I listened to all of Tavis Smiley’s initial morning show commentary, and it seemed disjointed and amorphous. It featured a strained metaphor of a choir rehearsal — although oddly including Farrakhan.

So, I could see how the show could cause a lot of trouble, given Smiley basically called out a lot of people that listeners would immediately recognize e.g. Ben Jealous, Al Sharpton and others; yet, Smiley did not do a good job of attributing direct quotable positions to those names. Worse, from the stand point of those mentioned, Smiley sort of placed them in a very awkward position of seeming to be against Smiley’s unspecified “Black Agenda.”

From the start there were several strikes against the Smiley characterization of “black leaders,” no clear “black agenda,” no specific quotes about people mentioned by name, and no real context of their leadership. Smiley just sort of went through a awkward statement casting himself on the side of Black America and basically “Al Sharpton, Ben Jealous, Charles Ogletree, Valerie Jarrett, Marc Morial, Dr. Dorothy Height” as some sort of villains — but “love-ing-ly.” ROTFLOL

Further, Smiley definitely characterizes the question “Is there a need for a black agenda,” without following up on specific outline of that black agenda on the air, while promoting the resolution of his issues against Al Sharpton and others to be decided at Smiley’s own venue.

Tavis Smiley basically said, “I’m on your side” while these guys — with all do respect “don’t care about black people” (In my Kayne voice–appropriate since the proposed site is in Chi-town).

Quotes from the Tavis Smiley Talks after the jump

Key Quotes from the transcription:

Some of us, who call ourselves Black leaders are making the wrong choice. I’m afraid this morning, Tom, that in so doing, we are misleading, misguiding, Black
folk.  It’s time for a course correction, not now, but right now.

But, my Lord, what a difference a year makes.  Over the past few weeks a chorus of Black leaders have started singing a new song.  I must have missed that choir
rehearsal, J., because I don’t know the words to this new hymn.
The President doesn’t need a Black agenda, they sing.  He’s not the president of
Black America, he’s the president of all America, and he need not focus
specifically on the unique challenges Black America is facing, they sing.
As you have probably deduced by now, I’m having some trouble learning my part
and carrying this new tune.

We’ve asked, Tom, some of the lyricists who apparently wrote this new song to show up respectfully and explain why they penned these strange words that we’ve
been reading all across the press that the president doesn’t need a Black agenda.  I
say this lovingly, they’re all friends and freedom fighters…but Al Sharpton, Ben
Jealous, Charles Ogletree, Valerie Jarrett, Marc Morial, Dr. Dorothy Height, will
also be joined by some other crooners who I think do want us singing a different
song…Barbara Lee, Angela Glover Blackwell, Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson,
Jesse Jackson, just for example.

Source: TavisTalks.com <- part 1

Here's Al Sharpton's response to the Smiley  "call out" here:

Rev. Al’s Response <- part 2
The Discussion Tavis Smiley v. Rev. Al Sharpton on Sharpton's Radio Show here:
Tavis Smiley v. Rev. Al Sharpton <- part 3

Related posts:

1. Al Sharpton Calls Out Tavis Smiley
2. More Al Sharpton Versus Tavis Smiley
3. Comment of the Day Contra Tavis Smiley
4. My Final Take on Tavis Smiley, Reverend Al Sharpton, Dr. Boyce Watkins, Roland Martin’s view on Tavis Smiley Vs Rev Sharpton
5. James McWhorter Slams Tavis Smiley’s Negro Superbowl