Fear, isolation, poverty, dictatorship. Those words are going to remind me of why I won't ever vote for a Republican. War, hunger, soaring gas prices, indifference. Do I want 4 more years of this?

Prosperity, hope, better days ahead. I'm ready for that.
An open government, rebuilding our standing, no fear, no isolation. Yes, it's time.

Are you ready for the change ahead?

If you are, then I am too...

Yes, We Can!! Together!!

Obama '08

I am who I am. I am black. I am African-American. Though my ancestral heritage states otherwise. Either way, I am black. No, I don't claim to have a pulse on the black community, but I do have a pulse on what it is like to be black in America, and how some black folks are feeling about Barack Obama.

I wasn't raised in the ghetto of Mobile, Alabama. I was raised in a middle-class neighborhood where my neighbors were white and black. My great-aunt lived in an all-black neighborhood. I had cousins who lived in the housing projects. I was just fortunate enough to have this kind of education. When I read blogs that questions some people's blackness, I get a little uneasy. Because, no one can put into question someone's blackness.

When Barack Obama started his campaign, a lot of black people thought that Barack was one of us. That he wasn't "black" enough to identify with us. So many had decided to vote for Hillary because they knew her, and she was Bill's wife. As the nomination process went on, Barack's blackness came on display. Suddenly, black folks didn't see Barack as not "black" enough, they saw him as "one of us".

What we failed to realize is that Barack is everyone of us. He's not black or white, he's a human being. Just like me. Even though my ancestry is African, Irish, and Blackfoot Indian, and I am still a human being, and I am part of the human race. People question my "blackness" all the time. Because I don't listen to a lot of rap music, but I have never had anyone question my "human-ness." No one can never question that. No one can question Barack's.

The one thing I want people to take away from this blog is that it is time for all this to end. I was raised to love everyone regardless of skin color. I was raised to embrace who I am, but not let my race run me. In other words, I am going to be LaKeisha Michelle Chestnut, a woman, a mother, a daughter, a lover, and a friend regardless of my racial make-up. Barack Obama is going to be President Barack Obama regardless of his racial makeup.

Thanks for reading!!

Yesterday, The DNC's Rules and Bylaws committee voted to seat the delegations of FL and MI with each delegate having  half a vote. This, in essence, was fair and reasonable. Something that I was hoping for. I congratulate Karen Thurman and Jon Ausman (Thanks for the updates!!) for the valiant effort that was put in. I was proud to call Florida my second home, and you both made me proud. So thank you. To the Michigan delegation, I am happy to know that I will be hanging with my friends from the Wolverine state in Denver! We have to come to this unified, and by God, we will. So let's get it together. So, as you can see, I am happy that I will see my fellow democrats from Florida and Michigan. That is not why I am writing this entry. I am sorely disappointed in some of the Hillary supporters who have forgotten how the game is played. Those supporters who feel that this is Hillary's time. That she's entitled to this nomination. Those are the supporters I am disappointed in.

Yesterday, I watched the meeting online. I wanted to see how the outcome was going to be. I knew in my heart that there will be a compromise on FL and MI, but I wanted to see what kind of compromise it was going to be. I was happy when the committee voted unamiously for the compromise. I was happy. Then came MI. Oh boy, the shouts were deafening. Alexis Herman, who is from my hometown, was getting a little frustrated. I could see it in her eyes. I think everyone was frustrated. This meeting brought out the worse in some people, and they were Clinton supporters. The rules of the meeting was simple: conduct yourself as you would at any meeting. You should sit down, be quiet, and let the meeting play out. Not be disruptive and make a complete fool of yourself and wind up on YouTube. The decision has been made. It should be accepted and taken for what it is. If this fight is taken to the convention floor, I will make my voice and opinion known. I won't be disrespectful. I will be polite, but I will be firm. I know how the game is played, and it's played with precision and flair. Don't take me for a fool. If you play the game fairly, you will get the big W. Play the game unfairly, you will get the big L. So know the rules. Play the game, and you might just come away the winner fairly. So Harold Ickles, Terry McAuliffe, Lanny Davis, and all those Clinton surrogates that want to sing this song that this is Hillary's nomination, sit down and watch how the game is played and not sold. You could learn a thing or two.

