The ASCENT Blog

Selling More Albums, 50 Cents Two Cents on Oprah Winfrey

2006-11-30T09:25:00.000-08:00

50 Cent accuses Oprah Winfrey of turning White:

He says, "(She) started out with black women's views but has been catering to middle-aged white American women for so long that she's become one herself."I think the idea of being publicly noted that she's a billionaire makes (black women) interested in seeing her views. But it's even more exciting to the demographic of white American women she's been aiming at to see that she has the exact same views that they have."

Shades of school yard thugs who beat down the lone, defenseless "smart" or "acting White" Black kids simply because they speak English correctly and know about the world around them. When will it stop?

Civility vs. Taking A Stand

2006-11-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

George Will takes a bite out of incoming Senator-elect James Webb (D-VA) on his recent and very tense brush with President Bush:

Webb certainly has conveyed what he is: a boor. Never mind the patent disrespect for the presidency. Webb's more gross offense was calculated rudeness toward another human being -- one who, disregarding many hard things Webb had said about him during the campaign, asked a civil and caring question, as one parent to another.

Not certain if one could characterize Webb's snubbing of the President as uncivil or "patent[ly] disrespectful." After all, this is a democracy, and - last we checked - one could disagree with the Commander-in-Chief's policies. It's not like Webb spit on him, or carried a picket sign into the White House, or clocked him with a fist. In this instance, he merely expressed his extreme displeasure with the Administration's pointless foray in Iraq, thereby relaying the mood of many Virginians who elected him. At the end of the day, Webb - like the President - must answer to voters ...

We find Webb's "truculence" in this instance a bit refreshing. Maybe that's what the President needs, constant and unsettling reminders of his dismal performance as a world leader in settings that aren't engineered for his comfort. If our child was deployed to a war with no meaning or coherent cause, a war based on deception and ideological Washington can get a bit too "civil" for its own good in that too many elected officials are unwilling to take principled stands out of fear for "rocking the boat" or insulting good "friends" and "colleagues." Upon a few elegant lunches and a routinely disgusting display of platitude, politicians soon forget they are beholden to the interests of the people. True: civility should always be maintained in the public discourse. We don't see enough of it, these days. But, not at the expense of taking a stand or making an important point. This Administration should be the last to feel insulted or express outrage at Webb's conduct after it has spent its entire course destroying checks-and-balances and arrogantly pressing forward with little regard for fundamental precepts in the Constitution. That, Mr. Will, is the true "boor."

Placing Blame on the Iraqis ....

2006-11-29T06:26:00.000-08:00

It's difficult to see the complete logic raised in this latest Washington Post analysis which shows a wide swath of the American body politic placing sole blame on the Iraqis for their current condition. This skillfully removes the Bush Administration from any blame for a war that shouldn't have been executed in the first place (and if Hussein was that much of a threat to the region and world, we had ample chance to get rid of him with 500,000 troops during the first Gulf War in 1991). What happened to faulty [manipulated] intelligence on weapons of mass destruction that didn't show up?

A point hard for many to swallow: Iraq's religious and ethnic rivalries were kept under brutal control under the iron boot of Saddam Hussein. Yes: that gives Hussein credit where no one seeks to place credit, but in a society that for so long was defined by vicious and shrewd control, one should hardly expect it to become "civic-minded" and "independent" overnight. Post notes:

Even Democrats who have criticized the Bush administration's conduct of the occupation say the people and government of Iraq are not doing enough to rebuild their society. The White House is putting pressure on the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and members of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group have debated how much to blame Iraqis for not performing civic duties.

What this should read is this: "Even Democrats have become eerily tepid and withdrawn in their previous criticism of the war after handily winning Congress." Now that they got the votes, notice Dems are less aggressive in the call for oversight.

John Ridley's Take on N***a & The Rise of a New Black ...

2006-11-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

John Ridley in Esquire Magazine steamrolls in hard and heavy with what is certain to be highly talked about:

That which retards us is the worst of "us," those who disdain actual ascendancy gained by way of intellectual expansion and physical toil—who instead value the posture of an "urban," a "street," a "real" existence, no matter that such a culture threatens to render them extinct.
"Them" being niggers.

I have no qualm about using the word nigger. It is a word. It is in the English lexicon, and no amount of political correctness, no amputation into "the n-word"—as if by the castration of a few letters we should then be able to conceptualize its meaning without feeling its sting—will remove it from reality.

So I say this: It's time for ascended blacks to wish niggers good luck. Just as whites may be concerned with the good of all citizens but don't travel their days worrying specifically about the well-being of hill billies from Appalachia, we need to send niggers on their way. We need to start extolling the most virtuous of ourselves. It is time to celebrate the New Black Americans—those who have sealed the Deal, who aren't beholden to liberal indulgence any more than they are to the disdain of the hard Right. It is time to praise blacks who are merely undeniable in their individuality and exemplary in their levels of achievement.

NYC & Sean Bell - Sadly Enough, Let the Games Begin ...

2006-11-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

NY Times reports on the growing tension fueling understandable anger in the Sean Bell shooting in:

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg convened an extraordinary meeting of black religious leaders and elected officials at City Hall yesterday to calm frayed tempers over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in Queens, calling the circumstances “inexplicable” and “unacceptable.”

“It sounds to me like excessive force was used,” the mayor said of the conduct of the officers, who fired 50 shots outside a Queens nightclub early Saturday, killing Sean Bell, 23, hours before he was to be wed, and injuring two others. “I can tell you that it is to me unacceptable or inexplicable how you can have 50-odd shots fired.”

Bell's father makes a cogent point:

“It’s more about politics than human life,” he said. Mr. Bloomberg has spoken with Sean Bell’s fiancée and said he plans to visit the family soon, but William Bell said none of the officials had reached out to him.

And that's where the political games will begin as there are some who will find ways to leverage political clout through this tragedy.

Whereby we agree there is need for a serious re-examination of police relations with African American communities nationwide (and are distressed by recent studies which reveal an upward surge in excessive force by police forces and overuse of SWAT teams), we also see a dilemma with respect to New York city, which has experienced a 70% drop in crime since the Giuliani years. The aggressive policing, "Broken Window," quality-of-life strategy obviously had its successes in dramatically reducing crime in a city once notoriously synonymous with it. There is a cost-benefit analysis to weigh here. But, as the Bell case shows us, it has its drawbacks and police departments need to really assess the very aggressive, disrespectful and sometimes downright rude disposition of many of their officers who give the profession a bad image. That's troubling, because law and order is an essential function of any civilized society. NYC is not the only place where this is happening - finding a calm and respectful police officer is unfortunately becoming something of a sport similar to "Punch Buggy" games on the school bus. We understand it's a stressful job; departments need to promote more counseling, less overtime and viewing citizens as partners rather than adversaries. Police etiquette and displays of public respect should be just as critical as citizen compliance with basic laws. If that's not the case, then perhaps departments should be honest about how they view us and simply issue a guide of protocols or rules for citizens on how to interact with police officers having a bad day.

It is likely that this was more so an incident of misplaced police anger mixed with fear than an outwardly racist act - community leaders such as Sharpton should tread lightly on this subject, particularly when Black and Latino officers account for a majority of the 5 officers involved in the shooting.

Mulling N****r. Is This What It's Really All About?

2006-11-28T06:13:00.000-08:00

Black and unapologetically lesbian blogger Jasmyne Cannick enters the fray on our loose use of the "N" word, arguing for a verbal & economic ban. We're not certain this is the point, though: is this issue really supposed to be a test in gauging the parameters of [free?] speech or should it really dig deeper into the bowels of racist thought and the White supremacist legacy? If we're not careful, a sudden call, prompted by this Michael Richards incident, for Black people to cease use of the "N" word can cause the reverse of what is intended here: while Richards is forgiven, Whites in general could be absolved of their participation in the continuing perpetuation of racism while we are focused on how much we use the word "n****r" rather than on what promulgates it in the first place. Sure, we can blame record labels signing hip-hop legends for promoting its rise in popularity, but almost 2/3 of that market is White while African Americans still have little control over the real money in that game: distribution. Perhaps if we did, we'd be in a position to argue for more responsible content - but, isn't the purpose of hip-hop to describe society's most ugly realities? What happens to the vast majority of hip-hop emcees who stay true to the cause, but make endless use of the word "nigga"? Is it the word that's harmful or is it the institutionalization of racism (both overt and subtle) that created the word? The discussion must stay focused on larger social, political and economic indicators. Cannick asserts:

Consider this, Black people went from referring to each other as “brothas and sistas” to nigga’s and bitch’s and sometimes worse. Until the majority of Blacks are willing to make a conscientious effort which requires a lifestyle change in regards to the N word, it will continue to be used not only by Blacks but by other races as well.

This is a good point - hard to argue with it. But lifestyle changes can't be forced and they can't happen overnight. Note how Rev. Jesse Jackson uses "nigga" with such cool bravado and familiarity when denouncing it during press appearances - Jesse: do you want us to use it or not [cause you make it sound so customary]? Broader and systematic promotion of greater civic participation, community involvement and mutual respect is the key towards gradual re-insertion of social empathy. Somewhere along the cultural line, the basic fundamentals above got dropped in some ditch, leading us to the brink of self-destruction. We doubt "n****r" is solely responsible for leading us to that point. A more interesting conversation is how too many African Americans seem oblivious to the dramatic ascendancy of Black Congressional Members to leadership positions and committee chairs on Capitol Hill. Why aren't we as enthusiastic about a development of this magnitude as many of use were when O.J. was acquitted? There are some obvious contradictions at work. In the meantime, actions are what ultimately speak louder than words.

How The Kramer Incident Reflects Something Much Uglier ... and Much Larger

2006-11-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

Something much more nefarious and sinister looms larger than what we think we see or hear on the stage of a Los Angeles comedy club. It really has less to do with "Seinfeld" star Michael Richards' (a.k.a. "Kramer") outburst than it has to do with vicious reminders of the nation's racial conscious. African Americans are, no doubt, closely observing the reaction to this latest episode to see if it will reach a level of critical mass comparable to the recent Mel Gibson episode. The major difference between the two episodes is that Gibson was drunk; Richards' appears disheveled, but not high or drunk - additionally, there are no reports of any drug use or alcohol. So, the question will be asked: will "Kramer" receive the same sort of perceived punishment or social backlash that Gibson received? Some can argue Gibson received little punishment beyond momentary ostracization since he's still making movies and appears financially healthy. A sizeable donation to the Anti-Defamation League probably does wonders to diminish one's anti-Semitic public image ...

This is a very important point because it's significant to gauge where this episode takes us as a society in the wake of some significant public policy changes taking place. Black Congressional members, to the obvious chagrin of their White colleagues and many White people, are in line to accumulate considerable political power during the 110th Congress. At the same time, Michigan voters overwhelmingly approve the banning of affirmative action in their state. In a proverbial flip of the finger, Republicans elect the racially-challenged Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) as their Minority Whip while denying Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R-MD) a chairmanship at the RNC, pretty much signaling a total rejection of any productive ties with the African American community. In addition, we have just witnessed one of the most racially-charged mid-term elections in recent American political history, the tenor of which was accentuated by brutal Senate campaigns in MD, TN and VA.

Enter Michael Richards.

Here's where the issue begins to appear much larger than Richards'. There is, first, an irony here: most informal surveys of African Americans will find that the number of Black people who did watch "Seinfeld" were initially attracted to the bizarre, yet cool-pose nature of "Kramer." The Kramer character drew an audience to "Seinfeld" that wasn't the intended demographic of the show.

But, more compelling than his apology appearance on Letterman is how the audience reacted to it – with laughter. Since we assume this was a majority white audience, can we assume they were laughing at him or the subject matter? And since he is now inextricably linked into the harsh reality of that subject matter, is it appropriate for a mostly white audience to laugh at something that painful? The fact that he’s made no effort to appear on any major Black talk show or media venue speaks volumes to his lack of sincerity and courage. Perhaps, it also speaks to the lack of sensitivity of those who represent him or the general lack of consideration White people generally show on matters such as this. Making an apology on Letterman actually trivializes the issue - do you think the larger White community cares?

Discussions on the Draft ...

2006-11-20T06:25:00.000-08:00

All signs indicate a Bush Administration (and possibly Baker Commission) move to increase U.S. troop levels in Iraq and, perhaps, Afghanistan. Hence, an important question is posed: where do the troops come from? American troop levels worldwide are already stretched thin, creating a challenging redeployment soup with a plot as thick as a chess game. Enter NY Congressman & soon-to-be House Ways & Mean Chair Charles Rangel (D-NY) struggles to make a confusing point in his repeat push to reinstate the draft. Here he plays the ultimate "devil's advocate," as they say (although, we don't see why anyone in Congress right now wants to play such a game with a policy issue as freshly heated as this one).

We prefer a Rangel push to discuss how the Administration, in all of its lacking wisdom, proposes to enhance troop presence with little global troop force to begin with, particularly as matters heat up in the Asian theatre with North Korea and China. That's a very legitimate discussion worthy of an aggressive political push to further eat away at the Administration's lost credibility on this war. But, legislating the draft makes the political climate for Democrats much more precarious than they need it right now. Rangel isn't even Chairman, yet, and he's already jumping the gun. But, we see his point: reinstating the draft makes the war much more personal for lawmakers who have the convenience of completely detaching themselves from decisions on the war. No longer is it a war disproportionately engaged by African Americans, Latinos, poor Whites and others with few options at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. Suddenly, it's a war for everybody to think about.

Which is why you can make the argument (as we have before) that perhaps public opposition to this war has never really been strong enough. We see public opinion polls showing wide dissatisfaction with the war - but do we really see it in the streets the way we saw it during Vietnam. American opposition to the war is based mainly on the war's unpleasant direction and our inability to win it - it's not so much that Americans dislike the Iraq War because it was wrong and morally twisted to execute in the first place, it's because Americans don't like to see themselves lose. That implies Americans would support this immoral war if there was a perception that things on the ground in Iraq had changed for the better. If we had a draft, we're willing to wager that American disillusionment would transform into American disgust on principle. In many ways, the war promotes an interesting balance between our consumer culture-induced comfort zones and "that war in the Middle East."

Our point here is that American opposition to the war is not really all that principled. It's self-serving and globally arrogant. Kudos to Rangel for seeing that. We're just not sure he's going about it the right way. It's not a ridiculous proposition to discuss the draft, for it is always a possibility - if it wasn't, we wouldn't have a Selective Service System.

And it's not ridiculous for public servants to also propose that, perhaps, it's time we all think about public and community service on a larger level. We feel Rangel on this point:

''young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals,'' with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.

How the CBC Factors into the Leadership Race ...

2006-11-16T10:53:00.000-08:00

Newly minted House Speaker-elect (or "designate" for all those democracy purists out there) Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) open and failed endorsement of the "ethically-challenged" Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) was no big surprise. One need only look into Pelosi's personal and political past, peppered by the influence of close-knit Baltimore, East Coast city Italian roots established by her legendary father Thomas D'Alesandro, former B'More Mayor, Councilman, Congressman, State Delegate, etc. His entire life, and that of his daughter's, was based on the virtues of loyalty.

Somewhere along the way, Pelosi didn't pick up on the flaws of unbending loyaltly. Loyalty is a good thing; but, depending on the circumstances, it can be a dangerously dumb thing, too.

However, loyalty to her will work out well for the Congressional Black Caucus, standing in line to accumulate serious political power with leadership posts and committee chairs. Certainly, this was the reason behind their deafening silence during the short-lived battle between Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Murtha, as the deals with Pelosi have been struck - knowing the fairly liberal CBC is not a big fan of Murtha and his "Blue Dog" ways, Pelosi reminded them of what's at stake and that she had the power to giveth and/or to taketh away. Bad enough White folks in Washington are hating on the Black folks about to take over - come on, we know you can't stand us right about now; we overhear your cantankerous whispers.

Since the CBC was good during the Hoyer/Murtha battle, she'll let Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) get the intelligence committee, too. It's definitely the year of the White woman ... Rep. Diana Degette (D-CO) is angling to test this theory as she considers a bid against Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) who patiently awaits the Majority Whip post.

