Grown folks knew what is happening was going to happen when we elected President Obama. They said that the same people who cheered and jumped up and down would be the same people who did vote in the midterm elections.
I can see it in the First Lady’s face; a face that looks like mine. She is telling him, “remember when I said you can run only with the understanding that if it doesn’t work, if the nation doesn’t want or appreciate us….we walk away.” She looks like she is thinking, “we don’t need this mess.”
Oh, do we need them. We need her to cut loose and tough talk with regular Americans about what we can do to improve our situation with the moderation, planning, focus and deliberation that made the Robinson family successful.
She could create a new moderation that opens the door for moderates being shown the door by the far right. The emergence of these new moderates gives a voice to those who read Hill Harper, Bill Cosby and Joe Scarborough books. The Blue Dogs were correct all along and that’s why the crafty cats on the far Right want them gone; no moderate Democrats mean the Democrat Party is primary liberal and an easier target in 2012.
But, first things first: vote in the midterm. In Georgia, a 2010 vote is more important than your 2008 vote. A very vocal and energetic segment of population has ginned up voters with a desire to take over the congress from the Democrats and even the Republicans. Yes, the far Right section of conservative side is looking at the regular Republicans as if to say “this is how you do it” and you know what they do if you are over 40 years old.
Grown folks, we need to talk. After we talk, we need to call, email, text, tweet or whatever whose under 30 and tell them (not ask them) to vote. The Republicans have a few quality guys who might be president in the future—Rep. Paul Ryan and Governor Mitch Daniels come to mind. But, this midterm election is the next step in the Palin for president plan and her Tea Party congressional candidates will be spending the next two years graying the rest of Obama’s hair with subpoenas and impeachment efforts.
We shouldn’t hate on those who use “any means necessary” to stop an agenda they dislike because they couldn’t do it if regular folks would take 10 minutes to early vote. By any means necessary (cookout, Sunday dinner, half-time talk at the high school football games), we should remind our community to vote. Early vote or the Obama presidency effectively ends early–not four years but two years when he should have eight.
You might as well dust off your 70s vinyl because we are about to go back to the future next month if you we don’t vote. I am listening to that haunting R&B flute with fond memories of the past but also clear recollections of our community being voiceless and the South being a powder keg. By mid November, reasonable people will be saying “I want my country back” when referring to last month.
In his book “Success Runs In Our Race,” George Fraser convinced me that networking was vital to professional and social success. On Tavis Smiley’s Covenant With Black America, Fraser asserted that African-Americans were the only Americans who sought political power before economic power upon arriving in this country or what would become this country.
You have to love being at a cookout or mixer when intelligent topics like this come up. The radical brother points out that we arrived in the hulls of ships and in bondage; political power was needed first just to keep citizens and the government itself from harming us or restricting freedoms.
The conversation then turns to the age-old Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Dubois argument. When I was young, Dubois’ push for education and college degrees appealed to me. As I grew older, Washington’s focus on job training, business ownership and finance made more sense.
Helen Blocker Adams is bringing George Fraser to Augusta, Georgia, on October 14, 2010, and I must go hear this noted author because we are in rapidly changing times. While some in our community are bracing for a political nightmare if the conservatives take the House and Senate back, those of us who grew up reading Black Enterprise Magazine are wondering how we will adjust, maintain and prosper. Southern Black voters are generally moderate to conservative but more importantly resilient when the government doesn’t care—and the government often doesn’t care so stop looking to them and save yourself.
During this campaign season, I imagine Fraser’s networking principles would recommend meeting and listening to everyone—don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. I think young people miss the networking opportunities they could experience from following politics. If you go listen to everyone or volunteer, the professional benefits will come.
Fraser’s new book is “Click: Ten Truths to Building Extraordinary Relationships.” The current political candidates need to read this one and come to the event at Paine College.
I was in a discussion this weekend about the worst-case scenarios for election night in November; the situations and outcomes that should have been debated and considered now.
Lately, the GOP in Georgia has been taking heat in my community because African American (AA) candidates Dr. Deborah Honeycutt and Melvin Everson couldn’t make it out of their primaries; the GOP voters spoke and the message bounced from GA to DC.
Former Governor Roy Barnes, who beat a field that included long-time Attorney General Thurbert Baker, heads the Democrat big ticket. The Black community supported Barnes for governor over African American Baker because they thought he had the best chance of winning. Frankly, a Black president and a Black governor at the same time just weren’t going to happen in the Deep South.
Barnes’ strategy seems to center on adding White moderates to the Dem base. But courting the center requires running from President Obama and national Democrats. Once again, the base gets taken for granted. Barnes and conservative Democrat Jim Marshall are slamming Obama’s health care reform with a risky passion but hey, what can the AA voters do since they won’t vote for the GOP candidate? The wild card in the race is Libertarian John Monds who is a Morehouse Man and Omega Psi Phi just might get enough votes to tip the election.
The big Dem ticket includes AA candidates Michael Thurmond, U.S. Senate; Darryl Hicks, Secretary of Labor; and Georganna Sinkfield, Secretary of State. While I think every candidate runs to win, my friends feel these candidates real value is to get out the Black vote and to help Roy Barnes secure the Governorship.
We must read the signs…literally. If you see a campaign yard sign for the GOP candidate for governor, you also see a cluster of other GOP signs. The same situation is true on the Dem side in my community. On the other side of town in areas of people who don’t look like me, you see Barnes signs and that’s it.
In other words, the White support Barnes will receive could only be for Barnes, the White and Black congressional Blue Dogs and that’s it. Is it every man for himself? The Dem ticket is D.O.A. without new voters who love President Obama and we are noticing the slighting he is receiving from his team.
