rmrd0000's Blog

Fired IG Walpin: A Wingnut Obama (Non-) Conspiracy

2009-07-07T01:30:37Z

The Right has focused on the firing of an Inspector General (IG) Gerald Walpin who was assigned to the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps). The WaPo posted links to 33 documents describing disagreements between the board of the service organization and IG Walpin. The right has suggested that the firing was in part due to a relation between President Obama and the Democratic mayor of San Francisco, former NBA stars Kevin Johnson, who is listed as an Obama acquaintance. Kevin Johnson admitted to misuse of funds received from AmeriCorps by an organization that he founded. Obama and the WH fired the IG as cover for Obama's friend mayor Kevin Johnson.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/07/gerald_walpin_documents.html#more

Steve Benen summarizes the controversy thusly:

THE ACTIVISTS WHO CAN'T STOP CRYING 'WOLF'.... When the Obama administration fired Gerald Walpin, the Bush-appointed inspector general of AmeriCorps, many on the right thought they'd discovered a new scandal. We've known for a while now that there's far less to the Walpin "controversy" than meets the eye, but Zachary Roth had a helpful item the other day noting why the story has quickly faded away.

As we noted yesterday, the Washington Post has published the documents turned over by the Corporation for National and Community Service to a Senate committee reviewing the White House's firing of AmeriCorps IG. Conservatives had charged that the IG, Gerald Walpin, was canned for going too hard after an Obama ally.

We've taken a look through the documents, and it's fair to say they offer a pretty clear picture of how and why the CNCS board lost confidence in Walpin. They jibe closely with what the White House and the board have already said -- to us, among others -- about the deterioration of the relationship between the IG and his agency. And they also make clear that this deterioration had begun long before the Obama administration existed. [...]

You've got to assume that this mass of evidence has put to rest once and for all the line that this was a politicized firing -- and indeed, the conservative outrage seems to have receded recently.

Yes, it has. Walpin was all the rage in conservative circles, right up until the "controversy" appeared baseless, and White House detractors were forced to move on.

But notice how this has happened quite a bit in the very young Obama administration. Remember when conservatives were convinced that the White House was closing car dealerships based on owners' political contributions? Or how about the not-so-scandalous Department of Homeland Security report about potentially violent extremists, which prompted some conservatives to call for Napolitano's resignation? Or about the EPA economist whose bizarre memo on global cooling was "suppressed"?

All of these caused widespread apoplexy among rabid anti-Obama activists. And all of these quickly fell apart after minimal scrutiny.

Kevin Drum had a very good item a couple of months ago, arguing that there's nothing especially wrong with far-right activists watching the administration like a hawk, doing what opposition parties do. And there's certainly something to be said for this -- if conservative bloggers want to hold elected officials' feet to the fire, more power to 'em. It's what being politically engaged is all about.

The problem is, these folks keep crying "wolf" without thinking it through. Conservative bloggers and talk-radio hosts are constantly finding scandalous schemes and outrageous abuses relating to the White House. Some are transparently ridiculous, and some take a few seconds on Google to debunk, but either way, they shout a lot of nonsense. And as a result, it's easy to start ignoring them.

Maybe the right's Ahabs can start being a little more selective?

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/018947.php

Let's see what the Right comes up with next?

Does Minnesota Have Two Senators Yet?

2009-06-25T17:34:03Z

When is there supposed to be resolution on the Franken/Coleman race?

What Are Your Sources For News About The Black Community?

2009-06-19T21:41:56Z

Today being Juneteenth, I reflected for a bit on how one says informed about events and stories impacting the African-American community. I realize that given the fact that Barack Obama is President, the issue may seem a tad ridiculous. But, what I am really talking about are those interesting stories that are occuring all around the country that deal with personalities, family, and community issues that deal with African-Americans.. For example, while foreclosures impact multiple communitites, there seems to be a more marked impact on African-American communities. How do you dig out those stories?

Given the impending doom of multiple newspapers and the lack of an African-American news anchor in Prime Time, what journals, websites etc. do you use to stay connected nationally?

