Filed under: Barry 4 Prez, Judge Joe Brown Says : "WELL DONE", Web Junk
Months ago, after Barry locked up the Democratic nomination, I gave him some unsolicited advice to sharpen up his game for the Fall election season. Among my many nuggets of wisdom was the suggestion that Barry tighten up his rhetoric by attending one of Rebb’n Al Sharpton’s patented weekend Soundbyte Seminars™.
Seriously, for all the inspirational quality of his major speeches, on the stump, Barry is plain vanilla more times than not. With the polls tightening, and folks beginning to finally focus on the issues, one way to guarantee that your message resonates on the streets (aka: the 6 o’clock news) is to come up with snappy retorts that will get you continuous 15 second loops.
Sharpton’s dismal 04′ campaign never amounted to much in terms of votes, but at least the guy was memorable. You may not personally like him.[1] You can call him lots of things: an opportunist, a rabble rouser, a huckster, a shakedown artist. But you can’t call him late for dinner dull.
So, Barry finally paid the $599 late registration fee, bought Al an extra large order of rib tips, and picked his brain sometime quietly in late August. I’d call it money well spent, because he’s clearly putting the lessons to work.
Not bad. Snappy and authentic, but not too sarcastic. I’m sure McCain and Co. will start crying about ageism or some such nonsense. I already see the ad being edited in Pinnacle Studio now.
Whiners.
Question: Do you think Obama’s investment in Rebb’n Al’s Soundbyte Seminar[2] is paying dividends?
[1] And just in case you’re wondering, I like the guy. Pause.
[2] Not a real thing. That’s satire. Don’t go startin’ no rumors.
Filed under: AvB Instant Classics, AvBro GuestPost, Barry 4 Prez, PoliTricks as Usual, That Sh*t Is Racist, White Men Gone Wild
[Editor's Note: I don't usually like using other folks posts without getting pre-approval, but this was too good to not use as a guest post. Tim Wise is a white guy whom the MSM hates because he tells it like it is, especially as pertains to white privilege in America. I've constantly harped on the outlandish double standards seen throughout this year's campaign, but Wise breaks it down to the very last compound. Digest and discuss, you know where.]
For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.
White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.
White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you’ll “kick their fuckin’ ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.
White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.
White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”
White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office–since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s–while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.
White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.
White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you’re black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.
White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do–like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor–and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college–you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.
White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”
White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.
White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.
White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.
[Editor's Note: Black privilege is being able to say "the N-word" with reckless abandon, telling "white folks are sooo..." jokes on Comic View, and.... and.... uhmmm, that's about it.]
White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a “light” burden.
And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain…
White privilege is, in short, the problem.
Question: Do you agree with Tim Wise that the double standards confronting Obama are prime examples of white privilege?
More from Tim Wise [TimWise.org]
* Props to DP for sending this along.
Filed under: Barry 4 Prez, PoliTricks as Usual, Web Junk, White Men Gone Wild
The Obama campaign announced that they were taking the gloves off and proceeding to get all up in that ass on Friday. Thus far, they’ve lived up to this promise, seemingly releasing a new attack ad everyday. I liked the “Maverick” spot, and the “Deception” piece was great too.
But today’s “Fundamentals” ad sorta rubs me the wrong way.
And here’s the McCain/Palin retort (why is she in every ad?), which oddly enough is “issues” focused and doesn’t mention Obama. Hell, it looks like the sort of ads Barry was running himself last week.
So, I guess these guys set the table for their own demise.
But let it be known, I don’t like this latest Obama ad one bit. This one deploys the very same “we distort, you decide” angle as most GOP ads. Hitting hard is fine, just make sure you’re accurate in the process.
Question: Do you think McCain’s “strong economy” statement was taken out of context? Do you think these sorts of ads will be effective for the Obama campaign or is this a bad look?
Filed under: Barry 4 Prez, C.Y.I.N., Nigga Nonsense, PoliTricks as Usual, That Sh*t Is Racist
In short, I’m on board.
[Editor's Note: If you're on board, click on some of them AdSense links so I can cop myself a fresh pair of New Balance for the Fall.]
