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If you're so inclined, fellow readers, check out The Root today for a couple of especially interesting Juneteenth-related columns.
Proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that:
1) My people know how to dress when they have a few ducats.
2) You don't need a personal tailor or couturier to make you look right.
3) They won't be able to shop like they used to once they get to the White House. Too bad. The First Lady shopping at Target for Malia and Sasha? Sales would go through the roof.
This is from Slate:
Rumors the Obama campaign shouldn't try to correct.
Barack Obama
The Barack Obama presidential campaign introduced a new site last week, FightTheSmears.com, that it hopes will debunk persistent myths about the senator: that he's a Muslim, that he won't say the Pledge of Allegiance, etc. As we have argued before, restating the myths often reinforces them, no matter how persuasively they've been refuted.
Rather than restate untruths about Obama, the campaign would do better to start some rumors of its own. Here's a template e-mail the Obama campaign might consider disseminating.
From: [Redacted]
To: [Redacted]
Subject: WHO IS BARACK OBAMA?
There are many things people do not know about BARACK OBAMA. It is every American's duty to read this message and pass it along to all of their friends and loved ones.
Barack Obama wears a FLAG PIN at all times. Even in the shower.
Barack Obama says the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE every time he sees an American flag. He also ends every sentence by saying, "WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL." Click here for video of Obama quietly mouthing the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE in his sleep.
A tape exists of Michelle Obama saying the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE at a conference on PATRIOTISM.
Every weekend, Barack and Michelle take their daughters HUNTING.
Barack Obama is a PATRIOTIC AMERICAN. He has one HAND over his HEART at all times. He occasionally switches when one arm gets tired, which is almost never because he is STRONG.
Barack Obama has the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE tattooed on his stomach. It's upside-down, so he can read it while doing sit-ups.
There's only one artist on Barack Obama's iPod: FRANCIS SCOTT KEY.
Barack Obama is a DEVOUT CHRISTIAN. His favorite book is the BIBLE, which he has memorized. His name means HE WHO LOVES JESUS in the ancient language of Aramaic. He is PROUD that Jesus was an American.
Barack Obama goes to church every morning. He goes to church every afternoon. He goes to church every evening. He is IN CHURCH RIGHT NOW.
Barack Obama's new airplane includes a conference room, a kitchen, and a MEGACHURCH.
Barack Obama's skin is the color of AMERICAN SOIL.
Barack Obama buys AMERICAN STUFF. He owns a FORD, a BASEBALL TEAM, and a COMPUTER HE BUILT HIMSELF FROM AMERICAN PARTS. He travels mostly by FORKLIFT.
Barack Obama says that Americans cling to GUNS and RELIGION because they are AWESOME
For those folks outside Southwest USA, here whats going on in Houston, TX.
http://www.texasjuneteenthusa.com/events.html
Sidebar: when they finally do get their new puppy, I hope they will consider getting a shelter dog. It would set a good example.
Imagine jackson lee and Tubb Jones?
In other news..OBAMA opts out..LOL
Just sent another $200
As a Texan, I thank you for mentioning Juneteenth. I am so grateful for the holiday. Since my family has been in Texas for about 8-9 generation, I benefit from Juneteenth. I hope this Blog will post something about Juneteenth. My family is celebrating with a low country. Love the blog.
"Sidebar: when they finally do get their new puppy, I hope they will consider getting a shelter dog. It would set a good example."
I agree. Those dogs have had such a hard life. If could start a trend a many of those dogs could get happy homes.
41 minutes ago
NEW YORK - Two former Bear Stearns managers have been arrested, federal authorities said Thursday, becoming the first executives to face criminal charges in the wake of the subprime market debacle.
"I agree. Those dogs have had such a hard life. If could start a trend a many of those dogs could get happy homes."
I hope they adopt some poor little black children who've had such a hard life and they could get happy homes too - that might start a trend.
I wish we could discuss obama's camp disappointing exclusion of those muslim women from seats behind Obama at two campaign events. This is unacceptable and Obama should apologize to those women if he hasn't.
Caged Lion
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#25252591
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/06/18/2008-06-18_muslim_woman_scarf_kept_her_from_seat_ne.html
In a reverse of the general pattern of fashion magazines, all the faces are black, and all the feature topics are related to black women in the arts and entertainment.
Mr. Meisel was given roughly 100 pages for his pictures. The issue will be on European newsstands next Thursday and in the United States soon after.
Under its editor, Franca Sozzani, Italian Vogue has gained a reputation for being more about art and ideas than commerce. Ms. Sozzani also doesn’t mind controversy.
She said that, as an Italian, she has been intrigued by the American presidential race and Mr. Obama, which was one source of inspiration when she and Mr. Meisel began discussing, in February, the idea of an all-black issue.