That slighting seems to justify the vigorous campaign for Sanford Bishop’s seat. Okay, let me get this right: one of the most conservative Black members of Congress gets the biggest target. Mind you, Rep. Jim Marshall’s district was won by John McCain in 2008 and Austin Scott, the GOP candidate against Marshall, has a functional relationship with Blacks in his district and Blacks in the state legislature. Bishop must be flattered because the GOP really wants to remove a moderate CBC member so that the CBC will be as liberal as possible as they prep for 2012. The GOP is good at being bad. Dam good. Marshall isn’t catching the heat that some Blue Dogs are experiencing because he remembers Polonius’ speech from Hamlet—To thy ownself be true- and he votes “no” on major Dem legislation before bragging about it back home. They must think real Democrats won’t notice.
The worst-case scenario would be that all of the big ticket Blacks will end up having a bad election night while Marshall and Barnes win. If the governor’s race goes into a runoff, you can best believe my community would not come back out. Barnes is a smart guy and has time to adjust his approach. I am going to need President Obama himself to personal explain why we should care about Marshall.
Another worst-case scenario would be far Right conservatives taking over the congress; people who have little involvement or past interaction with folks different than them. On Meet the Press today, David Gregory played an old clip of Rudy Giuliani talking about the big tent that is the GOP and their numerous moderates. When asked if that was still the case, Giuliani didn’t have much to say. Rep. Jack Kingston under congress as a firebrand in the early 1990s but the tide as changed so much that GOP Rep. Bob Inglis of South Carolina, who lost to a Tea Party candidate, rightly points out that Kingston is now one of the only the voices of reason in South congressional politics.
On the bright side, President Obama’s White House might be pulled toward the center after election night or maybe before.
9. Political slates: anachronisms or useful tools?
In the time of new media and 24-hour news channels, we don’t need political parties telling us to vote for a block of candidates. While that dated process is easier (and unfortunately very effective) for the party, sharp voters can decide which candidates to support based on the candidate’s history, opinions and vibe. South Carolina U.S. Senate candidate Alvin Greene is a classic example of what happens when we don’t study candidates. If we aren’t careful, our community might completely back a slate of candidates while the other crew sweeps into power.
10. Should we examine candidates with relativity in mind?
The dictionary defines relativity as a state of dependence in which the existence or significance of one entity is solely dependent upon that of another. In politics, I consider candidates’ position and posture relative to their congressional districts or state. The Congressional Black Caucus learned over time that southern CBC members from rural areas are more moderate than the rest of the caucus because their areas are more moderate.
With relativity in mind, the Black Blue Dogs do a remarkable job of balancing conservative provincial interests with traditional Democrat views. If those members are the targets of the far right’s fury, the conservative movement should be ashamed because they are attacking the Democrats who have worked with them constructively in the past.
Congressional candidates in swing districts should be bridge-builders who are diplomatic. When we look at GOP challengers to Blue Dogs Democrats, the first question is “would this person ignore votes who supported the other side.” The next question is “ would be this person have a positive affect on other Republicans.”
3. Are some Blue Dogs sidestepping the political heat?
First, I have an original Blue Dog pin and will never sell it on Ebay. Blue Dogs are a unique breed of moderate to conservative Democrats, but they aren’t Republicans. If you think about it, the Democrat Party looks like America with diverse groups at the table debating issues. President Obama has a bold policy agenda and at some point the issues are too progressive for some Blue Dogs. I was working at the Congress on the day current gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal switched to the GOP—we liked Nathan the day before and we liked him the next day. Deal’s departure seemed natural or organic for a person from his conservative district.
Congressmen walk a thin line between party loyalty and independence but when the GOP needs their members, those members are there. Why can’t President Obama have that same loyalty on historic votes? Loyal Democrats are catching “hot heat” for the healthcare reform vote while others are chilling in the shade. The same Blue Dogs who ran campaign ads featuring their support of a GOP president will be slamming Obama and congressional Democrats on the air this fall. These members are tossing fellow Blue Dogs under the bus.
4. Are some Republicans uncomfortable with non-GOP supporters?
Have you ever seen a candidate who doesn’t want public support? To be honest, some Black activists took a backseat during the Obama campaign so the effort did not seem like a Black v. White situation (which it wasn’t.) In a similar situation, some GOP candidates seem to downplay their supporters who are Democrats because their base might feel they are slipping to the left. Say What?
I think most candidates enjoy any sincere support, but the campaign staff often comes from the red meat selection of their party. When the campaign event comes on the local news, I want to see a crowd that looks like Georgia. We must highlight Georgia’s history of peaceful living as an economic development tool. Companies don’t want to bring jobs to a region if they think employees will be fight a mini Civil War in the break room. In the era of the angry mob, GOP candidates with a range of supporters deserve respect.
5. Are Fox News and MSNBC putting political agendas over journalism?
I love CNN because the reporting is balanced—literally. This Georgia based operation puts pundits from the left, right and center on the stage at the same time. Fox News and MSNBC seem to execute a political agenda that flexes the traditional rules of journalism. While I watch these channels for diversity reasons, I can’t help but think that the slant is blatantly obvious to some and not to others. Glenn Beck was correct when he said that his job is entertainment—not running the nation. I hope other Americans know that.
Henrietta Lacks’ contributions to medical research are amazing but were unknown to her when she died in Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951. Taken without her permission, her cancer cells or HeLa cells have growth in lab settings better than any cell lines and are central to many medical breakthroughs while her family is uninsured.
“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is part Black history book, part biology book and part spiritual book. Rebecca Skloot wrote a fine novel and I hope that money from the movie rights will fund Lacks’ grandchildren’s education. Henrietta gave in life and continues giving to this day. Can you imagine a biology student working with living cells that belong to his grandmother.
President Obama should listen to the jam band Cameo during his Martha’s Vineyard vacation. Of course, he must hit the Black Dog Tavern and cop a t-shirt and cap. An old friend sent me a Black Dog hat and people in south Georgia wonder if the “Black Dog” is an African-American sub-group inside the Blue Dog Coalition.
