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In the Midst of Political Hate

September 2, 2009 by hba1

If one were not careful, he would start to believe that there is no hope between Blacks and Whites or  Republicans and Democrats. Venom spewed at some of the Healthcare Reform Town Hall meetings, finger pointing, voices of doom and gloom from some of the national talk show hosts and on and on are becoming part of our conversations every day. Here in Augusta, there is a Healthcare Reform Rally planned for Thursday, September 3rd. We have some pretty reasonable people here so I am optimistic that we won’t see some of the nonsense we’ve seen in other parts of the U.S. There are, however, thousands of people who are concerned about the current legislation and they do have a right to express themselves.  I have a problem with it in its current form as well. Prayerfully our Congressmen/women have heard enough from the people that when they return on the 8th, cooler heads will prevail and they come to the table and prepare a bill that is reasonable and acceptable. We shall see.

But in the midst of all of this political hate, I read an article in this morning’s Washington Post that was so encouraging I had to share it. For as long as I can remember, I have been of the mindset that one shouldn’t put all of their eggs in one basket. To have one group of people that blindly votes for one Party versus another is troubling to me. I know from experience how a person can win a race simply because they have a D next to their name, if the African-American vote is who they are pursuing. Surely one can be taken for granted easily when a political candidate really doesn’t have to ‘earn the people’s vote.’ But simply be a Democrat and no worries, ‘we’ve got the Black people’s vote.’ That is what many politicians say, you know?

So Marvin Rogers of Rock Hill, SC has a book coming out soon that addresses this very issue and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. And I also can’t wait to have  him on my radio program. Stay tuned. The name of his forthcoming book is ‘Silence Is the Loudest Sound.’ I love it. Here is the article written by Kathleen Parker from today’s Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/01/AR2009090103631_pf.html

Tackling the Great Divide

By Kathleen Parker
Wednesday, September 2, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. — When people think of South Carolina, they think of . . . I know, Comedy Central. Given the state’s generosity in providing punchlines, Jon Stewart and native son Stephen Colbert really ought to consider taking a pay cut.

What people do not typically think of is black Republicans, a perception that could change soon if a young man named Marvin Rogers has his way. This 33-year-old, Spanish-speaking former aide to South Carolina Rep. Bob Inglis has a plan for the GOP: He wants to change its complexion.

Until 2008, when he ran unsuccessfully for the state House of Representatives, Rogers may have been better known in Latin America, where he was an itinerant preacher for several years, than in North America. “Unsuccessfully” in this case should be qualified. Rogers won 32 percent of the vote in a blue stronghold, running as a black Republican in the year of Obama.

All things considered, not bad.

Rogers’s story is, shall we say, unorthodox. Born in the tiny town of Boiling Springs, S.C., he was raised by working-class parents with values rather than ideology. “So I was largely removed from the acrimony between the African American race and the Republican Party.”

Without preconceptions about where his race placed him politically, Rogers began examining issues on paper and recognized that he was philosophically more aligned with Republicans than Democrats. But then a funny thing happened. When he began attending political meetings, he noticed, “Oh, my, I’m the only black guy here. What’s up with that?”

That question led Rogers on a quest that has resulted in a book nearing completion, “Silence Is the Loudest Sound,” in which he attempts to explain how the party of Lincoln lost its black soul.

Through five years of study and interviews, Rogers reached the conclusion that the chasm between the black community and the Republican Party is more emotional than philosophical. And, he says, that chasm is more a media template than reflective of reality.

The best explanation for what’s gone wrong, he says, was articulated by Jack Kemp, who told him during an interview: “The Republican Party has had a great history with African-Americans and they turned away from it. The Democratic Party has had a terrible history, but they overcame it.”

Part of the turning away followed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Richard Nixon’s “Southern strategy” that tried to harness votes by cultivating white resentment toward blacks. Rogers is no Pollyanna and recognizes this period for what it was — a “bruise” on the GOP. But he insists that Democrats use the Southern strategy when it suits them.

The biggest problem for today’s Republican Party, he says, is tone-deafness, as manifested by conservative talk radio and TV. Rogers says he and most blacks can’t listen to Rush Limbaugh because all they hear is anger.

“They might agree with Rush on the issues, but they can’t hear him because he sounds mad. People don’t follow fussers. People don’t follow angry men. They follow articulators.”

What about Michael Steele, the Republican Party chairman? Is he changing the perception of the GOP as a party of whites?

Rogers takes a moment to consider, and answers carefully.

“Let’s say I think that when he ran for the Maryland Senate seat, and when he was lieutenant governor, that was when he was most effective in changing this perception.”

Another reason the GOP limits itself among African Americans, says Rogers, is because Republicans don’t talk about issues that have currency in the black community — poverty, the challenges of single-parent homes, social justice, recidivism, black capitalism and crime. Studying Republican speeches through the decades was how Rogers came up with his book title.

The way for Republicans to attract black voters is pretty simple, says Rogers: Show up and solve problems.

When he moved to Rock Hill, where he currently lives, Rogers made his home in the inner city rather than the suburbs. When a local basketball team needed money for jerseys, Rogers helped them. Thus, when this inner-city team hit the court, their jerseys said, “York County GOP.”

