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July 2008

Holding on to the Dream of Hillary Clinton as VP

The Hillary Clinton supporters are at it again, or perhaps, still at it, when it comes to advancing her name as the running mate of Presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama. Those folks refuse to play nice and The Clintons have not given up on their quest for the Oval Office again.

It seems that former HRC campaign manager Terry McAuliffe might have been dressed down for advancing Senator Joe Biden, Senator Evan Bayh and Virginia Governor Tom Kaine as possible running mates for Obama. Now, McAuliffe is all Hillary Rodham Clinton again.

I tell you, these folks never cease to amaze me with their refusal to play by the rules or even live up to their promises. Die-hard HRC supporters who refuse to support Barack Obama and love to remind folks of the 18 million [if that's a true number] folks who supported her are now trying to hold the Democratic Party hostage --- so much for the Democrats' Unity Tour.

In fact, while Hillary and Bill both say they support Obama, but their actions speak volumes and to the contrary. The DNC leadership may not like to hear that but it is what it is.

Obama's next biggest feat will be dealing with HRC supporters after he selects someone else as his running mate. The more her supporters demand Obama select her as his VP; the more cemented is the realization that she should not be VP.

In the meantime, one of McAuliffe's picks ---other than Hillary Clinton--- may end up as Obama's running mate. The qualities Senator Obama is looking for include somebody with integrity and who wants to change policies and how business is done in Washington politics. HRC doesn't pass that smell test.

 


There's No Taking Back the Mic from Soulfège

Soulfège (pronounced 'sOl-fezh) is a musical group whose sound is not easily categorized. They've been described as 'what would you get if Bob Marley were jammin' with The Fugees on a street corner in West Africa." How about Afropolitan fusion?

I'm not going to try to put them in any box. Let me just say straight up that these folks are going to force me to buy an iPod. I have an iPod for work and until now had not felt compelled to purchase one for my personal use. Soulfège has changed that. Their new digital album, "Take Back the Mic," is awesome. It's such a wonderfully funky soulful eclectic mix of music of the world. The vibe is upbeat, positive, and infectious.

Pick a song, any song. I can't decide which of their tunes from this album is my favorite. I love conscious lyrics over a tight beat. I love island music. I love percussion. "Take Back the Mic" brings all that and more.

Not only are the members of Soulfège brilliant musicians and lyricists, they are just brilliant. You may remember DNA from his viral YouTube video putting an interviewer in check when he was grilled about Barack Obama during the presidential primary; it's priceless. Band mates Kelley Nicole and Johnathan Gramling complete the magical musical team.

This group is awesome and so is this album. Check them out and spread the word about Soulfège. By the way, if you don't have iTunes you can still purchase the album by using Sound Station.

Internet Presence:

Official website

MySpace

FaceBook


Barack Obama Goes Global

I watched, in awe, as 200,000 people showed up in Berlin to see Senator Barack Obama speak. It was mind-blowing to see it on television; I can only imagine what it must have felt like to be in Barack Obama's shoes. Two hundred thousand people came to see this man speak and he is a candidate for president of the United States -- not the president.

I watched CNN and listened to some of the comments about Obama and his trip overseas. Senator Obama's confidence was painted as arrogance. He was accused of being presumptuous. No matter the media spin, the people came to see and hear him --- 200,000 of them.

Senator McCain cannot be a happy camper. He set this up and it was a bad move on his part. Just like Hillary Clinton, his tantrums and tactics only bolster Obama's candidacy. If McCain had not harangued Obama about a lack of foreign policy experience, he would likely have kept his campaign confined to the States and the images of Obama juxtaposed with leaders in other nations and Obama making that 3-point shot and Obama being treated like a rock star would not have infiltrated our psyche.

Obama said he gave his speech to the masses as a "citizen of the world." The McCain camp criticized Obama but Anderson Cooper reminded viewers that JFK and Reagan also used the term "citizen of the world."

Barack Obama looks, sounds and carries himself like a leader; that has been apparent since the presidential campaign started. Now it has been evidenced and witnessed by the world.

Click here for text of remarks.


Barack Obama's Middle East Trip Bolsters Rock Star Appeal

John McCain must be kicking himself for goading Barack Obama into taking a trip to the Middle East to visit the troops and foreign leaders. Obama has been treated like a rock star. Surely, the McCain camp hadn't planned on that.

To make matters worse, that 3-point basketball shot Obama made on the first try was oh, so, pretty. You can't buy media coverage like that. Let the record show that Obama may not be much of a bowler but he can shoot some hoops!


Democrats post strong fundraising numbers

Politico.com reports that national Democratic committees have raised significantly more money than the Republican committees have. How unusual is this? It seems that Republicans are usually the folks with campaign money but this year is different.

