Can You Be Black And A Member of The Tea Party Movement? Stop Laughing, We're Serious!

Obama Signs Historic Healthcare Bill As Republicans Began Mobilizing Opposition

With the strokes of 22 pens, a buoyant President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed into law the most far-reaching healthcare overhaul in two generations, vindicating a yearlong struggle on which he had staked his presidency.

'We . . . mark a new season in America' is what the commander-in-chief proclaimed, even as GOP leaders vowed to let the people decide in the 2010 elections whether they are really "feeling this!".

In a crowded White House ceremony that was both partisan celebration and recognition of history in the making, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) raised their arms like victors at a pep rally; Victoria Kennedy, widow of health reform champion Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, blew a kiss; and Vice President Joe Biden -- as he embraced Obama -- was caught by an open microphone using an obscenity, exclaiming "This is a big . . . deal."

Obama said the moment was proof that a polarized political system could still produce substantial change to help everyday people.

"Today, after almost a century of trying; today, after over a year of debate; today, after all the votes have been tallied -- health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America," the president said. "It is fitting that Congress passed this historic legislation this week. For as we mark the turning of spring, we also mark a new season in America."

He spoke from a lectern in the East Room, surrounded by congressional Democrats and guests who played parts in the law's adoption.

Victoria Kennedy and Obama wore blue plastic wristbands that said, "TedStrong." The bands had been distributed last summer as a sign of support for the senator during his battle with cancer.

And Obama gave a wide-swinging handshake to Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio), a target of presidential arm-twisting who switched his vote from no to yes in the final days.

An administration official later described Biden's gaffe -- whispered into Obama's ear as the two embraced -- as "rational exuberance."

Standing in front of the red carpet leading into the East Room, Obama said: "With all the punditry, all of the lobbying, all of the game-playing that passes for governing in Washington, it's been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing; to wonder if there are limits to what we, as a people, can still achieve. It's easy to succumb to the sense of cynicism about what's possible in this country.

"But today, we are affirming that essential truth -- a truth every generation is called to rediscover for itself -- that we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations."

Still to be dealt with is a package of proposed changes in the law designed to deal with features that many House Democrats objected to. The changes are contained in a so-called budget reconciliation bill that was approved by the House and now goes to the Senate, where Democrats hope for speedy approval under rules that bar filibusters.

After his remarks, Obama sat at a small table and signed the bill, using two pens for each of the 11 letters in his name. Twenty of the pens would go out as souvenirs; two were reserved for his presidential archives.

With the multiple pens strokes, Obama achieved something that had eluded presidents since Theodore Roosevelt in the first decade of the 20th century -- winning congressional approval of a wide-ranging overhaul of healthcare.

And he made good on a pledge that originated in Iowa City in May 2007, when -- as a first-term senator from Illinois and underdog presidential candidate -- Obama first rolled out a plan to cover millions of uninsured Americans.

The signing ceremony was packed with Democratic lawmakers who spent the last year writing, shaping and arguing about a healthcare bill that consumed Washington and forced other legislative priorities to the back of the line.

Not a single Republican voted to make the Senate blueprint the law of the land. Underscoring the partisan divide, not one GOP lawmaker was present in the East Room; only those who voted for the bill were invited.

When Obama and Biden entered the room, the crowd leaped out of their chairs and clapped. Someone started the chant from Obama's campaign: "Fired up, ready to go!"

Obama welcomed the waves of applause and whistles and encouraging standing ovations for everyone he thanked.

The new law is a "testament to the historic leadership and uncommon courage of the men and women of the United States Congress, who've taken their lumps during this difficult debate," Obama said.

Continue reading...

Why It's So Hard To Be A Black Republican

What I Really Meant To Say Was...

Dale Robertson, a Tea Party activist who operates TeaParty.org, is getting rightfully slammed for this photo taken at the Feb. 27, 2009 Tea Party in Houston — in which he holds a sign that reads “Congress = Slaveowner, Taxpayer = Niggar.”

Pop the hood for an update and a look at fool who sported this forward thinking apparel during the 2008 presidential election:

Josh Parker of the Houston Tea Party Society on record stating that Robertson was booted out of the event for this sign. This redneck is so stupid, he even spelled the offensive word wrong. IDIOT!!!


And of course, you could forget THIS!

Does This Black Republican Understand Sarah Palin's Appeal? You Betcha!