“People don’t care what [political affiliation] comes after your name,” says Rogers. “They just want the jersey.”

With Rogers on the hustings, Democrats have cause for concern. Among other things, he’s telling African Americans that they have rendered themselves politically impotent by voting monolithically. “If one party can count on our vote, then they can take us for granted. Predictability is suicidal.”

Predictability would seem not to be a problem for a Spanish-speaking, black Republican wonk who just might make South Carolina less of a joke.

kathleenparker@washpost.com

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Sausage-Making and Georgia Congressional Politics

September 1, 2009 by slyram

They say you don’t want to know how laws and sausage are made.  I have been in a slaughterhouse and worked in the U.S. House so maybe they are similar.  My sister once got upset with me for telling her children what pork really was…during breakfast.  “The filthy pig wallows in its own droppings but eventually he becomes the tasty product we are enjoying right now….care for seconds.” 

The federal law-making and budget process is not for weak- stomachs but in the end, you got to love this system of ours.  (This is the point in my blog posts where most people move on to more interesting parts of the web; so, I can write what’s on my mind without anyone knowing.)

In the mail today, my member of congress’s newsletter arrived and it appears that this representative is busy working for the people who put him in office.  While reading the details of his activities, he has done a lot to assist interests in our area that traditionally support the other major political party.  When the Dem team and President Obama is being demonized, where are those guys who could stand up and say, “They are helpful to my industry…some of those Dems aren’t half bad.”  If this were a schoolyard, kids would say, “I have been your friends since kindergarten but you get around some folks and act like you don’t know me…while they beat me up.”

Reasonable people know it is a process that involves negotiations, posturing and a certain amount of compromise.  As I have written before, it’s hard fitting a large nation comfortably into two political parties.  Ultra-liberals and ultra-conservatives jump up and down as if other views inside their party and this nation don’t exist.  I am no expert but it seems to me that the party or side that tolerates us centrists gets the balance of power. (At this point, no more than two or three people are still reading.)

I listened for hours to a radio broadcast of a health care town hall meeting with the most conservative Democrat in the Georgia congressional delegation.  While I have had issues with his lack of support for the White House, I can say he likely represents the consensus in his district since you don’t hear a peep from liberals there.  Moderates often wish for more-open minded southern Republicans and perhaps this member should consider making a party move to a more comfortable side.  Like the now-Republican and former Democrat who represents the Georgia mountains, it would likely be hard telling the difference.  

At the end of the day, we should make an effort to consider the complexity of the decision-making process; be mindful of the balancing requirements of governing and show some loyalty to those who have worked hard for our state.  For example, I don’t have a problem with Georgia’s senators but saying that publicly would tick off those who only watch Fox News and those who only watch MSNBC….thanks CNN for “fair and balance” reporting.  “And the Emmy for best T.V. acting in a drama goes to….”

What’s in sausage?  Everything.  What’s in laws and appropriations bills?  Everything.

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Black Beauty, Sagging Pants and Funny Names

August 28, 2009 by slyram

Someone emailed me the link from a Black beauty pageant and basically said they knew that the day would come when “those names” would be everywhere.  Wait just a second Uppity Conservative: America is a complex and intricate tapestry woven from many different fibers; we have various subcultures.  While I am a moderate and wouldn’t wear sagging pants if I were in school today, I do remember wearing boxer shorts with gators on them as short pants (of course we wore briefs under them.) 

Excessive tattoos and sagging pants concern me but so does middle age women with too much cleavage.  What’s up with the women at church yard sales with short shorts so their leg can tan evenly.  Ultra short shorts on mothers and young daughters are as inappropriate as Ray Ray’s sag.  

Like Don Henley sang, “the more I know, the less I understand” and I have been trying to get to “the heart of the matter” but I give up.  I don’t understand the thug culture or “the confederacy was right” culture.  The R&B singer Jaheim helped me make peace with the new culture (I prefer agri—culture) with his hood anthem “Fabulous.”  The lyrics included the line “name our kids them funny names” but more important Jaheim sincerely said, “we got love for you’ll but you’ll not love us.”  When this song came out, I would have considered you nuts if you told me that a funny name person would be president in 2009.  Don’t sleep, it could have been our sister from the South….Condoleezza. 

Jaheim-Fabulous

http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x24jcd

Remember William Shakespeare’s Juliet saying, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” As we say in the South, “it’s not what they call you; it’s what you answer to.” 

Since this post started about a beauty pageant, may I say that the recent Miss. Universe pageant featured some of the most strikingly beautiful women of color I have ever seen.  While the other contestants were nice and I generally prefer the nerdy librarian type, my DNA double helix turns me toward ladies who look like me: Miss Ethiopia, Miss. Jamaica, Miss. Dominican Republic, Miss. Tanzania, Miss. Curacao and even Miss. India.  I could trip all day at a cookout with Jaheim and the guys over which sister got robbed of her crown at this pageant (but Miss. Venezuela is not exactly chopped liver.) 