Happy Juneteenth

2009-06-19T13:42:14Z

On June 19, 1865 Major General Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston, Texas and informed the enslaved Blacks that the Civil war had ended and that they were now free. This was months after Robert E Lee surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865, and 2.5 years after Lincoln's signing of the emancipation Proclamation in January 1.1863. Texas Blacks were unaffected by the Proclamation because there were not enough Union troops in Texas to overcome Confederate resistance. After Lee's surrender, more troops could be freed up to go into Texas.

Why was there a 2.5 year delay? There are difficult to verify stories that slaveholders withheld the news of Lincoln's Proclamation so that the land owners could continue to reap benefits of the labor, or that the Union decided to let the Texans reap the benefits of one last cotton crop. There is even a story that the messenger carrying the news was murdered. The true reason for the delay is lost to history, but the lack of Union troop strength makes as much sense as any.

Reactions to the news varied from shock to immediate jubilation. One thing that did happen was a large celebration in Galveston. The celebration spread through many townships in the South over the years, probably as a result of Galvestonian Blacks moving to other states. Today many cities have Juneteenth celebrations.

Yesterday the Senate unanimously passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and paving the way for a joint Congressional resolution to the same effect. The resolution means that the federal government is acknowledging it's role in 2.5 centuries of slavery in the United States. The Senate resolution's sponsor, Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) wanted the resolution to coincide with Juneteenth recognizing the significance of the date.

Happy Juneteenth

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/18/AR2009061803877.html

Sexist in The Mirror

2009-06-18T20:05:00Z

I really did not follow Desidero's multi-posts on Letterman's Palin joke., but I did come across his most recent post "Gollum and Modor: Making The Best Of Hypocrisy" in which Liberals were criticized for not addressing the blatant sexism of the Letterman joke. In reading the responses to that posting I was made aware of a statement that Desidero had used in a prior post concerning Ann Dunham, Barack Obama's Mother.............He of course was the child of a woman who dealt with an unintentional unmarried pregnancy at age 17, and had abortion been easy and approved at that time, we might easily have had President Biden discussing these matters instead. (See the link at the bottom of this post to connect to the post were the abortion commentary was made

That post led to my response..........

When it comes to sexist statements, Desidero's own words...............He of course was the child of a woman who dealt with an unintentional unmarried pregnancy at age 17, and had abortion been easy and approved at that time, we might easily have had President Biden discussing these matters instead........is just as sexist as Letterman's Palin joke. Both statements attack underage girls.

No Palin daughter got "knocked" up by Rodriguez at Yankee stadium. No Obama abortion occurred. Both statements have an undertone of ridiculing the difficult choices women and girls have to make with an unexpected pregnancy. Both Bristol Palin and Ann Dunham choose to go through childbirth and both wind up being part of witticisms from Letterman and Desidero, respectively.

Desidero's statement is an attack on a Caucasian woman who decided to give birth to the child of an African man. Letterman, at least, apologized for his rape joke. Will Desidero follow suit an apologize for talking about a nonexistent abortion?

Posted by rmrd0000

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/desidero/2009/06/gollum-and-mordor-making-the-b.php#comments

----------------------------------------------

Desidero responded with...........

Sheer nonsense. I'm just point to statistics.

In 1990, 60% of unmarried pregnancies under age 25 didn't complete. 1 million pregnancies to teenage girls a year, and 80% of them unintentional.

What's the abortion rate for 17-year-old, not-hard-core-religious girls starting college? Pretty damn high, I'd hazard.

Race had little or nothing to do with it. But given acceptance of abortion these days, do you think a free-spirited girl who wants to see the world would tie herself down so easily to a guy she's known for 2 months given a choice? Hardly the attitude these days.

Denying reality or acting like I said something awful doesn't change the facts.

Followed immediately by another Desidero post.....................................

PS - Obama put his whole family tree on stage with him, with Dreams of My Father, his sister campaigning for him, meeting his great aunt in Kenya, etc.

