The Project Logic Ga contributors have agreed to use “soapboxes” for general issues and items. Disclaimer: the moderate comments found on Slyram’s Soapbox do not necessarily reflect the dignified views of HBA1 or the “conservative since kindergarten” outlook of Coastalmom. Nor do they understand why Slyram does not patiently proof properly. Geesh
My man Secretary Colin Powell wrote in his first book “it ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.” So I wake up this morning knowing that most of my family would be thinking, “That Alaska governor lady Palin goes to my kind of church.” Of course still go to the AME church where we were brought “from a mighty long way” by of church civic involvement. Since I took communion the other day and “intended to lead a right life” I better get on with my comment.
I turn on CNN at 6 this morning and Joe Johns was reporting on the number of African Americans at the RNC Convention. Yesterday, I basically posted that numbers and faces on the stage was no big deal but the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies reports that only 36 of the delegates at the 2380 were African American—which is a 78.4 percent decline from the 167 African American delegates at the 2004 GOP convention.
The Joint Center even has a state by state delegate list—Costalmom knows most of the Georgians and could fit them comfortably in her minivan.
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Project Logic Ga 
In this season of political battles, we should reread the highlights of The Art of War by Sun Tzu because the logic and maneuvers are timeless.
18. All warfare is based on deception.
19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.
21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.
22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
23. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.
24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
25. These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
11. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
12. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage.
13. He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.
14. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
15. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.
29. Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards.
30. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.
31. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.
32. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.
33. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.
21. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
28. Now a soldier’s spirit is keenest in the morning; by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind is bent only on returning to camp.
29. A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods.
32. To refrain from intercepting an enemy whose banners are in perfect order, to refrain from attacking an army drawn up in calm and confident array:–this is the art of studying circumstances.
33. It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.
34. Do not pursue an enemy who simulates flight; do not attack soldiers whose temper is keen.
35. Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.
36. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
11. The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.
41. He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.
31. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.
15. Those who were called skillful leaders of old knew how to drive a wedge between the enemy’s front and rear; to prevent co-operation between his large and small divisions; to hinder the good troops from rescuing the bad, the officers from rallying their men.
60. Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy’s purpose.
4. Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.
Yesterday Obama said,”the Republicans can’t govern but they run smart campaigns.”
I like that; respect the abilities and intelligence of your opponents and make no mistakes about it; the top GOP strategists are masterminds. I had the following article about this subject on my computer.
GOVERNING VERSUS CAMPAIGNING
Governing is two orders of magnitude (about 100 times) more difficult than campaigning. The time scale, complexity and historic nature of governing make it much less susceptible to human control than a campaign.
Campaigning involves simple, clear choices repeated endlessly to force a binary choice (my candidate or their candidate).
Governing involves complex, often seemingly similar but profoundly different actions and steps which bring people together to create possibilities that had not previously existed.
Campaigning is naturally and legitimately divisive.
Governing is naturally and legitimately additive and sometimes multiplicative (that is really good governing strategies produce outcomes vastly more powerful or effective than the resources put into them).
Campaigning is normally a zero sum game.
Governing is normally a positive sum game (bad governing is a negative sum game and ultimately leads to the defeat of the negative governing force).
Campaigning has short and definable time horizons (the primary, the nomination, the election). Governing is endless with long time perspectives and the need to think about second and third order consequences which can come back to haunt a seemingly successful maneuver.
Campaigning leads to debates.
Governing leads to dialogues.
The country has had too much campaigning and not enough governing.
Now that the country has tentatively given control of the White House, House, and Senate to the same party it want to see that party campaign less and govern more.
I had Dr. King on my mind this moring and I remember the letter a young man wrote when Mrs. King passed.
http://www.playahata.com/pages/bitter/donttellmartin.htm
Please Don’t Tell Martin
by Bitter B
Thank you Ms. Coretta for the grace, strength, and dignity that you displayed.
Since your wonderful husband was assassinated by the bullets of fear and hate.
You know they killed him because of their ignorance.
Thank you for not allowing bitterness and anger to engulf your very existence.
Now that you are reunited with Martin tell him that they are stripping our rights away, day by day, but his fight was not in vain.
