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Thoughts on Obama and Cuts to Social Security-Can’t Truss It

April 9, 2013 By

social security checkWanna remind folks that tomorrow (wed April 10th 2013) President Obama will present his budget proposal.. Within that proposal are plans to cut social security to the tune of $112 billion dollars..Social security is already suffering in two main ways.. First, its being called an entitlement and we see very little correction with that labeling. Words are important, because it implies that folks who receive social security are somehow gaming the system vs having paid into it over a lifetime.. In short Social security is being ‘dehumanized’.. It’s being made to sound like a poison..

Second, the average payment one receives under social security is pretty bleak..I think its something like $1200.oo  That’s not really enough for someone who is now an elder to live comfortably off of.. Many of y’all reading this who are most likely to be saddled by economic challenges of your own ranging from upside down mortgages, to college tuition for your kids or student loans that still need to be paid off had best be figuring out how you will be helping your parents, because the check the govt is cutting won’t cut it..

We are at a day and time where more robust payments should be made toward our seniors..Our national conversation should be about comprehensive elder care that goes way beyond facilities to help those with dementia, but how to seriously improve the quality of life for our aging parents  and grandparents but that does not seem to happening.. Instead we’re being hit with news about congressional investigations as to why two multi-millionaires, Jay-Z and Beyonce went to Cuba..All of this is complicated by the fact that those who have alot.. ie the 1% do not under any circumstances want to pay more in taxes.. Instead they wanna privatize social security or get a system in place where you the individual start playing around with the market and investments..  I hope folks are paying attention.. So far two million people have signed a petition which was presented to the White House..

Here’s a couple of articles and shows that you may wanna peep to be brought up to speed..President Obama is the first President to propose cuts to social security.. Some are saying don’t trip he won’t cut nothing.. There’s a long list of things we were told not to worry about, because it was believed President Obama would not compromise on.. We now know better..In the words of Public Enemy–Can’t Truss It..

Washington Post: Social Security Needs Expansion

Nation: Two Million Sign Petition to Save Social Security

-Davey D-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am9BqZ6eA5c

 

Filed Under: 2013 Daily News Tagged With: , , , ,

Editorial: In Defense of Dr Cornel West

January 25, 2013 By

Cornel-West-purple

Who am I to defend Dr. West who is a considerably one of the greatest minds God has blessed humanity with in the 21 century. He is a prophetic voice out of the African American Baptist tradition, a scholar, writer, historian and musicologist. He has been critical of President Obama and because of his criticism he and Tavis Smiley, his partner in criticizing the president have both been accused of profiteering and jealousy. Frankly, I cannot say if that is or is not absolutely false.

However, I do welcome Dr. West’s well placed articulation for the poor and disenfranchised. I applaud his truth telling in season and out of season. I encourage his well aimed perspectives on President Obama’s administration and policies. I disregard the claim that our President cannot be the Black President as a ridiculous comment, which seems only African American make about themselves and accept from others. The President is of African American descent, but he is also from other descents, yet we are not to enthusiastically advocate for ourselves to him?

I also have reflected on President Obama’s successes because I don’t want pundits, or the media, or some misinformed colleague to tell me how to think. I have listed President Obama’s first term achievements from my contextual perspective. Everyone has the right to do so;
consequently here are what the President achieved:

He overcame an intransigent Republican Party led by billionaires like the Koch brothers
and the Tea Party, who spent obscene money to defeat him. He had to deal with Sen. McConnell
and Representative John Boehner who stated their number one focus is to stop President
Obama’s initiatives, and deny him a second term.

He inherited an economy in freefall, after being robbed by Wall Street, by initiating a
stimulus that created 5 million jobs.

During his term Wall Street averages went from 6000 to 13000.

CEO’s of major corporations under Obama’s term increased their profits over 230%

He brought the economy out of a hole.

He initiated the Lilly Ledbetter Act giving women equal pay for equal work.

He saved the United States Auto Industry and thereby saving all of the Great Lakes
economy.

He wound down the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He eliminated Osama Bin Laden, after he was considered unable to be brought to justice,
and made America safer. Remember President Bush said he doesn’t even think about Osama Bin
Laden.

He appointed two women to the Supreme Court and has one more selection to make.

He initiated the Health Care Reform that every President tried to do; but could not do for
over 100 years.

He managed that we did not go over the fiscal cliff and stood up to the Republicans when
they tried to hold America hostage on raising the credit limit.

An outstanding set of presidential accomplishments, but have African Americans gotten their usual short end of the stick? Yes, and Dr. West agrees and it is why I see Dr. West serving a necessary purpose. He is critical of the President and his criticism has been on point. Speaking as a Black American I would give President Obama a B+. Why? This is why. During the first term he never spoke of the poor, just the middle class. I assume his handlers and he felt it would be political expedient to do so. However, it is the poor in this country that have been left out of any economic recovery and the poor that took the gravest economic loss. The poor are still waiting for employment, educational opportunities and gun/violence free communities.