---------------------------------

Looking at Desidero's statements above and comparing them to the outrage that Desidero feels about Letterman's sexist joke, I am bewildered. Neither Sarah, Willow or Bristol Palin got knocked up at Yankee Stadium. Letterman's joke was over the line. Letterman apologized and finally had the apology accepted by Sarah Palin. Palin did have a daughter get knocked up and said daughter was paraded on stage with the baby daddy at the RNC, but the Letterman joke was still offensive. Apology given and accepted with hopes that Letterman will evolve.

Turning to the issue of Desidero's abortion comment, 19 year old statistics are used to validate Desidero's statement. According to the Census Bureau there are 10.4 million single mothers in the US today, up from 3.4 million in 1970, a three-fold increase. I could look at the numbers and suggest that it might be more likely for Ms Dunham to keep her pregnancy today than in the past. Single mother's have enough trauma to endure without taking abuse from Desidero. I am outraged by the lack of compassion. The Obama abortion statement added nothing to the Letterman debate and served only as an attack on a now deceased single mother.

In his second post in response to my comment, Desidero says that Obama wrote a book detailing his family tree. I have no idea how this justifies the abortion comment. Obama was running for President after having been a Senator. Governor Palin was running for the Vice Presidency. Both were pubic figures. The public nature of their careers did not make the Palin daughter joke acceptable. I don't think that attacking a deceased single mother (who had a three fold increased chance of keeping her child) is justified either. Desidero should apologize.

The original post containing the abortion reference can be found at http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/desidero/2009/06/why-now-letterman-sees-the-lig.php

D-Day Reminiscences in Noir

2009-06-08T21:04:46Z

A recent post on TPM dealing with the "burden" Southerners carried because of slavery touched a nerve regarding African-American participation in battles fought by the US military. One off the cuff remark made by the person who created the Southern lamentations post posited that the African-American soldiers who fought for the Union were not an important part of the War effort because of their small numbers.

The reason that remark touched a nerve was that it was a theme heard throughout the history of the United States military. During WWII many felt that placing African-American troops in battle was unwise. War was not the the time to engage in social experimentation said opponents . Limiting African-Americans to menial tasks in the military was supported by a 1925 report by the Army War College concluding that Blacks lacked the intellect and courage required for war.

Two stories emerged during the D-day memorial this weekend that put the lie to the report. The first was a story in the NYT that reported the activity of the All-Black 320th AntiAircraft Barrage Balloon Battalion. The helium filled balloons deployed by the battalion contained explosives that resulted in the downing of several Nazi aircraft when the German planes struck the balloons. The lone survivor of the unit, William G Dabney, was honored this weekend in France. A total of 700,000 African-Americans served in the Army during WWII. Initially Blacks were kept out of combat roles. However due to manpower shortages, by the end of 1944 two-thirds of Black troops were serving overseas The late entry of Black troops in a war effort, and only after shortages in White troops was also noted in the Civil War.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/06/world/europe/06iht-troops.html?ref=us

The second D-Day story about African-American troops during WWII dealt with honoring 350 African-American soldiers who were held as slave labor in Berga, a subcamp of Buchenwald. The captured Black troops were forced to work on tunnels at Berga, where the Nazis had a secret V-2 rocket factory. More than 100 soldiers died at the prison camp or on a forced 200 mile march in 1945. After the war, two Nazi cammanders of Berga had their death sentences commuted by the US government in 1948 for unknown reasons. Samuel Fahrer, a medic and Berga survivor, tried but failed to get the death penalty reinstated for the camp commanders. The men were finally recognized for bravery on Saturday, June 6th in Orlando, Florida. Six of the 22 surviving prisoners attended. Awards ceremonies for remaining survivors are being planned in local communities. Wayne Drash CNN played a major role in publicizing this story.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/08/berga.recognition/index.html?iref=newssearch

The recent recognization of African-American patriots who were long overlooked because of the color of their skin tells us that the country is trying to turn another corner on issues of race. The contributions of men and women who literally had to kick in doors to serve their country is not a little thing. In fact the conditions that they face makes their effort above and beyond the call of duty. These men did their contry proud..

