Sunday African American Political "Hotlinks"

Sunday African American (Black) Political Pundit "Hot Links"
Visit us every Sunday to get your serving of hot links.

Blacks Turning on Clintons?
By James Joyner

Barack Obama’s image in the media as a “fairy tale” — generated outrage on black radio, black blogs and cable television. And now they’ve drawn the attention of prominent African-American politicians. More HERE


I'm a black woman. This is my dream
Guardian Unlimited - UK

Meanwhile, Obama walks a fine line of both being 'not black enough' and pandering to 'special interests'. The accusation that he is 'inexperienced' is a cipher for deeper cultural anxieties about race.

Senator Obama is a presidential candidate of profound decency and great eloquence. He was president of the Harvard Law Review, a position that requires not just the highest grades, but also the unanimous acclaim of a band of viciously competitive students and a famously divided faculty.

American identity is best defined as the experience of the willing diaspora, the break by choice that is the heart of the immigrant myth. It is that narrative from which most African-Americans have been exiled. Hence it is precisely his place in that narrative that makes Obama so attractive, so intriguing and yet so strange. Obama's late father migrated from Kenya to the US; his mother was from Kansas. He's managed to fuse the immigrant myth of rapid upward mobility, until then almost exclusively white and European, on to the figure of a black man. Yet there are many for whom his appeal rests not on what he is - smart, full of fresh vision - but on what they imagine he isn't. He's not a whiner. He doesn't hate white people. He doesn't wear his hair like Al Sharpton.

The presidential race card

By Vanishing American

Bill Clinton says, Barack Obama’s image in the media as a “fairy tale” — generated outrage on black radio, black blogs and cable television. More HERE

Hillary and Bill Clinton Invoke "Race Card" Into 2008 U.S. Presidential Campaign

There is a great report in the New York Sun addressing what I will term "Team Clintons" efforts to invoke the "race card" into the 2008 U.S. Presidential campaign process. While at the same time insulting the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. My comments are highlighted in red in response to this great article by Seth Gitell. More HERE

Forgotten Revolutionaries
Washington Post
Those mid-century men in ties, religious leaders with strong connections to the established black community, fostered increasingly militant More HERE

Clinton camp hits Obama | Attacks ‘painful’ for black voters
The State - Columbia,S. C.
“If they are going to call themselves black leaders, and people are running by them to vote for Obama." More HERE

Before Barack Obama, there was Edward Brooke
Austin American-Statesman - Austin,TX
Nationally, African American political leaders balked at backing Obama over the Clintons, who are viewed as friendly to black causes.

Is My Left Wing Blog Owner Full of Hate?

AAPP says: Here is an interesting post from Maryscott at my left wing. I guess Maryscott is looking for that "great white hope." Below you will find a portion of the back and forth between me and Maryscott. More HERE

How to Twist Words from Negative to Positive and Advocate the Same ...
By dhblog11
But since Andy Young and people like him in the so-called Black community leaders walk about like elitist pricks that look down on other ambitious African-Americans who are not in their bougie circle, they can easily without conscious ... More HERE

The Black Commentator
“Old-style” Black leaders – including those elected by the people – are ... his African American supporters, who are now routinely referred to as Black More HERE

Iowa Caucus Results Put Pressure on Black Leaders for Endorsements
Black leaders, like black voters, have been split in their support for the ... “Hillary has great affection among African-Americans,” the elder Mr. Jackson ... More HERE

Ari Kelman: Hillary's top-down view of the civil rights movement
Bill Clinton may have been our first Black president. But if Hillary is perceived by African-American voters as being on the wrong side of a memory fight over the Civil Rights movement, she’s in trouble. She could, if she isn’t more More HERE

Clinton, Obama asking black church leaders for support
WIS - Columbia, S.C.
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The Clinton and Obama campaigns have been seeking much of their support from African-American church leaders. More HERE

Obama Gains Ground with Black Christian Leaders
By Ted-Zee-Man
The African American Leadership Committee is composed of denominational heads, civil rights leaders, as well as prominent female faith leaders who believe that Obama is living out his faith and values in his public life. More HERE

