“This nation was founded unlike every other country. It was not founded because everyone spoke the same language, looked the same, or prayed to the same God. It was organized around a set of ideals that were put forth in the most beautiful expressions, that we’re all created equal, that we’re all endowed with universal rights.” — Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, N.J. and moderate-liberal Democrat, on America
Quote Of The Day
Serena's 10th Slam Moves Her Back To No. 1
Ms. Williams' win at the U.S. Open in September gave her the No. 1 ranking for the following four weeks, her first stint at the top since a 57-week stretch from July 2002. She started this year at No. 2 and slowly worked her way through the Australian Open. She struggled with her serve at times and had to fend off Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. "I was playing lazy tennis in the beginning and I was doubting myself," said Ms. Williams. "I'll thank my mom for hanging in there this week. The first week was tough, but we got through it."
She lifted herself in the semis to snap Olympic champion Elena Dementieva's 15-match winning streak and was overpowering from the first game of the final, losing only eight points and winning 18 of the last 20 in the 22-minute first set.
TONY CAMPBELL COMMENTARY: Michael Steele: The Republican Harry Houdini
The moderate Republican is not feeling the Republican National Committee's new chair, a fellow Marylander whom he knows: "Michael’s problem is that he lacks credibility. His success has come at the expense of monumental failures of others that he has miraculously escaped with his reputation enhanced. If there is a Harry Houdini of Republican politics, it is Michael Steele. Here is a short list of his most notable escapes: 1) 1999 - After Ellen Sauerbrey’s second defeat for Governor, Steele as P.G. County Chair (one of three subdivisions that cost Sauerbrey her victory twice) was elevated to the office of State Party Chair. 2) 2006 - In his re-election year as Lt. Governor of Maryland, Steele and Bob Ehrlich split their successful pairing. Steele ran for the U.S. Senate and both men were defeated by sizable margins. The following year, Steele is appointed to be the head of GOPAC (the state and local candidate recruitment and training arm of the RNC). 3) 2009 - As Chair of GOPAC, it was Steele’s job to train Republican candidates for the 2008 election cycle to win elections…HE FAILED MISERABLY! Republican candidates were defeated across the board at all levels of government. However, he is once again rewarded for his failure by being tapped to be RNC Chair."
WEBSTER BROOKS COMMENTARY: Obama's Secures Russia's Help for War in Afghanistan
Senior Fellow at the Center for New Politics and Policy at the University of Denver and moderate emailed this op-ed to Booker Rising:
The success of President Obama’s planned surge of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan will likely depend on support from an unlikely ally; Russia. On January 20, the same day Barak Obama was sworn in as President, CENTCOM Commander General David Petraeus concluded his Central Asian tour and announced from Pakistan that agreements to transit commercial goods and services to U.S. forces in Afghanistan will "include several of the countries in the Central Asia states and also Russia.” How the ugly war of words between the U.S. and Russia over Moscow’s Georgian invasion five months ago was shelved to forge a critical alliance around Afghanistan reveals much about America’s diminished capacity to project power in Central Asia. It’s also an ominous sign that Pakistan’s growing insurgency is wrecking havoc on U.S. supply routes to Afghanistan and the extremists potential to induce crisis in Pakistan.
Three-fourths of NATO supplies are transited to Afghanistan through Pakistan’s Khyber Pass, located west of the NWFP capital of Peshawar. The Taliban has destroyed hundreds of NATO provision trucks, unleashed deadly attacks against NATO convoys and raided key supply depots. Emboldened by its success, the Taliban is now attempting to choke off the vital port city of Karachi, where the NATA logistics hub begins. The Pakistani military’s inability to drive the Taliban from the Northwest Territory combined with ISI support for the Taliban has made maintaining Pakistani supply routes too risky a proposition to sustain NATO growing operations in Afghanistan. The new Obama administration has continued its devastating Drone aerial attacks against Taliban strongholds on the Afghan-Pakistani border. But civilian deaths associated with the Drone attacks are fueling anger and anti-American sentiment on both sides of the border, while weakening the legitimacy of President Kharzai and President Zardari’s governments. For all these reasons opening a second supply front for U.S. and NATO operations emerged as “mission critical” to push forward President Obama’s Afghanistan surge campaign.
Pakistan’s deepening turmoil and U.S. reliance on a revanchist Russia to ensure its supply lines in Afghanistan are unsettling realities. But dragging the unstable nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan into the equation represents a dangerous expansion of the “Long War” in Central Asia. U.S. negotiations with these countries over transit routes, access to air bases and foreign aid packages started before the 2001 Afghanistan invasion. The regional maneuvering has ebbed and flowed with the intensifying U.S.-Russian rivalry over Central Asian oil exploration, pipeline rights and the volatile internal politics of each country. Given the contention between the U.S. and Russia in Central Asia’s renewed “Great Game” a valid question arises; why has Russia come to the aid of its nemesis, the United States?
Moscow has a strategic interest in preventing the Taliban from toppling the government in Kabul, either directly or by leading a coalition of forces. The Taliban’s return to power would virtually eliminate Russian influence inside Afghanistan, whereas today Moscow has significant ties with Northern Alliance forces, President Kharzai and pro-Iranian forces inside Afghanistan. Furthermore, America’s aggressive efforts in Central Asia have led to the establishment of U.S. military installations in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Moscow and China are deeply troubled by America’s expanded military profile in Central Asia. President Putin moved to facilitate the transit agreements, rather than risking the U.S. cutting deals with Central Asia regimes without Russian input. For his services to the United States, the Obama administration reciprocated by hitting the mute button regarding Putin’s shut down of natural gas flows to European countries in mid-winter; a manufactured crisis that allowed Russia to blame the Ukraine for the shortages while extorting higher gas transit prices from Kiev.
Beyond blocking U.S. encroachment in its security perimeter, Russia has a long-term security imperative of preventing the spread of radical Islam to its neighboring former Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. These countries on Russia’s southern border have large Muslim populations and indigenous radical Islamist organizations that threaten Moscow’s national security and hinder its efforts to keep the former Soviet republics within its sphere of influence. Inside Russia, the transformation of Chechnya’s nationalist movement into a jihadist juggernaut supported by its majority Muslim population led to a bloody 12-year succession struggle bordering on ethnic cleansing. There are 20 million self-identified Muslims in Russia, a number that has risen by 40% in the last 15 years. Russian sensitivity to its potential Islamic threat is real, and the destabilization of any of its Central Asian neighbors could be a lightning rod that ignites the fuse.
Obama’s new Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke will undoubtedly tout the benefits of U.S. anti-narcotics initiatives in Afghanistan to curtail the flow of heroin that is devastating Central Asia and Russia. Construction projects, infrastructure development, U.S. dollars and other accoutrements showered on the Central Asian republics will ease the regional economic crisis and revive the failed “Silk Road” strategy of applying U.S. soft power in Central Asia. Of particular concern to Obama’s foreign policy team will be buttressing Tajikistan; the poorest Central Asian country, rife with weapons and narcotics smuggling, and tense ethnic divisions with its Uzbek neighbors that could collapse it into a failed state. Such a development would increase the difficulties of stabilizing Afghanistan and heighten US-Russian regional geo-political rivalry.
For the United States and Russia, expanding the War in Afghanistan to the Central Asian steppes, even with a benign act of securing transit routes is a risk they are willing to take to prevent the Taliban from taking power in Kabul. What becomes problematic is the possibility that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar is not to contending for state power, but destabilizing the Kharzai government to the point where the Taliban can maintain control of a limited number of provinces while expanding its sphere of influence. Indeed, what seems more likely is that the Afghan Taliban is working in concert with the newly emerging Pakistan Taliban and al Queda in an effort to establish a rump confederation that consolidates their joint control of Southeastern Afghanistan, Pakistan ’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Baluchistan and the Northwest Frontier Provinces. In short, these forces are carving out a failed state of Pushtanistan in the ungoverned territories along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.
On January 22, President Obama called Pakistan and Afghanistan “the central front of terrorism,” and spoke of the necessity of eliminating this global threat starting in Afghanistan. By securing Russia’s aid to open new supply lines for NATO and U.S. forces, he just might be falling deeper into al Queda’s deadly trap of extending U.S. forces across Afghanistan, expanding unpopular bombing missions, increasing cross border excursions into Pakistan’s Northwest Territories and exposing more American forces to attack on the Central Asian steppes. The battlefield in Central Asia is being stretched. No one is sure where it will end.