GOP and the New Deal, Then and Now

2009-02-25T22:19:51Z

Republicans hate Government intervention (except tax cuts for the super-wealthy, wars, and surveillance. The New Deal and Obama's stimulus plan drive Republicans to the edge of insanity. Some Republicans are so anti-New Deal, that they claim that the Depression was stated by the New Deal. It is chronologically unfortunate for these deluded people that the stock market crash occurred in 1929 and Roosevelt took office in 1933.

Republicans are predictable and stand on their core values, even during a national crisis. During world war II a Conservative who disliked Government intervention named Avery Sewell ran Montgomery Ward. Montgomery Ward was a retailer and manufacturer that supplied clothing and auto parts felt to be an important part of the War effort.

Sewell had a labor dispute with Montgomery Ward workers. Disutes were handled during WWII by a National War Labor Board. The board had brokered a labor agreement between Ward and three labor unions between 194 and 1944. Sewell disagreed with the decision.

When Sewell failed to comply with a second appeal to comply by the Labor board in April of 1944, Roosevelt ordered the Army National Guard to seize the company's main plant in Chicago. There is a classic picture of Sewell being carried by National Guardsmen from his office still sitiing in his chair.

Sewell continuued to be obstinent and on December 27, 1944, the Secratary of War was ordered to seize Montgomery's plants and facilities in New York, Michigan, California, Illinois, Colorado and Oregon.

Sewell' favorite put down was to call someone a "New Dealer". Government action even in a time of crisis was something that did not stop Sewell from trying to undermine labor unions. Like the scorpion willing to drown after stinging the frog carrying him across the pond, Sewll could not help himself.

Similarly Jindal cannot help but see the failures of the Bush administration during Katrina as indicative of all government. Bobby Jindal cannot see the irony of saying that government is not helpful as he stands before the cameras as the Governor of Louisiana. He cannot understand the importance of volcanic warning systems, just as Bush could nt comprehend what government meteorologists were telling him could befall New Orleans.

Like Sewell, Bush, and the scorpion., Jindal is willing to take himself down as he takes all of us down. All that matters to Jindal is that he stuck to his true nature, his core principles.

.

American Mythology: The Race Card

2008-08-02T01:46:24Z

The country was reeling from the verdict in the OJ Simpson case When Robert Shapiro Told Barbara Walters "not only did we play the race card, we dealt it from the bottom of the deck."

Since that time, the race card has been used as a bludgeon to halt serious airing of differences in how aggregates of Whites and African-Americans view certain situations. Ask Blacks and Whites how much racist exists or how much racial progress in racial relations has occurred or whether the judicial system is colorblind , and there are marked differences in opinion. Are Blacks playing the race card, or just reflecting their point of view based on life experiences?

Let's go back to the case that served as the agent for introducing the term race card into the language. OJ Simpson's acquittal caused a surge of anger throughout the country. During and after the trial Johnnie Cochran was viewed as a man responsible for setting race relations back several decades.

Paradoxically, many legal analysts felt that OJ would be in prison stripes today if Cochran had been the prosecutor. Cochran would have analyzed the jury in detail. For the Black women on the jury, OJ would have been portrayed as a brutal man who hated Black women. Simpson had divorced his African-American wife. The ex-jock then cavorted with Caucasian blondes. By the time Cochran was finished emphasizing abandonment of Black women, Simpson would have been convicted in a flash.

If the jury had been all-White, Cochran would have presented the same focused data, this time emphasizing the blondes. Again, conviction would be the result. Cochran had the benefit of a prosecution team that was too arrogant to take into account different life experiences of the jury.

Would Cochran have been guilty of playing the race card with the African-American jury or the White jury?

We have now entered a dismal turn in the Presidential race. Obama makes a factual statement. Barack Obama says that he doesn't look like any of the people on US paper currency. To deny that simple reality is absurd. McCain says that because race has been mentioned, Obama has played the race card.

The underlying message being sent to African-Americans is that we may let you in the door, but don't force us to address the fact that you are not Caucasian. We agree to accept you if you deny your ethnicity. A corollary of this message is that there is nothing of importance that someone who is not White could tell us. Be White and you'll be alright.

There is no race card. There are only different life experiences. We don't want to address the contrasts.

