I spent this weekend canvassing in Beaufort, SC. I am so encouraged by the responses I got, and by Barack's performance during the CNN/CBC debate on the 21st. I feel that SC is going to turn out for Barack Obama this Saturday.
Today, I received an email from Senator John Kerry about responding to the "swiftboat" tactics so we do not loose this election to a lie. I was so pleased by Senator Kerry's endorsement and so glad to see that the campaign is responding that I had to make another donation!
Fired Up - Ready to Go!!!!
I am happy to re-post this on-point rejoinder from Ms. Duncan in re: Andrew Young ("past" civil-rights leader)...
Let's stay the course folks, and let the world know that the 'New Civil Rights Leaders' know that Barack Obama is the only choice for '08!!!
By Khesha Duncan(BWFO Member)I'm SOOOOOOOO heated right now - still, after reading an article inthe Redding News Review a couple days ago, titled "Andrew Youngexplains why he is not supporting Obama," forwarded to me by one of mymany fellow Obama-ers. So heated, in fact, I've just decided to coina new phrase called "The Haterade Syndrome!"For quite awhile now, I have been trying my absolute best to ignorethe comments that I've been reading and hearing throughout thecampaign, from some members of the Congressional Black Caucus andother current black leaders with their assortment of old schoolreasons for why Senator Barack Obama can't be President of the UnitedStates - yet.But what I read this week takes the cake, and is a sad commentaryindeed, because Andrew Young has opted to join them. Young's ignorantremarks in this piece sound more like those of a high school dropoutthan a Howard University graduate, saying that Barack can't bePresident now because,"You have to have a protective network around you... Leadership requiressuffering. And I would like to see Barack's children get a littleolder, see, because they're going to pick on them."Is he serious? This from a man who has a Bachelor of Divinity DegreeFrom Hartford Seminary, in Hartford, Connecticut, and is a formerExecutive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference(SCLC)? One would want to believe that this combination of educationand professional Christianity would give him more depth in his faiththan that, but apparently not.Granted, I recognize that Mr. Young was one of Dr. Martin Luther KingJr.'s closest protégés and allies, and that he was there (literally)when Dr. King was tragically assassinated. Nor can I even begin toimagine what it must have felt like, witnessing the murder of hisfriend, or the significance of its impact on his life from that pointon. And what I'm saying here is not intended to, nor could it, everminimize any of that. However, to fast forward almost forty yearslater, and say that Barack Obama can't be President today becausethey're going to pick on his children suggests that he may be livingin a time warp. What Andrew Young seems to be forgetting is that thesame concerns and apprehensions he has about Senator Obama running forPresident in 2007 are the same ones that leaders before him had of heand Dr. King during their civil rights endeavors. In the 1950s and60s when the fight was about more basic human freedoms, like beingable to enter buildings through the front doors, and sitting in thefront seats of city buses, and the right not to be hung from a treejust because you were black, Young and others responded with marches,boycotts, demonstrations, lunch counter sit-ins en masse, and the like- all very appropriate actions for what was happening then. Theirstrategies yielded positive results that benefited the collectivewhole at that time and for the next generation - Barack Obama'sgeneration.But some MAJOR progress has been made since then. The Civil RightsAct was passed in 1964, integration occurred, and affirmative actionwas implemented in the early 70s. The game changed, and it was nolonger about where you could shop, eat or use the bathroom. Thequestions then became about where we could work, attend college, whatneighborhood we could live in, if we could get a bank loan, or run forpublic office. And as the doors opened and we walked in, over thecourse of the next twenty years black folks accomplished, excelled andachieved in all these areas. Here, it appears, is where the problemswith black leadership, and more importantly, the disintegration ofblack unity began, that we are experiencing today.Which brings us to Mr. Young's next series of comments:"Barack Obama does not have the support network yet to get to bepresident. To put a brother in there by himself is to set him up forcrucifixion."Additionally, he said that Hillary Clinton is surrounded by quite afew black advisors while Obama has very few. Well guess what? Hewouldn't be by himself if Young and other so-called longtime blackleaders would form the support network Young says he doesn't have.Here's an idea. Instead of droning on and on about why Senator Obamacan't win the Presidency now, why doesn't he call him up and ask whathe can do to assist with his campaign efforts to ensure that he does?I'll tell you why; drinkin' too much haterade! Sounds juvenile, Iknow, but I can't think of another reason why Andrew Young, with hisyears of experience in the civil rights movement, having been attackedand jailed after protesting for this very right, of a black man to beable to run for President, wouldn't want to do all he can to helpSenator Obama. After all, whether the playa haters want toacknowledge it or not, there is absolutely no denying that BarackObama