Tell him that although my generation glorifies drugs, debases black women in song, and calls us vulgar names – that his dream still remains.
Our men no longer celebrate our natural black beauty – we have to have long weaves, small waists, and big ole booties.
The videos are so degrading, they mirror soft porn.
Us Blacks own television stations now, but that’s all that’s shown.
Tell Martin that my generation apologizes for its lack of respect for his legacy and the dormancy of our elders, we might as well call this the Civil Rights of Unmovement Era.
Tell him that although we as black people make more than we’ve ever seen, that we squander it on diamond clad teeth, 24 inch rims, and designer clothes due to our sagging self-esteem.
Tell Martin that our babies are growing up without fathers, while the mothers are catching buses just like he remembers.
Our children take to the streets in droves, not to march or proclaim the injustice of this nation, but to pledge their gang affiliation.
I can’t rhyme to this next line. On any night thugs hang out while bullets ring out – not freedom.
And yes we continue to be judged by the color of our skin by America but I wonder most about the lack of the content of our character.
Advise him that the grand-daughters of the Civil Rights era are making their money as strippers.
The Grand-sons of the marchers are ignoring their sons and daughters and hanging and slangin’ on corners.
They’re going to jail in mass numbers, not for protesting, marching, or defying racism, but because they commit illegal acts to gain materialism.
Our children are making babies, ignoring education, committing felonious capers, I’d wish they’d read his Birmingham Jail Papers.
Tell Martin that those in the ghetto are not the only ones forgetting his dream.
There are those who’ve forgotten where they came from because of a little cream.
Who refuse to give back to the community, because their motto is ‘More for me’.
They’ve forgotten how to lend a helping hand, to help their fellow man – all the while thinking, ‘If I can make it, they can’.
Looking down without offering a leg up, getting on elevators with their noses up.
Some of us are even republicans now, but that’s a very exclusive black crowd.
Striving to get to the top of the ladder, to make their pockets fatter – instead of doing something that truly matters.
Leaving the ‘hood’ in droves and only moving back when Whites buy up all of the homes.
Tell Martin that we still like to dance and sing, but not Negro spirituals cuz we’ve got Beyonce grinding and shaking her thing.
Ms. Coretta, this may hurt poor Martin the most – it just may seal the deal, we as a people don’t attend church anymore.
Cuz we’ve gotten a little education and found out that God wasn’t real.
For those of us who still believe, it makes us want to holla, we’ve got a pimp named Bishop and a Bishop named Dollar.
I don’t know Ms. Corretta, maybe you’d better not tell Martin that for all that he’s done to make us free, equal, and just – that we still migrate to the back of the bus. I’ll bet looking down – he doesn’t recognize us.
We’ve forgotten how to march, protest, and vote – but be at the club, standing in line for hours – in the freezing cold.
Sporting the latest gear; stilettos, hoochie clothes, teeth that’s froze, and Tims – driving cars with less tire more rim. Dying to get in so that we can ‘shake it fast’, drop it like it’s hot’ – forgetting the respect and dignity that we were taught.
I neva’ thought I’d think this thought, but please don’t eva’ give Martin your report.
Ms. Coretta, maybe you should just avoid mentioning my generation all togetha’.
Bitter B
Released: January 31st, 2006
My. booknotes from:
Come on People: Bill Cosby and Alvin Poussaint
p. 36 Although few acknowledge it-who would?- the doctrine of white supremacy has sunk deeply into the minds of too many Americans, black people included. It has slithered its way into the psyches of poor black youth with low self-esteem, who equate academic success with whiteness. And if success is “white” then are we saying that to “act black” is to fail?
p. 103 Dr. George McKenna Now when we underachieve, we compare ourselves to some other underachievers and celebrate being the best of the pitiful. And that, ladies and gentleman, if a definition of insanity. When you create an alternative reality and believe that where you are is normal, you’re insane.
We see a lot of alternative reality in Compton, kids who pride themselves on saying, “I will walk like this. It won’t get me anywhere, but I’m a big man in a mall square and I will kill my fellow brothers over land I neither lease, own, rent or pay taxes on, and call in my turf.”
p. 108-109 We are all worried sick about the high school drop-out rate of greater than 50 percent in many of our cities- with higher rates for black males than females. In Baltimore, for example, about 75 percent of black males do not graduate from high school.
