Can Barack Obama win South Carolina? Well, the optimist inside me shouts yes, but recent events beg a different response. Each day I watch local news, flipping back and forth between sloppy coverage. Several days ago, one of the local stations had a segment in which the news anchor was interviewing Senator Obama. In her interview she took questions submitted by viewers straight to Obama. The questions were outrageous, but perhaps give us a better view of the mentality Barack would face if he were to gain the Democratic nomination. Most of the questions surrounded the absurd idea of Obama being an radical Muslim. Question after question targeted the same nerve…each looking for a reason not to like him.I am sure Barack is pondering…what to do…what to do…should I spread the radical Islam …which I dont believe in.. or focus on becoming an effective leader of the free world? Black men have it hard enough..let the man concentrate on the latter. Can people not utilize the tools afforded to us in the 21st century to delve deeper into these issues if they are of such importance? While I do understand that many do not have internet access etc…a library card is just a proof of identification away. I heard even more of these questions at my job. Continue reading »
Tuned out to the messages that matter
Often times we get caught up in the outrageous noise of conventional living and fail to recognize the real messages that surround us. Yes, there are the blaring ones of commercialism, but there are also some of truth and responsibilty. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to the Democratic Debates in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, sponsored by the South Carolina Legislative Caucus. While there were rampant messages of partisan politics, it was those voices that had something more to say than mere praises in support of one candidate or another that touched my spirit. I realized how truly tuned out I was becoming.
I traveled to Myrtle Beach with a broad coalition of student leaders dedicated to propelling the message of a clean energy future to political leaders through their grassroots efforts. Many of these students don’t receive any type of monetary compensation for their work, but you wouldn’t know this by their displays of dedication to the cause.The students made conference calls the entire drive en route to Myrtle Beach, honing their talking points and presentation. When we arrived they hit the ground running with media advisories, signs,petitions,polar bear suits,and an energy which cannot wholly be explained. Continue reading »
As interesting as the 2008 elections have been thus far, I can’t help but have this feeling that a rare few of the candidates are actually acknowledging the dire look at the future for America… one which is rapidly becoming the present. Are the candidates simply putting on a brave face for America by pretending like our economy isn’t slipping into a recession, are they trying to convince us that our nation is just as stable as it has always been with their positivity, or is this just another popularity contest? It is very hard to tell these days. All I know is that inflation is increasing, banks are closing, the stock market isn’t feeling so fierce, we’re still in a war we never could afford, and the Fed is once again planning on giving America another shot of steroids… but we all know what happens when you cheat too often with steroids. Someone finds out, and the outcome is never pretty.
Pat Buchanan puts out a great article describing the jeopardy in which America has put herself. Read Pat’s article (it does this topic justice).
Real Stupidity #29
You thought the tie made you a true patriot? Well, that’s not patriotic enough! If you buy this, then you can tell your friends that you sleep in blanket that proudly displays various patriotic phrases, bitch. And it’s made in the USA too. I wonder if it’s made at the same factory as the tie.
Real Stupidity #28
Patriotic Tie $12.98 “God Bless America” necktie lets you hear this wonderful song at a press of a button. What a fun way to show your patriotic colors! Comes with batteries and is made of poly/silk. Imported.
They should call this thing “America: The Tackiest Tie Ever.”
Right-wing Facebook
What if there were a Facebook solely for right-wing presidential hopefuls? I’m not sure how I would react. This thought experiment helps us to imagine what that might look like. Check it out. http://www.rightwingfacebook.org/
The Iowa Caucuses, the first primary our country holds, are held on January 3rd. Iowa is cool and all, but their caucus system doesn’t really make a lick of sense. The New York Times, as usual, has a great article about the system. It points out that it’s a little bit flawed; hardly any Iowans even show up for the damn things. Yet, because it is the first state to vote, the Iowa caucuses are hugely influential to the rest of the country.
Anyone who can’t afford a babysitter or has to work at night can’t vote, mainly because they can’t get to a overlong meeting. The Times writes, “In 2000, the last year in which both parties held caucuses, 59,000 Democrats and 87,000 Republicans voted, in a state with 2.9 million people.”
Check out this other excerpt,
“While the Republican caucuses are fairly simple — voters can leave shortly after they declare their preferences — Democratic caucuses can require more time and multiple candidate preferences from participants. They do not conform to the one-person, one-vote rule, because votes are weighted according to a precinct’s past level of participation. Ties can be settled by coin toss or picking names out of a hat.”
Seems a bit high schoolish to me. Maybe all states should decide who is president by picking names out of a hat. Or maybe it’s time for an election overhaul?
Read the rest of the story here.
(via nytimes.com)
In case you haven’t heard, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and legendary T.V. diva Oprah Winfrey cut a wide swath as they blew through South Carolina. Attracting a crowd of over 30,000, the two held the largest political rally in South Carolina’s history and the largest rally of this presidential campaign. I was fortunate enough to be there and watch history in the making (for Paula Dean’s history recipe, add 1 part historical event, plus 3 sticks of butter, and season with Oprah to taste).
The event truly was one for the record, and in my opinion it was all around first rate. From the chairs brought to the handicapped people waiting in line to the hilarious ladies standing next to me on the field, it was an event I will never forget.
Michelle Obama kicked off the event by introducing Oprah. Although Oprah didn’t bring any cars, nor did she erase anyone’s debt, she came bearing a top tier candidate in the race for the 2008 Presidential Election. Oprah spoke for a little while, but she kept her comments brief. “I love books, but I ain’t here to talk about no books,” she said, referring to criticism that she expects her endorsement to work just like her book club where she recommends something and people follow. “I got some sense,” she commented (or maybe she said “cents”. Of course both are true, but “cents” would be an understatement). Undoubtedly many were there to see Oprah, but they probably couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by their second round of O-mania–Senator Obama himself.
Oprah introduced the Illinois senator to a raucous and inescapable din that probably violated Columbia’s noise ordinances (if they have any). But what do you expect? People were excited to be there to see the first African American presidential candidate who actually has a shot at winning. One lady standing next to me when Obama came around to shake hands exclaimed, “I just touched his sweet ebony skin!” But the true testament to Obama’s ability to unite our country was evident in the make-up of the audience: young and old, black and white, rich and poor, and probably a few other dichotomies were represented too (maybe smart and dumb?). They all wanted to catch the O-Factor (not to be confused with the O’ Reilly Factor). Hopefully some of them are voters. See you at the polls!