McCain Stream Media

2008-07-13T16:04:19Z

There is another post on TPM titled "The Death Of The Associated Press" by Graduate Student. The AP has been demonstrating anti-Obama bias. As I sit watching Howard Kurtz on CNN's "Reliable Sources" today, I see another flagrant example of media bias. The top stories on the show are as follows:
1) A New Yorker magazine cover with a cartoon showing an Afro-coiffed Michelle carrying an AK47 and Barack in Somali attire
2) Obama's statement about refining the action he would take in Iraq as changing his position.
3 Jesse Jackson' s chocolate nuts statement
3) The Obama children appearing on Access Hollywood

There was only passing mention of Phil Gramm's "mental recession comment" and McCain economic flip -flops. The panel of reporters was Michael Medved (radio talk show host), Clarence Page (Chicago Tribune), and Jessica Yellin (CNN analyst). Kurtz allows a known partisan, Medved, to be paired with two non-partisan reporters.

Medved felt the New Yorker cover was tacky. Page agreed with the New Yorker's editor that the cover was satire. Yellin said the cover was in poor taste and went on to say that the depiction did not originate from the McCain campaign, but had it's base in internet rumors. The reflexive need to provide cover for McCain is always present.

The fact that Obama had to hold two news conferences to state that his position on Iraq hadn't changed meant that Obama had a communication problem. Medved thought that the clarifying statement was obfuscation. Page actually reminded us that Obama has said all along that he was willing to adjust his troop withdrawal plan based on facts on the ground. Page quoted a statement that Obama made in September to support his analysis.

Kurtz seized on the fact that Obama felt that the MSM had misinterpreted his words as attacking the messenger. Yellin agreed with Kurtz and went on to say that Obama has shifted "emphasis" on what he would do in Iraq. The fact that checking staements made in the past is of no importance. A new emphasis is noted.

At the end of the Iraq story, Kurtz did ask if Obama was being held to a different standard. Page laughingly replied that Obama was a "better story". Page felt that McCain was "fighting for attention". Yellin fell back on the MSM meme that Obama will get hit harder on national security issues while McCain will be challenged on the economy. She neglected to piont out that the economic foibles of McCain were not being addressed.

Kurtz wondered if the MSM going too easy on Jesse Jackson. Medved felt Jackson loved the attention.

An interview with Maria Menounos of Access Hollywood followed. Kurtz wondered why Obama let his children come before the cameras. Apparently, the girls are fans of a group called the Jonas Brothers and knew that they had appeared on Menounos' show. They wanted to be a part of the interview. The skeptical Kurtz believed that the girls' appearance was no accident, but part of a campaign plan.

The next set of topics were the affair of Lara Logan, an Iraq war correspondent, the Christie Brinkley divorce and the death of Tony Snow

In the past week the following has occurred in the McCain campaign
1) McCain called Social Security a disgrace
2) Phill Gramm of the foreclosure inducing UBS and McCain's top economic adviser called Americans "whiners" and their economic concerns a "mental recession"
3) McCain refuses to accept as fact Iraqi PM Maliki's request for a time-table for US troop withdrawal
4) McCain releases an economic plan with no details
5) McCain deficit reduction requires troop withdrawals

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-bergmann/the-week-that-should-have_b_111983.html

Despite the facts above, Kurtz, the media critic, gives McCain a pass. I do not believe that this is unintentional. The media is biased. Even the critics are biased.

Deborah Howell the media critic for the WaPo gave a pass on a hit piece in the Post on the mortage the Obama's got from Northern Trust. The Obama's invested more with Northern Trust than their mortgage was worth, thus the morgtage rate was normal for someone with Obama's income and credit status. Howell felt that the story was valid since it dealt with the candidates personal finances, but that the negative context of the story was overblown. The negative context was the entire basis for the Wapo loan story.

Obama is facing an openly biased media.

The Coming Immigration Conflagration

2008-05-30T23:42:48Z

I have mixed feelings aout workers coming into the country from Mexico. One hand, these people are being used as cheap labor (remember slavery?). On the other hand, the workers being displaced are American-born workers on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder.