is the most viable African-American candidate this country hasever seen, perhaps with the exception of Dr. King. But Dr. Kingwasn't sent to us to run for President. His time spent here was meantto serve a different purpose, to move us forward to the next step.And the one thing we can deduce about history and progress of any kindis best stated in the old adage, "timing is everything."Without a doubt, Senator Obama's time is now. Barack Obama iscurrently the ONLY black member of the Senate. It is important tonote that he shares this honor with a very short list of only five inour history; the first, Hiram Rhodes Revels, was elected way back in1870. However, this is just his most recent outstandingaccomplishment. Barack Obama has been on this prestigious path sincehis career's inception. A graduate of Columbia University, he took ajob in south-side Chicago as a community organizer after just one yearof working in corporate America. This public service experiencecompelled him to Harvard Law School. There, in 1990, he was electedthe Harvard Law Review's first black president ever in its entire 104-year history!So, when the question is asked, "Is America ready for a blackPresident?" I would contend that, given this historicalaccomplishment, the question has already been answered with aresounding YES! Upon earning his law degree from an Ivy League School(magna cum laude, I might add), Barack Obama could have easilyreturned to corporate America to enjoy a huge salary with lots ofcompany perks. Instead, he chose to return to Chicago's south-side tolead voter registration drives and practice civil rights law. Thenafter three years of representing discrimination claims, communityorganizers, and voting rights cases, he went back into the classroom,this time as a teacher. He was a lecturer and constitutional lawscholar at the University of Chicago Law School until his decision torun for the U.S. Senate in 2003.Andrew Young's candid non-support of Senator Obama is particularlyironic to me because there are several pointed similarities betweenthem. For example, as a civil rights activist in the early 1960s,Young played a key role in the conflicts in Birmingham, Alabama,serving as a mediator between the black and white communities. Obamahas the same talent and track record for mediating effectively betweenthe Democratic and Republican parties as the Senator of Illinois. In1970, Andrew Young lost his first race for Congress, but ran again in1972 and won that race plus two more. Likewise, Obama had anunsuccessful first run in a House of Representatives race before beingreelected to the Senate twice more.During Young's three terms in Congress he was a member of theCongressional Black Caucus, and was involved in several debatesregarding foreign relations, including the decision to stop supportingPortuguese attempts to keep their colonies in South Africa. Hiseffective skills in this area were a major factor in President JimmyCarter's decision to appoint Young as the U.S. Ambassador to theUnited Nations in 1977. His greatest contributions in this criticalrole were helping to end segregation in Zimbabwe, Rhodesia, andimproved U.S. relations with Nigeria. Senator Obama is also aCongressional Black Caucus Member, and serves as a member of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee, traveling extensively to EasternEurope, the Middle East, and South Africa, addressing the issues ofglobal terrorism, genocide in Sudan, and current and post-policiesregarding the war in Iraq.When Andrew Young was Mayor of Atlanta from 1982-1990, he gainednational notoriety for the city by encouraging internationalinvestment, which improved the Atlanta economy after it was hit hardby recession. In his book The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts onReclaiming the American Dream, Senator Obama proposes a series ofinitiatives similar to Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal Programsimplemented during his Presidency after the Great Depression of the1930s, as a strategy for how we can begin to restore Americaeconomically after the Bush Administration vacates.So, to hear Mr. Young make statements like that about a candidatewhose plethora of qualifications mirror so many of his own, is all themore puzzling and disturbing -- especially at an event held IN Atlanta,birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. If we can't count on theblack leadership in Atlanta, dubbed The Black Mecca, to support BarackObama, the wrong precedent gets set, and gives the rest of us verylittle to hope for in the way of support for him across the rest ofBlack America.Finally, it is difficult and painful to even dignify Young's lastremark with a response:"Bill is every bit as black as Barack," he said. "He has probably goneout with more black women than Barack."First of all, what the hell does dating black women have to do withrunning the country effectively?!? Aside from the notion that if, infact, Bill did date black women that's probably who he learned most ofhis leadership game from (especially how to balance a budget), prettymuch absolutely nothing! It really doesn't matter anyway because thebottom line is, if and when Bill Clinton was done dating the sistas,he quickly returned home to one of his own when it was time to choosea wife. That's just what we need, a black man in Andrew Young'sposition bragging about how his white homey friend has probably datedmore black women than a real brotha, and issuing him a "black card"with a lifetime membership as a reward to boot! Mr. Young stated