Booker Rising Poll Results: Michael Jackson Vs. Prince
A few days ago, Booker Rising asked readers which man's lifelong music they preferred. Your responses:
PRINCE: 41.79%
MICHAEL JACKSON: 37.31%
I EQUALLY LIKE EACH MAN'S MUSIC: 8.96%
I DON'T LIKE EITHER MAN'S MUSIC: 7.46%
UNSURE: 4.48%
VIDEO OF THE DAY: Michael Steele
After he was elected Republican National Committee chair today in Washington, D.C., becoming the U.S. center-right political party's first black chairman (hat tip: Hip Hop Republican)
Mr. Steele gets a congratulatory shindig tomorrow at some swanky hotel, where guests will include President Barack Obama and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
SOPHIA NELSON COMMENTARY: Black Conservatives Listen Up
The moderate Republican argues that electing an African-American chairman may help the GOP with its “black” problem. However, she asserts, black conservatives haven’t exactly done a lot to boost the party’s cred either: "However, the GOP's real problem with black people is not so much that the white conservatives in the party do not reach out to blacks, but that so-called black conservatives do not do enough outreach to black voters. Black conservatives as a group, particularly the prominent intellectuals, seem to go out of their way to attack the black community. Consider conservative author Star Parker’s intellectual meditations titled, Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats or Uncle Sam’s Plantation. Ouch! Most black conservative commentators are largely viewed by blacks as opportunistic, attack dogs for the white conservative establishment. This perception is entirely unhelpful in a community that understands that its core interests are in equal access and opportunity, health care and community redevelopment. In short, black conservatives often can't get a hearing on important issues among blacks because they have positioned themselves as hostile to the interests of black people."
She disagrees with Michael Steele's claim that the GOP needs to do more outreach to black communities: "It's not all up to the RNC to reach out to the black community. The black members of the GOP rarely, if ever, stand up and speak out when the party does the wrong thing. Where are the black conservatives when Rush Limbaugh says, 'We are being told we have to hope he succeeds, that we have to bend over and grab our ankles...because his father was black, because this is the first black president, we've got to accept this'? Limbaugh is out of control. He is being overtly racially offensive and both black conservatives and the Republicans in Congress are terrified to denounce him publicly. As long as the blacks who self-identify as 'conservatives' continue to lay down for this nonsense, and continue to attack and alienate themselves from their own community, instead of reaching out, listening and building coalitions within the black community; black voters for the foreseeable future will continue to reject the Republican Party and black conservative ideology."
Booker Rising response: Why did Ms. Nelson leave Republican Party moderates - like herself - out of this analysis? Black Republicans are not all conservative. However, black Republicans as a collective - whether they are conservative, moderate, or libertarian - have a branding problem. By the way, putting such a piece on TheRoot.com, a black liberal website, is not exactly reaching the piece's target audience (Ms. Nelson emailed this piece to me).
"Bipartisanship" Is Just A Word
Duane Brayboy, a black conservative blogger, sees political shenanigans with USA's national-level politicians: "The Democrats outnumber Republicans in the House and were able to easily able to pass the stimulus bill with no problem. They were able to accomplish this even with some Democrats siding with Republicans. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the Senate and now are leaning on moveon.org to pressure Republicans to support the bill. Rush Limbaugh has been making a very valid point that this has nothing to do with bipartisanship but everything to do with using bipartisanship as cover when this crap bill does nothing to 'stimulate' the economy. If the bill is that important and can do everything Dems are saying it will do, why not just ignore the Republicans, ignore Rush and just pass the thing? Between Obama bringing him up the other day and now with MoveOn.org being brought into the mix, they are only validating Rush – all while they try to convince folks that he is insignificant."
Davis Blasts Selma Organizers For Inviting Pastor
Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) criticized Selma organizers today for inviting President Barack Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, to this year's commemoration of the "Bloody Sunday" civil rights march . Rev. Wright became a flashpoint in last year's presidential campaign when videos surfaced showing his sermons about whites and racism in America. Obama distanced himself from his longtime pastor and ultimately criticized his rhetoric as divisive.
The moderate-liberal Democrat, who chaired Obama's Alabama campaign and may be running for governor, said in a letter to organizers that Rev. Wright's divisive rhetoric is inconsistent with the theme of the event and President Obama's message of unity. "I am offended by the vehemence of Wright's commentaries on race in America. President Obama was similarly offended," Rep. Davis wrote today to the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, which hosts the march. "What a sad irony it would be to extend a prominent role in that event to the figure whose rhetoric and histrionics at one point imperiled our new President's campaign."
Rep. Davis, who attended Harvard Law School with President Obama, also argued that Rev. Wright's presence — particularly any speaking role — could drive away other prominent invitees such as U.S. Attorney General nominee Eric Holder.
Booker Rising response: Artur must be real tight with Barry. I see Artie is on the exclusive invite list for the Super Bowl Party this weekend at the White House.
Michael Steele Becomes First Black RNC Chairman
Michael Steele was elected today as Republican National Committee chairman, defeating the incumbent party chief and three other challengers over six rounds of voting to become the first black to lead the GOP. The former Maryland lieutenant governor and GOPAC chairman takes over a beleaguered GOP as Republicans seek to rebound from back-to-back defeats in national elections that gave Democrats control of Congress and the White House.
"As a little boy growing up in this town, this is awesome," said Mr. Steele, a conservative but the most moderate candidate in the field of six. He was considered an outsider because he isn't not an RNC committee member.
In a brief acceptance speech, the new GOP chairman struck a tone of inclusiveness. "We're going to say to friend and foe alike: We want you to be a part of us, we want you to with be with us, and for those who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over," Mr. Steele said.
He won 91 votes out of a possible 168 in the sixth round. A simple majority of 85 was needed, but it took six rounds for Steele to win.
Booker Rising response: Congrats to Mr. Steele. Lawd, black men in charge from the left and the right. This is gonna be too much for some white folks to take. Coloreds are on the rise, folks. FYI, the Democrats elected their first black chairman, Ron Brown, in 1989.
The Rod Blagojevich Witchhunt Ends With His Ouster
The Illinois Senate yesterday removed Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich from office, unanimously convicting him on an article of impeachment that alleged a pattern of abuse of power. Politik Ditto, a black conservative Democratic blogger, about the liberal Democrat: "'Abuse of power'?!? For Illinois Democrats 'abuse of power' has long been par the course (even Blago's replacement, Pat Quinn, has a history of scandal). Indeed, the Rod Blagojevich Witchhunt was nothing more than wiping away a stain from Barack Obama's home state--even Chris Matthews had the guts to say the other day that what Blago's been accused of doing, per the tapes heard by the Illinois Senate, has been going on every day by other pols. Here's hoping that Blago continues to fight to clear his name and of he does go down, takes some other Illinois pols down with him."
Booker Rising response: Thank goodness my old governor has been bounced, and we now have Gov. Pat Quinn. A definite improvement.
Condi Rice: Liar
Has anyone been watching the new TV show, "Lie To Me"? It's about a scientist who watches for facial micro-expressions and body language to help the government, the justice system, and other entities determine if someone is being deceptive. I've been reading up on the science behind the show. Involuntary body language like squelched shoulder shrugs, alternative head shakes that differ from what one has said (e.g., stating yes but shaking one's head no), etc. reveal a lot.
I tested things out with Condoleezza Rice's interview yesterday on "The View". My armchair scientific analysis sees that the moderate-conservative Republican has many behavioral cues throughout her interview which indicate deception. At times, she also tries to conceal her true emotions. The average person tells three lies within a 10-minute period but Ms. Condi almost quadruples that lying average, in the first five minutes alone:
Iraq War
Condi does deceptive slippage here, with her non-verbal gestures indicating the opposite of what she is verbally communicating. When Barbara Walters asks her whether she regrets that the Bush administration did not find weapons of mass destruction, Condi verbally says, "I certainly regret it"....but her head is shaking no (1:34 mark). Our girl is lying. She continues shaking her head (1:35 mark) while stating, "We thought there were weapons of mass destruction". She's lying. Her emblematic slips here show that she has actually has no regrets, because the Bush administration did not believe from the jump that there were WMDs. Dang, girl!
