Jobs - or the lack of them - Continue to Haunt Urban America

Highlights of the Urban League August 2010 Employment Report:

The economy lost a net 54,000 jobs in August, as large numbers of temporary Census jobs (-114,000) continue to wind down. Private employment increased by a modest 67,000. The labor market need to grow by 150,000 - 175,000 jobs each month to hold the unemployment rate constant.

The unemployment rate edged up slightly to 9.6% in August as labor force participation remained relatively stable. The black unemployment rate increased to 16.3% (from 15.6%) as the participation rate increased to 62.2% (from 61.5%). The unemployment rate for black men increased slightly (from 16.7% to 17.3%), as did the rate for black women (from 12.9% to 13.2%). The unemployment rates for whites (from 8.6% to 8.7%) and Latinos (from 12.1% to 12.0%) showed little change in August. Rates of teen unemployment were 23.8% for whites (from 23.5%), 45.4% for African-Americans (from 40.6%) and 33% for Latinos (from 35%). The rate of underemployment (including the unemployed, marginally attached and those working part-time for economic reasons) also increased to 16.7% (from 16.5%).

The ranks of long-term unemployed (jobless for 27 weeks or more) continue to dwindle gradually - now at 6.2 million (down from 6.6 million) or 42% of all unemployed (from 44.9%). However, many of these workers may be settling for part-time rather than full-time jobs - the increase in the number of people working part-time for economic reasons more than offsets the decline in the number of long-term unemployed.

Health care (+28,000), professional & business services (+20,000), construction (+19,000), and mining (+8,000) all displayed modest growth in August as other sectors, including state government (-14,000) and local education (-10,400) jobs were lost.

The August 2010 Employment report, along with other timely reports on unemployment insurance, how job creation reduces the deficit and NUL's 6-point Job Creation Plan are available at the new State of Urban Jobs page.

N-----, N-----, N-----! Dr. Laura Loses Her Damn Mind!

Wow... Dr. Laura is trippin! Her nine million listeners got an earful when the good "Dr" (a dubious distinction at best) decided to take one for the team and try to fight the "white people can say the N-word, too" battle all by herself. She lost - and she lost BIG!

But its not just that she failed miserably, she punked out. If your gonna take on that battle, stand up and fight for your right to be ignorant. Sure, you have the right to use the N-word, but apparently your advertisers will have something to say about it.

A quick re-cap: earlier this week Dr. Laura fielded a call from an African American Listener who was concerned about commments from the friends of her caucasian husband. When the caller expressed her concern about Dr. Laura's response, the good "Dr" said that "Black guys use it all the time. Turn on HBO, listen to a black comic, and all you here is nigger, nigger, nigger." And then she REPEATED IT, as if to make a point.

I get that Dr. Laura was attempting to score one for post-racial America by taking the power out of the N-word, she did it in very poor taste and with little logic to back her up. To say that two black people using it amongst themselves makes it okay, or that hearing it on HBO makes it okay, are non-starters. HBO is a subscription service, and consumers pay for it. A radio show on the open airwaves are NOT the place for waging that touchy culture war.

Pot Wars about more than getting HIGH

As a follow up to the announcment that the State Conference of the NAACP is support Prop 19, the Drug Policy Alliance issued a report which highlights a huge problem: while marijuana use is roughly equal across groups and locations, the vast majority of arrests are of young, African American males.

The Sacramento Bee cited the report, which stated

"in Sacramento and San Francisco Counties, black residents were arrested for marijuana possession four times as often as white residents. In Los Angeles County, the disparity was more than three to one, according to the analysis of California arrest data from 2004 through 2008."

While not at all condoning the illegal use of marijuana, people should be concerned about how this is used to disproportionately target young people of color. Should this be a wake up call to young black men that smoking pot can be dangerous to their futures as well as their health? Of course. But it should also be a wake up call to the general public that there is something smelling going on - and its not just the bud burning.

But don't take my word for it, please check out Michelle Alexander's book The New Jim Crow, which highlights the impact of felony disenfranchisement that is epidemic in our country, and how its swallowing up black men at a rate far worse than at any time in American history.

Don't mess with Texas!

Despite what Gov. Perry and other 'Tea-Bagging' Americans might think, Texas does NOT have the "right" to secede from the Union.

read this post from the Burnt Orange Report and this one from CQPolitics.com for a fuller understanding of the truth about the 'Republic' of Texas.

California's Business Climate - Not Broke and Busted?

