Superville Review

Image by B.D. Tyre

Kevin Merida of the Washingtonpost.com has written an article that speaks to the dirty little secret that the media and Barack Obama's campaign itself has shied away from discussing in depth. Racism against Obama's candidacy.

The media has talked about race in relation to polls and constituencies, but the hidden details of campaign workers on the ground, the mean spiritedness, racial epithets and threats of violence have not been covered until now. Veteran New York Times columnist Bob Herbert recently blasted Hillary Clinton's casting of "hard working" white Americans and what it was truly a code for: that Obama could not win the Presidency. Maybe Mrs. Clinton is more in tune with her supporters than anyone realized up to now.

Small town white America as depicted in a "It's a Wonderful Life" and Norman Rockwell paintings has always been a myth to those outside of its supposed quaint and familial environs. How does hatred, ignorance and lack of thought amongst some small town and rural Americans related to God or family values? They are not and that is apparent to anyone with clear vision. Unfortunately, for America her constituents with the least clouded of vision appears to be the so called working class. During the Vietnam war protests of the late '60's protesters were told to "Love it or leave it..." Well, it seems the time has come that that statement can be turned around on those so called patriots for whom America means white America above any and all else.

Beset with jobs that have disappeared across borders and continents, rising fuel and food costs and families depleted from the fatality of war in Iraq, small town America is in the throes of pain; both in pocket and spirit. It has been reported that this is Clinton's base and the base of the Democratic party. It has also been reported that many of these people make less than $50,000 a year and have not attended college. No study has been made public as to how many have even completed high school. With so many challenges to their very survival, one would think, that in concern of self-interest, no white voter in these regions could afford to discount any Presidential candidate out-of-hand. Obama, to be sure, has suffered through the circus show that Reverend Wright made himself at the National Press Club. However, his fate was sealed long before Reverend Wright emerged into the media spotlight. His blackness ensured a segment of Americans would not consider a vote for him.

This fact speaks to a lack of self-respect or self-worth on the part of these narrow minded, hard-workers. If one considered themselves valuable they could not discount any candidate who might present them with a plan that would help them transcend their circumstances; help that any American deserves from their government. Flag pins and pledges of allegiance and the willingness to believe internet lies that have been countlessly refuted by Obama and his campaign staffers lead these people to the same sorry state they find themselves in. Nowhere. It is possible that America's eroding public education system is haunting us with a segment of the United States that does not think clearly, does not think logically or with any eye toward their own possible betterment. It seems the only way their lives can be made better is by the same white candidates that have helped put them into the very circumstances that steals away a way of life that they used to count on. A job, a salary that could feed their families and benefits that would serve them into old age.

The fact that Obama could be the President to turn these things around means little to some of small town and rural America. And it feels troubling to think that the people associated with these negative and self-defeating attitudes must still be accounted for during the remainder of the primary season and the coming general election in November. However, here's the shout for those of open mindedness. Obama has managed to commandeer the lead in states won, pledged delegates, popular vote and now super delegates without the support of this blatant and blasphemous minority. To be sure, Obama will need to address and spend face time with those small town and rural Americans who are active and open minded in their own self-interest and willing to hear if Obama is a candidate that can help them. But for the narrow minded populace an Obama victory in November is a very real possibility and an old statement applies for those who will be hard pressed to stomach America's first black President.

Love it or leave it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24588813/

Labels: Barack Obama, Democratic Primary, Economic Recession, Hillary Clinton Supporters, Kevin Merida, Media Coverage, MSNBC, Reverend Wright, Small Town America, Washinton Post, White Voters

Matt Leinart. First round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals. A college great who led the Southern Cal Trojans to one title, two if you live in Southern California and nowhere near Louisiana or other SEC territories in Dixieland. Last week photos of Leinart and Hollywood personality, some would say singer, Nick Lachey surfaced on the internet. Young girls, hot tubs and beer bongs; smiles and laughs. So what exactly is the issue his head coach Ken Whisenhunt has with his young Quarterback?

