St. Louis City Politics - Change I Can't Believe In

Can someone tell me is it me or my imagination that there once was visceral dislike of the policies and governance of Mayor Francis Slay? Am I off base by thinking there was this strong recall movement, and a desire of many in North St. Louis to seek change at 1200 Market? Or was that change “not to be believed in”? Am I just too caught up in Obamania that what I see as a strong movement to replace Mayor Slay is just a hologram? It's December folks, the filing deadline is weeks away, and the best opposition so far is Irene Smith. The line coined by Shakespeare in Julius Caesar, “ambition must be made of sterner stuff than that” rings loud – and true. Traversing through the CWE I see the Slay signs already up. Now I know this is St. Louis, part of a state that absolutely refused to turn blue – no thanks to the “great” voter turnout, more about that later – and whose black leadership often has history of looking like a circular firing squad. And I realize the black leadership often split, often manipulated, and often toothless still plod along with 20th century approaches to politics. But does not the manner in which Barack Obama won White House, by effective use of the internet, prodigious fund raising, and finding the best and the brightest to manage his campaign, serve as a winning template?
So on December 20, 2008 can someone tell me why the same folks who were expending energy on a re-call effort, now limp along when it comes to an actual election? A few years ago, I remember asking one of the leaders “well if you recall Mayor Slay” who you gonna get to run? That person looked at me squarely and smugly and said “me” Well it’s “me time” but the most resounding sound from those folks now is silence. Humm.

This summer I volunteered for the Obama Campaign for Change, and on the day after Obama’s acceptance speech in Denver, I drove an Obama Field Organizer around one of their assigned wards to give them the lay of the land. I have a feeling my action that afternoon was far more than the Alderman or Committee people did for that organizer – all summer. But we canvassed; we made phone calls; our efforts were inspired. Asians, college students, whites of many ages knocking on doors throughout North St Louis in hopes of delivering change. The recruitment of volunteers was consistently a tough task, yet noticeable by their absence and impact, were the ward organizations. The field organizer would ask me the existing ground game, and I would say, less than a month ago folks were knocking at my door on behalf of the committepeople, now two weeks later, they can’t produce anyone to do something as prosaic as data entry. Interesting. Thus the North City voter turnout numbers produced last month in the St. Louis American was telling. And yes I would invite readers, as did the American to make whatever connections they deem necessary in ward turnout, and the effectiveness and/or agenda of the Alderman in those wards.

I agree with the lead editorial in last week’s American, which asked where is the leadership that will bring about a real challenge to the Slay Administration. What troubles me is the lack of a political insfrastrure needed to unseat an unpopular Mayor, and an utter lack of message. I remember the great riff that then Senator Obama said about John McCain, saying that the McCain team was running out of ideas, out of issues and out time. One can easily apply that line to that once engaged anti Slay movement. It appears that what is afoot is a campaign built solely around anti Slay sentiment, but not about bringing change and reform. That mentality is an insult, and is demeaning. St. Louis needs a candidate to address issues like the broken Public School System, mismanagement in the Police Department, and a crumbling infrastructure. In addition there needs to be reform in city development which currently allows Alderman total control over block grant funds which have too often have lead to incomplete and sometimes disconnected development projects.
Working for the campaign for change, was a once in a lifetime experience, seeing effective, sober, disciplined grassroots politics that worked, and yes it was a reflection of the man at the top Barack Obama. When I contrast that to the politics of North St Louis, the contrast between the politics and the political leadership in this city is downright shaming.

Progressive Left - Is there cheese with that "whine" ?

I enjoy a good glass of wine to end the day, perhaps a nice crisp Cabernet Sauvignon. But my gut tells me that the wine producers are getting a lot of orders from inside the beltway. And the ahem “whine” requests are ironically coming from the so called “Progressive” wing of the Democratic Party. What amazes me is that these are supposed to be the intellectuals, the ones that “get it”. Yet, their hand wringing over the “Clintonian” look of the Obama cabinet, or President Elect Obama’s decision not to actively campaign in the Georgia Senate runoff election is extremely disappointing. They continue to question President Elect Obama’s change mantra as if competence is not a component of change, as if they fail to grasp the concept that the idealistic realities of a primary campaign and general election, may give way to the more sobering realities of the Oval Office in real time. They seem to have forgotten that the sixteen month Iraq withdrawal timetable introduced by then Senator Obama and supported by the left has been effectively adopted by both Bagdad, and the Bush Administration. And that Bush holdover Gates will be charged to manage that withdrawal. If you listen to the whine from the left, one would think Gates will secretly work to lengthen the conflict.

As I wrote in my blog Browner, Younger and Smarter, the Obama coalition that reflects that title, turned to Obama primarily because of their perception he would bring competence back to the White House. As it stands now the liberal wing of the Democratic Party seems to have gotten the case of “yes buts” meaning - yes Larry Summers, Paul Volker, Tim Geithner, and Hillary Clinton are competent, high quality picks, but whaaaa, what about us?

What about you on the left? During the campaign, those on the left, as well as many independent voters, decried Senator McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin as the anthesis of “Country First”. Now as it appears that President Elect Obama is making country first decisions, choosing direct reports who have respect on both sides of the aisle, as competent, intelligent policy technicians with gravitas both at home and abroad to pursue Obama’s policy directives. The key formulation is these will be President Obama’s policy objectives. No matter whose administration these individuals served under before, and their past political loyalties notwithstanding, President Elect Obama has made it crystal clear, they now work for him.

As a person who wrote in October 2006 that Senator Obama should stand down and give way to the inevitability of Senator Hillary Clinton, I understand the error of underestimating Barack Hussein Obama. Barack Obama is a very astute politician - a fact ought not to be “slept on”. This is not a man who will allow his reports to undermine his vision. And let's be clear Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett, will be in the room when every key decision is being made, protecting his backside. As for Obama's own political instincts recall that then Senator Obama understood the potential danger of Reverend Wright long before the media picked up on his speeches, and put distance between him by not allowing him to speak at his announcement rally in Springfield, he turned down public financing as it became clear to him he was sitting on a cash cow, and decided against the town hall debates with Senator McCain in order to get his message out with more clarity. Senator Obama while having the most liberal voting record has been moving toward a more pragmatic, and realistic centrist position since he won the nomination. Why, because that’s where the country is. The country rejected writ large the failed policies that were driven from the extreme of the right, and President Elect Obama is wise not to allow the political pendulum to drift dangerously to the left. Remember his oft stump remark, this election is about “big things” and as the days and weeks have passed since his election, those “things” have gotten even bigger.