It should be because people can’t understand how some Democrats who benefited from President Clinton and President Obama conveniently sidestep the Dem team at times. Cameo is coming to Albany, Georgia, next month and I hope they do the slow jam “Don’t Be Lonely” in honor of President Obama since the lyrics summarize how some Dems are running from him or how the Democrat base might feel about some candidates—“Hey, long time no see.” “Don’t be lonely…you’re not the only one who feels the way you do.” “What would you do if you were in my shoes..you insist on trying to find a way back into my heart..I was never one to take two steps back and I will never start.” It sounds like Larry Blackmon was singing about slick candidates.
The dictionary’s definitions of “cameo” include “a brief but dramatic appearance of a prominent actor in a single scene.” In politics, the cameo appearance of candidates in our community will be central to swaying swing elections this fall—come correct.
At black college football games, Cameo’s “Talking Out the Side of Your Neck” is another standard. With important issues on the table, more voters are well-informed these days and candidates can’t say one thing to one group and something else to another. Conservative Georgians in both parties have concerns about the healthcare reform law while other Georgians will back those who supported President Obama’s historic efforts. Mr. President, you shouldn’t be lonely- enjoy your vacation and come back ready.
One day, I am going into the Black Dog Tavern and buy my own t-shirt. If you see a brother in ATL, MIA, NYC or DC with the Black Dog logo, it is a sign of success. I really shouldn’t rock that hat while my wealth is shorter than a midget on his knees (Ice Cube lyric.) At the same time, candidates shouldn’t rock “Democrat” on the ballot if they can stand up for the sitting President as GOPers stood up for President George W. Bush.
I am a moderate Democrat but a young conservative brother from Atlanta who works for a South Carolina GOP member of congress sent me the short documentary “Young, Black & Republican.” As a kid reading Black Enterprise magazine and watching Tony Brown’s Journal on PBS, I remember this pro-business, self-determination type African-American Republican. Hell, every striding Black family could be considered conservative because “if you wait for the government to do for you, you will be waiting awhile” was the mindset.
The 2010 election season will be wild and as twisted as a mile of bad road—brace yourself for some ugliness. The fellow in this video who loves his party’s positions but questions the tone had me saying amen to the computer. Since the best documentary series follow-up with the subjects later, we should hope that the “tone” of the Far Right doesn’t push these outstanding young people out of a major political party before Thanksgiving. (That would be similar to moderates bailing out on the Dem Team over government spending.)
Keith with Peanut Politics blog is a young conservative Democrat who thinks the Black exodus from the GOP started in the primary and that it will kick into overdrive from the campaign rhetoric this fall. They might take my Blue Dog pin for saying this but stand your ground in the red team—be logical and cool when presenting a healthier “tone” option.
The field for the general election is in place and our community needs to check and double-check every aspect of our situation relative to political realities. The candidates’ records, actions and potential must be checked along with their staffing histories and efforts regarding whole community representation.
When we watch the news reports, we always look to see if the crowd behind the candidate looks like Georgia—you know what I mean. Candidates were pulled or naturally gravitated to the far end of their parties during the primary but can they seriously think about winning without a functional relationship with the center or our community.
I am putting fresh batteries in my remote control next month so I can flip the channel during the coming onslaught to T.V. political ads with candidates wearing denim shirts, playing with children, sitting on tailgates and walking with dogs. That stuff is nice but some of that ad buy money could be checks for real events with real people so they can get a real ear full and create a real bond.
The political establishment smirked when two candidates I know personally went on walks to meet the people but those guys learned a lot from a range of Georgians. As a community, we should fairly give everyone a listen and ask tough questions because the future of his nation is on the table and it is no time for grandstanding or playing political fear factor. The Democrats are about to rollout the mother of all GOTV efforts and some folks are going to have a very merry Christmas from those fat checks but please ask the candidates and their supporters what’s the plan for creating jobs, fighting crime, improving education, and supporting our troops…oh yeah, and do it on budget.
The Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania made a good point on T.V. yesterday. Pat Toomey said that the GOP “check” of the Clinton White House after the min-term elections actually helped Clinton’s presidency. But it must be serious Republicans with genuine policy experience rather than those who live off fear and ugliness. “Checkout” Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels as an example of Harry Truman-like leadership.
Sadly, we must check the laundry list of Black GOP candidates in Georgia who didn’t make it to the general election. It might be time to check into a more open election process so this Democrat could vote for Black conservatives with taking the GOP primary ballot. Is it time to check if they want you arround becasuse some quality candidates didn’t stand a chance.
We need to check with the White House about the Democrats who keep running from President Obama. In my neighborhood, we don’t play that while we are fighting to protect the seats of good Democrats. If you check, President Obama has more Republicans in his cabinet than Congressional Black Caucus members and the southwest Georgia congressman was the only CBC member seriously considered for a top spot. Obama might need to check under his tree in December to see if we groomed a sensible congressional GOP freshmen or two.
If this blog post seems like Czech to your campaign, write me a check or hit Palpay and I will help you understand. If I get enough checks, I can checkout my old friends in the Czech Republic after the election. Prague is lovely that time of year.
It’s bittersweet being part of a group or organization. From college fraternities to street gangs to labor unions to political parties, group membership requires that you act collectively at times. If you get a flat tire in the middle of the night, you can call a brother but sometimes you will be getting up at 3:00a.m. It’s part of the deal.
On his birthday, President Obama spoke with the AFL-CIO about sticking with Democrats during the mid-term elections. Without Big Labor’s money and members, the Democrats have little juice. But, labor rightfully expects loyalty and their money has supported some Democrats who have no problem picking and choosing when to be team players.
