This Week in Blackness: Hillary Clinton & Sarah Palin

Elon James White shares Part 2-of-4 in his satirical review of 2008. In this installment he spends some time talking about two white women that dominated the political landscape in 2008 ... Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin.





Bro. White brings it strong. I think that my favorite part is when he de-mystifies the myth about Bill Clinton being the first Black president. What was your favorite part in this video?

What Politician Is In Touch With the People?

I jumped all over John McCain when he indicated that he is no longer in touch with the common citizen. One of the villagers asked the question, "What politician is in touch with the people?"

I always felt that Coleman Young stayed in touch with the people in Detroit during his time as mayor. He was regularly seen around town. He surrounded himself with some good people. He was unafraid to support Black people in a town that was majority-Black. He was unafraid to speak truth to power. Coleman Young was a politician that I think was in touch with the people.

I always felt that Bill Clinton was in touch with the people during his time as president. Even the mistakes that he made seemed to be mistakes that regular folks would make. I smile at the memories of him stopping in the local McDonalds for a Big Mac. He lost a little of his magic during the Democratic primaries this past year ... but, while in office as President, I felt that Bill Clinton was 'feeling our pain'. During times of national tragedgy ... like the bombing of the building in Oklahoma City ... President Clinton understood the pain being felt by all Americans.

Those are the two politicians that I think were in touch with the people.

I'm curious as to your answer to that question. Are there any politicians that you have known on local, state or national level that you felt were 'in touch' with the people? What say u?

Bill Clinton Speech Democratic National Convention Speech (Video, Text)

Villagers, it is my view that Bill Clinton did the right thing at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. He told America why he feels that Obama would be an excellent Commander-in-Chief for our nation. Here is the text and video of his speech for posterity.

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I am honored to be here tonight to support Barack Obama. And to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden, though as you’ll soon see, he doesn’t need any help from me. I love Joe Biden, and America will too.

What a year we Democrats have had. The primary began with an all-star line up and came down to two remarkable Americans locked in a hard fought contest to the very end. The campaign generated so much heat it increased global warming.

In the end, my candidate didn’t win. But I’m very proud of the campaign she ran: she never quit on the people she stood up for, on the changes she pushed for, on the future she wants for all our children. And I’m grateful for the chance Chelsea and I had to tell Americans about the person we know and love.

I’m not so grateful for the chance to speak in the wake of her magnificent address last night. But I’ll do my best.

Hillary told us in no uncertain terms that she’ll do everything she can to elect Barack Obama.

That makes two of us.

Actually that makes 18 million of us – because, like Hillary, I want all of you who supported her to vote for Barack Obama in November.

Here’s why.

Our nation is in trouble on two fronts: The American Dream is under siege at home, and America’s leadership in the world has been weakened.

Middle class and low-income Americans are hurting, with incomes declining; job losses, poverty and inequality rising; mortgage foreclosures and credit card debt increasing; health care coverage disappearing; and a big spike in the cost of food, utilities, and gasoline.

Our position in the world has been weakened by too much unilateralism and too little cooperation; a perilous dependence on imported oil; a refusal to lead on global warming; a growing indebtedness and a dependence on foreign lenders; a severely burdened military; a backsliding on global non-proliferation and arms control agreements; and a failure to consistently use the power of diplomacy, from the Middle East to Africa to Latin America to Central and Eastern Europe.

Clearly, the job of the next President is to rebuild the American Dream and restore America’s standing in the world.

Everything I learned in my eight years as President and in the work I’ve done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job.

He has a remarkable ability to inspire people, to raise our hopes and rally us to high purpose. He has the intelligence and curiosity every successful President needs. His policies on the economy, taxes, health care and energy are far superior to the Republican alternatives. He has shown a clear grasp of our foreign policy and national security challenges, and a firm commitment to repair our badly strained military. His family heritage and life experiences have given him a unique capacity to lead our increasingly diverse nation and to restore our leadership in an ever more interdependent world. The long, hard primary tested and strengthened him. And in his first presidential decision, the selection of a running mate, he hit it out of the park.