On Lott as Minority No. 2 ...

2006-11-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

Here's some irony for you: openly racist, old school "Dixiecrat" nostalgic senior Senator from Mississippi gets bumped back into the Republican leadership as if nothing ever happened four years ago. Note: Mississippi's history and ole' boy way of seeing things. Also note: racially challenged ole' boy Senator from Mississippi just gets back from the campaign trail after beating down an underfunded African American Democratic nominee making the first real challenge to Lott's incumbency in a long time.

But then, for all their talk about wanting to change what is the poorest state in the Union, Mississippians still vote Lott back in, even with an opportunity to make history by electing the state's first Black Senator and seriously shedding the cross-burning past once and for all - some Black folks down there even mulled a Lott vote because "he brings home the bacon that gets us the jobs." Let's not even get into that ...

The irony is after somehow breaking away from his culturally challenged past and ducking an admirable challenge from a lowly Black State Rep., Lott is back in his party's leadership, obviously vying for the Leader spot he's always cherished. Within one election cycle, he simultaneously snubs both Black people and the Republicans (outgoing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) most notably among them) that he feels betrayed him four years ago, possibly attributing GOP losses last week to some sort of kharma that favors him. The fact that GOP Senators are blessing him for this spot speaks volumes about where their collective head is and how that mentality will continue keep Black folks in perpetual and justifiable distrust of them.

The GOP and Its Latin Fantasy ...

2006-11-14T14:07:00.000-08:00

We figured that as soon as defeated MD Senate candidate & Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R) announced plans to seek the chairmanship of the RNC, the GOP White boys would figure out a quick and ruthless way to keep that from happening. The message here from White Republicans to their lowly Black Republican counterparts: "We'll let ya'll run for office and, sure, we'll give you some money for a few campaigns to make us look all good and big tent - but we'll be damned if you run our party!"

Picking Steele to run the Republican National Committee would have paid dividends in the future, particularly when one considers the slow but gradual rise of the Black Republican profile. Sooner or later, that sort of move would at least have some (not all) but some Black voters taking a second glance. Essentially, it would've been a somewhat smart move, perhaps making Democrats look a little less diverse along the way. We don't know - what we do know is that the GOP wants to openly blame everybody but the current President for its loss last week. Hence, the feeling is that current RNC Chair Ken Mehlman should go -

GOP: Ken - thought you said all this Black talk, all this talk to the Blacks, all this apologizing and stuff, was going to get them votin' for us? What happened there, Ken? Cuz they sure wasn't votin' for us last Tuesday?

Mehlman: Well - that sort of stuff takes time, you know, earning people's trust -

GOP: Time? We ain't got that kind of time, man! If they couldn't get it in a year, then they just can't get it. You know what we need? We need them Browns in here. We need them Hispanics to counter that Black vote.

Hence, fairly White-looking, "safe," establishment Cuban-American GOP Senator becomes the Republicans' Flavor of the Cycle.

And, so, the GOP indulges in some perverted electoral Latin fantasy of a wave of Latin immigrant voters embracing the GOP. But, with all this hype about the Latino vote, somebody forgot to remind them that Hispanics are only a bit over 6% of the voting masses (that's less than the percentage of African Americans that typically vote Republican on any Election Day - if that's the case, how come Black people can't get a chair at the RNC?). In addition, they can't really be classified as a "bloc."

Could this Election Cycle Highlight Rift Between Blacks & Jews?

2006-11-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

The next battle royale in the Congress could be the new House Majority leadership races as Democratic members who played pivotal roles in this Tuesday's upset are vying for coveted spots. But, the more interesting question are the political gains of African Americans in Congress, since this stunning upset could mean numerous committee and sub-committee chairs for the CBC - still, these chairs aren't guaranteed. It'll be interesting to watch how much backbone the CBC will have when newly-minted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is forced to pluck some of those chairs in favor of White and Latino members wanting their piece of the Committee pie.

Even more compelling will be the race for House Majority Whip between Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL). CBC members have already stated their desire for that spot, and we're certain Clyburn and others are mighty upset that Emanuel is blocking that potential. We will watch with interest as to how this plays out in influencing the already tense, up-and-down relationship between African Americans and Jewish Americans, since Emanuel is Jewish. Privately, CBC members may be sulking about Jewish politicians ruining their chances at serious political leverage, pointing also to how Rep. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), who is also Jewish, dashed former Black Congressman Kweisi Mfume's (D-MD) chances for the U.S. Senate. Jewish support for Black political and civil rights causes does not go unnoticed, but this next leadership battle could cause considerable rifts in an already complicated relationship.

So What's Really Up With Voting Machines Today?

2006-11-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

It's becoming fairly difficult to get a serious read on exactly what's happening with e-voting machines during this election cycle. The big media consensus describes various reports of e-voting breakdowns as "technical glitches."

Here's The Washington Post take:

Some of the longer waits were attributed to technical glitches with new electronic voting machines in several states. Balloting was delayed in dozens of precincts in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Colorado, forcing election officials to extend polling hours in some places. However, the computer problems and other delays did not appear to be widespread or politically motivated, election monitors said.

The NY Times seems to take this a little more seriously:

With control of Congress hanging on a handful of races, voters streamed to the polls today in a midterm election that many people have viewed as a popular referendum on President Bush and the war in Iraq, but there were a variety of voting problems scattered across the country.

This is perhaps the most important issue in this race, on whether this technology is a reliable and robust tool worthy enough of preserving the world's leading democracy. Doesn't look like it. This blog differs with the simple analysis that machine breakdowns are due to "technical glitches." Glitches imply the notion that it's "not so bad." There's nothing ... "glitchy"about the core tool in American democracy breaking down. Until we begin applying a greater sense of dread to this problem, it'll be a long time before we fix it.

Curry on Ward Connerly & the Michigan Affirmative Action ban ...

2006-11-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

In all the excitement of this year's mid-term (and the possible benefits accrued due to increased Black political candidates), little national attention is being paid to the artfully dubbed "Michigan Civil Rights Initiative" currently up for state-wide referendum on Tuesday. There is a chance that this might pass, therefore creating a disastrous socio-economic and educational environment for African Americans in a state already reeling from a broken automotive industry. The dismal state of Michigan's economy could actually help the MCRI and the "One United Michigan" effort isn't gaining that much steam. Recent polls in that state don't bode so well for supporters of affirmative action.

For those who don't know, MCRI is a Frankensteinish public policy gimmick instigated by the culturally confused, self-applauding Black conservative waterboy Ward Connerly. If he doesn't make any money as a minority contractor because of the impact of his concoctions, he's making loot with the Black conservative dog-and-pony-on-a-racial-leash show. Here's George Curry on this:

The point should not be lost that even though the Supreme Court struck down Michigan’s numbers-oriented undergraduate admission, the Republican-dominated court upheld the concept of affirmative action and approved of the University of Michigan’s Law School approach to affirmative action. But you’d never know that judging by the comments of President Bush, Ward Connerly or their Right-wing allies.

But Ward Connerly is not interested in the truth. He doesn’t even like to admit that before he became an opponent of affirmative action, he personally benefited from a California set-aside program. In fact, in the 1970s, Connerly & Associates, a housing and community development consulting firm, which he owns with his wife, who is White, received more than $1 million in state business after he signed up as a minority contractor. Of course, he is not the only Black Republican to ride the affirmative action train, only to jump off after they’ve reached their desired destination. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson followed similar paths.

Affirmative Action Ban Gaining Steam in Michigan

2006-11-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

This latest poll out of Michigan is disturbing:

Two key statewide ballot proposals remain below 50 percent support, a new Detroit News/WXYZ-TV poll shows, leaving their fate to the minority of voters who haven't made up their minds.

Proposal 2, which would ban most government affirmative action programs, leads 49-41 with 10 percent undecided, according to the survey of 600 likely voters taken Sunday through Tuesday by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA.

The depressing economic climate in Michigan - accentuated by ailing Ford and GM - is certainly giving strength to what could be a devastating blow to affirmative action and minority businesses in that state.

"Steele Wins Prediction" ... 11 months later ...

2006-11-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

LOL - So, check this out: here's another example of how Black media gets little love, especially around election time. More proof of why you don't see a lot of us or our perspectives on the big Sunday talk shows.

We sort of dug RealClearPolitics Jay Bryant's piece on Maryland housing "The Most Important Senate Race." Peeps on the right are getting real hype over the prospect of Black people voting big for a Black Republican ... or any Republican for that matter (thinking it means Black people are going to shift to the GOP, when all it really shows is that Black people care less about either party and are getting independent-minded enough to want some respect, power and representation).

Then we split ribs and spit jokes when conservative blogger Michelle Malkin posted this headline today like it was the biggest thing since sliced bread:

"Prediction: Michael Steele will win"

LOL - wait there's more ...

Real Clear Politics makes the call, dubbing Steele-Cardin in Maryland "The Most Important Senate Race."

You ain't sayin' nothin' new.

Blackpolicy.org made this prediction 11 months ago ... back in January '06, bamas! And - it was #1 on our list of "TOP FIVE POLITICAL PREDICTIONS 2006". Put some credit where the credit is due. But, since Black media and public policy experts get little respect and love (especially in a year where we're dominating battleground races), Malkin and Bryant will get props on the circuit for this as though it's a headliner. We really don't hate the players on this point - we simply find the game biased and unfortunate, a little racist and many reporters a little too lazy to pay attention.

Another point here: we can't blame these occassional oversights squarely on "The Man," lol. Truth be told that African American public policy experts and intellectuals are getting too predictable in their analyses and less daring in the predictions. We admit that's a bit odd for a "non-partisan" Black-focused political publication to predict a Black Republican win. The pundits never see that sort of thing coming.

Politics of Mass Distraction: Kerry's Blunder & Commentary on Modern Stupidity

2006-11-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

The only issue proved in this latest war of talking points over Sen. John Kerry's (D-MA) latest foot-in-the-mouth is that he talks too much for a Presidential candidate. Those engaged in the Quest for the White House must accept the rigid controls imposed by that Golden Rule of politics: you must always say the right thing at the right or wrong time. There is no flexibility on that rule. Certainly, this only proves why Kerry was never the best top spot candidate in the first place. He's a very smart cat, but he doesn't know when to cut the verbal faucet off. A lot of us have that problem. It's just that the stakes are higher when an elected official does it.

But, still, the latest distraction flap over the comments below also prove that Republican operatives are well aware of the public's lack of intellectual capacity and ability to understand pure wit when they hear it. We live in an age where the art of conversation and the written word is lost; where kids would rather X-Box all day than read a chapter (much less a paragraph); and where the President boasts about his "ec-e-lectic" reading list. We agree with Philly Inquirer reporter Daniel Rubin in his latest Blinq entry:

There's an enormous amount of hot air blowing around the blogosphere on the matter.

Oh yeah, before we forget, here's the Kerry comment:

“You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don’t - you get stuck in Iraq.”

Agreed: it's a "botched" joke. But, to this blog - at first glance - it's not a joke about the troops. However, now may be a fine time to re-engage a social debate that's been raging long before Iraq and World War III, where recent studies raise concerns about the military lowering educational requirements for recruits and how (statistically) that determines who ends up on a front line.

Let's get real for a moment: if he wasn't a one-time nominee for President and Jon Stewart on the Daily Show instead, everybody would get it. Politicians can't be tongue-in-cheek because they have to be serious all the time; then, when they get serious, they need to be relaxed - which is it, people? Kerry wanted a Comedy Central moment since that's where a great bite of the American population is getting its political news.

Someone on a disingenuous blog posing as a conservative, but really moonlighting as a GOP party hack, will argue that this blog is implying that the families of U.S. troops are then "stupid" for not getting the joke. We retort: leave the families out of this and quit using their emotions to front your causes. But, the joke is really on the American public if GOP strategists successfully spin this into something that it's not. We look "dumb" for not getting it and "dumber" for letting it dominate our voting habits next Tuesday. Don't know if Kerry is reading this, but here's our recommendation: take this moment as an opportunity to punk the Bush Administration in a way you failed or refused to do in 2004. Kerry could use this as that grand opportunity to sound off on the fact that he served (with distinction) in Vietnam while the current President scurried away from it by hiding behind a cozy Air National Guard stint in sunny Texas.

The Perverted Whims of Public Opinion

2006-10-31T20:03:00.000-08:00

Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson's cynicism in his piece titled "What If We're To Blame?" is hard felt. This has been one of our main concerns when watching the molding of public policy in this country: the lack of policy knowledge or the unwillingness to even learn about what we vote, complain or protest about. Such prevailing ineptitude can have grave consequences:

The problem of American democracy is (of course) democracy. We are on the cusp of an election that commentators have already imbued with vast significance if Democrats recapture part or all of Congress -- or if they don't. But here's something that no one's saying: Regardless of who wins, it won't make much difference for most of our pressing problems. We won't have a major new budget policy, energy policy or immigration policy. The election might not even much affect the Iraq war.

This is confirmed in a recent study by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement. Whereas we're encouraged by findings which show African Americans between the ages of 15 - 25 seem to be the most politically active than any other racial or ethnic group, we're also distressed by the juxtaposition of this other finding:

Most young Americans are misinformed about important aspects of politics and current events. For example, 53% are unaware that only citizens can vote in federal elections; only 30% can correctly name at least one member of the President's Cabinet (and of those, 82% name Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice); and only 34% know that the United States has a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (compared to 27% who know that France holds a seat).

That's troubling. Hence, what's the purpose of voting if you don't know what you're voting for or about? But, we've always been suspicious of the hyped potential of youth voter turnout since many signs indicate 18 - 30 year old voters still don't have a solid grasp of the critical issues and a basic grounding in civics. Too many seem too content with being disillusioned, the likes of which plays directly into the hands of career politicians and party hustlers posing as public servants. They aren't accountable for not developing reasoned, effective and practical public policy because we don't know what it is they should be working on.

Black Mayors Becoming "Norm" in Mississippi ...

2006-10-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

A sign of progress in Mississippi? Not certain given the economic environment in that state, but certainly a sign of maturity. From the AP:

From Hattiesburg to Columbus , several of the larger Mississippi cities have elected their first Black mayors the past few years. Some say it’s a sign of a maturing political process in a state with a difficult, complex history of race relations, including decades of violent backlash against Black people who attempted to vote.

Robert M. Walker, who has taught history at Jackson State University, says Mississippi is seeing the long-term effects of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, which banned discriminatory practices, including sham “literacy tests” that often asked vastly different questions of Blacks and Whites as they registered to vote.

“It’s almost like having money in the bank that you don’t do anything with,’’ Walker said. “For many years, there have been folk who pay who didn’t do anything with the resources they had at their disposal. Now, with this maturing, you see something happening.’’

Reason for Concern ... and Outrage

2006-10-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board Member Bill Strickland offers pointed food for thought:

It ought to be a source of great apprehension that without any serious debate or alarm, the Republicans—aided by an obsequious media and a fainthearted Democratic Party opposition--have succeeded in gaining control of every branch of government, can look forward to a five vote majority on the Supreme Court for years to come and don’t necessarily have to worry about cases even being sent up to the High Court since they also have a majority on eleven of the thirteen appeals courts. But even that advantage seems not to have quenched their thirst for absolute power since Attorney General Gonzales in a speech this month at Georgetown University advised federal judges to exercise “a proper sense of judicial humility” and not interfere in the foreign policy and military decisions of the White House. . . that they—and presumably all of us—abandon the fiction of a federal system of checks and balances and pay homage to what has really taken place: the coronation of the new Imperial President.

Krauthammer's Case for Obama - Winning by Losing

2006-10-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

An honest Charles Krauthammer with some fairly reasoned advice for Illinois freshman Senator and Presidential aspirant Barack Obama (D). We see where he's going with this. But, that's proposing a potential waste in time, money and resources:

Nonetheless, he will not win. The reason is Sept. 11, 2001. The country will simply not elect a novice in wartime.