Read the entire here:
The July issue of Italian Vogue calls attention to prejudice by using only women of color
As a fellow Texan, who just moved back to this state 2 yrs ago, thanks for reminding me. Growing up in Houston, many times we had family get togethers for JUNETEENTH, b/c the parks (Specifically Hermann) could at times get rowdy. (in 92 there was a really bad shooting)
CBC AND OBAMA.
I wish C-SPAN could put a camera in that room, and somehow someway they would allow us to call in. To echo a comment I saw earlier, there are only 2 faces I want to see. STJ, AND SJL. To see them seeth at Barack b/c there girl is on the bench would be more then worth it.
If I were on Baracks Staff, Id be in there taking names (As if this hasnt been done already). Some of them would be hoppin out of those cushy seats they've gotten to know and love.
the way i understand it, it was 2 event staffers who arent nor have they been heavily involved in the campaign. Also, there are to my knowledge at least 2 pictures floating around where in plain day Barack is pictured with women in headscarfs and behind him in a Seattle Rally.
This was a STUPID STUPID STUPID move by the Obama campaign.
This was Michigan. There isn't a larger concentration of Arabs in America than in the Detroit/Dearborn Area. They not only vote, but they GIVE MONEY.
McCain has already messed up with this group, earlier this year, when he insulted one of THE biggest fundraisers in the Arab community.
That meant, with McCain's insult, and the natural hostility of the GOP towards Arabs/Muslims, that community was prime pickings for Obama.
He SHOULD HAVE BEEN able to pick up that voting block with little cost to himself, despite the Muslim rumors.
Now, he's messed that up, and he and McCain are basically on even ground. He's now seen as a Black Man who insulted Arab WOMEN. (Only THEY can insult their women - not some Black guy).
So, he just bigfooted a ' gimme', and a way to keep Michigan solidly in the Democratic column.
Dumb.ass.move.
I wish C-SPAN could put a camera in that room, and somehow someway they would allow us to call in. To echo a comment I saw earlier, there are only 2 faces I want to see. STJ, AND SJL. To see them seeth at Barack b/c there girl is on the bench would be more then worth it.
You aren't the only one. Oh, to be a fly on the wall for THAT meeting.
HILARIOUS.
Potential negative impact is manageable --McCain and GOP will surely help with smear attacks.
Imagine this..what if that pic was captured and later circulated to further the manchurian candidate meme? A headache he can now avoid.
Bad shorterm move, good longterm strategy--with minimal blowback from the muslim community.
By murrayw Wednesday June 18, 2008 2:27pm
Filed Under: Uncategorized
In the broader scheme of things, the Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is a fairly obscure agency. By law its core missions are to decrease the disproportional numbers of minority children incarcerated, prevent teenage delinquency, and act to remove children from adult jails, where they are at high risk for both sexual assault and suicide. But the agency also doles out more than a quarter of a billion dollars in federal grant money every year-with little congressional oversight or attention from the public. But instead of the money being spent for what Congress intended it, the agency’s funding more recently flowed to programs with political, social or religious connections to the White House. The agency’s new priorities include encouraging teenage abstinence and promoting golf to inner city kids.
The favoritism and politicization in the awarding of grants by OJJDP would ordinarily be unremarkable compared to such higher profile examples of cronyism by the Bush administration– except for the staggering human consequences. To fund his new priorities, J. Robert Flores, the administrator of OJJDP has cut funding for the training of corrections officers to prevent the physical and sexual abuse of incarcerated children. He has cut funds for a program to counsel rape victims that had been praised by President Bush. He has cut funds to prevent the incarceration of mentally ill or mentally retarded children. And he has cut funding for programs to prevent the suicide of gay and lesbian children.
Flores’ tenure as head of Justice’s OJJDP and the favorism and cronyism which at least a half dozen subordinates and superiors have alleged was the subject of a recent Nightline broadcast which I helped report with ABC chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross and reporters Ana Schecter and Maddy Sauer. Tomorrow morning, Flores will be questioned under oath about all of this before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
And my colleague Ana has a story out this afternoon disclosing that Flores is also the subject of an investigation by the Justice Department’s Inspector General:
The DOJ Inspector General has launched an investigation into fancy trips around the world taken by J. Robert Flores, the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, which always included golf and/or tennis…
“Flores would golf during the day while on official travel around the country on tax payer funds,” said Scott Peterson, a former staff member at OJJDP who traveled with Flores on various occasions.
An OIG investigator questioned one staff member about Flores’ travel and about an ex-Colonel in the Honduran army hired by Flores who at one time ran for president of Honduras.
The staffer said the Human Resources Department [of DOJ] was concerned that giving access to the DOJ computer system to a non-US citizen and a former Honduran Colonel could be dangerous for security reasons.
