Marc Ambinder, an associate editor for The Atlantic has a blog that I enjoy reading on a daily basis. I don't agree with everything that he writes, but I respect his opinion. Yesterday, he posted a short entry on his blog entitled "The Edifice Crumbles?" and he the proceeded to post the following thoughts of an Obama supporter,
"It may be cynical, but I've started to think that Wright sees Obama
as, in a way, a threat to his ministry. It would be difficult for him
to preach that the government systematically destroys the lives of
black people if a black man is sitting in the White House."
Ambinder then writes, "I know that many people inside Obama's campaign share this belief."
If what Ambinder says is true then many blacks will be offended and disappointed that members of Obama's campaign have subscribed to this tired theory on race in this country. First of all, it does not surprise me that there are people in Obama's campaign that believe Wright views Obama's success as a threat to his ministry. I would like to know the identification of those people. I would be disappointed, but not surprised if the Obama campaign members who believe this were black.
This unproven belief of some people in Obama's campaign is based on nothing. These are the same people who will argue that racism is not that prevalent in today's society because a biracial male is on the brink of becoming the Democratic nominee for president.
There are many whites and some blacks who harbor similar thoughts about the media appointed black "leaders" like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan. They believe that Jackson, Sharpton, Farrakhan and others do not want racism to go away because its demise would make them irrelevant. I am not a fan of some of their methods and commentaries, but a person would have to be a fool to believe these men want people of color to continue to be discriminated against so they can continue to be relevant in the publics eye. Now if there is a way to make them irrelevant, please let me know.
I do not believe Wright or any other black "leader" is threatened by Obama's success. I am sure there are some people who are jealous of the attention Obama gets and the "easy road" he has traveled to get to this point. I do not believe that Obama has traveled an easier road to his success. I believe Obama has traveled on a road that many members of the "black leadership" are not familiar with. Nevertheless, there does seem to be a disconnect between the civil rights leaders who cut their teeth on the politics of 30-40 years ago and the new vanguard of black "leaders".
The bottom line is this - Wright was revered on the South Side of Chicago before Obama came along and he will be revered when Obama is long gone. Are there people who wish Wright had kept his mouth shut until Obama was elected president? Yes. However, the South Side community in which Trinity United Church of Christ resides is not going to turn their back on Wright. I know they want Obama to sit in the Oval Office, but I guarantee you that they will never trust Obama over Wright. Trust me when I say that Wright's ministry and his legacy is secure with the people that he represents and that is all that matters to Wright.
I remember it wasn't that long ago when most black people wondered aloud if Obama was black enough. Some blacks did not trust him because of his biracial background. He did not have the similar life experience that the majority of blacks have as a result of living in the United States. Blacks who doubted Obama pointed to the fact that he was the son of a Kenyan father and a white mother. He also attended and graduated from some of the best schools in the country. Therefore, some blacks questioned his authenticity on his knowledge of being black in America.
Now approximately 90 percent of the voting black community supports Obama and his quest for the presidency. Even though he is biracial, Obama has allowed everyone (black, white, media, etc.) to say that he could be the first African-American president of the United States. For the record, I respect Obama's decision to identify with his African heritage, but I am of the opinion that Obama would be the first biracial President who happens to identify as a black male. I only say this because I believe when people say Obama is African-American, they totally disregard his white mother and her family. Obama is the man he is because of his white mother and her parents who basically raised him as a young man in a white household.
When Obama won the Iowa Primary, most black people were stunned that a predominantly white state would vote for someone of color. The Iowa victory and his strong showing in New Hampshire gave some blacks the courage they needed to support Obama. For example, Jesse Jackson won 77 percent of the black vote in 1984 and 92 percent of the black vote in 1988. Currently, Obama is getting numbers close to what Jackson got in 1988.
Despite the support he gets from the majority of black voters, Obama has to be careful of his perception in all segments of the black community. There are already rumblings from some members of Indiana's black communities that Obama and Hillary Clinton are basically ignoring them while concentrating on courting the blue collar white voters.