That’s not to say I haven’t had my share of issues with Mr. Obama, and I’ve used this forum to make equally strong critiques of his campaign. His unwillingness to consider offshore drilling, before reversing course without a thorough explanation didn’t rub me the right way. Ditto for his support of FISA, which I don’t personally object to (it’s not like I’ve got anything to hide), but apparently enough others do. But perhaps my biggest qualm with Barry is the very characteristic that many (myself included, just to further confuse you) cite as his greatest attribute: his unflappability.
I’ll give it to dude. Through six tough months of battling The Clinton Machine, he consistently showed class and never stooped to their level of mudslinging. His family, his faith, his patriotism, and his church were under constant attack, but he never “lost it”, and he certainly never went into full C.Y.I.N. mode. I didn’t care for this approach at the time, but in retrospect, I get it. Obama was new on the scene, and more importantly, he was facing an opponent whose views on the issues were essentially identical to his. When that’s the case, as it was during the Democratic primaries, the way to distinguish yourself is with your personality. In short, his coolness under fire drew a huge contrast to Hillary Clinton’s constant displays of crying and unbridled rage. It was essential, and well, it worked.
The fullblown campaign vs McCain is a different game altogether. It’s like going from winning your conference tournament to trying to make it to the Final Four. You’re no longer taking on familiar opponents in familiar environments. Sure, it’s the same game fundamentally, but the intensity level rises, and with that, your approach has to adjust. Thus far, Obama has failed to effectively do this.
After he secured his party’s nomination, the GOP started picking him apart like we knew they would (despite McCain’s promises to run an admirable campaign) and unleashed the dogs. They’ve painted him as a hollow celebrity, played the race card against him, pulled up his past associations, sicced a programmed Pitbull in a skirt on him, and through it all, purposely distorted his views and experience to comical proportions.
Obama’s response: play it cool. The polls: not so much.
Now, with his back to the wall and Americans oddly transfixed on Sarah Palin, it seems like Barry’s finally, finally, finally figured out that the way his current campaign is running is virtually guaranteeing a one-way ticket back to Capitol Hill. It took him some time, but he even admitted as much last week.
Sen. Barack Obama and his campaign launched a promised counterpunch against Sen. John McCain on Friday, portraying him as an aging, out-of-touch politician who would cater to “fat-cat” lobbyists and continue President Bush’s economic policies.
With two new television advertisements, a campaign memo to supporters and a two-day trip through New Hampshire, Obama sought to regain his footing amid faltering poll numbers, a continuing assault by his Republican presidential rival and rising worries among Democrats about his campaign.
If Democrats were expecting a dramatic change in words, tone or temperament, they did not get it. While McCain attacked him as a pampered, fading celebrity, a sexist and a desperate bully, Obama stuck to familiar themes linking the senator from Arizona to Bush and Washington lobbyists.
Even after being prodded by the audience in Dover, Obama appeared reluctant to get too aggressive. Glenn Grasso, 39, a doctoral student, pleaded: “When and how are you going to start fighting back?”
Obama responded by calling McCain’s ads “just fabricated” and “just made up,” an answer that spurred some to shout out: “Lies.”
In a memo to supporters, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said: “In recent weeks, John McCain has shown that he is willing to go into the gutter to win this election. His campaign has become nothing but a series of smears, lies and cynical attempts to distract from the issues that matter to the American people.”
Plouffe assured supporters that “we will respond with speed and ferocity to John McCain’s attacks and we will take the fight to him, but we will do it on the big issues that matter to the American people.”
Then of course, there’s the race thing, which brings me to the point of this post. Many have said that if Obama suddenly C.Y.I.N.’s and morphs into DMX, he runs the risk of being labeled an “Angry Black Man” and blowing the whole wad. I’ve heard this uttered so often it makes my head hurt, but 99% of the time, it’s usually another black person who’s saying it. Never mind the fact that 99% of those in the media challenging Obama to grow a pair happen to be white.