In 1956 Kennedy was preparing for a serious presidential run in 1960. Obama should be thinking ahead as well -- using '08 to cure his problem of inexperience. Run for the Democratic nomination and lose. He only has to do reasonably well in the primaries to become such a compelling national figure as to be invited onto the ticket as vice presidential nominee. If John Edwards, the runner-up in '04 did well enough to be made running mate, a moderately successful Obama would be the natural choice for '08.

Then, if the Democrats win, he will have all the foreign policy credentials he needs for life. Even if the ticket loses, assuming he acquits himself reasonably well, he immediately becomes the presumptive front-runner in the next presidential cycle. And if by some miracle he hits the lottery and wins in '08, well, then it is win-win-win.

Philly in Hot Voting Water ...

2006-10-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

Interesting story out of Illtown, already beseiged by a homicide wave and a budget crisis (Philadelphia Tribune's Regan Toomer is scheduled to talk some more about that on Tuesday, 10.31.06 ASCENT Perspectives). We find it interesting that in a city with a Black mayor and a population nearly half African American, there would be alleged violations of Latino voting rights. Either Mayor John Street (D) is still asleep on his watch or this is - once again - another somewhat fishy attempt to encourage Republican gains in heavily Democratic Philly:

Two weeks before Election Day, the city is fighting an attempt by the U.S. Justice Department to appoint federal observers for Philadelphia elections beginning Nov. 7 and lasting past next year's presidential race, until the end of 2009.

The effort to appoint the observers stems from a lawsuit filed by the federal government 14 days ago alleging that the city has violated the rights of its Hispanic voters.

Specifically, it charges that the city hasn't adequately recruited and trained bilingual poll workers, failed to provide sufficient election-related materials in Spanish, and prohibited Hispanic voters with limited English from choosing someone to help them inside the voting booth, which law permits.

Obama: Style vs. Substance ...

2006-10-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Half-term Illinois Senator Barack Obama's (D) sudden rise to political stardom is a somewhat fishy ascendancy that Obama himself should be wary of. This blog frowns on politicians as "rock stars" or "celebrities" - even though it's easy to get excited due to the first real prospect for a first Black President. When a politician's substance is overshadowed by his/her "celebrity" appeal, the transparency is about as thick as polluting smog choking a city. That person soon loses the civil servant edge so desperately needed in a government wracked by scandal, corruption and greed.

Obama's rise is no sudden thing. Democrats, while stuffing money into the coffers of Sen. Clinton (D-NY), fear that their nominees for '08 may prove more divisive than electable. A Kerry or Gore re-run will look just like that - a re-run done for the sake of saving face after embarrasingly close defeats in '00 and '04. So, operatives quietly push Obama on ...

We're not saying that Obama shouldn't run because of a perceived lack of national policy experience. An Obama run, in fact, might be quite a refreshing thing. We're saying that if he does run, we hope so because be truly believes it's in the best interest of the country rather than in the best interests of Oprah or the New York Times bestseller list. There is nothing wrong with a little feel-good style to encourage the electorate or motivate the citizenry into action. But reasoned policy ultimately rests with serious, accountable and substantive work. The Senator should be able to draw many lessons in good governance from the African American experience. Because we need a lot more in Washington than just a fresh face.

Obama or President in '08? Not So Certain About That ...

2006-10-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

Chicago Defender's Dennis Conrad on first term Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's (D) possible run for President in '08. Should he? Don't know - the timing just doesn't seem right given the immense fundraising power and political popularity of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), who is ahead in the polls. Yeah - it'd be great to have a first Black president (we all hope for that). Still, there are other factors: Obama may be attractive as a party celebrity, but what will his "reticence level" amongst White voters be at this stage when they're faced to choose him and a White Republican? Advice to Obama: don't get hyped into a run. Serve out a good, healthy first and second term then examine the possibility in '12 or '16. We think he'd be seasoned at that point, his fundraising abilities sharpened and his public appeal locked. Still, we believe he'd make a good choice for VP in '08 (something Clinton should seriously think about) - which is what he might be angling for instead. This is a smart way to do it:

In 364 pages that cover everything from race to Iraq and constitutional law, Obama said the hardest part for him to write was the book's final, 28-page chapter, "Family," because "that touches on what's most important to me."

And as star-struck supporters line up for hours at bookstores this week, many begging him to run in 2008, the book they wait for him to sign reveals how he and his wife have struggled with his rise in politics.

"What we have argued about - repeatedly - is how to balance work and family in a way that's equitable to Michelle and good for our children," he writes, adding that during his first congressional campaign she declared: "You only think about yourself. I never thought I would have to raise a family alone."

Black Panthers 40th Anniversary & Their "Conservatism"

2006-10-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

As polls, surveys and studies show a more independent-minded Black electorate, there is a brewing resurgence of Black conservatives who would like to point to this sudden political epiphany as some sort of mass conversion to conservatism. Baltimore Sun Columnist Gregory Kane joins that crew in his recent BlackAmericaWeb.com piece:

But on many of their core principles, the Panthers were the forerunners of today’s black conservatives.

We beg to differ on this, and not for the assumed reasons. It matters not if the Black Panthers were conservative or liberal - what matters most is whether they were effective. And: is the Black Panther model still relevant or useful today? Recent characterizations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and, now, the Black Panthers as conservatives only serve to undermine a community need to define its own political and ideological imperatives through its own lense. Why apply labels to causes and public figures if they themselves didn't even use it. Kane and others - on both sides of the aisle - are getting stuck in the ideological labels created and pushed by our White counterparts. Tread very carefully ...

The counter argument here is that Black people can't accept the "intrinsic" conservatism of the Black Panthers and Martin Luther King, Jr. because they are "misled" to believe that "conservatism" is a dirty word by Democrats, pop-culture and morally corrupt liberals. No - conservatism and liberalism are becoming dirty words because society is becoming increasingly disillusioned with the very negative and vicious partisan climate.

Religious White Voters in the Polls ...

2006-10-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

The creepy thing about the focus of this poll and a strategy heavily relied upon by Republicans is that its religious White people that have played a central role in justifying this 400 year old mess Black people found themselves in since slavery. Reports Frank Newport in USAToday's Gallup Guru:

Republicans have cultivated religious whites by promoting issues which strike a resonant chord with these voters. Many religious whites are genuinely concerned about erosion in morality and values which they tie to their Biblical faith. Republican efforts to oppose such issues as same sex marriage, abortion and embryonic stem cell research have fallen on sympathetic ears.

Nothing works as well in elections as emotions, and religiously based emotions are some of the most powerful of all. Convincing religious voters that a vote for Republicans means a vote for stemming the tide of secular humanism and the eroding moral and family values has been a highly effective technique for the GOP.

Of course, it's now perceived as uncivilized to openly encourage racism, but the code words are prevalent when GOP operatives imply that people of color and "their movements" or "their counter culture" are partly to blame for proliferating "secularism."

Hip Hop: "You The Love of My Life"

2006-10-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Lonnae O'Neal Parker's piece from Sunday's Washington Post is all the buzz in the hip hop world. Although it's a well written piece and absorbing to read, the argument is completely misguided and lacking in substance. Hence, it enters that already crowded hall of anti-hip hop apologists who preach that same tired sermon to the same applauding choir:

That my decision to end our love affair had come only after years of disappointment and punishing abuse. After I could no longer nod my head to the misogyny or keep time to the vapid materialism of another rap song. After I could no longer sacrifice my self-esteem or that of my two daughters on an altar of dope beats and tight rhymes.

No, darling, I'm not anti-hip-hop, I told her. And it's true, I still love hip-hop. It's just that our relationship has gotten very complicated.

The first problem here is simple: you can't stop kids from listening to hip hop - or any pop music for that matter. Especially budding teens who are bound to get their fix of Billboard hits and MTV pics from equally driven peers at a variety of settings: from school to the local mall to when adult supervision has to run an errand and leaves the latch-key kid home (or, in the case of many single-parent African American homes, has no choice but to work several hours beyond when the kids reach home thereby offering ample time to play video games, watch BET and engage in activities that parents hope kids are not engaged in).

The parents of today must realize that they were the kids of yesterday - and, yes, we found numerous creative ways to catch our daily doses of hip hop, including the hip hop our parents found objectionable.

An often overlooked technique is actually talking with the kids about it or investigating their perspective through educated discourse. There's a bit a intellectual laziness in assuming that you can simply resolve the problem by cutting the child off from a rather complex, creative and important global phenomenon as hip hop. Get their perspective on why this or that song is "hot." Then: introduce some flavor-filled alternatives to the dumb stuff. Give the kids some context.

The second problem here is assuming that all hip hop is defined by commercial radio. Again, the intellectual laziness returns because diatribes on the pop-culture maladies within hip hop are absent any serious examination of the totality of hip hop. Instead, it's a knee jerk reaction to objectionable content in songs rotated endlessly on a pop radio turntable. There is no look into the complete artistic realm of hip hop - what is on FM radio is actually a small, but well-marketed and heavily financed fraction of the world of hip hop. To suddenly paint all of hip hop as mindless, disrespectful and unseemly dribble is a slap in the face to the thousands of emcees (the corps of true poets, thinkers and lyricists) who break many a pencil on a pad to entertain droves of endearing connoiseurs of the art that is hip hop. Parker's column ignores that because she's immersed in what pop-culture is feeding her. They never get signed, never get promoted, nor will their tracks make it to a big city FM station dial. Instead, you find them on late night college radio segments, downloaded on mp3s from the underground depths of websites or battling each other verse-for-verse in smoke-filled clubs like their jazz forefathers from another time. There are a few who do "make it", but manage to keep it as real as the limitations of the record industry that puts food on their table will allow. But, they all get mad respect and love for what they create.

Political Awarenesson the Rise (?)

2006-10-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

Not certain what this will translate into come November 7th, but interesting how it coincides with a recent Indiana University study that shows comedy "fake news" spoofs like The Daily Show resonate more as substantive news programming:

Politics is a water-cooler topic, a dinner-table subject, an issue to discuss after Sunday services, and this year the interest of American voters is at its highest level in more than a decade.

That renewed attention could translate into higher voter turnout on Nov. 7, according to an Associated Press-Pew poll. Seventy percent say they are talking politics with family and friends, and 43 percent are debating the issues at work. Among churchgoers, 28 percent share their political views, a number that rises to 34 percent among the congregations in the South.

Genome-wide Study of Prostate Cancer in African Americans

2006-10-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Recent study worth studying places great weight on the need for the African American community - particularly Black males - to focus significantly on the impact of prostate cancer:

Researchers from 14 institutions across the country today announced the results of the first genome-wide linkage study of prostate cancer in African Americans. Using genetic markers, researchers identified several regions of the human genome that likely contain genes that, when altered, increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.

The study was conceived, implemented and executed primarily by African American investigators. Published in the journal, The Prostate, the AAHPC is a milestone in years of research designed to identify genetic risk factors for prostate cancer and to help determine if heredity plays a role in the disparity in prostate cancer rates seen among African American men. The African American Hereditary Prostate Cancer Study Network (AAHPC) recruited 77 African American extended families, which encompassed a total of 418 men with prostate cancer, to participate in this study. All of the families studied had at least four men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Using genetic markers, researchers were able to map several important regions of the human genome that likely contain genes that, when mutated, predispose these men to developing prostate cancer.

We're not certain how much this will shape policy on the issue, but it's an important step.

When George Curry Makes A Good Point ...

2006-10-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

George Curry, once famed Editor-in-Chief then rudely clowned face of the defunct Emerge Magazine, gets unpredictable with this well crafted piece:

The sight of grinning Black elected officials rushing to endorse a White Democrat is a familiar scene. What made this bum-rush so noteworthy was that after Mfume filed to fill an open Senate seat, the party went out and recruited Cardin to run against him. With limited resources and lacking the support of party bosses, Mfume still came within 9 percentage points of defeating Cardin. If he had won, Maryland’s Senate race would have featured two African-Americans, guaranteeing that one would be elected to office.

This is true considering it took many of these same Black elected officials over a year to finally endorse their former CBC colleague and former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume. By the time they did, it was too late.

Curry goes off, but may be representing the feeling of many African Americans gearing to vote for a new Senator in Maryland:

If we are truly tired of being taken for granted by one major party and just plain taken by the other, then it’s time to take a stand. Here’s my modest proposal for my fellow Black Marylanders – teach both parties a lesson by voting for the Black Republican, Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. On the issue of affirmative action, Michael Steele is no Clarence Thomas. I disagree with Steele on most public policy issues. He is a Republican in every sense of the word.

But like the voting in New Orleans, this is not about one person. It’s larger than that. This is about demanding respect. And I can think of no better way to get the attention of both parties than, in this one instance, voting Republican to make a point. Some party leaders may not be able to read and write but they can count. If we do this, everyone will have to do some different kind of figuring. Republicans will have an incentive to court the Black votes and Democrats will have to work in earnest to earn the respect of African-Americans.

The October Surprise that Is Not ...

2006-10-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

To us, the recent results of a Newsweek poll confirm this blog's steadfast conviction that Democrats will not take the House in November as media hype would have you believe:

Fifty-two percent of those surveyed in a Newsweek poll say they believe House Speaker Dennis Hastert was aware of the former Florida Rep. Foley's inappropriate messages to teenage House pages and tried to cover them up. Hastert has said he was not aware of Foley's inappropriate conduct until the story broke publicly late last month. Also, 42 percent say they trust Democrats to do a better job of handling moral values, while 36 percent say they trust Republicans more.

52 percent - albeit a majority of Americans - is modest, despite clear evidence suggesting a cover-up took place. Hastert should get gone; but, see, he's feeling comfortable with only a scratch above half of all Americans feeling he should resign. We go back to George Will's cogent piece in the Washington Post:

After the 1936 election, in which President Franklin Roosevelt shellacked the Republican nominee in all but two states, a humorist wrote: "If the outcome of this election hasn't taught you Republicans not to meddle in politics, I don't know what will." If, after the Foley episode -- a maraschino cherry atop the Democrats' delectable sundae of Republican miseries -- the Democrats cannot gain 13 seats, they should go into another line of work.

Will is on point here. At this stage, Democrats should be using this moment to solidify both base and message - we don't see either happening right now. 52 percent means that American voters probably feel overwhelmed with news on the Foley scandal; that media is saturating headlines with what many will attribute to simply "the usual business on the Hill" and not enough to punish GOP leadership for a serious lapse in judgment and institutional responsibility. Which is why Hastert and other rank-&-file Republicans are staying on message by blaming this latest debacle on soured Democrats digging for dirt. Too much scandal in the headlines can actually have the opposite effect of what was originally expected. Suddenly, the accused perpetrators become unknowing victims of mean-spirited partisan antics. Dems should probably cool down the resignation rhetoric and let chips fall where they may.

If both 2000 and 2004 Presidential races ended up pretty much neck-&-neck even after news about Bush's DUI charges, draft-dodging and questionable Air National Guard service surfaced, then what makes you think Democrats are in any kind of position to retake both chambers of Congress after Abramoff, Delay and Foley?

With the North Korea impasse now blazing the global headlines as the new crisis of the month (and Kim Jong Il begging for attention), "Foleygate" will take back stage to the real October surprise. Maybe we're just rampant cynics with nothing better to do than lament, but we remain skeptical of any Dem takeover in the House - perhaps the Senate. Yes, indeed, Dems should be putting out those resumes and mass resignations of the House Minority leadership should begin sometime after the last votes are counted on November 7th. You think it's bad now - Republicans will be off the chain once they figure voters will let them off the hook for pretty much any crime and breach of public trust. Maybe voter discontent and a healthy grassroots response from the body politic will prove this blog wrong in a month.

The Foley Scandal & The Party of Values

2006-10-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

Latest breaking and rather damaging news from Capitol Hill:

As the FBI investigation picked up steam, with agents contacting former pages across the country, there were new allegations that Foley's suspect behavior towards pages was no secret to the Speaker of the House and his top staff for at least three years.

