Sen. Biden: President’s Comments Are Bull____!

President Bush has kicked up some dust in the 2008 political season by pointing out that Sen. Barack Obama is an appeaser of terrorists. Of course this is false, but that didn’t stop President Bush from making such comments in front of the Knesset (the Israeli legislation).

Sen. Joe Biden (D) didn’t take kindly to the President’s partisian attack on the Democratic Party’s frontrunner. “This is bull—-, this is malarkey. This is outrageous, for the president of the United States to go to a foreign country, to sit in the Knesset … and make this kind of ridiculous statement.” 

Racist Curious George T-shirt In Georgia

The only group of people that can still be openly offended in America nowadays are African-Americans and Christians. Look no further than Marietta, Ga and the Mulligan Food and Spirits tavern. The owner is selling t-shirts with the picture of a monkey (Curious George) eating a banana with the caption “Obama in ‘08″ underneath it.

How fast would that place be shut down if there was something offensive about Jewish people, Muslims, the American Flag or any other symbol that people hold sacred? This place would not be in business today. You would see “Culture Warrior” Bill O’Reilly himself calling for this place to be closed. Fox News would be doing live remotes from this tavern if they were selling t-shirts demeaning President Bush or Ronald Reagan.  

SNL: Hillary Clinton Is A Sore Loser

Sometimes satire can really speak the truth… Saturday Night Live turned the tables on Hillary this weekend. Do you think she’s laughing about this skit? Probably not, but you will find yourself agreeing with Amy Poehler’s spoof on Hillary. What do you think?

 

Getting By With A Little Help From Your Friends

By Cireal Americanus

Many people spend time scratching their head as to whether or not Sen. Hillary Clinton should gracefully bow out to allow Sen. Barack Obama the opportunity to pull together a strategy for his General Election bid or continue to battle on.

In other words, the Fat Lady has been singing her song….indicating it is time to leave and the end of the show. However, we see Sen. Hillary Clinton staying for a 5th encore.

Having given it her best shot, (i.e. indicating Sen. Obama was naive for indicating he would talk with both “Friends and Foes”, Insinuating that Sen. Obama believed in Pres. Reagan’s policies and philosophies, former Pres. Bill Clinton’s attempts to make this contest about race and his use of the “Dog Whistle” race card, Questioning Sen. Obama’s ability to be president while indicating she and Sen. McCain alone were the only candidates who passed the “Presidential Qualification test”, characterizing the monumental movement of “Hope” as just speeches and words and minimizing the following as cafe drinking egg-heads, insinuating Sen. Obama was a Muslim, the “3 a.m. attack ad”, continuously running the video loop of Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, publicizing Sen. Obama’s “Bitter” comment about rural PA.., the spin on the “Gas Tax Holiday” in an attempt to further paint Sen. Obama as an elitist, and her attempt to portray herself as a combat vet under sniper fire), we still find Sen. Barack Obama standing and positioned to secure the Democratic nomination.

These actions and behavior have caused a lot of controversy and harsh feelings toward and for Sen. Clinton. Many have said she has irreparably divided the party along racial, gender, and age lines with no hope of winning the nomination, i.e. the Tonya Harding strategy – if you can’t win, knee cap your opponent so that a win for them is impossibility. This would allegedly allow Sen. McCain the opportunity to obtain a win in the Presidential Election, allowing for Sen. Clinton to pursue a Presidential bid in the fall of 2012.

All to which I say, “Thank you Hillary….for all you have done.” (Genesis 50: 20 (NIV): You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.)

Had it not been for Billary, the most formidable political machine in the world of U.S. Politics, we would have never gotten the opportunity to truly test Sen. Obama in a way that leaves the GOP with nothing more that can be thrown or done but to watch as the first African-American Democratic Presidential nominee passes by on his way to the Presidency.

He has survived the Rev. Wright attack. A recent election in a southern state showed when the Republican candidate brought up the Religion Rantings of the Democratic Candidate’s pastor, it had little to no impact and the Democratic candidate won.

He has reconnected with the middle class white voter, 41% voted for Sen. Obama in both Indiana and North Carolina, while maintaining his connection with the African American community, 90+% voted for Sen. Obama in both Indiana and North Carolina. This in addition to making significant in-roads with Union Households, i.e. “Blue-collar” voters.

There is little to nothing the GOP can throw at Sen. Obama, especially since his opponent is Sen. John McCain, A key contributor to the Savings and Loan debacle of the early 90’s, where More than 1,000 savings and loan institutions (S&Ls) failed in what economist John Kenneth Galbraith called “the largest and costliest venture in public misfeasance, malfeasance and larceny of all time.” The ultimate cost of the crisis is estimated to have totaled around USD$160.1 billion, about $124.6 billion of which was directly paid for by the U.S. government — that is, the U.S. taxpayer, either directly or through charges on their savings and loan accounts– , which contributed to the large budget deficits of the early 1990’s

All that being said, why is no one forcing Sen. Clinton out of this race?