Senator Obama needs Republican support; he needs John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, as much as he needs Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, and Nancy Pelosi. As Karl Rove mentioned President Obama will have about 180 days before the first Congressional break, he can’t hit the ground running by marginalizing the Republican Party, or governing as if they don’t exists. That is change we can believe in. This is change that makes sense. As for those on the left who feel they are shut out? The aforementioned troika of gatekeepers Emanuel Axelrod, and Jarrett are positioned to provide a listening ear to views of the left, and make sure that their concerns, and input is included in the process.
Members of the left, we should all raise a glass to the victory of Barack Obama, and a return of competent government, but let’s not sully that glass with bitterness based on unrealistic views of what change means.

Thanksgiving, Football and Memories

A few minutes ago I just drove past a location in North St. Louis where on January 1, 1969 I watched a team with the backfield that included Franco Harris – and Lydell Mitchell coached by 43 year old Joe Paterno defeat the Missouri Tigers in the Orange Bowl. The building is now gone, Joe Paterno lives on. That memory gave birth to this thread. With all due respect to Super Bowl Sunday, and New Years Day, no day is organically linked to football more than Thanksgiving. The Super Bowl attracts at a primal level core football fans and tangentially occasional fans, New Years Day games perhaps more tapped into the fabric of society because of the pageantry of the bowl games and that college alumni are stoked. But on thanksgiving, you get folks who are sitting down watching pro football games who spent the day watching their children, or playing a game of touch football and closing the day with close family giving thanks. Football on Thanksgiving is more personal, there is more connective tissue with who we are as Americans with football on the last Thursday in November than any other sport save perhaps baseball on July 4th. My fondest memory of Thanksgiving and Football is Thanksgiving 1971.

The first “Game of the Century” on my watch. This game has been called the Greatest Game ever Played – though the Texas/USC game a few years may push it. – this game featured tow unbeatens - Number 1 Nebraska ( number one in total defense and # 2 in offense) v Number 2 Oklahoma which was # 1 in total offense and # 2 in total defense. Nebraska was led by Jerry Tagge at OB, Jeff Kinney a college version of Ed Podalak and a 70’s version of Jeremy Macklin Heisman winner Johnny Rogers. Nebraska’s defense was led by All Americans Rich Glover; Oklahoma had the Heisman Runner up Greg Pruitt, and wishbone specialist Jack Mildren. The Cornhuskers won on a late touchdown 35-31. The amazing thing was that our family met at my great aunt’s house. The game started early that evening, and went on for some time. As the game was in the balance, I (along with my partner in crime – my mother) held up Thanksgiving Dinner for over 15 folks until the game was in the bank. I never knew I, or football had that much juice.

Questions:

1) What is your best Thanksgiving Football memory?

2) How did you develop loyalties to certain teams –esp. those not based locally?
For example in the 70’s I liked the Steelers, USC, Nebraska, I think for no other reason they were the rivals of teams supported by most of my friends or classmates.

3) What is your first football memory as a fan?

I recall watching the Tigers lose to Penn State, and have memories of the Chiefs beating the Vikings in the Super Bowl, but the first game that I recall having an emotional attachment was the Colts beating the Cowboys in 1971. I think I had read so much about Johnny Unitas, I wanted to see him but he had gotten hurt and didn’t play. I still rooted for Jim O’Brien to make the field goal and still recall John Mackey scoring on the tipped pass. In some ways that game was the end of an era.

Browner, Smarter, and Younger

So what shall we make of this historic election. Scripture says by ye fruit we shall know ye”. If one ascribes to the theory that it is much too early to get our collective arms around this election, then perhaps the better question is what is the fruit of the historic Obama victory? Pulitzer Prize author Thomas Friedman said the earth is “Hot, Flat and Crowded”. Keeping with that spirit, one may describe the fruit of the Obama coalition as Browner, Smarter, and Younger. In the afterglow of Barack Obama’s transcendent election, much is being said about the composition of the voters that were the cornerstone of his victory. Their vote speaks equally to the politics that it rejected as it did the politics that it embraces. While much was made of issues both real and nonsensical, what this election may have turned on was one word – Competence. Leaders have led this nation to war and/or opposed aggression, when a majority of Americans favored isolation (see Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt) but an assertive competent, case was made for intervention. During war, Presidents have stripped freedoms as sacred as Habeas Corpus, but they were supported by sound competent doctrine. (See Abraham Lincoln) - Thus the post 9/11 actions of the Bush Administration were not a historical aberration, but a constitutional nightmare. What has given Americans pause, if not downright outrage was the manner in which those decisions that were made, the lack of transparency, national security policy based on lies, and faulty documentation which has become the basis for American blood spilled in on foreign soil. Americans understand that the road to good intentions may have bumps in the road, but what she will not suffer - is incompetence.
Beyond the malignancy of competence lay three critical demographics. Brown, young and smart. Engaging this group is the Republican Party's 3 A. M. call. In 1984 the first year they had exit polls to capture the youth vote; those youth went GOP by 20%. Those 25-30 year olds are now almost 60. They are the core of the GOP coalition. An aging narrowing slice of the electorate. In essence, the Reagan Revolution planted the seeds of the generation of Republican voters which is now on the decline. If history repeats itself an Obama victory marks a reverse shift in power. To understand the roots of the Reagan Revolution – it was competence. Jimmy Carter the last Democrat prior to Barack Obama to get more than 50% of the vote was ousted politically due to a perception of lack of leadership at home with the energy (although his energy stances now seem to be vindicated) and the Iranian hostage crises. Young voters ironically went for the older Ronald Reagan, rejecting the perceived bumbling of the Carter Administration.
The heirs of Reagan, both named Bush failed to broaden his coalition, and one can safely say in terms of the younger Bush, constricted it. Now a generation later that coalition of Reagan is in tatters.
What can be gleaned from this? Reagan governed from the center right, but had a vision, while many can debate his triumphs and failures, none can say he failed to have an impact. Yet the Reagan victory gave rise to a longing within the Republican Party to reclaim the power of the Executive Branch lost during the Nixon years. Ronald Reagan gave rise to a rebirth in the imperial presidency, but it was the Administration of Bush 43 that revived it. The Reagan coalition supported by the hyper active Religious Right saw the, dalliance of President Clinton as an example of the erosion of the moral fabric, and 9/11 attacks as an attack on Christian values. They ultimately leveraged that latter emotion into the invasion of Iraq, the horrors of Gitmo, and the Patriot Act and other intrusions on American life. After the 2001 election the divide in America was more real than imagined, the Bush Administration's response to Katrina allowed for such intellection offerings such as “ would this have been allowed in Kennebunkport?’ – As Americans were shamed with an utter lack of competence, coupled with mind numbing disconnect by its leaders.
The candidacy of Barack Obama said enough - enough of division, enough of malfeasance, enough of incompetence. This election was not about small things, this time in our history is not about small things, this election is about deciding what really matters, and in 2008, it is the fruit of the Obama victory those who are Browner, Smarter, and Younger are the “deciders”. They have decided resoundingly that politics rooted in ideology won't work - a warning to both the right and the left - politics that is not competent and lacking transparent governance won't fly, politics that ignores the rich diversity of this country is outdated, and finally politics that continues to marginalize, and mortgage the youth will be rejected. In the moment it may not draw comparisons to the Boston Tea Party or Appomattox but as they say among the young, brown and smart - "don't get it twisted" we have witnessed a Revolution - Don't sleep on it.