Today Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee reports that despite what conservative Republican nay-sayers want us to believe, California is not "inhospitable to job-creating investment".

He offers up evidence from the PPIC, which has produced two seperate reports which blow up conspiracy theories that the Dems in the Legislature have driven businesses from California in record numbers with their 'tax and spend' ways.

Common sense, not hyperbolic rhetoric, is what is going to move our State forward. I would hope that those preaching economic armageddon would look at the facts and get away from the dangerous, irresponsible dogma that hamstrings all of us.

Is MSNBC's Cramer Right?

Might Obama be wrong and "crazy" Jim Cramer be right?

I just read the response of MSNBC's Jim Cramer to Rush Limbaugh's assertion that he (Cramer) is on the White House "Enemies List". While is disagree with Limbaugh, I find that I agree with Cramer on some key points: the Stimulus Bill could have been more focused on infrastructure spending and included less "boutique" spending (good politics but bad stimulus), and I agree with his prescription for a cure to what ails us.

In short, Cramer criticizes the president's plan for taxing the rich - those who he says need to "spend and create new businesses" - and for cutting the deductions which are key to spurring more home sales. He also criticizes the plan for being full of "pork". Finally, he offers a plan to get us out of this recession:

• 4 percent mortgages for all mortgage holders - to get rid of what he calls the moral hazard of responsible homeowners purposefully tanking on their mortgages to bet better deals; and


• Cutting principle on overpriced real estate, offering certificates of equity for banks to make them whole once appreciation occurs.

While I could argue about Cramers points (I am not sure President Obama's stimulus plan is "full" of pork, but it definitely misses the mark in terms of what many mainstream economists might point to as truly 'stimulus' spending), I agree that more work needs to be done to get us out of this mess.

Read more at mainstreet.com.

Jindal Lied - People Died... Laughing!

So it turns out that on Fat Tuesday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) told a Whopper of a fib from the Big Easy (Baton Rouge, actually), lying about how he was hailed as a hero during Katrina. Read more here.

Turns out, he was not with a local sheriff who tried to send out boats to rescue Katrina survivors, but could not because of Federal red tape. He actually OVERHEARD the story, and decided it was so good - he took it for his own.

Not only that, but he was roundly criticized for his inaccurate factoids, and for his ignorance about some very basic - and important - functions of government. He was called "tone deaf" and his response "insane"... he IS a Republican, right?????

He was also panned here, and here, and here on the site of a fellow blogger on downwithtyranny.

Political Change is Getting Dirty in California

It appears that the party is over for Democrats in California. With the Assembly District Election Meetings (ADEM) coming up this weekend, it appears the gloves have come off.

Some are saying that old-liners in the party are running a scorched earth campaign to defeat the progressive candidates that have emerged from the Dean and Obama campaigns. Its a battle for the soul of the party, folks, and its going to get heated!

Check out the DailyKos for more... and check back here on Monday for results from this weekend's meetings.

Forget The Sopranos, Goodfellas, The Godfather, The Departed.....

Just Read as Rahm and Blago go at it on federal wiretap.

This is some of the best gangster theatre in HISTORY! Rahm Emanuel is the MAN! All he needed to say to Blago is that "I will f#%@ing end you!" and it would have been perfect!!!

Note to the world: Do not mess with Rahm Emanuel!!!

All In The (GOP) Family

Watching the Congressional Republicans these last few weeks, I was reminded of a sitcom from the early 1970s called "All In The Family" - a groundbreaking show that featured actor Carol O'Connor as Archie Bunker, a working-class, very outspoken man, prejudiced against everyone and everything not in agreement with his view of the world. His ignorance and stubbornness tend to cause his arguments to self-destruct. He often responds to uncomfortable truths by blowing a raspberry ("Thhpptpt!").

Like most Republicans today, he longs for simpler times, when people sharing his viewpoint were in charge, as evidenced by the nostalgic theme song, "Those Were the Days," the show's original title.

The Republicans are today's Archie Bunker, mal-adjusted to the world around them and constantly arguing out of tune with the realities of the day - and offering the American people a raspberry in response to crises. According to Politico.com, the GOP strategy is to blame the UAW and the Governor of Illinois for the fine mess we've gotten ourselves into.

Sounds like a raspberry to me.

Tell me, Republicans: the fact that none other than Dick "shoot'em right between the eyes" Cheney envoked the name of "Herbert Hoover" when attempting to encourage Senate Republicans to vote in favor of the relief package isn't supposed to mean anything to the American people? The fact that over 1 million people might be out of work right after Christmas, and that the American taxpayer will be on the hook to guarantee the pensions of those 1 million workers? THAT is sound fiscal policy? THAT is fiscal conservatism? Get real!