With Joe Biden’s experience and wisdom, supporting Barack Obama’s proven understanding, insight, and good instincts, America will have the national security leadership we need.

Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world. Ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be President of the United States.

He will work for an America with more partners and fewer adversaries. He will rebuild our frayed alliances and revitalize the international institutions which help to share the costs of the world’s problems and to leverage our power and influence. He will put us back in the forefront of the world’s fight to reduce nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and to stop global warming. He will continue and enhance our nation’s global leadership in an area in which I am deeply involved, the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria, including a renewal of the battle against HIV/AIDS here at home. He will choose diplomacy first and military force as a last resort. But in a world troubled by terror; by trafficking in weapons, drugs and people; by human rights abuses; by other threats to our security, our interests, and our values, when he cannot convert adversaries into partners, he will stand up to them.

Barack Obama also will not allow the world’s problems to obscure its opportunities. Everywhere, in rich and poor countries alike, hardworking people need good jobs; secure, affordable healthcare, food, and energy; quality education for their children; and economically beneficial ways to fight global warming. These challenges cry out for American ideas and American innovation. When Barack Obama unleashes them, America will save lives, win new allies, open new markets, and create new jobs for our people.

Most important, Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are strong at home. People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.

Look at the example the Republicans have set: American workers have given us consistently rising productivity. They’ve worked harder and produced more. What did they get in return? Declining wages, less than ¼ as many new jobs as in the previous eight years, smaller health care and pension benefits, rising poverty and the biggest increase in income inequality since the 1920s. American families by the millions are struggling with soaring health care costs and declining coverage. I will never forget the parents of children with autism and other severe conditions who told me on the campaign trail that they couldn’t afford health care and couldn’t qualify their kids for Medicaid unless they quit work or got a divorce. Are these the family values the Republicans are so proud of? What about the military families pushed to the breaking point by unprecedented multiple deployments? What about the assault on science and the defense of torture? What about the war on unions and the unlimited favors for the well connected? What about Katrina and cronyism?

America can do better than that. And Barack Obama will.

But first we have to elect him.

The choice is clear. The Republicans will nominate a good man who served our country heroically and suffered terribly in Vietnam. He loves our country every bit as much as we all do. As a Senator, he has shown his independence on several issues. But on the two great questions of this election, how to rebuild the American Dream and how to restore America’s leadership in the world, he still embraces the extreme philosophy which has defined his party for more than 25 years, a philosophy we never had a real chance to see in action until 2001, when the Republicans finally gained control of both the White House and Congress. Then we saw what would happen to America if the policies they had talked about for decades were implemented.

They took us from record surpluses to an exploding national debt; from over 22 million new jobs down to 5 million; from an increase in working family incomes of $7,500 to a decline of more than $2,000; from almost 8 million Americans moving out of poverty to more than 5 and a half million falling into poverty – and millions more losing their health insurance.

Now, in spite of all the evidence, their candidate is promising more of the same: More tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that will swell the deficit, increase inequality, and weaken the economy. More band-aids for health care that will enrich insurance companies, impoverish families and increase the number of uninsured. More going it alone in the world, instead of building the shared responsibilities and shared opportunities necessary to advance our security and restore our influence.

They actually want us to reward them for the last eight years by giving them four more. Let’s send them a message that will echo from the Rockies all across America: Thanks, but no thanks. In this case, the third time is not the charm.

My fellow Democrats, sixteen years ago, you gave me the profound honor to lead our party to victory and to lead our nation to a new era of peace and broadly shared prosperity.

Together, we prevailed in a campaign in which the Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be Commander-in-Chief. Sound familiar? It didn’t work in 1992, because we were on the right side of history. And it won’t work in 2008, because Barack Obama is on the right side of history.

His life is a 21st Century incarnation of the American Dream. His achievements are proof of our continuing progress toward the “more perfect union” of our founders’ dreams. The values of freedom and equal opportunity which have given him his historic chance will drive him as president to give all Americans, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability, their chance to build a decent life, and to show our humanity, as well as our strength, to the world.