Mr. President Elect

President Elect - Obama
My name is Phillip Warren Johnson I am a 49 year old independent voter and a volunteer in a Campaign for Change office St. Louis.

I was one of the 100,000 at the rally in front of the Arch.
From 1980 -2000 I either voted for a Republican or a third party candidate for President. I have never campaigned for any candidate at any level. All that changed this summer when I started volunteering in the local office. The office manager started a trend in which volunteers would post on the walls their reason for supporting the Campaign for Change. I put it off, because I knew that whatever I would say - had to represent – My Truth. When think back about the early days of the summer (it seems like years ago) I remember when the first time I heard you say in a speech “this election has never been about me, it’s about you!” That was for me, one of the turning points in the campaign. Now several months later, thinking about my rational for supporting the Obama campaign, I get it. Born in 1959, I would often as say an adult– “man if I was born twenty years earlier I may have gone to Woodstock like Russert, or saw Sinatra, or maybe Miles Davis or the Beatles. I may have seen Koufax, Ted Williams, or Jackie Robinson”.

But more importantly, I may have gone south marching with Martin, or campaigned for Bobby. America is many things, most of all it is a product of “movements”. Too often “movements” are spoken about in a derisive tone. Too often “movements” have been marginalized contemporaneously only to be vindicated later through the lens of history. Too often “movements” unleash the furies in those resisting change as they attempt to move heaven and earth to maintain the status quo. Yet more often than not, movements produce moments that become cornerstones of an epoch.

I was often envious of those who lived in the sixties because they seemed to be part of the last great American movement. When I was nine, two of the last social prophets our generation, were struck down. It was during those dark days of 1968 that my cynicism was born. Now 40 years later, after witnessing the worse of politics, divisiveness, and politics of distraction that too often gave birth to politics of distraction.


I had enough.


Then came the campaign for change. For the first time in 40 years, I heard a real voice for those left behind, but more than that, a voice to those tricked by politics of distraction into supporting policies of distraction. I heard a voice that said America can be great, but not with 20th century models of governance. I heard a voice that said America is still the greatest economy in the world, but we have to return to policies that support growth, and investment – not debt. I heard a voice that said corporate greed and lack of transparency got us into this mess, but now more than ever, personal accountability matters. I heard a voice that said America can be great, but we can’t be an agent for change abroad, until we unleash chance at home Finally I heard a voice that said America can be the great beacon of democracy, but that light of democracy must shine its brightest at home.


With all that is stake, racism, sexism, and intolerance and other pseudo issues will not resolve out economic crisis, nor will they bring about an end to two wars or make us safe. Coming together as a people is the great American destiny.
Deep inside me I was haunted by the incomplete promise of the 60’s. The mission of Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King cut down too soon, created a vacuum which was filled with apathy and the belief that the American ethos would be one of permanent divisions. The campaign for Change, revived my spirit, and finally gave me a movement to be a part of. Senator Obama, you were right, this election has never been about you, but it is about the spirit of movement that has been all of us. This campaign allows us to channel our inner Patrick Henry, and Ida B. Wells to harness the dreams Robert Frances Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and honor to our ancestors by standing tall in this defining moment.


I want an America strong yet tolerant, innovative yet steady, wise, yet youthful, an America that respects the rule of nations and most of is respected throughout the community of nations. I believe this movement can restore America to her promise, this is my movement, actually as Americans this is our movement.
Congratulations and God bless!

Why Obama

When Colin Powell said on Meet the Press that Senator Obama had the "intellectual vigor" to address the problems that faced the nation, it spoke volumes. This election promises to be the most chronicled one since 1968. With out a doubt in the election post mortem, choices by both Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama will be reviewed, reviled and debated. Yet at the end of the day, what this election may have turned on was temperament. America has had eight years of a cowboy mentality, which said shoot first and ask questions later. Eight years of an Administration that treated good governance and transparency like it was a negative strand virus. Eight years of a government that had the feel of a theocracy rather than a democracy. The two candidates are making their final pitch to the voters. Senator Obama’s final pitch includes the basic economic polices that he has been putting forth with consistency with a return to his hope theme. Senator McCain is returning to his mantra of Obama being “not ready”. In addition, buoyed by Senator Joe Biden’ assertion that the next President will be tested the McCain team hoped that a rekindled attack on the foreign policy front would be a life preserve, polls suggest otherwise.
The fact that America is vulnerable to attack no matter who is the Commander and Chief, while giving pause, ought not be earth shattering news. Safer, but not “safe” remember? As far back as the Whisky Rebellion that challenged George Washington, American Presidents have faced events that have tested their mettle. President Eisenhower, former Supreme Commander of Allied Forces was tested by the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. What did those two “tested Presidents have in common? Both respected warriors. No American President will be able to inoculate themselves from the unknown and unforeseen threats whether they are foreign, domestic, or natural. So in response to Senator John Mc Cain, what type of President does America need in times of crises?
Senator John McCain began his campaign toting his vast experience, while dismissing Senator Obama as a lightweight and giving him unenviable moniker of “risky”, a few weeks later Senator McCain attempted to "flip the script" on Senator Obama by saying now he is a change agent. Finally in the campaign’s last days, running low on ideas, issues and time, Senator McCain offers a closing argument that is a hybrid of Bush the bad one and Obama the risky one. But let’s go back a few weeks when the verdict of the voters seemed to be in the balance. Crisis management in real time, what Colin Powell called the "final exam". Starting with the early moments of the unfolding Wall Street meltdown, through the final passage of the massive bailout bill Senator McCain appeared to be the one lacking experience, risky, and the antithesis of reform. I don’t know whether it was a cult of personality, bad advice, a visceral dislike for Obama, or the aging process, but Senator McCain came across in the most crucial part of the campaign as grouchy, petulant, impatient, impulsive, and yes - erratic.It seemed that Senator McCain too often gave way to the lower angels of political based decisions. What has been "slept" on during this political season is not, that the greatest danger of the McCain administration was the continuation of the Bush Policies, but that a McCain Administration would continue the divisive narrative of the Bush/Rovian/Cheney politics. The choice to go to war in Iraq, rather than rout out the Taliban, and continue to hunt for Bin Ladin in Afghanistan, the scandal in the Justice Department, the "outing" of Valerie Plame all were decisions rooted in politics rather than sound, "country first" policies. Often those many of those choices were not vetted in the light of bi-partisan politics, but done in a veil of secrecy. Now, America has grown weary of Washington, and its machinations that seemed to have benefited the few, and bankrupted the country. And as we are hearing now, save the extreme right wing of the Party, this act has worn thin on many Republicans. John McCain's last 30 days are a stark reminder of the politics that America is rejecting writ large. Senator McCain's robocalls and "associations" riffs have sparked outcries from both the left and the right. For all practical purposes, what dooms the McCain campaign is the "bigness" of this election. As Senator Obama often says, we can't make a big election about "small things".
At the birth of the nation the fledgling nation turned to George Washington, on the precipice of the Civil War a divided nation chose Lincoln, in the darkness of the Depression America put their confidence in FDR, and at the dawning of America's New Frontier we elected John F Kennedy. In my lifetime America was robbed of a great light at a defining time June of 1968. Now, forty years America has an opportunity for redemption. John McCain is an American hero, a warrior, a man to be honored. Yet in this defining moment, this is not a time for bluster, and impulsiveness, and division. At this critical junction what America needs is the rare combination of intellect, temperament, leadership, and vision that can lead America and not divide. Like other crucial times in this countries’ history, America needs a man of the times, and for the times.
That man is Barack Obama.