Eric Holder

Eric Holder

Secondly, the President’s Justice Department gets a “C”. Attorney General Eric Holder has been lackluster and seemingly unaggressive in his prosecutions in the face of a growing number of rogue cops and bigoted white men killing innocent black boys and men. For example, in Mississippi there has been a rash of car accidents, where running over black men as they walk along the streets and country roads is their cause of death at the hands of white male drivers. Young white southern men have stalked unsuspecting random black males to thrill kill.

Never to forget, the shooting of boys like Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis and others. Very little or to be fair an uninspiring response from the Justice Department has been offered – – no signal or aggressive Federal prosecutions to indicate a perception of safety and protection for people of African American descent.

Also, not one Wall Streeter went to jail for stealing our money and crashing the economy. Yes, we get reports of Wells Fargo, Bank of America and CitiBank paying hundreds of millions in civil case settlements for colluding to foreclose on vulnerable and unsophisticated homeowners. These victim homeowners were predominantly of African American descent, which resulted in the largest transfer of wealth from African Americans. I ponder if the banks are so willing to settle for 100’s of millions in awards, it must mean they stole twice as much.

Thirdly, there are the drone bombings throughout Pakistan that are killing their intended terrorist targets, but the collateral deaths are innocent women and children.

Long Lines at Voting Booths

Long Lines at Voting Booths

Fourthly, where in the jobs program? Black folk voted for our President in record number (92%), in spite of misinformation scams, voter intimidation, rigged voting machines, and the reduction of voting hours. The collusion to defeat the Black vote included the Republican Party and Corporate class, who planned, hired operatives and funded illegal and close to illegal scams to thwart the Black voting strengths. Republican lawyers, legislators, elected governors, state attorney generals and even the son of the Republican candidate all have unclean hands in these unscrupulous efforts.

Valiantly African American common folk, in the spirit of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the year – long protest in Montgomery, Alabama, that galvanized the American Civil Rights Movement and led to a 1956 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States declaring segregated seating on buses unconstitutional, stood in the hot sun and long lines to cast their vote; and, seemingly no earnest effort on developing a jobs program is on the horizon.

Fifthly, I appreciate the president’s effort on the gun violence initiatives. I support his advocacy and bold leadership, but where is the focus on urban youth? Forty percent of the deaths from gun violence occur within urban communities across this nation from Oakland, LA, Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore, New Orleans and Miami. Yet, no specific plan to address the violence that has destroyed communities and a generation of young black males. Jobs and hope are the answer to the nihilism affecting these communities.

Dr. West is advocating for the least of these that seemed to again be left out. Gays got “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” repealed and the right to marry, Hispanics got Supreme Court Justice Soto -Meyer and immigration dialog, Jews got Justice Kagan and an assurance of military protection from Iran. Wall Street bankers received no prosecutions for the theft of our surplus. Women got the Lilly Ledbetter Act that ensures equal pay for equal work and the Presidential defense of Roe vs. Wade. They also received the selection of two female Supreme Court Justices and possibly a third.The middle class received Health Care Reform.

So when the President chooses to get sworn in on MLK’s Bible the President is evoking Dr. King’s values that he has fallen short of. I understand he was trying to get to a second term, but if we do not demand in politics we will not receive anything. Lastly, every King David NEEDS a Nathan. It’s is an inoculation against corruption and apathy. Our President needs someone who will call it like it is and speak for the poor and people of color. Dr. West has done a good job at that and I hope he continues, along with others. Otherwise African Americans poor, elderly and Black middle class will not get their needs addressed.

written by Reginald W Lyles

Filed Under: 2013 Daily News Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Editorial: America’s White Male Problem.. (Fear of a Black / Brown Planet)

January 7, 2013 By

Fear-of-a-Black-Planet-brownJust came across an interesting article on Alternet this morning called America’s White Male Problem.  It’s written by Frank Schaeffer an author and former right-wing Evangelical who talks about one of the underlying reasons behind some of the nihilistic directions this country seems to be taking has to do with deep-seated fears and pathology and not politics.. Here’s an excerpt of what he wrote…

The American political process is being hijacked by a reckless, whining dangerous gang of psychologically damaged white men who are far-right ideologues. I used to be one of them. It’s time to tell the truth about our white male problem.

Not everyone who disagrees with the president is a racist. Not even most people who do are. But the continuous attempt by the white far-right in Congress to shut down the government rather than work with our black president has a lot to do with racism. And lurching from manufactured crisis to crisis isn’t about politics; it’s about pathology. It doesn’t make sense politically to take the blame for risking America’s future — and the Republicans know they will take the blame — so how can we conclude other than something else is going on here?