We see that humanity, that strength, and our future in Barack and Michelle Obama and their beautiful children. We see them reinforced by the partnership with Joe Biden, his wife Jill, a dedicated teacher, and their family.

Barack Obama will lead us away from division and fear of the last eight years back to unity and hope. If, like me, you still believe America must always be a place called Hope, then join Hillary, Chelsea and me in making Senator Barack Obama the next President of the United States.

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Bill Clinton to Barack Obama: 'Kiss My Ass'

Bill Clinton is the only person that I ever voted for who actually got elected into the presidency. Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush and George W. Bush each held office without my vote or support. Bill Clinton won the office twice with my vote. As such, he has been a political hero for most of my adult life.

Therefore, I am truly sad to see how bitter he is about Barack Obama's victory over his wife. We're told that Bill Clinton wants Obama to beg for his wholehearted support in the upcoming presidential campaign.

Bill Clinton is having a difficult time understanding that his star within the Democratic Party is setting. The Telegraph says that Clinton's rage is still so great that even loyal allies are shocked by his patronizing attitude to Obama.

In fact, a senior Democrat who worked for Mr Clinton has revealed that he recently told friends Mr Obama could "kiss my ass" in return for his support. The source said, "He's saying he's not going to reach out, that Obama has to come to him. One person told me that Bill said Obama would have to quote kiss my ass close quote, if he wants his support."

A second source said that the former president has kept his distance because he still does not believe Mr Obama can win the election.

For his part, Bill Clinton last week issued a tepid statement, through a spokesman, in which he said he "is obviously committed to doing whatever he can and is asked to do to ensure Senator Obama is the next president of the United States."

It has long been known that Mr Clinton is angry at the way his own reputation was tarnished during the primary battle when several of his comments were interpreted as racist. But his lingering fury has shocked his friends. Another source told the Telegraph: "He has been angry for a while. But everyone thought he would get over it. He hasn't."

Hillary Clinton appears to have accepted the voice of the people. She recognizes that the best chance for her party to retake the White House is to unite with Barack Obama over the next four months of campaigning. Bill Clinton appears to be tone deaf on this matter. Clinton is showing himself to be a mean and petty person ... not a world-class leader. Hopefully his wife or his daughter will help him see the light.

Right now, Clinton appears to be wrong. However, I'm hopeful that we will see more photos in the future of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama standing together. What say u?

Dick Gregory Apologizes to Bill Clinton

Yobachi left a comment in an earlier post about a rant that Dick Gregory had during the recent State of the Black Union event. Some villagers haven't seen it yet. Take a few moments and enjoy this political rant on Bill Clinton ... the so-called first Black president.



Dick Gregory is a unique talent, wouldn't you agree?

Hillary Clinton Concedes Nomination to Barack Obama...

...that is going to be the international headlines on Wednesday, March 5, 2008.

Looking into the fire while sitting here under my baobob tree it seems that the headline above could become reality. Here are 13 factoids floating in my mind:

1. Obama has plenty of money
2. Obama leads in the popular vote
3. Obama leads in the pledged delegates
4. Obama leads in states 23-12; there are 15 states left to vote
5. Obama is winning by large margins in states all across the nation
6. Obama demonstrated that he can match or beat the ground game in every state
7. Clinton & Obama agree on most issues
8. Clinton already has high negatives ... running more negative ads hurts her more than Obama
9. Clinton can't hold super-delegates if she can't win any states since Super Tuesday
10. Clinton is boxed in by the rules on Michigan and Florida delegates
11. Clinton is good at debates ... but, she ain't that good
12. Clinton oratory and message is tired and uninspired
13. Clinton is on wrong side of history re: Iraq War

With these background factoids, it is my view that Obama will win all four primary contests on Tuesday, March 4. He will win Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont.

You recall that I predicted earlier that Obama would win either Ohio and Texas. After watching him royally kick Clinton's butt in Wisconsin ... I feel that it is over.

