years back.  The best part was getting to see Min. Farrakahn, Cornel West and meeting Muhammad Ali later on that night at a fundraiser.  The session itself was off the hook.   I am a regular watcher on CSPAN.  I have a few of his books and everything.  I ain’t the one to want to wanna throw the brother under the bus.

But I got to keep it real.   Tavis is trippin! (You can YouTube all of the dialogue with a simple search)

He put Sharpton on blast and he was wrong.   Wrong in that he said that Sharpton and Tree said something that they didn’t.  Wrong in that I have heard him subsequently on interviews such as the one he did on NPR’s Tell Me More where he laid out his resume’ and the amount of bookss he’s sold to bolster his credibility within this argument.   It’s all bull-split.  I mean, I have a pretty good talent for pickin people’s spirit.  And Tavis’ spirit stinks at the current moment.  I can’t speak on his motivation.  I can only say that what eminates from him is arrogancy, competetion, and pride.  His behavior is childish at best, hateful at most.  I don’t care how much he talks about how much he ‘loves’ Rev. Al.  At the end of the day Rev. Al didn’t say what Tavis said he did.  And we just can’t get around that.  So my question to Tavis would be, “Why in the hell do you hold on to those lies?”

I will at least start off watching the program on Saturday and see whats up.   But the situation is ugly.  And the answer is obvious.  Of course the President needs to do some things for black folk that other president’s havent.  I don’t know many intelligent black folk who don’t agree with that.  What is there to ‘discuss?’   Are they going to spend the entire morning detailing the reasons why black folk are suffering?  All I know is that from the beginning Tavis has been tart on Obama.  And it don’t take having a PHD or a talk show to recognize that.

If Tavis got beef with the president because he don’t tout black issues then fine.  Just roll with that.  But Tavis is a damn fool if he thinks that Barack can come out the box talkin’ about how he’s gonna set policy specifically based on the needs of African-Americans.  Tavis claims he understands this.  But it’s obvious he doesn’t.

I’ve heard the cat pontificate for the last few weeks.   It’s all bull-split.  He needs to step back and take a breath.  Instead he’s going on like an ego out of control.  And it just ain’t cute.  Pride has to be the most blinding of follies, right up there with immoral sex.