Obama is also being watched to see how he handles the Jeremiah Wright and Trinity United Church of Christ controversies. When Obama denounced Wright yesterday, most people knew he did it for more political reasons than for personal ones. For Obama to have any chance of making inroads into the white blue-collar vote that Clinton has consistently beat him in he knew he had to strongly denounce Wright. However, Obama has to be careful how he denounces Wright so as not lose many members of his black voting bloc. Obama knows that there is a risk that some blacks will think he's just criticizing Wright to appease some white voters. I believe young black voters are more likely then older black voters to understand why Obama had to give the speech he gave yesterday. I think older black voters will understand, but will be less likely to forgive him for it.
Obama has to continue to find the balance that allows him to criticize Wright's views while not making it look like he's selling Wright out to white America because he needs their votes. For example, Obama was allegedly criticized by Al Sharpton for trying to "grandstand for white people" by appealing for calm after the controversial verdict in the Sean Bell shooting trial.
Obama is in a delicate situation but he can overcome it by just being himself. The trouble is I don't know if Obama really knows who he is because I sure don't. The man is being pulled in all directions by all people on a daily basis. This is one reason why most people do not run for President of the United States. I wish him well even though I will not be voting for him in the fall because he's too liberal for my blood. However, I am willing to overlook the flaws or political leanings of any candidate who would be willing to forgive student loan debts over $50,000.
It has been very interesting watching all of the news shows and reading all of the various newspaper articles discussing the the fractured relationship between Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama as a result of Wright's appearance at the National Press Club on Monday. I have been amused by some of the comments I have heard and I have been confused by others. My perception of the falling out between Obama and Wright is a little different then what is being largely reported in the media. My opinion is based on my life perspective as a black male who grew up in Missouri. My grandfather is a minister of two black churches in west Tennessee, so I have an understanding of the widely discussed and misunderstood black church experience.
Obama could have eliminated the Wright issue years ago when he decided to enter the world of politics as a Illinois state senator. However, Obama did not see Wright as a problem until he announced his presidential candidacy on February 10, 2007. The fact is Obama sought out Wright and Trinity United Church of Christ for several reasons. First of all, as a biracial male living in the South Side of Chicago, Obama needed and wanted the black half of his life to be validated. I did not have a problem with his decision to identify himself as a black male. For the most part, depending on the color of the individuals skin, American society will assume a biracial person is black if one of their parents is black. It is very rare for society to identify a biracial individual as white unless the person's skin is so light that they could pass for white. I digress because this is all a subject that will be discussed on another day.
When Obama made the decision to identify himself as a black man he basically needed a "reference". Wright and Trinity provided Obama with his "ghetto pass" that he knew he needed if was going to succeed in the Hyde Park area of Chicago. This "pass" allowed him to do a lot of good work in the South Side neighborhoods. Wright made Trinity into an institution in Chicago. It became the thing to do to become a member of the Trinity congregation. Therefore, Obama became a member of Trinity and began making the political connections he needed to make it in the Chicago political wars.
Obama did not have to hide or worry about his relationship with Wright while running for the Illinois State Senate or the U.S. Senate. The majority of the people in his district do not disapprove of Wright or his message. Obama and his campaign team knew that Wright would be problematic when he made the decision to run for president. However, what the Obama camp curiously underestimated was how the content of Wright's sermons was going to negatively impact the majority of Americans. This is why the Wright cloud has continued to hang over Obama's campaign. Obama was also helped by the fact that the mainstream media kept a reasonably tight lid on issues regarding Wright because they did not think the Wright problem was newsworthy and they did not want to be viewed as racist for harming Obama's presidential march.
Obama finally addressed the Wright issue in Philadelphia with his much ballyhooed speech on racial relations in America. He eloquently discussed the issues of race in this country in a way that John McCain or Hillary Clinton could not. Obama also said that he did not agree with what Wright's comments, but that he could not disown him. The speech satisfied his supporters, but it did not resonate with his detractors. The speech may have helped him with some undecided voters, but not enough to help him win the Pennsylvania primary. The Obama campaign was feeling pretty confident that they handled the Wright fiasco and now they were focused on winning Indiana and North Carolina. Little did they know that a storm was coming down the road.