In the 90s, I was proud to be part of a party that looked like America. From sea to shining sea, the Democrat Caucus in Congress was a hodgepodge. Like any family or group, we had disagreements but understood that once the decisions were made membership for the most part should circle the wagons. As a congressional staffer, I enjoyed visiting friends in the office of Rep. Charlie Hayes of Illinois. Mr. Hayes had hands like the gloves soccer goalies wear and he had a gravely voice that made him the unofficial uncle to young Black staffers. “Whose office are you in…the Peanut guy from Georgia…good man…he’s alright.” Mr. Hayes had labor union coursing in his veins; he loved what unions did for his community in Chicago.
Rep. Charles Hayes
During this congress, most Democrats have made some tough votes while a few sidestepped the rough stuff. Let’s not be naïve: these carefully crafted actions were planned deep inside the DNC. While members and candidates from both parties will flex and bend on issues to win in swing districts, old school gentlemen like Mr. Hayes would never let members enjoy considerable union support and openly slam major Democrat policies. That would be too much.
When conservative to moderate Democrats stand with other Democrats, it confirms that the general body of the party is basically respectable. I am glad Mr. Hayes isn’t around to see what is happening now to a president from Chicago.
The AFL-CIO still has big shoulders and will only take so much; it’s not the AFL-CIO M-O-U-S-E. After budget and appropriations votes, the congress only makes a dozen or so major votes each year. The stats we hear about “this guys votes with his party 97% of the time” is window-dressing. The National Journal and Congressional Quarterly list the major votes in an unbiased way. A member who votes against his party on those issues could be on his or her own in November.
Members of fraternities, college sports team, Masonic groups, elite military teams or even street gangs don’t ask questions when they see a brother in a fight; they come in swinging. If you hit one Navy Seal, you hit them all. Actually, the political party situation is more complex with some thinking that conservative Democrats are voting the will of their districts while functioning “deep cover.”
In our community’s history, the original deep cover was house slaves and friendly Whites. Recently, I rewatched Roots on you tube and the White friend of Tom Harvey “masterfully” play his part in the exodus of the family. At one point, skeptical freedmen didn’t want him in the meetings and plans; he rightfully questioned his position also. I had forgotten O.J. Simpson acting in Roots.
I was glued to the T.V. when Juice broke the rushing record and disappointed when he broke ties with our community. Oh, but the second he gets in the ultimate drama, he comes home. Right. Watching Roots as an adult poses great questions about loyalty and group membership that reflects into the current political situation. Burl Ives played a former Senator who reassured his friends that a system could be created to protect their way of life.
To me, political power and positions will always be secondary to economic power and money—Booker T. Washington was right after all. We can have a million college degrees and thousands of political titles in our community but money determines power. An old coworker once said that at the end of the day and after the speeches, the powerful are those few at the table when the money is counted.
In Roots, the exodus plan was foiled when Lloyd Bridges’ character wisely had some guys with guns follow behind him. Chicken George thwarted their plan by coming behind the new guys with his guns. Old Chicken George one up them and stated that you must have a second plan or option if your first plan is not working. Our community needs to do the same thing politically and economically because times are changing and we must change also.
Union jobs, teaching positions, military service and government jobs moved many Black families into the middle class. Unions fought for better wages, benefits and safer workplaces. At some point, they pushed so hard that labor cost forced some industries out of business or overseas. A union lobbyist once told me that a third of the cost of a new car was the benefit package for the autoworker; there’s too much. A teamster can sometimes make more for driving crops to market than the farmer made for actually growing the produce for months. Teachers’ unions battle for better compensation but fight moves to tight salaries to student achievement. In their defense, many families are half-raising kids and these students aren’t prepared to sit down, be quiet and focus on learning. These teens need to watch Roots with their parents to better understand how lucky they are and on those shoulders they stand.
Yes, we can have a frank and honest discussion about improving our community and the role of government. But, we must also remember Mr. Charlie Hayes and others who taught that membership in a political party involves commitment and loyalty. President Obama said he was tough and he must have been to grow up as the only brother around during most of his childhood. As we prepare for the middle term election, he should let us know who is with him and who is about the “okey dokey” —to use his term; start naming names or let big labor do it.
Are things uncomfortable at home for African Americans in the South who are moderate to conservative? Booker Rising, the premiere conservative Black political blog, has a great quiz in their margin. The quiz would indicate that a surprising number of Black voters down here are actually moderate if not conservative. Then, what’s the problem?
The problem could be fitting these people neatly into the two existing major political parties. On the Left, national Democrats go a little too far with spending and the role of government—well intended but not fiscally sound. On the Right, the methods of the Far Right segment are too much for many in my community to stomach.
In Georgia, I can respect the efforts of Melvin Everson, Cory Ruth and Dr. Deborah Honeycutt as Black candidates in the GOP. If Honeycutt doesn’t win the runoff, a pattern seems to be appearing because she would be the candidate best positioned to attract members of our community from strong Rep. David Scott. Everson would have won the general election because his time at my alma mater Albany State University gave him a ready-made statewide network. I am even concerned that other GOP candidates downplay or don’t want our support because their base view most Blacks as liberal.
Democrat Senate candidate R.J. Hadley stomped all over Georgia—even Tea Party type events. He is a rising star in Georgia politics. Here’s a good question: who has more juice in the southern GOP, the Tea Party Movement or the African American community. On Booker Rising, I read the post from Black Tea Party people with an open-mind. But, this is Georgia and Atlanta is the best Black city on earth. I can’t call it but thanks to the conservatives who look like me for standing by your guns while moderates are purged. If the Blue Dogs spend time with conservatives in swing district, conservative candidate should do the same on some level…in swing districts.
I would strongly recommend that the Red team “show the flag” in every community. While votes might be few in certain circles, elected officials in our form of government represent everyone—not just the people who vote for them. What’s interesting is that many of the GOP candidates worked with and around various types of people in their professional backgrounds. They get to party meetings everyone is cookie cutter of each other and fearful of any others. Do like the Blue Dogs and insist on being the candidate you want to be. Like R.J. Hadley and Ray McKinney, candidates should talk talk talk with anyone who will listen.
