Saturday, October 14, 2006

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Was Howard Dean the Craziest of them All?

Rarely, will I offer commentary on this blog. However, this morning I woke up with memories of the Howard Dean campaign and the statement it makes about the soul of America, the power of the media, and the failure of our democracy.

The last time I heard someone mention Howard Dean, a friend of mine who is well-read and politically savvy said, "That man is crazy!" She then went on to talk about the scream. (See it the way it actually happened in the video above and read the media's belated apologies for misrepresenting it here.) My heart broke for what this says about the soul of America. Yes, the scream was funny and the various remixes and parodies still make me laugh out loud. However, America got so distracted by a scream and labeled it as crazy that they forgot what true craziness is.

True craziness was the fact that none of the Democratic leadership was taking a stand and saying that we should not go into Iraq. Howard Dean was one of the few who had the guts to take that stand. Kerry, Edwards, Lieberman, and many others who wanted our vote were not standing up against the drive to Iraq. Now that we've lost thousands of American lives in Iraq, over 600,000 Iraqi lives, had billions of dollars spent, and more people who hate us, people still think of Dean as the crazy one.

True craziness is also the fact that the Democratic Party has all but cast aside the black vote while Howard Dean was the only one who was speaking boldly on race. See his speech on race in America given in Columbia, SC and The Black Commentator's analysis of it as "the most important statement on race in American politics by a mainstream white politician in nearly 40 years"). Also, see Dean's stand on the importance of race during Hurricane Katrina.

So mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me, who is the craziest of them all? Better yet, when did progressives get their definitions of what is crazy so daggone mixed up!

But alas, there is hope. With the rise of candidates who came from Dean's grassroots anti-politics-as-usual efforts (my own interest/involvement in politics was heightened by his campaign), perhaps his work was not in completely vain.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Oprah and Bono's (RED) Campaign addresses HIV in Africa

Oprah and Bono have teamed up with Motorola, Gap, Armani, Converse, and Apple to launch the (Red) campaign to address HIV in Africa. Through purchases of (Red) merchanise such as t-shirts, jeans, the (RED) Ipod, and the (Red) Motorola cell phone, consumers are also contributing to The Global Fund which addresses HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases in Africa. Have you joined (Red)? Read more.

Will Obama Run in '08?



Senator Barack Obama will be releasing a new book, The Audacity of Hope, on October 17. Many media outlets are speculating that the book signals his intentions about running for President in 2008. Will he? Read more.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Lieberman-Lamont race turns to Civil Rights Movement

Joe Lieberman today defended claims about his participation in the Civil Rights Movement as he struggled to mount a win against Ned Lamont in the upcoming state election. The Washington Post reports:
"'It is true that he marched with Dr. King, but I believe Dr. King would be disappointed in his record as a senator over the past 18 years,' said Henry E. Parker, a former state treasurer, in a statement released by the campaign of Lieberman's rival Ned Lamont."

Read more.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Did you catch 'Street Fight'?

Street Fight , a film by Marshall Curry, is a documentary about the 2002 Newark, NJ mayoral election competition between Cory Booker and Sharpe James. Getting rave reviews and award nominations from many media outlets, the film highlights issues facing black politics in this generation. Get more information on the film here.

What do South Africans think of the U.S.?

This clip from a documentary by P.O.V. Borders, a PBS series, shows candid reactions from South Africans about the United States, Iraq, and U.S. Foreign Policy.

Blacks suppressing the white vote in Mississippi?

Macon, Mississippi is at the center of controvery over the local elections. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether whites votes have been suppressed by blacks in the town. The New York Times reports:

The action represents a sharp shift, and it has raised eyebrows outside the state. The government is charging blacks with voting fraud in a state whose violent rejection of blacks’ right to vote, over generations, helped give birth to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Yet within Mississippi the case has provoked knowing nods rather than cries of outrage, even among liberal Democrats.
Read more.


Black youth most politically engaged

The Amsterdam News reported results from a study today that suggest that black youth are more politically engaged than youth from other racial groups. They write, "According to the study, African American young people are 'most likely to vote regularly, belong to groups involved with politics, donate money to candidates or parties, display buttons or signs, canvass and contact the broadcast media or print media.'" Read more.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Separation of Church and State in Black and White

Discussions of the separation of church and state are complex when thinking about the historical role of black churches in African American political struggles. What does this mean for the growth of multiracial megachurches and their connections with the GOP? Read more.

Boston Globe: Race has fallen to the backdrop in upcoming elections

"Race remains a simmering force in American politics. It can pop up suddenly, as Virginia Senator George Allen can attest. His ill-advised rant against a young Indian-American supporter of his opponent, former Navy Secretary James Webb, has jeopardized his reelection. But what's more noteworthy in the 2006 elections is how small a role race has played in statewide races involving black candidates."
Read more.

Toni Morrison on 9/11

Toni Morrison sat down recently and shared her thoughts on September 11.

America's First Black Dynasty


Lawrence Otis Graham, author of the well-known book on the black upper-class, Our Kind of People, recently produced a new book about the life and familial legacy of Blanche Bruce, the first African American to hold a full term in the U.S. Senate. The Senator and the Socialiate: America's First Black Dynasty chronicles Bruce's struggles and influence. Most interestingly, the story of successive generations of the Bruce family, including Graham's claim that many of them are now passing for white, demonstrates the complex intersection of politics and colorism in the U.S. You can watch Graham discuss the book at C-SPAN.org.

First Black Governor of MA?

Deval Patrick, an African American from Chicago, IL, could possibly be the first black governor of Massachusetts. Watch the convention speech that launched his campaign.

'Eyes on the Prize' returns to PBS

PBS has begun to run the Eyes on the Prize documentary that tells the story of the Civil Rights Movement. This is a welcome return given the illegality of showing the film on television not too long ago.

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