First, Leinart is having fun during what amounts to his yearly vacation. Training for the season has not started in earnest yet. Leinart's not doing anything any other man, of whatever age, wouldn't mind doing. Spending quality time with young hotties in a hot tub. The problem is Ron Mexico? Ron who you ask? Ron Mexico, the man actually known as Michael Vick in sports and courtroom circles. His Myspace photos detailing women, parties and possibly plant-life excursions called into question any young, wealthy, star quarterback. Colin Cowherd of ESPN radio questioned Vick's judgement over the photos and at first, it seemed a stretch. But then the snowball kept rolling on Mike Vick until it rolled all the way down hill, out of the NFL and into prison.

Is Leinart the white Michael Vick? A quarterback making millions, the desired face of a franchise, underachieving in some ways, but still possibly the next NFL great? Maybe. Maybe not. The Herd and others can question his judgement like he questioned Vick's judgement, but so far dating Paris Hilton and having parties has not landed Leinart in the center of a felony. Yet. Head coaches and owners can be embarrassed, although I suspect that embarrassment is more for public show than an actual belief, but that is another story altogether.

Leinart is being paid millions to step up and lead the Arizona Cardinals to the playoffs. That's a fact. It is also a fact that the dude is a young, single man with an off-season from the grind that the NFL is on every player, but particularly a quarterback. At least the Cardinals know by the way he holds the beer bong in that famous photo that he has rehabbed adequately from last year's season ending broken collarbone. The No Fun League won't let you dance, might not let you grow your hair too long, but now partying with some ladies during your vacation is a problem too? If Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't watch out the NFL will be the new millenium version of "Big Brother." Or maybe it already is.

Labels: Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt, Colin Cowherd, ESPN radio, Ken Wisenhunt, Matt Leinart, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Nick Lachey, No Fun League, Ron Mexico, The Herd

I left the Geraldine Ferraro commments and aftermath sitting on the table because I was bone weary from eating the racial discourse being offered in the the Democratic Presidential primary. Then Pastor Jeremaiah Wright's sermons came to light last week and put race squarely in the face of American's of every ethnicity, religion and political affiliation. I still am beaten up on race in this country, but as this blog also deals, seemingly less these days, with sports and culture, I felt the need to say something about Barack Obama's speech on Wright and race.

Senator Obama's speech was not politician giving a speech; it was a man with a unique view of the racial divide offering reasons for that divide and calling for his countrymen to not "retreat into our individual corners..." but to have an honest discussion about racial anger and resentment amongst the electorate of America. I have never heard a politician of any stripe discuss this issue with such forthrightness.

To be sure Pastor Wright's comments were above and beyond reason at some point. But he is a man that did not arrive at those views by happenstance. Whether some people can deal with those truths are another matter, but if this country is to move forward there must be an understanding why a man of Wright's stature would speak so bitterly, with so much mistrust of his own country. And why many people he ministers to might feel similarly. But the genius of Mr. Obama's speech was his acknowledgement of white resentment toward being tagged as racists for their fears of city crime, or feeling as if they are losing out on something as a result of set-aside's and programs for African-Americans due to a racism they do not feel or participate in.

Now already pundits insult these "uneducated" blue collar whites, who they feel will not be affected by Obama's speech because it was geared toward the educated, the intellectual, the wine drinker. And already theyre are pundits who say the speech did not answer the question of how Obama could sit in the rows of pews in his church home and not walk away after hearing such comments. Already there are people who would not vote for Obama anyway and have a reason to cover the real reason why they would not or could not vote for him. And already are pundits and I am sure citizens who miss the point of Obama's speech entirely. The point of the speech is not whether it was politically expedient; which it was not. The point of the speech was not to castigate America for it's sins against black Americans, which are historically factual. The point was not simply to explain legitimate resentment of white Americans. The point of the speech was to call Americans to be truthful about those feelings; to understand why those feelings exist; to call Americans to come together and be more than we are separately.