The GOP All Pause!

by Kevin Ross

This was the post that started it:

"Many of you know I'm a Republican. Before I give you my thoughts, however, I'm curious to know what you guys REALLY think of former Alaska Governor and GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin?"

Who could have imagined that this question would illicit such an avalanche of insightful, hilarious, disturbing, and outrageous comments from many of my African American Facebook friends?

I certainly couldn't. But I completely understand why the controversial political vixen is "Going Rogue"... all the way to the bank.

Having been on Facebook now for almost two years, I have NEVER had 55 comments on anything I posted. The closest was when I asked my over 1900 friends to use one word to describe me. That garnered about 31 replies. Even cajoling folks to recall how we met only snag 29 willing participants. Take for example this comment:

"I thinks she's a "back asswards", intellectually "dithering", bobblehead whose absolutely dangerous in her willful and purposeful stupidity and ignorance."

So for the moose-hunting darling of the GOP to have this many individuals bag, dis, clown and essentially give no dap to a "Richard Nixon in lipstick" tells me there is something extra special about this "MILF" of five and grandmother to a boy whose daddy is big on armpit hair.

And Sarah Palin is "all sorts of pissed about it." No, not just about the recent Newsweek cover featuring her looking quite fetching in a sexy jogger number that amply shows off her gams. Those liberal media news outlets are all on her doo-doo list -- particularly that porn collage called Playgirl featuring the suddenly ubiquitous and perennial thorn in her side Levi Johnston.

It's that righteous indignation that Palin has down to a science that have some on the political left and moderates on the right regularly experiencing Schadenfreude whenever the 45-year-old is knocked down a peg.

And yet everyone who gets on board the SS Sarah Smile strikes gold. Katie Couric effortlessly makes Palin look mentally numb and voila, her ratings and reputation for being a stellar journalist suddenly reappear. SNL's Tina Fey portrays a spot-on caricature of presidential candidate John McCain's unusual vice-president choice and walks away with an Emmy.

Oprah invites Palin on her show for a gabfest and reinforces, during November sweeps and the announced ending of her syndicated talker no less, why Winfrey's the queen of daytime. Associated Press reporters must really love her. With 11 reporters assigned to fact-check Palin's HarperCollins tomb Going Rogue during the midst of company layoffs, I'm sure few are complaining at AP, particularly when the alternative would be job hunting during a sustained economic downturn.

We won't even talk about the book publishing world that is thanking God-Almighty for delivering a tectonic wonder woman capable of moving 1.6 million books with lightening speed off the shelves to salvage what has otherwise been a disastrous year for many New York literary companies.

Yet despite Sarah Palin's success as a wife, a mother, politician, opinion leader and now author, large numbers of black people just are not feeling her. Another comment echoed the sentiments of many:

"Sarah Palin perfectly represents the backwards-thinking types in this country who are, more often than not, uneducated and not exposed to people of different cultures. I dislike her, not because she's a Republican, but because she stirs up so much moronic rhetoric. She does nothing to push forward an intelligent discussion. I am not even a Democrat, I'm an Independent. While I have close friends as well as my father who are Republican, I have serious doubts about the intelligence of anyone who seriously supports Palin."

While my Facebook compadres pale to Palin's 1 million plus supporters, another person who I attended college with years ago went much deeper:

"As I watched the opening ceremony of this year's RNC convention as I do every four years, I was taken aback by her nasty and snarky comments. Her divisive behavior continued on the campaign trail. As a Christian, I was struck by her dishonesty and outright unchristian-like behavior. Sarah Palin is part and parcel of the problem that has created this frenzy in the extreme right wing fringe of the Republican party. This is the same group who is now selling t-shirts using scripture to abdicate the assassination of the President of the United States.

Palin is far from stupid, but certainly media hungry and a political scab willing to cut down anyone to further her own agenda. Another LIAR in the political arena, but too slow to cover her own story.

While I wish to never hear from Sarah Palin again, she will never go away as long as she can draw the lines she gets in conservative states like Michigan. She is divisive to the country and the Republican party as a whole. What a can of worms McCain opened when he selected her. He had several excellent choices to pick as a viable female running mate, and now we will have her hanging around our neck for years."

Me, I totally get why Blacks can't stand her. When you see the overwhelmingly white men and women rabid over the barracuda from Wasilla, quite a few look like a mix of trailer park dwellers, KKK recruiters, and backwoods hillbillies. Progressive African Americans are not letting the "yahoos" back into the mix without a verbal beatdown, and thus the sometimes shrill but no less robotic, Pavlovian response whenever Palin's name is even whispered.