Slight of King Could Linger for Voters
New York Sun - New York,NY,USA
A Rasmussen Poll Monday reported that Mr. Obama had the support of 58% of black voters. Many African American politicians, however, such as Rep. ... More HERE

Those naive American voters
Economist
A German tabloid, Bild, offered praise for Mr Obama's “sexy” charms, under the headline: “This Black American Will Become the New Kennedy! More HERE

Obama unleashed
Paradise Post - Paradise,CA
Some black leaders have said that he is not "black enough" to represent them. That's a shame. These leaders are holding on to the idea that blacks cannot. More HERE

Will South Carolina Black Women Support Crying Hillary Clinton?

I never played with dolls, I've always played with trucks. But my sister had dolls. She had Black dolls and White dolls. Her favorite was the black doll. My siblings all had strong self esteem, I guess that comes from my Barbados roots. You know you can learn a lot about people from the dolls they play with as kids. I remember an article about Dolls and Race in America.
I feel in many ways the black doll and white doll have a lot to do with politics today, particularly in the 2008 Presidential Race.



Now for me, the question is, will South Carolina Black Women choose the crying white doll against the black doll that looks like them? Will South Carolina Black Women continue to believe that the black doll is bad and the white doll in good, like the kids above? Is the article noted below representative of the thinking of black women in South Carolina? WTF is wrong with my sisters in South Carolina? Or is it just the Associated Press just starting trouble?

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — In beauty shops, churches and living rooms, organizers for Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are in a fierce competition for the support of black voters in the upcoming first-in-the-South presidential primary.

Obama's campaign is counting on blacks who traditionally make up half of the Democratic primary voters here to deliver the state to him on Jan. 26, a victory that he hopes will help fuel momentum going into the "Mega Tuesday" voting in 22 states 10 days later. But he'll have to fend off Clinton, who comes with one of the most beloved political surnames in the black community.

The outreach is especially targeted at black women, who are reliable voters and who both campaigns recognize may feel loyalties to each candidate. And so far women have made the difference in the campaign — Obama won a majority of women in Iowa and took the state, while Clinton took most women and most votes overall in New Hampshire.

Juanita Edwards is one such voter. She came to see both candidates when they campaigned near her hometown of Simpsonville and still feels torn about which to vote for. Edwards said she's leaning toward Clinton because she likes that she had exposure to international affairs and health care during her time as first lady. But race and gender are on her mind too.

"I definitely respect the opportunity to vote for the first woman president and the first African-American president," she said. "If I have to lean toward one, I always lean toward a strong, intelligent woman." More HERE

Check out a interesting discussion HERE

On the Net:

• http://www.barackobama.com

Hillary and Bill Clinton Invoke "Race Card" Into 2008 U.S. Presidential Campaign

There is a great report in the New York Sun addressing what I will term "Team Clintons" efforts to invoke the "race card" into the 2008 U.S. Presidential campaign process. While at the same time insulting the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. My comments are highlighted in red in response to this great article by Seth Gitell.

Slight of King Could Linger for Voters
by Seth Gitell

Senator Clinton's comment stressing the importance of President Johnson at the expense of the role of Martin Luther King Jr. may come back to haunt her in the battle to attract African American voters, who make up half of the Democratic electorate in the upcoming South Carolina primary.

The situation underscores the perils for Mrs. Clinton as she confronts a challenge for the Democratic presidential nomination from Senator Obama. Her attempts to criticize Mr. Obama risk backfiring and alienating black voters, an important Democratic constituency.

A New York Times editorial yesterday highlighted the problem for Mrs. Clinton — rather than congratulating her for her victory in the New Hampshire primary, it cautioned that Mrs. Clinton "came perilously close to injecting racial tension into what should have been — and still should be — an uplifting contest between the first major woman candidate and the first major African-American candidate." The Times editorial went on to say of Mrs. Clinton's comment, "It was hard to escape the distasteful implication that a black man needed the help of a white man to effect change."