Kirk Fordham, former chief of staff for Foley, told ABC News today that sometime in late 2003, he told the Speaker's chief of staff that Foley was getting too close to young male pages.

Fordham says the Speaker's aide, Scott Palmer, then met with Foley. Fordham also said the Speaker knew about the meeting.

Fordham says there had been a series of warnings from page supervisors that Foley was spending too much time with the pages in ways that were inappropriate and would not stop.

This is a "cute" way of saying that House leadership knew for quite some time that Foley was engaged in this sort of behavior. Oh - did we forget to mention that he was a fairly formidable GOP fundraiser, donating as much as $100,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee as early as July 2006.

Obviously, this was someone the House Republican leadership didn't want to get rid of.

Here's an Associated Press report about NRCC Chairman Rep. Thomas Reynolds (R-NY) role in all of this:

Reynolds said he alerted House Speaker Dennis Hastert about the issue in the spring, but at the time they had not seen the e-mails in question. Hastert said he doesn't remember talking about it with Reynolds, but he didn't dispute Reynolds' account.

Flanked by about 30 children of supporters and as many parents, Reynolds defended his actions at a press conference late Monday in Amherst.

The congressman said that like anyone who hears a complaint about a co-worker, he alerted his supervisor, in this case Hastert.

"I don't think I went wrong at all," said Reynolds. "I don't know what else I could have done. What's a good citizen to do?"

You could've been a lot louder about the situation and pressed a bit more. This goes way beyond a simple "complaint about a co-worker."

Swift resignations are warranted in this matter. Hypocrisy abound considering Republicans (especially the very ferocious ideologues on the House side) paint themselves as the "party of family values."

Nagin in the News - Small, Minority and Local-owned Business Mandate for N.O.

2006-10-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

We feel New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin on this:

From now on, companies that seek subsidies or tax waivers from New Orleans city agencies will be required to work with local and minority-owned businesses under an executive order signed by Mayor Ray Nagin last month.

The new requirement, which the Nagin administration characterized as an expansion of existing goals to advance disadvantaged businesses, is meant to ensure that small businesses will have opportunities to participate in the rebuilding of New Orleans, Nagin said Monday at a news conference at Baker Ready Mix, an African-American owned concrete company on Frenchmen Street.

"Any community in America that is thriving and growing has small businesses that are doing well," Nagin said.

Too bad the Bush Administration doesn't feel the same way.

King & Republicanism ...

2006-10-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

Earl Ofari Hutchinson muses about how Martin Luther King mused:

While King can never be considered a political conservative, the snippets of conservative thinking in his musings on the black family, economic uplift and religious values blend easily with the social conservatism of many blacks. In the decades after his murder, it has blended just as easily into the GOP’s prescription for black ills. And that evidently is more than enough for black Republicans to say that today he’d be a big player on the GOP team.

We supposed most a curious for a straight answer on whether he was actually a registered Republican or not, which is what is being asserted (or implied) lately. Was he - or was he not? And, if he was, does it really matter at this point? Do you feel us on this?

Fox & Clinton - Round II

2006-10-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

We went on a little blogging hiatus. Fingers needed stretching. So, the stuff below might seem a little old. Happy October ...

Fox News Sunday Host Chris Wallace made the curious move of re-hashing his memorable and very sharp-tongued interview with former President Bill Clinton on Sunday. Conventional wisdom has it that it became the flavor of the week, so naturally FNS focused on it. There was much more to it than that.

Not that we're defending anyone involved in this interview, but this blog is of the opinion that Wallace got clowned by Clinton. Most who viewed it in it's entirety got that. Wallace may not want to admit it, but his joke ended up joking him in the face - in fact, Clinton seemed to punk Wallace like a gesticulating football coach pounding the self-confidence out of a rookie water boy. That's our take - no need to go into the details. You can watch it for yourself at the FNS site because they can't seem to get past it ... or over it. We agree, though: it was great political drama.

Still, we think the greatest, most recent moment in Presidential folly was the recent NBC interview between Brian Williams and President Bush in which the Commander-in-Chief of the world's mightiest military machine desribed his reading list as "ec-e-lectic."

That's right. Not "eclectic" - he said "e-ce-lectic."

Our problem with all this revisionism is that it distracts us from some real issues - like: where is bin Laden and will he be found? Or: how exactly will this War on Global Terror end up? And: once again, why are we in Iraq?

Being caught up in Clinton's eruption may have turned into a rally cry for Democrats and a whining post for Republicans, but media talks less and less these days of how we ended up there in the first place. It seems generally accepted that this "liberation" was based on pretty solid "lies" ... ooops, excuse us before the Bush fundraisers, federal G-Men, right-wing talk show hosts and black helicopter posses shut us down (since that's what they've been doing more effectively than hunting down the most wanted man in the world) ... we mean "misrepresentation of the facts." The American public should simply accept this as a moment of bad governance and let bygones be bygones.

Last time we read the Constitution, it's not supposed to go like that.

N***a Moments Cont'd: At Least Webb is a Little Honest About It ...

2006-09-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

The media infatuation with political candidates and racial slurs continues as the VA Senate race seems void of any issues:

Democratic Senate candidate James Webb on Wednesday sought to explain remarks he had made a day earlier, in which he refused to say whether he had used the "N-word," but he insisted he has never used it as a racial epithet aimed at anyone.

"I don't think that there's anyone who grew up around the South that hasn't had the word pass through their lips at one time in their life," he told the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Tuesday. "If you read 'Fields of Fire,' that word and a lot of other words are in the book." "Fields of Fire" is a novel Webb wrote about the Vietnam War.

At least Webb is somewhat honest about it. We appreciate that to a degree. But, it'd be nice to find out about the platforms and the issues that really impact Virginians. In the end, the voters in that state risk losing out when the focus is on what these guys have said as opposed to what they have done or can do as elected officials. Definitely a bad year in leadership picks for the Commonwealth.

Stalling on Sudan

2006-09-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

Now we see why there was so much inaction in the Congress on the worsening situation in the Sudan. The Hill reports:

Business lobbyists scored a quiet win this week when lawmakers approved a long-stalled Sudan sanctions bill without language protecting states’ ability to force the sale of public holdings tied to the African dictatorship — but the legislative battle is far from over.

The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), which represents more than 300 multinational companies, had led the lobbying campaign against a section on state investments inserted during House consideration of the Sudan sanctions bill earlier this year. The bill passed Congress late Monday, as the Sudanese government continued to block a United Nations force aimed at halting mass killings in its Darfur region.

Nia Moments & Ma*a Moments

2006-09-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

Let's get real for a moment.

Check it - we've been watching, with peaked interest, the ugly public demise of incumbent Virginia Senator George Allen (R), once seen by many in his party as a serious Presidential contender for 2008. Just when he thought he recovered from that "Macaca Moment" (yeah, yeah - hahaha. Go ahead and keep laughing, 'cause we about to crack heads in a minute about this), here comes this roadside bomb from Salon.com:

Three former college football teammates of Sen. George Allen say that the Virginia Republican repeatedly used an inflammatory racial epithet and demonstrated racist attitudes toward blacks during the early 1970s. "Allen said he came to Virginia because he wanted to play football in a place where 'blacks knew their place,'" said Dr. Ken Shelton, a white radiologist in North Carolina who played tight end for the University of Virginia football team when Allen was quarterback. "He used the N-word on a regular basis back then."

Not certain how Allen can respond to this. He's now saying he can't "recall" using it. That's a safe way of saying "Yeah, I used it. Damn - I shouldn't have used it if I had known these n****s was gonna use it against me" And it gets even deeper with a Salon.com follow up today:

In a separate event, Larry Sabato, one of the most quoted political scientists in the country, appeared on MSNBC's "Hardball With Chris Matthews," where he claimed to know that Allen had used the racial epithet. "I'm simply going to stay with what I know is the case, and the fact is, he did use the N-word, whether he's denying it or not," said Sabato, who was Allen's classmate at the University of Virginia, where he now runs the Center for Politics. Sabato did not initially elaborate on the source of his knowledge. But when contacted by Salon Monday night, Sabato said the source was distinct from Taylor and Shelton, a North Carolina radiologist.

With the highly regarded Sabato in the mix, this will be hard to shake. Still, that says something about Sabato if he knew this all along, but didn't say anything - nor have we seen this in the Center for Politics' "Crystal Ball," which has been eyeing the VA Senate race closely, especially since it's centered at the state's flagship University. Funny how most White people don't snitch on the racial attitudes of their colleagues until they make a headline ...

Not to digress, but wonder how it would look if, say, Ford (D) in TN, or Steele (R) in MD, or Blackwell (R) in OH and Fleming (D) in MS each got spots blown for once using or still using the "N" word. Not to say that they do or have ... in the privacy of their homes or during those heated moments of rather colored exasperation. But, a lot of brothers still use it, some privately ... some very publicly on mass transit or in the local mall for all to hear. Some as a joke or ... "term of endearment;" some in the pit of anger. Some of us educated professionals use it; some of us not-so-educated (on paper) making-ends-meet relish it. A Black law professor might not write it in her book; but a battling hip hop emcee will use it to no end in a lyric. Come on - we know we do it. Collectively, we're not proud of it. But, it's certainly become a stalwart expression in our cultural identity. But, the bottom line is that you won't find a headline like Salon.com's on one of the Black people above - or some high profile others we're not going to mention since we really like writing this blog and aren't about to have it shut down. Besides, that's what shows like HBO's The Wire are for. You see where we're going with this ... yeah - that's another discussion.

Back to VA. Words define the VA Senate race. This now very racially-charged race - between two very White contenders - is shaped by the racially/religiously/ethnically-charged past (and present) of the incumbent. How does this play out? First: Democratic challenger (and former Republican Navy Secretary to President Ronald Reagan) James Webb remains to be one of the most stoic, reserved and unpassionate political candidates we've seen in quite some time. He's as stone-faced as Jackson is Stonewall. So, Democratic operatives (or a rather liberal Salon.com) got to find a way to keep Democratic chances in this sudden battleground state alive and churning. The ever struggling Salon.com (a survivor of the Internet boom) must also find a way to pay its bills by putting out some sensationlistic headline that catches readers that, ultimately, translates into advertising revenue.

Hence, Allen's N***a Moment.

We're wondering how the African American electorate might react to this, of course. And, will the senior African American State Senator Benny Lambert (D), jumping party ship to endorse Allen for his support of Black colleges & universities in Virginia (which translated into federal dollars), suddenly rescind that endorsement? We expect him to at least re-evaluate it. The endorsement seemed strategically smart at the moment it happened, since Allen & Webb's poll numbers are neck and neck, signalling a possible Webb loss. If that happened, at least a segment of the Black political establishment in Virginia could leverage a relationship with Allen, regardless of how he felt about them. In the end, he'd owe them some political favors. But, now?

This latest revelation might not be all that bad for Allen, who should expect his numbers to remain solid in the mostly White and very "redneck" Southern and Southwestern parts of the state. Anxious that he might lose support from that demographic after his Jewish ancestry was leaked, he can at least point to this as a show of Confederate solidarity(lol).

But, the fact of the matter is that most White people have those moments. And not just conservatives either. Yeah, we've come a long way since We Shall Overcome, but that's just because most don't do it out in the open as much as they use to. It's not fashionable to do so anymore. Ideological leanings and partisan affiliations do not make you immune to this contagion. For some, it's as clearly voiced as an anti-war protester mooning the White House. For others, they quietly think "n***az" to themselves when interacting with Black folks they don't like simply because they fit the profile of what they think (or have been raised) to believe what or who Black is. For some, they are more than happy to spill it when spitting mounds of chewing tobacco out the window of their rifle-racked pick-up truck. For others, they claim compassion in their views, yet they daily oppress brothers and sisters in the workplace, passing us over for promotions, relegating us to glorified grunt work, and tripping us up at every moment in a continuing effort to prove that we are, indeed, inferior. For some, they beat us with a nightstick when they think no one is watching or gun us down for mistakenly believing we had a firearm; for others, they stop us on the side of a road and issue erroneous citations after illegal searches.

You know who you are.

Which brings us to the enthusiastic looseness with which commentators, pundits and election year hacks refer to these moments. We watch closely as the talking heads, week after week, continue to gleefully reference "The Ma***a Moment" as if the word was never a derogatory term in the first place. As if it was something as trivial as Clinton's "Monica Moment" - hey, this sounds funny, dude. Let's call it a Ma***a Moment. Like it's some corny television commercial or one of countless billboard ads you might find along the highway. As if it's comical that millions of people were subjected to racist colonial tyranny through the use of this word and so many creative others like it. So, what do we do with Allen's new moment? Do we wake up every Sunday or every episode of Hardball and hear about his "Ni***r Moment"? Which makes us wonder: do you report on this because it's news or do you report on it because it satisfies some deep seated urge to let us know our place?

In Response to "Democracy Project" blog ...

2006-09-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

In response to Mithcell Langbert's blog titled "Iraq & The Terror Threat," dated 9.23.06:

"For example, we did not invade Iraq after the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, and that was followed by the attack on the Cole in 2000. We did not invade Iraq after the bombing of the Cole in 2000, and that was followed by September 11, 2001."

You may have inadvertently omitted the U.S. Embassy bombing in Nairobi, Kenya in 1998 that killed 257 people and the car bomb explosion at the United States embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. These two explosions also resulted in the wounding of 4,000 people. In addition, we shouldn't forget the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia.

It was the 1998 Kenya bombing that attracted serious international attention to bin Laden for the first time and put him on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List.

D.J. McGuire, China e-Lobby, on ASCENT Perspectives ...

2006-09-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Fascinating discussion with China e-Lobby co-Founder D.J. McGuire on the growing (and disturbing) influence of Communist China in the African Diaspora. The entire interview at ASCENT Perspectives, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

DNC African American Leadership Summit in Motor City this weekend ...

2006-09-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

We're not certain how critical this summit of leading African American Democrats in Detroit over the weekend will be after it's all said and done. It could very well turn out as old wine in a new bottle, with regurgitated strategies highlighting nothing more than the usual voter mobilization efforts.

The rhetoric from both major parties struggling to court the Black vote is rather stale and predictable. On one end, we have Democrats trying to find a way to re-energize a traditionally loyal demographic that is showing signs of becoming fiercely independent. On the other end, we have Republicans seeking to steer some of those independent votes to their statewide Black candidates in PA, MD and OH (we believe they have a chance in 1 out of three of these states). Somewhere on the margins we find a maturing Green Party movement promoting an interesting slate of African American candidates in key local, state and federal races.

What would be rather forward-thinking and innovative is if Black Democrats, Black Republicans and, even, Black Greens and others were able to sit in the same room and devise a way to translate this newfound partisan interest in the Black vote into something truly empowering, collective and tangible for the greater African Amerian community. We think the smart strategy is to identify candidates, platforms, agendas and plans based on their merits and potential for community advancement rather than the party affiliation. That sort of agenda seems unattainable at the moment as the parties have us divided (and conquered) into competing camps.

Cory Maye Death Sentence Thrown Out ...

2006-09-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

To this blog's knowledge, we seem to be the only African American news outlet that has closely followed the egregious miscarriage of justice that occurred in Marion County, Mississippi, where now 25-year old Cory Maye was - by all accounts - wrongly sentenced to death for what appeared to be the accidental and fatal shooting of a White Prentiss police officer who stormed into Maye's duplex apartment on the evening of December 26, 2001. We've blogged about it (when everybody else seemed focus on freeing an admitted founder and leader of a notorious West Coast gang) and Blackpolicy.org interviewed Radley Balko on a few occasions, the Cato analyst who first broke this story on his Agitator blog. It wasn't until Balko broke the story with copious research that Maye was finally able to get competent pro-bono legal representation after his first lawyer, Rhonda Cooper, dismally failed him after being reportedly "tired."