So, I guess I have to ask you guys, why in the world do we think that Obama showing some guts and fighting back would suddenly regulate him to “Angry Black Guy” status and deep-six the whole campaign? Are there well-documented public examples of such a thing that serve as evidence for why he shouldn’t? I’ll admit, I’ve occasionally thought the same, but I wonder if this isn’t one of those things black folks fabricate say amongst ourselves without any real evidence to back it up. Sorta like how we say “Black folks don’t swim” or “if that was a black woman, you know…” and whatnot. Seriously, how do we know how the world would respond?
I don’t ask this being facetious, I’m really posing the question because I’d like to hear some legit examples. If you’ve got em’, do tell.
Question: Does Obama run the risk of being labelled an “Angry Black Guy” if he starts whoopin‘ a$$ and takin‘ names? If you think so, why? Can you think of any real life examples of this audacious double standard?
Filed under: Barry 4 Prez, Go Sit Down, Grand Hu$tle, PoliTricks as Usual, What A DoucheBag
Ok, the media fast is over. I tried, but after I read this nonsense, I just couldn’t take it no more.
Seriously, can we go ahead and do away with the charade that Tina Fey Sarah Palin is somehow qualified to become President? The moment they let the Pitbull In Lipstick (her words, not mine) off the chain (aka: following a teleprompted speech written by Karl Rove), she comes out the yard (aka: media seclusion) and bites us with this stunner.
Gov. Sarah Palin linked the war in Iraq with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, telling an Iraq-bound brigade of soldiers that included her son that they would “defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans.”The idea that the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein helped al-Qaeda plan the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a view once promoted by Bush administration officials, has since been rejected even by the president himself. But it is widely agreed that militants allied with al-Qaeda have taken root in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion.
No, seriously. Even The President has since admitted that 9/11 and the Iraq war don’t have any real tangible connection. But Mrs. Palin, who lives so close the Russia that Nikita Koloff is her pilates partner, obviously is about 7 years late in receiving that message.
And this is who we want running the country in the unlikely event that a 72 year old with a history of battling cancer should meet his untimely demise?
Wigga please.
Let’s call this whole Palin/McCain 08′ candidacy (yeah, I said it!) what it is: a sham.
When pressed to name one substantial area where John McCain differs with George W. Bush on one of those Sunday morning news shows last weekend (yeah, I cheated), McCain Ace-Boon-Coon Ricky Davis couldn’t even fake it, and reverted back to that lazy “this campaign isn’t about issues” BS. And I for once happen to agree with Davis: of course this ain’t about issues, because if it were McCain would be getting his dusty clock cleaned.
But the GOP is so smart, they figured out a way to sidestep issues altogether, and make this campaign more about Palin than Obama in the process. Brilliant! Instead of being about gas prices, unemployment, the war, the housing market, education, crime, and vocoders, election 08′ has somehow morphed into an indictment of American sexism.
Never mind the fact that McCain used the same term himself describing Hillary Clinton just last Fall.
So, Palin can call herself a pitbull in lipstick, but when Obama merely hints at the fact that The McCain policies are tantamount to putting lipstick on a pig (a spot-on analogy), suddenly Obama’s a sexist who wants Palin barefoot, pregnant (again), and cooking Mooseburgers? Never mind that when the entire quote is listened to in context. Obama doesn’t even remotely mention Palin, unlike McCain, who mentioned Hillary in the same sentence. And perpetual victims (riiiight) that they are, white women (and some men) flock to her defense, as if white women somehow aren’t valued enough already in this country.
I’ll admit it, I thought McCain was on the edge of dementia when he chose Palin as his running mate. And if you look at her qualifications, it would be hard to disagree with my assertion. But the GOP is so wily, and knows how to prey on the ignorance of Middle America soooo well, that they successfully flipped the script and turned this into an actual contest. They pulled the ultimate sleight of hand and somehow made this about “Government Reform”, conveniently overlooking the fact that McCain’s been part of that very Government for nearly 3 decades. Kudos for them.
Let’s not get caught up in superficial nonsense. Just as in 04′ when the GOP Swiftboated a man who had valiantly served his country at war, in favor of a man who ducked the draft, they’re trying to run game on us yet again. I’ll admit, Obama’s milquetoast demeanor and lack of consistent fire is beginning to wear on me. He’s more concerned with not losing than he is with winning, and he needs to switch his game up quickly. But when you’re talking issues (and let’s not get it twisted, we are talking issues, not pigs) as much disdain as I hold for the Democratic Party, they’re on my side of the ledger more times than not where it matters.