She also does shoulder shrugging, another indicator of deception. It is a non-verbal cue indicating, "I don't believe what I'm saying." She shrugs her left shoulder (1:42 mark), while claiming that she will take some time to determine what is her greatest policy regret. Condi has in fact, already self-determined what is her greatest policy regret...and it is not the Iraq war. At the 2:15 mark, while reiterating that the Bush administration didn't know there were no WMDs, she again does a left shoulder shrug. She also does a negative head shake.
Her left shoulder slightly shrugs (1:56 mark) as she states that she believes that history will determine what are good and bad policy calls. She does not believe so. When Joy Behar asks if the Bush administration gave diplomacy enough of a chance, Condi states yes but her head is shaking no (2:16 mark). In reality, she believes that there should've been more diplomacy.
Her non-verbal behavioral cues are congruent when she states that she believes that we liberated Iraq and doesn't regret that USA did so. Thus, that is her true belief.
Her Parents
More emblematic slips here. Condi states, "I had great parents" (3:20 mark), but her head is simultaneous shaking no. Notice both a negative head shake and a left shoulder shrug (3:40 mark) when she claims that her parents gave her every opportunity that they possibly could. In reality, she believes that they denied her some opportunity.
However, she demonstrates body congruence when discussing that her parents taught her to excel and were dedicated parents (4:22 mark). I.e., Condi truly believes her statement. Yet at the 4:28 mark, she shakes her head no while claiming that her parents thought that "I could do anything that I wanted to." She's lying. Another head shake and she shrugs both shoulders as she reiterates, “I thank God for my parents.” (4:32 mark), which happens earlier when she first stated this point. Shrugging both shoulders means, "I don't know."
Imani and Tyrone, there’s a back story here because Condi's relationship with her deceased parents is more complicated than she is verbally letting on here. Perhaps she is writing the book about them because she feels obligated to do so, but she has some ambivalence toward and unresolved issues with her parents.
Hurricane Katrina
Ambivalence rings during this part of the interview. She does genuinely believe that the Bush administration didn't see Hurricane Katrina coming. She believes it exposed poverty in America. Although not under realm of responsibility she did feel some responsibility as the highest-ranking black official. She was appalled by people claiming that President Bush didn't care about Hurricane Katrina. At the 6:22 mark though, note the negative head shake when she says, "I think we'll do better, the United States government will do better the next time around..." She also does a left shoulder shrug (6:31 mark) but is nodding her head yes when she says that Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst policy disasters for the administration. In actually, she is at least ambivalent on that point. However, she displays oblique eyebrows - a behavioral cue that's very difficult to fake, and which indicates sadness - on at least three occasions (6:14, 6:25, and 6:30 mark and while discussing Hurricane Katrina. While ambivalent about the Bush administration's role, she is genuinely saddened over the Hurricane Katrina events.
Romance
Left shoulder shrug (1:48 mark), when asked if she wants to make time for romance and she says, “I hope so.” Oblique eyebrows too, which indicates sadness. Condi is saddened that she hasn't found a life partner. She shrugs her right shoulder (2:03 mark) as she claims, “The truth of the matter is, I haven’t found anyone who I wanted to marry.” She's lying, and the accompanying oblique eyebrows return. I.e., she is saddened over that point. Alright, who broke Ms. Condi's po' heart?
Booker Rising Surpasses 1 Millionth Visitor Mark
Yesterday evening, Booker Rising went over the 1 millionth mark since its founding in May 2004. Thank you, dear readers!
Open Thread Friday
You know the drill: keep it clean, keep it civil, but discuss what's on your mind.
Quote Of The Day
"...At the end of the day, as a result of this global economic crisis, there will be more legislation and more regulation, but there will not be a mortgage police, or consumer lending police, watching over individuals and families as they make the most critical and pressing decision of their financial life (such as purchasing a home). Individuals must become their own best protector of their family’s assets and financial well-being. Accordingly, the only mid-to-long term strategy with 'legs' and real potential for change, is a massive cultural shift wherein financial literacy becomes a part of the basic global value system. It is critical to incorporate financial literacy education and financial literacy empowerment, or what I call financial literacy 3.0, into future economic reform discussion and recommendations, both here in the U.S. and abroad, to ensure that individuals have the tools to empower themselves. Confident, informed individuals will be the foundation of long term global stability, and financial literacy is the path forward to sustainable levels of consumer confidence." — John Hope Bryant, centrist founder of Operation HOPE
Is Voluntary Racial Segregation Bad?
No, states black conservative blogger La Shawn Barber: "What role should the government take, if any, in so-called voluntary segregation? Should we be concerned about racial segregation per se or only government-mandated segregation? So-called residential segregation is not illegal or immoral. It’s one thing if a landlord or realtor or mortgage company discriminates against someone on the basis of race. It’s quite another if people choose to live in certain areas and around certain people. As long as the government isn’t doing the segregating, it shouldn’t be an issue. One consequence of residential segregation is that some schools will contain a larger number of low-performing students. As the article notes, these schools tend to have weaker teachers, and a higher percentage of kids from low-income homes and for whom English is a second language. Should we just say, 'That’s life,' and be done with it?"
Condoleezza Rice On "The View"
The moderate-conservative Republican appeared on the ABC show today, in her first interview since her Secretary of State stint ended. Ms. Rice said that Hurricane Katrina was one of the greatest disasters of the Bush Administration. However, she stated that she was angered when people implied President George W. Bush allowed the aftermath of Katrina to happen because it would disproportionately affect blacks.
Ms. Rice said she doesn't regret that the U.S. liberated Iraq, but she does regret that the administration did not have correct information about the weapons of mass destruction. She stated that the Obama administration should listen to commanders on the ground for possibly setting a withdrawal timetable for Iraq.
Her proudest moment? The AIDS Relief program that was launched in Africa.
Ms. Rice's near-term plans are to return to Stanford University to teach. She also plans to write a book about foreign policy and one about her parents' story. Ms. Rice said her parents inspired her to excel in life and gave her every opportunity they could during her childhood.
She said some people have said that she shortchanged her personal life by excelling in her career. However, the singleton said that she just hasn't found the right man to marry, adding that doesn't mean she won't find him in the future.
Sabuni Promises Support For Sweden's Minority Languages
Since 2000, Finnish, all Sami dialects, Torne Valley Finnish, Romani, and Yiddish have had special status as national minority languages in Sweden. However, Integration Minister Nyamko Sabuni wants the government to do more to ensure that threatened languages, including several Sami dialects, don’t die out in Sweden. “A collective strategy is needed in order to meet the needs of the national minorities, increase awareness of these national minorities, and to ensure Sweden does a better job of living up to its human rights commitments,” said the moderate-conservative politico, who was born in Burundi and who identifies as "Afro-Swedish, maybe".
The government proposes a new law for national minorities and their languages, as well as changes to the Sami parliament law and the laws governing social services. The government plans to set aside an additional 70 million kronor (US$8.7 million) after 2010 to reform national minority policies, a substantial increase from the current 10 million kronor funding level.
Minister Sabuni explained on Sveriges Radio that people who want to use Finnish or Sami when in contact with the five major state agencies should have that right and be made aware of it. She also wants the agencies to make an effort to hire employees who are fluent in these languages.
In addition, she wants to increase the pressure on municipalities to ensure that children of national minorities have a chance to learn and use their own languages. Local authorities also need to do more to inform the minorities about their rights and give them opportunities to participate in the political process, added Minister Sabuni. Part of the problem, she said, is that municipalities often confuse national minorities with ethnic minorities.
Larry Elder: "Obama: The Endless Honeymoon?"
The libertarian Republican commentator writes about liberal media bias: "Obama's inaugural committee budgeted about $45 million for the fun stuff -- such as balls and concerts and parades -- with taxpayers putting up $49 million more, and local jurisdictions are asking federal taxpayers for another $75 million to cover their costs. But back in 2005, when Bush's second inaugural costs (excluding security) reached $42 million, the media attacked. Unseemly! Exorbitant! Extravagant! How can Bush justify the spending during wartime? Not only does the country remain at war, but our country now suffers a serious recession. So what do the mainstream media say about Obama's inaugural 'extravagance'? Virtually nothing."