But I also understand why middle America, the hockey moms, NASCAR fans, Ann Coulter, and small business owners are sprung. They are among those 4 million viewers that Fox News regularly caters to. Sarah Palin is hands down the most attractive Republican candidate since Ronald Reagan stepped on the scene to die-hard, GOP enthusiasts waiting with open arms. And while people joked about how stupid and how much of a light-weight the B-movie actor was, Reagan knew how to work a camera and television screen.

Also a former governor, Reagan (who had enough sense to finish out his term before making a White House run) was a blue-ribbon superstar in that he was able to raise money and get people to buy into his bigger than life persona, all the while maintaining his common man touch. Possessing charisma and charm the likes of which had not been seen before, Ronald Reagan had the "it" factor, something no other Republican leader has had since he exited stage left.

Until Sarah Palin!

Now, do I believe the 2008 trophy candidate was qualified to be president? Absolutely not. I had already decided that I was casting my vote for then Senator Barack Obama even before Palin gave me a little wink. After her debut, I was that much more convinced that my party was going down in flames on the down-ticket races as well. Sarah Palin was a cynical choice, based on having a limited pedigree that perfectly fit all the necessary boxes: good looking, pro-gun, pro-life, pro-military, driven, and a fresh face that would fire up the base without McCain being upstaged.

As for a woman being used to trump the historical significance of an African-American ascending to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue once Hillary Clinton was pummeled in the Democratic primary, well, that goes without saying.

On so many levels, however, Sarah Palin has exemplified the same intangible attributes our current president possesses. There is something special about Barack Hussein Obama. Despite over-promising and under-delivering, Obama has the ability to captivate and mesmerize. He has tapped into the country's change zeitgeist, even if the results are mixed at best.

That in itself is no small fete. It requires a tactical, resilient individual who not only understands their brand, but recognizes that it's more potent than lightening in a bottle. At least during their 15 minutes of fame. This is why so many people unknowingly embolden Sarah Palin every time they relegate her to being a clueless tool for those who ultimately want Obama to fail and fail miserably.

Yet, these are the same citizens baffled as to why demagogue Rush Limbaugh is more popular than ever, while CNN continues to rearrange the Titanic deck chairs when it comes to their dismal ratings and dwindling influence in the hardball political journalism arena.

Is Palin academically challenged? Duh! And here is where any comparisons to President Obama end. As Oprah was very fond of saying, "He's brilliant!" Palin, well... not so much.

That notwithstanding, do Sarah Palin's other assets more than make up for her lacking of intellectual rigor? Can a audacious gal who's easy on the eyes, carries herself a certain way, has her own authentic message of hope, and who demonstrates a tenacious work ethic get over in this country (i.e. get paid and be a potential king maker) without running for president in 2012?

Res ipsa loquitur. That's Latin Sarah, for the fact speaks for itself.

Kevin Ross is president and CEO of 3BAAS Media Group and an online host for Blogtalkradio.com

Jay-Z's Rocawear Line Still So Fresh And So Clean-Clean A Decade Later!

Rocawear to Celebrate 10th Anniversary
75 African Migrants Feared Drowned Off Italy
NY Gov. Paterson: Media Using Racial Stereotypes
Michael Jackson Burial Moved to September 3
Spike Lee's Jackson Birthday Bash Could Draw 10K
Radio One, Inc. Delays 2009 Annual Shareholders' Meeting

Black Conservatives in the Age of Obama

Obama Calls for 'Honest Debate' on Health Care
Birth Certificate Backs South African Runner in Gender Storm
Black Teens Severely Beat White Teen for Dating a Black Girl
United Nations Hails Security Gains in Haiti
Library Moves Children's Book After Racism Claims
Kelis Eyes Retro Spousal, Child Support from Nas

Olympic Sprinter LaShawn Merritt Takes Men's 400!

Source: Black Report

Sometimes Black Republicans Have To Call A Spade A Spade!

So I said to him, "Barack, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't Abe Lincoln."

A fellow member of the GOP, also African American, sent this picture and accompanying words via email. It depicts famed members of the Republican Party including Nixon, Reagan, Bush I & II, and Roosevelt among others sitting around a table engaging in what appears to be a friendly poker game.

My friend wanted to know what I thought of this. I had an immediate visceral reaction that was so strong, it me to stop what I was doing and post it. It doesn't stop here. Under the hood, check out the rest of the language.