The NAACP Scholarship Banquet in Tifton, Georgia, “advanced” me profoundly last night but then again, they say the hardheaded never learned. In college, we were too radical to be involved with this organization. It was all about Public Enemy’s lyrics like “Mandela..cell dweller…Thatcher, you should tell her.” In retrospect, the grassroots chapters of the NAACP have brought us from a mighty long way.
Rodney King was at my table. Not that Rodney King but a 20-year-old fellow who won’t hesitate to tell you about the good works of his church. Both Rodney Kings spent a lot of time in the hospital but this R.K. is employed a Tift Regional Hospital. When I told him that my mother was there last year for several weeks and that he was luck because that camp is “full,” he looked at me as if too say “I am protected my check rather than being concerned with that stuff on the job.”
Young people from King’s church served the food at the banquet while other young people sang and praised dance. Two young students from the community received scholarships and words of wisdom from Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham. Justice Benham told the audience that they were in the wrong place if they wanted to hear negative information about the community because he would be speaking about positive experiences. While he spoke, a slide show of Black history flashed images from the March on Washington to Little Rock to Medgar Evers to Obama speaking to the NAACP. Justice Benham remained us that the NAACP has been fighting the good fight for years. In his official capacity, he has ruled for and against the organization’s positions but he appreciated their efforts.
Justice Benham was introduced by a long-time friend of his who isn’t Black and several of the honorees weren’t Black. I remembered that Whites have always been involved in the NAACP. I also remember that like any organization the NAACP has local chapters that are as different as leaves on a tree (that is what Helen Blocker Adams says about the Augusta Tea Party events.) President Rev. L. Chris Solomon and the Tifton NAACP chapter seems to emphasis community improvement and encouraging the youth.
Since I am often alone, I thought I mastered taking cellphone pictures of myself—I had to get one with the anti-lynching slide. When I when to take a photo with Justice Benham, who told me he married an Albany State University grad, a women asked me why would I take a picture of myself when she could have the professional photographer do it. Again, the hardheaded never learn that some things require the help of others; it’s called community.
One of the honorees was a county commissioner with a long history of cleaning up the community street by street. I met her a dozen years ago and told her husband and her congrats on their civil efforts. Morehouse student Ambrose King help organize a fine program. With old friends at NAACP events and the other contributor on this blog speaking at Tea Parties, community involvement is happening while I am sitting at his keyboard….blogging.
I don’t care what anyone says; President Obama is exactly the president “candidate Obama” said he would be. The problem is people don’t know how to listen. He isn’t big on party politics because he didn’t spend that much time in the national arena before ascending to the top. That’s why he is constantly looking for Republicans with whom to work. He thinks that is natural and logical in D.C.
Of course, the GOP leadership dares their members to seriously dialog with the White House—let them fail so the Red Team can take the presidency in 2012. Can any good American really say “let them fail”? “I hope Hurricane Katrina kills thousands so the Democrats can win in ’08.” “I hope BP’s oil reaches Key West, turns and goes up the East Coast so we can get the White House back.” How sick can someone be to think those thoughts?
I don’t know the plans of the Democrats or Republicans but we Obamacrats still believe in changing the way Washington works. (Okay, this is just me thinking out loud.) First, we must remember that Obama is not Superman or the second coming. He is a very smart person and I think he is malleable. The president would come toward the center if it produces results and keeps decent conservatives from drifting into radical ranks on the far Right The center is mandatory to lead in America–belive that.
The situation with Mrs. Shirley Sherrod shows what I have always known: Obama is not familiar with the plight of southern Blacks because he thankfully has not been through our troubled past. I am glad the brother grew up around sweet people and it reflects in his considerate nature but is he mean enough to scrap like Clinton—Bill and/or Hillary. Mrs. Sherrod’s Baker County, Georgia, is similar to Hope, Arkansas so Bill knew how nasty things could get. Speaking of nasty, we should discuss the fact that thuggish youth of all colors are more of a domestic terror threat than the Klan and the Taliban put together. In the public policy arena, one must have a certain amount of nasty in them.
How can we help our community during this election season? We should support our traditional candidates but develop a line of communication/dialog with a select group of reasonable conservatives (wrestle them from the Far Right.) If a candidate is lock-step with the far Right’s approach of misinformation and hate-speak, they should be defeated for pitting Americans against each other and scaring folks for political gain (the same applies to the far-Left.)
In the 90s, our community overwhelmingly supported the Democrats. When Newt Gingrich and company took the Congress, we were toast. Conservatives vote when the only election on the ballot is a run-off for dogcatcher but our community is fickle about hitting the polls.
Obamacrats (Republicans, Democrats, and Independents) should dialog on understanding, policy and logic. Personally, I could trade a few anti-Obama Blue Dogs for conservatives who are about dialog with the whole community. Senator Johnny Isakson would be the best example of such a Member of Congress and moderates should have as much influence with him as the Far Right. Those conservatives would be essential for this White House over the next two years and the people will decide in 2012.
President Obama is one of the smartest people in American history but he can’t know everything. We remember governing without our community’s input and must work to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. The African American community is very diverse and our conservative brothers and sisters believe in a limited government than in many ways makes good common sense. They should talk with their other family about the questionable methods and techniques of the recent past because maybe we can make progress or at least peacefully function.
I still believe in the version or incarnation of Newt Gingrich that simply stated that the limited role of the federal government was to foster an opportunity for children to grow, learn and achieve if they focus, work hard patiently and keep it clean. If not, the life they get will be the life they made. I can live with that.
I can’t live with people who benefit from the Obamacrats but ignore us or worst slam the White House. Obama is a nice guy but the rest of us grew up with these scrappy Tea Party people. Scrapping and calling someone out is nothing new to us.