I’m not talking about the white young male mass murderers we’re afflicted with carrying assault rifles courtesy of the NRA. I’m talking about the white far-right males who hijacked the 112th Congress and are set to destroy the 113th. They have metaphorically done to our country what the killer in Newtown literally did to 20 children, and for the same apparent reason: alienation from the mainstream and retreat to a paranoid delusional fantasy land of — literal — mental impairment.

This has less to do with politics and more to do with the fear and mental illness that grips a willfully ignorant minority of white males. But the mainstream media is talking about everything but the underlying racial, cultural and mental health issues afflicting the white male minority of far-right congressmen holding us all hostage. And the extreme insanity of the right-wing rhetoric over the last four years, from “birther” to Obama-is-a-Muslim etc., conclusively points to something other than politics.

The manufactured crisis we face are not about economics. These self-inflicted wounds are about a few people’s fear of being marginalized.

It’s not considered polite to mention race anymore. But I’m going to mention it anyway. We have a white problem.

You can continue reading the article  at http://www.alternet.org/americas-white-male-problem

You can also listen to our Hard Knock Radio interview w// Frank Schaeffer by clicking the link below

Dr Francis Cress Welsing

Dr Francis Cress Welsing

As you read this article I want people to pay attention to what Schaeffer is talking about when he talks about the psychological problems that are at play with some who are pushing extreme measures… Fear of Black/ Brown Planet... This is what Dr Frances Cress Welsing talked about years ago… Here’s a couple of videos…The first video talks about the massive lies that have been laid upon People of color…Pay close attention to the second and third videos where Welsing debates William Schockley a leading scholar from Stanford University who believed that Black people were genetically inferior.

Francis Cress Welsing.. The Gigantic Lie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n9-S5NhGMQ

Francis Cress Welsing..vs William Schockley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0AUA_J4zE4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgK6sskKmJ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgK6sskKmJ4

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Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Reporting Live From Tampa the RNC Wrap Up: Clint Eastwood Steals the Show in a Bad Way

August 31, 2012 By

For those who don’t know, political conventions are elaborate, very scripted multi-million dollars productions designed to project a compelling message drawing you to the presidential candidate.. Here at the RNC in Tampa Bay, tons of resources were devoted to trying to make people forget about the ‘legitimate rape‘ comments made earlier this month by prominent Republicans like Todd Akins.

The RNC Convention was designed to make you forget that GOP candidates like Tom Smith of Pennsylvania were running around equating out-of-wedlock pregnancies to rape. The RNC convention was designed to make everyone forget that a youthful looking VP Presidential hopeful, Paul Ryan focused on defining ‘legitimate rape’ and would prohibit an abortion under any circumstance..

In spite the ‘diversity of speakers’ on stage at the RNC it was still pretty much a sea of whiteness

The RNC Convention was designed to make the overwhelmingly white, GOP seem vastly diverse. It seems like these guys found just about every person of color they could think of to take the stage and say a lil something about how they love Mitt Romney and how great republicans are. They found some conservative Black and Brown folks who are relatively unknown and have absolutely no pull in their respective community to act like they have the masses on lock..

When they ran out of Black and Brown speakers they made sure to get some multi-racial funk, jazz and gospel bands along with singer Bebe Winans to take up the rear and perform to a crowd that was over 95% white and in more than a few instances quite hostile to people of color.

The camera people were instructed to pan to people of color in the audience, with RNC handlers strategically moving Black and Brown bodies to camera ready locations throughout the building.  On top of that signs and hand-held fans that read Hispanics for Mitt were handed out to all-white delegates of Kansas. Global Grind Editor-in-Chief Michael Skolnik was the one who was tweeting live and first reported this, was in utter shock that the GOP was orchestrating this fake diversity.

The RNC was designed to get an ultra hard-right, xenophobic, evangelical base to warm up to Mitt Romney, who just a few months prior they considered a fake conservative whose religious background (Mormonism) was dooming him to hell. The call to action was to humanize Mitt, make him likeable and have him be the friendly face of a Leave it Beaver 1950s bygone era that the GOP is determined, to return to. When they say Take Back the Country.. it’s code for ‘do whatever it takes policy-wise and economic-wise to put ‘minorities’, gays and women back in their subservient place. It’s code for ‘get rid of all safety nets and let the poor fend for themselves‘.

Mitch McConnell

The over arching theme for the RNC was if you’re poor, jobless and deep in debt, its your fault for not working hard enough. In interview after interview we did with folks like; Herman Cain to Ann Coulter to Rick Santorum to Newt Gingrich to countless surrogates the party line was ‘poor people are poor because they wanna be poor’… I want folks to read that again and reflect on that for minute..