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

.....Abraham Lincoln

Thoughts???

Republican Chair Michael Steele Apologizes To Limbaugh, Returning Fat, Old, White Men As The Face Of the GOP

The Republican National Committee (RNC) two months ago names an African American man, Michael Steele, as head of his party. After serious losses in the last two national elections, it is obvious that the Republican Party (GOP) is trying to be sensitive to a changing and more "inclusive" United States.

But just when you thought it was good to jump back into the murky waters of the Republican Party, out jumps an old familiar shark... talk show host, drug smuggler and addict Rush Limbaugh. Rush goes after Mr. Steele, and Steele is the one who apologises. What did Steele apologize for? Check Under the Hood.

Now America knows once again why people of color aren't feeling the GOP and why Michael Steele is no Barack Obama.



What started this all off was Rush Limbaugh having the audacity to announce on national radio, 'I hope he (Barack Obama) fails.' and then he repeated it as keynote speaker this weekend at the at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). As expected this set off comments from Democrats. What was not expected though, were continued comments from highly visible Republicans, like financial analyst and fellow talk show host Bob Brinker, ("There are those who wish to do our country harm and are unAmerican as they wish failure on this president"). And then came comments from Republican National Committee Chair, Michael Steele while on D.L. Hughley's CNN show Saturday, Rush is ... an entertainer whose show is, quote, "incendiary and ugly.".

Monday Rush then came back after Steele on his radio show. Putting Steele on notice that he (Steele)was "Chair of the Republican National Committee and not Chair of The Republican Party. That Steele really needed to change his own rhetoric and basically not to just mouth Democratic views. "For this reason Michael Steele is having a hard time getting anyone to pick up his phone calls when trying to fundraise for the party."

Last night, Steele told Politico that he hadn't meant to slight Limbaugh by calling him an "entertainer" whose rhetoric could be "incendiary" and "ugly,"and actual called Limbaugh a "leader" in the Republican Party. He conveyed this apology to all who would listen and or print it.

All the while Democrats all over are just loving this family squabble and the prospect of the polarizing Rush being the face of the Republican Party. Democratic National Committee Chair, Tim Kaine issued a statement that Limbaugh is, in fact, the GOP's leader--a notion Steele has had to refute publicly twice in the past three days.

"Chairman Steele's reversal this evening and his apology to Limbaugh proves the unfortunate point that Limbaugh is the leading force behind the Republican Party, its politics and its obstruction of President Obama's agenda in Washington," Kaine said, in a statement issued by the DNC press office last night.



Finally I thought it might be interesting to go back to Michael Steele acceptance speech when he was elected Chair of the RNC, "We’ve been misidentified as a party that doesn’t care, a party that is insensitive, a party that is unconcerned about minorities,” he said, adding, “Nothing can be further from the truth.”

He also said “the Republican Party had been unfairly caricatured by Democrats “and the media” as racist and insensitive to the needs of ordinary Americans” and, “in deliberations that stretched over nearly five hours and six ballots, Republicans suggested that they saw selecting an African-American chairman as helpful in redefining the party’s image.”

Well "man of Steele" take one giant step back because you have lost your party changing super powers to Kryptonite Rush Limbaugh.

Good Ol' Boys In The Republican Party Are Either Stupid, Ignorant, Clueless or All The Above!

RNC Candidate Defends 'Negro' Song / GOP Not Amused
Chicago Tabbed as Most Segregated by Race
Michael Jackson Leases Luxury Mansion
Ghana Presidential Runoff Vote Too Close to Call
Canadian Writer Calls NBA 'Ghetto Garbage'
Blagojevich Defense Wants Top Obama Aides to Testify

Some But Not All Find Obama Family Attainable Ideal
UFC Out to Attract the African-American Market
Zimbabwe Child Malnutrition Rises
End of an Era for Bay Area Black TV Journalists
Gay & Bisexual Black Men Have Lowest Use of Prostate Testing
Why Guinea's People Welcomed the Coup

Black Report

VP Nominee Joe Biden to Endorse Black Republican Candidate Abram Wilson in California Assembly Race!?

“Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden in a recent visit to the Bay Area a few days ago endorsed Abram Wilson (shown here with his wife Dr. Karen Wilson) the Republican Candidate running in the sharply contested 15th District Assembly Race in Contra Costa, Alameda, Sacramento, and San Joaquin Counties. This seat, the most contested legislative district in Northern California, has a 2% registration difference between Republicans and Democrats – Biden’s endorsement could put the African American Mayor of San Ramon over the top.”