Sarah Palin's Dangerous Demagoguery

October 8, 2008

As Senator McCain’s poll numbers continue to go south, his campaign has given Sarah Palin free reign to snarl like a rabid pit bull. No issue with that, it is the typical role of the Vice Presidential candidate, but in this case it reminds me Don Corleone using Luca Braci to do his dirty work. If we recall - Luca Braci’s dirty work was often “wet” - a euphemism for murder. Attacking Senator Obama on the issues is fair game, but by allowing Gov Palin to raise fears, arouse hatred, and doubts about Senator Obama’s patriotism, Senator McCain is playing with fire.
By labeling Senator Obama as a dangerous radical with terrorist associations, Gov Palin is creating an inflammatory atmosphere. At recent McCain/Palin rallies, the name of Senator Obama has evoked cries of “traitors” shouts of “kill him” and "off with his head!” These all give pause.

As a youth I recall reading the Allen Drury novels in which character assasinations often were an ugly precursor to real ones. Let’s be real clear, there are many who see a black man with a Muslim sounding name becoming President of the United States as a clear and present danger to all that America stands for. Adding a so-called terrorist link to his resume becomes for them a - game changer.

I remember 1968 all too well, as the noxious mix of anti war, civil rights, and the changing of the guard spurred on the violent deaths of change agents Dr. Martin Luther King, and Senator Robert Kennedy. In these final days of this election Gov Palin is stirring crowds with her demagoguery and fear peddling, and in doing so, she is putting a target squarely on the back of Senator Barack Obama.

Gov Palin’s incendiary remarks, implying that Senator Obama is an enemy of the state, while preaching to the right wing choir, may also be serving as an inspiration to those who feel they need to preserve the constitution from an radical, and anti American usurper whose hidden agenda is nefarious, "dangerous" and “risky”.

Senator McCain, there is still time to make your case to the American people in a manner that honors you, and the office that you have long sought. But if you refuse to turn down the volume and allow your lust to become President to become the catalyst for an unthinkable tragedy, both the tragedy and the violent aftermath will be on your hands. The choice is yours. Put America first.

Blogosphere

Below will be a my responses to a variety of threads started in other threads. Njoy
Theme: Debate # 2 My Thoughts
Link
http://princetonprofs.blogspot.com/2008/10/debate-what-debate.html

When the debates started a few weeks ago Senator Obama had a "to do" list to assure victory.....#1 - look Presidential in the eyes of independent and so called Reagan Democrats...Polls suggest that mission accomplished. Since that first debate two things have happened:
1) Senator Obama has turned several "red" states "blue", while effectively fending off Senator McCain in crucial states won by John Kerry in 2004.
2) Viewers/voters are getting their arms around the idea of a President Obama; his job is to allow those viewpoints to get firmer. ….
Let's be clear “that one” has run a remarkable race for nearly 20 months and is less than thirty days from a transcendent and historical personal and political accomplishment, not to mention transforming the political landscape in a manner similar to Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Entering last night’s debate, ahead in the polls, in a climate that favors the Democrats, Senator Obama didn't need to take risks, his agenda was to stay on message ( his message discipline is one of his greatest assets) and counter McCain attacks - which he did quite effectively.
Senator Obama’s performance last night continued the narrative that he has the temperament, the intellectual capacity, and judgment to manage two wars, reestablish America's relationship with it's global partners, face new challenges in Russia, and old ones in Iran an economic meltdown, while at the same time, managing an ambitious agenda that includes, new initiatives in health care, energy, education, and redistribution of wealth to the middle class.
At a time where Senator Obama is still trying to close the deal, by establishing his economic bona fides with many undecided and independent voters, last night’s debate was not a time for theatrics.

Theme: Blacks conservative on values v liberal on social issues
Link

http://princetonprofs.blogspot.com/2008/09/race-gay-marriage-and-2008-bigotry-vote.html

Melissa is correct in theory that there is a split personality within the black community, liberal on social issues and more conservative on "value" issues...but let's not get it twisted....the combination of increasing sophistication of the black voter, and the visceral distrust of the GOP agenda is strong enough not to let those two seemingly irreconcilable interests, supersede basic self interests....there will be black voters on the margin that succumb to the madness, but in real terms they are marginal…this election will pivot on voter registration of which 80 percent will support Senator Obama, and new voters who will support Senator Obama in large numbers. This election will be decided by the millions of Americans who refuse to make an election of historical proportions about “small things”.

Theme: White People desiring everything about blackness “but the burden”
Link - http://princetonprofs.blogspot.com/2008/09/everything-but-burden.html

Your post nailed it, "Everything but the "burden" which speaks volumes....take a moment to digest the information....what that woman was speaking about was "blackness" in its most real form unfettered by societal rules, and the survival based need to conform to Eurocentric rules, mores and behavioral patterns, she was celebrating just "who we are in our realness" the "burden" is man made...so when whites embrace the blackness, without the burden, they are effectively in denial of their hue-maness, while embracing ours...

"white man's privilege" is their payoff...for their "burden"....they don't want to know what it feels like to drive down the street with up to date registration, insurance, and no warrants ect, and still feel like a criminal when a police pulls in behind you on the road...or any inherent stressful issues that come simply for being black....Yet I believe that if you told a white person that tomorrow morning there would be new rules in America that was color blind, and that racism was completely obliterated, and they could pick just "on the strength" what race to be in that environment...a high percentage of them would be black...

I am volunteering in an Obama office... the office manager is a very nice, personable white woman in her late 20's who has a son by a black man....yet on her watch the office lacked energy, passion, and soul until a free spirited and intelligent 40 something black woman showed up and injected soul, passion, and vitality. That's who we are, it's not all we are, white people when given truth serum know that...the "Everything" that they want is our gift the "burden" they don't want is their guilt.