He continues his commentary: "Here are just a few examples -- from the new president's first few days -- that caught little flak from the media: --Obama's nominee for Treasury secretary. When now-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner worked for the International Monetary Fund, the IMF informed all employees -- in writing -- that they owed payroll tax. They actually increase their compensation with an allowance to offset the taxes. Geithner took the money but failed to pay the $34,000 in taxes. He called it an honest 'mistake.' --Obama restricts lobbyists. Obama announced 'tough' new ethics rules to restrict lobbyists from jobs in his administration. The President then granted a 'waiver' for deputy secretary of defense nominee William Lynn, a former Raytheon lobbyist. So the anti-lobbyist ethics rules apply -- until they don't. Oh. --Obama ends 'torture.' Obama announced the end to 'torture' and restricts the methods of questioning terrorist detainees to the 19 psychological techniques set out in the Army Field Manual. The manual prohibits threats, force and physical contact, including waterboarding. But wait. Obama intends to set up a special task force to determine the adequacy of the Army manual and to recommend 'additional or different guidance for other departments or agencies.' So Obama intends to restrict the methods of interrogation, unless and until he doesn't want to restrict them. And Obama's choice for national intelligence director, retired Adm. Dennis Blair, refused to say during his confirmation hearings whether he considers waterboarding 'torture.' Oh."
Huge Stimulus Bill Clears House
The U.S. House yesterday approved an $819 billion stimulus package on a near party-line vote, a plan that President Barack Obama hopes to make the cornerstone of his efforts to resuscitate the staggering economy. The liberal Democratic president engaged in an all-out lobbying push for the bill, which is among the most expensive pieces of legislation ever to move through Congress. He now will turn his attention to the U.S. Senate, where Democrats have scheduled debate on Monday and the price tag is likely to reach $900 billion. Larger than the combined total cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so far, the two-year stimulus plan would provide up to $1,000 per year in tax relief for most families, sharply increase funding for alternative-energy production, and direct more than $300 billion in aid to states to help rebuild schools, provide health care to the poor and reconstruct highways and bridges. President Obama's personal salesmanship effort failed to secure a single Republican supporter for the spending plan, which passed on a 244-188 vote. Just a day after he spent more than an hour behind closed doors at the Capitol seeking their support, all 177 House Republicans opposed the measure, arguing that it would spend hundreds of billions of dollars on initiatives that would do little to stimulate the economy. Eleven Democrats also opposed the bill.
BOOKERISTA PROFILE: Amy Holmes
Hat tip to reader Dragon Horse regarding this bookerista, whose face I've seen but didn't know her by name. Amy Holmes was born in Lusaka, Zambia to a Zambian father and a white American mother, and raised in Seattle after her parents divorced when was three. A registered independent, the 35-year-old pundit is a conservative commentator on CNN. You can see her on CNN political shows such as "The Situation Room", "Larry King Live", and "Anderson Cooper 360º". Ms. Holmes has also appeared on the FOX News Channel, and been a commentator on MSNBC. In 2002, she hosted "Lead Story" on Black Entertainment Television. Ms. Holmes has also been a senior speechwriter for former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and worked for the conservative Independent Women's Forum.
In 2000, she was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful." Ms. Holmes has been romantically linked with Lloyd Grove and Mickey Kaus.
She has a B.A. in economics from Princeton University.
Going Backwards In Time At Top Speed
"Still Here", a poster over at This Is Zimbabwe blog, discusses the impact of the country's official inflation rate of 231 million percent (yes, you read right): "Zimbabwe, the erstwhile breadbasket of Africa is a much hackneyed phrase used in the international press. Foraging for food like our stone age ancestors is now the most common pastime of the gangs of children who the regime has robbed of education and who scour the countryside early in the morning for locusts or mahacha, an indigenous fruit, competing with the cattle who also love this. How does Mugabe feel when he sees the images of Aushwitz type prisoners starving to death in the country’s prisons? (E TV this week showed these pictures taken by a desperate prison officer). I weep daily at the images of the pot bellied, orange haired children whose future is decimated for they will never develop as they should. Our rural schools were once gleaming with whitewash, swept neat, bustling and happy places. Today both rural and urban schools are echoing edifices of a regime bent on reversing any gains made through its troubled history. Where are we in time today? Are we pre-stoneage club-bashing hunter gathering thugs? Are we a medieval feudal state with no concern for the serfs? One thing is for sure, we cannot place ourselves in the global village of the technological age, we are not a proud part of the 21st Century."
Booker Rising response: This economic meltdown is the inevitable result of Marxist policies, combined with kleptocracy. Yes, down with Mugabe! By the way, Zimbabwe's government today scrapped foreign currency controls to allow business to be done in U.S. dollars, South African rand, and other currencies. Zimbabwe has the world's highest official inflation, with its currency now printed in the trillions of dollars.
Bob Parks: "Republicans Push Obama Back"
The conservative Republican commentator, praises GOP votes in the U.S. House yesterday against the stimulus bill: "If President Obama's economic stimulus plan was all that, he probably wouldn't want Republican support. If it worked, he could say it was a Democrat idea and the country was better off for it. But Obama made the rounds, trying to get GOP to get onboard because should it fail, he would make sure the blame was shared. It didn't work."
He adds: "I'm sure how long before this new-found Republican backbone begins to dissolve, but the longer it stays intact, the better for the base and the nation. And for those b__g that Republicans aren't rallying around the president, all I can ask them is 'How does it feel?"
Blackwell Running As Outsider To Head GOP
By casting himself as an "authentic conservative" in the crowded field of six remaining candidates for Republican National Committee chair. "It is time for a change in ownership at the RNC. I am advocating a shareholders' revolt," the former Cincinnati mayor and Ohio secretary of state proclaims in his plan, posted on his Web site.
At a candidate debate earlier this month, Mr. Blackwell said the GOP must stand for something: "That's why I think we have to reinvigorate the base and push power, responsibility and resources back to state and county parties," he said. He also stated that he knows how to use social networking sites, has more than 4,000 friends on Facebook, and owns seven guns.
Mr. Blackwell has never been state party chairman and he is not on the 168-member committee. That might bolster his outsider credentials, but it also puts him at a disadvantage in tomorrow's election because the RNC tends to choose chairmen from within its ranks.
Mr. Blackwell says he has been endorsed by about a dozen RNC members. He has been backed by much of the party's conservative wing, including Steve Forbes, Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene and former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese.
ROBERT A. GEORGE COMMENTARY: Honeymoon? Over.
The moderate-conservative Republican blogger argues that one of President Barack Obama's key campaign promises has failed its initial test: bipartisanship: " Consider the so-called post-inaugural honeymoon over. The $819 billion economic stimulus package sure created bipartisanship in the House on Wednesday -- in opposition. Not one single Republican voted for this bill. Zippo. Nada. A GOP donut. Actually, Republicans picked up 11 Democratic votes. Not quite the bipartisanship we came to believe in. Honeymoon? This is the political version of a bride coming down with a migraine on the wedding night and rebuffing her husband's romantic overtures. Sure, the stimulus package is still on track to become law eventually. The nature of the Senate is that the minority GOP has greater influence in getting more GOP-friendly changes into the legislation. After the Senate votes, the 'conference' version of the two bills might entice some House Republicans to get on board for final passage -- but don't bet on it."
He adds: "Today's House Republicans are now more viscerally and uniformly conservative than they ha[ve] been in -- perhaps forever. The Northeastern moderates are extinct in the party on the House side (indeed, there is not one House GOPer Republican in New England). While there might be a handful of pro-choice Republicans in the House, on the core issue of the moment, all of these Republicans have reverted to their fiscal conservative roots. Why not? They don't have to support a profligate spending Republican president anymore. An $819 billion wedding present is just too much for House Republicans to accept."
Quote Of The Day
"The stimulus, I’m kind of torn on it but I do support it. Here’s the thing: No one is spending money right now. The private sector is all pulling in capital, banks are pulling in capital, companies are pulling in capital. Kind of the last resort is for the government to spend money. If you kick in $750 billion or whatever the number is — and they say for each billion dollars you create almost 50,000 jobs — you create that direct stimulus, you do infrastructure projects ... I think that will help alleviate some of the unemployment problems. Having said that, we can’t spend our way out of this. I think that’s a mistake. I think we’ve got to do this one short-term thing, and then in about two years we’ve got to cut government. What I worry about with this Congress is we do the infusion and then we don’t do anything to constrain spending. The Blue Dogs have passed pay-go rules, which means you pay as you go. Any new program, you’ve got to find a way to pay for it. The problem with the Democrats and the problem with even the Blue Dogs has been the way to pay for it is a tax increase. — Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.), moderate-conservative Democrat and member of the Blue Dog Coalition
REV. WAYNE PERRYMAN COMMENTARY: Obama's $860 Billion Stimulus Plan And The Black Church
The conservative Republican pastor opines: "Perhaps someone can help me with a couple of questions: 1. President Obama signed an Executive Order providing $460 million for overseas abortions. Instead of giving money to kill babies overseas, how could the black community use that money? I know that many black pastors are struggling trying find funds to build their churches so they can provide more services in the black community. I know that the $460 million that Obama is sending overseas to kill babies, include the tax dollars of members who belong to black congregations. I know that we talked about affordable health care, particularly in the inner-city and that $460 million could have built some community health care clinics. I know that very few black ministers wrote Obama and protested the signing of the Executive Order nor did they suggest to him how this money could have been better utilized."