Wright is an intelligent and proud man. I cannot imagine how Wright felt having the entire world view snippets of his sermons without the full context of the respective sermons. He was being blasted by the national media on a daily basis as a racist. To make matters worse, a member of his congregation for 20 years, decided to go in front of the national media and make a point to say that he didn't know of Wright's previous comments and did not agree with those that he heard. There was no way Wright was going to stay silent and allow himself to be made into some sort of racist caricature by the national media. He was going to fight back and he was going to do it the only way he has known how - he was going to speak his mind. I do not believe Wright was trying to intentionally hurt Obama's campaign by going on his talking tour that began last Friday on the the Bill Moyers Journal show. However, I do believe that Wright was not going to continue to allow himself to be misrepresented to the American public without defending himself. He did not care about the negative effect it would have on Obama's campaign. Political campaigns come and go. If you look at the transcript from Wright's Moyer's appearance, this fight was about how his life's work was being portrayed.
Wright's speech and comments made the National Press Club forced Obama to do what he should have done a long time ago. Obama was forced to cast aside a man (Wright) who he looked up to and held in high regard. If you look at Obama's speech below, it is obvious that Wright's comments have upset him and he is saddened that he has to have a public breakup with a man who he saw as a father-figure.
Before I go on any further, I want to make it clear why Obama supporters are mad. It is not what Wright said during his appearances. Wright did not say anything new; he just repeated the same old controversial comments he has said for many years. Obama supporters, especially the approximately 90 percent of black voters who support Obama are mad about the timing of his speaking engagements.
Please understand that the majority of blacks are not mad about what Wright has said in the past or will continue to say in the future. They are mad that Wright did not wait until Obama was elected president before he started defending himself. Obama's quest for the presidency is very personal for the majority of the black community. They see Obama's candidacy as their chance to finally get to the White House where he can change the way the game is played in Washington. If Obama is elected president that would be a dream come true for many blacks, especially older blacks like my parents and grandparents who lived during the Jim Crow days in the south. This is why there is this almost naive belief among blacks that President Obama will make it easier to be black in America and this is why so many blacks are currently upset with Wright.
It will be interesting to see how Wright will respond to Obama's forceful public denunciation of him. Is Wright going to be quiet and lay low in Chicago because he has said what he had to say? On the other hand, is Wright going to return to the podium to respond to Obama's remarks about him and his beliefs? This is a difficult time for those people in the black community who support both of these men. They do not want to see Wright or Obama fail.
Obama and Wright are playing a game neither man can win. They have both already lost in ways that they could not have imagined a year ago. Obama has lost his shine as the candidate who can lead this country to a new place and help heal the racial divide. Wright has lost the respect and admiration of some blacks because they feel he has irreparably damaged Obama's campaign. You would be hard pressed to find a black person who does not think that Wright should defend himself. However, I would also venture to say that you would find it difficult to find many blacks who support Wright's defending himself at the expense of Obama's campaign for president.
Like I said - neither Obama or Wright can win this game.
I am so glad that Representative Jim Clyburn (D-SC) has not "officially" endorsed Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. He's so influential with the black community that his endorsement will sway the support of many black voters especially those who are undecided. Because the first thing that most blacks do when they wake up in the morning is they look in the mirror and wonder aloud, "I hope Rep. Clyburn has made up his mind today because I don't know who to support for the nomination." Yeah - right.
Clyburn has again blasted Bill Clinton's rhetoric in support of his wife's campaign. This time he did it in a interview with the New York Times. He went as far as calling the former president's behavior "bizarre" and said that "black people are incensed over all of this". Clyburn may not say it, but I will. Clyburn and other so called "black leaders" are upset that the Clinton's are being so tough on the campaign trail with Obama that he may be damaged for the campaign against John McCain.