The Obama camp and civil rights leaders independent of the political campaigns yesterday seized on Mrs. Clinton's statement, "Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964…It took a president to get it done."

More of the New York Sun Article HERE

AAPP: This is not the first time the Clinton's actually invoked race into the contest to beat Obama. It's unfortunate that "Team Clinton" have been able to inject racial tension into what should have been — and still should be — an uplifting contest. They have actually implemented a strategy of racial divide. As reported in the blog A Moderate Voice and Jack and Jack and Jill Politics, The Clinton's have used very cloaked racial terms, comparing Obama to MLK while Hillary Clinton was LBJ who, you know, was the one who actually got things done. The Clinton's also have their buddy Andrew Cuomo out there acting a fool saying to Obama: 'You Can't Shuck And Jive' at a press conf. Now Team Clinton is going south in order to explain to black voters that if they, black voters, have the audacity to hope that Obama will be the real first black President, black voters dreams and Obama 's audity to run for President is nothing but a “Fantasy.”

Let's not fool ourselves, "Team Clinton" strategy is nothing new. They have received support from blogs like DailyKos, MYDD, Firedoglake, OpenLeft and others who are all hating on Obama for not kissing thier collective rings. Do you remember when Bill Clinton and the White Liberal Bloggers met in Harlem of all places, without one black blogger present.

Guess what folks, there are reasons for everything that "Team Clinton" has done in an effort to inject racial tension. Mr. Wanna be first black President could have urged organizers of the meeting to make sure that any meeting between him and bloggers include a diverse group of people. He did not, why should he, It's not part of the master plan, plus, it's not what many of the (so-called0 liberal left bloggers are all about.

That's my opinion, what's yours?

Visit African American Political Pundit

Obama Get Big Labor Endorsement

Hot News From Nevada!

NEVADA: Labor backs Obama

Big Hat tip to blogger Faboo Mama

by Faboo Mama

Well, Sen. Obama locked up endorsements from the local NV chapters of Culinary Union Workers and the SEIU. That's certainly good for the Senator, but I am scratching my head as to why these labor organizations did not back Edwards. Edwards, who has been running for president since '04, has been fine tuning his campaign to position himself as a champion of labor. Obama...I don't know what he'll do for labor, specifically. The Labor part of his website doesn't quite say anything that Democrats haven't been saying for eons:

Obama will strengthen the ability of workers to organize unions. He will fight for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Obama will ensure that his labor appointees support workers’ rights and will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers. Obama will also increase the minimum wage and index it to inflation to ensure it rises every year.

• Ensure Freedom to Unionize: Obama believes that workers should have the freedom to choose whether to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers. Obama cosponsored and is strong advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan effort to assure that workers can exercise their right to organize. He will continue to fight for EFCA's passage and sign it into law.
• Fight Attacks on Workers' Right to Organize: Obama has fought the Bush National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) efforts to strip workers of their right to organize. He is a cosponsor of legislation to overturn the NLRB's "Kentucky River" decisions classifying hundreds of thousands of nurses, construction, and professional workers as "supervisors" who are not protected by federal labor laws.
• Protect Striking Workers: Obama supports the right of workers to bargain collectively and strike if necessary. He will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers, so workers can stand up for themselves without worrying about losing their livelihoods.
• Raise the Minimum Wage: Barack Obama will raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs.
• And looking at John Edwards site, you find that there really isn't that much mentioned about unions, although on the Working Families page, there is a section that say:

  More HERE

Black Blogger Reaction To Hillary Win

The Newspapers read Clinton Defies Polls, Edges Obama in N.H.

I had planned to write an analysis of yesterday's primary and the Clinton family win in New Hampshire, but I decided not to do one because fellow Afrospear blogger, Villager, at Electronic Village has completed a great analysis that is in keeping with what I was going to post. His post, Hillary Clinton Wins in New Hampshire ... What Next for Barack Obama? is a must read.

