In an interview with Bloomberg Politics, actor and rapper Ice Cube talks politics, including his belief that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's use of the phrase “super-predators” in the 1990s was a “big indictment” of people that gave authorities justification of how they treated people.
“If I’m a black kid that’s not in a gang … but I look like a gang member to this white officer than it’s a war on me, and that’s the problem with a term like “super-predators,” Ice Cube said. He went on to say he felt that democrats believe they are exempt from criticism when they should not be.
“Everybody’s a little guilty of turning their back or passing bad legislation and everyone should be called out on that,” he said.
Hillary Clinton's 1996 'super-predator' remark.
In 1996, when Bill Clinton was running for reelection, then first lady Hillary spoke out in favor of Clinton’s Violent Crime Control and Violence Act. In a speech given at Keene State College in New Hampshire, Clinton spoke of the “kind of kids that are called super-predators” who had no conscience or empathy. The 1994 crime billed and Clinton’s support of it has been criticized during her 2016 campaign for president. Sen. Bernie Sanders referred to Clinton’s use of the term "super-predators" during one of the presidential debates saying, “… it was a racist term and everybody knew it was a racist term.” Clinton has apologized for the use of the term, “Looking back, I shouldn't have used those words, and I wouldn't use them today.”
Ice Cube on Donald Trump.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was also on Ice Cube's mind saying that he believes Trump is what Americans love and what Americans aspire to be, “rich, powerful, do what you want to do, say what you want to say, be how you want to be … that’s kind of been the American Dream.”
Calling Trump “a rich white guy,” Ice Cube said he doubts Trump will be able to do anything to help poor people or people who are struggling.
Trump is unable to relate to those people, although he believes Trump is like a “boss” and that Americans love having a boss.
On assessing politicians and Obama.
Saying he feels like politicians just provide lip service, Ice Cube says he is looking for concrete plans that politicians have to fix problems. “I can stand up there and say we need more jobs, we need better health care,” he said.
In assessing President Obama’s presidency, Ice Cube blames congress, specifically Blue Dog Democrats and the Congressional Black Congress for not helping Obama to achieve the things he was attempting. He believes the president has been a success and a “great president” who has held the country together. Ice Cube summed up Congresses attitude toward working with Obama saying they treated him like he was “like a black kid that goes to a white school, they won’t play with him.”