Raising fuel costs may create a situation where the cost of shipping products overseas or by air from foreign countries with cheap labor is higher than manufacturing the product in the US.

Obviously that would require sustained increasing fuel prices over a sustained period. If that situation does occur and manufacturing jobs return to the US, what would happen if companies attempted to use non-US citizens as the manufacturing workforce.? In my opinion, the foreign workers would be out of luck in access to those jobs.

As manufacturing jobs increased in the US, foreign workers may face less pressure US born workers who feel more economically secure. Another possibility is that US born workers without the skills to find employment in manufacturing may be angered as they see fellow citizens gaining as they remain stagnant or fall behind.

Those unskilled US workers may demand that foreign born workers be shown the door and press the government for stricter enforcement of immigration laws.

If manufacturing jobs are not available to foreign workers and the government has to address the concerns of US born citizens who feel left behind economically as fuel prices rise, illegal aliens may face even more pressure than they do now.

The question will be what fuel price will serve as the tipping point to ignite US based manufacturing.

Appalachia Will Secede If Obama Wins

2008-05-30T13:07:29Z

MSM has tried to downplay aspects of race in the Primary results in PA, OH, WVA, and KY. In reality, it is clear that race played a role in the vote for many voters in the region.
If You Tube interviews are an indication, many citizens in Appalachia will just never accept an African-American President. These voters will revolt.

The Appalachian revolutionaries will be joined by White Supremacists from around the country along with members of closed communities like the one in Texas who want men to be free to marry 12 and 14 year olds.

Just as the MSM was taken by surprise by the militia group mentality that led to the Oklahoma City bombings, they are missing possible racial anger and frustration building in the residents of the region. An Obama Presidency would be the tipping point.

Hopefully, the crack Department Of Homeland Security is on top of the issue.

McClelland and White Conservative Affirmative Action

2008-05-29T15:48:20Z

One of the funniest things that I heard came when MSNBC's Tucker Carlson called Scott McClelland an incompetent who only got his job because of connections. I was amazed. Did Carlson not see the great irony? What are Carlson's great accomplishments aside from finishing in last place on "Dancing With The Stars"?

Carlson got a job because he wore a bow-tie and he was a White male Libertarian/Conservative. MSNBC graded him on a curve and hired him to show their post 911 patriotism.. MSNBC even gave Carlson his own show, which failed. Carlson is now a political analyst for MSNBC. the qualifications for an analyst job for White Conservatives appears to be having an opinion.

Carlson is not the only low skilled Conservative White guy who has found employment in MSM. William Kristol sits in a columnist spot at the NYT. Since the first of the year, Mr Kristol has had errors requiring correction in three of his weekly columns. Kristol remains employed. Obviously fact-checking prior to publishing is not required for Mr Kristol. White Conservatives need not worry about accuracy in media.

On CNN-HNN, we have Glenn Beck. Mr Beck calls himself a rodeo clown. After attempting to watch him discuss hybrid automobiles with a GM executive, I truly understand the clown part. Beck made sure to attack environmentalists while addressing the alternative fuel source story. I could only stand about a minute and a half of the discussion before my head began to hurt due to the inanities passing for deep thought and humor coming from Mr Beck. Of course, Beck's high mark was asking Rep Ellison, a Muslim member of the House of Representatives if Ellison were a loyal American. Beck gets an hour of each weekday to promote Conservative views and to think that he is thinking. Intelligence is not a criteria for Conservative white Affirmative Action hires.

Then, of course, there is the biggest Conservative White Affirmative Action hire of all times, GW Bush. Bush has set the gold standard for Presidential incompetency. If you have a limited internal mental databse, you don't worry about the wide spn of options you have before you commit the nation to an unwise war. Also, since you perspective is limited, there is not a great deal of reflection.

Now we have the incompetent McClelland rejecting the incompetence of Bush, and incompetents Carlson and Beck attacking McClelland for challenging the results of Conservative White Affirmative Action. If the issues weren't so serious , this would be a Three Stooges skit.