If Sarah Palin is Mamma Grizzly, I am naming Mrs. Shirley Sherrod the Brown Thrasher because since Palin and I were college students, Mrs. Sherrod has been fighting the good fight patiently. Notice how you can’t say “Shirley” or Sherrod anymore than you can say “Rosa Parks,” “Lena Horne” or “Nancy Wilson”—that’s how we do it in the real South. “Mrs.” and “Mr.” are signs of respect. The lady in the cafeteria is “Mrs.” and it is “yes madam” –a lesson one Capitol Hill intern learn the hard way from yours truly. It was a teachable moment.
The Thrasher is the state bird of Georgia but most people did not know that until Atlanta’s hockey team took the name. Mrs. Sherrod and Mr. Charles Sherrod have been encouraging Georgians to want more from themselves and aim higher for years–basically transition from the plantation mentality. Their efforts to keep Black farmland in family hands were noble but as soon as granddaddy’s body was cold, that land was sold and the greedy grands were heading to the BMW dealership. Land: they are not making any more of it.
Mrs. Sherrod taking that position with USDA was seen as the crowning event in a long career since she had been working for “rural development” her whole life. Why do people sleep on the USDA? Every person needs safe, affordable food; clean water and fresh air. While urban improvement generally falls under the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USDA covers the farmland and rural communities. If you want to slow the flight of rural people into the bulging cities like Atlanta, it starts with Mrs. Sherrod and others (like me) who haven’t given up on small town America. We can’t forget about the suburbs are which are blurring the line between city and country. If you travel north on I-75, Atlanta starts about 15 miles above Macon. There isn’t a wildcat in your backyard; you are in the wildcat’s backyard. Watching young professionals move to rural areas, tend their own gardens and telecommute with their laptops is too cool.
Mrs. Sherrod should think Sarah Palin, Herman Cain, Dr. Howard Dean, and Mike Huckabee then passing on that USDA job. These former candidates are doing bigger and better outside elected office or governmental employment. Book deal, T.V. show, and the lecture circuit—it’s her turn to have a victory lap and thanks to the tape-cutting blogger who made this all possible.
We shouldn’t forget that Mrs. Sherrod was speaking freely on the mic about race—a little too freely when you work for “the man” —even when “the man” looks like you. You want to have a national discussion about race relations in America. Let’s do it. Let’s put the NACCP in the room with the Tea Party and toss in the moderates. They will discover what wise people already know: we are all Americans with common interests who have plenty reasons to be mad. But, blowing a gasket will not help anything…so simmer down, have some Sweet Tea and let’s get a better understanding of each other.
Coming soon, The Sherrod Show on Fox News. It’s fair and balanced.
This drama about the Tea Party movement and the NAACP has me thinking. Are racists at Tea Parties? Yes. Are racists at NAACP rallies? Of course. If you get a big group of people together, heaven only knows who is in the crowd. Anyone who says Blacks can’t be racists is delusional. Is that racism justifiable? Is the thug mentality more detrimental to our community than racism? I better leave that alone.
PBS’s brilliant documentary about the assassination of President Lincoln includes a photo with John Wilkes Booth in the crowd at the second inaugural. The last paragraph of that great speech reads:
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
As a congressional staffer who lived blocks from the Capitol, I found myself stopping by any rally on the National Mall on Saturdays because I was compensated to serve as a conduit of information between all the people and my congressional bosses. From pro-gun to gun control, pro-choice to pro-life, treehuggers to drill in the tundra, I listened just so I could say I listened. The fetus pictures at the pro-life rallies were as rough as the concentration camp pictures at the Holocaust Museum.
The Million Man March was a historic event but without doubt there were some people in the crowd who had considered taking the fight to another level; that’s what zealots on both sides do. I like to think that positive messages from that event introduced peaceful options to them.
All of my African American friends who are conservative have attended and/or have spoken at Tea Parties. When they looked into the crowd, they were hoping that no signage when overboard. Like President Obama, I understand and respect their concerns with the size and role of government. Of course, I also have moderate African American friends who wonder if leaders of the traditional civic rights organizations are battling for equality or seeking to stay paid. That’s the thing: organizers of groups on the right, left and center often have their personal income in mind before anything– this blogger needs to get paid also. A ruckus is good for donations and the NRA guy and the Handgun Control lady could be dining together in a D.C. tony eatery…. private dining room of course.
As I say weekly, our community should be supportive of a few sensible conservatives or those really nutty folks will be running things.
My favorite church sermons are on my mind because I must make some major life decisions soon. While I am no stranger to sin, the pastors get the same attention I gave the professors in school. Like I tell the kids on my block, you might as well learn something if you are going to be at church or school anyway. Have you seen the alarming dropout rates for schools…..and church.
At the funeral of our political science professor, the pastor said that our grave markers will likely have the day we were born and the day we died with a dash in between the two dates. The dash….it’s all about that dash. Everything we do on earth is in that dash. Someone else once said that life is God’s gift to you and what you do with that life is your gift back to him.
The lady pastor at my Methodist church once said that she hears some many people praying and pleading “God they need you over here…Father they need you over there.” She said she imagines God is thinking, “Why do you think I put you down there…go see about it then come back and tell me what you did to fix it.”
The former pastor at the First African Baptist Church hit me with this pearl of wisdom. He said people find justifications for worldly actions and dress up their activities but when he was in the “world” he knew he was in the world doing wrong. I like that.
As a former altar boy, the communion service is in my memory. The Call to Communion begins, “Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors and intend to lead a new life following the commandments of God…” I talk vows, oaths and pledges seriously if not literally so I often skipped going down for communion if I had some fun or partying planned. Our current pastor says “intend” means intends so there is some flex there.