To be sure, questioning the Senator about his association with Wright is valid and necessary. It is a sign of respect for the legiticmacy of Obama's candidacy that the media and pundits are digging into the bone gristle of Obama's message and vision. Obama did not throw away his pastor, his spiritual mentor, despite the calls of many to do just that. And that says something about Obama's character. His ability to lead in the face of adversity. His abilitiy to take discussions to a new level. Whether we like it or not America is one country made up of many parts. For this nation to work as effectively as possible Americans must recognize this truth. Obama's speech was a call to arms against a problem that continues to be a scourge on this country's soul. But who will listen?

The point of Obama's political speech was that it made politics and the gain of politics secondary to social concern. Race in America specifically, but in actuality, the world, has been a political tool used for gain or solid evil. Yesterday in Philadelphia, Obama might have fallen on a sword politically, but raised necessary questions socially. At some point Americans will have to leave behind a desire to hide from the past. At some point America, which has become the one-stop-shop for mindless entertainment and other forms of escapism, will have to address, as adults, the nuances present in Obama's speech. Or else. The 'or else' is the reckoning that will take place on the spirit of the country for ignoring problem areas in its character. Black, white, brown, yellow and red have a stake in self-assessment and constant communication. If not, the 'or else' leads us to harder questions.

If Mr. Jackson from Martin Luther King Blvd., and Ms. Nakumura from Seattle and Mr. O'Connor, immigrant from Ireland and Bill Joe from rural Alamaba or Ms. Hernandez from Southern California or any of the varying combinations inherent only in United States, do not feel enriched by their presence in each other's lives what is there to do in America? It seems the alternative is to become a territory of racial nation states; black people take the north; white Americans take the south; white immigrants control the midwest; Hispanics and Native Americans take the Southwest; Asians rule the northwest and so on and so forth. Wouldn't the better alternative be to get to the bottom of our divisions and find a way to come together? Yes, but that supposes that people are ready to be adults and deal with reality instead of running from it. Unfortunately, in today's American culture that is asking a lot.

Labels: Barack Obama, Jeremiah Wright, Race in America, Speech on Race

(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

2025. That is not a science-fiction number from some made up galaxy where the future of man will be at stake. 2025 is the number of delegates needed to win the Democratic Presidential nomination. And some would argue that number is related very intimately with the future of the United States. Barack Obama 1307. Hillary Clinton 1175. Despite her latest resurrection, the New York Senator still trails Mr. Obama in pledged delegates and her lead amongst Superdelegates is narrowing. All this indicates trouble for the DNC in November.

Hillary Clinton, at this point, is well within her rights to stay in the race. Things are tight between her and Senator Obama and too much money has been spent and too much heart has been expended from her to simply walk away now. But there is a problem that Howard Dean, DNC Chairman, has to foresee. In America, race has always played a pivotal position in the national landscape, allowing Americans to be their best and alternately their worst in any given moment in time. To be inspired and bitter. Barack Obama has wisely done his best to preclude the issue of race from his campaign. However, it is sure to make an appearance if the Democratic nomination comes down to a brokered convention in Denver. Should Obama continue to have a lead in delegates, and all mathematical indications point to this probability, then by the rules of the party he should win the nomination. If the Superdelegates for some reason choose to back Hillary Clinton and award her the nomination race jumps center stage, live and on fire. Black America, one of the staunchest supporters of Democratic platforms will be smacked in the face. There would be no way around seeing this occurrence for anything but a qualified black man who played by the rules, being pushed aside to prop up a white American. It is what it is and this is the last thing the DNC or Hillary Clinton should want.

The Republican party does not need nor count on African-American votes to win elections. The Democratic party, at this point in time, does count on that voting block to win office. Hillary Clinton is already losing the black vote by substantial margins in every state with a serious black population; a trend that began in South Carolina after perceived "race talk" from Bill Clinton. How much support could Mrs. Clinton count on from the black electorate if her nomination comes in a back room at the expense of a Mr. Obama who will have more delegates? How much support could Mrs. Clinton procure from Obama supporters of every denomination if she were to receive the Democratic nomination in this way? A vote for Obama is more about wanting a change in political operations than about voting for a black man.