I had a chance to Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, when I asked him if he thought some of the GOP policies would hurt the economically disadvantage?  I asked him what would you say to someone in the hood who is struggling about getting on board with some of the GOP Policies.. McConnell, looked at me and did not answer. His handlers and secret service rushed him away even though we were standing face to face. This philosophy of blaming the poor for their plight is rooted in a prosperity religious bent many here at the RNC seem to hold. The thinking is, if you are somehow economically bad off, it’s because you don’t have enough faith in God..

The RNC had been very strategic in using culture and cultural icons to put a friendly face to their intolerance. They have two highly produced movies they put out.. One was put together by the late Andrew Breibert, a former FBI informant Brandon Darby and Citizens United where it bashes the Occupy Movement, and erroneously makes the case that Occupy was a big money backed organization designed to help Obama and the Democrats. The movie depicted members of Code Pink as key members of OWS, something that is so far off the mark, that eveb Stevie Wonder can see it..

A scene from Obama 2016

The other movie, Obama 2016, was put together by former Ronald Reagan staffer Dinesh D’Souza and Gerald Molen who produced Schindler’s List. Itwas designed to demonize President Obama and show the root of his supposed rage by tracing it back to Kenya. The film says Obama grew up to have a strong disliking for colonization and colonial powers. As a result, the film suggests that Obama hates America and basically wants to get revenge on white folks. It’s a very sophisticated, polished Willie Hortonizing type of flick.. The RNC also produced some high-polished videos on welfare which needs to be banished and education which needs to be privatized.

The RNC tried to glitz things up, by calling on, Dirty Harry actor Clint Eastwood.  Someone had the bright idea, that the best was to humanize stiff, robotic Mitt Romney was to have the legendary actor sell his good virtues to America. That was a big mistake.. Clint threw away the script, abandoned the GOP game plan they spent hours and countless dollars perfecting and basically did some off the cuff type crap which in the end is likely to cost Romney major points in what looks to be a close election..

Clint Eastwood blew up the spot in a bad way w/ a bizarre conversation w/ an invisible President Obama

Clint came to the stage with slurred incoherent speech and bizarre monologue directed at an empty chair that he said contained an invisible President Obama. The whole ordeal was painful and  had everyone wondering the soundness of Mitt Romney’s business acumen. What kind of business man spends millions crafting an image only to throw it away with the recklessness of having an out of touch Clint Eastwood ‘steal the show’? At the end of the night instead of talking about Romney speech,it was Clint Eastwood that was trending on social media platforms that was being talked about endlessly.

What took the cake was when Eastwood, midway threw his act, pretended to slit the throat of Barack Obama..The cameras panned away, some cheered because they really want the President dead and others looked shocked..

Clint Eastwood’s behavior overshadowed Mitt Romney’s strongest speaker and secret weapon Senator Marc Rubio who was gonna set the tone for the GOP moving forward and with his Cuban background, remind everyone within ear shot that the GOP loves Latinos in spite of crazy anti-Brown People laws like SB 1070 and the crowd showing great enthusiasm and giving rousing standing ovations for folks like Az Gov Jan Brewer and Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

During last nights proceedings there were several disruptions both from members of Code Pink as well as upset delegates repping for Ron Paul. The Paul delegates held up signs stating how the RNC had been hijacked and Democracy was stolen. With each disruption the crowd would stand, clap and chant loudly USA, USA USA..

At the end of the day Mitt Romney gave what many deemed a lackluster speech. Skolnic pointed out that during the first part of the speech only the delegates loyal to Mitt were cheering, everyone else was either bored or unimpressed. It was only when he started talking about ways the GOP planned to make money did they warm up, and then only slightly.

Many are speculating that this election is gonna hinge not so much on undecided middle of the road voters which has long been the tradition, but instead its going to hinge on who can get their base out. The GOP has peeped that there is not a lot of enthusiasm for President Obama among key demographics and they are playing to that big time.. House speaker John Boehner spoke to this the other day when he stated loudly that he is looking forward to Black and Brown voters not showing up to the polls. GOP leaders are quick to point out that Obama has lost the enthusiasm of young voters, Black voters and Brown voters who are still upset that this his administration hs deported more than one million people, which means over one million families were broken up.

The biggest irony is even though the GOP has blatant anti-immigrant sentiments, they are hawking Obama’s deportation record while Black conservatives and even quite a few whites are actually stating that Obama has no agenda for Black people. I cannot make this stuff up folks. Look for this rhetoric to be given big microphones over the next few weeks..  Such talking points may not sway voters per say to the GOP, but it may lead to many staying home in November.