He continues: "2. A portion of President Obama’s $860 billion Stimulus Program to improve our economy is based on creating jobs by building roads and bridges. When has our nation’s economy been based on building roads and bridges?....If the average household can barely pay for their own bills and debts, why is the government creating another large debt that the members of our congregations will have to pay (or at least their grandchildren and great grandchildren)? How come the Obama administration have refused to detail where the $860 billion dollars will go? Are they afraid that outspoken churches will oppose things like the $400 million going to contraceptives? How does [sic] contraceptives create jobs for the car industry, the banking industry, and high tech industry? I know that we all want a successful black president, but should our desire for blackness cause us to turn a blind eye to God’s righteousness?"
The Stratospheric Arrogance Of Wall Street's Potentates
AmbivaBlog, a moderate website, writes: "The latest: Citigroup was planning to spend $45 million of its $45 billion bailout on a new corporate jet. Before that it was John Thain, hired away from the New York Stock Exchange (before that, he was at Goldman Sachs for 25 years, and was considered 'one of Wall Street's most reliable executives') to be CEO of Merrill Lynch -- now part of Bank of America. He redecorated his office to the tune of $1.2 million, including a $35,000 commode, and went skiing in Vail at a time when his company was posting a quarterly loss of over $15 billion and begging the government for more bailout bucks. Last week the New York Times reported that banks weren't circulating their bailout funds back into the economy by lending, but were using the money to secure themselves against the recession -- and in some cases, against the consequences of bad business decisions -- and to take advantage of rivals' distress by buying them up in mergers and acquisitions. Astonishingly, the first tranche of TARP was doled out without any conditions or disclosure requirements."
More: "At least Obama and the newly confirmed Tim Geithner seem determined to crack down: they've shamed Citicorp into canceling the jet order and are issuing new rules restricting panhandling -- er, lobbying -- for the money. How did a democracy come to spawn a stratosphere class who believed they were above the law of gravity, walking softly in bespoke shoes on the carpets of their executive jets far above our heads?"
Booker Rising response: I 1000% agree that this is disgraceful, and they need to be called out.
RNC Chairmanship Up For Grabs: Will The GOP Make History Of Its Own This Week?
Sophia Nelson, a black moderate Republican commentator, hopes so: "We at Political Intersection would like to endorse Michael Steele and Renee Amoore for the Chairman and Co-Chairman position this Friday. Michael as the former Lt. Governor of Maryland needs no introduction to the American people. He is a political star in his own right and we think he would be a good compromise candidate to bridge the gap between the conservatives and moderates within the battered GOP. However, we have our eye on a well kept secret within the GOP -- Renee Amoore is not only a dynamic African American businesswoman, and 3rd generation Republican but she is also a very dear and personal family friend of mine since I was fresh out of college in 1990."
She continues her commentary: "The little talked about fact is that Renee Amoore stands poised to become the Republican Party's first black female national co-chairperson this week in Washington if she is successful in her bid to do so. Amoore, who is also a very successful black female entrepreneur is has served as the GOP's state party Vice Chair in Pennsylvania for years."
Booker Rising response: Two coloreds running the RNC? No way in hell that is gonna happen. One black person getting up in there will be shocking enough for some Republicans.
France: Sarkozy Wants To Fire Sexy Black Minister
So reads a headline on a Belgian website (article in Dutch). Yesterday Booker Rising reported that French President Nicolas Sarkozy and French Secretary for Human Rights Rama Yade will be privately meeting today. The president is dipleased with her outspokenness, especially when she publicly criticized him for rolling out the carpet for Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. She has refused to step down and be their center-right political party's main candidate for European Parliament elections, as she wants to contest French regional elections. President Sarkozy has frozen her out of decisions and disparaged her in public. The Belgian website states that according to French sources, President Sarkozy is expected to fire her at said meeting.
The Belgian website writes: "French President Nicolas Sarkozy apparently doesn't understand sexy, female, non-white (ex) ministers. After [former Justice Minister] Rachida Dati, 43, was sent out the alley [after President Sarkozy and his model wife Carla Bruni became furious at public rumors that President Sarkozy is the father of Ms. Dati's illegitimate child and Ms. Bruni was jealous of Ms. Dati's closeness to her husband], it will now be Rama Yade's turn. The 32-year-old attempted to save her job by sending heart-shaped chocolates and exquisitely-boxed pralines to the president [who is a known chocoholic], but it was apparently in vain....While rising to high positions, eyebrows have been raised at the extravagant tastes of Dati and Yade, and their appearances in glossy fashion magazines. The departure of both ministers immediately erases colour from the so-called rainbow government: the club would remain exclusively middle-aged white men and women."
The UK Telegraph says Secretary Yade has a trump card: her popularity. "According to a poll published on Wednesday, she lies in joint second place behind Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë as the politician the French would like to see gain in influence."
Booker Rising response: You know Carla Bruni with her plain-looking, trannyesque ass ain't trying to have beautiful women of color around her husband Yeah, Rama, sista, you're a goner.
Poll: Davis' Race Won't Hurt In Governor's Race
Heads up to reader Marie Laveau for this article. A poll released yesterday by Rep. Artur Davis' pollster shows he would be close to or ahead of three Republicans in head-to-head match-ups for Alabama governor in 2010. This particular poll did not match Davis up with any Democrats. If elected, the moderate-liberal Democrat would be the state's first black governor.
Rep. Davis said his three gubernatorial polls have been consistent with one exception -- the number of people who have said they believe Alabama is ready to elect a black governor has increased dramatically. About 51% of people said Alabama voters are ready.
Elected officials and political observers have questioned whether a black man could be elected as Alabama's governor. They note the state has never elected a black candidate to statewide office without that person first being appointed. The numbers, according to pollster John Anzalone and Rep. Davis, show he is electable. Rep. Davis's ratings are 2-1 favorable among whites.Rep. Davis and Mr. Anzalone dismissed any link between Barack Obama's poor performance in the state in the presidential election and how Rep. Davis might perform, arguing that people are much more willing to vote for Democrats in state races than in federal races.
Booker Rising response: This is an internal poll, so I take it with a grain of salt. Also, it is said that Rep. Davis's new (and well-hidden) wife is white. If she is white, I'm sure most Alabama voters don't know that info. If she is white, that will be a factor with both white voters and black female voters (most black voters are female) in a former Confederate state like Alabama. We saw what that "Call Me" ad with the blonde chick by the Republican National Committe did to Rep. Harold Ford's (whose new wife is also white) U.S. Senate hopes in 2006.
A Disgrace To King's Legacy?
There is a new black conservative Republican blog called Magic Negro Watch, which follows the moves of President Barack Obama. MNW argues Barry is a disgrace to MLK's legacy: "Anywho just think, even though we have the Magic Negro as POTUS, s___t still has not changed on the MLK boulevards across America [since five years ago when I last wrote about life on MLK boulevards]. Now that the Magic Negro is now the greatest and the most fantastic and most accomplished darkie in world history his name will soon dominate the ghettos and crime infested cesspools of Negro decay. Just think when his time in office is over he will be able to lay claim to helping these street remain dilapidated, crime and drug infested. So unlike King who tried his best to uplift and transform Negros but had little power to do either, just imagine the Magic Negro at a street sign unveiling and as the clueless liberals who gather to cheer and applaud the new Magic Negro Boulevard he will look around and say to himself damn my 'magic' obviously didn’t work here, maybe whitey wasn’t solely responsible for the sorry state of Negros in America."
Booker Rising response: Tell us how you really feel. Now, I know that I at times jokingly use the term "colored". However, I use it when describing black folks on the rise, and to subtly show from whence we've come. "Darkie" - a term that black folks have never embraced - should not be used by any black person, even in jest. One can criticize President Obama without the name calling. I also disagree with this post, because it ignores Black America's class diversity. Have folks forgotten that 74% of Black America is not poor?!