And – if you believe that – I have some swampland in Florida to sell you.

The thought of the liberal “Joe Senator” endorsing mainstream Republican Wilson is about as likely as the thought of Republican VP Nominee Sarah Palin endorsing union-backed Joan Buchanan in this contested race.

Yet, a mailer sent out this week from a group called “Create Change – Support Joan Buchanan Independent Expenditure Committee” suggested that Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin was indeed supporting Buchanan, a Democrat.

Confused? The story continues ...

African American Republican Assembly Candidate Gwen Patrick Doesn't Want Gay Marriage In California - What Say You?

Black Civil Rights Leader Demands Resignation of California Republicans Who Put Out Racist Obama Slur

This Black Republican Agrees: They Need To Go!

Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson today demand that leaders of the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated based in Upland resign.

Though they have withdrawn the racist newsletter photo mocking Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama and have been rebuked by state Republican officials, they still refuse to acknowledge that the ad or worse their intent was racist. They called the depiction of Obama eating watermelon, fried chicken, and ribs as “innocent.”

“Racist depictions and stereotypes are never innocent,” said Hutchinson, “Whether it’s a presidential candidate or any African-American they demean and degrade. McCain and GOP leaders should call for their resignation.”

Copies of a Letter to John McCain urging him to call for the Republican group leader’s resignation will be released to the press at the briefing.

This is embarassing and needs to be addressed. Now!!!

Folks Who Get It: Stop Trippin Over The Gay Rumors, Robin Roberts Is One Class Act!

Black GMA Anchor Opens Up: Cancer's Emotional Toll

Milwaukee's Black/White Jobless Gap is Highest in U.S.
Quiet Political Shifts as More Blacks Are Elected
'New Pathway' for African Exodus
GOP Head Compares Obama to Bin Laden
Democrats Target Voters Who Think Race is an Issue
Obama Unveils Proposal for Spurring U.S. Economy

McCain's Black Supporters Face Backlash
Janet Jackson (Pregnant Maybe?) Cancels More Concerts
South Africa Strikes New AIDS Tone
Sudan to Conduct Its Own Darfur Trials

Russell Simmons Girls Get Their Own TV Gig

1 in 3 Atlanta Police Academy Grads Have "Criminal Issues"

Say What? Cash-Strapped Chicago Closes For 6 Days

While I May Not Agree With This View of Sarah Palin, NY Times Writer Frank Rich Is Wickedly Good With A Keyboard

By Frank Rich

WITH all due deference to lipstick, let’s advance the story.

A week ago the question was: Is Sarah Palin qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency? The question today: What kind of president would Sarah Palin be?

It’s an urgent matter, because if we’ve learned anything from the G.O.P. convention and its aftermath, it’s that the 2008 edition of John McCain is too weak to serve as America’s chief executive. This unmentionable truth, more than race, is now the real elephant in the room of this election. No longer able to remember his principles any better than he can distinguish between Sunnis and Shia, McCain stands revealed as a guy who can be easily rolled by anyone who sells him a plan for “victory,” whether in Iraq or in Michigan. A McCain victory on Election Day will usher in a Palin presidency, with McCain serving as a transitional front man, an even weaker Bush to her Cheney.

The ambitious Palin and the ruthless forces she represents know it, too. You can almost see them smacking their lips in anticipation, whether they’re wearing lipstick or not.

This was made clear in the most chilling passage of Palin’s acceptance speech. Aligning herself with “a young farmer and a haberdasher from Missouri” who “followed an unlikely path to the vice presidency,” she read a quote from an unidentified writer who, she claimed, had praised Truman: “We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty and sincerity and dignity.” Then Palin added a snide observation of her own: Such small-town Americans, she said, “run our factories” and “fight our wars” and are “always proud” of their country. As opposed to those lazy, shiftless, unproud Americans — she didn’t have to name names — who are none of the above.

Continue...

Blogtalkradio Host Kevin Ross On CNN Discussing Being A Black Republican For Obama

See The Actual Interview Here

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Polls indicate that about 7 percent of blacks describe themselves as Republicans. Some say they are torn this election between ideology and the chance to make history.

"For me, this election, I have to go with Barack Obama," said black Republican Kevin Ross.

