Interview with Deneen Borelli – Author of Blacklash

Accuracy in Media

In a recent interview with Accuracy in Media, author and political activist Deneen Borelli called Al Sharpton an “ambulance chaser,” citing the Tawana Brawley case. Borelli is the author of the new book Blacklash: How Obama and the Left are Driving Americans to the Government Plantation. In the book, Borelli exposes the Left’s attempt to silence black conservatives who are battling against the Obama administration’s goal of expanding the government and increasing the number of people dependent on the welfare state.

Borelli considers the book as a call to action to empower Americans to help stop the cycle of government dependency, which deprives citizens of their rights to freedom and prosperity. Not only is she an author, but she’s a Fellow at Project 21, a network of black conservatives, which is an initiative of the National Center for Public Policy Research, based in Washington, D.C. She’s also a Fellow with FreedomWorks, and a contributor to Fox News. Her website is deneenborelli.com.

Borelli referred to the Trayvon Martin case as “a very tragic situation.” The interview was conducted on March 29, well before the special prosecutor charged George Zimmerman with second degree murder in the case.

“My heart truly goes out to this young man’s parents,” she said. “But, sadly, we have some individuals who are really trying to gain from this tragedy. You have individuals who have made this a race issue because they say it’s a race issue. Yes, there’s a rush to judgment, and now, this has just really blown out of proportion, especially when you have the New Black Panther Party issuing a bounty. Now we have black members of Congress, with their actions and different promises they have made. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have inserted themselves into this situation, and any time they’re on the scene they gain media attention, no matter what the situation is. The other thing I want to point out is that the tone of this incident has been set at the top, from President Obama, when he made his comment, saying that his child would look like him. There was no reason, in my opinion, to make that kind of statement. As I’ve written in my book, Blacklash, I do believe there is a pattern in Obama’s comments where he has chosen racial tension in our country instead of calming racial tension, and I find that very concerning.”

In the rest of the interview, we talked about the Tea Party movement, affirmative action, the Democrats’ hold over the black vote, school choice and ObamaCare, among other things.

Below, in italics, are excerpts from the half-hour interview. You can listen to the entire interview or read the transcript here.

One thing I realized, especially within the black community, is that there is a monopoly on the message. The monopoly is generally from the black establishment—I’m talking about Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, different black publications. They’re all saying pretty much the same thing, and it’s not really a message of liberty, it’s not really a message of personal responsibility. Sadly, we have this message of victimization, and times that blacks need special treatment when, in fact, that’s all a lie. That is why I can speak from experience, to say that it’s a lie. So I implore anyone—but especially our young black youth, and anyone in the black community—to, please, do your research. Don’t just follow the crowd! Learn on your own, and then make an informed decision. That is really how I got to the point where I am today.

Sadly, we have too many Americans who are afraid to be true to what they’re really thinking about President Obama and his failed policies. When you think about when the Tea Party movement came on the scene in 2009, how the liberal Left tried its hardest to demonize and discredit the movement, calling anyone involved with the movement “racist,” “rednecks,” and “extremists”—I’ve been involved with the Tea Party movement since Day One, and I can tell you, I speak at different groups and organizations around the country, and these individuals are concerned about the direction our country is going in, they’re concerned about the massive growth of government. Any time government is too big, that means our liberties are reduced, so what I am imploring people to do—I hope my book will not only inform, but inspire all Americans to not be afraid, to speak out and be concerned about the direction our country is going in.

When you think about how the Left has all the bases covered—as I mentioned before, with the name-calling, if you’re a black conservative, such just as I am—and in the first few pages of my book I talk about all the names that I’ve been called—but I think about how our military men and women are so brave, standing on the front lines, defending our freedoms, it’s the least I can do to stand up for liberty, and what we the people need to do to rein in this government-gone-wild. I don’t care about the name-calling—I care more about delivering the message of freedom and liberty, but, also, what Americans can do to hold the line for liberty, as well.

I think the Democrat Party gets way too much credit for the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and, when you think about the last election, 2008, with Obama, a lot of blacks did vote for him simply because of his skin color. But I say Martin Luther King—“content of character,” not skin color. You need to know where a person stands: If they’re going to be the President—or your local Representative—where do they stand on issues? How will those issues affect you today and in the future? But I tell you, with this upcoming election, I think the unemployment, as high as it is across the country—but, also, within the black community, it’s double that among white individuals, it’s 13%, 14% in the black community, and among black teens it’s approaching 40%—these are the numbers and the facts that all Americans need to take into consideration, and especially within the black community. Not skin color—content of character: That’s how people should be voting.

I believe that admissions, or job entry, or whatever it is that this woman is trying to pursue, should be based on a person’s merit, be based on what skills they have to bring to the table. Your color has nothing to do with how you can perform a task, how you can pass a course. Your color has absolutely nothing to do in that regard—and that is why I don’t believe that affirmative action is necessary—because, really, it’s based on individual effort and merit, and not a person’s skin color.

I do mention this in my book, Blacklash—there are a number of black conservatives who are what I call “closet conservatives,” and it’s because they are afraid of being targeted and criticized by their friends, their co-workers. But I have had people contact me on Facebook, E-mail, and Twitter—especially since my book’s come out, but even before then. These individuals are thanking me for what I stand for, and thanking me for writing the book, thanking me for what I do, because they agree with me, and they feel the same way, but, on the other hand, they are afraid of being targeted and criticized.

So I do believe more power should be in the hands of the parents, especially when it comes to school choice, because, this way, parents know what is best for their child, for their educational needs; [the schools] will be very accountable, they’ll be hands-on; and the students also know that they have to be accountable, as well… I am totally someone who believes in school choice. I just wish more and more people—even if you don’t have children—would get involved, maybe be a mentor, because there are so many children today who could use leadership and guidance. Things are tough today for everyone, but it’s especially hard for our young people, I believe.

if you’re concerned about liberty—I mean, let’s face it: Obamacare is about control. It’s an unfunded mandate. Literally what’s going to happen is, you’re going to have some faceless bureaucrat standing between you and your doctor, when, in fact, it should be the individual and the doctor who should be making the best choices and decisions for that individual, for their family. I know from just going to the post office, for example, the government can’t do anything within economic reason, or to be accountable. I think post office, and I think motor vehicles, Amtrak—I mean, why would you want the government to decide your health care needs? I just find that totally outrageous. So I’m so glad this is being held before the Supreme Court, and we will be finding out—I believe at the end of June or July—what the final decisions are. The other thing is, look at the waivers that were issued. That’s another indication of how unpopular Obamacare is, as well.

[Jackson and Sharpton] have a history—there’s a pattern of what they do to try to push their agenda. Getting back to Al Sharpton, I call him an “ambulance chaser,” I write about how he ruined many lives of individuals who were involved in the Tawana Brawley situation that happened—and how he has yet to apologize. And, on the flip side, he has a television show. There’s a lack of accountability here. I wrote about that in Blacklash. I hope people will understand what their endgame is—this is just really for their agenda, to monopolize on situations such as the one that’s going on in Florida.

Roger Aronoff is the Editor of Accuracy in Media, and can be contacted at roger.aronoff@aim.org.