Don't forget to read Jack and Jill Politics' Reaction to NH Primary. Hey, and While your at it Read Black Agenda Reports' article on Barack, Hillary and the Sinister Nothingness of “Change”

Citizen Journalist, Faye Anderson of Anderson@Large is also covering the election. She notes, while black men got the right to vote before black women (at least on paper), sisters will determine whether Clinton or Obama leaves the Palmetto State with a pep in their step as they march on to Super Duper Tuesday. While in the Field, The Field Negro notes how the Clinton's have called out their big guns-- such as Steinem --to make the case for gender over race, read more in his post a funny thing happened on the way to Pennsylvania Avenue. I guess as the blog Skeptical Brotha points out, negroes have come back to earth.
Lets hope issues of trusting Obama don't become the issue in South Carolina, but wait a minute, Francis L. Holland new post, I Think I Know Why Hillary Won New Hampshire makes some good points too. Maybe its just time to compare notes from a Barack volunteer in New Hampshire. It's also time to see if Barack got game.


More on the Hillary win later on this blog.

Happy Clintons' ready to go south for the black (African American) vote

Photo NY Times

The Clintons' have big support awaiting them, with some of the most respected negros' their money can buy.

Hillary Clinton Wins New Hampshire Primary

President - Dem Primary

New Hampshire - 242 of 301 Precincts Reporting - 80%

	Name	Votes	Vote %
	Clinton , Hillary	86,770	39%
	Obama , Barack	80,443	36%
	Edwards , John	37,324	17%

Clinton's Feel They "Own" The Black Vote - Bill Clinton: Obama a “Fantasy”

Photo source: Boston Hearld

Hat Tip: A Moderate Voice


Bill Clinton Accuses Press Of Helping Create Obama “Fantasy”

“It is wrong that Senator Obama got to go through 15 debates trumpeting his superior judgment and how he had been against the war in every year, enumerating the years, and never got asked one time, not once, ‘Well, how could you say that when you said in 2004 you didn’t know how you would have voted on the resolution? You said in 2004 there was no difference between you and George Bush on the war,”

Bill Clinton - Hanover, New Hampshire. More HERE

AAPP: I guess Bill Clinton believes his own press and feels he and his wife "Own" The Black Vote - This is a Bill and Hillary Clinton “Fantasy.” Let us prove them wrong South Carolina. The Clinton's don't "own the black vote" like we are some slaves. No they don't own the black vote, and Clinton is not the first Black President.

Obama, Clinton race is closer than expected

8:28 pm (EST)



CBS News exit polls suggest the Obama, Clinton race is closer than expected in New Hamshire; GOP in a two-man race between McCain and Romney.

The Real Hillary Clinton New Video

Will Clinton Seek Early Exit If She Loses NH Primary?

Clinton associates have begun lobbying for her early exit if she loses the primary by a big margin, as polls suggest she could. More HERE

Two small towns opened their polls at midnight, and the early results roughly correspond to the latest opinion surveys, with Barack Obama leading the Democrats and John McCain holding off his Republican rivals.

In Hart’s Location, Obama received 9 votes, Hillary Rodham Clinton 3 and John Edwards 1. On the Republican side, McCain received 6 votes, Mike Huckabee 5, Ron Paul 4 and Mitt Romney 1.

In Dixville Notch, Obama got 7 votes, Edwards 2 and Bill Richardson 1. Among Republicans, McCain got 4 votes, Romney 2 and Rudy Giuliani 1.

Today’s results could be pivotal for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign. She is trailing Mr. Obama by close to double digits in most pre-primary surveys. A front-page Wall Street Journal article looks at how her campaign — and her supporters — will react if she loses today.

Is My Left Wing Blog Owner Full of Hate?

Here is an interesting post from Maryscott at my left wing. I guess Maryscott is looking for that "great white hope."

Below you will find a portion of the back and forth between me and Maryscott.