“Check this out, Son. Miss. Ethiopia, Son..great day in the morning, Son. As we said back in school…she is the one who makes Black so beautiful.”  Those young guys need to pull up their pants and read that Steve Harvey book “Act like a Lady, Think Like a Man’ and they will be ready for that African or African American princess.  

http://www.missuniverse.com/members/contestants/sortBy:region

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Obama, Townhall Protest and Basketball

August 27, 2009 by slyram

The long hot summer is coming to an end and hopefully the healthcare reform townhall meetings were beneficial and productive.  I can say that angry protesters who tried to shout down members of congress actually motivated some of the citizens to defend the besieged officials.  In the Georgia congressional delegation, a Democrat and Republican represent the split cities Valdosta, Columbus, Augusta, Albany and Savannah.

A far-right conservative voter in a Blue Dog Democrat district can rant until he is red in the face because that member votes against his wishes without thinking that across town a far-left liberal might feel the same way about being in a Fox-News watching MOC’s district.  When Bush 43 won the presidency, reasonable folks acknowledged that the people (or the Supreme Court) had spoken.  When Newt Gingrich and the GOP took over congress, most Americans again acknowledged that the people had spoken.  Obama gets the White House and the Democrats control congress and some folks lose their minds and begin talks of revolution.  Wow, talk about your sore losers; pouting is unbecoming.

When I was a kid, we had a whole basketball court (albeit dirt) in my backyard and all Hades would break loose if we returned from the African Methodist Episcopal Church (I like having “African” in the name of my church) and the fellows were playing hoops.  My mother would inform them that they could not play if they did not go to church and they were more than welcome to go with us.  Some of those guys are deep in their faith today and wish they started their “walk” before the drama of their young adult years.

When my mother looked out the kitchen window and saw me on the sidelines, she walked on the patio and asked why I wasn’t playing on “my” court.  I had to walk over and tell her that I lost the last game and had to wait for “next”—those are the rules of backyard basketball.  She did not understand like she did not understand why I (left-handed) could not use my older brother’s perfectly good baseball glove (also, left-handed).  To this day, I catch with a left-handed glove and take it off to throw.  Come to think about it, daddy should have said something about that since he was a college athlete but he was busy getting that income.  (Sidenote: left-handed presidents include Truman, Ford, Reagan, Bush the Elder, Clinton and Obama.)

Back to my point: if you lose fair and square, you can have “next.”  You should spend your time on the side studying the skills of the other players—maybe pick a few of them for your team “next” game and go on a winning streak.  Some conservatives are studying and I bet they are thinking about getting a few Blue Dogs to switch teams.  Others on the conservative sidelines want to go tell their mommas that the guys won’t let them play.  In my neighborhood, when your momma said, “my son is suppose to play on “his” court,” the guys were thinking “lady, you son can’t play because he can’t play…literally.” 

You can best believe that after everyone went home to watch the A-Team or whatever I was out there drilling and practicing to earn my court respect.  Come to think about it: I should have been in the crib on that homework so this would be better written.  Don’t sleep on the parallel between adults who “want their country” and their childhood complaints of “I want my court back” or the classic “I will take my ball and go home.”

In my community, we always had someone who was all mouth; he is going to do this and going to do that.  The smooth fellows were silently thinking, “Actions speak louder than words.”  Mr. Big Mouth would still be flapping his gums after losing all day.  Eventually, someone would break down and tell him that he was always on the sidelines because his skills were weak, the fear technique only gets you so far, he came down the middle “weak” and got rejected, and he could not hit from the outside.  The same guy was always an elbow-throwing player who would cut your legs from under when you were soaring in the air.  That sounds familiar and political. 

One more thing:  stop yelling at members of congress and the president for doing what the people elected them to do.  If you want to yell at or educate anyone, it should be the voters you consider misinformed.

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Senator Ted Kennedy: I Won’t Back Down

August 26, 2009 by slyram

Senator Ted Kennedy is gone but two things immediately come to mind.  In public policy, you can respectfully negotiate without capitulating.  Second, young people should notice that Kennedy did so much in life after youth drama and partying.  This is America, the land of opportunity.  Those opportunities include moving forward from self-inflicted adversity and I for one think that Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, and Clinton would never have enter the oval office if those who want pure and unblemished public servants had their way. 

Actually, I like politicians who are a little nicked up –like real folks– and persevering, photogenic Vanessa Williams is my favorite former Miss. America.  During the 1994-midterm elections, a wave of conservatism swept the nation and Democrats were moving toward the center or switching to the GOP to save their careers.  Speaker of the House Tom Foley became the first sitting speaker to not win reelection since 1862 but Senator Kennedy stood by his liberal beliefs and beat a young Mitt Romney 58% to 41%. 

Kennedy’s campaign staffers adopted the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song “I Won’t Back Down” as an unofficial theme.  Think what you want about conservatives but they function with that same mentality and think President Obama will have Senator Kennedy in mind as his White House “gets done” what they were put there to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKqO0FeaCFQ&feature=related

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Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Jim Marshall: A Political version of Teena Marie

August 25, 2009 by slyram

Georgia Rep. Jim Marshall held a town hall meeting yesterday and solidified his place as as a front-runner for governor next year.  Oh yeah, Marshall is not running for governor but his ability to please moderates and conservatives was exceptional.  The only folks who might not like Marshall’s message are liberals, national Democrats and Obama supporters.  