Obama A Hypocrite For Going After Rush Limbaugh
Asserts Politik Ditto, a black conservative Democratic blog, about America's president: "The time for below-the-belt, partisan attacks from both sides of the political aisle has long needed to cease. But Obama knows damn well that if he had the 60 votes in the Senate to avoid a GOP filibuster, he would care less what Rush Limbaugh thinks, much less says. Limbaugh is the most popular pundit on the Far-Right, he gets paid really well to stir up the GOP base and his consistent No.1 ratings in radio proves that he does a good job at it. I don't like Limbaugh because too often he engages in the same kind of derogatory baiting, name-calling and smear attacks that his peers on the Left are noted for, making it personal when there's so much to attack Obama on policy alone. It's called being a hypocrite, but so is Obama for attacking Limbaugh when some of same fools he runs with, the latest example being John Conyers, seem to get their cojones from assholes like Keith Olbermann."
Republicans Want More Tax Cuts In Stimulus Plan
Alan Stewart Carl, a moderate blogger, writes: "While the Democratic version of the bill is expected to pass the House today, the Republican initiatives are worth considering. I don’t think tax cuts alone are going to be any more effective than spending alone would be, but such measures as increasing the child tax credit and freezing capital gains taxes at 15% are solid ideas. The child credit will help families weather the recession while keeping capital gains taxes low will ensure businesses can reinvest their money and move us more quickly toward recovery. The problem for Republicans is that it’s really easy for any broad tax cutting to be labeled a tax cut for the rich. If you pay more taxes, you’ll get more immediate benefit. Republicans have yet to create innovative tax solutions to America’s problems and are stuck recycling the same worn ideas. Even when those ideas are on-target, it’s easy to dismiss them as out-of-date."
He continues his commentary: "Perhaps Democrats will listen to Republican ideas as the stimulus moves towards passage. The bill could use a more even balance between spending and tax relief. But if Republican ideas fail to find a place in the stimulus plan, Republicans can blame themselves for having, from the beginning, an unfocused response to the economic crisis. Their ideas failed them in the election and it will not be surprising if they fail them here in the early moments of the Obama presidency."
ANDREW MWENDA COMMENTARY: NRM At 23: From Hope To Despair
The Ugandan libertarian journalist discusses the effectiveness of the National Resistance Movement, which is President Yoweri Museveni's ruling party, since its founding: "What has gone wrong? Where NRM promised an independent, integrated and self sustaining national economy, it has created a dependant (on foreign aid) disjointed economy. Instead of free and fair elections, we have rigged ones. Respect for human rights died in torture chambers euphemistically called safe houses. Corruption has become a virtue, nepotism a way to run our nation and tribal bigotry the running philosophy of government. The rule of law took a beating when government organised hooded gangs who began attacking the courts and threatening judges. Possibly the worst aspect of this degeneration has been the personalisation of power and with it, increasing arbitrariness in decision making. The president unilaterally gives public land and taxpayers’ money freely to businessmen of his choice. He appoints his family members at an ever increasing number into government. He hardly chairs cabinet because he runs government from his home. The national treasury works like his personal bank account as he moves around dishing out cash to individuals and groups – to reward their support or to rent it. To silence dissent on these gross abuses, the state has intimidated the media."
Booker Rising response: Uh oh. I think you might be doing yet another jail bid soon, my brotha, for daring to criticize your government and your president sedition or treason.
A Stimulating Debate
Eduwonk.com, a moderate-liberal Democratic blog, discusses the proposed stimulus bill's impact on education: "Infrastructure is not surprisingly emerging as a flash point here because the trade-offs are pretty clear. There are some implications there for education. But, interestingly, again proving itself to be either a cheap date or missing a long-view the education community hasn’t really said much about how this school construction money could be used to leverage more funding down the road so the debate is happening more around other components of the bill. There is a general consensus that school facilities are a problem in a lot of communities and most in the education community are excited about the proposed spending on school construction (and even more excited if it means that public charter schools get frozen out as apparently is happening in the Senate!). And school construction is an efficient way to create and save jobs. But everyone seems to be forgetting that it’s been a decade-plus effort to get real funding for school construction (in fact a half-century effort if you want to go back to when President Eisenhower first proposed federal spending for facilities). So, with this much money on the table should some of it be held back to create a longer-term and more permanent financing system for school construction? For instance, you could give some grants now, for immediate or 'shovel ready' projects, but hold some back to create state or regional infrastructure banks for long-term support for building and renovating education facilities, including charters and other non-traditional approaches. Under the current proposal education advocates will be back hat in hand for more money as soon as this is spent and without a real hook in federal policy."
WALTER E. WILLIAMS COMMENTARY: There Is No Santa
The libertarian economic professor, on President Obama's proposed stimulus package: "Suppose the value of all that we will produce in 2009, our gross domestic product (GDP), totals $14 trillion. There cannot be any disagreement that if Congress spends $4 trillion, of necessity there is only $10 trillion left over for us to spend privately. In other words, if Congress is going to spend $4 trillion, it must find a way to get us to spend $4 trillion less. The most open and aboveboard method to force us to spend less privately is to tax us to the tune of $4 trillion. You might say, 'Congress doesn't have to tax us $4 trillion. They could tax us $3 trillion and run a $1 trillion budget deficit.' You have that wrong. There is no way for Congress to spend $4 trillion out of our 2009 $14 trillion GDP by getting us to spend only $3 trillion less privately. It has to be $4 trillion less. Another method to force us to spend less privately is to print money and inflate the currency. Rising prices reduce our ability to spend privately since each dollar we hold will not buy as much. Another way is for Congress to borrow, thereby reducing our ability to spend privately. By the way, all of this means that in any real economic sense the federal budget is always balanced. That is, if Congress spends $4 trillion we must privately spend $4 trillion less whether it is accomplished through taxation, inflation or borrowing."
He continues: "Let's say that Congress taxes you $500 to put toward creating construction jobs building our infrastructure. The beneficiaries will be quite visible, namely men employed building a road. The victims of Congress are invisible and are only revealed by asking what you would have done with the $500 if it were not taxed away from you. Whatever you would have spent it on would have contributed to someone's employment. That person is invisible. Politicians love it when the victims of their policies are invisible and the beneficiaries visible. Why? Because the beneficiaries know for whom to vote and the victims do not know who is to blame for their plight. In stimulus package language, if Congress taxes to hand out money, one person is stimulated at the expense of another, who pays the tax, who is unstimulated."
Candy L. Straight: "New GOP Chair Must Accept Moderates"
Asserts the national co-chair for Republican Majority for Choice, an abortion pro-choice group, on the Republican National Committee election on Friday: "At a time when the party should be establishing a sound strategy to win elections, regain the majority and have influence on issues like economic security and cutting government waste, the debate among the candidates for RNC chairman is more of the same: a call to energize the right wing of the party, despite the fact that this hyper-ideological, so-called base no longer represents the majority of GOP voters. And, as a consequence, vilify anyone who does not pledge 100 percent allegiance to an exclusionary social agenda. Even conservative candidate Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, is being attacked for being too willing to work with moderates. The RNC members continue to pander to a small, vocal, fundamentalist faction instead of revamping its message, mission and agenda to appeal to a broader base of voters. All of this bodes ill for the GOP."
She continues her commentary: "According to national exit polls, the Republican brand lost with the two largest voting blocs in the country: women and moderates. Self-described moderates — who make up 44 percent of the electorate — gave Barack Obama a 21-point advantage over John McCain. Women gave Obama a 13-point advantage (56 percent to 43 percent). The GOP won the male vote only 49 percent to 48 percent, a negligible difference. Voters under 30, the future of both parties, gave Obama a landslide victory (66 percent to 32 percent). Additionally, the GOP lost the majority of voters in key suburbs — which lean to the middle — across the nation, as well as nine states formerly considered 'safe' Republican states in 2004, including Indiana and North Carolina. These facts seem to be either ignored or not enough for our party leaders to see that the base is changing. I believe it is changing for the better."
JAMES SHIKWATI COMMENTARY: Corruption In Africa: Not In My Name!
