The Obama White House defended their invite to friend and cop-killer promoting rapper Common to the White House.
Common wrote this lovely ballad “A song for Assata” in dedication to Black Panther Assata Shakur, formerly known as Joanne Chesimard, who was convicted for the 1973 slaying of Trooper Werner Foerster on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Common is a friend from Obama’s radical Chicago church.
Post Politics reported:
The White House defended its decision Wednesday to invite the rapper Common to a poetry event amid criticism from conservatives over his lyrics.
Conservatives are objecting to a 2007 spoken word performance by Common, that they say glorifies gun violence and suggests Common wished for the death of then-President George W. Bush. (The performance, which critiques the Iraq war, includes the phrase “burn a Bush.” )
But at a Wednesday news briefing, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called Common a “socially-conscious rapper” who has participated in other Obama events. At the same time, Carney repeatedly emphasized that the president has spoken out against “violent and misogynist lyrics.”
UPDATE: Story Balloon has video of Common’s poetry at the White House tonight.