Villager's Prediction

I predict that Obama is going to roll through all four of the contests on March 4th with a victory. That would mean that Hillary Clinton lost 14 straight contests since Super Tuesday. People keep saying, "Never count the Clintons out". Villagers, you get wiped out in 14 straight states ... you get counted out.

People used to say that Bill Clinton was the "first Black president" because of the affinity that African Americans had with him in the 1990s. He managed to lose all of those chips with his performance in January during the New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina primaries. It is doubtful that African Americans will ever view Bill Clinton the same any longer.

Hillary will face one of those 'Come to Jesus' moments as the election results start coming into her hotel room on March 4th. She will come to the realization that her politics of division and memories of 1990s success simply don't resonate in 2008. America is not looking to build a bridge back to the 20th century. Hillary will realize that her dream of sharing the White House bedroom with Bill Clinton again has been rejected by the voters.

Hillary will realize that she needs to figure out an exit strategy.

Her exit strategy will be to appreciate her job as US Senator from New York. Likely, she will become one of the most visible and vocal leaders in the US Senate in 2009 and beyond. Her strengths are legislation and hearings and such. She will be able to do what she does best in the US Senate. That will become her saving grace.

All of these thoughts will come to her on March 4 when the election results from Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont come rolling in. At that point she will see that there is no chance for pulling victory from the jaws of defeat. Losing 14 straight states makes you reconsider your limited options.

She will sleep on it. Then she will wake up on Wednesday, March 5th and step down. She will concede the nomination to Barack Obama. It will be a gracious and classy move. It will be the beginning of her rebuilding her reputation and should allow her to be a power broker for many years within the Democratic Party. It will position the Democratic Party to unify in the coming battle with John McCain.

That is how I see it sitting here under my baobob tree. What say u?

Barack Obama Spanks Team Clinton in South Carolina

1/28/08 Update - Jesse Jackson gave interview to AfroSpear member Gina McCauley on the South Carolina results.

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South Carolina is giving a landslide victory to Barack Obama in the Democratic primary tonight. Not just Black voters ... but, young voters, women voters, rural voters and everyone else that could reach the ballot box voted in favor of Barack Obama. The racially divisive politics that Bill & Hillary Clinton brought to the campaign in South Carolina failed. There is no other way to look at it ... Barack Obama regained his footing as the transformative candidate for the 21st century.

Exit polls show that Barack Obama won a majority of white voters under 30, white men, and white college-educated voters. Hillary Clinton had many endorsements from Black preachers and congressmen in South Carolina. However, Hillary only received 17% of the Black vote in South Carolina. I bet those Black preachers and congressmen are feeling pretty lonely out there tonight.

The question now is whether Team Clinton will learn a lesson ... or does Team Clinton feel that race-baiting will help them with white and Hispanic voters on Super Tuesday. When asked about the Obama victory in South Carolina, Bill Clinton reminded the reporter that "...Jesse Jackson won here in 1984 and 1988.". That sounds like racial code words for white voters around the country that they should discount the South Carolina vote. After all, what comparision is there between Obama and Jesse other than the fact both candidates are Black. Bill Clinton could have noted that he won the SC primary in 1992 or that John Edwards won the SC primary in 2004 ... but, he went directly to the white boogeyman (Jesse Jackson). Is Team Clinton truly that cynical about the Democratic electorate?





Time will tell. My view is simple. Team Clinton feels entitled to the presidency as if they are royalty. In my view Team Clinton is 1990s .... yesterday ... fights and tactics that worked well last century. This year we have an opportunity to elect a leader for the 21st century ... a leader that can transform America and bring us together in ways that Hillary Clinton can never do.

The policy differences between the two (or three if you count Bill) aren't that different. Therefore, the message of change and the image of Obama as a unifying person should make the difference.

What are your thoughts on the South Carolina results?

Is Hillary Clinton Desperate?

Hillary Clinton was the presumptive Democratic nominee for over a year. She went through dozens of debates floating above the fray as the inevitable nominee from the Democratic party. Then she phuqued up on that debate question about giving driver licenses to illegal aliens. Her aura of invincability tumbled away when the results of the Iowa caucus were announced earlier this month. She came in 3rd place. Hard to be invincible when two other people get more votes.