The scary truth is that our gifts which are both innate and divine, endow the black nation for the greatest capacity for greatness....our inability to embrace our genius, and our divinity keeps us from successful navigating a culture of white privilege to the degree where its impact is negligible.

Theme: America’s Middle Class real or imagined

Link - http://negrointellectual.blogspot.com/2008/09/somebody-please-help-me-immagined.html

Insightful post...my feeling is that the middle class real or imagined has been a necessary segment for those in the shadows who are actually in control. It is from the lower middle class where a bulk of your military pawns, and the upper middle class which produces military leadership...but more importantly the middle class is the target for mass media disinformation, mass marketing, and brainwashing. The middle class is the portal through which the illusion of the American dream and the belief of democratic principles are communicated to the lower class. The people at the top of the economic ladder understand this system institutionally is designed for their benefit, those at the bottom realize those institutions are inherently predisposed to lower the glass ceiling.

As a result of extensive brainwashing, crumbs from the master's table, and self induced slavery stemming from massive personal debt, America’s middle class harbors the illusion of the American dream. In addition, the middle class spends trillions of dollars in the sports and entertainment industry which allows them to be distracted, as their world crumbles. The true function of the middle class is to pretend the emperor has no clothes, therefore mitigating the anger of the lower class. The secondary function is to serve as a role model for the lower class basically class version of “keeping up with the Joneses”.

As long as there is a happy, well fed, entertained, and debt riddled middle class, the potential for revolution is low. As long as the lower classes follow the lead of their middle class brethren the potential of their visceral anger to erupt in any thing beyond burning and looting their own community is low. America needs a cleansing, a purging from a broken system, but a complacent and nascent middle class stands in the way of a new 1776.

Will Senator Obama get a Hollow Prize?

Hollow “lacking in real value, sincerity, or substance”

this blog was inspired by thread on this page

http://princetonprofs.blogspot.com/

“Hollow Prize”. Mos def an interesting concept and one that I have wondered about for several years. As inner cities fell more in the hands of African American mayors there seemed to be a corresponding decline with respect to infrastructure, education, tax base, support services, and just plain relevance. It was almost like “ya’ll can have it – Peace!”

Where I live, we have had African American political leadership which included two of the last three mayors, yet the city is in decline, and still racially divided. Yet the organization which runs the city is a business organization consisting of CEO’s and business types that only recently included African Americans. To their credit those organizations have been the patron of many African American institutions in the community. Currently the city has a white mayor who raised a lot of money to get elected, who is now at odds with many in the black community on several issues. When one thinks of the true value of urban centers one word rears its ugly head - regentrification. With the price of gas, the issue of urban sprawl, many whites are moving back to the city, coffee houses, bars, entertainment areas are being developed in many urban areas – therefore what once was a hollow prize is regaining its lost luster – at least to those running for office and those who profit from development fees.

My speculation on a local level then begged the question if African American would become president would that be a hollow prize? Meaning if Senator Obama wins the election will he be given the wheel to a ship that lacks value, rudderless and adrift? To answer that question I reminded my self that value is a subjective term often seen through the eyes of the beholders.

So what through what lens do we see value? Elementary civics taught me that “we the people” own America. However Dealy Plaza taught me something different. I begun to see America in a different light. My observations suggested that the true owners of America, the true king makers see America and the American Presidency through a different lens. Those king makers and their assigns have co-opted the American government through the use of lobbyist, secret societies, and other relationships that too often lack transparency. Those folks also realize that the American President is no more than a mere appendage whose primary function is to make sure that at the end of the day, their interests are served. They take no issue with political party, or ideology because in their eyes all politicians are beholden to them.

Through the lens of America’s true owners there is still value to be extracted from this country. Our military protects their interests, the American brand and “democratic principals” replaced Christian missionary work as a portal to dominate third world cultures. There is value in this country as long as the American people are too dumbed down to see the truth. There is value in this country as long as Americans buy into the illusion of the two party system or the illusion of democracy. A nation of two hundred fifty million potential functionaries ready to die for the oil of others, cannibalize their young, enslave themselves with massive personal debt, and whose best solution of energy independence is “drill baby drill” has great value. A nation that is willing to participate in the destruction of other cultures by using political tools like NAFTA, while at the same time increasing their profits has real value.

Through the lens of the candidates running for President, most of them harbor no illusions that they are nothing more than puppets. I often tell people immediately after taking the oath of office Presidents are shown an unedited version of the Zapruder Film, as a friendly reminder. Unfazed by their relative impotence and driven by ambition and ego, they go after the brass ring. So while the office may be hollow in relative terms - prize is not. The fruits of being President extend far beyond time in office. Even if you resign in disgrace or get summarily dismissed after one term, there is still a gravitas that comes with being an ex-President. Bill Clinton is a prime example of how one can increase his wealth exponentially especially if one leaves the office at a relatively young age. Jimmy Carter is an example of one repaying his karmic debt after being a willing participant in a fraudulent system.

But who wins when America is valuable only to serve corporate/imperialistic agendas or personal political agendas? Who pays butcher’s bill when America hits rock bottom?
Looking through unflinching eyes of history what kind of America will Senator Obama inherit if he is elected President? Last summer I read American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips, a very interesting read. Kevin Phillips compared the decline in other “empires” Britain, Spain, Rome, to the current forces in play in America.

Phillips wrote
“The inevitable twenty first century global transition from oil to a postoil regime .…..could see the United States replaced by a new leading economic power probably an Asian one”

Stripping away the veil of distractions, and denial what do we see? A country on the decline, but doesn’t know it. If the 20th Century was an American Century, the 21st Century has all the ingredients of being dominated by China. The world is much different and more complex then it was when a product of the “Greatest Generation” John Kennedy was elected. America is less safe and more vulnerable both economically and militarily as a result of machinations, mistakes and malfeasance of past presidents. The burden of public and private debt undermines our independence, our three branches of government have become wholly owned subsidiaries of major corporations, and Americans refuse to think critically preferring to download massive doses of misinformation. Our obesity is a national shame, and our greatest health threat, and then there is our energy dependence. There are folks who joke that Senator Obama is being set up for failure, indeed if elected he must pick his friends wisely.

This is a critical time in America; Senator Obama if elected may go a long way in restoring America’s reputation as a world citizen. His vision hopefully will inspire innovation and technology, his ascension to the nation’s highest office may motivate young African Americans to dream, and finally he can use the White House as a forum to unite rather than divide.

As a cynic, I have lowered my standards for any American President, hoping for vision and leadership rather than systemic change. I truly hope that the vision and leadership of Senator Obama inspires many Americans to see themselves as change agents, and bring about a new way of thinking.

Yet as a cynic, until Washington effectively breaks it’s addiction to the blandishments of corporate largess, real change won’t happen. America is not a hollow prize in 2008, but unless America awakens from her slumber, one day soon an American President will be given the wheel to a ship with all the markings of the Titanic.