Is this a signal of how fed up the American public is with the Republican-led mess we find ourselves in? Or, is this positive fallout for Dems from Obama madness in the U.S.? What say you?

 

 


Creepy attack ad video by Washington Republicans aimed at Michelle Obama

This creepy video is the "welcome" Washington Republicans gave to Michelle Obama. Initially, it appears to be a very bad very cheap movie, even a spoof. Unfortunately, it's not.

If this is the best they can come up with, the Republican Party is really in trouble.


From ‘Nuts’ to 'Niggers': How Low Can You Go, Rev. Jackson?

OK, what's next? As much as the Rev. Al Sharpton and other s try to water down this latest issue of the word, 'niggers', in Rev. Jesse Jackson's hot mic comments, this cannot and will not just go away.

Rev. Jackson has held himself up as the moral authority so this issue is more controversial than it would have been had the word been uttered by someone else. Rev. Jackson must just man up and deal with the fall out.

I don't know how long the Jackson apology tour is going to be or how many times he expects the public, especially black people, to forgive him. Now might be a good time for the Reverend to chill for a couple of months. His stock has dropped big time and he needs to hunker down until this blows over.

By the way, who's kidding whom? FOX News saved this revelation to secure maximum news coverage.


Obama more than doubles McCain’s fundraising in June

From the tone of recent media reports, one would conclude that the Barack Obama fundraising efforts had slowed tremendously. The negative spin did little if his $52 million June fundraising numbers are any indication.

While Obama's June fundraising is more than double the $22 million raised by John McCain; the Republican Party and McCain have a tremendous war chest at their disposal with a combined $100 million in the bank. The Democrats and Obama have a combined total of $92 million in the bank.

The negative spin on Obama's June fundraising numbers will be interesting if not amusing. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, go over to www.BarackObama.com and make a donation.

 


Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer

You know I've made no secret of my dislike for James Carville. He was a Hillary Clinton supporter who spewed so much venom during this campaign that it was unforgivable from my perspective.

I am not Barack Obama so I don't have to be so diplomatic in my response to the New Yorker cover. Obama needs to stay on message while other folks deal with the outright lies.

We knew more sinister campaign tactics would be used against the Obama campaign. We knew the tactics would be more sophisticated and insidious than those of Hillary Clinton. Carville clearly tried to diminish and insult anyone who found no humor in the cover. Hmmm….could this brouhaha have ties to the Clintons as I have been told several times by friends.

As Roland Martin cleverly pointed out, there is nothing on the cover to indicate that it is satirical. Those folks over at The New Yorker can say whatever they like that doesn't mean folks have to believe it.

More telling was Carville's appearance on Anderson Cooper 360 last night. Carville chuckled and said, "I believe this cartoon will either bring Obama down or bring him up." I have a good sense of humor and that was not funny. That conspiracy theory is becoming more believable.

James Carville said that he supports Barack Obama but his words during last night's appearance speak otherwise.


The Audacity of The New Yorker: Obama, Racism, Fear-Mongering and Lies

All hell broke loose this morning when this cover of the famed New Yorker magazine depicted and played to the fears of many who have proclaimed that they will not vote for Barack Obama. The magazine also had the audacity to try to pooh-pooh the damage this inflicts on the Obama campaign and refer to this trash of a cover as satire.

OK, and exactly who is expected to believe that crap? If the truth be told, the folks that think Barack Obama is not patriotic because he didn't salute the flag or those who think he's Muslim because his middle name is Hussein or those who are bothered by the straightforwardness of Michelle Obama are just not going to vote for him plain and simple.

Anyone following the campaign knows that the photo of Barack without his hand over his heart was a photo taken while the Star Spangled Banner was playing, not the Pledge of Allegiance. The question should be why the others have their hand over their heart. Some folks just feel the need to smear Obama and that lie still lingers.

Barack Obama is not a Muslim; he's said it so many times that it should be clear to all voters and I think it is. The folks who want to say that Obama is a Muslim will likely NOT change their position no matter what he said or did.

As far as Michelle Obama is concerned, she is an intelligent wife, mother, and professional woman. She is from the mold of the television character, Claire Huxtable, also a wife, mother, and lawyer. If you recall, Claire was very direct and sometimes that made some folks uncomfortable too. If you have your act together, you should find Michelle Obama bright, articulate and engaging.

To add insult to injury about The New Yorker cover, several news commentators tried to minimize the damage done by this cover. One commentator even condemned The New Yorker subscribers who are cancelling their subscription. Cancelling a subscription is the expected response to such a disgraceful cover from The New Yorker.

The folks at The New Yorker are intelligent enough to know that this cover was not funny and would damage Obama's campaign. Some folks should be fired for allowing such a cover to be printed. What say you?