Russell Simmons on President Obama: ‘He has to be More Aggressive in Framing the Debate’

Russell Simmons on President Obama: ‘He has to be More Aggressive in Framing the Debate’

While more black leaders in recent months have joined the chorus in voicing their displeasure with President Obama, Russell Simmons isn’t one of them.

“He’s battling some very difficult forces,” Simmons told Human Nature, who caught up with the mogul at his annual Art For Life benefit, which raised more than one million dollars for arts education. “These lobbyists have support systems that are very powerful. And he doesn’t have all the support systems he needs. The guy is doing the very best he can.”

The hip-hop mogul/pioneer/entrepreneur/activist has been vocal about the problems with the U.S. tax system, which enables the country’s rich to pay less of a percentage of their income than the middle class or poor segments of the economy.

Simmons, who gained fortune from his sale of Def Jam Records, revenue from several fashion lines and profits from a wide variety of businesses he invests in, says he would be willing to pay higher taxes – akin to Warren Buffett, Bill Clinton – to generate revenue for the economy.

“We play fewer taxes than anyone in the rest of the world,” he said. “It’s ridiculous.”

Simmons says he’s also against subsidies for corporations who are reaping record profits, such as oil companies.

“It’s unbelievable,” he says. “It’s like the “Twilight Zone” … that we will allow corporations, who are making records profits, to have corporate welfare when people are suffering.”

Simmons is encouraging President Obama to let the tax cuts enacted under President Bush to expire to generate additional revenue to support schools and other municipal functions.

“Going back and letting the tax breaks run out is the commonsensical thing we can do to build revenue,” he said. “Right now our kids our suffering from a lack of education opportunities.”

If there’s one criticism Simmons says he can levy at President Obama, it’s the lackluster way the President has touted his accomplishments and plans for the country.

“The President, who has good intentions, has done of terrible job of framing the truth,” says Simmons, who endorsed President Obama during the 2008 election at several hip-hop-influenced rallies. . “He has to be more aggressive in framing the debate.”