Most blacks are so happy that there is finally a candidate of color that is making a serious run at the White House. I will admit it is hard for me to be anti-Obama because I would love to finally see a minority be elected president, whether it be a woman, black, Hispanic, etc. However, unlike many blacks, I have not ever voted for a candidate because of the color of their skin. Nevertheless, this is why Clyburn and other blacks are so upset with the Clinton's. They feel like since they have always supported the Clinton's through the good and bad times, it is only fair that the Clinton's finally support the wishes of many blacks - the election of Obama to the Oval Office. Clyburn offers this quote as evidence,
“When he was going through his impeachment problems, it was the black
community that bellied up to the bar,” Mr. Clyburn said. “I think black
folks feel strongly that this is a strange way for President Clinton to
show his appreciation.”
This is such an unintelligent argument and unbecoming of a member of the Democratic leadership. It is sad that Clyburn continues to use the same old script that many blacks continue to use - if you do not agree with us, you must be racist. Clyburn's comments insinuate that blacks were the only people to support Clinton during his impeachment. Someone should ask Clyburn how Clinton should repay the white and Hispanic people that supported Clinton during the impeachment crisis. My response to Clyburn is this - yes, the majority of blacks supported Clinton during his impeachment period, but a lot of blacks also supported O.J. Simpson during his murder trial. It seems to me that the majority of blacks were wrong on both accounts. Bill Clinton lied and suffered the consequences and ensuing embarrassment. Simpson murdered two innocent people and got away with it because of a inept prosecution of the case.
In his Political Punch column, Jake Tapper of ABC News writes that Clyburn is also speculating that Hillary Clinton is continuing to run, not to win the nomination, but to damage Obama so that he cannot beat McCain in the general election. While adding to the long list of conspiracy theories embraced by many blacks, Clyburn also said,
"I heard something, the first time yesterday (in South Carolina), and I
heard it on the (House) floor today, which is telling me there are
African Americans who have reached the decision that the Clintons know
that she can’t win this," Clyburn said. "But they're hell-bound to make
it impossible for Obama to win."
Clyburn and other Democrats have only themselves to blame if Clinton has made it "impossible" to win. He and the other superdelegates should stop cowering behind their desks and throw their support behind Obama. Then Clinton would have no choice but to leave the race because it would remove her only viable path to victory. Instead Clyburn and other superdelegates have allowed the race for the Democratic nomination to become drawn out and nasty.
Thanks for the leadership Rep. Clyburn. Now I know why South Carolina elected you in 1993. Now show some real leadership and resign or stop making wild accusations in the media. By the way, who and where are these black people that Clyburn has talked to about the campaign? I'm black and I still have not heard nobody say the things that Clyburn alluded to in the article. Never mind - I forgot - people know not to bring that conspiracy B.S. to my face.
Elizabeth Drew penned a good column for Politico in which she describes how the party superdelegates have allowed the Democratic primary campaign to continue when it's clear to everyone involved that Barack Obama will win the nomination.
The Democratic leadership is either stupid or very confident that the voters will elect Obama over John McCain in the fall. I have a feeling it's a little bit of both. The Democrats have allowed Hillary Clinton to continue her futile campaign for the nomination even though she has no chance to win. During this process, she has exposed Obama's flaws and allowed America to see how liberal he is. Obama's star is not shining as bright as it was after Super Tuesday. This would not have happened if the "undecided" superdelegates would just come out and endorse Obama instead of waiting until June to do it.
The Democrats are allowing Obama to be beaten and bloodied so as not to upset Clinton's many loyal supporters. This strategy has backfired because the tone of the campaign has become so negative that some Clinton and Obama supporters have professed their inability to support the other candidate in the general election. The Democratic leadership claim not to be worried about this development. They believe that most of the Clinton supporters will vote for Obama over McCain in the fall. I do not agree with that assessment at all.
If McCain wins the election the Democrats will only have themselves to blame.
Representative John Conyers (D-MI) is still talking about reparations for black people. The archaic legislator was in North Carolina campaigning for Barack Obama when he began talking about his favorite legislative project. If Conyers had his way, a commission would be set up to discuss the issue of reparations for descendants of slaves. It should be noted that Obama has not publicly endorsed this legislation. There is no way Obama would endorse legislation dealing with the issue of reparations while he is running for President. He already has enough problems attracting certain groups of white voters as documented in this article written for The New Republic.