Maye - unaware until after the shooting that a police raid was taking place - was watching his 18-month old daughter and, in an immediate act of self-defense, fatally shot Ron Jones, who happened to be the son of the Prentiss police chief. Evidence later found that Prentiss police has actually raided the wrong apartment and that Maye did, indeed, act in self-defense of himself and his infant daughter. Still, he was sentenced to death by a jury of 10 Whites and 2 Blacks.

Balko's persistence and the first rate representation by counsel from law firm powerhouses such as Covington & Burling have now led to Maye's death sentence being thrown out and a new hearing being considerend. This is a major and promising development in that case. Albeit Jones' death was unfortunate and regrettable, blatant miscarriages of jurisprudence such as this can not and should not be tolerated.

A Note of Caution to Black Republicans

2006-09-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

A recent radio ad by the National Black Republican Association airing in Maryland has quite a few (listen here) people visibly upset:

Pam: Dr. King was a real man. Tina: You know . . he was a Republican. Pam: Dr. King, a Republican? Really? Tina: Democrats passed those Black Codes and Jim Crow laws. Democrats started the Ku Klux Klan. Pam: The Klan . . . White hoods and sheets?! Tina: Democrats fought ALL Civil Rights Legislation from the 1860’s to the 1960’s. Democrats released those vicious dogs and fire hoses on blacks. Pam: Seriously! Tina: And the Dixiecrats? Remained Democrats and vowed to vote for a yellow dog, before a Republican. Republicans freed us from slavery and put our right to vote in the Constitution. Pam: What? Tina: Republicans started the NAACP, affirmative action and the HBCU’s.

OK - when looking at the facts, as shocking and difficult to accept as it may be, African Americans were overwhelmingly Republican up until the Great Depression, when a rather dramatic and massive switch took place. It's difficult to dispute that fact - and many other unsavory facts about the Democratic party. Why should we even try - simply put: it's all history.

The real question here is if it really matters in the modern political scheme of things. Both parties are carrying a pretty heavy load of disturbing baggage, so it's hard to point fingers at one in an effort to absolve the other of any wrongdoing. Bottom line is that both parties are dominated and owned by White folks who could care less where Black folks end up so long as they get a few "colored" votes to get a few of their prized candidates over the top.

A note of caution still to Black Republicans. We understand you're feeling a bit hype over these high profile Black GOP candidates who've been nominated in some major battleground state races. And, you're really hype over Lt. Gov. Michael Steele's prospects at winning the Senate in Maryland - yeah, we know all about that. He's got a good shot at it. But, when you start running noxious advertisements that can potentially offend the sensibilities of a ... well ... sensitive Black electorate, you could end up potentially destroying those chances. Blowing up Steele's Republican spot is not the way to campaign - and there's a long history of foul-mouthed Black GOP activists losing the masses in misguided rhetoric.

This ad, and the zealous partisanship of Black Republicans campaigning their cause in Maryland, could seriously damage the chances of a Black GOP nominee that is trying hard to distance himself from the GOP. Still, being a Republican was his choice ...

Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton) on Black Political Clout in Cali

2006-09-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally talks with Blackpolicy.org about growing African American political clout in California, his relationship with Gov. Schwarzenegger and the new "Super Minority" Caucus. All on ASCENT Perspectives, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

Sen. Verna Jones (D-Baltimore) on Blackpolicy.org

2006-09-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

State Senator and MD Black Legislative Caucus Chair Verna Jones (D-Baltimore, 44th) talks to Blackpolicy.org about recent problems with Marylands e-voting machines. Catch the interview in its entirety at ASCENT Perspectives, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

Serious Growing Pains with E-Voting Machines ...

2006-09-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Washington Examiner holds no punches on electronic voting machines in this latest editorial on the Maryland primary debacle last week. To date, ballots are still being counted in the MD CD-4 race between incumbent Rep. Albert Wynn (D) and activist challenger Donna Edwards who refuses to concede:

Maryland’s electronic voting machines are even worse than we thought. The Diebold AccuVote-TS that a Princeton team led by computer scientist Edward Felten obtained in May from an “undisclosed location” actually came from Maryland, The Examiner has learned. Felten’s team found it “vulnerable to extremely serious attacks” — including the spread of an undetectable computer virus via infected memory cards that could potentially change election data throughout the entire state.

Here is where it gets politically murky for Democrats in the state, who are hoping this election cycle will redeem them of mistakes made in 2002 when MD got its first GOP Governor in 36 years:

Blame this fiasco on “human error,” specifically that of Maryland elections administrator Linda Lamone — first appointed by former Gov. Parris Glendening and practically given life tenure by the Democratic-controlled state legislature in 2002 when Gov. Robert Erlich was elected as Maryland’s first Republican governor in 30 years. Lamone has known about these and other serious problems for at least three years.

But Lamone, who can only be removed by an 80 percent supermajority vote of the full elections board, deliberately chose to ignore clear warnings from academics and computer experts. Equally to blame is the Maryland Senate, which earlier this year killed a bill passed unanimously by the House of Delegates to require a paper trail for all elections.

Ehrlich, right now, is looking fairly pro-active on this issue by calling for paper ballots and favoring a total scrap of the electronic system. Maryland Democrats - in charge of the elections system and the state legislature - seem befuddled at the moment and fingers could ultimately point to them as culprits. It's Florida Part Deux in reverse.

On Iran ...

2006-09-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

This blog's assessment of the situation with Iran is not as ... upbeat as the Washington Post:

Slowly but surely, the White House has muddied what were once clear lines in pursuit of diplomacy. As recently as a month ago, the administration firmly demanded that Iran must first suspend its nuclear activities before the United States would join negotiations on the nuclear programs, but now U.S. officials have quietly acquiesced in a European-led effort to find a face-saving way for the talks to begin.

Everything will hinder on where the political winds blow in November. If American voters take the lower-gas-price bait and feel no one else can protect them from decapitating "Islamic fascists" and the insanity of Chavez/Castro/Ahmadinejad, then Republicans will maintain the power needed to bolster support for the Administration. Which is why the recent circus at the U.N. politically plays into Bush Administration election year strategies. The Administration, emboldened by mid-term wins, will assume that signals support for another war - with Iran. We would not be surprised if military actions against Iran were to follow if Republicans maintain control of Congress.

The U.N. Gets an Emmy ...

2006-09-20T17:34:00.000-07:00

This was the most entertaining U.N. General Assembly in a long time. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez clowned an American President, adding more drama to this growing stand-off between the U.S. and the "Non-Aligned Movement." The tension definitely accentuates a classic battle between White Male dominated Western supremacy and Countries "of Color" dominated by increasingly defiant "Brothers" of the "Global South."

The Week in Gas ...

2006-09-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Everybody is hyped over the obvious decrease in prices at the pump. It's so dramatic, it makes many want to scrap that half-mile walk to the grocery store (which is what we all need, anyway) and opt to burn noxious fumes into precious air. On this point, we tend to agree with blogger Andrew Sullivan quoted here in ABC News:

Writing in April on record-level gas prices, Sullivan called them "one of the best things to happen in the long time." Taxes, he hoped, could raise them further still, because "only higher oil prices will actually jump-start the new, greener technologies we all say we want (and our planet desperately needs)."

But, that argument can come off a bit too middle-class considering the millions of Americans forced to make choices between food on the table and a few dollars in the gas tank to make that drive to a low paying gig that barely meets rent.

That all said, we watch closely the correlation between these drastic reductions at the pump and fluctuations in the political polls. Interesting how suddenly the Bush Administration's poll numbers rise a few percentage points as the prices go down. Congressional races seem to tighten, too, as trends are starting to favor Republicans. A sign, maybe, of an uninformed electorate convinced that Bush and the GOP have somehow found the magic energy crisis antidote? That's a curious thought considering gas prices traditionally fall after the summer anyway ...

For the record, this blog has been skeptical all along of the headline assumption that Democrats would sweep back into power come November. We were saying that for quite some time while everybody else ate the hype. Suddenly, the pundits - as early as this Sunday - are talking "trends favoring Republicans." Somewhere along the line, the Administration machine would find a way to distract voters from bread-on-the-table issues and put a terrifying spotlight back on "enemies of the state." Lower gas prices bring that strategy full circle. Perfect timing. The madness continues.

Brother Heru on ASCENT Legacy

2006-09-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Blackpolicy.org talks to spoken-word artist Heru about Black people, politics, spirituality and empowerment. Hear him perform his latest pieces on ASCENT Legacy, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in the U.S.

2006-09-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

We urge all our faithful readers (and listeners) to read the attached report by Cato Institute Policy Analyst Radley Balko (a past guest on Blackpolicy.org radio) about the disturbing rise of police raids in the U.S. that use paramilitary tactics, gear and weapons. Warning: this is some truly depressing material:

Americans have long maintained that a man’s home is his castle and that he has the right to defend it from unlawful intruders. Unfortunately, that right may be disappearing. Over the last 25 years, America has seen a disturbing militarization of its civilian law enforcement, along with a dramatic and unsettling rise in the use of paramilitary police units (most commonly called Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT) for routine police work. The most common use of SWAT teams today is to serve narcotics warrants, usually with forced, unannounced entry into the home.

Balko should be joining us next week on ASCENT Perspectives to discuss this piece.

Update on Mumia Abu-Jamal

2006-09-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

Of course, we'd be surprised to find this on Philly.com. One reason Mumia's case is dragging on for so long: conventional wisdom in the City of Brotherly Love has it that if Mumia - somewhat of a street legend in Ill-Town - is executed, the city will have to reckon with serious social unrest that could make the L.A. riots look peaceful. Reports IndyBay.org:

Pam Africa and other supporters has written up their own City Council Resolution to counter the previous one condemning French support for Mumia and are going to present it at Philadelphia City Hall for the City Council opening session first thing in the morning this Thursday, September 14. Africa emphatically urges people to arrive that morning to show support for the new resolution.

Corey Booker Making Tough Calls in Newark

2006-09-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Now we understand why the Newark Mayor's race was so tight for so long. The newly-elected Mayor Booker (D), fresh from a historic win due to former Mayor Sharpe James' (D) sudden retirement, is calling for some drastic budget-cutting measures that won't go over to well with the city's entrenched workers. Newark Star-Ledger reports a fresh new day and age in the city known as Jersey's armpit:

Up to 20 percent of Newark's municipal work force could be laid off due to a "savage structural deficit" in the city's budget, Mayor Cory Booker said.

"There are going to have to be major personnel reductions," Booker said yesterday after a 9/11 memorial service. "We are reviewing every way to recoup money and stop waste. At the end of the day, we have to spend less money, and that's personnel."

Black Politicians Representing Diverse Districts

2006-09-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

Interesting BlackPressUSA.com article from several days ago. This reflects a growing trend towards serious maturity for the African American body politic - there are pros and cons:

While some view that trend as progress, others worry that the Black community may lose clout in the process.“As districts begin to reflect a broader, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic orientation, the leadership, in order to get elected, begins to reflect both political realities. And there are consequences, “ says U. S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.). “The consequences include less emphasis on programs that directly or proportionately affect African-Americans. We start talking about programs that affect all Americans. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad idea because it requires leadership to talk about issues that reflect all Americans. But Black folk have got some real needs out here that need to be addressed.”

Rochelle Olson, Minn. Star Tribune, on Blackpolicy.org ...

2006-09-14T09:40:00.001-07:00

Blackpolicy.org talks to Rochelle Olson, Reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, about Keith Ellison's (D) primary win in Minnesota Congressional District 5. Here about Ellison's road to the Hill at ASCENT Perspectives, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

Rochelle Olson, Minn. Star Tribune, on Blackpolicy.org ...

2006-09-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Baltimore Sun's Gregory Kane gets Raw ...

2006-09-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting piece in today's BlackAmericaWeb.com that everyone should take a peep at. Desperate times call for desperate measures in Kane's view, who is no stranger to controversial commentary:

That woman from Southeast D.C. and other law-abiding black folks should channel into that history of Williams and the Deacons. They should join the NRA, buy some weapons and then announce to city officials that they’re prepared to defend themselves against criminals.

It's hard to argue with Kane on this point given the continuous and deterioriating situation in major urban centers. However, the point missed here is prevention and the community's ability to preempt rising crime through internal social, cultural, familial, educational and economic mechanisms. Effective parenting, basic financial literacy and fixing broken windows can be a lot more useful than a last-resort call-to-arms. We need to be a bit more creative.

Groff & Ellison post-primary analysis on ASCENT Chamber

2006-09-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Blackpolicy.org's Groff & Ellison give their take on primary results in D.C., MD, MN and NY. Check out the discussion in its entirety on ASCENT Chamber, part of the Blackpolicy.org audioblog network.

Voting Shouldn't Be Rocket Science

2006-09-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

We're catching this action unfolding in the primary races taking place in Maryland, and we're not digging it - especially considering the number of African American candidates in major races in that state. Washington Post reports:

Early morning voters were forced to cast provisional, hand-written ballots at Montgomery County's 238 polling places, while election staffers scrambled to delivered the forgotten voting cards as quickly as possible. Several precincts ran out of the paper ballots, and workers from at least one precinct went to a copy shop to make more. Some poll workers, according to witnesses, did not know the provincial ballots were an option and told voters to try again later in the day.

According to reports, it apparently gets messier than that.

The predictable lack of outrage from the larger body politic will keep this blog awake for the coming weeks into November. Some say it's disorganization. Others will say incompetence. Many will, unfortunately, wake up the next morning and forget it happened or feel that "it doesn't matter anyway." We see it as a dress rehearsal for something a lot more sinister.

The one function of democratic government that should be the most efficient and consistently perfect function is the function to vote. It's becoming increasingly apparent and disturbing that a vast number of elections administrators, poll workers, precinct judges and others charged to manage our most fundamental right do not take this function seriously.

Race Games in Ohio ...

2006-09-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

Cincinnati Enquirer Reports:

Democrats have accused the Republican candidate for state auditor of conducting a poll with a racially motivated question intended to point out that her opponent is black. The telephone poll on behalf of Republican state Rep. Mary Taylor asks a series of questions about the voting record of Democratic state Rep. Barbara Sykes of Akron. Another question asks voters for their opinion of Sykes being president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.

Shady politics? You be the judge:

"Our candidates would not engage and have not engaged in race-baiting, and it is disingenuous for Democrats to suggest otherwise," said party spokesman John McClelland, who pointed out that the GOP's candidate for governor, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, is black.

It will be interesting to see just how many White Republicans vote for Blackwell after pointing out how Black he is.

Black Women & Abortion ...

2006-08-31T08:29:00.000-07:00

Conservatives have been struggling for some time, particularly during the '06 mid-term, to find a wedge issue specifically targeting the African American electorate. The gay marriage fracas in the 2004 Presidential election seemed to hold some weight amongst church-going African Americans; and polling showed school vouchers doing the same. That doesn't mean Blacks are going Republican, it just means that many of us are socially conservative at home (although we don't show it at the polls). The latest issue is abortions in the Black community, the argument being that liberal support of abortions is killing a whole generation of Black babies. The final analysis: why are you Black people loyal to a political party that kills you? It's a bit of a macabre argument ...

Colorado Media Matters is dilligent enough to make us aware of recent remarks from Colorado GOP Gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez:

On KCFR's Colorado Matters, host Ryan Warner let stand Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez's citation of the false statistic that "as high as 70 percent, maybe even more," of pregnancies among African-American women end in abortion.

CMM goes further to set the record straight with data:

In fact, according to the latest figures from the November 2005 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a publication of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among states in which abortion rates by race were adequately reported, the 2002 "abortion ratio for black women" was "495 per 1,000 live births." In other words, roughly 33 percent of pregnancies among African-American women that do not end in miscarriages or stillbirths -- less than half of what Beauprez claimed -- end in "legal induced abortions."