If one truly supports Obama because they believe in his message of changing the ways of doing business in Washington is a vote for Hillary Clinton against John McCain really a vote well spent? Clinton and McCain, lifelong politicians, who based on their current campaigns are well versed in playing the "game" of politics would really be a choice between the lesser of two evils for Obama supporters. In other words, the election in November would be the same election Americans have lived with for decades and would be a bellweather election for black America as well as Obama supporters of all backgrounds.

For African-American's a Superdelegate nominated Clinton would be a clear indicator that a change in political affiliation from Demcorat to Independent is in order. The Democratic party, whose history has origins on the wrong side of slavery and equal rights, would have once again, taken the vote of African-American's for granted by producing a candidate not based on their vote and expecting black support. It would be an indication that black American's must separate from sentiment and embrace a proving of the question, "what will you do for me" from the Democratic Party. For Obama supporters it would be an even clearer indication that change, even though Clinton will no doubt use the term during a possible acceptance speech at the convention, is not what they will be getting. Do they vote, in good conscience, for a candidate nominated by the will of political insiders, because she is better than McCain who has promised a continuation of George Bush's economic and foreign policies? Or do these Obama supporters cast protesting votes for the only candidate of change in the race, Ralph Nader or worse stay home altogether to prove a point. That point being change or else? After eight years of George Bush and the current crisis' America finds itself in, why not sacrifice four more years to McCain? And what about the youth vote that Obama has successfully mined into political engagement? Do they ever return or recover from a brokered convention?

There are many questions for Howard Dean. He had better have the answers or the yellow brick road Democrats were supposed to enjoy on the way to the White House will become potholed nightmare.

Labels: Barack Obama, Delegates, Democratic Convention, DNC, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, John McCain, Race and the 2008 Presidential Campaign, Ralph Nader, Repulicans, Superdeleagtes

Back in the day, on the black tops of elementary school, if one team ran up a lead on the other team of ten to nothing we would call it a "skunk" and the game would be started over; the point being one of mercy for the team that didn't have it going on. They needed a "do over." Well, from February 6th now Barack Obama's campaign has skunked that of Hillary Clinton. She's the kid that had her pants pulled down on the playground. And it has to be embarrassing beyond belief.

Hillary Clinton is a tough lady. She's a politician who has no qualms about being a politician with all of the subterfuge that that can entail. She was a prohibitive favorite to be the Democratic nominee for President not even two months ago. She had the experience. She had the solutions. She had the support of the laborers, women, white America. Now Barack Obama has arrived on the scene with more money, more magnetism, a message that is more bulletproof than Superman. Who wants to be the candidate to tell me "no we can't." Barack Obama is Campaign Santa Claus, offering the gift of hope in a time when American's are cynical about our political structures.

Rudy Guiliani, America's Mayor, implemented a head scratching strategy of relying on Florida to launch his victory march to the Republican nomination. It proved too late and by his third place finish, much too little. Now Hillary Clinton's campaign roars into Ohio and Texas, two big states, that the Senator feels confident will bring her candidacy back from the dead. But unless she has Caesar Romero campaigning for her she faces an uphill climb. She has no momentum. She has no verve. Barack Obama's 18,000 people attended arena speech in Houston, Texas last night pulled every network away from Hillary Clinton's high school bleacher speech in Youngstown, Ohio. It was a case of the average Jane who walks into the party and gets some attention until the dime steps into the door and restores order with longer legs, a brighter smile, and more style. Every time Clinton gives a speech she must be waiting for Ashton Kutcher to pop out and say, "You got punk'd!"

Clinton and John McCain, the probable Republican nominee, have to figure out a way to position their qualifications in the media without being seen by the American populace as the grinch who stole their belief in the possibility of a new type of politics in Washington. A politics that calls for bipartisanship in legislation and for the American people to play their part in building up the country as Obama says, "block by block, county by county, state by state." Obama is on a better roll than a Vegas casino regular.