The Kenyan libertarian opines: "The concoction of the 'Mali ya Umma' [public wealth/property] generation with that of international do-gooder activists' with their development prescriptions for Kenya/Africa offers a perfect Petri dish for corruption. For example, when the local leadership destroys the economy, it gives international anti-poverty campaigners an opportunity to campaign for funds to fix roads and feed the hungry among others. The cycle of plunder is repeated Ad Infinitum. Disorientated by the corrupt goings-on in Africa is the dotcom generation. The dotcom generation has no sense of history. In Kenya, retired President Moi sought to scrap history and replace it with science to 'industrialize' the country. This group is keen to be named the 'Obama generation.' Unfortunately the dotcom group is keen to identify with the billboard Obama than the real Obama who has a deep sense of history and his Kogello roots."
He adds: "The pseudo-Obama generation can save Kenya and Africa if they kick out the 'Mali ya Umma' group by first liberating their minds as follows: that free people are not equal and equal people are not free; that one takes care of what belongs to him and tends to leave what belongs to everyone into disrepair; nobody spends another's money better than his own; that thinking long term ought to inform decision making today; and that putting an end to institutions that feed the 'Mali ya Umma' generation must be top on the agenda!"
JUDY AUMA OP-ED: Uganda Must Harness Local Talent
The Ugandan libertarian writes argues that the country's greatest natural resources is its population: "
She adds: "It’s no news that African leadership believe in World Bank and other [W]estern policies that promote the 'death' of local effort and talent and stifle the emergence of a formidable middle class independent of state patronage. We should graduate from the politics of 'bread and butter' to a higher understanding of our natural freedom to choose, so as to establish democratic governments that serve universal purposes and produce the mantra of true success in the form of uniform growth and sustainability.
Quote Of The Day
“Forty years ago Dr. King spoke of getting to the promised land. And now we have arrived at the promised land — we have a president elected not because of the color of his skin, but because of his ability to bring us together, to build common ground, and to articulate common aspirations.” — Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), moderate Democrat
KEVIN JACKSON COMMENTARY: America's Date With Obama's Stimulus Plan
The conservative Republican blogger argues it's an excuse to pick Americans' pockets: "I find it interesting that the Democrats are already out doing pre-emptive damage control over the stimulus plan. They are saying that this massive stimulus plan will offer 'no quick fix for the economy.' So apparently there is nothing 'stimulating' about it. All the plan has to offer is 'size'. And in the end America is left unsatisfied and…sore. Biden said recently, 'We're off and running, but it's going to get worse before it gets better…' The idea that we can spend a trillion dollars and have nothing immediate to show for it, well that's incomprehensible… unless you're a Democrat. They are very use[d] to spending money and getting nothing in return, like the recent $350B that nobody seems to be able to track. Notice how that bit of information has slipped to 'page 16'. But those ornery devils keep asking for more money."
He continues his commentary: "And in fact, lobbyists are so bold as to state openly that there will be 'workarounds' to the new system. And just like the changes in the tax law every year, the lobbyist are hard at work figuring out how to milk the maximum amount of our tax dollars from our pockets and into their clients' projects. Their clients? Our Congressmen by way of their campaign contributors. But you have to give this administration credit in their chess strategy. Go big and hype it. And just before approval, start letting the air out of the balloon. I think Obama may have said it best on Ignoration Day, when he said that we need to 'lower expectations'. I know. I already did…on Nov 4 and again on Jan 20."
"24": Black Baddie Update
Anyone see "24" last night? Our boy Colonel Iké Dubaku (played by Hakeem Kae-Kazim, pictured, a South African actor) — the show's first major cunning, black villain — is still stirring up trouble with his grievance against USA for intervention in fictional Sangala.
Ordering the elimination of Emerson's squad to tie up loose ends ("I would rather keep my diamonds", in that African accent LOL), initiating a collision to two 747 jets in the Washington, D.C. area, and ordering to take out 18,000 people in an Ohio town. Dude ain't playing.
I'm still not feeling President Allison Taylor. Just weak and dull. Bring back President David Palmer from the dead! Heck, at least her predecessor President Noah Daniels was interesting.
P.S. The Secretary of State and especially the Chief of State are mighty suspect as the senior guy in President Taylor's administration who is secretly betting against her in stock shares.
Booker Rising on Political News
Tax Cheat Confirmed As Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner was confirmed yesterday by the U.S. Senate by a divided vote of 60-34. The former New York Federal Reserve President had failed to pay self-employment payroll taxes for four years while working as an International Monetary Fund employee. Although he paid back taxes with interest following a IRS audit in 2006, he did not pay for the full amount and only subsequently did so after this information was publicized.
No way should this man have been confirmed. He can't even follow IRS rules that he will impose on the rest of us?! Obama's team definitely missed the mark in vetting this man.
Obama Grants First Presidential Interview To Al-Arabiya
If I was president, my first media interview would be with an ally with whom the U.S. has strong economic ties. Say, Canada? Or an upstart country, to subtly give kudos. President Obama kowtowed to a part of the world that commits terrorism against Americans, won't condemn the slaughter of blacks by Arab Muslims in Sudan, and occupies huge swaths of the African continent while wailing about Israel's small sliver of real estate granted an interview to the Dubai-based outfit to mainly communicate to Muslims "that Americans are not your enemy." He added, "We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect."
Barry is correct that USA is not perfect. However, we're a lot better than the Middle East. When will an Arab leader do such a gesture on U.S. television? We won't see it, because they don't beg and look weak. I gotta agree with Coby, a black conservative blogger: "Seems, though, it’d be more fun to fight the opposition party than those who’ve sworn to, you know, kill you...Let me get this straight: the President of the United States is taking time out of his schedule to go after a talk radio voice that he doesn’t agree with, but is willing to extend an offer of friendship to a element of a population that - without sugarcoating - wants us dead."
Interesting that President Obama also touted his Muslim background and relatives, something that he is not proud enough to do in his own country.
Blago Update
The impeachment trial of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, started yesterday. Was my governor in Springfield? No, the liberal Democrat was in New York on a media tour. He complained that he is in New York because he can't get a fair hearing in Illinois LOL. However, those FBI tapes are about to be released. Step down, already!
MYCHAL MASSIE COMMENTARY: Black Genocide Helps Economy?
The conservative Republican targets House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over her contraception-as-stimulus comment: "Appearing on ABC's 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos,' Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi claimed, 'Contraceptives will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.' The petulant lawmaker who is the mother of five children and six grandchildren, and who at one time opined 'nothing in my life will ever, ever compare to being a mom,' now feels the children of others are a drain to the economy. Pelosi told Stephanopoulos: 'Family planning services reduce cost.…The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of the initiatives…mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government. She added that she had 'no apologies' for her position – saying, 'We have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.' Pelosi's comments eerily reflect the exact sentiments of Margaret Sanger, the progenitor of Planned Parenthood and today's abortion industry."
He continues his commentary: "Specific to that point, I submit the reasonable interpretation of Pelosi's comments is that she was in actuality referring to blacks, illegals and the poor in general. What other groups of children could reasonably be viewed as a 'financial burden' on the economy? Are we not daily bombarded with statistics referencing black illegitimacy? Are we not led to believe SCHIP is for the poor? And when poor children are referenced or depicted, are they not most often black? Are not illegal immigrant women having upwards of 500,000 babies per year? I ask again, to what other groups could she possibly be referring? Are we not told that our prisons are overflowing with multiple generations of blacks? Are we not led to believe that only poor, uneducated blacks are the reason for drugs and crimes associated with same? Her comments may have been unquestionably morally opprobrious, but in the minds of liberal elites, they were empirically justified. That said, the contraceptive liberals champion is abortion. And the only children valueless enough to be worthy of same on a pandemic level are those of blacks. Black children and other valueless beings are viewed as financial black holes to liberal society. Now, with the man who is more pro-abortion than any who have gone before him, Pelosi and those like her see their opportunity to once and for all save billions, while at the same time allow for one of their chief benefactors, i.e., the abortion industry, to earn hundreds of millions – which they will in turn gratuitously invest in liberal campaigns."
More commentary from Mr. Massie: "Blacks and the other so-called poor are not a drain on our state and federal budgets – illegals, government waste and unnecessary social programs are. I am sick of hearing how Obama's ascendancy has paved the way for today's black children to understand that they can accomplish or be anything they choose – even president. My question is: 'How many of the over 13 million unborn black children that have been murdered since 1973 could have grown up to become president?' How many more potential presidents, doctors, jurists, scientists and educators will we lose?"