Fonseca, whose Honduran military career spanned three decades, was contracted to work on faith-based and gang issues…
Fonseca attended Church with Flores, according to DOJ staffers, and is married to Deborah Lynne De Moss, a major GOP contributor. Fonseca himself donated $2,000 to Bush in 2004, the same year he was hired, and reportedly raised about $50,000 more on behalf of the president…
In a farewell to his colleagues in July of 2007, Fonesca wrote in an email: “It is my hope and prayer that the joy and peace of Jesus Christ will be real to each on of you.”
Historians are already arguing whether the Bush administration has engaged in cronyism and favoritism at the expense of professionalism and competence. Presidents of both political parties are routinely accused by those in the opposition of stacking the government with their ideological or political loyalists. But the Bush administration’s handling of Katrina and the reconstruction of Iraq, the firings of nine U.S. attorneys, and the nomination of Harriett Miers to the Supreme Court raise questions as to whether during the Bush presidency, as Paul Krugman has written in the New York Times, “politicization and cronyism have become standard operating procedure throughout the federal government.”
Setting aside its traditional mission, Flores’ office awarded a $500,000 federal grant last year to the World Golf Association. In explaining why he overrode his career staff in awarding the grant, Flores explained: “We need something… to engage the gangs and the street kids. Golf is the hook.” Flores awarded the grant despite the fact that the group’s grant proposal rated 47th best out of 104 applicants. The honorary chairman the Golf Association’s First Tee program is former George Herbert Walker Bush.
In a draft of his testimony to be given to Congress tomorrow, Flores has decided to come out swinging against those who criticize the grant to the World Golf Association, claiming that they are “biased against the wealthy.” Flores wrote in the draft testimony that he believes that the grant has been “pilloried because it was tied to golf, and I assume for those who are biased against the wealthy, because it has historically been a sport of the well-to-do.”
Flores also overruled his professional staff and awarded a million dollar grant to the Best Friends Foundation, an organization that promotes sexual abstinence. Best Friends ranked 53rd out of 104 grant applicants. Additionally, the organization refused to participate in a congressionally mandated study into the effectiveness of abstinence programs for teens.
Why then did Best Friends obtain its grant? The founder and president of Best Friends is Elayne Bennett. Her husband, Bill Bennett, had been, respectively, the Secretary of Education during the Reagan administration and the drug czar for the first Bush administration. Now at days, of course, Bill Bennett spends most of his time as a cable television personality supporting the policies of the current Bush administration Moreover, funding sexual abstinence for teenagers has been a priority for the White House.
While Best Friends and the World Golf Association received their grants, more than forty other organizations that had received higher ratings from Justice Department reviewers received no federal money at all. Those denied grants included organizations that train youth corrections officers, counsel rape victims, and work to prevent suicide among gay and lesbian youth.
A program to help troubled teens in San Diego, Vista, was ranked number two by the staff out of 202 applicants in its category of prevention and intervention but was turned down for a grant to help deal with inner city teen violence in San Diego. Why was its grant turned down? Justice Department employees said Flores did not like the fact that group distributed condoms.
Often times, effective programs had their funds curtailed for ideological reasons. Even the Girl Scouts was not immune. When one of Flores’ superiors wanted to fund a Girl Scouts program to serve girls whose mothers were incarcerated, Flores objected because the group had ties to Planned Parenthood.
Another program, designed to train adult guards to deal with teens in custody, also was denied federal money even though it was ranked by the staff number 2 out of 104 in its category.
“What Flores did in this situation is he just stomped on the heads of kids who are very much at risk and in trouble in this country,” said Earl Dunlap, who runs the guard training program for the National Partnership for Juvenile Services.
Another group that was turned down for an OJJDP grant– despite the strong recommendations of career Department employees that it be awarded one was the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), a Washington D.C. based advocacy group for victims of rape and sexual assault.
Among other things, RAINN runs a telephone hotline for victims of rape and sexual assault, which has put hundreds of thousands of victims together with local rape crisis centers. RAINN ranked 14th best among 104 prospective grantees in the category in which it applied. The group directly competed against the World Golf Association, which was ranked 47th in the competition, and Best Friends, which ranked 51st.
Flores has refused to answer questions about why he turned overruled his staff in funding RAINN. One OJJDP employee said Flores expressed concerns to him that some rape victims might possibly be counseled as to how to obtain abortions by rape counseling centers which RAINN refers those who contact the organization’s telephone hot line. President Bush, however, has publicly praised the organization, as have conservative Republicans on Capitol Hill.
But most importantly, Flores’ office is by law supposed to take a leading role in removing kids from adult jails, where they are sexually assaulted and at high risk for suicide. Indeed, that policy objective was central to the OJJDP’s creation during the Carter administration.