thatleadership requires suffering. I think his comments made here havetaken care of a substantial amount of that already, don't you? Farmore importantly, though, is that Bill Clinton isn't even SenatorObama's opponent. However, Hillary Clinton is; yet, Young failed toshare any of his assumptions about her dating history, regarding raceor gender.Let's just hope, though, that with any luck -- and a lot of prayer,Andrew Young's foolish remarks won't take root with the masses. Let'shope that the majority of Black Americans are more evolved than wethought, and that we're intelligent enough to realize that thediversity and uniqueness of Senator Obama's background and upbringingare just two of many reasons why he's exactly the perfect candidatewho can take us to the next level in 2008.For those of us who do get it, who have had to assimilate and adapt,whether we like to think about it or not, in order to survive in ourpredominantly white workplaces, and still remain committed to thecause that made affirmative action necessary in the first place, wehave to challenge and educate the rest. We have to teach others thatwhile Andrew Young was making economic breakthroughs as the Mayor ofAtlanta, GA, Barack Obama was at Harvard Law School making record-breaking history as the first black president of the Harvard LawReview. And how every action he has taken from his undergraduatecollege career to date has prepared him to become the next great blackleader of our time.I am so proud to be a Barack Obama supporter. My #1 reason forsupporting him is that I sincerely believe he is the most qualifiedperson for the job. However, I am also fully aware of what hisPresidential candidacy represents for me, black people, and everyother member of an ethnic or minority group. With respect to wherewe've been, how far we've come, and how very far we still have to go,Senator Obama really is the chosen one. The fact that he's black is abonus, and yes, it does make me even more proud.Some unsolicited advice for Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton,and all of the other black leaders who haven't given Senator BarackObama the respect and/or support he deserves - stop being part of theproblem and become part of his solution! By not standing together,black people continue to lose, and we have lost way too much already,of which we're constantly reminded with overwhelming statistics aboutour continued spiral downward in every area of life by which successis measured.Because when Senator Obama becomes President Obama (and he will becomePresident), remember whose support and approval you're going to needto advance your next agenda. In the meantime think about this: whenyou talk to the press about the Billary duo, or the powerful Clintonmachine as if they're running a Presidential candidate team, the realmessage you're sending to everyone is that it takes two Clintons tobeat one Obama! And that, my friends, deserves a tall glass ofhaterade!Peace ya'll!-Khesha Duncan
While the Team was in SC Sunday making history, we were in Petersburg, using history (the historical homes tour in Petersburg, VA) to get the word out about the next President of the United States of America. This weekend's canvassing (in one spot) was great; the weather was perfect, the people were receptive and supportive, and we signed up new members for BWFO. Can't wait to host the BWFO house party on Jan. 18th. Fired Up, Ready To Go!
Oh My. If I am not mistaken, I do believe I have just finished reading the most profound article ever penned. Seriously. I plan to commit parts of it to memory.
The argument made for the necessity of Barack Obama's presidency by Mr. Sullivan is indescribably accurate, salient, factual, concrete, resonating, practical, formidable, and undeniable. Prophetic. This article belongs at the end of Revelations.
I have long been in a state of quiet unrest, as I witness the inside and consider the outside of this country. I KNOW that we are on a global fault line. Everything that is in me, everything that I have studied, all of the signs, point to this fact. My bones know that ALL IS NOT WELL with the world. And we NEED Obama NOW.
It is not a matter of luxury, or of simple whimsy. This is a crucial point in time. We stand now upon the precipice of sure catastrophe, but an equally sure remedy is just as imminent. We need only to acknowledge these dual realities to ensure a future that does not include a long and painful closure to life as we once knew it.
I am beyond inspired. This candidate is awe-inspiring and action-inducing. This campaign is a movement – a monumental space in time where the stars have aligned to shine on one who will be the catalyst for so much more. This article added kerosene to my fire - I am so ready to go!
read it here if you have not - http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200712/obama/1
Okay, so normally, I am one hell of a 'debatress'. But I am so absolutely confounded by some of my sisters' inability to get behind my candidate, that I am often at a loss for words! Never fear. While searching the blogisphere for random commentary about "My Favorite Guy", I ran across what is perhaps the best articulated argument I've heard in a long, long time. I am re-posting this gentleman's response to several sisters (posting in the "What About Our Daughters" on blogspot - very good dialogue by the way) who are calling for Barack to address issues that Black Women have, and until he does, they will not support him....(Aaron, if you are out there listening, thank you again for this!)