Tiki Barber Should Replace Willie Geist on "Morning Joe"

2008-05-09T13:01:25Z

Joe Scarborough usually runs roughshod over Mika B on "Morning Joe". Willie Geist rarely disagrees with a major point that Scarbourgh offers. Pat Buchanan is a regular analyst on the show. Thus, there is little real variation in points of view that occurs or most of the show. Scarborough's opinion rules.

Former NY Giant running back Tiki Barber has been filing in as a co-host this week while Willie Geist has been on vacation. I have been pleasantly suprised that on occasion he does offer a contrasting opinion to Scarborough and does not let Scarborough silence him.

Scarborough was not on the show today, so Mika hosted. John Edwards was a guest in one segment. Mika had danced around the meaning of Sen Clinton's statement about her suport among White working class voters. Edwards gave a mild response. Barber bluntly asked Edwards if he thought that Sen Clinton was sayng that Obama could not be elected because he was Black. Edwards was then able to answer that he did not think that was what Clinton thought. In fact Edwards was able to go further and say that he knew that Hillary did not think that was true, because of past conversations that he had with Sen Clinton.

Barber's bluntness allowed Edwards to give his point of view on a sore point with many who have a negative view of Sen Clinton because of past comments she has made that appeared to be racially-tinged. Neither Mika,Willie, or Scarborough would have been that direct with Edwards. In fact, Scarborough may have tilted the response by ridiculing those who felt that there might be race-baiting going on in the Clinton campaign. Barber's directness was a pleasant change from the usual bias that rises from the Scarborogh show.

Edwards could give his response to a question posed in point blank fashion. Viewers could form their own opinions about Edwards analysis. Barber would be an excellent replacement for Geist who seves no purpose other than being Scarborough's yes man. Barber would also provide something missing from early morning and prime time cable news shows, ethnic diversity.

Bill Clinton Got Historically Low Black Vote Percentages

2008-05-08T19:22:59Z

Blogger Chino Bianco provided these numbers from USA today in an earlier post by flufferwink entitled Hillary Clinton Says Only Whites Matter

The vote percentages given to Democrats and Repiblicans in recent elections are as follows:

1984 Walter Mondale 90% Ronald Reagan 9%
1988 Michael Dukakis 90% George H.W. Bush 10%
1992 Bill Clinton 83% George H.W. Bush 10%
1996 Bill Clinton 84% Bob Dole 12%
2000 Al Gore 90% George W. Bush 9%

Notice which Democratic candidate got the lowest percentage of African-American votes?
william Jefferson Clinton got < 90% of the Black vote both times.

Our first Black President was the runt of the Black vote getting litter. Did the Clintons see thes numbers and feel thay could jettison the Black vote?

Sen Clinton is getting (GW) Bush League numbers of Black support. Would neglecting the Black vote have been a working formulae in November if African-Americans stayed home and Clinton relied on working class Whites and Latinos?

Just food for thought.

MSNBC Should Hire Rev Wright to Balance Pat Buchanan

2008-05-06T13:33:26Z

This weekend, MSNBC ran an hour-long "Special Report" on Rev Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama hosted by Dan Abrams. The report aired the weekend before Primary voting in Indiana and North Carolina. Abrams rehashed the stories that MSNBC had run repeatedly on its news shows the previous two weeks. There was nothing special about the "Special Report".

MSNBC happens to be the home of Nazi apologist and part-time racist Pat Buchanan. It occurs to me that Rev Wright would provide just the balance MSNBC needs to atone for its repetitive use of Pat Buchanan as a credible political analyst. MSNBC was the home of Dan Savage, a racist homophobe, in years past.

Rev Wright would not remain silent if Buchanan told him to shut up, as Pat did to African-American MSNBC analyst Keli Goff during an appearance on the Dan Abrams show several weeks ago. Abrams remained silent, offering no objection. It was Rachel Maddow, another guest, who voiced opposition to Buchanan's outburst.

Mr Buchanan was a full fledged supporter of the GOP's Southern strategy. Rev Wright could detail how viewpoints like Buchanan's stoked the fire in some of Wright's sermons. I think MSNBC's ratings would skyrocket.