Ross says while he'll vote for Obama for president, he'll vote along Republican Party lines for the rest of the ticket. He says his two young sons are one of the reasons he's supporting Obama.

"When I look at those young people and I look at my boys and say you can be anything you want to be -- that holds true except for one position and that one position has been president of the United States," said Ross.

KINI-CLAD, GUN TOTIN' SARAH PALIN: GOD BLESS AMERICA!

In short, Sarah Palin is the emblem of what feminism was supposed to be all about: an unafraid, independent, audacious woman, who soared on her own merits without the aid of a patriarchal jumpstart, high-brow matrimonial tutelage and capital, and old-boy liaisons and networking.

For the rest of this guys take on McCain's VP pick, click here. And if anyone believes Govenor Palin's spot on the GOP all-star team is not about abortion, check this out.

Meanwhile, Time Magazine discusses how Team Barack is handling this latest curve ball:

Nobody was more surprised by John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate than the people who run the Barack Obama's campaign. "I can honestly say that we weren't prepared for that," says David Axelrod, Obama's top strategist. "I mean her name wasn't on anybody's list. It was a surprise to a lot of Republicans as well."

Their shock was evident in their initial, clumsy reaction, a hard-hitting two sentence statement from Obama spokesman Bill Burton which included this zinger: "Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency." Eighty-six minutes later, the campaign corrected course, issuing a second statement from both Obama and his running mate, Delaware Senator Joe Biden: "While we obviously have differences over how best to lead this country forward Governor Palin is an admirable person and will add a compelling new voice to this campaign."

Later that afternoon, Obama, almost apologetically, explained the discrepancy: "You know campaigns start getting these hair triggers and the statement that Joe and I put out reflects our sentiments." The do-si-do by the campaign reflects their initial uncertainty on how to deal with Palin, a rare moment of unsure footing for the usually flawlessly managed 19-month-old operation.

The dilemma the campaign has about how to deal with the sudden emergence of this political superstar comes down to this: it possibly can't ignore her, but going after her directly could easily backfire. If anything, the past week has shown that Palin wears a similar coat of Teflon as Obama. Just as many of Obama's opponents suddenly found themselves accused of playing the race card, many of Palin's supporters have been quick to accuse Dems of outrageous sexism in the frontal assault on Palin's record and family.

Still, given her attacks on Obama, his campaign will have a hard time resisting the urge to respond head on. Many observers had assumed that the choice of Palin would effectively take the McCain campaign's experience argument off the table. But the Republicans have shown no such reluctance, continuing to claim that Palin's eight years as a small-town mayor and two years as Alaska Governor make her more qualified than Obama with his seven years in the Illinois Senate and three years in the U.S. Senate — or even Biden with his 35 years in the U.S. Senate.

Sarah Palin Hit It Out The Park.. Without Black Diversity In The House

Per GOP, African American Voter Outreach Has Failed

A Mostly White Republican Convention
VP Pick Sarah Palin Takes on Obama in St Paul

Obama's Edge in Key States Acceptance Validates Black Men
Serena Edges Venus in All-Williams US Open Quarter
MD Black Caucus Says New DNA Law Violates Civil Rights

Katrina Redux /Haiti Facing Storm 'Catastrophe'

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Robbed for $7 Million in Jewelry
Racial Disparities Seen in US Breast Cancer Care
Africa's 'Green' Potential Needs Foreign Cash: World Bank
Tiger Woods' Wife Expecting Another Child

Ghana: Slavery Not Yet a Closed Chapter

Blacks Could Fare Well With Vegetarianism

Terrence Howard: Must Be the Music

Meet Bristol's Baby Daddy: Levi "F---in Redneck" Johnston

Potential VP's Daughter & Hockey Badboy Have Some 'Esplainin To Do!!!

Doe-eyed Bristol Palin, 17, and Jamie Lynn Spears have a lot in common. Both are white, pretty, young ladies who's family members helped thrust them into the national spotlight.

Oh, Bristol and Jamie have also become the poster twins for teen pregnancy. The only difference, however, is that Bristol's soon-to-be baby daddy is a self described "F---n' Redneck".

Maybe it's me, but something tells me that won't go over well with the brothers. I'm just saying!

A ruggedly handsome varsity hockey jock that obviously was not properly vetted, Levi Johnston is an 18-year-old who's dating VP pick Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, for about a year according to locals in Wasilla, Alaska.


The all-American teen twosome will make the Alaska governor a grandma at age 44 - just in time for Christmas.

