POLITICO: President Obama is raising eyebrows in the black community after he told a gala dinner of the Congressional Black Caucus that is was time to “stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying” and get to work. Read more here.
Does Obama need to be more careful when he tries to ignite black supporters? Or are critics taking his remarks out of context? 
BENJAMIN:  President Obama’s speech reads better than the inflammatory video excerpt. He spoke of the past black struggle for civil rights because today we are devoid of a coherent black agenda.
I was a state representative for eight years and I’d watch white, black
and puertorican politicians “preach” messages devoid of substance to
Black audiences. Laughter, approving nods and applause. When I would
deliver an informative discussion of policy implications and there
effects on the black community, I’d watch as eyes rolled and glanced at
watches.
Some black audience members don’t want policy, they seem to crave
approval, to feel nostalgia for someone else’s sacrifice (neither they
nor their parents ever marched) and to be entertained.
President Bill Clinton didn’t give policy speeches before the CBC, the
NAACP or the Urban League. I remember candidate Clinton returning to Arkansas for the execution of a mentally impaired black death row
inmate and his Sistah Souljah “moment.” Yet, he became the beloved
“first Black President” because Republicans in Congress and right-wing
radio hosts were beating him as though he was a slave.
Yet today, President Obama is taking heat for remarks –taken out of
context– simply asking for Black America’s support. Maybe, if they
“offended” black leaders would craft a black agenda, Obama would have
something to address.
As Jesus taught, African American leaders should remove the log from
their own eyes (family dysfunction, school dropout, corruption, crime),
instead of concerning themselves about the mote in Obama’s eye (DADT, Israel, immigration reform).
African Americans must hold every politician, regardless of race,
ethnicity, gender or party ID, to the same standards.
We can start by crafting an achievable black agenda (e.g., Africa/Caribbean development and trade, educating black engineers,lowering teen pregnancy, urban development, ex-offender reentry).
We must insist on its inclusion in the 2012 DNC and RNC platforms. And American voters must re-elect President Obama.