Obama supporters like to point out that the president has 94% of the Black vote and 80% of the Brown vote etc.. All that may be true. The problem is percentages don’t reflect actual numbers.. Obama may have 94% of the Black vote of those who actually show up to vote. There is talk that over 90 million people may NOT show up to the polls in November. That’s what Boehner is banking on. The RNC folks seem confident that if lack of enthusiasm for Obama doesn’t keep folks at home then the 26 states employing voter suppression tactics and laws will.

The bottom line is the folks I came across at the RNC are really angry and unrestrained in expressing and acting upon that anger. They are angry about the economy, and their way of life slipping before them. That anger has been directed toward folks of color, women, unions and students. I would not underestimate that anger.. lots of money being spent on the Presidential election, even more money is being spent on the local elections.. The GOP is pushing to win all those small seats that folks wanna ignore..

written by Davey D

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Reporting from Tampa at RNC Day 2: Condi & Ryan..Rise of the Crazies

August 30, 2012 By

 

Ann Wright being removed from the Convention after disrupting Paul Ryan‘speech

Last night during GOP Vice presidential Paul Ryan‘s speech where he told blatant lie after lie, a former army colonel and US diplomat who served under George Bush named Ann Wright along w/ a woman named Laura Mills, of Code Pink unfolded a banner that read ‘Fund Healthcare Not Warfare-My Body My Health’..They were quickly surrounded by security and rushed off the floor as the crowd chanted USA! USA! USA!

The two women came in and sat among the delegates and then positioned themselves so they would be near the press risers where all of your mainstream outlets were filming, thus they would be seen quite clearly as they unfolded their banners.. Sadly most of the outlets turned their camera’s away and did not show the disruption, on live TV.. Not too many commented on the banner unfolding even though  the women who were removed , but not arrested held a press conference that was well attended after the speech where they fielded questions.. We had them on our Pacifica national broadcast shortly after Paul Ryan spoke……

Paul Ryan

As for Ryan’s speech, to say the least it was pretty bad and chock full of lies. The most blatant was him telling the crowd how Obama didn’t bail out auto plant in his Wisconsin district which he noted was forced to close.. The problem was that autoplant closed under George Bush..You can read about that HERE.

His other lies centered on manipulating money figures like saying Obama caused the credit to be downgraded when it was Ryan and his croonies who held the debt ceiling hostage. He then talked about how we did all this wasteful spending when he sat up in congress and voted to fund endless wars, Give Bush a blank check to fight terrorism, the whole nine.. If you want you can peep some of Ryan’s lies from last night HERE

Also just in case y’all forget, because good ole Paul Ryan didn’t mention it, Y’all do know that Ryan co-sponsored a bill with congressman Todd ‘legitimate rape’ Akins that would prevent women from getting abortions in the case of rape? .

Condi Rice

The person who was downright scary and we all need to pay attention to was Condoleezza Rice.. She came on and pretty much laid down the hawkish foreign policy stances that the RNC wishes to carry out…

Condi also had the nerve to conflate the Civil Rights struggle and the fight against Jim Crow with current privatization policies like school vouchers.. She sat up there and basically said if you can come from the south like me where you couldn’t sit at lunch counters to speak before the RNC, then you can see how great America is..In the words of Kanye West, ‘That woman is Cray’..

Condoleeza Rice pulled out her Alabama card said with a straight face the Civil Rights struggle of today is school vouchers..I’m sure Condi’s friends who were the 4 little girls horrifically killed at the 16t street Church bombing are turning in their graves.. The Civil Rights struggle went from ending segregation to school vouchers??

True to form, Condi also never mentioned the massive flooding, power outages and evacuations taking place as she spoke in New Orleans due to Hurricane Isaac.. Remember 7 years to the date during Katrina, Condi was out and about shopping for shoes on 5th avenue while people were drowning..

We also heard no mention of the devastation caused by Isaac from Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, Mike Huckabee and everyone else except the Governor Martinez from New Mexico who sent out a prayer.. The good Governor got a huge raucus applause when she immediately followed up her prayer request for New orleans when she talked about her 357 magnum..

A house underwater owned by a friend of the homie Silky Slim

Basically what we had last night was, as President Obama was declaring New Orleans a disaster zone, the RNC folks were literally dancing in the aisles to a funky jazz band.. They did at one pt show a Red Cross sign telling folks to donate for victims of Isaac..The RNC folks also got pissed when the Washington news director for Yahoo News called the RNC out for ‘partying while Black people were drowning in New Orleans’, Yahoo found themselves under pressure and homeboy was fired..You can here the actual remark HERE It was something he said under his breath that got caught on tape.PBS anchor Gwen Ifle is also under fire for defending the Yahoo news director statement..

To put this new Orleans situation into perspective.. check out the twitter time line of @Dee1music. he’s been looking for his parents who last he spoke we’re stuck in the house with 5 feet of water. He’s been on twitter all night asking for folks to see if they can get to the flooded house and make sure they been rescued..