In 1986, the Reagan administration’s Administrator of OJJDP, Al Regnery resigned after being confronted with allegations that he, like Flores, had disregarded the recommendations of his career staff and federal regulations to award grants for political or ideological reasons. Regnery awarded grant money to the dean of the late Jerry Falwell’s Liberty College to devise a high-school course on the Constitution. He awarded $789,000 to a former songwriter for “Captain Kangaroo” to study pornographic cartoons.
Regnery had also been asked by then-Attorney General Edwin Meese III to informally spearhead the Regan administration’s anti-pornography campaign. Regnery provided the initial funding to the President’s Commission on Pornography with OJJDPF funds diverted from juvenile crime prevention programs.
But most of all, Regnery ignored the federal law to act to remove children from adult jails. Regnery and his boss, then-Attorney General Edwin Meese believed that jailing children with adults was a deterrent to crime. The Reagan administration purposely did little to urge state governments to comply with the law.
The consequences to children were devastating. When incarcerated with adults, children are subjected to physical and sexual assaults, raped, and even murdered. According to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, for the year 2005, 21% of sexual assault victims in jails were juveniles even though kids only constitute less than 1% of the nation’s incarcerated population.
But even more tragic, locking up children with adults in jails and prisons often leads a significant number to commit suicide. According to one federal study, children incarcerated in adult jails and prisons commit suicide at 36 times the rate that they do when they are locked up with other juveniles.
With Regnery’s resignation, OJJDP returned to its mission of removing children from adult jails. But during Flores’ current tenure under President Bush, the removal of children from adult jails has once again become less of a priority and children are again at risk. Grant money and staff resources have instead been devoted to programs to encourage abstinence, golf and further other political priorities of the White House.
In the meantime, we have the testimony of at least one victim to the consequences. A teenager held in a county jail wrote a local district attorney saying he did not want to be exposed to adult criminals because of their bad influences:
“A wise person once told me it is not our mistakes in life that define who we are, bur rather how we recover from those mistakes. With that I would just like you to know that I’m going to use this situation to make me a stronger person and a better person.”
Two and one half months later, the boy committed suicide.
the sole motivator for the vast majority of average joes and josephines taking cover under the right wing is fear of muslims. it is the thing, i expect, that could take down obama's campaign, this muslim association they're pushing at every turn, in every mass email, on faux noise channel every chance they get.
for two veiled women to sit directly behind the podium? seriously, you don't think that would be national "news" in the manner that all of this trivial bullshit becomes news in this country?
that image would NEVER go away. it would find its way onto websites, into emails, folks would be printing it up on posters, handing it out door to door.
rock, meet hard place. it was a fucked up thing. a shame, but whatever the fallout over moving the women, the disaster that would befall obama's campaign as a result of those images is worse.
john kerry was ahead in the polls, he kicked bush's ass in the debates. he lost because of the kind of bullshit rumors and innuendo*, the thing that the right wing zealots do so well.
(*and some messed up voting machines and voter disenfranchisement in ohio, but the swiftboating of john mccain was the main thing)
No one is asking FOX NOISE to apologize for all the crap the say? Or the vendor selling all that racist propaganda...I personally think Obama has apologized for too much as it is.
And its usually for someone ELSEs actions.
This is a sad,missed opportunity! He cannot afford these types of errors. I get the Muslim "problem" but this...........
Against Race Politics
COULD PLEASE STOP COPYING AND PASTING ENTIRE ARTICLES..IT IS FREAKING ANNOYING!!!!
provide the link and some snippet of the article and those who wish to read can click on it.
Lars Larson racist incident?
that means that he has to confront a wholly biased entertainment-oriented "news" media on a daily basis.
they're not reporting news, they're reporting the titillating factoids and rumors, anything that creates a fuss and gets them attention. THEM attention.
the news media in this country is one of the biggest barriers to a true democracy at this point. having abandoned all pretense at objectively reporting the news under bush rule, they're now stuck in the habit of going for nothing more than talking points and trivial bullshit.
he could not afford this shot. he couldn't.
but if we're talking about sellouts, i'm more concerned about obama's sudden cozying up to the neoliberal economic kooks at the university of chicago. and why he is not interested in regulating hedge funds or adjusting the tax rate paid by hedge fund managers? that's way more concerning to me than this. that truly indicates he may not be who he says he is.
Can't please everybody.
bigot?
Is this the same obama who has publicly decried the anti-Muslim sentiment in today's American on multiple occasions? I think it would take quite the revisionist and myopic reading to now assume he himself is an anti-Muslim bigot.
Let's not through around such notions in a country that has more than its fair share of actual bigots, race mongers, and general filth.
I've yet to fully consider these two cases of discrimination. However, I'm slightly bothered by the a priori assumption that a personal apology is needed. I say this with the full idea that one may be the right thing.