Irony in '08: John Edwards, White Man, Is the Best Candidate by: Maryscott O'Connor

What a cruel mockery for liberals it is that in a year wherein we have viable candidates as historical firsts -- both a black man and a white woman -- the best person for the job just happens to be a white man. I'm hard pressed to tag John Edwards as an unlucky man, given the many blessings he's received over his lifetime; but he's also inarguably had one hell of an up and down journey. Granted, his career as an attorney brought him great wealth and prestige, and his marriage seems to have been one of true love from the beginning. But then there was the tragedy of his son's death, and his wife's battle with cancer; and politically, the man seems to have been born under the also-ran sign.

by: Maryscott O'ConnorI don't hate Obama.

I hate Clinton.

I don't LIKE Obama; I can LIVE with him, should he win the nomination. I simply prefer Edwards -- strongly. I think Obama is far too centrist and frankly more of the same old business as usual Democrats. I'd LOVE to be proved wrong, and will GLADLY admit it if that happens.

But HATE? Puh. Leeze. Do not tag my entire blog as HATING on Obama. If anything, the MAJORITY of the members of this site seem to be Obama supporters. The fact that the ones who DON'T support him are vocal and negative about it does NOT make the site predominantly anti-Obama. If I can't rant, I don't want to be part of your revolution.

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by: Maryscott O'Connor

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by: you @ soon

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Reply by African American Political Pundit

Maryscott why not stop hating period.

Mary Scott, come on now, why "hate" anyone? I can't tell you what words to use. But I must say for me "hate" is one of the strongest words in the our language. Candidly, I could care less if you support Obama, Hillary or John your "white" man as the best candidate, as you like us to know.

So it has come down to the black and white test for you. The black man v the white man, the black doll vs the white doll.

It's too bad that in the American body politic in many times comes down to hate and color. For me, I don't hate Clinton, I don't hate Edwards, in fact there is no one on this planet I hate. But that is the difference between you and I, you Hate Clinton, I dislike her. You hate on Obama, I candidly have grown to like the guy. You love John Edwards because he is the White Man, as the Best Candidate, as for as your concerned. Race matters for some, obviously for you. In Iowa for a majority it did not. In New Hampshire today, it may not. But for Maryscott, Race matters and hate matters. Your the leader of your blog. Maybe you should listen to your readers and our nation, as race begins to play a lesser role, as hatred begins to to play a lesser role, and as Americans come together like no other time since the days of Robert, John and Martin.

As MLK once said: "Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true."


African American Political Pundit

Black Politics in O8' Hot - Hillary Not

If your a black politician in a super Tuesday state you can almost pick a post in government you would like to have if your candidate call on you. Black political endorsements are going to the highest bidder for Hillary and John. As the Seattle and New York Times report:

Before the Iowa caucus returns were in Thursday, the phones started ringng in the home of Fletcher Smith Jr., a black state legislator from Greenville, S.C. Like other black leaders, Smith finds himself being courted so assiduously by the campaigns of Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama that he said he had thought, "Gosh, maybe I should run for president."

In New York, the Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil-rights activist, said he was called all Thursday night by "either the candidate themselves or someone high up in the top three campaigns" suggesting he make up his mind.

Obama's 8-point victory margin in overwhelmingly white Iowa changed the landscape of the presidential campaign, whittling away at doubts that a biracial African-American candidate could be elected. More HERE

DailyKos, MYDD, Firedoglake, OpenLeft Hating on Obama

Obama has a 13-point NH Lead. Its great to see so many believers flock to see Obama in the flesh I'm glad to see Obama ahead of Clinton in New Hampshire Primary with so many Americans finding a new champion in Obama including Bill Bradley and John Anderson backing Obama how can anyone stop him? It seems that the endorsements for Obama just keep on coming in. Barack Obama has won the backing from Will Smith Even as Clinton's emotions flow and new reports provide detail on the woman who elicited Hillary's cry baby act. Look out! Now the Clinton campaign says Obama is breaking state law.

Now we learn Markos Moulitsas, has joined the haters group. Yes the founder of the Daily Kos, Jerome Amstrong of MyDD, Jame Hamsher of Firedoglake and Matt Stoller of OpenLeft, are all hating on Obama.