I have been questioning about Marshall in the past year because he never supported Obama or Clinton during the 2008 presidential campaign but after listening to him field questions for hours over the radio, I finally get him.  He is either an anachronism of the pre-1990s Democratic Party (Dixiecrats) or a bright star in the non-party American political future.  The good thing about Marshall is the fact that he represents non-Atlanta, Georgian views as well as anyone.  The bad thing about him is that he rarely works to quail the political vitriol aimed at our party and President Obama. 

Rep. Marshall did well in his fair opposition to health care reform and mentioned the bipartisan Healthy American Act that he could support.  When questioned about his vote for of the 2008 bailout, Marshall repeated his opinion that those actions were need to rescue the economy and if he could be defeat for doing what he thinks is right, defeat him and send him home.  I guess he has the same outlook about supporting Democrat initiatives in 2009 that expand the size of government or balloon the national debt.

The congressman waxed nostalgic about the good old days when most congressional districts could elect either a Democrat or Republican.  He then told the crowd that the current congressional maps create districts safe for Ds or Rs without going into details about the Voting Rights Act being the reason for redistricting.  Marshall is better suited for statewide office because the liberals’ section in the Democrat Party will want him gone over his major votes this congress; that district really is a conservative seat. 

If you read the signs, the GOP lack of opposition to Rep. Marshall could be indication that they don’t want him push into a bid for governor because he is one Democrat who might actually win (he couldn’t beat Isakson for Senate.)

Is Marshall a Dem, cloaked GOP or an undeclared Independent?  Old school R&B music fans can think of Marshall like Teena Marie—a hybrid.  Lady T didn’t look like us but everyone in the community loved the ways she “put it down” in her music.  Rep. Marshall has a D on his jersey but he evidently feels conservatism as much as anyone and too much for some Ds.  I hope Jim Marshall has Teena Marie in his Ipod or on his Blackberry because he should listened to “Out on a Limb” and “Square Biz” over and over during the coming months.  To be honest, Marshall brought that “square biz” on health care reform yesterday but some Dems wonder why he is not “out on a limb” with Rep. Barrow and Rep. Bishop in support of the White House…a Dem White House. 

We true Obama supporters are listening to Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire.”

 

Healthy American Act: Summary

http://wyden.senate.gov/issues/Legislation/Healthy_Americans_Act.cfm

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Blue Dog Democrats: Do The Right Thing

August 22, 2009 by slyram

DO_THE_RIGHT_THING

Spike Lee’s film “Do The Right Thing” drove compelling discussions about cultural and race in my circle of friends. In the book Lee wrote about making this movie and in interviews, he refused pointing the finger of blame at any one character for the riot that erupted in the plot. Film-making is an art and the viewers in this medium make their conclusions ultimately.

Danny Aiello’s character Sal owned a pizzeria in a transitioning neighborhood.  While people in the community grew up on Sal’s slices, it was clear that the Sal’s family “tolerated” the area out of business necessitate. 

When I think about the Blue Dog Democrats, I see a similar situation.  I was proud of most Blue Dogs for taking the town hall meeting heat this month and slowing the rush to pass a massive health care reform bill before August recess.  The protesters deserve some credit also but they need to understand that a member of congress who easily wins elections must defer to those ballot results first.

Long servicing Blue Dogs are starting to look like “I don’t need this juggling stuff in my life.” If the Blue Dogs helped conservatives with issues during the Bush years, some of those conservatives in their districts should reciprocate on some level now.  Federal retirement could be looming for some members of congress and political observers should remember that the total number of years for retirement includes time in congress, the federal bureaucracy and military.  As the possible full retirement year approaches, members (like school teachers) might decide to ride the wave without rocking the boat or tell it like it is. 

Like retirees in barbershops, these public servants can finally speak their minds with secondary consideration for pensions.  I had to smile pleasingly when I saw a few normally tactful Blue Dog show some bite when protesters questions did not give them the same respect conservatives received while supporting Bush/Cheney debatable policies.   While voting the party line on the far-left and far-right is easy, Blue Dog Democrats and the few moderate Republicans must analysis every vote to make decisions that best serve their diverse districts or states. 

Like Sal in “Do The Right Thing,” they must also decide when enough is enough and if closing shop would be better than continued conflict and aggravation—getting out before a riot jumps off.  On the bright side, Sal could have moved his business to a suburban mall and moderates on both sides of the aisle could move to better situations in the executive branch, private sector or academia—President Obama’s White House seems to like Republicans more than Blue Dogs.  While I am not the best person on faith matters, this situation makes me think of Luke 9:25:  

For what is a man profited if he gains the whole word, and loses or forfeits himself?

Discussions about using the reconciliation process in congress to pass health care reform makes me think about those brave Democrats who voted for Bill Clinton’s Budget Reconciliation Act in the early 90s and were defeated by smirking Republicans in the mid-term elections.  History has proven that Clinton was right but many Democrats in safe districts conveniently voted against that important legislation to save their seats. 

“I am voting the wishes of my districts.”  But what should a member do when his/her district has formulated opinions based on deliberate misinformation efforts.  Like Georgia native and eulogizer of Malcolm X, Ossie Davis’s character said in the Spike Lee’s film, always try and do the right thing.

