From Harry Belafonte, via CNN:
There has never been such a void in moral truth as it now exists. And what the expectation has been for many of us was that Barack Obama would bring to the table a great sense of moral fortitude. I think were he to apply that in the decisions that he would have to make, he would find that his presidency might touch on a level of greatness that he has not yet considered. He has only listened to the voices that shout the loudest, and it’s all those reckless right-wing forces. It’s almost criminal.
Belafonte, whose wonderful calypso songs are a treasured part of esnl’s youth, has never hesitated from speaking truth to power. The following clip is a never-aired segment from the 1968 September season opener of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour [previously].
As David Bianculli noted in his book Dangerously Funny, The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour:
When The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour wanted to open its third season by having Harry Belafonte singing “Don’t Stop the Carnival” against a backdrop reel of violent outbursts filmed in and around that summer’s Democratic National Convention, CBS not only cut the number completely, but added insult to injury by replacing it with a five-minute campaign ad from Republican presidential nominee Richard M. Nixon.