Hillary and her husband made a decision at this point. They watched Barack Obama's victory speech in Iowa and determined that they would need to put the Clinton attack machine in motion early and often. Bill Clinton began wagging that famous finger (...can you say, 'I did not have sex with that woman'...) talking about America 'rolling the dice' for the 'fairy tale' that is Barack Obama.

The good people of New Hampshire watched Hillary shed a tear at the possibility that her lifetime ambition would be denied ... and they switched their votes to support her in the final 48 hours of the primary. Can you say 'Bradley Effect'?

Bill Clinton then went to Nevada and served as a precinct captain ... going hotel-to-hotel to campaign for his wife. Doesn't seem like the role of a former president. But Hillary is desperate ... so Bill is getting down and dirty on her behalf. Hillary tossed out a grenade about a bad guy in Chicago named Resko at the South Carolina debate. A few days later we discover that Bill and Hillary knew Resko enough to take a picture with him during their White House years.

Now, we learn that Hillary is willing to renege on the commitment she made with the other Democratics to forgo delegates in the Michigan and Florida primary. Is it just me? Or do you sense that Hillary Clinton is desperate?

I Want to be Proud of My Next President

I've voted Democratic for all of my adult life. Ronald Ray-gun was enough for me to realize that the Republicans had no love for me or others of African descent here in America. I enjoyed the Bill Clinton years. What wasn't to enjoy. The federal deficit built up by Reagan and the first George Bush was wiped out during Clinton's administration. I don't need to go through all of the good things that happened during his 8 years as president. His record speaks for itself. The sad thing is that Newt Gingrich, Special Prosecutor Starr and others were so jealous (envious?) of his success that they used a sexual indiscretion with Monica Lewensky to go through an entire impeachment process. As a result, Clinton limped through the final years of his administration.

Fast forward to 2007. Does it seem that karma is in full effect?

Not only is George Bush limping through the final years of his administration. The party that Bush leads loudly proclaims that it is the bastion of 'family values'. What a joke that turned out to be.

• Republican Larry Craig - one of the 100 senators that serve at the top levels of our government ... was arrested at Minneapolis airport in June. Arrest document reportedly alleges Craig signaled desire for "lewd conduct". Craig pleaded guilty to the charges and is currently serving on probation for his efforts to engage in male restroom. Craig had to quit his leadership position in the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney.
• Louisiana Sen. David Vitter - was a client of the 'D.C. Madam' was the way in which the senator himself disclosed it. Vitter was outed by Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt. Vitter's relationship with prostitutes in Washington DC is not unusual. After all, he was accused by a member of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee of carrying on a lengthy affair with a prostitute in New Orleans's French Quarter in his first Senate campaign. Anyhow, Vitter had to quit his leadership position in the presidential campaign of Rudy Giuliani.
• Florida congressman Mark Foley after being outed as a quasi-pedophile inappropriately reaching out to teenage pages in the House of Representatives. - resigned
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield after the Republicans got run out of the congressional leadership as result of the November 2006 mid-term elections. It is likely that Rumsfield will be remembered as the worst Secretary of Defense in the nation's history based on his running of the Iraq War. -fired/resigned
• US Attorney General Albert Gonzales/resigned today after having his honesty and credibility questioned on a daily basis for the past 18 months. My Hispanic brothers and are likly ashamed of Gonzales in much the same way that most Black folks are ashamed of Clarence Thomas. The one advantage that my Hispanic brothers and sisters have is that Gonzales wasn't appointed to a lifetime position, therefore, he can now fade ingloriously into the past. At best, Gonzales was a simple puppet of the White House. At worst, he was a conniving, lying lawyer for George Bush who knowingly lied and connived for purposes of helping his sugar daddy (President George Bush). - fired

Personally, I'm waiting for the next presidency in the hopes that karma is finished and we can have a president that will make all of us proud. My preference would be Barack Obama. I would be comfortable with Clinton or Edwards. I just want the next president to be someone we can look to with pride.

Villagers, what do you think?