And the pregnancy? It was an open secret in the close-knit town of 9,780. Wasilla High School Warriors' coach Bill Sturdevant said he never believed that talk. "He was the same kid from the beginning of the season to the end. No signs of anything like that," the coach said.

"He was a good kid to be around, with lots of friends. He was well-liked."

A telephone number for Levi Johnston's parents, Sherry and Keith Johnston, was disconnected.

Besides his hard play on the ice, Levi Johnston was also a bit of a hell-raiser off it - another reason Bristol may have been smitten. State troopers popped Johnston last year for snagging some king salmon out of season in Moose Lake, records from Alaska wildlife enforcement show. He had to pay $370 bail.

On his MySpace page, Johnston proudly declares: "I don't want kids." "I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing," he says on the site. He also warns that if anyone messes with him, "I'll kick ass."

Given the almost zero appeal the GOP currently has with African Americans right now, this is not a good look for John McCain in general and Republicans in particular. I mean seriously, how do you spin that bull???

This election is just the gift that keeps on giving. I'm already busy casting the movie.

My vote is Will Smith and Kimberly Elise as Barack and Michelle Obama, and Richard Dreyfuss or Colonel Saul Tigh of Battlestar Galatica as John McCain. To round this thing out let's go with Emma Thompson as Hillary, William Hurt as Bill Clinton, John Voight as Joe Biden, Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, Hillary Duff as Chelsea, Robin Wright Penn as Cindy McCain, and High School Musical's Zac Efron as Levi. Stop me if you think I'm off track.

Source

36 Reasons Republicans Need More Blacks In The Party

Where My People At????

Former Md. lieutenant governor Michael Steele is only one of 36 black delegates at the Republican convention here — less than 2% of the total and a sharp drop-off from 2004, a black think tank reports.

Nevermind a pregnancy that the McCain/Palin campaign clearly wanted to hide (note the 17-year-old at Friday's press conference being strategically covered by a baby and matching nursing bib), this is the real controversy!

The Democratic Party, which has targets for minority representation, said a record 24.5% of delegates at its convention last week were black. That's about twice the percentage of blacks in the U.S. population, according to the Census. The GOP set a record with 6.7% black delegates in 2004.

Republican convention officials did not respond to several requests for comment on the report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

The center said Republican John McCain likely will end up with a historically low share of the black vote despite his outreach to groups such as the National Urban League and the NAACP.

The chief reasons, the group said, are Democratic nominee Barack Obama's enormous appeal to black voters and McCain's "association with President Bush, an exceptionally unpopular figure" among blacks.

The report said McCain also is hurt because his home state of Arizona has few blacks and there are no well-known black elected officials to make his case.

GOPAC chairman Michael Steele, whose group helps elect Republicans to state and local office, said the black community "has to get out of the mind-set that anything the Republican Party says is bad for them."

But Steele, who is black, also said that "black folks aren't going to flock to the GOP unless they have something to flock to." He urged his party to stop superficial "outreach" programs and start building coalitions and relationships with black voters.

One black convention delegate, Robert Smith of Little Rock, said he was amused but not surprised at the tiny number of blacks. He said he is on a personal mission to win back blacks he says are "voting for Barack Obama out of ethnicity rather than principle." If he's successful, he said, "this will be the last time you see so few" blacks at a GOP convention.

Source

With a Pregnant 17-Year-Old And A Husband With A DUI Arrest, Sarah Palin Is Just Like Everyone Else

Not Sex, Alcohol or Even Hurricanes Can Stop The GOP

Sarah Palin got a standing ovation among the Louisiana delegation at the Republican National Convention Monday — reflecting what many say is the “bounce” in enthusiasm John McCain’s vice presidential pick has brought to the campaign.

This despite what can only be seen as bad news for the campaign on Monday — the Republican National Convention being disrupted by Gustav slamming the Gulf Coast, the Palins announcing that her daughter Bristol is five months pregnant, and that husband Todd had gotten a DUI in 1986.

Wild Internet rumors were claiming that Palin's youngest child with down syndrome, Trig, was actually her daughter's baby. That would explained how even at seven months, the 44-year-old Alaska governor was able to conceal her pregnancy. It also provided a legitimate reason why her oldest girl Bristol, 17, had been out of school for months, allegedly for having a severe case of mono.

Still puzzling, however, is why Palin would get on a plane in Texas after her water broke, then travel eight hours to deliver a special needs child in Alaska. And should Governor Palin, who McCain just met once before, be more focus on raising her children and tending to her family's needs.