The Election Fundamentals – September 17, 2008

If you track key battleground states there is a similar trend. Senator Obama's numbers started trending down in July and August as Senator McCain's numbers were going up. The threshold question is who has the highest ceiling McCain or Obama? That McCain's numbers seem to be stabilizing is bad news for McCain campaign and good news for the Obama Campaign. What those trends underscore is that even with the excitement of Palin, two months of intense body blows thrown at Senator Obama, the race is a dead heat. It reminds me of a basketball game when a team is down, makes a strong run to get back in the game, but doesn’t have enough gas to close it out. McCain may have reached his high water mark while Senator Obama may be hitting his stride. Instead of building on his Palin/Convention bounce, in many key battleground states McCain’s numbers are going down and or flat lining. So how does Senator McCain close this election out? Act II of McCain the attack dog? It may be risky, what worked in the summer may backfire in the fall. My instinct tells me that Senator McCain may have reached the laws of diminishing returns with trying to make the election about personalities and “small things”. And on the stump Senator Obama is warning the American voter, not to be fooled by a campaign of distractions, which may lead to another four years of the same failed policies - they seem to be listening.

I think the "fundamentals" of this race now favor Senator Obama. A recent New York Times poll show most voters don’t see Senator McCain as a true change agent, nor do they think he is the best in either managing the economy or feels America’s pain (the out of touch ads are taking hold). As for Governor Palin, many voters are not impressed with her as a potential Commander and Chief and see her selection as a political choice while viewing Senator Obama’s choice based on qualifications. More alarming her appeal doesn't extend far beyond the GOP base -effectively she is preaching to the choir. Senator McCain may be getting the most he is going to get out Governor Palin. The Obama camp is ignoring her as a non issue. To be fair, that same poll shows that Senator McCain still leads when asked who would be the best Commander and Chief. Unfortunately for Senator McCain, the war that Americans want leadership on is the economy - another of the election fundamentals that favor the Democrats and Senator Obama. The final fundamental that should give Senator McCain supporters pause was the internal belief within the McCain camp that using the experience argument against Obama and a traditional Vice Presidential pick they still would have trouble hitting 50 percent. Now the McCain team has thrown away their experience argument, and has an nontraditional and historic pick, and they still aren’t closing in on the 50 percent mark.

But the ball bounces funny ways. The GOP caught a break during the Georgia “crisis” which put the focus on foreign policy, another break when Hurricane Gustav was not the terror that many thought,” but enough of one to keep President Bush and Vice President Cheney from appearing at their convention. They may have gotten a final break when the right wing of their party threatened open revolt if McCain picked his first VP choice, Democrat Joe Lieberman.

Now the Wall Street meltdown has effectively marginalized Sarah Palin, and created an opening for the Obama and Democrats. I think this race will look close on paper until the first debate, and will widen after that. Another lucky bounce was the Warren Forum this summer. I think Senator Obama will be much sharper and crisper in the debates as a result of that experience. The final break may have been the long hot summer of July and August. My gut tells me that Senator Obama may be a better candidate when running behind rather then in front. There was certain amount of swagger that he and his team had after dethroning the Clintons, but when they were having their collective hats handed to them this summer it woke them from their hubris.

How this unfolds? Stay tuned, this election is one of historic proportions already, but I have a feeling the stretch drive will be one for the record books.

Obama's Acceptance Speech

It’s the enthusiasm stupid!

In football; speed is the uncoachable asset that is often a game changer, a difference maker. In politics the same can be said for enthusiasm. Take away the issues, the ads, even the candidates; it comes down whose party is more stoked. One can pick apart Senator Obama’s speech to the nth degree, make jokes about the venue, but don’t “sleep on” the impact.

Columnist George Will may have gotten it right; Senator Obama’s campaign peaked in March, but struggled to bring closure to the primary season. Lacking real post primary season down time, the Obama Campaign got hounded by the McCain team to go abroad only to be lampooned as a lightweight celebrity, called out for being presumptuous, and finally labeled as a risky.

If that wasn’t enough, there was the never ending drama of the Clintons. Soon, there were whispers of buyer’s remorse within the ranks of the Democratic Party. Quietly, the Democrats were hearing echoes of past August meltdowns and visions of what many would call effete responses from the Gore and Kerry campaigns to GOP body blows.

Then came Thursday night. On the 45th anniversary of Dr. King’s historic “I have a Dream speech; Senator Obama may have freed the Democratic from their internal malaise. Senator Obama’s acceptance speech now has Democrats emboldened. Commentator and former Nixon speech writer Pat Buchanan anointed the speech as “manly”. Not since William Jefferson Clinton, have Democrats seen their nominee “man up” to the Republicans. More then the litany of policy statements, and the glitzy backdrop, Democrats wanted to see testicular fortitude from their guy, and on that midsummer night, he didn’t disappoint them. Senator Obama’s muscular speech gave his supporters confidence. That speech unleashed pent up passions and now the Democrats are brimming with confidence.

John McCain is on the clock, and while he hopes that his Vice Presidential selection of Alaskan Governor Palin will energize the GOP, it may not be enough. The enthusiasm gap between the Republicans and the Democrats in my opinion will be the difference maker. Simply put, after being charged and challenged by Senator Obama, the Democrats may simply want it more.

Senator Obama and Reparations

A few years ago I wrote in a poem
“It's going to take a lot more than Reparations
To revise the remnants of the Nubian nation
Not when 12 year olds lacking father figures
Resort to pulling triggers….”

Senator Obama’s opposition to the call for reparations makes good sense on several levels. First he is correct in that it would be seen as a divisive distraction. Secondly he have to would divert hard earned political capital away from more serious issues like health care, education, the economy, oil, foreign policy and so on. Thirdly, it counters attacks by those who attempt to portray Senator Obama as a standard bearer/front man for those who are labeled fringe or radical elements of the black community. (Although I doubt how reparations while perhaps unrealistic, can be dismissed as radical). Lastly and more importantly it reflects the new mentality in dealing with the often incendiary issue of race in America. Senator Obama by adding his voice to the resonating message of accountability and personal responsibility gives credence to those who like Bill Cosby are challenging old paradigms.

An Obama Administration will have to deal with major domestic issues, issues that are affecting us as Americans. Should he use the White House as a bully pulpit to address discrimination, disparities in housing, education and the like? Yes. Should he make sure the Justice Department cracks down racial profiling, and redlining and predatory lending? Again yes. Should he use the office to preach for reparations? In my opinion - absolutely not.

The heckler who questioned Senator Obama’s desire to confront issues that have historically impacted the “black community” is just as off base as those who questioned Senator Obama’s patriotism. I recall Dr. King’s response to those who questioned his anti war stance in 1967.

“I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment, or my calling”.

