OBAMA REACTS TO BLACK CRITICS

WASHINGTON - Under fire from Black lawmakers for allegedly ignoring rising unemployment in their communities, President Obama took to the radiowaves saying he understands their concerns.

Obama appeared on the popular Black-oriented Tom Joyner show today as part of an effort by his administration to remind Black voters that the country’s first Black president is fighting for them.

The president reminded the show's primarily Black audience that Martin Luther King's efforts regarding unemployment took time, and that he is committed to getting people back to work even "if it's slow and frustrating."

“It’s always important to remember that when Dr. King gave the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, that was a march for jobs and justice, not just justice,” Obama said during the interview. “And the last part of his life, when he went down to Memphis, that was all about sanitation workers saying, ‘I am a man,’ and then looking for economic justice and dealing with poverty.

“It’s not enough for us to just remember the sanitized version of what Dr. King stood for,” the president added.

Just last week the Congressional Black Caucus wrapped up its national jobs fair and town hall tour. The tour was designed to put public pressure on the White House to address black joblessness as part of the plan Obama will announce next week.

Politico quoted an Obama insider as saying, “The whole thing is bull-[bleep] … We have met with [black leaders] more than any other group and we are increasing our outreach."