Posted in African Americans, Georgia, politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Outstanding Georgia Triplets heading for UGA

August 18, 2009 by slyram

UGA Arch

UGA Arch

We read so many negative things about our youth in the newspapers these days. Below is a positive story about triplets from the Savannah, Georgia area heading to the University of Georgia…top three in their class…. public school products…. single parent household with working mom.

When I read “top three in their class,” I made a face normally reserved for a rim-rattling dunk or the perfect execution of the hook and lateral football play.  While the sisters might have achieved in sports also, this story is about family, 4-H and good old fashion hard work.  My friends and I are puzzled when someone says their child is practicing basketball 5 hours a day to hopefully make the N.B.A.  While sports are good “anti-drugs,” Junior could be leaning on the UGA Arch with the triplets if he put that much attention to his books. The business and professional connections made at a major university can be more beneficial than a few years in professional sports.  

Since all three Morgan sisters plan to purse pharmacy degrees at UGA, I have a headline for you:   

Georgia Sisters Plan Careers as Drug Dealers

I never thought I would see that and be pleased and proud.   

http://m.savannahnow.com/articles/192975227;search_results?query=uga&page=1

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Tom Delay, Dick Armey and Dancing With the Stars: Newt’s Entourage

August 17, 2009 by slyram

I am such a homeboy and I get defensive when I think my Georgia homies are getting a raw deal.  Of the other hand, when homies don’t have other homies watching their backs anything can happen.  When Newt Gingrich became Speaker of the House, the situation was good for Georgia in my opinion (pork) like Illinois and Obama now.

I am not a Republican so I don’t know what happened but I have always wondered if Tom Delay and Dick Armey weren’t watching Newt’s back as “our” speakership slipped away.  Tom Delay will be on the next season of Dancing With the Stars but I will be supporting former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin, the lovely singer Mya and the actress Debi Mazar from HBO’s Entourage and two Spike Lee films.  (See how I indirectly support Lee who attended a Georgia Black college.)

Michael Irvin could have used a better entourage during his playing days when he stayed in drama and Newt should have had me up in the speaker’s office watching his back.  Like Elvis and the Memphis mafia and those fools around Michael Jackson, Michael Tyson and Michael Vick, you need someone who can look you in the eye and say, “I have a bad feeling about this” or “you might need to reconsider this one.”

So Dick Armey was on Meet the Press yesterday and he made some interesting points about Freedomworks and the healthcare debate but I was still thinking that they hung the homie Newt out to dry.

When the heat got hot, I wished Tupac and Biggie Smalls would have moved to rural Oregon, Colorado or something to let the situation cool down.  Debi Mazar was in the film Malcolm X and when I watch that movie I was thinking “stay in Africa for a few years Malcolm because Harlem and America are red hot.”  Emiliano Zapata said, “I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees.”

Sometimes a self-imposed exile is the thing to do.  You don’t see Ice Cube or Dr. Dre living in south central L.A. these days because they matured to a point that Michael Vick is just approaching.  It’s a balancing act because some homies you keep and some you let go—you and I can be on both sides of that theory.

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Blue Dog Democrats and Balancing Act

August 17, 2009 by slyram

I am confused on some level about the fairness or lack there of involving southern congressional politics.  First, the biggest indicators of public sentiment are elections and when members get 68% or better of the vote, that is saying something about what the people in that district want.  A very vocal minority in an area should not be misconstrued as a better indicator that the election.  Of course, some would say that the winner beat a weak opponent but the fact that more suitable opposition did not set up again tells you something.

When the conservatives took over the White House and Congress in the 1990s, the Democrats responded by accepting the public sentiment and accepting a subset of their party that was near the center.  Georgia always had Democrat congressmen who were conservative called Dixiecrats.  So Democrats learned to understand that Blue Dogs worked with the Bush White House because a sizable part of their constituency wanted that cooperation and dialog.   The fruits of that labor include agreements on veteran, defense and agriculture issues. 

Now that the shoe is on the other foot, why are some from the Right attacking the same Blue Dogs who were respectful to President Bush and his policies that even other Republicans now question?  I can understand  “getting at” the city liberals but why disrespectful fuss at those who have been kind to your cause in the past.  After the “interesting” Gore v. Bush election, most southern Democrats accepted the results without the ugliness we see now.

Another thing: please put a members actions in it’s proper perspective.  I personally appreciate members on both sides of the aisle who listen to both sides of the issues.  If a member is from a district with a balance mix of political views, his votes should be equally mixed.  I would not expect Rep. Kingston, Rep. Linder or Rep. Westmoreland to make many liberal votes nor would I expect Rep. Lewis or Rep. Johnson to make conservative votes.  For the Blue Dogs in the Georgia delegation, the situation is complicated because they have both rural and urban areas; Democrat and Republican; and conservatives, liberals and moderates. 

If you have a hypothetical government program and half of your congressional district wants to fund it at $100 million and the other half wants it funded at $300 million, do you compromise at $200 million?  Those type decisions trouble House Blue Dogs and their staffers daily.  If you think about it, southern senators often have similar concerns because they represent the whole diverse state.  While Georgia has conservative senators, liberal-to-moderate metro Atlanta has more people than the whole state of Alabama.  It’s a balancing act. 