I have said it before and I will say it again, black people should forget about reparations. If reparations were approved, how would you know who to give the money too? What kind of documentation would people need? Does Conyers and his supporters realize how many people would be "trying" to pass for black so they could get paid? If Conyers really wants to do something that will benefit people and stimulate the economy at the same time, he should pass legislation that would erase everybody's student loan debt up to $100,000. This action would help a lot of people - black, white, asian, etc.
Remember - erase my student loan debt. That is all the reparations I need.
What has the Democratic congress led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) accomplished since the Democrats took over control of Congress? Maybe it's just me. However, I can tell you that my life has not changed for the better since they came into power. It's gotten to the point that it does not matter whether the Democrats or the Republicans are in charge of the politics because nothing ever changes.
If Pelosi and Reid want to impress me then they can get to work and pass the 21st Century GI Bill sponsored by Senator James Webb (D-VA). If enacted this legislation would expand the educational benefits available to all members of the military, including activated reservists and the National Guard. Most importantly, the legislation would cover the full cost of most the expensive in-state public school that a member of the military wanted to attend.
I have a problem with any Senator or Representative, regardless of their party affiliation, who cannot support this important legislation. Newsweek columnist, Anna Quindlen wrote a very eloquent column about why this bill should be enacted. Quindlen concluded her column with the following:
"Offering these men and women a college education is the least we can
do. It's not free; they've already paid, in Fallujah and Kabul. If
Congress wants an economic-stimulus package, this is a great one. A
Topeka, Kans., lawyer and national commander of the American Legion,
Harry Colmery, was the architect of the original GI Bill. He asked a
question that is as resonant today as it was then: "If we can spend 200
to 300 billion dollars to teach our men and women to kill, why quibble
over a billion or so to help them to have the opportunity to earn
economic independence and to enjoy the fruits of freedom?"
Enacting this legislation is the right thing to do and the moral thing to do. However, I was surprised and disappointed that Senator John McCain had yet to sign up as a co-sponsor of the bill. As Quindlen pointed out, McCain was a beneficiary of the old GI bill. In my opinion, McCain should have his name on the bill like the other veterans of past wars.
Passage of this legislation should be of the most importance to Pelosi, Reid, and the next President. This is the kind of legislation that would have a positive impact on communities across the country. Its passage would also tell the members of the military who put their lives on the line on a daily basis that their country is willing to invest in them as soon as they return home.
I have finally viewed the controversial television ad sponsored by the North Carolina Republican Party. What's the big deal? I just don't get what the uproar is all about. Why are so many people upset over the content of this weak 40 second ad? The North Carolina GOP is using the incedinary clip of Barack Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright spewing hateful words about America. A clip of the ad is shown below.
The Republicans are trying to tie the Democratic candidates for governor to Obama and Wright saying that they are "too extreme" for North Carolina. The Republicans are also trying to raise some money too. John McCain and the Republican National Committee have criticized the ad, but that has not stopped the North Carolina Republican Party from trying to air it.
I have viewed the ad several times and I still don't get the uproar. I have finally come to the conclusion that this ad is about more than the inclusion of the clips of the Wright sermon. Even if the clip of his sermon is taken out of context, it is still Wright's words coming out of his mouth. I believe that more people are upset that the ad shows a picture of Obama with his arms around a white woman - Democratic candidate for governor, Bev Perdue.
If this is what people are upset about than I think that says more about them than it says about the ad itself. Now, I will admit that there are still a lot of people who still cringe at the sight of a black man any where near a white woman - so what. What happened to the new mythical post-racial generation that was supposed to be taking over the United States?
If Obama believes this ad is racist then he needs to say so and explain why he feels this way. However that is not what Obama and his campaign team likes to do. They like to let their media supporters stir the racist accusations, so Obama never has to explain anything. This is one of the things that has always annoyed me about Obama. He could easily come out and say that the ad was stupid and the Wright clip was taken out of context again. Obama could also do a lot of good by saying that he did not believe the ad was racist because he was pictured with his arm around a white woman. He could continue to say that he has a lot of white supporters who he has given hugs to and there is nothing wrong with that.