Earlier today, I received from the Clinton Campaign about MI and FL. Yes, I am an Obama supporter and delegate from Alabama, but I do receive messages from the other side to see what they have to say. Anyway when I received the email, I was shocked when I read it. Here's the text of the email:



Dear LaKeisha,

Millions of voters in Florida and Michigan are depending on you to help make sure they have a voice in this race. Will you stand up for them today?

Thanks to your efforts, thanks to the hundreds of thousands of people who have already spoken out, the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting May 31 to make a decision about whether or not the votes in Michigan and Florida will count.

Now I need you to urge the DNC to make the right decision on May 31. I need you to remind them that in the Democratic Party, we count every vote.

Tell the Democratic National Committee to count the votes of Florida and Michigan.

On May 31, the DNC has a chance to make it clear that the people of Florida and Michigan have a voice in our party. The decision is especially critical given the important role these states will play in November.

And your voice could make the difference for the millions of people who went to the polls in those two states to make their choice for president.

Stand with me today and tell the DNC to count the votes in Florida and Michigan.

I have consistently said that every vote must count. It is such an important principle in our party. I really appreciate you standing up for the values we share.

Thank you,


Hillary Rodham Clinton

This email prompted me to send a note to the DNC myself separate from what Hillary Clinton wanted to say.  This is what I said:

As a Young Democrat who is also a delegate, I want to express my opinion about the Florida and Michigan delegation. As a former resident of Florida, I understand the importance of carrying Florida as well as Michigan in the GE, but I do understand rules and regulations. I think that a deal that would be sufficient for everyone. To seat the entire delegation would basically say to the other states that it's ok to defy the rules of the DNC, and not be punished. I think it's wrong for one candidate who vowed to stick with decision and suddenly when it suits them, to change the rules. This is unfair to the other states that abide by the rules. On May 31st, a decision must be made. One that is fair to MI and FL, but upholds the rules that were agreed to. I never understood the rules of the DNC or how primaries and caucuses were scheduled or how even how delegates were chosen, but I know now. I think this should be fair and unbiased. Not favoring one candidate over the other. Thanks for hearing me out.

For so long, I have been reading the blogs and the comments from people about this Democratic primaries and caucuses. Sometimes I laugh. Sometimes I get mad. My reasons are pretty simple: to see what people think about various topics that concern either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Yesterday confirmed my beliefs that people in this country are deeply divided.

When it was announced on TPM that Edwards was going to endorse Obama, I almost jumped out of my chair. I was so excited. I clicked on the link, which took me to ABC News. I read the article, and I started reading the comments. Suddenly, people were upset the Edwards endorsed Obama. So many people gave idiotic reasons that they were mad. In fact, I couldn't even see half those reasons let alone all the reasons. I was always a supporter of Edwards. In fact, I supported Edwards and Obama. The reason for me was quite simple: they believed in the same things I believed in that are important to me.

What made me mad was the racist remarks that some of these people made. It wasn't the Obama supporters who, of course, were thrilled Obama got the endorsement. It was the Hillary supporters and the McCain supporters that had said so many things that disgust me. As I said time and time again, I don't support Obama because he's African-American, I support him because I want change. I have given every candidate the benefit of the doubt. Yes, I gave Hillary a fair share. I was proud that Hillary was running, but the problem I had was that so many people were making her the nominee, and we haven't had the first primary or caucus. That's when I started looking at Obama. I already knew Edwards from running in 2004, but I wanted to know more about Obama. My support for both never wavered, even though I was asked by the Obama campaign to run for delegate. I was happy he came in 2nd place in Iowa and was proud of him even when he didn't win. As this race went on, I started feeling that people who support felt they were entitled to this presidency, even as Obama was making in-roads.

The thing is that I'm with the campaign that wants to unite this country. It's time we got together to solve the problems that we face every day. I'm tired of trying to make it paycheck to paycheck, and I make more than $10.00 an hour. I'm tired of wondering if my health care plan will cover my doctor's visit or hospital visit. I hate wondering how much I have to pay for my deductible. I'm tired of spending $50 to fill my tank. I'm tired of Washington telling me what right for me. This is not what this country was founded on, and it's not what my ancestors fought hard for. Freedom and Unity is what this country was founded on and what so many people fought for. I think it is time for the Hillary supporters to really look at what they are doing. Are we so divided that we can't see past our own noses. It's time for the blinders to come off and see our country as it really is. It's time for us to be apart of something that is bigger than Hillary and Obama. It's time for us to take our country back! How many are with me?