As a result of such stupid decision, our jails overflow with your black male high school dropouts. A year of college at a state school costs the state about ten thousand dollars; a year in jail costs about twenty-five thousand dollars.
p. 110 We have to copy the methods of successful schools in low-income black communities. Positive examples exist in cities around the country. It is not enough simply to add tougher courses or more homework. Schools succeed best when the entire “school culture” is changed to support success instead of failure.
Education reformers report that the core components of effective schools are: a sense of purpose, clear standards, high expectations of all, a belief that all students can be educated, safe and orderly environments, strong partnership with parents and caregivers, and a commitment to solving problems.
I sure hope some of the political operatives are reading this blog and your comments. Awesome stuff. Reads like a political strategy that can win elections to me. What do you think?
HBA1, I learned from the best. Thanks for making me “hip to the game” regarding our community and political options. We must keep all of them on their toes.
Malcolm X on Party Politics
I have heard Malcolm X brought into this presidential election discussion by people who content that Obama studied or read his work. Newsflash: you read and study a range of political thinkers to feel the pulse of the community or intellectually debate the opposing point of view. For example, I never knew south central Los Angeles was a powder keg waiting to blow until I listened to the frustrations of NWA lyrics—we know what happened next and Ice Cube looked like Nostradamus.
Malcolm X sounded like Nostradamus in his 1964 speech called “the Ballot or the Bullet” where he encouraged African Americans small businesses, warned against depending on the government and slammed African Americans for letting the Democrat Party take us for granted. While this speech contains certain about of understandable animosity, the community improvement substance is outstanding.
26:55 “If you are Black, you were born in jail, in the North as well as the South. Stop talking about the South. As long as you are South of the Canadian border, you are South.”
27:15 “Don’t call Governor Wallace a Dixie Governor; Romney is a Dixie Governor.”
29:04 “The Democrats have been in Washington D.C. only because of the Negro vote. They have been down there four years..and the legislation they wanted to bring up, they brought up and got it out of the way and now the bring up you.”
“You put them first and they put you last…cause you are a chump…a political chump.”
This speech was in Michigan; hence, the Governor Romney statement (which I did not like because Mitt’s daddy was a civil rights marcher.) This blog was created to be educational and informative to anyone interested in the African American electorate.
I did not post this video last week when I heard it because Malcolm X used of a term that rhymes with “tracker” when referring to a Georgia Senator–not cool today. But, the overall message of the speech compelled me to share it because the African American conservatism and moderation that Malcolm was recommending in 1964 would have been better for us than waiting for the government to rescue us economically. If we listened to his call for economic self-reliance back then, America would be better off today.
I got “cover” to post this speech from Georgia icon Bill Shipp’s column this morning. Malcolm talked about LBJ’s closeness to Georgia Senator Richard B. Russell. He said LBJ got off the plane (maybe after JFK’s assassination) and the first thing he said was “Where’s Dickie…get Dickie.” Russell in the Senate and Vinson in House pushed tirelessly for Georgia military bases and many African Americans in this state moved into the middle class with civil service and military jobs.
Shipp wrote that Russell avoided presidential candidates and issues by heading to Spain to inspect military bases. “It was a smart political move, and it helped Russell maintain his popularity at home and his power in Washington.” I half remember that Herman Talmadge was fishing in Alaska during the messy 1968 Democratic National Convention.
Now, we see why Georgia Rep. Jim Marshall was visiting the troops during the start of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, back in Georgia by the middle of the week and skipped the Obama Acceptance Speech —smooth Dixiecrat move but Malcolm “hipped” us to the game.
Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman’s book “It’s My Party Too,” Zell Miller’s book “A National Party No More” and this Malcolm X speech really opened my eyes. Miller was a former Governor when he was appointed to serve the balance of the late Senator Coverdell’s term (that should have been Congressman Sanford Bishop’s appointment but Bishop did not want it.)
Miller wrote that he was surprised that Senate leadership scheduled votes around fundraisers. Zell is a Georgian who won’t sugar-coat his views and neither shall this Georgian.