Besides, what’s the alternative? Lipstick on a pig? I’ll pass.
Question: How will the GOP spin Palin’s 9/11-Iraq comment? How in the hamsammich can soooo many Americans be soooo stupid?
Palin Links Iraq to Sept. 11 In Talk to Troops in Alaska [WashPost]
Filed under: Barry 4 Prez, Drive-By Activism, Go Sit Down, Judge Joe Brown Says : "DO BETTER.", Knee-Grow Please, MLK is Crying Inside, Nigga Nonsense, That Sh*t Is Racist, Web Junk, What A DoucheBag
I wanted to post this last week after the speech, but PBS’s low-tech website didn’t allow embedding. Now that it’s on Youtube, enjoy as your newly nominated King Of All Blacks bashes last week’s Obama speech, while giving Conservative chatters more meaningless talking points in the process.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: folks like Malveaux and West have done enough grunt work to be entitled to stating their opinions. They’ve earned the right, so we shouldn’t see this as “hatin’”.
But seriously, if there are folks who should know what it means to Play The Game you would think it would be people like these two who have successfully navigated the waters of such all white institutions as USA Today and Princeton University.[1] Sometimes I wonder if folks like this just love talking to get off on hear the sound of their own voices, rather than to make a coherent point.
You know it’s a sad day when Tavis Smiley is the voice of reason. Dang.
MLK is crying inside.
Question: Are Malveaux and West drankin’ Scrawburry HaterAde™ or do they have some valid points? Do you now regret nominating West as the King Of All Blacks?
[1] Is it just me, or do West and Malveaux seem to be wearing the exact same thing everytime they’re on TV? No, seriously, peep the photo above (taken months ago), and the video (last week). Straaaange.
I suppose it’s good that someone else caught my clever play on words. But the execution of this video is so lazy and half-assed that it ruins the whole joke.
Nice try, but no cigar.
Man, one of these days, I gotta get on my YouTube grizzly.
Joe Biden and Joe Budden: Separated at Birth? [Complex Magazine]
Filed under: Barry 4 Prez, C.Y.I.N., Judge Joe Brown Says : "WELL DONE", MLK is Crying Inside, PoliTricks as Usual, Raise Your Own Damn Kids
We Watch, So You Don’t Have To. But We Hope You Watched. Seriously, What Else Were You Watching?
Well it’s about doggone time.
If you’ve followed my site the past few months, you know I’ve seriously questioned Barack Obama’s testicular fortitude or lack thereof, repeatedly. I have had a huge problem with his “turn the other cheek” approach to confronting the underhanded tactics of his foes from Day One. Why keep bringing a butterknife to a gunfight? I was pretty convinced that unless dude switched up his game and started talkin’ greasy, he was gonna find his beige behind back in Hyde Park come January.
Apparently he discovered AB.com just in time for his big speech in Denver, because last night, we finally saw Barack’s Inner Nigga, and if you ask me, we also just saw the 44th President of the US.
Barry’s acceptance speech was a virtuoso performance that showed me he knows how to check a mofo without stooping to his level in the process. We all wondered if Obama had “it” in him. He does, but his “it” just looks a bit different than the “it” that’s in most of us. And that’s why he’s about to be the leader of the free world, and we’re merely reading a blog about it.
The speech was more tactical than visionary. More specific than grand. More substance than style. More steak than sizzle. It will probably not go down as one of his “best” speeches, but history will probably remember it as his most important.
[Whimsical And Largely Pointless Editor's Note: On Fox News, Greta Von Sustern introduced Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee as Stephanie Tubbs Jones before embarrassingly correcting herself. Don't blush, Greta. They all look alike to me too. Dead or alive.]