I need someone to tell me - a black man - how this ad is racist. I thought it was weak, but not racist.
McCain better be careful about his criticism of this ad. Before he starts apologizing for everything a Republican says that may or may not put Obama in a bad light. McCain better go talk to his buddy Hillary Clinton about what happens if you run a campaign that is overly sensitive towards Obama. McCain and the GOP better wake before they find themselves in the same losing position Clinton finds herself in.
The campaign between Obama and Clinton and now Obama and McCain is funny too watch. Clinton, McCain and their supporters are so afraid to say any thing about Obama out of fear of being called a racist. Their actions remind me of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine had a biracial boyfriend and no one really was comfortable talking about him. Once again, Obama has got another candidate on the defensive when he has no reason to be.
Bob Johnson is a rich man, but that does not necessarily mean that Johnson is an intelligent man. Johnson made millions when he found Black Entertainment Television (BET) and sold it years later to Viacom for 3 billion dollars. He is currently the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. Johnson is also friends (translation - campaign contributor) with Bill and Hillary Clinton. Naturally since he is a Clinton supporter, he is upset that Barack Obama is on the verge of becoming the Democratic nominee for president.
I don't have a problem with Johnson supporting Clinton - that's his choice. My problem with Johnson is that for a man who is going around the Charlotte area and whining about how much money he is losing with the Bobcats franchise, he sure has a strange way of trying to attract fans to support the team. Most owners keep their politics out of public view because they do not want to offend members of their ticket buying public. Some owners will donate money to various political causes and candidates, but none of them make the front page of the newspaper every time they open their mouth.
Every time Johnson talks about Obama, something stupid comes out of his mouth. A few months ago, he made dumb comments about Obama and his use of drugs. Now Johnson feels like he needs to expound on the comments Geraldine Ferraro made a few weeks ago about Obama.
"What I believe Geraldine Ferraro meant is that if you take a
freshman senator from Illinois called `Jerry Smith' and he says I'm
going to run for president, would he start off with 90 percent of the
black vote?" Johnson said. "And the answer is, probably not... ."
"Geraldine
Ferraro said it right. The problem is, Geraldine Ferraro is white. This
campaign has such a hair-trigger on anything racial ... it is almost
impossible for anybody to say anything."
If Johnson is truly supports Clinton then he needs to keep his thoughts on Obama to himself. Why on earth would you want to remind any undecided voter about the comments that Ferraro made. Don't get me wrong, Johnson is not entirely wrong with what he said. It's just that when Johnson comments on Obama he always sounds like he's jealous of Obama's success.
However this jealous or resentful behavior is something that Johnson has common with many older and successful blacks in regards to Obama. They don't think he has paid his dues yet to be in the position that he is in. They believe his road to success has been easier than theirs. I believe Obama has traveled a different road than most blacks, but that does not make his road traveled any easier. It may have been more difficult. You would be hard pressed to find a black person who can talk about being discriminated against by black and white people. This is what some biracial people have to experience during the course of their lives.
Sorry Johnson - this is 2008. Obama has paid his dues - he just had to do it in a different way.
This article does a good job of explaining the rising costs of certain foods and its impact on the global economy. The cost of groceries have been also been rising for people during the last two months.
"The U.S. is wrestling with the worst food inflation in 17 years, and
analysts expect new data due on Wednesday to show it's getting worse.
That's putting the squeeze on poor families and forcing bakeries, bagel
shops and delis to explain price increases to their customers. U.S. food prices rose 4 percent in 2007, compared with an average
2.5 percent annual rise for the last 15 years, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. And the agency says 2008 could be worse,
with a rise of as much as 4.5 percent."
Obviously, the rising costs of food will negatively impact some people more than others in our society. However, I have to strongly disagree with the comments made by Kathleen DiChiara, president and CEO of the
Community FoodBank of New Jersey.
"For some, that means adding an extra cup of water to their soup,
watering down their milk, or giving their children soda because it's
cheaper than milk."
I don't know about you, but DiChiara lost me with that comment in regards to children getting soda instead of milk. I always thought that water was cheaper than milk and soda.