Bigassbelle is RIGHT - the image of Obama with the women sitting behind him with headscarves would NEVER go away and too many of the dummies who think he's a Muslim and won't vote for him "only" for that reasons would totally print those images into new smear emails, websites, posters and probably their church bulletins.
Forget politically correct here. Right or wrong, the image of Muslim women behind Obama would have been used to bury him in campaign commercials by GOP 527 groups. It's better that that he was NOT photographed with them behind him.
rik~
Co-sign. Barack would do well to make a special visit to Bloomfield Hills to apologize to the two women who were mistreated, and to the local Muslim community.
Not the usual suspects.
Lars Last night on Verdict said that Michelle had a "DO-NOTHING" job.
read the specifics of it HERE
Good, cause I am getting sick and tired of seeing McSame's ads running here in WI unchallenged.
Re: the Muslim women dust-up. The campaign effed up, I do agree, but rock meet hard place. If even one of the women showed up on campaign photos and videos, the Reich Wing would pony them up every chance they got, trying to sow more doubt that Obama isn't American, Christian, and is a stealth candidate.
Thanks.
Well then it sounds like she did achieve the American dream after all!
As if they are really on some manual labor typa gig themselves!
Against Raec Politics
In the NY POST today, it is being reported that Michelle Obama referred to Barack as PATHETIC. I looked at the video again. I'm pretty sure she said SWEET, EMPATHETIC...but was interrupted by the comeddienne Joy Behar who laughed and said PATHETIC? Whoopi however jumped in and spelt out EMPATHETIC...But now people are making it look like she called her hubby PATHETIC, which is not so...
Please watch the video again - what did she say? EMPATHETIC OR PATHETIC?
T.
In the NY POST today, it is being reported that Michelle Obama referred to Barack as PATHETIC. I looked at the video again. I'm pretty sure she said SWEET, EMPATHETIC...but was interrupted by the comeddienne Joy Behar who laughed and said PATHETIC? Whoopi however jumped in and spelt out EMPATHETIC...But now people are making it look like she called her hubby PATHETIC, which is not so...
Please watch the video again - what did she say? EMPATHETIC OR PATHETIC?
T.
T.
This incident has scared me, not b/c I think Obama is any form of a bigot. He himself claims that the campaign is not about what he can do to change but what WE can do. And the fact that it was a volunteer, campaign staffer in his campaign that asked those woman to leave, and some of his supporters on the internet that are loosing sight of why Obama is running for president. to CHANGE politics. Not to pander to right wingers.
it was EMPATHETIC.
I will do that I am so sorry
I enjoy the articles. You're just trying to inform.
I WOULD appreciate the links, if only because we might want to turn it into a major post. Thanks.
My favorite: He is PROUD that Jesus was an American.
This is not a political football and these women are not objects, they are people and his campaign disrespected them.
I would withdraw this opinion if it turns out that these women are either operatives trying to make drama, or doing this for any other reason than what it appears. Otherwise, there is IMO no harm in Senator Obama doing what they ask, and it would affirm his spokesman's claim.
His spokesman has claimed "It is offensive and counter to Obama's commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run -- well, in actual true reality, it is part of the kind of campaign they run since it actually happened. Yes it was a mistake and should be treated with the ultimate respect and seriouseness.
And, I am really upset by the comments here suggesting that the media and related fear (or whatever) of Muslims is more important than treating Muslim women in headscarves like actual human beings.
At some point such dehumanization makes any supposed political gain worthless. And if that is the only way to go, despite the claim that it's NOT what the campaign is about, than IMO nothing but nothing is worth doing politically in this country because we are collectively beyond help.
Apparently a black female volunteer made the call to deny their seats.
Overreaction.
The campaign apologized. One of the women is demanded a personal apology from Barack. I suppose he could do that, but if he also didn't give the Asian woman in North Carolina the same personal call when volunteers moved her to put a white person in her seat, then he will be accused of pandering. Because, well, you know, it's been proven beyond all reasonable doubt: from here on out, Barack will only pander.
Rock, hard place.
I don't know what else he's going to do, besides releasing that photo with a Muslim woman in it, but I can't get bent out of shape about the situation. Besides, both women said that they will still vote for him.
Shit happens.
It think he'll do the right thing.
It should be said that Barack met privately with a Muslim leader in Michigan the last time he was there.
Just sayin.
I think Barack needs to take another big risk. He needs to give a speech on faith and, somewhere in it, he needs to call out Americans for its persecution of Muslims. Religious freedom is a value that needs to be upheld.
I would LOVE THAT.
The Christianity focus of this whole campaign season freaks me out.
Viscerally, it scares me. Because I know what European-culture Christian countries can do to my people and I see what is being done to Muslims.
My very first visceral response to the 2001 planes into the towers news, on that day when I heard it, was gut-level fear that the govt would put Muslims into internment camps.