Forty years later Senator Obama can make the same case to his detractors. African Americans who vote for Senator Obama with the expectations that he is going to ride into the White House and immediately eradicate long standing ills within the black nation will be disappointed. The next President will face a litany of serious issues at a critical time in this country’s long and great history. Putting reparations on the table would seriously undercut Senator Obama’s message, and the core values of racial harmony, which are an essential element of his campaign narrative.

To his credit Kibibi Tyehimba co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America doesn’t fall into the trap of unrealistic expectations, saying about Senator Obama "Let's not be naive. Sen. Obama is running for President of the United States, and so he is in a constant battle to save his political life….I don't think it's realistic to expect him to do anything other than what he's done.” He apparently understands that as President, Obama will have a broader agenda.

In my view while Black America waits on some form of reparations, we are “sleeping” on the tremendous amount of resources already available. Those resources come in the form of corporate and foundation donations. Corporate support channels billions of dollars each year to underwrite programs in the areas of health, education, arts, family, literacy, and others. In addition, the banking industry through the Community Reinvestment Act provides resources for community development. All that is needed is for concerned citizen groups to organize, get a 5013c non profit designation, a competent board of directors, and begin to address the needs facing their community. The black community simply can not afford to wait for what may be a pipedream of reparations when real work can be done.

I would amend Senator Obama’s response to the young man in Florida, by saying “find a cause and get busy”. It was the work in the community that grounded Barack Obama, not Harvard Law. Television talk show host Tavis Smiley has a website Covenant with Black America which provides opportunities to get involved in a variety of areas. The wait for reparations by the black community while rooted in the horrors of slavery, rape, brutality, and murder, are well founded, yet in 2008 it begs the question, has the issue of reparation become for some, an excuse to do nothing but wait and complain?

Finally, I give mad props to Senator Obama for sending an affirming message that supports accountability and community action, and avoiding the traps of divisiveness, and distraction.

Senator McCain's Gambit

In this election Senator John McCain is representing an unpopular party and vicariously an unpopular president. His talking points are limited; he has yet to find his real voice on the economy, and unable to gain real traction from the success of the surge in Iraq. He hounded Senator Obama into going abroad, and then bristled at both the media coverage, and the roaring crowds, and responded like a petulant teenager. In addition, Senator McCain’s team is frustrated that no one seems to care that Senator Obama switched gears on campaign financing, and many voters seemed to be nonplussed by his vote on FISA or that Senator Obama decided not to engage in town hall meetings. Senator McCain is also upset that Senator Obama doesn’t lose points on his opposition to the surge, but gets points for his stance on Afghanistan and kudos that the words timetable are coming from both Bagdad and the White House. He decried Senator Obama for looking Presidential, while at the same time looking and sounding almost unworthy of the office he seeks.

In short, Senator McCain found himself behind in money, behind in the polls nationally, and behind in key battle ground states. Most disturbing to the McCain camp is the slumber of the right wing base of the party. Thus, Senator McCain faced a choice - despite his earlier statements where he said he would eschew negative campaigning, he realized that if he couldn’t bloody Senator Obama soon, and pierce his armor, this race may be over. The McCain strategy of turning this election into a referendum against Senator Obama is his only real hope. He has to parley real and legitimate concerns about Senator Obama’s lack of experience into a message. That message has one word “Risky”.

To many voters, they will hear the word risky and will deal with it on the face of it, a lack of political experience, etcetera. However, for others, their response may be linked to some deep rooted fears and prejudices. To those voters, risky equates to being black, to having a middle name rooted in Islam. What Senator McCain aims to do is to get inside the heads of many of those voters. He needs those voter’s visceral fears to outweigh Obama’s message of change and at the last minute, remember the word risky, and vote McCain. As ugly and as negative as it seems, and while it may affront our sensibilities - that may be Senator McCain’s only path to victory.

To Senator Obama’s credit, he is taking the “risky” label head on. We are adults here, and in 2008, America doesn’t evolve by hiding behind coded racial messages. Senator Obama realizes that when he says “I know I don’t look like the presidents on American dollars”. Senator Obama understands what is at stake for him and for America. In the end the biggest risk is the one Senator McCain is taking. In pushing coded racial buttons, and running negative ads, Senator McCain runs the risk of losing the independent voters who admired him in 2000, but may feel betrayed by his antics in 2008. Will Senator McCain’s gambit work? Well see in November.

The Energy Speech You will not hear

My fellow Americans, we have seen the impact of the rising oil prices on our wallet, on our car industry and on our economy in general. There has bandied about, a variety of solutions including developing alternative sources of energy, off shore drilling and even some who suggest tapping into our oil reserves.

We have also seen reports of speculators who are driving the oil commodity prices up. But we must be clear; this is not the oil crises driven solely by speculators, nor is this the oil crisis of the 70’s. What is driving this rise in oil prices is the rapid increase of demand for oil in emerging economies, particularly in China, and India. Their consumption demands are outstripping the ability of oil producing nations to supply the needed oil. And their consumption needs will continue to rise. Thus China has begun investing in the Nigeria, Iran and other oil producing nations. The fruit of those relationships may have unknown and/or unwelcome consequences. One thing is for sure, the competing interests of our country and those rising economies for oil will increase the potential for conflicts either direct or by proxy. As a result, our dependency on foreign oil now constitutes a clear and present danger to American way of life.

However, despite the bevy of solutions that have been offered, there is no quick fix, domestic gas prices will continue to rise. If elected, I will make energy policy my number one priority, but the solution will not come overnight. Nor will it come without a price. American consumers will have to make lifestyle changes - changes in the type of cars they drive, whether or not to carpool, or to consider mass transit as an option when available. There will be some who will make other choices as it relates to urban versus suburban living. Americans will be forced to make these hard and tough choices because hard and tough choices were not made in Washington.

This crisis comes at a time when many Americans see the value of their primary assets decline in value due to the fallout of the subprime housing crises. This comes at a time when American resources both human and monetary - are being drained in a war of choice in Iraq. This comes at a time when our national currency is under attack, and our national treasury is overburdened with debt. This comes at time when state and local governments are struggling to find the funding it takes to increase their mass transit capacity. This crisis comes at a time when 80 percent of the American public feels we are moving in the wrong direction.

I don’t want to fool the American people into believing Washington alone can solve this problem. Cleary history would not support that narrative. In addition, when quick fixes for political expediency fail American confidence in Washington's ability to solve problems erodes into a dangerous level of apathy.

We have all seen the photo ops of the oil company executives raising their right hands in Congress, yet their profit margins continue to grow. The simple fact is that for too many years we in Washington have allowed oil companies to dictate policy, and car executives to dictate emission policy harming our ecosystem – yet another threat due to government failure.