In short, Hillary Clinton’s exit should be as powerful and graceful as her entrance.

She brings 60% of the white vote, 70+% of the White Female vote and people of 65+ years of age vote, in addition to having a strong Catholic and Hispanic base. A contingent that can easily be turned off or turned the other way if they are made to feel their candidate had the nomination unfairly taken away.

With all the emotions that have been generated there must be the grace and sensitivity to allow both sides of the party in this race the opportunity to “Cool Off”.

For Sen. Clinton supporters, this would mean a seating of Michigan and Florida delegates in some form or fashion (while at the same time giving them a sharp smack on the back of the hand for not following the DNC rules), assistance with the amount of Debt she has incurred during her campaign and a Win on a high note from both West Virginia and Kentucky, which she is projected to Win, at which time she can gracefully exit her campaign on a high-note.

The campaign is already sending out its “Dog Whistle” signs that it is accepting defeat.

Watch and stand-by, we will have a UNITED Democratic Party come the November elections….wait and see

Brotha to Brotha

             The thing about being a Black man in America is that one lives a life of challenges that are played out in noticeable and hidden manners. It’s a battle of trying to maintain one’s identity versus the ability to survive in a world that has been cruel to its existence. We have seen it played out recently in a public arena as Barack Obama reaches closer to a historic happening in obtaining the head seat in the White House.

More times than not, Obama is forced to defer to political (i.e. white folks) correctness such as the case with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright comments. There isn’t a black person around who has knowledge of their history that should disagree with Rev. Wright’s assessment that American can be shady and its treatment of Black folks is an injustice. That’s not some made-up theory that he’s speaking of but more so its common knowledge that racism is alive and kicking. Black folks have been oppressed, are still being oppressed and will continue to be oppressed.

In addition, white folks themselves will tell you that this country can be shady in its dealings and history backs that up. The war in Iraq is costly, cruel and illegal yet it continues to go on despite objections from politicians, citizens and other countries. Then again you really can’t call this a war because that would mean the other side is fighting and in this instance that’s not the case. The Bush regime found no weapons of mass destruction but they found a way to loot the government of trillions of dollars to benefit the overthrowing of another government.

As a Black man I sit back and I watch the situation with a sense of envy for I understand that a black man could never get away with such. What one experiences as black man who strives to live right is difficult to explain. It involves a trail of struggles and revivals that one must either understand or defeat (drugs, depression, lack of hope, prison, etc…) is certain. That’s why Bob Johnson’s decision to rip Obama publicly in order to show his support for Hillary Clinton, a white woman, is not only disappointing but illogical in a sense. Here is this black billionaire who agrees with the sentiment that the first viable black candidate for the presidency that he has seen in his lifetime is only where he is because he’s black.

First of all, if a brother is able to rise to the top something regardless of why they say he is there then let’s put up a big power fist for that. History shows how countless number of black men have had their lives ended in a heap of injustices and how even more continue to live under the unfair glare of instuitions designed to stunt one’s growth of humanity. For a black man to overcome all obstacles and achieve is remarkable but for one to have a chance as president is justice served. But Mr. Johnson sees it differently. You see there is that specter of white approval that hovers over a black man’s life like a shadow that never disappears. White elitism will only accept so many of us in their circle and once in one must do as the Romans do – be a Roman.

Don’t get me wrong; despite what many outside of the black race think, we are a very diverse people with very diverse thoughts. In other words if Bob Johnson who made his money off black folks with BET wants to back a white candidate then that is his right. But what he can’t do is sell Obama short by claiming race is the determining factor of his status when Johnson benefited off of the same thing he is claiming Obama is guilty of – being Black. Johnson became the first black majority owner of a NBA team because Commissioner David Stern and the league wanted a minority owner. They were other legitimate offers including one led by Larry Bird but the league, built upon the backs of black men who make up a majority of the players, wanted a black wealthy owner and Johnson was it. That’s affirmative action at its highest level brotha. Yet, Johnson also forgets about the different financial incentives he received while owner of BET, which he later sold to white folks, because he was black.

That’s part of the dilemma that a black man faces as he has to navigate the white side while trying to remain true to the black side. The white side feeds the stomach while the black side feeds the soul but sometimes the lines get all crossed up and then so does the person. Some are able to move freely between the two without offending anyone but that rarely happens and this is one of those times when offense is taken. It’s also one of those times when a black man needs to be reminded who he really is and where he’s really from.

Love, Peace & Soul

MStevo

Respect To A Milwaukee Artist

To my readers in Milwaukee, WI… at 7PM, Tuesday, April 29th you better get out to the Miramar Theater (2844 Oakland) and represent. Milwaukee, you have to go support one of the Midwest’s illest Spoken Word Artists. His name is Dan Vaughn and he lives in your town… he battles to earn a spot on the 2008 Milwaukee National Slam Team.

For the uninformed, Vaughn has performed on the hit HBO show Def Poetry (view here). Get out and see Who’s Next in Spoken Word.

To really sample Vaughn’s verbal game visit his MySpace website (click here).