I do not like the idea of bailing out huge corporations. However, standing by and doing nothing while they go under, taking hundreds of thousands of working families with them, is not my idea of effective government. Something must be done - now.

I like Republicans. Some of my best friends are Republicans. Unfortunately, the one's in Congress belong to the "gang that can't shoot straight", and they think the American people are stupid.

We are not as stupid as you think! So, for voting against the Auto Rescue plan, I have just one thing to say you Repubicans - in a language you might understand: "Thhpptpt!"

YES WE CAN! OBAMA WINS!

Sen. Barack Obama wins the presidency... in case you missed it, please view his acceptance speech.

When "Keeping it Real" Goes Terribly Wrong....

Three Things "Real Americans" Can Do to Ensure Republican Victory on November 4:

1). Vote Absentee;

2). Volunteer to walk precincts for John McCain; and

3). Kick your own butt, giving yourself a black eye, carve the letter "B" in your cheek for everyone to see, and then go to the police and say a big, mean and scary Black guy did it while trying to convince you to vote for Barack Obama!

Well, one young lady has taken this advice to heart! Ashley Todd, 20-year-old college student from College Station, Texas who is a McCain campaign volunteer, made up a story of being robbed, pinned to the ground and having the letter "B" scratched on her face in a politically inspired attack. Police in Pittsburgh said that Todd, who is white, told police she was attacked by a 6-foot-4 black man Wednesday night.

She admitted Friday that the story was false and was being charged with making a false report to police, said Maurita Bryant, the assistant chief of the police department's investigations division. Police doubted her story from the start, Bryant said.

Ya Think? Hmmm... the backwards "B" might be one big give-away... I feel sorry for her.....

What gets me is that the woman KNEW that in order to get the most attention, that she had to pump up her story by adding that a Black man beat her...... so much for race not mattering much to the younger generation....

See more here

Republican Recipe for Voter Outreach: Black People, Food Stamps, Fried Chicken, Kool-Aid and Watermelon... Oh My!

Well... you just knew they couldn't help themselves... it was bound to happen again.

In another bout of poor taste, the Republicans of the Inland Empire followed up their Sacramento cousins' website escapade with a depiction of Senator Barack Obama on a food stamp. Read about it in the Press-Enterprise.

OK, so let me get this straight: an official organization of the Republican Party TWICE in less than 72 hours has been outed for distributing tasteless (at best) or racist (at worst) literature about the Democratic nominee for President.

You know these things DO come in 3's, don't you?

Now, I love humor as much as the next person, and I REALLY love racy humor - a lot. But this isn't funny... not even close. This was meant to be hurtful.

Any person with half a brain knows what putting those images together in that manner means to people of color. Its not meant to be a light-hearted attempt at wooing black voters, that's for sure... or if it is, someone needs to go back and brush up on their people skills.

The Press Enterprise notes that

"The October newsletter by the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated says if Obama is elected his image will appear on food stamps -- instead of dollar bills like other presidents. The statement is followed by an illustration of "Obama Bucks" -- a phony $10 bill featuring Obama's face on a donkey's body, labeled "United States Food Stamps.""

What galls me more is that the president of the club, Diane Fedele, goes on to say - with a straight face - that

"I didn't see it the way that it's being taken. I never connected," she said. "It was just food to me. It didn't mean anything else."

WHAT?!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!

If it's so innocent, why didn't she paste up an apple, or a cherry pie, or a mayonnaise and bologna sandwich with a glass of milk? No... she knew the effect she wanted and boy... I bet she now wishes she didn't think up this idea!

Oh, and by the way, black people can rest easy tonight. Ms. Fedele is not really a racist: She says she once supported a Black man for public office, former Presidential candidate Alan Keyes. And for good measure, I am sure she will make an appearance with her one obligatory black friend at some point.

Seriously: I am sure that Ms. Fedele is a fine person, and she is most likely similar to the majority of Americans - she really has no informed opinion about race. However, as long as we remain hostage to our stereotypes, we will never get past race as a dividing line in America. And stupid decisions like the one to publish the trashy image in an official party publication - or to post similar material on an official party website - does nothing to bring people and party together.

And Dems need to be careful, too, as we are not immune to this disease of poor judgement. Comparing Sen. McCain to a George Wallance or Bull Connor does little to promote Sen. Obama or his message, and only serves to push away potential undecided voters. More pointedly, its plain WRONG and does a disservice to McCain and those brave men and women who put everything on the line to secure the civil rights that all Americans now enjoy.