What about the Blue Dogs who appeased the Right during the Bush years but are reluctant to lift a finger to help the Obama White House.  What would you do as a member of congress if you realized that part of your support base was flat wrong?  Would this situation be similar to the southern members of congress who courageously voted for the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s when the possible backlash was apparent?

They should think about Texas Rep. J.J. Pickle and the other six southerners who voted for the Civil Rights Act because it was the right thing to do.  For all the glamour of the Kennedy brothers, where were they when people could not drink from a public water fountain, ride a bus or order a slice of pie at the lunch counter in Woolworth’s?  They were trying to avoid alienating the whole South.  LBJ was the arm twister who got it done after the unfortunate loss of JFK.  JFK, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and President Obama are maybe too nice to deal with the far-right and/or rogue Democrats.  I am beginning to think that Michele Obama and Hillary Clinton have that certain LBJ toughness to get things done—talk about some women who don’t play.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/19/AR2005061900885.html

Posted in African Americans, Georgia, politics | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments »

President Obama a One Termer by choice and Art Shell

August 14, 2009 by slyram

Coach Art Shell

Coach Art Shell

Jim Galloway of the Atlanta Journal Constitution has reported that Rep. Leonard Boswell of Iowa said that President Obama is prepared to be a one-term president to pass health care reform and his energy plan.  Wait a second…that sounds familiar.  I have been saying the same thing on this blog for a year.  Because I am from a rural area, I have a country ability to read people that they don’t teach in MBA programs. 

The president has the same look in his eye that Art Shell had when he because the first Black N.F.L. head coach.  Shell got the Raiders when that great team was down and Obama became president of this great nation during a rough period.  In press conferences, the media would ask Shell play-calling questions other head coaches received infrequently and he would say, “coach’s decision….coach’s decision” and we knew what he really wanted to say: “I have never seen a head coach scrutinized like this.”  My friend Butch was famous for telling mall customer service people “waterboy..waterboy, bring me the bucket..if you didn’t want the job..you shouldn’t have took it.”  Of course, I am not calling the American president or Coach Shell a “boy;” I am just saying they both look like “I don’t need this aggravation when I am clearly better than many of my predecessors and I am doing the job I was hired to do.”

On June 5, 2008, Senators Obama and Clinton had a private meeting at the home of Senator Feinstein and I told every political junkie I know that my gut told me that a deal was made.  The deal would be that Obama would push the reforms he felt necessary to help America and if the nation was not pleased with his service, he would not run again..clearing the way for Clinton in 2012.  We should remember that Senator McCain also considered running as a reform-minded one-termer.  If I was president and the nation seemed unhappy with my performance, I wouldn’t give a long face speech like LBJ.  I would just tell them “you can have this…I’ m out…peace.” 

Of course, this topic is moot because the “change” initiatives will hopefully work.  

http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2009/08/14/says-iowa-rep-obama-willing-to-sacrifice-second-term-for-health-care-reform/

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CNN: A Trillion in Healthcare Waste In America

August 12, 2009 by slyram

CNN has me thinking with an open mind about all sides of the healthcare debate.  Everyone has a study about this and an analysis about that but I personally turn to CNN for balance reporting and to FOX and MSNBC for commentary.  The following story exemplifies the type reporting I prefer.  If you only listen to FOX or MSNBC, that’s your business and I hope your insurance covers the explosion of that vein in your forehead—simmer down now. 

If folks spent less time yelling, the valid points about waste, tort reform and administrative mistakes could be heard.   

I have always said that healthcare reform needs “teeth.”  Not a dental plan but some hard decisions about the money this nation spends for healthcare that could have been avoided. i.e. the Diabetic who refuses to check his blood sugar level; your uninsured uncle who eats every and anything then gets rushed to the ER.  Some of the money uncle spent on food and drinks could have gone to a basic health care plan.

We should brace for a battle because one person’s waste is another person’s income.

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Palin, Isakson and the Healthcare Reform Debate, Part New

August 11, 2009 by slyram

I tried to catch the Isakson Town Hall at ABAC/UGA Tifton but arrived at the end.  Clearly, the event went smoothly and was informative.

When I flipped on MSNBC a few hours later, Tamron Hall reported that Senator Isakson considered it “nuts” to misconstrue the “end of life” counseling provisions in the health care debate as “death panels” and I agree.   

This situation is now misunderstandings take place and in South Georgia, nuts better be Georgia peanuts. I think the senator was saying it would be nuts to read the information on Palin’s webpage to be euthanasia—not calling Palin nuts.  On the other hand, Palin wisely reframed her position to dial down the rhetoric after a rough weekend. 

Read the Washington Post article for yourself:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/08/is_the_government_going_to_eut.html

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Albany Newspaper Features Local Brothers in Military

August 10, 2009 by slyram

http://www.albanyherald.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=5281

I opened the Albany Heard newspaper this morning and saw four brothers from my old high school on the front page in military uniforms. A couple of them played varsity basketball since they are tall as Georgia pines. The brothers’ mother has noticed the maturity her sons have developed in the service but they were already well-mannered and respectful gentlemen. They were in school with a young Marine from my church who is heading to Afghanistan soon.