(my second internal response was about who actually made the attacks happen, and I won't go there).
but if he also didn't give the Asian woman in North Carolina the same personal call when volunteers moved her to put a white person in her seat,
Ugh, I hadn't heard about that. Did she ask for a direct apology and he didn't give it?
Because, well, you know, it's been proven beyond all reasonable doubt: from here on out, Barack will only pander.
You know what, Craig? What I myself want to see from him is continued groundedness and honesty -- stand where he stands for real, act from there, and listen to others as if they/we are human, as he is inclined to do at some deep level.
People can get all tied up in knots about what the media will say or whether or not people will think he is pandering. That kind of thing as a touchstone is a hall of mirrors -- and if to my eyes he enters into it and is guided by that kind of thing, he will likely lose my support. Seriously, because his honesty and groundedness and human-ness is why I am solidly behind him.
Not that one person's support matters but this goes deep for me.
And yeah I would love the kind of speech you mentioned. And thinking about it, I feel it is needed to directly address some of what has happened and will happen re painting him as foreign using Muslims as political objects to do so. Enough is enough with that. Take it on directly, and I know he can do a fantastic job of it if he chooses to.
Besides, both women said that they will still vote for him.
See this is exactly why electoral politics turns my stomach. Every person becomes an object in a either-or goal and campaigning is about manipulating people to do the thing that is the goal.
It is so ugly to me. I know it's how this cultural system works overall, this objectification and manipulation and personas rather than real beings in interaction, but that doesn't make it any better in how I feel it.
In the electoral "the only thing that matters is if the things vote the way we want the things to vote" approach, who cares if actual people are dehumanized? Just get the objects to do the act that is the only important act to do. Nothing else matters.
This is a big part of why I have not been involved in electoral politics for decades now, with a brief and extremely painful dip into it with an initiative fight in 2004 that I still remember as viscerally painful.
Someone like me so interested in a presidential campaign now -- really outside of what I have done for years.
(and for some reason this thing with the Muslim women has really deeply gotten to me, my whole body is tensed up and hurting as I write these comments...
I have learned to take these kinds of responses seriously because usually they say something about what is actually going on. I often don't know how to articulate it in words for some time but usually there is something real going on that I am reacting to even if I don't know what it is or where it's actually coming from)
::
I read or heard no reports that the Asian woman asked Barack for a personal apology. Nor do I know if he gave her one or not.
I was just pointing out more rock, hard place stuff.
I don't think Barack will give the "America needs to stop persecuting Muslims" speech. I'm going to write his campaign and suggest it nonetheless.
I became a Barack supporter relatively late in the game. I didn't even see the 2004 convention speech until this year on YouTube.
I only noticed him after he won Iowa, when I was told to notice him.
I liked what I heard. What I saw. He's genuine.
And he's a genuine politician. Chicago politics is no joke and anyone, but especially a Black man, who would rise this fast in that environment...
Barack is a gifted politician. Shrewd. Vicious, even.
Barck is a Leo. His ego is gargantuan.
I see all that.
He won't lost my support unless or until he prooves he's a crook.
I was a political cynic before Barack came along; I still am.
I still trust Barack. I trust him to be a politician and do everything except selling his soul to win in November.
If I determine that he has sold his soul, I'm out.
Craig, what do you see/feel as the line (or distinction point or whatever the best phrase is) between being Senator Obama being a shrewd, vicious-even genuine gifted politician, and him selling his soul? What do those terms mean to you in actual practice?
(I am curious to understand this better!)
PS I only really noticed him after Iowa too.
barack will have to compromise. this was one of those times. and i don't see compromising, or shaping the campaign's message to his advantage, as crooked or selling out. if he doesn't control it in some fashion others will define him which we all know is not good.
everyone is aware that some illiterate and/or intolerant people make snap judgements by what is seen in the television frame. while there was not a directive explicitly from the campaign to move this muslim woman, the person in charge made a snap judgement that they would not feed the rumors. in fact, how would it look if at every televised campaign rally, the prominent seats were occupied only by blacks, or asians, or whoever...which wouldn't reflect the diversity of his support? that would create an uproar, right? so, state handlers have to make judgements of who to place in these seats.
this furor with the muslim woman has an upside. once more, the narrative used while discussing this will prove that he is in fact not a muslim, yeah?
can we just get off of our high horses here and stop pretending that barack will not do what he needs to do to get those crooks out of the white hose. and i support him 100%. as a matter of fact i will send him some more money for being a shrewd mother-f-er. trust. dude is good. i'm appreciating him more everyday. the way is playing this game is the best i've ever seen. and yes it is a game...so people stop being so f-ing sanctimonious!
T.
"but if we're talking about sellouts, i'm more concerned about obama's sudden cozying up to the neoliberal economic kooks at the university of chicago. and why he is not interested in regulating hedge funds or adjusting the tax rate paid by hedge fund managers? that's way more concerning to me than this. that truly indicates he may not be who he says he is."