France: Private Conversation Between Yade And Sarkozy
Le Monde reports that French Secretary of State for Human Rights Rama Yade will have a private conversation with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Because the Senegalese-born diplomat refuses to be their center-right political party's chief candidate for European Parliament elections - she instead wants to contest French regional elections - President Sarkozy freezes her out of decisions and disparages her in public (article in French).
With former Justice Minister Rachida Dati (who is of Moroccan and Algerian descent) recently losing her Cabinet position to contest European Parliament elections - she was forced to step down, with President Sarkozy basically stating that she should be thankful that he wasn't more brutal with her - Secretary Yade remains France's only non-white Cabinet official.
Booker Rising response: From what I've read, President Sarkozy is not saying that Secretary Yade is incompetent. In fact, he believes that she is too outspoken in her role. The French are always lecturing America about racism. While America has a black president and been had black cabinet officials from both of our major political parties, the French are busy drumming out their only non-white Cabinet officials to demoted positions in Strasbourg. Hmm.
France Today states that over the weekend, President Sarkozy gave perhaps the most blistering attack on a government minister yet...and it was directed at Secretary Yade. Given how Nicky treated Rachida, it ain't looking good for Rama. Note that Carla Bruni, the wife of President Sarkozy and a model, apparently was jealous of the attractive Ms. Dati. Secretary Yade is even more attractive, so she is about to face that political guillotine too.
THOMAS SOWELL COMMENTARY: What Are They Buying?
The conservative economist asserts that everyone is talking about how much money the federal government is spending, but not to where and what they are buying: "Out of $355 billion newly appropriated, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that only $26 billion will be spent this fiscal year and only $110 billion by the end of 2010. Using long, drawn-out processes to put money into circulation to meet an emergency is like mailing a letter to the fire department to tell them that your house is on fire. If you cut taxes tomorrow, people would have more money in their next paycheck, and it would probably be spent by the time they got that paycheck, through increased credit card purchases beforehand. If all this sound and fury in Washington was about getting an economic crisis behind us, tax cuts could do that a lot faster."
He continues his commentary: "What are the Beltway politicians buying with all the hundreds of billions of dollars they are spending? They are buying what politicians are most interested in -- power. In the name of protecting the taxpayers' investment, they are buying the power to tell General Motors how to make cars, banks how to bank and, before it is all over with, all sorts of other people how to do the work they specialize in, and for which members of Congress have no competence, much less expertise. This administration and Congress are now in a position to do what Franklin D. Roosevelt did during the Great Depression of the 1930s -- use a crisis of the times to create new institutions that will last for generations."
Supreme Court To Hear New Haven Race Case
La Shawn Barber, a black conservative commentator, writes about affirmative action: "New Haven firefighter Frank Ricci did what he was supposed to do. He bought the recommended books and studied for a promotion exam. Despite his dyslexia, Ricci scored high enough to qualify for a promotion, but the department threw out all test results. No blacks and only two Hispanics scored high enough to be promoted. Over a dozen white firefighters and one Hispanic filed suit against the city in 2004, claiming it violated their constitutional rights and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating against them based on race. Had the fire department certified the test results, however, the lower scorers likely would have sued the city under Title VII's 'disparate impact' provision."
She continues: "Earlier this month, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. The disparate impact theory of liability will be front and center. Thirty-eight years ago, the Supreme Court held in Griggs v. Duke Power Co. that for purposes of hiring, an employer's use of a high school diploma requirement and two standardized written tests violated the Civil Rights Act. Black applicants disproportionately lacked diplomas or failed the tests. Griggs laid out the disparate impact analysis for employment. Absence of discriminatory intent is not the end of the discussion. Even if an employment practice is 'facially neutral,' (a scored test, for instance) it is suspect if it has a disparate impact on members of a protected class. To avoid liability, businesses would have to demonstrate that such tests are a justified 'business necessity' or related to job performance. The court in Ricci also will take up the issue of skin deep-only diversity. In 2003, the Supreme Court held in Grutter v. Bollinger that racial diversity is a 'compelling state interest' that justifies race preferences in college admissions."
And more: "Granting preferences to and discriminating against individuals on the basis of race are two practices that should have been tossed out of the government decades ago. Is ensuring racial diversity in a fire department a compelling state interest that justifies tossing out test scores because black firefighters failed to make the grade? They need more training and better study habits, not lower standard hand-holding."
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Adriana Lima, Brazil
Ms. Lima was born poor in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, and her father walked out on the family when she was six months old. She is of African, Portuguese, French, Swiss, and Amerindian descent. At age 16, the 5'10" beauty took second place in the Ford "Supermodel of the World" competition.
As of 2007, she is the world's fourth highest paid model. Ms. Lima, 27, has modeled for Victoria's Secret, Guess?, bebe, Maybelline, Armani, Bulgari, De Beers, FCUK, Keds, Swatch, Versace, Anna Sui Jeans, and Telecom Italia Mobile, among others. She has appeared on the covers of numerous magazines and done the runway at various fashion weeks around the world.
Some tidbits: A devout Catholic, Ms. Lima often reads the Bible backstage at fashion shows. Ms. Lima states that she will remain a virgin until she is married (she will marry pro basketball player Marko Jarić of the Memphis Grizzlies in June). She had no intentions of being a model, but entered the Ford Brazil competition because her friend didn't want to do enter it alone. Her eye color changes between blue, gray, and green, and her natural hair is wavy. Ms. Lima is fluent in Portuguese, English, and French. She loves European classical music, and would like to be an actress. Her best friend is Nigerian model Oluchi Onweagba.
ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS COMMENTARY: The Case For Lobbyists
The conservative Republican commentator opines: "Intending to stop lobbyists from utilizing public service to climb the corporate ladder, President Obama restricted his new White House staffers from working with issues they had previously lobbied for, as well as curb individuals from interacting with the Obama administration if they leave the White House and return to the advocacy world. But let's take this to its next logical level. Who best understands the oil industry, the media industry and the securities industry? An academic who studies the industry or a well regarded successful industry participant? An academic may be very knowledgeable about an industry but his experience of the industry is usually vicarious, and his views are primarily scrutinized by academics in esoteric academic journals. If he is wrong, he is criticized by his peers. (He cannot lose his job because he probably has tenure.) An industry participant, on the other hand, has his views scrutinized by the marketplace. If he is wrong, he loses his job or a lot of money. Conflict of interest rules that discourage well regarded successful industry participants from becoming part of the government do a disservice to this country. It means the people who know the most about how the industry really works and who know the key participants in the industry will not be working for the government."
Mr. Williams continues his commentary: "The yawning growth of the State helped turn lobbying into the $2.4 billion industry we know today. If President Obama would like to truly rein in special interest influence, his administration might want to focus on the root causes of special interests' viral ways by putting pressure on the reduction of the government leviathan. This is not to say that conflict of interest rules and restrictions that apply to lobbyists, politicians and public servants are unnecessary. But should these rules and restrictions be an early priority of the Obama administration when we have more pressing issues?"
Booker Rising response: I actually agree with President Obama that lobbyists have too much influence. However, things won't change until the root cause is addressed: Big Government. Slash the federal budget by 50% or more - which would be the inevitable result if the federal government only limited itself to outlined duties per Article I, Section VIII of the U.S. Constitution and any subsequent amendments - and there will be few incentives for federal lobbyists who are looking to dig into the federal trough.
RNC Rumors Flying: Michael Steele Entering Power-Sharing Deal With Mike Duncan?
Rumor is that Michael Steele (pictured right) may do a power-sharing deal with Mike Duncan (pictured below), the current Republican National Committee chairman seeking to keep his job. However, the conservative Republican denies the charge in an email sent today to RNC members, just days before the hotly contested election takes place.
"As I’m sure you know, this is absurd, complete fiction. I’m running for Chairman, not for deal-maker", said Mr. Steele. He said a "senior Republican official" called to see if he would ally with Mr. Duncan, because as many as six ballot may be required to elect a new chair. Mr. Steele said he declined the deal and now he's being accused of joining forces with Mr. Duncan.
Booker Rising response: While power-sharing - one person as the media face, another person heading up daily affairs - is not uncommon in RNC history, this would not be a good look. It would look like the GOP doesn't trust a black guy to head up the entire operation. While Mr. Duncan has a modest edge over the field of six candidates, there are more undecided RNC members than Duncan backers. Some folks may be scared that Mr. Steele will win outright, and are trying to create an environment forcing him to accept co-chair status. Especially when other candidates get nixed in earlier ballot votes.
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