During communion, a prayer states that we are sorry for “our misgivings that we have commended against your divine majesty in thoughts, words and deeds.” Since beliefs from church should reflect in our daily actions, the “thoughts, words and deeds” part has always fascinated me. People in politics can think or say something but what did you do; what were your deeds because actions speak louder than words. On the other hand, people can conveniently interpret the Bible to account for everything from slavery to ugly political attacks.
One favorite faith message wasn’t a sermon but the Shug Avery song in the movie Color Purple. God is trying to tell you something and you might not want to hear it. Someone once said that God answers pray but sometimes the answer is no…however it’s in your best interest. Garth Brooks had a song called “Unanswered Prays” and it’s a rural classic. People are always joking about sinners in church and pastors needing to get those messages on the streets and corners but we all have our crosses to bear.
I had the best time sitting under a 100-year-old oak tree and listening to my cousins in Ty Ty, Georgia today. While I left before the barbeque was served, I got fed with that knowledge and wisdom from family.
When you grow up in the diverse South, you should learn to put yourself in the other guy’s shoes, walk in his moccasins or generally imagine life and government from his perspective. No one wanted to be slaves, current senior citizens should be barricaded in their homes from fear of young thugs and American foreign policy should respect the cultural richness and history of others around the world. If the Native Americans had a better immigration policy…..
To me, it’s all about political options and agendas. Elections are for selecting the leaders who will govern in a reasonable manner but the cart is in front of the horse or the tail is wagging the dog. Today, the campaign process and year-round activism are more lucrative than serving in office. For example, Sarah Palin status in the game reaps millions more than being governor, vice-president or president and I can’t blame her for staying paid.
My friends and I pragmatically thought our community should explore positive political options that reflect the sizable African-American demographic that is moderate to conservative. Our agenda grows from concern that all of our political eggs are in one basket. In reality, the aggressive agenda of those who love fear overshadows the few efforts toward governing with bridge building and understanding. Their facts are sound but their methods are detrimental.
During this primary and general election season, southerners should ask themselves if candidates have a good comfort level with citizens across the political spectrum. Do you see the candidates meeting and listening in areas where few votes can be found because the actions of people there create governmental spending for everyone? In clearly liberal or conservative areas, the direction is obvious but swing areas or statewide is different.
On election night in November, we shouldn’t learn that a new group of leaders will govern next year and we never talked with them. A sad fact about southern living is that we have much in common with the other side of town but never had a conversation. National groups that relish division and conflict between Americans should be ashamed because that energy and attention should be focused on supporting our troops in two major theaters of war and completing their missions safely—remember we have troops in the field.
While the far-left and far-right are vocal, the sensible center is larger and sways elections. I want to see Blue Dog Democrats continue listening to conservatives in their areas and Republican challengers who are comfortable explaining their positions to centrists, moderates and even liberals. Centrists outnumber extremists from both sides overwhelmingly.
Election season can be awkward because the process doesn’t always allow the flexibility for voters to express themselves. We have primaries, party slates and candidates who make assumptions from their election results. I voted in the Republican primary six years ago because I wanted to support innovative Senate candidate Herman Cain but I skipped most of the other candidates because I basically wasn’t feeling them.
In 2008, my political friends could have called me a rare S.O.B. because I voted for Saxby, Obama and Bishop (B.O.S. would have had less flair.) Centrists are constantly weighing regional interests, party loyalty and personal views when selecting candidates. While we are months away, I have no idea what I am going to do in the Senate race between two exceptional Georgians who have both served our state well. I do know that my party doesn’t control all of my votes and that people should follow their guts.
The other day I was thinking that I was “ghost” on the other contests in that Republican primary since I was there to “primarily” support Cain. Since people fought some hard for the right to vote, would skipping a contest on the ballot be wrong or a gesture of “none of the above.”
In a related situation, many incumbents have no primary opposition. In a light bulb moment, I thought not voting for an unopposed incumbent in a primary could be away of letting that candidate know that we shouldn’t be taken for granted. Of course, the candidate still advances to the general election but he or she knows that we are weighting our options. Those options might include “ghost” voting in November if we choose—like none of the above. After the primary, a candidate would discover that a significant number of people who voted in other races skipped his name.
For example, the number of new Obama voters who only voted for president is alarming; that situation was flat silly since they didn’t know the importance of other offices. The buzz term this election season is “low information voters” and it was created to label people who get their news from one very opinionated source. To be fair, I think people in my community who vote a straight party slate and assume that a candidate with a “D” on his jersey is 100% “down for the cause” are also “low information voters.”
For sake of full disclosure, the election of President Obama was one of the coolest events of my life; I really like the guy and hope he is successful in improving our great nation. As quiet as it is kept, my appreciation goes out to Republicans who also voted for him and Democrat centrists will give their party’s better candidates a good and fair look this year.
In Georgia, Representative Jim Marshall has wisely balanced his membership in the Democrat Party with the conservative views of large segments of his district. In a perfect world, Marshall would be an independent who is free to vote his mind every time but in this political world, congressmen must slide with their team more often than not. On several key votes, Marshall was ghost for the Democrat team but low information voters don’t know it.
Actually, we never learned if Marshall voted for Obama or McCain but his skipping the Democrat National Convention wasn’t cool with me. In addition to formal nominating a presidential candidate, those conventions are where officials like Marshall fight to pull the control of the party platform nearer the center of America and away from the far left. He is a smart guy and when Obama/Biden needed him, he was ghost. I have never seen a picture of Marshall and Obama—what up with that. But, I remember him stating in campaign ads years ago that he did this and that with President Bush.
Voters in middle Georgia remember Marshall’s quality leadership as mayor of Macon, Georgia, but a little wake up call might be helpful to remind him that we like him but love this President. The Democrat Party can’t control us like sleep. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. is considering supporting a Republican friend running for Obama’s old Senate seat. Can he do that?
