Bill Cosby Agrees With Jimmy Carter

The widespread anger and doubt about Obama's vision is over genuine ideological differences between the president and his opposition. His vision and the opposition to it is color blind. It's time for our president made this fact unmistakably clear.

Folks, as a marketer and an American I've got to say: I’m fed up.

It's just not about race.

And it is high time that President Obama, who marketed himself as a post-racial candidate, take the lead and move the current flap of Joe Wilson’s outburst last week far beyond racism.

From a marketing perspective this is critical for two reasons: 1) Obama was elected by a majority white nation -- this in itself is a statement that racism isn't a definitive factor in our nation anymore, if it was, he'd never be president -- end of story; and 2) he was elected because he promised to move the nation beyond the old ways of doing things. Well, making claims of racism is one of the old ways of doing things that he needs to decisively move us forward.

The electorate and Barack Obama's Target Market are waiting for a strong response and President Obama is the only one who can deliver it -- but will he?

Unfortunately, others seem to be speaking for him at this point and what they’re saying is only moving everything backward.

Then in an interview with NBC's Brian Williams, Jimmy Carter said this:

"I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man."

That was the last straw. Fuggedaboutit.

I am not saying that racism doesn't exist or that it didn’t figure at all in Joe Wilson's words, but marketing (like true political leadership) is about what should be emphasized and what should be de-emphasized. And President Obama has consistently marketed his presidency as an issues driven one. Whenever faced with ambiguity or bad feeling that comes from who-knows-where, he has wisely chosen to either ignore it or treat it directly in a way that made it much less toxic.

There's an old song that Bing Crosby made famous. It goes something like this: You’ve got to accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative, Latch onto the affirmative, Don’t mess with Mister-in-Between...

This isn't a Pollyanna sentiment; this is about making a positive choice to keep your eye on the issues that matter and making the ideal –in this case, a post-racial society -- a reality.

Bottom line, at crucial moments in our nation’s history, we have always been about accentuating the positive and ignoring the ambiguity that would wreck us.

To become a nation in which we had a president and not a king, we had to make affirmative choices. We had to emphasize our belief in one ideal over another old way of thinking. The attraction of monarchy remained (heck, we still talk about an imperial presidency) but it was gradually lessened first by George Washington's affirmative choice to be a president, not a king, and then by election and after election and presidency after presidency until the presidency was rock solid in our land.

Just as he made a famous speech to explain Reverend Wright, President Obama must now make a statement that accentuates the positive and doesn't mess with Mister-in-Between.

His is the post-racial brand and like any brand he must promote those post-racial characteristics like there's no tomorrow.

First, he needs to say that he believes that Joe Wilson's outburst and much of the animosity toward him from tea partiers and others is not about race. But then he needs to finally and firmly acknowledge what most of us already know:

The widespread anger and doubt (the hundreds of thousands marching on Washington) is about genuine ideological differences between the president and his opposition. It's about belief. It's about palpable fear that the Obama brand believes in a radically different vision of America than many Americans: a creeping nanny state, a place of big government and too little opportunity for re-invention and prosperity for the little guy.

Simply put, this vision and the opposition to this vision is color blind –and it's about time that our president made this fact unmistakably clear.

And remember, the business of politics is always easier when you keep marketing and branding in mind.

[link to www.foxnews.com]

I always thought Cosby's head was shaped like a peanut just like Jimmy's.

Must be something about the shape that affects the thinking.

Where was Mr. Cosby's outrage when the two previous presidents were disrespected during speeches by the democrats?

Door swings both ways Bill.

I'm truly sorry to see bill cosby afflicted with dementia.

quit racisting! :african:

coming from someone who had made a career from pushing gelatin made of animal byproducts boiled down into artificially flavored powders and give it to children.

Let me be the first to say FUCK BILL COSBY SENILE OLD BASTARD!

Bill Cosby! Who the hell is that!?

BO is doing just great for a jewish banker's son

They should all get together and talk it out over jello, peanuts and a beer.

you get two old old people who lived their lives segregated from the rest of society and races

wtf did you expect?

Maybe Bill should have a Coke and a Smile,
And shut the Fuck up.

Yea, both are assholes!

Lost respect for the white guy after he was scared off by a rabbit, He has done good of others since, but has not remanded respect he had to begin with.
Dr. Cosby lost my respect after this. I hope its just demon of old age like Regan faced late in life. And his loving family will support the years of humour and wise words by shielding Bill, like Nancy did for Ronald. Old man loose their grip and loose their lip.

AC-CENT-TCHU-ATE THE POSITIVE (Mister In-Between)

(Johnny Mercer / Harold Arlen)

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

(To illustrate his last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
Just when everything looked so dark)

Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Do you hear me, hmm?

(Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
About the elininatin' of the negative
And the accent on the positive)
And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
And sit tight while I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right

(You've gotta accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between)

You've got to spread joy (up to the maximum)
Bring gloom (down) down to the minimum
Otherwise (otherwise) pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate (well illustrate) my last remark (you got the floor)
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they say (what did they say)
Say when everything looked so dark

Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No! Don't mess with Mister In-Between

That's right. I agree. It's unconscious racism. They tell themselves it's not, but it really is racism I think. They never did this to Clinton.

It's about THE MONEY.

Always has been.

Divide and conquer.

Keep people fighting among themselves about race, religion, fashion, sex - what ever.

I can understand greed and the want for power, and yet, this stuff is nuttier than squirrel shit.
The people 'running the planet' are insane. Not just stupid and greedy.
Crazy.

Of course there are ignorant racists around. But you can suck in any color.

Wealth vs Everyone Else.

Why the hell would you mention "Bill Cosby" and "Bing Crosby" in the same post? I had to stop reading because of that.

Would someone less apt to send others into epileptic seizures like to paraphrase this wall of text for us?

And it surprises you that Cosby, a black man agrees with Jimmy the spineless Carter that whites that disagree with OBOZO are racist. Now that right there is some genuine shocking shit.

Damn, who would have guessed so many people would be butt hurt the instant someone questioned their supreme leader. Dang...

congress and the rest, they just do not get it. tax payers are fed the phack up with big goverment spend policies, and Our country is broke, but congress says we will put all people on cadilac health care ...really ? ..congress is drunk so is obama .. we can not give our seniors a raise .but we will supply cadilac health care into every ones life. lol ...get real.. lunatics .

That does it. I'm burning my Bill Cosby 33's. NO more "chicken heart", "old weird harrold", or "Noah". And I'm going to inform my mother that she's going to have to go back in time and take back that moment she was called a n----r lover for having female black friends. For that matter I'm gonna have to scratch some of my old buddies too.

If I'm gonna be called a racist I might as well try to be the part.