"Call it whining if you like, but I question the validity of this argument altogether. I submit that the reluctance of black women to support the Obama campaign because he has articulated no policy agenda relevant to you is unfair and unfounded on the facts. One visit to the issues section of his website and you will find his views, priorities and policy prescriptions on a wide variety of issues. You maintain that none of his policy ideas address any of the concerns of black women? Even a cursory review gives indication of what he considers important:Promoting Responsible FatherhoodSupporting Low-Income FamiliesHelping Low-Income Workers Climb the Job MarketLower Health Care Costs & Provide Insurance Coverage for AllExpand Transitional Jobs and Career PathwaysSupport Parents with Young ChildrenExpand Paid Medical LeaveIncrease Funding for Head StartExtend Summer School Opportunities to Low-Income StudentsMake College More AffordableFight Health DisparitiesThe argument that Obama has no policy positions or ideas that address anything black women care about is a weak one. You can't in fairness tell me that the priorities articulated above don't address anything black women care about. It is simply factually incorrect. In my view, the demand that Obama articulate a policy agenda that narrowly addresses black women IS a requirement that he beg and pander, because he has in fact articulated priorities for an Obama presidency which affect black women as a constituency (my emphasis).My argument that black women period, full stop, should support Obama's run is straightforward:He is a QUALIFIED and CREDIBLE black man going after the nation's top job and it is in the interest of black America to support him because his leadership example advances our cause as a people, breaks down barriers and sets a positive example that should be promoted and reinforced. Win or lose, the fact that he made a credible run is good for America and good for black people. He is qualified for the job by virtue of his education and experience, and he is credible in terms of the congruence between what he says and what he does (Oh My God - I think I may actually be in heaven with this statement!!! - my addition).Call me old school, but I subscribe to the idea that I should support a brother or sister in leadership if they are doing right. Despite my disagreement with him on about 30% of the issues according to Glassbooth, no other candidate in my view is demonstrably SUPERIOR to Obama and several are clearly inferior, if for no other reason than they are fundamentally unelectable. He is as good if not better than anyone in the field (again, my emphasis - can you tell I'm excited??!!).As a community, we have freely given our support to any number of leaders who didn't deserve it and whose ethics and personal conduct left much to be desired. We have held our nose as someone said and cast our vote or support for many white and black leaders who were not really worth supporting and who did not deliver on their pandering promises. Now we have before us a black man in every way qualified and credible to run for the Presidency and all of a sudden we have an attack of searching analysis? I'm sorry, that seems to be about some other kind of issue of whats going on in our heads than it has to do with whether or not he has articulated a brilliant policy agenda for black women. He is QUALIFIED. He is CREDIBLE and bonus....he is BLACK. .I, for one, am sick of the 'loyalty card' being thrown in the faces of black women. Mostly because black WOMEN are never -- I repeat NEVER, on the receiving end of that loyalty. So what brother will get our support? The one that is SUPPORTING US, and will not insult our intelligence with 'trust me, I got your back, sis' arguments. Not. Happening. Again.I think Shecodes is giving a really honest response here. I think that the reason he is not getting more support from black women is really more about the failings of black men than the failings of his policy agenda. Some of you, maybe many of you, are angry on this score. I find it hard to explain the reluctance to support him by so many black women any other way.But we ought not let the hurts and harms we have done and are doing to each other harden our hearts and prevent us from giving our support to one of our own where it is deserved and beneficial. If it was Michelle Obama running, you would expect black men to stand up for her and rightly so. I do not argue that black women should support any black man. I would argue that black women should support any black man who is doing right. Obama is doing right. He's not doing wrong, though he may not do or say everything we might wish him to do or say to please our particular concern. If you are only willing to support him because you respect the sister he made a COMMITMENT to and therefore her judgment about him, fine, I'll take that. But my sisters, I submit to you that BECAUSE he IS a QUALIFIED, CREDIBLE BLACK MAN DOING RIGHT, that SHOULD be sufficient to gain him your support over the other candidates.And as a black man, it deeply saddens me that it is not."
As 'Villager' so eloquently put it - "Aaron you can put the hammer down because you hit the nail square on the head!"
Okay,
So I finally found a free minute to post my pics from the Heritage Day Parade - where Obama supporters were out in force! As soon as I find out how to get them on here....
Looking forward to the NBC Special next week on African-American women, in particular:
Thursday, Ron Allen will take viewers to South > Carolina -- thefirst southern primary state -- and ask > the question: Will race trumpgender or gender trump > race? In South Carolina, black women made upnearly 30 > percent of all democratic primary voters in 2004. This > year,polls show a significant number > are undecided, torn between choosing the first > African-American or firstfemale Presidential > candidate. Allen talks > with the undecided, as well the state directors for > the Clinton and Obamacampaigns, who happen to be > African-American women. >