Here’s some snippets of folks I interviewed around Hurricane relief including; Former mayor Rudy Giuliani, Congressman Joe Wilson ofSouth Carolina

Today sheriff Joe from Arizona comes to town.. He’s doing a big event at the local Zoo where he’s expected to tell the RNC how and why they need to apply more oppression to Brown folks..

Here’s what some GOP folks had to say about Republicans closing the women’s gap… This includes Rudy Giuliani,  former RNC chair Michael Steele, Senator Orin Hatch, Congresswoman Joe Wilson

 

 

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Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Boxer Mike Tyson Goes Hard on herman Cain.. Takes Him Down Big Time

November 10, 2011 By

A friend of mine Jesse Washington sent me this and I been laughing all day.. Say what you want but a good dose of humor can go a long ways and have deep salient political ramifications. In 2008 we saw Tina Fey step to the plate and take down Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.. Fey’s brand of humor reduced Palin from a serious political figure to a household joke.. I think it made a difference in 08 election..

Fast forward to 2011.. We see boxing great Mike Tyson stepping into the comedy ring to take on GOP front-runner Herman Cain.. We think Tyson goes in hard, does a damn good job and wins with a solid TKO..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usNhDwc7azg

This isnt the first time Iron Man Mike has stepped into the comedy arena and got busy.. How many of y’all remember when he teamed up with Wayne Brady and Bobby Brown?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMFI-8CIu6E

Boxer Mike Tyson

Filed Under: 2011 Daily News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Barbara Lee Smashes on the GOP for HCR Repeal

January 19, 2011 By

Many of us on the left side of the political spectrum weren’t too happy with all the compromises made to get this Health care bill passed. We wanted single payer, or at least public option, instead we got something that delivers 50 million new customers to insurance companies. The GOP members who are bent on repealing HCR apparently feel that all of us should be on our own to deal with Healthcare… What are your thoughts? For those who don’t know the House just voted to repeal Healthcare Reform

Here’s what our Congresswoman had to say…


Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) issued the following statement today condemning GOP efforts to repeal patients’ rights. The Republican-led House is expected to repeal the healthcare legislation today.

“Every minute we take on this bill to repeal the important freedoms provided by the health reform law is a critical minute we are not focusing on jobs,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee.  “What a sham and a shame. Our business should be focusing on getting our economy moving by directly creating jobs and stimulating the economy.

“Instead the Republican leadership wants to add $230 billion to the deficit and empower health insurance companies to take away patient’s rights to make their own health care decisions. By repealing health reform, Republicans will give insurance companies the power to deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, deny young people up to the age of 26 the option to stay on their parent’s plans, and drop coverage for pregnant women and breast and prostate cancer patients

“Repeal will further squeeze our seniors by forcing them to pay more for their prescription drugs, and endanger the future solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund.

“Worst of all, the Republican plan to repeal the new law does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to improve health care for anybody in this country – whether to make health insurance more affordable, to provide greater coverage, to reduce costs, or to improve quality of services.

Literally their idea is to return to the same failed system that has left 50.6 million people, including 7.5 million children, without health insurance.

In the current economic environment – where more people are without coverage and jobs are scarce – making it more difficult for people to access health care or to keep their health coverage makes no sense. Instead we should strengthen and improve the current health care law, first by adding a public option to provide choice and competition and expanding Medicare for all.

“Our goal should be to realize a world where access to health care truly is a fundamental human right and not a privilege enjoyed by the wealthy few.

“Rather than continuing with this political charade, we must answer the President’s call to come together in a spirit of civility and through honest debate find solutions to the current economic crisis and put America back to work.”

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Filed Under: Political articles Tagged With: , , , , ,

Sarah Palin Offers Up Fake Ass Condolences and Apologies

January 12, 2011 By

Phony-ass Sarah Palin has blood on her hands

This is an example of what we call an Epic Failure… It’s Sarah Palin doing damage control for her image and political prospects disguised as an apology/ offer of condolences… It’s straight BS..even Stevie Wonder can see that.. Sadly Fox News and many who are part of the right-wing propaganda machine will run with this and try to make us forget that shooting victim Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford damn near begged Ms Palin to tone down her gun talk rhetoric. Palin refused.

They will try to make us forget that Palin has long exploited violent imagery as a way to convey a message that she is somehow rough, rugged and raw like the the pioneer frontiersman of her native home Alaska.We know better.

Sarah Palin is no different then the fake gangsta rapper who spins vicious tall tales of a lifestyle he never experienced.  Palin is the Bernie Madoff of political discourse..Phony to the fullest.