The Armed Forces have long been a great option or opportunity for Black southerners who sought travel, training and career stability.  To serve under this commander-in-chief is particularly sweet for some but let’s hope the two major theaters of war don’t become quagmires.

To the lady at the Town Hall meeting on T.V. who angrily said she wants “her” country back, I would remind her that people who look like me provided free labor that built the South after this contiunte was stolen from the Native Americans.  Secondly, brown, red and black troops have served honorably in high numbers in front line/combat units for decades.  So, think before you speak (shout) because “this land is your land…. this land is my land….this land is made for you and me.”

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Palin, Isakson and The Healthcare Reform Debate

August 8, 2009 by slyram

It is all about spin, knowledge and facts.  The notion that the federal government will decide when Americans “plan” on dying is nonsense at the center of the healthcare debate.  Sarah Palin chimed in yesterday that she did not want her parents or children standing in front of “Obama’s death panel.” 

Stop right there and let me give my take on the difference between misinformation and lying.  Sarah Palin, who I want to defend because we are the same age, is not lying in my opinion nor did she lie during the campaign last year.  She actually believes what she is saying so she is at best misinformed or at worst dim and does not know it. Please understand the difference: one is to knowingly lie and the other is simply being wrong.  When I saw those protesters on T.V. this week, I knew they weren’t lying and were sincere.  The liars are the guys in D.C. on K Street and in New York on Wall Street and Madison Avenue who designed the campaign to mislead regular folks and stop health care reform for your corporate bosses.  I must say that those guys are good at what they do.

At the center of this drama was Senator Johnny Isakson from Georgia…reluctantly.  MSNBC claims that the heath care provision which would fund “end of life” counseling is similar to a provision originally introduced in committee by Isakson.  I tried to find information about this claim on the web and on Isakson’s website.  What I did find after spending a good part of my Saturday morning is that Isakson’s concerns with the Democrats proposals sound reasonable to me and that Isakson and others do have alternative plans.  As a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, Isakson is up on his game and we can count on him negotiating rather than just stonewalling like other conservatives. 

Isakson and no other members of congress want death panels.  From what I see, the optional counseling is an option about final options.  Much of the cost of patient care occurs during the last month of life and some people decide to have DNR orders (that’s Do Not Resuscitate, not Department of Natural Resources for us outdoors types).  If people want to talk with someone about those plans, their insurance would pay for the meeting.  If you have buried a loved one, you know that people should consider deciding that stuff themselves years earlier so they can go how they want to go and remove family from making the decisions at the worst times.  

In summary, spin-doctors knowingly distorted a provision in the health care reform proposal to scare old people and incite conflict.  I must say that both sides play this game.  When I was a congressional staffer, the Clinton administration bragged about reducing or cutting spending for a program in their budget.  When I looked at the numbers, funding went up for that program over the previous years.  So, program XYZ received $70 million one year and more the next year but they told me they reduced the rate of growth from the Bush years.  Before, that program grew by 10% every year but under Clinton it is only growing by 5%–that’s a reduction.  Do I look stupid? (Don’t answer that.)  I told that guy that a reduction from $70 million would be less than $70 million and being cute with numbers and spin was not cool.

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Town Hall Protest, the Boston Massacre and Prince Hall

August 8, 2009 by slyram

The debate over health care reform has turned into a debate over debate techniques and tricks.  The opponents of the White House and Democrats proposals just scored again because the nation’s attention is focused on debate methods rather than the issues; which is surprising since they might have won anyway by sticking to the actual issues.

Yesterday, a lady at a town hall meeting said, “I want my country back.”  To be fair, she could have meant she wanted it back from Democrats who she feels tax and spend.  In my community, her statement was a thinly veiled reference to the hue of Barack Obama. 

My mind turned to Crispus Attucks, the first person shot at the Boston Massacre and the first martyr of the American Revolution.  Both sides in the healthcare debate have big money interests behind them; that is the American way.  The rich guys decide how it is going down and then get the spin-doctors to create a P.R. strategy to incite the masses.  The so-called Boston Massacre was actually British soldiers firing in self-defense against a taunting mob (sounds familiar.)  John Adams served as lawyer for the soldiers and got the murder changes down to manslaughter. 

In my neighborhood, we know the name Prince Hall from our friends and family who are Free Masons.  But, non-Masons might not know that Hall, the founder of Black Freemasonry, fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill.  If that protest lady wants her country back, she needs to go back to Crispus Attucks and Prince Hall rather than January 2009 and Barrack Obama. 

Prince Hall, American Patriot

Prince Hall, American Patriot

Chuck D from Public Enemy said in a song, “Even Masons, they know it but they refuse to show it…but it is printed in black…it takes a nation of millions to hold us back.”  I am not one to snoop around in organization’s secret information.  Barack Obama’s classmate from law school Hill Harper is an actor who starred in a movie called the Skulls, which is based on Skull and Bones at Yale.  His character, a journalism student,  sought the secrets and played the price for being meddlesome. Harper is the lab guy on CSI New York when he is not busy helping the youth with encouraging lectures and positive books.  I read “Letters to a Young Brother” and “Letters to a Young Sister” and recommend both for young people of any culture.