Voters in the Democrat primary should consider “ghost voting” by not automatically voting for unopposed Marshall in the primary this summer and if he skips more major votes that the White House needs November could be up in the air. I appericate the kind statements Macon’s current mayor made about Obama during the presidential campaign; he has a bright future. (Wink) While most of our community doesn’t care for Republicans, we occasionally vote for conservatives who might add a voice of reason in their meetings; we vote for Blue Dogs we considering moderate to conservative. Heck, President Obama put several Republicans in his cabinet but only one Blue Dog and zero members of the Congressional Black Caucus. If the GOP takes the Congress, the influence and views of a few reasonable Republicans could be more important to the WH than a Dem with a history of being ghost.
In the old school, we played the Police album “Ghost In The Machine” to death and love the cut “Spirits in the Material World.” That song had the lyric “They subjugate the meek…but it’s the rhetoric of failure.” Today, we are subjugating ourselves by locking in with one group and not listening to valid alternatives. I have always respected the Police because they constantly acknowledge that their music is rooted in the reggae from Jamaica. The current base of the Georgia Democrat Party is rooted in my community and that fact should be remember when we say help the President from our party.
Party politics often centers on political machines, those groups of people who get the vote out in large numbers. Machines often recommend candidates but don’t monitor them once elected. In Tifton, Georgia, two years ago, I would tell people with Obama/Biden stickers that the local Democrat congressman wasn’t really a supporter of the ticket and their mouths would drop—low information voters. Our modern-day “Ghost In The Machine” should be ghost-voting candidates who take us for granted. The political machines wouldn’t like that very much but everyone would be on their toes.
To my GOP friends (all both of you), your whole party seems like a great big machine at times. If a Democrat has listened to you on regional issues, you should ignore national groups who say he or she is not fair and attentive. You guys have some real ghost busters in your camp. Your machine shouldn’t tell candidates to avoid any dialog with those of different opinions.
Clint Eastwood’s film Grand Torino got to me last night. Seeing a veteran and retired autoworker single-handedly protect his community from domestic terrorists (thugs and gangs) reminded me of JFK’s question about what can you do for your country. In the last chapter of his life, Mr. Walter Kowalski was teaching negative and positive youth the wisdom of his value system. Walter needed some lessons on anger management, control and dare I say political correction/cultural sensitivity. We all can learn something from others.
I jumped out of bed this Saturday (before day in the morning) to participate in “Cleanup Sylvester, Georgia.” As I look at the dark cloud on the horizon, I knew a rain delay might keep the event from starting. The real looming dark cloud is the mindset of the youth and adults who toss trash on the streets with zero regard for community. Where’s Mr. Kowalski when you need him?
RNC Chairman Michael Steele recently said there is no reason for African-Americans to vote for Republicans. To me, our southern community has always been conservative and Blacks Who Actually Vote (BWAV) have little tolerance for Black ignorance or far Right fear-based rhetoric. We have plenty Black Walter Kowalski here and there should medals for their actions or combat pay. Steele was basically saying that the efforts and vision of his party isn’t reaching us for whatever reason.
Disenchanted Black conservatives tell me that their party doesn’t have an urban agenda. On the other hand, I think the far left’s policies of tossing taxpayer money at problems isn’t working either.
We need to address issues before they become problems (nip it in the bud). I wrote on this blog a few months ago that First Lady Michelle Obama should start a Cease Corp to marshal community human resources (people) in an effort to share experience, knowledge and wisdom. The Barrack Obama story is interesting and unique. The Michelle Robinson Obama story is the blueprint for a healthy, achievement-oriented American family. Clint Eastwood, a former California mayor, should join the cause with the lessons from Grand Torino as a starting point.
I have a feeling that Mrs. Obama post-White House service will make her one of the most significant Americans of all times. You can see in her eyes that she is being restrictive or selective in her public statements but one day she is going to speak freely and the message for a community will be stern and golden. It’s the direct straight talk that we don’t hear from current leaders. She can put the “40 under 40” overachievers at the table with the “40 who drink 40s” and those who were 40 years old 40 years ago.
The subplot of this movie was equally important. What happens when your family has little use for you? I say forget them and find a constructive outlet like church activities, a “play” family or maybe the Cease Corp. Like Walter Kowalski, a neglected senior should get even in his will.
Let me get this right: Michael Steele said that there is no reason for Blacks to vote for Republicans. Chairman of the RNC Michael Steele, the brother with the nice ties–nice neckties and evidentially nice cultural ties to my community for telling speaking his mind to us.
That’s the Michael Steele who we moderates supported as a U.S. Senate candidate and also the one who had a clear and solid message for our community as part of the moderate Republican group led by Christine Todd Whitman. Today, the term “moderate Republican” has become as oxymoronic as the word bittersweet. This news is bittersweet because many hopeful politicos wanted to see a cooperation-oriented division grow inside Steele’s conservative party. We would have called them the Red Dogs but that isn’t going to happen.
I imagine an impressive group of African-American GOP congressional candidates across the nation. Those candidates (many with nice credentials) are so busy trying to prove their far-right loyalty that they have minimized they opportunities with moderates. In swing districts, the electorate is equally divided among the Left, the Right and the all-important Center. New gains generated by the Tea Party Movement are counterbalanced by the Republican moderates who have been shown the door.
I want to explain something about national leadership and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It’s clear that the GOP strategy for taking the House back includes labeling the Dems as a group of San Francisco-style liberals because Pelosi is Speaker. It might work but in reality, a national leader like Pelosi got there by listening to various segments in her party’s diverse caucus. Without question, her progressive/liberals views cannot run the national party agenda because the Blue Dogs would bolt for the GOP.
Oh yeah, I forgot that the GOP has moved so far Right (courtesy of Fox News) that moving across the aisle isn’t that simple or comfortable. I appreciate Chairman Steele’s honesty because truthfully looking at a situation is the first step toward real understanding and solutions. He would be a welcome addition to the center and should likely bring Charlie Crist with him.
Project Logic Ga 