Can you provide more info on this?
This isn't a copout, but I'll know it if I see it. And if I see it, I'll relate it.
::
T,
I agree with you. I'm just letting us know that I've never been in some cloud about Barack. I support him 100%, but I know he's a politician with lots of foibles.
Sepia ~ if i did it right, and I've never done that tiny url thing ~ technophobe here ~ that should link you up to an article by Naomi Klein, who has done some thorough investigation of the alleged benefits of unbridled free market economies, all of the devastation wrought by US foreign policy by way of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, etc.
If you aren't familiar with the havoc wrought by Milton Friedman and the Chicago School economists beginning in the '70s in Chile and continuing today, it's worthwhile to read Naomi's book "Shock Doctrine" or to find some other books on neoliberal economic theories, the World Bank, IMF, etc.
Those institutions have devastated countries around the world with thuggish practices that benefit the largest of the global corporate enterprises, while impoverishing millions.
I hate it ~ HATE IT ~ that Obama is moving to the right on economic issues. We need a NEW new deal and a resurgence of the middle class in order to fight the ever increasing hegemony of the ultra rich. That is anathema to right wingers and those last remaining diehard Chicago school fans.
Bill Clinton sold us out with NAFTA. That free trade agreement has been devastating to Mexico, displacing hundreds of thousands of small farmers and, again, impoverishing millions while a few very rich benefit. It hasn't been any good for us either.
In South American, Brazil's president Lula and Venezuala's Hugo Chavez are spearheading a move to complete independence from US attempts at domination of their economies. The South American nations were among the first "beneficiaries" of Friedman's disastrous economic theories.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0608/Obama_apologizes_to_Muslim_women.html#comments
once again, he stumps the hyperventilating media set. he apologises even though he had no knowledge of his handlers' actions. how rare for a politician.
anyway, one point: is the call enough for these women or will they now push the issue of being seated behind obama at some future event? what do these ppl want from this man? and arm and a freaking leg too? geez.
T.
Even Better...what if the Obama camp manufactured the controversy to combat the muslim smears?....how can u call him a muslim now...HE KICKED THEM OUT
SOON AFTERWARDS he launched a bio ad...hmmmm
Agreed Craig...we should ALL get off our high horses..the man needs to do what he must to get into the big house. If he has to diss some muslim women, criticize AA men, forgo public funds along the way, so be it..there is too much at stake
War with Iran
10 dollar/gal gas prices
2 Supreme appointments
The economy
It is sad that my uncle no longer supporters Obama though. He was holding on for a while but recently, he said that he could care less.
1. He says that Obama talks about bringing races of people together yet when he is accused of being Muslim, he runs. He acts as if it is the worse thing in the world. He understands that being labeled a Muslim or being a Muslim as a politican in this country ends it for you. However he wishes that Obama had used his many opportunites to say that "I am not Muslim" and then go on to speak out against Islamophobia and the treatment of people who are Arab and look Arab. It is not easy for my uncle especially after 9/11. He like us has to resist labels. He cannot even watch mainstream coverage without feeling offended by the constant baggering of Muslim americans.
His last straw was the AIPAC speech.
2.
This incident was unfortunate and extremely disappointing. Senator Obama has called us each to personally convey his deepest apologies and acknowledge that this was inexcusable. We both immensely appreciate the Senator’s phone call and his commitment to remedy this issue. We commend him for displaying qualities befitting an effective President. We acknowledge that this injustice has been taken seriously and that Senator Obama does not tolerate discrimination against Arabs, Muslims or any community. We are assured that he and his staff are committed to upholding the principles of justice for all peoples and bringing about change we can believe in. The infringement on our rights occurred and has been addressed; now we are ready to move forward. We will continue to support Senator Obama in his campaign and wish him the best as the race continues.
Regards,
Shimaa Abdelfadeel
Hebba Aref
From the NYT.
i'm sorry your uncle left the fold, so to speak. having said that I am losing patience with these special interest groups. everybody wants senator obama to be all about them.
white people fear him because "he will make us pay for slavery". so he has to go give them a big hug.
jewish people "don't trust him". he has to go up to friggin' AIPAC(that was quite a performance, I tell ya!)
muslim people feel all excluded and shit.
evangelicals thinks he's muslim so he has to constantly tout his christian creds.
some hispanic congressman in CA wants 20m in exchange for his endorsement because mexican-americans need to be registered and hispanics are becoming another powerful voting bloc and shit.
wah-wah-wah.
isn't it f-ing ironic that the only people who've remained relatively quiet, asking nothing of him are his own black people? and god help us if we dare celebrate in public that a black man is a stone's throw from the white house, they get all huffy-puffy, "...but, but, but he's biracial so..." even after the man identifies as black EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
he goes to some church and delivers what would be called a very, very good speech but everybody criticises him just because he chooses to do it from the pulpit of a church with his own people - a black church...but we have to stay quiet and not upset anybody while everybody else scream, "me, me, me...what about me? love me, pick me..."
every other group just get offended when their demands are not met and i'm totally sick of it...
people, he's running to be the president of ALL America, not just for your interest group. damn!