Chuck D was referring to Mason knowledge that the Egyptian pyramid builders mastered construction and architectural skills in Africa as far back as 2500 BC. It blows me away to think that the Great Pyramid at Giza was designed and constructed by Africans that long ago and yes I know some people consider Egypt to be in the Middle East rather than Africa but it is Africa to me.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p37.html

http://www.history.com/video.do?name=americanhistory&bcpid=1676043206&bclid=1716440986&bctid=1630586875

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Congress, Town Hall Protests and Norman Rockwell

August 7, 2009 by slyram

http://washingtonindependent.com/54172/gop-sees-opportunity-with-white-voters-after-gates-saga

The drama begins.  Someone from D.C. emailed me this article about the GOP’s chances for 2010 in the aftermath of the Gates arrest situation and other matters.  When that former colleague calls to chew the political fat this weekend, I will say what I say everyday: until the Red Team produces a moderate division, the Blue Dogs will be fine.

While our community doesn’t normally rally during mid-term election, we have never had a Black president make the request. 

The energy and concern Americans are showing for policy this summer is refreshing and an indicator of the importance of the issues on the national plate.  However, I hope the debates and town hall meeting are conducted in a safe, respectful way.  What I am seeing on the news made me return to some classic Norman Rockwell paintings.

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of Speech

The Problem We All Live With

The Problem We All Live With

rockwellfolks

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Quiet the Critics

August 6, 2009 by slyram

Theodore Roosevelt was one real guy and I find myself turning to one of his quotes when I need a firm kick in the backside.  People forget that TR was the father of the American conservation movement.

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

 The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

TR

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USDA: Children are expensive

August 5, 2009 by slyram

The USDA recently released new estimates on the cost of raising a child born last year and the numbers shocked me.  For a middle-income family, $221, 000 would be needed to get that child to 17 years old.  While the costs are lower in the South, low and no income people must gasp the financial magnitude of parenthood before adding to existing families or starting new ones.  Do I sound like a Chinese official who is in charged of population control or a concerned American weary of taxpayers’ dollar supporting those who drain the system?   So, single people without kids pay taxes to support of those who have them.

During the presidential campaign last year, expanded healthcare coverage was spun as a form of abortion reduction; patients with primary care providers learn about not getting pregnant and family planning.

In a cost-benefit analysis, I keep coming back to Speaker Newt Gingrich’s idea from the 1990s of giving young people $5000 for finishing high school, not getting arrested and not having a baby before a certain age.  While it sounds Orwellian, they could call it “Cash for Humper.”

I still think we should take a serious look at a 14% flat tax.  While many Democrats want to tax the wealthy, I find one standard tax rate reasonable.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090804/ap_on_re_us/us_fea_parenting_cost

 http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/CRC/crc2008.pdf

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Christie Whitman’s Centrist Plea

August 4, 2009 by slyram

HBA just emailed me the following article about Christine Todd Whitman and centrists.  I must admit Whitman’s book “It’s My Party Too” was a classic and she would be a great presidential candidate  if her party “dug” her vibe.  But again, that is not how they generally get down. 

http://www.riponsociety.org/forum309a.htm

Christie Whitman’s Centrist Plea

Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman offers her advice for Republicans to begin their rebuilding process.

Fifteen years ago, Christine Todd Whitman was widely touted as one of the bright young stars in the Republican party — having defeated Jim Florio (D) in the 1993 New Jersey gubernatorial election.

After spending two years as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush earlier this decade, however, Whitman was relegated to the sidelines of a party not particularly interested in hearing her centrist message.

With Republicans now at their lowest electoral ebb in decades, Whitman is lending her voice to the conversation about how the party should go about rebuilding in a new essay in the summer edition of the reform-minded Ripon Forum.

“This is still a center-right nation and I am sure the President views his declining popularity among that groups with great concern,” writes Whitman, highlighting the fact that in 2008 exit polls the largest ideological group in the country was, as it had been in 2004, moderates.

In order to capitalize on President Barack Obama‘s slipping poll numbers, Whitman recommends two things: a focus on ideas-oriented messaging and an avoidance of controversial social issues that serve to thin rather than grow the party.

Whitman criticizes her party for their recent debate over Obama’s
“cap and trade” energy policy, noting that the Republican attacks centered on dismissing the proposal as “cap and tax” rather than offering solutions of their own. “The irony here is that the cap-and-trade concept was first used almost 20 years ago, under a Republican president, to successfully reduce acid rain,” she writes.

She is also critical of the recent focus by Republicans on a concealed weapon amendment sponsored by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) even as the health care reform debate was raging.

“Instead of issues that appeal to a minority of voters, we should focus on the core conservative principles of limited government that have served our party well and made our country great,” said Whitman.

Whitman has been making this sort of centrist argument for years without much impact as the party under Bush moved to the ideological right.

But, with moderates like Reps. Mark Kirk (Ill.) and Mike Castle (De.) as well as Gov. Charlie Crist (Fla.) leading the Republican Senate recruiting class, Whitman’s message may well find more fertile ground within the party over the coming months and years.

 

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