For too long we have mismanaged relationships with oil producing nations fostering conflict rather than cooperation. Now the clock is ticking. We no longer have the luxury to bungle policy, coddle oil producers and protect car manufacturers. In essence, because of government malfeasance, what for years merely a domestic problem is now a national security problem.
For years our government ignored the warnings of the rising oil consumption in Asia and India. For years our government has ignored warnings of peaks in oil supplies. To be blunt, for the last 40 years our government energy policy has failed, and has failed with such magnitude that we are now forced to play catch up, catch up at the expense of the American people. We are playing with people’s lives and their livelihood, but this is not a game.

My goal as President is to reduce American dependency on foreign oil, but those solutions are complex, and won’t be felt at the gas pump for years. Until then only the hard choices of the American consumer can stem the tide of a threat that we face as a result of years of political failure and lack of leadership, vision and imagination in our energy policy.

Hillary’s dilemma

Hillary’s dilemma

The path to the nomination for Hillary Rodham Clinton is simple.
1) Win the popular vote.
2) Close the delegate gap to under 100.
3) Convince Super delegates she represents the best chance to beat John McCain.
Easier said than done. The narrative that Hillary Clinton wants to craft sounds good on paper, but in the real world of national politics it may not be good enough. Even if Senator Clinton closes strong and overtakes Senator Obama in the popular vote, it may not be enough to turn the tide in her favor. Many of the super delegates will want to hear more from Ms Clinton. They will need to be convinced that Democratic candidates across the country will be better off with Senator Clinton at the top of the ticket than they would be with Senator Obama. In addition she will need to convince party regulars that she can effectively compete with Senator McCain for the independent voters. Additionally many feel that long held animus against at Bill Clinton will energize the GOP right in the general election - Senator Obama doesn’t have that history/baggage. Finally, she will have to convince the super delegates that supporting her will not, turn off many young voters who were energized by Senator Obama.

The memories of the 2000 election debacle in Florida left a sore spot in the minds of many voters who felt the democratic process was undermined. Those memories may make it extremely difficult for a party to bypass a candidate who dominated the primary season, energized many new voters and more importantly garnered most of the elected delegates. To her credit, Senator Clinton has done well in the big states. This bodes well for her as she looks toward Pennsylvania, and the “do over’s” in Michigan and Florida. The “I can win the big states” is another narrative the Clinton campaign is floating.

I bet that Democratic Party regulars are privately disappointed that Senator Obama didn’t deliver a knockout blow in Texas and Ohio. In the final analysis those victories by Clinton may have been a pyrrhic victory. Texas and Ohio allowed her to continue to make her case for the nomination. And it appears that the demographic landscape of the upcoming primaries makes it possible that Senator Clinton can pass Senator Obama in the popular vote, narrow the delegate gap, and achieve her short term goals. The question is will that be enough to sway those party veterans who will ultimately determine who will run against Senator McCain. The determining factor will be the goals of the party regulars versus the goals of Senator Clinton. No one except for the press wants to see a nasty fight in Denver, but if Senator Clinton continues to win - the Democratic Party is headed for a train wreck.

Obama - Clinton and the Race Card

Forty years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and on the eve of his birthday celebration, American politics is embroiled in a stupid, and needless controversy over his contributions to civil rights in America. The remarks of Senator Hillary Clinton which suggested that the political action taken by President Johnson was necessary to make Dr. King’s dream a reality has been subject to demagoguery by some in the African American community. They suggest Senator Clinton by her remarks minimized Dr. King’s contribution. To purchase that logic one would then have to assert that Dr. King and many leaders in the Civil Rights Community were totally blind to the political dimension. It would be akin to saying that segregation would not have been defeated without the aid of politics. This assertion in my opinion is a reach, a reach that will only be bought by those who refuse to engage their critical minds, thus falling pray to the blandishments of race baiting. For starters, Hillary Clinton is in a dogfight for the Democratic Party nomination, of which the African American voter is a critical, block, and which her chief rival is an African American. Thus, the last thing Ms Clinton would do is to speak in a pejorative manner against Dr. King. It would be the equivalent to political suicide. The Clintons are too savvy for that kind of lapse. The Clintons have probably developed more partnerships within the African American community than any president in history, and posses an acute if not uncanny sensitivity toward African Americans. And it has been a two way street, the African American community has embraced the Clintons with more warmth than any president in recent history perhaps even surpassing their love for the Kennedy’s.

This is a fierce race, in a pivotal time in American history, perhaps the most crucial presidential election since 1968. Animosity within competing campaigns is not a new commodity, in The Making of the President 1968 author Theodore White chronicled the anger that the McCarthy campaign had against Senator Robert Kennedy. Kennedy earned their wrath by entering the race in March only after McCarthy did the heavy lifting of effectively dethroning a sitting president a month earlier. The Clintons entered the race with an aura of inevitability. Senator Obama’s high energy, well-organized campaign, has become a thorn in the Clinton’s side piercing her aura, and stealing her thunder. And as such, like Senator McCarthy forty years ago, the Clintons have no love for the upstart Obama. Instead of 2008 being a Clinton coronation, this has been a clash of the titans with Senator Clinton fighting for her political life.

That said, for Obama supporters to assert that Senator Clinton’s remarks was a slight against Dr King is an ugly and unnecessary injection of race. To his credit Senator Obama did not start this firestorm, but in my eyes that’s where his credit stops. Senator Obama is an intelligent man, and a man who should understand, the context of Senator Clinton’s remarks and diffuse the issue. Sunday on Meet the Press Senator Clinton defended her remarks by making several key points, including fact Dr. King supported Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and was present at the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. But more importantly Senator Clinton noted that many of the key players in the civil right movement understood the strategic importance of politics in the movement and entered the political arena themselves. Thus since the 70’s the political landscape has been flooded with seasoned veterans of the civil rights movement.

Back to Senator Obama. In 2004 I suggested in a poem that many streets across America that were named after Dr. King were known more for “drug traffic and “bodies in plastic” than for Dr. King’s core principles. One would think working on the streets of Chicago, Senator Obama is aware of this sad commentary within the African American Community. By piling on in this needless controversy, Senator Obama blew an opportunity to remind black America that we have a responsibility to honor Dr. King’s memory by working as agents for change in our own community not reviving old racial wounds.

I am producing a film on Dr. King’s anti war stance that begun in earnest a year to the day before his death. In speaking out against the war, Dr. King took the road less traveled, he challenged a sitting President, and incurred the wrath of many in the Civil Rights Community, including many of his supporters. Dr. King would be proud that in 2008 there is a high probability that a black man will be elected president. He would even more proud if that black man stood up to his supporters and challenged them to tone down the ugly rhetoric that attempts to manipulate his name and Dr. King’s unquestioned place in history.

For an election with historic implications to now pivot needlessly on race is a disgrace, and dishonors the memory of Dr. King. I also believe that the leaders in the African American community should seize this historic opportunity to advocate for significant change, rather than use the legacy of Dr. King as a political tool. Pushing racial buttons reveals the lack of evolution within the African American leadership, diverts attention from real issues, and sullies both the campaign and the candidates.

Dr. King deserves better.