T.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/19/172928/234/413/538615
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2008/6/19/112637/859
Yeah, I was pissed at him genuflecting to AIPAC, too. Which makes his 'roughing up' Lieberpuss kinda fake in comparison.
Must be the new thing for whites to call each other the N word. Of course, the C word is always reprehensible.
It's high time Tony Todd should cut his losses, too.
Charlie Sheen Apologizes for Calling Denise Richards the N-Word
Wednesday June 18, 2008
Charlie Sheen is apologizing for a three-year-old voicemail that ex Denise Richards made public.
The voicemail included a curse-filled rant from Sheen calling Richards – the mother of their two young daughters Sam, 4, and Lola, 3 – a "f--king c--t" and a "f--king n----r."
In response, the Two and a Half Men star said in a statement released Wednesday, "I deeply apologize by my choice of words to all I have obviously offended; especially to Tony Todd, an African-American, who was my best man at my first two weddings."
Sheen added, however, that "three and one-half years later, the reasons that caused the anger and frustration displayed on that voice mail continue to be manifested on a daily basis" because "my children did not show up today for a custodial visit without explanation."
Sheen – who wed Brooke Mueller last month – has been in a bitter public feud with Richards since they split in 2006. She recently revealed that he gave their daughters necklaces before asking for them back.
With video.
Now, let's see how far this goes.
Hell yeah.
::
That's what McCain said back in 1999 on Fox, no less.
The panel Dan brought to discuss this is no joke. They're going at it.
Jonathan said:
"You're trying to paint her as the angry Black woman. We all know what you're doing and its detestable. Do you even know her? Have you even met her? Do you know anyone who knows her?"
Clearly he knew what was right to do in this case and he did it. Clearly he got that what happened was a real disrespect that warranted his direct involvement. Clearly the first response from his staff was not enough.
The initial spokesman apology denied reality in a way that was messed-up. That has been corrected.
His actions responded to what actually occurred, what he claims his campaign is about, and what he was called on to do by people who will be his constituents .. people who were wronged supposedly on his behalf. They accepted his actions and say they can move on.
This is not just savvy politicking to how I feel it. This is a politician acting like a real human being.
I see his direct involvement in this case as a sign of groundedness and strength, and I respect it.
I trusted Barack to do the right thing on this matter and he did.
I wonder what he said to the volunteer, if anything.
Anyway, glad to see what he did. Weird how big a deal it was to me -- really weird.
I have to ask our White readers:
Do you go around calling White people - 'N#*$er'?
I don't quite get it. I mean, is that really an insult to someone who isn't Black?
Or, is this Charlie Sheen's way of saying that Denise Richards has been ' passing' all these years?
thanks for the tip about Alter
I wonder what Cindy McCain's resume looks like? Would there even be room for comparison?
No problem. when white political pundits attack republican operatives with explicit language about racism, my eyebrows arch mighty high.
Twilight zone.
I don't wanna rehash a recent debate, but if a consequence of Father's Day is a public calling out of racism, white on white, well, then....
THESE FOLKS HAVE LOST THEIR DAMN MINDS.
Is this funny to you?
And, these are supposed to be our allies.
Uh huh.
re: Is this funny to you?
Some things ought to be left alone.
Pure and simple.
It was a SET-UP!
A set-up designed to keep the Muslim narrative nipping at Obama's heels.
Abdelfadeel and Aref HAD to know just like anyone else following this election that a picture of Obama at ONE OF HIS OWN EVENTS with Muslim women directly in camera view would provide content for countless GOP smear 527 commercials and emails.
I believe the GOP sent them there, hoping the Obama camp would be PC and let them stay, only to use the footage later.
EFF all the other politically correct stuff.
Most Muslims are fine but it is about the ignorance of white uneducated Americans around this country that don't know that.
Those women were DELIBERATELY planted to eff Obama up. Their continued complaints and demands for Obama to seat them at future events only confirms this.
They are not real humans. They do not deserve respect like real humans. The only Muslim women who would ask for such respect must be plants. Others who are not plants would shut up and understand that their physical presence is politically offensive and would accept this complacently.
Any Muslim women who call on Senator Obama to respond like the real human being he is, to respect them as actual human beings, must be plants.
It's all a big GOP plot! Exactly! Made more credible by the anonymous-ness of this courageous troll, I mean commentator here.
Good thing Senator Obama doesn't fall for such foolishness.