Still, what we find interesting is that CMM didn't cut even further to the chase by simply citing data from that same report on White women. We'll do it for them:

In the 37 reporting areas for which race was provided classified according to the same categories used in previous years, approximately 54% of women who obtained legal induced abortions were known to be white, 36% black, and 8% other; for 3%, race was not known (Table 9). The abortion ratio for black women (495 per 1,000 live births) was 3.0 times the ratio for white women (164 per 1,000), and the ratio for women of the nonhomogeneous "other" race category (357 per 1,000) was 2.2 times the ratio for white women. The abortion rate for black women (29 per 1,000 women) was 3.0 times the rate for white women (10 per 1,000), whereas the abortion rate for women of other races (20 per 1,000 women) was 2.1 times the rate for white women.

We cite this information because we sense an implicit statement promoted more directly by Beauprez and more subtly by CMM: if abortion were a psychological barometer of cultural attitudes towards children, then numbers show that Black women don't care about their kids. Since we're on the subject of Black women and abortions, why not talk about everybody else and their abortion habits?

Matthew Mosk on Maryland Senate Race

2006-08-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Matthew Mosk from the Washington Post discusses the Maryland Senate race with Blackpolicy.org. Listen to the full interview in its entirety at ASCENT Perspectives, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

Deon Roberts in New Orleans on Katrina Recovery .... (Part I & II)

2006-08-31T05:47:00.000-07:00

Blackpolicy.org talks to Deon Roberts, Reporter with New Orleans City Business on the state of recovery efforts a year after Katrina. Listen to the interview in two parts at ASCENT Perspectives, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network

Ellison & D.L. Chandler on Hip Hop No Show & '06 Elections, Powell in NYC and Maryland

2006-08-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

Blackpolicy.org Senior Producer Charles Ellison and Senior Contributing Editor D.L. Chandler give it straight no chaser about Hip Hop, the '06 Elections, and that Maryland Senate race on ASCENT Chamber, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

Dr. Leonard Moore, LSU, on Katrina, Nagin and Black Political Power

2006-08-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Listen to Louisiana State University Professor Leonard Moore's controversial take on New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin at ASCENT Perspectives, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

Mayor Daley: Where the Black Contractors At?

2006-08-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

Chi-town Mayor Daley knows what's up:

Mayor Daley said Tuesday that "no one is satisfied" with the 9 percent share of city contracts going to African-American construction firms, but the only way to increase that number is to encourage more blacks to become general contractors.

Sudden focus on Black businesses when faced with likely Mayoral contest against Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL). Heated race - with racial overtones all over the Chicago landscape - about to happen. Still, Jackson, Jr.'s dad - from what we hear - isn't the most popular cat in Black Chicago. We're interested in seeing how son can navigate through father's past.

Deborah Simmons, Washington Times, on ASCENT Perspectives ...

2006-08-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Blackpolicy.org's Peter Groff talks with Washington Times Deputy Editorial Page Editor Deborah Simmons about Katrina One Year Later, the Maryland Senate race and the Battle for D.C. Mayor on ASCENT Perspectives.

Groff & Ellison on ASCENT Chamber

2006-08-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

Listen to Blackpolicy.org's Senior Publisher Peter Groff & Senior Producer Charles Ellison discuss the political dynamics of the Hurricane Katrina anniversary on ASCENT Chamber.

Aimee Allison (G-Oakland) on Blackpolicy.org

2006-08-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Blackpolicy.org Senior Producer Charles Ellison talks with Oakland City Council District 2 candidate Aimee Allison on her upcoming November run-off, being a Black Green Party Candidate and the state of Oakland on ASCENT Perspectives.

Voila! Voting Made Easy

2006-08-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

This NY Times piece by Sewell Chan is a glimpse into the voting future, a real fingernail biting view of what's in store for democracy's next generation:

The direct-recording electronic system is not inherently flawed, the report found, but when it is combined with full-face ballots, there seems to be more difficulty, particularly in areas with more black, Hispanic and low-income voters.

Such voters, according to the report, would find it easier to use digital machines that allow voters to make one choice and then flip to the next page, which is similar to what customers do at A.T.M.’s and airport check-in kiosks that dispense boarding passes. But the full-face requirement precludes the use of such machines.

Obviously, the "digital divide" rears its ugly head once again. But, it's not as simple as that. First: one can argue that the implication here is that people of color are too stupid to figure out basic technology; it's not like electronic voting machines are high end. The problem with the "digital divide" debate is that it fails to make distinctions between accessability and level of aptitude. Since there are more African Americans (particularly between the ages of 18-25) playing videogames and watching TV (which is becoming mostly HDTV and representing a platter of multimedia offerings) as compared to their White and Latino counterparts, this blog won't be so quick to underestimate the ability of African Americans to use electronic voting machines. What about poor White communities for that matter? Or, whenever we talk about low-income, the assumption is that it automatically corresponds with someone Black or Brown.

The problem with the discourse on electronic voting technology is the focus on user-friendliness rather on a more significant issue: accessability. While focused on the fundamentals of push-button voting booths, we may be ignoring the trend to limit the number of polling locations, a move that greatly diminishes access to the voting machine. Why trip on the voting technology if most of us can't get to it?

However, the Brennan Center study makes a cogent, empirically-driven case. Which is why opponents of electronic voting, particularly in the African American political establishment, are going to have to go way beyond simplistic voter registration drives and launch the mammoth task of a more comprehensive voter & civics education movement. The reality is that electronic voting technology won't be going anywhere anytime soon - in fact, it's the standard. The real issue, in terms of the technology, is ensuring it's secure enough to tabulate fair results without interference from hacking. But, think about it: did we need e-voting machines to make that point in the first place? It's old wine in a new bottle ...

The Difference Between the Christian Science Monitor & Blackpolicy.org

2006-08-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

The attached piece is pretty old news, but we had to post it to make a point: What's the difference between a predominantly White-owned mainstream publication covering the 2006 Black political landscape for the very first time and an African American think tank that's been on top of the story since before anyone noticed?

Chad Dion Lassiter on Blackpolicy.org

2006-08-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

Chad Dion Lassiter, President of Black Men at Penn, talks about challenges faced by African American men, Violence in Philly and solutions on ASCENT Voices, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

"Cousin" Rev. Jeff Johnson on Blackpolicy.org ...

2006-08-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

Blackpolicy.org Senior Producer Charles Ellison interviews Rev. Jeff Johnson, CEO of Truth is Power and also known as "Cousin Jeff" from BET's "Rap City," on his recent endorsement of Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell's bid for Ohio Governor. Catch the interview in its entirety at ASCENT Perspectives, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

Joh McWhorter on Andrew Young ...

2006-08-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

We agree with McWhorter here, responding to criticism of former U.N. Ambassador, Atlanta mayor and civil rights icon Andrew Young's comments about Jewish and Arab corner store owners:

But Young is hardly unreflective. He was addressing a real problem: Too many poor blacks have easy access only to corner stores where merchandise is, in fact, stale, bad and wilted. In the small, all-black New Jersey town of Lawnside where I spent part of my childhood, a few such stores still remained, and I will never forget buying a bag of potato chips with an expiration date of 1978 -- in 1983! The shopkeeper in this case was black, however, and Young mentioned in the interview that black shopkeepers have charged their communities high prices as well.

Albeit it came off as his opportunity to take aim at something "Black" or "Black-owned." We sometimes, really, can not understand what McWhorter wants because there is a lot a contradiction. But, the problem of corner stores in poor or working class African American neighborhoods has long been a serious problem - and not just because of "stale" merchandise. It's a public health and mental health problem, as well: many Black kids don't know any geography beyond the corner store and too many Black families compromise their health on corner store diets.

McWhorter, putting much thought into this, writes on:

Allen's faux pas is but the latest case of people being damned for uttering racial epithets that few people even regard as such. In recent months, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and White House press secretary Tony Snow have used the term "tar baby" to refer to sticky situations, only to be assailed for employing what is presumably a slur against black people. Yet I'd wager that not even one in 1,000 Americans is aware that tar baby has historically been a racially tinged insult.

First: comparing Young's comments to those of Snow, Romney and Allen may be a stretch. Second: Americans should be aware that references like "tar baby" are in poor taste and considered historically racial. It may not have been employed as a slur against Black people, but letting major public officials off the hook for saying it encourages further ignorance. McWhorter typically campaigns to preserve the art of conversation, but then prefers ignorance with the point above. Which one is it?

That Hissing Sound Called the Housing Bubble ...

2006-08-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

An extremely interesting piece in the Washington Post by Michael Grunwald titled "The Housing Crisis Goes Suburban" about that nasty housing bubble no one wants to say is about to burst. Of course, it's not a crisis until it impacts the suburbs - we don't want to talk about affordable housing shortages in low income urban neighborhoods (which were happening long before the housing boom). All good things come to pass ... and that includes inflated housing prices that just about pushed a good number of hard working cats out of their "American" dream for a number of reasons. Because of over-zealous speculators, ignorant politicians and inept zoning boards. But, let's get real: it's really about our voracious social appetite for excess. Americans want everything big - big car (SUV), big house, big bank account, big serving of food and fly clothing to go along with it. And we want what everybody else has at any cost. That's why so many of us opt to live above our means in overpriced homes on limited budgets - to keep up with the Jones, episodes of MTV's Cribs and an Oprah lifestyle. Writes Grunwald:

Homeownership is near an all-time high, but the gap is growing between the Owns and the Own-Nots -- as well as the Owns and the Own-80-Miles-From-Works. One-third of Americans now spend at least.

30 percent of their income on housing, the federal definition of an "unaffordable" burden, and half the working poor spend at least 50 percent of their income on rent, a "critical" burden. The real estate boom of the past decade has produced windfalls for Americans who owned before it began, but affordable housing is now a serious problem for more low- and moderate-income Americans than taxes, Social Security or gas prices.

Yet nobody in national politics is doing anything about it -- or even talking about it.

Charles Ellison on Voter ID Laws ...

2006-08-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Blackpolicy.org Senior Producer and CAAP Senior Fellow Charles Ellison talks about the proliferation of Voter ID laws. That and more at ASCENT Brainstorm, part of the Blackpolicy.org AudioBlog Network.

Arnold Kling, Ph.D. of Cato Institute on Blackpolicy.org Audioblog

2006-08-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

Blackpolicy.org Senior Producer Charles Ellison interviews Cato Institute scholar Arnold Kling, Ph.D., also an Adjunct Professor of Economics at George Mason University, to discuss his latest book Crisis of Abundance: Rethinking How We Pay for Health Care. The full interview in three parts on ASCENT Perpsectives, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

The Black Vote in Maryland & Party Politics ...

2006-08-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

In a move that's making ripples across the political talk circuit, Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons publicly endorsed Maryland Republican U.S. Senate candidate Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. What's the big deal? Well, Steele is a Black Republican and Simmons (also Black) has a reputation for supporting "progressive" and Democratic party causes. Observes Donna Brazile in the attached Washington Times piece:

"This is a major endorsement for Lieutenant Governor Steele that will help him attract young people, as well as black voters," Ms. Brazile said. "Once again, this should serve as a wake-up call to Democrats not to take their most loyal constituents and voters for granted."

First Jeff Johnson for Ken Blackwell in Ohio, now Simmons and RadioOne founder Cathy Hughes for Steele in Maryland (We haven't heard of Pennsylvania Gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann (R) having that kind of luck). These are powerful endorsements, the extent of which should be of great concern to Democrats.

However, this is about more than just sudden shifts in party allegiances. We caution against framing this conversation within "party talk" which is to simply talk about Black votes as though they are only pawns being pushed around on a partisan chess board. No, that's not the case. The African American electorate is maturing and becoming much more sophisticated and independent. This is an essential change - yet, one that requires constant oversight lest the poorer and dispossessed in the community fall further behind. We suspect Steele, known as a consummate deal-maker in the Maryland business community, is making backdoor promises to both Simmons and Hughes (Simmons needing to diversify as commercial hip hop gets stale & Hughes getting innovative as RadioOne loses serious revenue in the wake of satellite radio & mp3s).

Congressman Rangel on Blackpolicy.org

2006-08-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

Blackpolicy.org Senior Producer Charles Ellison interviewed Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), Ranking Member of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee. The full interview in three parts on ASCENT Perpsectives, part of the Blackpolicy.org Audioblog Network.

Sharpe not looking so Sharp

2006-08-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Newark Star-Ledger reports on how this could be the actual reason why Newark Mayor Sharpe James is retiring:

Federal and state investigators launched separate criminal investigations yesterday into the use of city-issued credit cards by Sharpe James when he was mayor of Newark.

Grand jury subpoenas from the U.S. Attorney's Office and the state Attorney General's Office were delivered in the morning to City Hall and the Newark Police Department, demanding the former mayor's credit card records and related documents.

The subpoenas followed a story in The Sunday Star-Ledger detailing years of travel, meals and entertainment, including a trip to Rio de Janeiro his last week in office, that James charged to two city credit cards.

Terrorism Scare Could Dominate the November Polls

2006-08-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

Chris Cillizza in The Fix on the power of the national security issue bending in the Republicans favor. Blackpolicy.org has asked this question on occassion during ASCENT Perspectives: is the Democratic takeover of Congress media hype? We've been thinking for some time that it is, seeing better chances for the Dems in the Senate than in the House since many Dem incumbents are just as vulnerable as many Republican incumbents. But, it's good cover to talk about this dramatic change on the political landscape. In the end, American voters will pick "fear" on the ballot box, drawing on one of our most humanistic urges: survival. Here's Cillizza:

The USA Today/Gallup poll seems to validate Republicans' decision to frame the 2006 midterm election around national security/terrorism.

Asked whether they approved of the job Bush was handling terrorism 55 percent of the sample said they did while 43 percent said they did not -- a 12 point net approval rating for Bush.
Contrast that with Bush's overall job approval rating in the poll (42 percent approve/54 percent disapprove) and his even more negative ratings on a variety of other issues including "foreign affairs" (39/55), the "situation in the Middle East" (39/56), the economy (39/57), the "problems caused by Hurricane Katrina" (37/56), the "situation in Iraq" (36/61) and energy policy (30/60).

Those results were mirrored in other polls conducted over the past month. In a survey conducted for Time Magazine 46 percent said they approved of Bush's handling of the global war on terrorism while 48 percent disapproved. Those numbers look a lot better when compared to the dismal 32 percent approve/64 percent disapprove numbers when asked to rate the president's handling of Iraq. His approval numbers were only slightly better on the economy (37/58).

The Post's own poll -- conducted in conjunction with ABC News -- showed much the same. Overall, 40 percent approved of the job Bush was doing while 58 percent diapproved. Bush's best numbers came on his handling of terrorism where 47 percent approved compared to 50 percent who disapproved. On Iraq (36/62), the economy (39/59), and the Middle East (43/50) Bush's numbers were less positive.

Bush Approval Ratings ... what??? ... Up?

2006-08-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

Recent USA Today/Gallup poll on the President:

The arrest of terror suspects in London has helped buoy President Bush to his highest approval rating in six months and dampen Democratic congressional prospects to their lowest in a year. In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday, support for an unnamed Democratic congressional candidate over a Republican one narrowed to 2 percentage points, 47%-45%, among registered voters. Over the past year, Democrats have led by wider margins that ranged up to 16 points.

We don't see how that could be when the British did all the work. A case of media brown-nosing in case the GOP remains in the majority?

"Writing off Reading" ...

2006-08-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

We'd be remiss not to mention this very significant, poignant piece in Sunday's Washington Post (yesterday) which talked about how this multi-media maddened society is driving our young minds farther away from reading. The art of conversation is, indeed, lost:

In our better private universities and flagship state schools today, it's hard to find a student who graduated from high school with much lower than a 3.5 GPA, and not uncommon to find students whose GPAs were 4.0 or higher. They somehow got these suspect grades without having read much. Or if they did read, they've given it up. And it shows -- in their writing and even in their conversation.

When students with A averages can't write simple English, it shouldn't be surprising that people ask what a high school diploma is really worth. In California this year, hundreds of high school students, many with good grades, faced the prospect of not graduating because they could not pass a state-mandated exit exam. Although a judge overturned the effort, legislators (not always so literate themselves) in other states have also called for exit exams. It's hardly unreasonable to ask that students demonstrate a minimum competency in basic subjects, especially English.