Criticizing positions, voting records or professional behavior is appropriate, but this politics of character assassination and 'gotcha' one-upsmanship is destructive and does little to get us closer to solving the real crises that we face as a nation.

Can't we all just get along???????

Lipstick Coming Off the GOP Pitbull

It appears that the gloss that was enveloping Sarah Palin is starting to wear off, as more and more people inside the GOP are realizing that she is a bad idea... check out some of the quotes that are included in this article from my friends at Politico.com:

Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, a former Palin supporter, says the vice presidential nominee should step aside.

Kathryn Jean Lopez, writing for the conservative National Review, says “that’s not a crazy suggestion” and that “something’s gotta change.”

Tony Fabrizio, a GOP strategist, says Palin’s recent CBS appearance isn’t disqualifying but is certainly alarming. “You can’t continue to have interviews like that and not take on water.”

“I have not been blown away by the interviews from her, but at the same time, I haven’t come away from them thinking she doesn’t know s—t,” said Chris Lacivita, a GOP strategist. “But she ain’t Dick Cheney, nor Joe Biden and definitely not Hillary Clinton.”

Troopergate, clueless about the issues, an anarchist husband who is not proud of the USA.... and its going to get worse as they continue to prop her up KNOWING she is a serious liability.

The VP debates are going to be a huge test for the Republican ticket. Stay tuned.....

Republican Insider Says: Obama May Be Wrong, but He's Got to be Right... (for America)

Think Obama is crazy? Well, it seems that a growing number of Republicans are warming to the idea of an Obama Administration. Check out this opinion piece by a former Republican Party insider, Dr. Larry Hunter:

I’m a lifelong Republican - a supply-side conservative. I worked in the Reagan White House. I was the chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for five years. In 1994, I helped write the Republican Contract with America. I served on Bob Dole’s presidential campaign team and was chief economist for Jack Kemp’s Empower America.

This November, I’m voting for Barack Obama.

When I first made this decision, many colleagues were shocked. How could I support a candidate with a domestic policy platform that’s antithetical to almost everything I believe in?

The answer is simple: Unjustified war and unconstitutional abridgment of individual rights vs. ill-conceived tax and economic policies - this is the difference between venial and mortal sins.

Taxes, economic policy and health care reform matter, of course. But how we extract ourselves from the bloody boondoggle in Iraq, how we avoid getting into a war with Iran and how we preserve our individual rights while dealing with real foreign threats - these are of greater importance.

John McCain would continue the Bush administration’s commitment to interventionism and constitutional overreach. Obama promises a humbler engagement with our allies, while promising retaliation against any enemy who dares attack us. That’s what conservatism used to mean - and it’s what George W. Bush promised as a candidate.

Plus, when it comes to domestic issues, I don’t take Obama at his word. That may sound cynical. But the fact that he says just about all the wrong things on domestic issues doesn’t bother me as much as it once would have. After all, the Republicans said all the right things - fiscal responsibility, spending restraint - and it didn’t mean a thing. It is a sad commentary on American politics today, but it’s taken as a given that politicians, all of them, must pander, obfuscate and prevaricate.

Besides, I suspect Obama is more free-market friendly than he lets on. He taught at the University of Chicago, a hotbed of right-of-center thought. His economic advisers, notably Austan Goolsbee, recognize that ordinary citizens stand to gain more from open markets than from government meddling. That’s got to rub off.

When it comes to health care, I am hoping Obama quietly recognizes that a crusade against pharmaceutical companies would result in the opposite of any intended effect. And in any event, McCain’s plans in this area are deeply problematic, too. Take drug re-importation. McCain (like Obama) says he’s perfectly comfortable with this ill-conceived scheme, which would drive research and development dollars away from the next generation of miracle cures.

But overall, based on his embrace of centrist advisers and policies, it seems likely that Obama will turn out to be in the mold of John Kennedy - who was fond of noting that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” Over the last few decades, economic growth has made Americans at every income level better off. For all his borderline pessimistic rhetoric, Obama knows this. And I believe he is savvy enough to realize that the real threat to middle-class families and the poor - an economic undertow that drags everyone down - cannot be counteracted by an activist government.

Or maybe not. But here’s the thing: Even if my hopes on domestic policy are dashed and Obama reveals himself as an unreconstructed, dyed-in-the-wool, big-government liberal, I’m still voting for him.