I guess its true, as the Washington post points out, Obama's rise has sidelined left wing bloggers. And the whitosphere is pissed. Check this out, the Washington Post article notes that: Last week, Markos Moulitsas, founder of the popular liberal blog Daily Kos, accused Obama of embracing a "right-wing talking point" as he campaigned and said, "I don't want to go into the next election starting off with half the country already not wanting to vote for Democrats. We've done that in 2004, 2000." In a blog post headlined "Obama slams Gore," Moulitsas wrote: "Psst, Barack, slamming John Kerry and Al Gore is what Republicans do. Last time I checked, Gore won his election. And really, is Obama going to argue now that the nation was divided because of the Democrats' fault? Is that the latest right-wing talking point he wants to peddle?"

The Washington Post also reports: "his relationships with big-name bloggers, such as Jerome Amstrong of MyDD, Jame Hamsher of Firedoglake and Matt Stoller of OpenLeft, has been strained. "What Obama did in Iowa, getting all those young people to vote, was really inspirational. It was a miraculous achievement," Hamsher said. "But the idea that you can reach out to Republicans and they'll work with you isn't so convincing to people who have watched the Republicans in Congress. There are those who are worried that it's a false hope he's giving. More HERE

PS: Lets not forget My Left Wing who says: The Irony in '08: John Edwards, White Man, Is the Best Candidate.

AAPP: Hey Afrospear (Afrosphere), the attack of the white liberal blogger has begun against Obama. Hey whiteosphere "Stop Hating."

Hillary Clinton as The Cry Baby President? - With Eyes Watering, Voice Cracking

Hillary Clinton is not ready to be a true leader of America.

Hillary playing the "gender card."

Clinton gets emotional

As one Washington Post reader wrote, "eyes watering and voice cracking, this should be her undoing. If she cannot handle the emotional stress of the campaign, especially in these early stages, she certainly isn't steadfast nor strong enough to handle national security, the economy, a volatile Congress, and - heaven forbid - an enemy."

Photo Source: Hotair.com

AAPP: I wonder if this is another one of Hillary Clintons' staged events? I wonder if she is going for the sympathy vote? This crying event coincides with a new campaign Web site — www.TheHillaryIKnow.com — that includes videos for several friends, colleagues, and constituents of Clinton's speaking on her behalf. Candidly I think she is playing the "a black man made me cry" routine. Or is it like Black Political and Social Activist Eddie Griffin says of her, Vote for Me or I’m Going to Cry?

AAPP: The bottom line, she cannot be trusted.

The First Real Black President Is Not Bill Clinton

OK folks let's get real. The first black president is not Bill Clinton. It will be Barack Obama. But, remember this, "Barack Obama will be the president of all the people of the United States." Even if those idiots of the Congressional Black Caucus honor Bill Clinton as "the first black President." For any black person who believes change is coming from these guys in the photo (below) needs to take a look at our nation. This may be America's new JFK moment that America has been waiting for. Any old candidate won't do this time. Of course Hillary is trying to sound like Obama now. Soon she will try to act and look like Michelle Obama, Don't be surprised if she changes her hairstyle soon. Even my afrospear blogger brothers and former Obama skeptic like my good brotha The Field Negro, along with (update) my good brotha Skeptical Brotha, my good brotha Francis Holland and many other black bloggers are beginning to believe in brother Obama. Meanwhile,Skeptical Brotha also reports Jacqueline Jackson has stopped her endorsement ad for Hillary Clinton.

PS: New York in play: Former N.J. U.S. Senator Bradley to endorse Obama

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton is not looking good these days after getting the beat down in Iowa by Brarack Obama. I guess Hillary must be wondering to herself, why didn't I just say I was wrong about supporting the Iraq war. She lost the youth vote, the female vote, the male vote, the middle age vote, the senior vote, the black vote, the native American vote, She blew every voting segment in Iowa. Now we learn that Clinton's N.H. Backers Worried I guess they should be.

It's time for Hillary and her supporters to let go, and let Obama bring our country back from the ruins created by both Republican and Democratic administrations who have bankrupted America. It's time for a new beginning, as a change is about to come even in the deepest south..

AAPP