Yes, Zell is for Jim Marshall; as Senate Obama says, “we can disagree without being disagreeable.”
Actually, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said after Malcolm X’s assassination, “We as a society have not learned to disagree without being violently disagreeable.”
Bottomline: read, listen and learn some of everything with filters.
Rebranding the U.S. With Obama
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
The other day I had a conversation with a Beijing friend and I mentioned that Barack Obama was leading in the presidential race:
She: Obama? But he’s the black man, isn’t he?
Me: Yes, exactly.
She: But surely a black man couldn’t become president of the United States?
Me: It looks as if he’ll be elected.
She: But president? That’s such an important job! In America, I thought blacks were janitors and laborers.
Me: No, blacks have all kinds of jobs.
She: What do white people think about that, about getting a black president? Are they upset? Are they angry?
Me: No, of course not! If Obama is elected, it’ll be because white people voted for him.
[Long pause.]
She: Really? Unbelievable! What an amazing country!
We’re beginning to get a sense of how Barack Obama’s political success could change global perceptions of the United States, redefining the American “brand” to be less about Guantánamo and more about equality. This change in perceptions would help rebuild American political capital in the way that the Marshall Plan did in the 1950s or that John Kennedy’s presidency did in the early 1960s.
In his endorsement of Mr. Obama, Colin Powell noted that “the new president is going to have to fix the reputation that we’ve left with the rest of the world.” That’s not because we crave admiration, but because cooperation is essential to address 21st-century challenges; you can’t fire cruise missiles at the global financial crisis.
In his endorsement, Mr. Powell added that an Obama election “will also not only electrify our country, I think it’ll electrify the world.” You can already see that. A 22-nation survey by the BBC found that voters abroad preferred Mr. Obama to Mr. McCain in every single country — by four to one over all. Nearly half of those in the BBC poll said that the election of Mr. Obama, an African-American, would “fundamentally change” their perceptions of the United States.
Europe is particularly intoxicated by the possibility of restoring amity with America in an Obama presidency. As The Economist put it: “Across the Continent, Bush hatred has been replaced by Obama-mania.”
Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes, which conducted the BBC poll, said that at a recent international conference he attended in Malaysia, many Muslims voiced astonishment at Mr. Obama’s rise because it was so much at odds with their assumptions about the United States. Remember that the one thing countless millions of people around the world “know” about the United States is that it is controlled by a cabal of white bankers and Jews who use police with fire hoses to repress blacks. To them, Mr. Obama’s rise triggers severe cognitive dissonance.
“It’s an anomaly, so contrary to their expectation that it makes them receptive to a new paradigm for the U.S.,” Mr. Kull said.
Europeans like to mock the vapidity of American politics, but they also acknowledge that it would be difficult to imagine a brown or black person leading France or Germany.
As for Africa, Mr. Obama’s Kenyan father was of the Luo tribe, a minority that has long suffered brutal discrimination in both Kenya and in Uganda (where it is known as the Acholi). The bitter joke in East Africa is that a Luo has more of a chance of becoming president in the United States than in Kenya.
Yet before we get too far with the self-congratulations, it’s worth remembering something else.
In the western industrialized world, full of university graduates and marinated in principles of egalitarianism, the idea of electing a member of a racial minority to the highest office seems an astonishing breakthrough. But Jamaica’s 95 percent black population elected a white man as its prime minister in 1980, and kept him in office throughout that decade.
Likewise, the African nation of Mauritius has elected a white prime minister of French origin. And don’t forget that India is overwhelmingly Hindu but now has a Sikh prime minister and a white Christian as president of its ruling party, and until last year it had a Muslim in the largely ceremonial position of president.
Look, Mr. Obama’s skin color is a bad reason to vote for him or against him. Substance should always trump symbolism.
Yet if this election goes as the polls suggest, we may find a path to restore America’s global influence — and thus to achieve some of our international objectives — in part because the world is concluding that Americans can, after all, see beyond a person’s epidermis. My hunch is that that is right, and that we’re every bit as open-minded about racial minorities as Jamaicans already were a quarter-century ago.
I invite you to visit my blog, http://www.nytimes.com/ontheground, and join me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/kristof.