Now, beware: some might easily dismiss Elon University professor Michael Skube's argument as ensconced within a White middle-class bubble; but, we'd like to point out that that's the point -internally, the African American community must set its intellectual standards much higher. There is no reason why, for example, students from other countries speak, write and command better English than many African Americans of the same age.

If Skube is describing this problem as alarming amongst average, well-to-do, backpacking White kids who make it to college, just imagine the extent of this problem among our Black youth, particularly the overwhelming numbers of Black men who are not going to college. And while Juan Williams, Bill Cosby, etc. and various public intellectuals express displeasure at the pervasiveness of "bling" and "ghetto" culture, we don't see enough of us in the public policy & activism community expressing how absolutely critical it is for us to achieve that most basic function: reading.

Ed Gordon's Beef w/ NPR ...

2006-08-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

Richard Prince's Journal-isms column:

Ed Gordon, host of National Public Radio's "News and Notes" show, the network's 18-month-old attempt at programming to an African American audience, said today the network had communicated with him more frequently since Monday, when an article by television critic Eric Deggans in the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times noted that the show had lost 17 percent of its original audience and questioned NPR's ability to connect with African Americans.

But Gordon nevertheless voiced a number of frustrations with the network, ranging from a decision that led to George E. Curry, the editor of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service, leaving the show, to what he called a failure by NPR to own up to its own responsibilities for "News and Notes'" failures.

Maybe it's something else. Content maybe? Don't know. Still, what do you expect when the leading Black cable network doesn't even want to support a healthy news show line-up. But, many Black talk/pundit shows have to also avoid predictable content.

Juan Williams joins The Cosby Show ...

2006-08-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

It's hard not to poke a little fun at NPR Correspondent and Fox News Analyst Juan Williams latest piece in the Washington Post titled "Banish the Bling" - the title draws you in with a chuckle. But, the topic is serious enough to warrant its worth in social commentary, and Williams - as of late - has become the latest cast member of Bill Cosby's diatribe.

The argument, banishing the "bling" generation, can seem more generational than polemic at times. It makes a strong point here:

Where is the civil rights groundswell on behalf of stronger marriages that will allow more children to grow up in two-parent families and have a better chance of staying out of poverty? Where are the marches demanding good schools for those children -- and the strong cultural reinforcement for high academic achievement (instead of the charge that minority students who get good grades are "acting white")? Where are the exhortations for children to reject the self-defeating stereotypes that reduce black people to violent, oversexed "gangstas," minstrel show comedians and mindless athletes?

First: we're not certain these are civil rights issues. And, two: it's hard to look at one's self in the mirror and make a bruising critique of one's progress ... or lack thereof.

Williams' rant is so heated, we can see the spit. He goes on:

In order to face this century's class battles, young minds need the self-confidence that comes from examples of inspiring historical personalities, such as a black woman born into slavery who made herself a national leader, Sojourner Truth, or a black man living under rank segregation, A. Philip Randolph, who defied corporate power to break segregation in organized labor. Frederick Douglass had to teach himself how to read before standing up to defeat slavery. These examples should empower young people to believe in themselves and to organize across racial lines and build institutions with a solid footing in the nation's political and economic power. This is real black culture, and it is based on strong families creating determined, self-reliant young people.

This seems slightly short - not saying we completely disagree. But, it's got to be more than this. Yes, we do need to revisit, remember and cherish our past - but, sometimes we can overdo that at the expense of alienating our youth or losing the right connection with them. Williams places too much faith in a past that youth of today are far removed from. Empowerment will need to come from practical tools - an all-out community assault on dysfunctional school systems, mandatory financial literacy, and a needed lesson in civics is one other start. He's right, however: we must continue to have these very brutal conversations about ourselves.

DNC: Presidential Primary Rules & Online Voting ...

2006-08-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

Much of this talk about rule changes in the Democratic party reflect a growing sense that the donkeys will retake Congress in November and reign White House supreme come 2008. There's the emerging anxiety over the House Democractic Caucus changing Committee chair rules and thereby cutting the leveraging legs from beneath the CBC. And then there is this ongoing, internal party debate over the Dems' Presidential primary schedule, which Blackpolicy.org described ("Democrats & The Presidential Primary Process,") quite some time ago as inherently slanted and elitist, if not outright racist and outdated.

Based on the attached report from the Washington Post, we are quite pleased that somebody was listening and appreciate DNC activist Donna Brazile's no-holds-barred assault on that antiquated and rather lily White primary schedule.

With respect to another outstanding issue, the Post notes:

Looking to broaden primary voting participation, the committee also voted to encourage state parties to provide for Internet voting. Some questioned whether such a step could further disenfranchise the poor and minorities, who have more limited access to computers. "Because of the ongoing digital divide, we're going to continue to monitor how that's implemented," said Brazile

However, this blog doesn't know how long the left can maintain that argument given the rapid advancement and pervasiveness of technology in the 21st century. Computer power doubles every month and at the rate we're transitioning into a cashless society, we're not so certain this point will hold much weight over the next decade. In pursuit of closing the "Digital Divide," the African American political community is also caught between wanting respect for a burgeoning Black professional/middle class and promoting sympathy for an entrenched Black underclass. Perhaps it will be more progressive to place greater focus on how disadvantaged communities adapt to the information age. Technology won't wait up for us to catch up.

How Allen's Comments Work for Him ...

2006-08-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

Big ups to Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post for what amounts to the most well-written and thoughtful piece on the topic to date:

I think he was playing to the crowd by singling out the one person who didn't belong there, not because he was a spy from a rival campaign -- shadowing is standard campaign practice these days -- but because he looked "foreign" (my word, not his). I think he came up with "Macaca" as a kind of generic name for a foreigner who appeared to be from the Indian subcontinent, or someplace over there where people have dark skin and straight black hair. Why else would he add the "welcome to America" bit if not to emphasize Sidarth's apparent foreignness?

There is a story of two Virginias here: one Virginia (bearing North, much more diverse and heavily immigrant) where Allen wouldn't dare and the other (bearing harder South and redneck White) where Allen feels most comfortable. As repulsive as the comment is, it might actually work to Allen's favor among those in the latter Virginia who are White and feeling Disposessed by a surging immigration boom in the state. It will all depend on what his challenger, James Webb (D-VA), does with it. Webb may realize the anti-immigration dynamics at work here and, rather than risk alienating White votes he'll need, prefers not to say too much about it.

What's more interesting is the deafening silence of the Black political mainstream and electorate in Virginia, known for enduring years of Confederate-born racism. An interesting question worth asking is whether that silence is based on behind-the-scenes politics or a quiet undercurrent of African American resentment over other pluralistic groups taking a piece of the economic and political pie.

The Foot that found George Allen's Mouth ...

2006-08-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

We scoped out Jeffrey Feldman's rather intense & persuasive blog in The Daily Kos. After weathering a pretty excessive usage of the "N" word in this blog (seems like White dudes, regardless of ideological ilk, jump at any chance to say it), we finally dug Feldman's point about recent comments from Sen. George Allen (R-VA), who is looking to keep his cozy Hill job:

... George Allen's campaign is saying that the word was Allen's mispronunciation of 'Mohawk,' but reasonable people can discount that answer. The word 'macaca' (three syllables) is no closer to 'mohawk' (two syllables) than are the words 'Madison' or 'Mac n' Cheese.' And since Allen pronounced the word twice in a short period of time--each instance with emphasis, as if he was setting up 'macaca' to be the keyword that everyone would hear--we can conclude without hesitation that his use was conscious. He used the word because he chose to use it in advance at that moment and to make sure that everyone in the audience heard him use it. 'Macaca,' in other words, was the keyword in his communication strategy to handle the situation of a campaign staffer from his opposition following him around with a video camera.
With this issue dominating his campaign, Allen will now face extremely stiff opposition from a number of fronts:

- Northern Virginia voters (mostly liberal to moderate)
- Immigrant voters
- Definitely Black voters

Possibly White conservative Republican voters in the Commonwealth? We doubt that, because Virginia - once cradle of the Confederacy - harbors some pretty deep seated, edgy bitterness against folks of color, especially immigrants.

We have an unusual theory about this nasty episode: Allen may have been set up. We're not defending him and we've never been the biggest George Allen fans - in fact, his flirt with 2008 has made this blog a bit naseous. However, politics is a dirty game, and much of that dirtiness is played through using the misery of Black folks and other people of color. Notes the Washington Post:

Big-time campaigns often assign trackers to shadow their opponents, hoping to catch the candidate making a gaffe or shifting the message to accommodate different audiences. Virginia Republicans have tracked Webb this year. Often, videos can end up in campaign commercials.

That was the job of Sidarth, a University of Virginia senior who attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County. His father, Shekar Narasimhan, is a mortgage banker who has contributed more than $35,000 to Democratic causes in the past decade, according to a review of state and federal campaign finance reports.

Sidarth joined Webb's effort this summer, initially working as a field organizer. Last week, when Allen kicked off his statewide "listening tour," Sidarth was asked to trail Allen, he said.

Someone in Webb's campaign had a pretty good hunch that Allen would mess up. How couldn't he? Here's Sidarth, brown-skinned and standing out in a sea of White people, with video equipment - obviously, he's not with the Allen camp. Obviously, he's not really with the crowd of supporters, either. Hence, it ends up becoming a recipe for Allen's eventual self-destruction.

Says Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA) in that same Post article:

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), who during his campaign last year was dogged by young GOP operatives with video cameras -- usually called trackers -- chided Allen. "It's insensitive," Kaine said. "Campaigns are tough. But George has been in campaigns. He knows there's trackers. It's just a fact of life. You should just do your thing and not single them out."

Blackwell & The Element of Surprise ...

2006-08-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

A rather interesting, somewhat major development for Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's gubernatorial bid:

Gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell today announced Black Entertainment Television (BET) host and former NAACP national youth director Jeff Johnson has joined his campaign team. Johnson will serve as the campaign's advocate to young and urban voters.
"Jeff Johnson is one of the most influential leaders of his generation," said Blackwell. "I am proud he has joined my campaign team as we embark on this historic endeavor."
"Ken Blackwell represents the very best that Ohio has to offer in this year's gubernatorial race," said Johnson. "My feelings reflect the position of many within Ohio's African American community who believe that Mr. Blackwell has a clearer vision for Ohio's diverse Black community. I will carry the message that it is time to challenge the antiquated political alliances which have failed to include young and urban voters in their policy agenda."
Johnson is considered the voice of a new generation of leadership. He engages viewers on issues ranging from violence to voting on BET's "Rap City" on Wednesdays from 5 to 6 p.m.

This is a strange mix, one must admit. We're not certain what to make of this, since Johnson doesn't strike us as the GOP-type. But, it's a very savvy, smart move on the part of the Blackwell campaign, which will need to find a creative way to make serious inroads with Ohio's extremely active Black political and voting community. This might be one of those moves. The candidate who successfully engages the Black vote in Ohio (particularly in strongholds like Dayton, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnatti) is winner in November. Our 2006 prediction had Blackwell losing, primarily due to Black voter rage over his part in the 2004 Presidential race. If done right, hiring Johnson could change that in a big way ...

Ice Cube the Pundit ...

2006-08-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

This very, very brief piece in ContactMusic that was spotted just recently. It holds more meaning than it conveys:

Rapper/actor ICE CUBE is in no hurry to see a black president in the White House, because he isn't convinced black politicians make a difference. Ice Cube, real name O'SHEA JACKSON, insists black politicians such as former Secretary Of State COLIN POWELL and his replacement CONDOLEEZZA RICE, still can't changed life for poverty-stricken African Americans. The GANGSTA GANGSTA hitmaker says, "It doesn't matter who's in the White House, you've still got to get up and got to work in the morning. All that s**t doesn't concern me or the people in the inner cities. "Ok, it matters because of the significance in history, but life is still painful right now and we've got black people in positions of power right by the side of the President. Just because the President's black doesn't mean he's going to make the change."

Some may argue that Ice Cube, of all people, is barely qualified to speak on political issues. But, what qualifies anybody to speak on politics for that matter? Something in this statement highlights that growing perception, education and and class stratification taking place in the larger African American community. Still, we're not placing too much faith in Cube's ability to articulate political science - nor do we endorse him for any elected office. We are encouraged to see him engaged in the issues, however, even if he's missing some details.

It all depends on what change is expected. And, Cube seems insightful enough to realize that the authenticity assumption is not always a two-way street. So, in a manner some would deem crude, he actually expresses a bit of substance here. Hopefully, O'Shea Jackson at least votes.

More on Democrats Changing the Rules ...

2006-08-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hmmm ... wonder where The Hill got this from? Very little attention paid to this issue until Blackpolicy.org started analyzing it. Anyway, good stuff on this topic:

The Congressional Black Caucus is positioned to dramatically increase its clout next Congress if Democrats win control of the House. The 43-member group, already one of the most powerful blocs among House Democrats, would control as many as five committee gavels in a Democratic House, including two exclusive panels, Ways and Means and Judiciary. Members of the group also would lead 15 subcommittees, six of them on exclusive panels. And Caucus Chairman Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) would be a contender for majority whip.

The CBC could also expand its membership to 50 if all goes according to plan in November.

Signs of serious political maturity are beginning to blossom in the CBC. Another interesting note out of The Hill:

On the business front, the CBC would be poised to marshal the backing of K Street to boost its legislative agenda. Even in the minority, the CBC was able to attract large companies to help ensure the renewal of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). More than 10 corporate chief executives wrote House and Senate leaders encouraging quick passage, as did one large business group, the Business Roundtable. Several CBC sources suggested that using lobbyists to push legislation, a model pioneered by House Republicans, would become a part of the CBC’s playbook after the VRA success.

Univ. of MD professor Dr. Ronald Walters suggested on ASCENT Perspectives several days ago that Democrats may be faking the funk on chairmanship rules as a way to distract Republican voters from controversial figures like Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), who both stand to chair powerful committees.

Terror War & Politics ...

2006-08-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Not really digging the Washington Times ultimate slant on this, but here it goes:

As part of an effort to label Democrats as less qualified to protect Americans, Mr. Bush said the foiled plot is a "stark reminder" that "the nation is at war with Islamic fascists" and that his administration has "given our officials the tools they need" to fight it. With fewer than three months till the midterm congressional elections, the arrests set up a fight in Congress over those tools -- detention of terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and monitoring of terror suspects' bank records and phone calls.

The funny thing is that British authorities seem to be doing all the heavy lifting on this one while cats across the Atlantic are drowning in their own shouting matches. Goes on further ...

Lawmakers said they expect those fights to dominate the same way the creation of the Department of Homeland Security did in 2002. Then, Democrats were blocking Mr. Bush's plan for a new department on the grounds that it didn't include enough union rights for new workers.

That last statement comes off a little party-line. Although we remember there was a lot more to it than just union rights. Wasn't there some other stuff about bloated bureacracy, fear of worse coordination and, oh yeah, anxiety over an already misled FEMA being placed under another level of authority?

(Attack on Black Women, Part II) Lack of A Policy Focus on Domestic Violence ...

2006-08-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is pretty messed up. The Washington Times reports:

A misconduct hearing has been canceled for a Prince George's County judge because he retired this month. District Judge Richard A. Palumbo was accused of violating judicial standards in several cases -- including his handling of a hearing in September for Yvette Cade, in which he rescinded a protective order against her estranged husband. About a month later, the husband set Mrs. Cade on fire. She survived but suffered severe burns.

We understand that petitions are circulating in Maryland in Support of Yvette Cade & to Ask the Judicial Disabilities Commission to Try the Judge Palumbo Case, & to Increase Awareness of (a) Domestic Abuse and Domestic Violence (b) Violence Against Women – (c) the Indirect Consequences of These Events on Family Members, Friends, Neighbors, etc. & to Ask for Legislation & Funding (1) to provide mandatory annual training for Judges (2) Fast Track Re-Consideration and (3) establish a Court Watch Program.