We want people to remember this and never forget that her reckless behavior caused 6 deaths and 14 to be injured. That’s her Scarlet letter.. Ms Palin needs to be reminded that true redemption comes when you cease to do wrong things, not issue a PR video. It comes when you condemn those in your camp who continue to practice the same hurtful behavior you once endorsed

http://vimeo.com/18698532

Filed Under: 2011 Daily News Tagged With: , , , , ,

BET’s Cousin Jeff Speaks Out Against Democrats

August 16, 2006 By

Cousin Jeff aka Jeff Johnson’s Statement:

cousin jeff JohnsonAug 16 2006: Over the past few days I have been run through the blog and email world as a traitor, an undercover operative, a money chaser, a republican sellout, and many other things. I have been talked about and attacked by people that I have considered colleagues, and in some cases friends, without a phone call or email to inquire about my decision. I have had professional contracts cancelled and future contract negotiations halted all as a result of my announcement Friday August 11, 2006 to officially support the campaign of J. Kenneth Blackwell for Governor of the state of Ohio.

However, I am not angry, bitter, resentful, or moved to retaliate. In fact I understand my brothers and sisters who question my decision, are angered by my decision, and even feel betrayed. Many of you out there think that I have lost my mind; some think that I have sold out, and others think I am chasing money.

This letter comes as my opportunity to tell the people whom I work for (my community) and work with my reasons for making such a difficult intellectual, emotional, and spiritual decision.

First and foremost I am not nor do I have plans to become a member of or work for the Republican Party. When the press release announcing my support speaks to ‘working for the campaign’ it means that I will be on the road speaking about the issues that I believe in and the need for urban and young people to come out and vote. Finally I AM NOT AN EMPLOYEE OF THE CAMPAIGN OR RECIEVEING COMPENSATION PERSONALLY OR THROUGH MY COMPANY FOR MY ENDORSEMENT. I have asked the Campaign to cover Health Insurance coverage costs that I have lost as a result of my endorsement of Blackwell and the campaign has agreed. My first priority is to make sure my children are protected, HOWEVER, the work that I do has never been about chasing the dollars and it never will be.

Beyond that, it is impossible to assess my decision without looking at the historical and current implications of the black political universe in America. Reconstruction thrust former African slaves into a period of being players in the political games of the US as opposed to simply being political pawns used by one side or the other. It was the party of Lincoln, the Republican Party, that former slaves embraced feeling that the party was dedicated to advancing their social and political best interest. Not until the early days of the Civil Rights movement did it become apparent that the Democrats were more interested in pushing for the legislative changes at the legal, state, and federal level that would provide blacks with a better quality of life than the Republicans. And so we shifted our party loyalty from the Republicans to the Democrats.

What made our shift to the Democratic Party so different from our time with the Republicans was that we now had institutions like the NAACP, SCLC, and others that were responsible for making and maintaining our political alliances. During the Civil Rights Movement these organizations and their leadership were responsible for ensuring that those alliances translated into social and political change. And they did. The passage of both the Civil and Voting Rights Acts were in part due to the political alliances made by those like Roy Wilkins and others working in connection with grassroots activists. However, after the death of the Kennedy and King we saw yet another shift.

That post-civil rights shift brings us in many cases to where we currently exist: the era of the professional activist. The post civil rights leadership provided by many we know and some we don’t know has been both incredibly effective in some areas and simultaneously negligent in others. We have seen great gains by many people of color as a result of much of their work. However, many of our leaders and organizations are now supporting these same alliances without the manifestation of social or policy changes for our community.

It must be said that the black community of 2006 is no longer the monolithic community it was 40 years ago. With that there are multiple agendas that exists within the black community, other communities of color, and poor communities. Some of these agendas overlap and some are in direct opposition to each other. Unfortunately in many cases there is no agenda at all and we find ourselves forced to acquiesce to the pre-packaged agenda of the Republican or Democratic parties that in both cases leaves many of our agenda items on the floor (if they ever made it in the room).

We are now faced with a political climate where we are forced to choose one party or the other instead of candidate-by-candidate assessment based on our own agenda. We therefore demonize each other based on party affiliation, chastising democrats that support republicans and vice versa instead of challenging both parties to better represent our agenda and in turn earn our vote. This practice of blindly supporting candidates that do not have an agenda for our community is the paramount reason for my decision.

I believe that there is as much demagoguery and scare tactic rhetoric on the left as there is on the right. As I look at the issue of voter disenfranchisement, I was on the ground mobilizing people in OH in 2000 with the NAACP and in 2004 with the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. I was present during the finger pointing and name-calling following the election, and I watched as the congress failed to follow the lead of Stephanie Tubbs Jones to get to the bottom of the situation. I questioned some of the pre election tactics and post election posturing of the Republican Party regarding the issue. However, it is important to note that in at least two of the counties where the most complaints of long lines and too few voting machines were reported there were Democrats at the head of the county election process. It was their responsibility to determine how many machines were to be placed at each location, not that of the Secretary of State. In essence both parties are complicit in not doing everything possible before and after the elections to ensure that every voter has full access to the polls and that their vote is counted. Party agendas have taken precedent over people’s access.