The Alaska governor’s star power nevertheless is still on the rise. “Overwhelming excitement” is how Ellen Davis, Louisiana delegate and former Republican state chairwoman, described the reaction to Palin at a breakfast featuring first lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain.

In the days proceeding the Republican event, headlines suggested that the enthusiasm for McCain and for the convention week were on the wane. But Davis said Palin has infused the campaign with what was missing — excitement for the top of the GOP ticket.

Bush and McCain drew warm applause at the breakfast reception hosted by the Louisiana delegates, but it wasn’t until Bush’s praise of Palin that the crowd rose to its feet.

“I’m so happy because I’m finally going to have a chance to vote for a Republican woman this time,” said the first lady to a standing ovation. “Every woman in this room knows she is truly a superwoman.”

Bush went on to suggest that Palin’s experience as the mayor of the small Alaska town of Wasilla was a plus for her vice presidential prospects, particularly in terms of emergency response and coordinating local, state and federal resources. “That’s experience that no one on either side of the ticket has — and that’s local experience.”

McCain was equally charged in her comments. “I am extremely proud of his pick for vice president,” McCain said of her husband. The room erupted with applause. Then she picked up on a familiar theme going into the conventions. “She’s a straight talker and a maverick just like my husband — she’s not afraid to say no.”

As news trickled trough the convention about Palin’s family issues, several delegates said the story should remain just that — personal and private. More so, it did not seem to quell their initial reactions to her.

“I think it makes her more human — we all experience those kinds of things,” said Lula Bridges, a delegate from Alabama. “It says to me that she can relate to the general population.”

“I don’t think they were looking for perfection in a candidate,” said Scott Glover, a Florida delegate. “I think we’re looking for a real person, that can relate to us and we can relate to them on some level, and we all have issues of some sort. I don’t want to be judged on what my children do — and I know we all do our best as parents.”

Stu Rothenberg, a Washington, DC pollster who publishes the Rothenberg Political Report tip sheet, said he talked to a number of delegates at the Xcel Center Monday who had heard the news and had rushed to defend her.

“It’s a full completion of the ticket,” said George Ackel, also from Louisiana.

“This was a clearly the deal closer with all the activist base of the Republican Party and the conservative movement,” said Chris Healy, chairman of the the Connecticut State Republican Party. “Those are the ones who we really do have to capture.”

A recent Gallup Poll taken of voters Aug. 28 through Aug. 30 — including at least two days after the Palin announcement — found that McCain got a 5-point jump from the news. Democratic challenger Barack Obama, fresh out of his own convention, was enjoying an 8 point bounce, leaving the poll at Obama ahead of McCain, 48 to 42 percent.

Aside from the family issues, more serious questions about her policy views are looming — like supporting the teaching of creationism, or intelligent design, alongside evolution in public schools, or her lack of public positions on the war in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Middle East.

And Rothenberg noted that not all independents — another group that McCain has been after — have necessarily reacted the same way as the base of the party.

“I also heard from people that it looks too political, that instead of picking someone with great political bloodlines and credentials, he went with a young woman to try and trump Obama, or do the Hillary thing, and it was just a political pick,” he said, “he put politics before the country — I have heard some of that — not from Republicans, but from some independents.” Source

Gender Trumps Race??? Alaska Governor Sarah Palin To Be McCain's VP Pick!

GOP Hillary Clone Steals Barack's Thunder

So after all that Kumbaya with Black Presidential candidate Barack Obama, John McCain has just stole his thunder. According to reports Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, 44, is the one that John McCain feels he needs to snatch victory from the democrats.

The announcement may come any time soon today. FOX news reports that Mitt Romeny is out of the list as is Tim Pawlenty.

I have to give it to the Republicans, who cast Palin like Geena Davis in ABC's Commander in Chief. So much for "24's" groundbreaking portrayel of President Palmer vis-a-vis Dennis Haysbert.

Bloggers all of the net are speculating on the issue of Mccain's Veep choice focusing on Sarah Palin. It's not the governor of Minnesota. It's not Romney, but a plane flew in last night from Alaska to a small airport just outside of Dayton, Ohio. Could it be that McCain has picked a woman - a woman with 5 children and the governor of Alaska.

A mother of five, Sarah Palin is less than a month younger than Michelle Obama and the first governor of Alaska to be born there since it became a state.