The thing I loved most is how he addressed the lies attacks of the GOP (and Hillary for that matter) so adroitly, one by one. He clapped back on McCain’s questioning of his patriotism, elitism, lack of experience, lack of substance, lack of career accomplishments, and lack of vision. He very clearly articulated the areas where he differs from his opponent on policy, laying out the clear contrast between his “new” ideas, and the flimsy bullcrap that McCain calls his platform. He made certain people understood that the government cannot do everything, but can help people where it makes sense and get out of their way where it doesn’t. He wrapped the whole thing up by smoothing it over with a think 5 minute veneer of all that usual hope, dreams, and change mumbojumbo.
Anyone who walks away from this calling the guy an “empty suit” should probably have their head examined. Empty brains, anyone?
[Whimsical And Largely Relevant Editor's Note: Did anyone watching the unfiltered coverage on CSPAN peep the video montage that proceeded Barry's appearance onstage? I hate calling someone's biographical vignette blatant propaganda, but dang. Dude's bio was whitewashed than a mug. Who knew so many of the folks in the community he organized on the South Side of Chicago were white? I haven't seen a black dude surrounded by that many Caucasians since my company's last managerial retreat. Check it out.]
Of course the haters had to throw in their two cents of salt, because, well, hatin’ is how they pay the bills.
I expect this sorta treatment from Fox News, but Tavis Smiley’s guests really took the cake.
The phrase “I feel sorry for your mother” has been on the tip of my tongue very often this week. How apropos.
Outside of the obvious historical significance, I guess what made me happiest about last night was the feeling that my candidate of choice has finally seen the light and realized he’s got the change the game if he wants to win. This doesn’t mean changing who you are, but rather how you do things. Convoluted and simple as that may sound, it sure makes sense to me, and it seems to have finally made sense to him.
Last night was the Barack Obama I’ve been waiting for. And last night was the President America’s waiting for. Well done, Barry.
MLK is crying inside. Tears of joy.
Question: What did you think of the speech? Did Barry finally C.Y.I.N.? Did the Democratic convention accomplish what Barry needed it to? What will the GOP do to upstage this next week? Do they all look alike to you too, dead or alive?
Filed under: Barry 4 Prez, Drive-By Activism, Go Sit Down, Judge Joe Brown Says : "WELL DONE", Knee-Grow Please, Nigga Nonsense, PoliTricks as Usual
We Watch, So You Don’t Have To.
Okay, I’ll keep it 100 with ya’ll. My fantasy football draft was last night, so I ain’t really catch much other than Hillary’s speech. And BTW, if you drafted Kevin Curtis too early, yes, you should have buyer’s remorse right now. Darn outdated cheat sheets.
Anyways, Hillary more or less did what she was posed’ to. She seemed somewhat genuine, she didn’t mince words about McCain, and she more or less effectively told her followers to get with Barack or Go Sit Down!
“Get Down, Or Lay Down!” [1]
Skeptical Negro that I am, I still can’t help but watch things like this with my 3rd eye, or as I like to call it, my Negro Spidey Sense. And something was telling me that while she seemed to be on board, there was a little bit of “see you in 2012″ sentiment tossed in for good measure. And BTW, what the heck was that whole Harriet Tubbman thing about? Sheesh.
Anyways, she did what she had to, can’t knock her for that.
On a separate, but related note, I’m really starting to enjoy TVOne’s DNC After Party coverage. Last night was even better, as they wisely pared down the number of in-studio guests, and kept things moving with interviews and pretaped vignettes. Any “news” program that features Huggy Lowdown and Sheryl Underwood can’t be taken too seriously, but I’ll give them credit for starting somewhere. Their coverage is entertaining enough, and I like it. I still haven’t peeped BET’s offering, and probably won’t.
I did, for some odd reason, happen to flip over to CNN during a commercial break, and I caught what was probably the most disturbing image of a Black woman aired on TV in this millennium, this side of “Tip Drill”. No, seriously. If you peeped this sista, you know what I’m talking about.
Dang, this chick makes me long for Harriett Christian.
Fanie Lou Hamer is crying inside.
Question: Was Hillary Clinton genuine in her support of Obama? Do Clinton refugees have any legitimate reason to hold onto their grudges any longer? Have you peeped TVOne’s coverage? What the ham sammich was wrong with that sista that CNN wisely planted put on the camera?
[1] Name that movie.