Labels: Ashton Kutcher, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Houston, John McCain, Punk'd, TX Rally

Julian Bond, current NAACP Chairman and veteran Civil Rights activist and politician, is a man certainly worthy of honor and respect. But his stance on the seating of delegates from Florida and Michigan in the Democratic convention is puzzling to say the least. The fact that each state was warned in advance of their decision to go forward with moving up their primaries that the penalty would be harsh does not seem to play a part in Mr. Bond's request. The fact that no candidate in the Democratic race campaigned in either state nor that Mrs. Clinton was the only serious Democratic candidate on the ballot in Michigan.

Mr. Bond rightly says that the citizens of Michigan and Florida, including their populations of color, would be disenfranchised if their voters wishes were not counted and delegates not seated. That begs this question: did Mr. Bond not send a letter detailing these concerns to DNC Chairman Howard Dean at the time he made his decision to penalize Michigan and Florida? It appears late in the day to take up for the populations of Michigan and Florida after the fact. In fairness, how can Mr. Dean seat delegates from Michigan and Florida based upon votes made under the circumstances in which they were cast. One would expect Hillary Clinton to call for those delegates to be seated as she sees her delegate lead wiped out after tonight's Potomac Primary sweep for Barack Obama. But Julian Bond? A man who has fought for justice for over forty years? Where would the justice be for Mr. Obama in this instance?

Chairman Bond's letter correctly spoke of disenfranchised voters. However, what he should have requested,as opposed to delegates being seated from Michigan and Florida based on their January primary votes, is for the DNC to pay for caucuses in Michigan and Florida if not primaries. This way each candidate will have a fair opportunity to compete for Michigan and Florida voters and those states will have delegates seated at the Democratic convention based upon a fairly drawn election.

Labels: Barack Obama, Caucuses, Delegates, Democratic Converntion, DNC, Florida, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Julian Bond, Michigan, NAACP, Primaries

Barack Obama sweeps through Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, The U.S. Virgin Islands and Maine over the weekend. Then comes word that Patty Solis Doyle, Campaign Manager for Hillary Clinton, is being replaced by long time Clinton adivsor Maggie Williams. The Clinton campaign spun Doyle's "departure" as one based upon the grind of campaign season, but who doesn't know better? For a campaign manager of Doyle's experience to walk away from a campaign in the middle of the race would be like Tom Brady asking to be pulled out of a game because the Patriots were down. It would not happen. Political advisors and activists are as competitive as professional athletes. They are in it to win it and ,unless there were serious health issues going on, would never just walk away. Which leads to the reason Doyle was replaced.

One, Clinton and her campaign advisors are dissatisfied with their current position and needed a change or at least the appearance of change for rankled supporters or two, Now that Clinton is losing momentum all the stops will be pulled out on Obama and Doyle was not in agreement with the coming strategy. Either way this is not a good situation for Senator Clinton, especially with the Chesapeake Primary fast approaching. However, if she is able to pull out the Virginia primary, which most do not expect, she can take some steam out of Obama's current winning streak and have something to hang her hat on as the campaign motors toward junior Tuesday on March 4th. After all, trying to lessen defeats with disclaimers of expectations, cannot be good for a woman who was the clear front runner in the Democratic race not one month ago.

Meanwhile, Mike Huckabee, continues to put a dent into John McCain's coronation as Republican nominee. His chances of winning enough delegates to seriously derail McCain are less than nil, but his contiually defiant presence illustrates to the country what McCain supporters must be shaken by and that is his support amongst the conservative idealogues in the GOP do not like him and at least in Kansas and Lousiana this past weekend, do not support him overwhelmingly. Huckabee refuses to leave the race citing his presence as giving voters in the coming primaries and caucuses a choice. It is a good point on his part and the longer he's able to win states and stay in the race at best inches him closer to an improbable nomination and at worst, for McCain and ultimately the GOP, embarrasses McCain in front of the nation. If Huckabee drops out of the race and accepts a Vice Presidential offering from McCain, which he says he will not do, then the country will know why.

Labels: Barack Obama, Caucuses, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Junior Tuesday, Maggie Williams, Mike Huckabee, Patti Solis Doyle, Primaries