Yet, the purpose of the petition was an effort to preempt the scenario above. Not certain what will happen next. In the meantime, for more information, we suggest contacting Julia Johnson at
srajohnsonsec@hotmail.com or writing to P.O. Box 6634, Annapolis, Maryland, 21401.

There may be an opporopportunity to shed greater light on this growing problem, yet you may not think it is that big given the silence about it, especially during the elections. Media reaction has been tame at best, treating it as an isolated incident. There is no real serious discussion about the scope of not only domestic violence, but the ability of batterers in fooling the legal system or manipulating it. Blackpolicy.org wrote a rather steamy editorial about this some time back.

This is an extremely important topic - PG County is not the only jurisdiction faced with this dilemma, it's a national epidemic. And, it's not just judges - it's lawyers, as well, who continue to offer batterers an effective way to manipulate the system. There is a need for better oversight. But, PG County is a disturbing case given the demographics of African Americans in that location. A predominantly White justice system seems unsympathetic to Black women being abused and the damage inflicted on children. White women are dealing with it too, but the significance of the problem is disproportionately pronounced in the African American community.

Where's Snoop on "Where My Dogs At?" & The Assault on Black Women ...

2006-08-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

We slip into a pop-culture moment. Steve Gorman in Reuters reports on yet another episode in the never-ending saga of our image problem:

A new MTV cartoon depicting black women squatting on all fours tethered to leashes and defecating on the floor is drawing fire from several prominent African Americans who call the episode degrading.

In it, a look-alike of rap star Snoop Dogg strolls into a pet shop with two bikini-clad black women on leashes. They hunch over on all fours and scratch themselves as he orders one of them to "hand me my latte." At the end of the segment, the Snoopathon Dogg Esquire character dons a rubber glove to clean up excrement left on the floor by one of the women.

Stanley Crouch, itching it for relevance, quickly pipes in:

columnist Stanley Crouch, condemned the segment as misogynist, racist and crude, and they questioned the sincerity of MTV's contention that it was satirizing the outlandish behavior of a real-life rapper.

Crouch suggested in a column this week that the "Where My Dogs At?" segment was an extension of dehumanizing images contained in gangsta rap videos aired by MTV and projected "around the world as 'real' black culture."

There's no surprise here: this is classic Snoop Dogg, laughing on the way to the bank. In this, we hear of no statement from Snoop (who continues to snicker on the way to the bank), nor is anyone in the community holding Snoop somehow responsible for the continuing proliferation of Saturday afternoon images shortly after the morning cartoon line-up (who is now in the bank). It then gets a bit difficult to place sole blame on MTV - perhaps, it's appropriate to argue that MTV exercised some bad taste in programming ...

On a more serious note, MTV is a representation of pop-cultural attitudes and - right now - pop-culture ain't feeling sistas. Which explains the nasal snorts and snickers of zealous White yuppie MTV producers having fun at our expense - isn't that what Viacom is all about? Which explains having sistas on all fours. This is nothing new, but it's been reaching a recent pitch as of late. Let's get real for a moment about this:

1) Regardless of what you feel about Star Jones, we can all agree that Barbara Walters & "The View" did her wrong. They wanted an overweight Black woman with that old school, Jim Crow "fat nanny" appeal to make the White girls look good. Then, they engineered her demise so Rosie O'Donnell (a Walters' friend) could take the open spot. Yet, Jones is portrayed as the agitator and her career now spirals into oblivion;

2) Never mind her politics and the controversy, there was an extreme and unprecedented amount of lampooning in the national press regarding the Fall of Cynthia McKinney (we note MSNBC's Scarborough Country segment yesterday evening which was a bit over the top). Still, McKinney doesn't help her cause after devolving into that Pink moment during her concession speech;

3) Secretary of State Condi Rice is being racially vandalized in Arab newspapers;

4) And Oprah can't seem to shake scandalous rumors about lesbian relationships.

Sistas

The Political Dynamic of the Recent Terror Plot

2006-08-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

Somebody is going to ask this question, so we'll put it out there: Why do the British seem more effective than the U.S. in foiling terror plots? That may be more perception than reality, but in this multi-media day and age perception is everything. It may not be a practical question given the size of Britain compared to the size of the continental United States. But, remember how quick the Brits nabbed the suspects in the London Underground bombing? And, now - once again - it seems the Brits are on the ball. After World War II and the IRA, the British don't mess around.

Perception is everything: across the Atlantic, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security just doesn't give you the feeling that we're all that secure. It's like a massive bureaucratic elephant bumbling around in the dark. And there is very little impression of transparency - we say impression because we understand that the government can't give out too much information without tipping off a terror cell, but there has got to be a way to better prepare and inform folks. Especially after Katrina, the Administration almost always looks like a deer caught in headlights.

In addition, we're catching the convenient political timing of this action. Foiled terror plot after joint U.S./U.K. operation on the heels of Vice President Cheney's (and others) disturbing remarks concerning the geopolitical implications of Lieberman's Connecticut primary loss. Awfully bizarre - but, we should expect Republicans to use all fear-mongering tools at their disposal in a last ditch bid to keep their Congressional majority.

Bringing Closure to the Cosby Argument ....

2006-08-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

Temple University Professor and Public Intellectual Marc Lamont Hill opines further on Bill Cosby in BlackProf.com:

To be clear, Bill Cosby doesn’t merely focus on one issue. Few people would be upset if he were focusing on individual responsibility as part of a larger project for social justice and Black prosperity. The problem comes when his clarion calls for good behavior undermine the equally if not more legitimate demands for living wages, quality education, and safe neighborhoods.

What's missing in the ongoing debate over Bill is where Bill is from. We tend to forget that Bill's hardened Richard Allen Projects North Philly roots offer a very real glimpse into where he's coming from. The Bill we see (and want to cherish) is the Jello gelatin guy in multi-cultural commercials; or that likable, Black middle-class, stable family brownstone dweller in the Cosby Show. Once we disassociate the T.V. Bill from the real North Philly Bill (Bill, Bill - HA! You old school thug you!), we will then arrive at an epiphany of sorts, realizing that what he's saying may not be so "vitriolic" or misplaced after all.

CT - How Lieberman Really Lost, How He Might Win in November, & Ned Lamont's Willie Horton Moment ...

2006-08-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

Everybody else is talking about the anti-war & anti-Bush vote & the liberal blogs bringing Lieberman down.

We'd like to think it was that critical 11% Black swing vote that put the nail on the coffin. Few talked about that.

But, Lieberman's (somewhat arrogant) run as an Independent in a 3-way race (regardless of staunch, unfied opposition from the Democrats) may actually work. Especially if photos of an unprepared Ned Lamont standing with Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton & Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) are used in such a way to alienate Connecticuts moderate and mostly independent voters. That image could turn out to be a fatal political mistake for Lamont. We'll see - it could be a very interesting test for Jackson, Sharpton and others who believe they are still very relevant in the political mainstream. This could turn into Lamont's very own Willie Horton moment ...

Lieberman could very well split that vote decisively to his favor. White moderates, independents and Republicans, terrified of a Senator controlled by "demagogues" and "liberal activists" from afar (and Black ones, too, oh my!) will feel comfortable giving their vote to the 7-term Senator. At that point, Lieberman will owe nothing to Democrats and he most certainly will owe nothing to the larger Black political community that campaigned tirelessly against him in Connecticut and beyond (unless Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) can repair that already cracked bridge). And, what does this say about the already fractured Black/Jewish relationship? African American politicos were already put off by Gore's veep choice back in 2000 because of his ambivalence on affirmative action.

Lieberman only lost by 4 percentage points in the primary - which means Lamont didn't get a mandate. Prediction: Lieberman wins with Independent, Republican and Conservative support. The real question is whether he will change parties after November. Prediction: yes.

The Brazen Stupidity of the War in Lebanon ...

2006-08-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

One can't help but be moved by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's urgent and emotional plea in the Washington Post this morning:

As the world watches, Israel has besieged and ravaged our country, created a humanitarian and environmental disaster, and shattered our infrastructure and economy, putting an intolerable strain on our social and economic systems. Fuel, food and medical equipment are in short supply; homes, factories and warehouses have been destroyed; roads severed, bridges smashed and airports disabled.

The damage to infrastructure alone is running into the billions of dollars, as are the losses to owners of private property, and the long-term direct and indirect costs due to lost revenue in tourism, agriculture and industrial sectors are expected to be many more billions. Lebanon's well-known achievements in 15 years of postwar development have been wiped out in a matter of days by Israel's deadly military might.

There is, of course, little mention of Hezbollah's part in this ... which - to a certain point - is understandable given the situation on the ground. Whomever is telling Israel's Defense Forces (long a misnomer in the wake of its offensive stance) and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that the Lebanese people will somehow see the light on Hezbollah's dangerous fundamentalism after being blasted into oblivion by Israeli F-16s and Merkava tanks is definitely smoking Lebanese trees ...

Or - it's an outrageous matter of arrogance and underestimating the Lebanese response on the ground and Hezbollah's appeal. After winning so many wars, Israel must now save face - but, it's not that simple. If faced with the prospect of future oblivion, it pretty much boils down to a "kill-or-be-killed" attitude. Which is the root of the problem, especially when Iran won't back off.

Hezbollah may not have had much appeal before the outbreak of hostilities (and the creation of yet another WW III front), but it certainly does now since Lebanese civilians probably perceive them as the only line of defense. Which is funny since Hezbollah is, in turn, using civilians as human shields. Which, ultimately, doesn't bode too well for this once promising oasis of democracy in the Middle East.

Nobody wins in this disaster - Hezbollah will recruit fresh talent from angered Lebanese and Muslim carpetbaggers to fill its devastated ranks; Israel will have to pull out or risk getting bogged down, again, in Lebanon; Hezbollah, seeing an opening, will try to seize power in Lebanon, thereby creating a recipe for a new civil war; and Israel will stand by on the border as the carnage unfolds; a Lebanese civil war isn't really good for Israel because it ends up serving as a training ground for battle-hardened Islamists who will ultimately reign terror on Israel. But, it doesn't take a political scientist to understand that Israel is only concerned with the fate of Israel. If it takes launching Lebanon into a civil war to keep Hezbollah and others distracted from protracted missile launches into Israel, then so be it, says Olmert and others. Still, that says nothing of what happens to that region as it continues to spiral into the apocalypse. Nobody wins.

CONNECTICUT - The Power of the Black Vote in a Place Where You Don't Think it Exists ...

2006-08-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

Come on, now, admit it: think about Connecticut and you don't even put that state's name and "African American" or "Black" in the same sentence. But, apparently, the Black voting bloc (11%) in CT is so hot, that everybody's rushing up there to get in the game:

Actor Danny Glover will be in the state today to support New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, who also had recent visits from Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. DeStefano's gubernatorial primary opponent Mayor Dan Malloy of Stamford countered with state Treasurer Denise Nappier, former New Haven Mayor John Daniels, New Haven state Rep. William Dyson and Hartford minister the Rev. Alvan Johnson on his black VIP list. Lamont has had Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Sharpton and Jackson in state talking him up. Lieberman trumped them all by bringing in Clinton - the first black president - for the Waterbury stop.

Where's 50 Cent?

Anyway, a lot to analyze here - a real gauge of how the Black vote will influence key battlegrounds in '06 ... and in '08. How effective are figures like Jackson, Sharpton, Waters, Glover, etc.? Does their message still resonate? And, certainly, Bill Clinton's visit was more than a stump - it was a big toe in the electoral waters, feeling out prospects for his wife's '08 candidacy. And, not talked about as much is lack of Black political establishment support for Lieberman, who has clashed with that group before over his resistance to affirmative action policies.

MISSOURI - On Black Republicans ....

2006-08-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

We dug St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Sylvester Brown's observation today:

Fundamentally, I think it's a mistake to be a political party hostage. But when the choices are few and the stakes are high, people compromise their loyalties and drift toward oxymoronic "conservative liberals" or "liberal conservatives" - candidates who represent a smidgen of their core values.

The ASCENT Blog

Selling More Albums, 50 Cents Two Cents on Oprah Winfrey

Civility vs. Taking A Stand

Placing Blame on the Iraqis ....

John Ridley's Take on N***a & The Rise of a New Black ...

NYC & Sean Bell - Sadly Enough, Let the Games Begin ...

Mulling N****r. Is This What It's Really All About?

How The Kramer Incident Reflects Something Much Uglier ... and Much Larger

Discussions on the Draft ...

How the CBC Factors into the Leadership Race ...

On Lott as Minority No. 2 ...

The GOP and Its Latin Fantasy ...

Could this Election Cycle Highlight Rift Between Blacks & Jews?

So What's Really Up With Voting Machines Today?

Curry on Ward Connerly & the Michigan Affirmative Action ban ...

Affirmative Action Ban Gaining Steam in Michigan

"Steele Wins Prediction" ... 11 months later ...

Politics of Mass Distraction: Kerry's Blunder & Commentary on Modern Stupidity

The Perverted Whims of Public Opinion

Black Mayors Becoming "Norm" in Mississippi ...

Reason for Concern ... and Outrage

Krauthammer's Case for Obama - Winning by Losing

Philly in Hot Voting Water ...

Obama: Style vs. Substance ...

Obama or President in '08? Not So Certain About That ...

Black Panthers 40th Anniversary & Their "Conservatism"

Religious White Voters in the Polls ...

Hip Hop: "You The Love of My Life"

Political Awarenesson the Rise (?)

Genome-wide Study of Prostate Cancer in African Americans

When George Curry Makes A Good Point ...

The October Surprise that Is Not ...

The Foley Scandal & The Party of Values

Nagin in the News - Small, Minority and Local-owned Business Mandate for N.O.

King & Republicanism ...

Fox & Clinton - Round II

N***a Moments Cont'd: At Least Webb is a Little Honest About It ...

Stalling on Sudan

Ni**a Moments & Ma***a Moments

In Response to "Democracy Project" blog ...

D.J. McGuire, China e-Lobby, on ASCENT Perspectives ...

DNC African American Leadership Summit in Motor City this weekend ...

Cory Maye Death Sentence Thrown Out ...

A Note of Caution to Black Republicans

Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton) on Black Political Clout in Cali

Sen. Verna Jones (D-Baltimore) on Blackpolicy.org

Serious Growing Pains with E-Voting Machines ...

On Iran ...

The U.N. Gets an Emmy ...

The Week in Gas ...

Brother Heru on ASCENT Legacy

The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in the U.S.

Update on Mumia Abu-Jamal

Corey Booker Making Tough Calls in Newark

Black Politicians Representing Diverse Districts

Rochelle Olson, Minn. Star Tribune, on Blackpolicy.org ...

Rochelle Olson, Minn. Star Tribune, on Blackpolicy.org ...

Baltimore Sun's Gregory Kane gets Raw ...

Groff & Ellison post-primary analysis on ASCENT Chamber

Voting Shouldn't Be Rocket Science

Race Games in Ohio ...

Black Women & Abortion ...

Matthew Mosk on Maryland Senate Race

Deon Roberts in New Orleans on Katrina Recovery .... (Part I & II)

Ellison & D.L. Chandler on Hip Hop No Show & '06 Elections, Powell in NYC and Maryland

Dr. Leonard Moore, LSU, on Katrina, Nagin and Black Political Power

Mayor Daley: Where the Black Contractors At?

Deborah Simmons, Washington Times, on ASCENT Perspectives ...

Groff & Ellison on ASCENT Chamber

Aimee Allison (G-Oakland) on Blackpolicy.org

Voila! Voting Made Easy

The Difference Between the Christian Science Monitor & Blackpolicy.org

Chad Dion Lassiter on Blackpolicy.org

"Cousin" Rev. Jeff Johnson on Blackpolicy.org ...

Joh McWhorter on Andrew Young ...

That Hissing Sound Called the Housing Bubble ...

Charles Ellison on Voter ID Laws ...

Arnold Kling, Ph.D. of Cato Institute on Blackpolicy.org Audioblog

The Black Vote in Maryland & Party Politics ...

Congressman Rangel on Blackpolicy.org

Nia Moments & Ma*a Moments