Secondly, after looking at both campaigns I do not see an agenda for my community in the Strickland plan. I hear rhetoric about public education, with no strategy to get there. I do not see the few blacks within the campaign being empowered to do what is necessary to engage the community with substance. He has yet to provide support to either of Ohio’s HBCUs even by visiting the campus. I also see Strickland doing black community drive-bys as opposed to meeting one on one with key leaders in the major cities of OH to share his agenda for us.

It must be said that I DO NOT agree with Blackwell on all issues. I am pro-choice and believe in a woman’s right to choose and strongly disagree on any move to take that away. I also do not believe that vouchers will save public schools, merely help a few get out of bad situations. I do however support Blackwell’s move to propose a clear education reform plan to see an increase in classroom spending for public schools. It is reform of this and other types that will push us to repair schools that are bankrupt. I also support Blackwell’s plans for job creation and economic development. He has had the best record of any state official in OH providing state contracts to black owned firms spending over 35% of available resources with minority firms. Finally, he has served on the Board of Wilberforce University for 10 years and continues to support the institution through his presence and resources, moving the President of the University and former congressman Floyd Flake to serve as the co-chair of his campaign (unpaid).

I must again reiterate that I will no longer support those who do not feel a small obligation to support me through their agenda. I would rather know what I am not getting with Blackwell, than have no idea of what I am getting with Strickland. There are many organizations on the left that would tell blacks that Blackwell is bad for them, when those organizations have no black agenda or staff at the highest and lowest levels to carry it out. We must become independent thinkers and not allow others to demonize others as if they are for us.

I am claiming my independence.

It is for that reason that I can endorse not only Ken Blackwell in Ohio, but also Kweisi Mfume in Maryland. While Mfume is running against a popular black republican (if he moves on from the primary), I believe that Mfume will better carry our agenda. As a former congressman and President of the NAACP, he has proven his commitment to our community. I am excited about his campaign and will work as hard to see him win in Maryland as I will work in Ohio for the candidate I believe, at the end of the day, will carry MORE of our water.

As a community, regardless of what demographic of the community you are a part of, I urge you to think independently. If your convictions lead you to disagree, then so be it. Just don’t allow yourself to be plugged into the political matrix moving by a partisan remote control.

In a song titled ‘My Petition’ from her project Beautifully Human, the prolific poetess, Jill Scott writes

‘You say you the know the way to go, and I should follow, but all of your empty promises leave me hollow’

Oh how do I trust you? How do I love you when you lie to me repeatedly and Oh How do I have faith in you when you just don’t come through like you said you would

While it is said she applicably wrote this to George Bush, it could easily be asked to the Democratic Party as well. I would ask that we challenge both as vigorously as we can.

While many of you reading this may still think I am off base, I ask that you would be critical of my decision, but not my character. Challenge my logic, but not my integrity. For while you may disagree with my ideology and more so my methods, I am doing what I believe is best for the people and communities that I have given over ten years of my life to. I simply believe that it is time for us to change the game.

Your Brother,

Jeff

Below is the initial press release from Ken Blackwell who is accused of handing Bush the election via Voter Fraud practices…

From the Ohio Republican Party’s Website: http://www.ohiogop.org/News/Read.aspx?ID=1215

BET Host and Former NAACP Official Joins Blackwell Team

Friday, August 11, 2006

Gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell today announced Black Entertainment Television (BET) host and former NAACP national youth director Jeff Johnson has joined his campaign team. Johnson will serve as the campaign’s advocate to young and urban voters.

”Jeff Johnson is one of the most influential leaders of his generation,” said Blackwell. ”I am proud he has joined my campaign team as we embark on this historic endeavor.”

”Ken Blackwell represents the very best that Ohio has to offer in this year’s gubernatorial race,” said Johnson. ”My feelings reflect the position of many within Ohio’s African American community who believe that Mr. Blackwell has a clearer vision for Ohio’s diverse Black community. I will carry the message that it is time to challenge the antiquated political alliances which have failed to include young and urban voters in their policy agenda.”

Johnson is considered the voice of a new generation of leadership. He engages viewers on issues ranging from violence to voting on BET’s ”Rap City” on Wednesdays from 5 to 6 p.m.

In addition, Johnson is the CEO of Truth Is Power, a lifestyle consulting firm in Washington D.C., and formerly served as the youth pastor at the Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore, Md.

From 2000 to 2003, Johnson served as the national director of the NAACP Youth and College Division. He was responsible for more than 700 Youth Units representing over 60,000 young people.

Raised in Cleveland, Johnson attended the University of Toledo where he was the first person of color to serve as student government president.

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