These past eight years, we have spent over a trillion dollars on foreign soil - and lost countless lives - and done what I consider irreparable damage to our Constitution.

If economic damage from well-intentioned but misbegotten Obama economic schemes is the ransom we must pay him to clean up this foreign policy mess, then so be it. It’s not nearly as costly as enduring four more years of what we suffered the last eight years.

McCain's Campaign: The Good "Hands" People?

Just when you thought the sanity might be coming back to the Republican Party, check out this post on Carpetbagger Report, which highlights one potential strategy for a McCain victory this fall.

The post begins by noting the concerns of Fox News Contributor Fred Barnes that McCain's campaign appears to be rudderless, and offers some suggestions about how to cure the problem - including the tried and true method of segmenting the voting publics and tapping wedge issues. But two things stick out here: one is the fact that the "Rove Team" is now in charge of the McCain campaign, and McCain's hiring of strategist Charlie Black, whom is cited in the report as a former RNC chair and Jesse Helms adviser.

Who is Charlie Black, and why is he interesting? This is the same Charlie Black who, as the post notes, advised Helms when he ran several questionable ads in 1990 against Harvey Gantt, an African American challenger facing Helms in a hotly-contested Senate seat - including the controversial "Hands Ad". Let's get to the post to see what I mean:

"On the television commercial, the camera zones in on a white man’s hands, crumpling what apparently is a job rejection letter. The announcer then intones: ‘You needed that job and you were the best qualified. But they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota. Is that really fair? Harvey Gantt says it is,’ the message continues. ‘Gantt supports Ted Kennedy’s racial quota law that makes the color of your skin more important than your qualifications.’” Black, an adviser to the campaign and a consultant for the Congressional Club – Helms’s political machine – insisted the race would come down to turnout: “‘What it’s going to come down to is turnout,’ said Charles Black, chairman of the Republican National Committee and a Helms adviser. ‘It’s, no question, the biggest challenge at this point.’” [Newsday, 11/4/90]"

The "Hands Ad" was effective, but roundly criticized for its racist overtones. Now, this guy (along with Karl Rove) is going to be the chief strategist for the Republican Nominee? In 2008? Does this mean that we should expect to see similar ads coming out against Obama? It now appears a near-certainty. Stay tuned...

Conservatives More 'Ethical' Than Liberals? Maybe... Maybe Not

ARE CONSERVATIVES MORE ETHICAL THAN LIBERALS?

In a speical commentary to the Examiner, Peter Schweizer argues that "there is a striking gap between the manner in which liberals and conservatives address the issue of honesty", citing numerous survey research studies on ethics. He sums up his argument with the nugget that liberals are intellectually defective:

"The honesty gap is also not a result of “bad people” becoming liberals and “good people” becoming conservatives. In my mind, a more likely explanation is bad ideas. Modern liberalism is infused with idea that truth is relative. Surveys consistently show this. And if truth is relative, it also must follow that honesty is subjective."

Schweizer dismisses the argument that conservative respondents were dishonest in their answers, despite the fact that any social scientist engaged in survey research knows and understands "social acceptability bias", whereby a respondent is systematically evasive about their true feelings on a subject for fear of being viewed unfavorably by the researcher. As confessed conservatives, one would think they have alot to loose if they answered truthfully to questions of dishonesty and criminality.

Liberals and Conservatives are all human, and I do not believe that, in practice, any one group has a lock on ethics and morals. Conservatives talk a better game. However, given some of the evidence from our political and corporate leadership, I would argue that we all suffer from ethical lapses from time to time.

Turn Out the Lights.... the Party's Over!!!

Welcome to the Funeral March of the Republican Party! I'm David De Luz, and I will be your host for today's journey through the growing rubble that is the National Republican Party... much like the flooded Lower 9th Ward, there are bodies all over the place, lots of stranded people and a Republican Party acting as if everything is swell.

So, as they do in New Orleans, let's strike up the band, twirl the parasols and get to steppin' in the 'Second Line'.....!

Before we begin, a quick eulogy and recounting of the devastation is in order:

AZ Congresswatch: In Arizona, retiring GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe said he hopes the Republican losses “cause a serious reexamination of our party’s roots and directions.”

Kolbe, who has held his seat for 22 years, will be succeeded by [Democrat Gabrielle] Giffords.

“If Republicans are to provide leadership for our country, we must get back to the fundamentals of our party — an emphasis on national security, fiscal discipline, reducing government’s role in our daily lives, embracing immigrants from other parts of the world, and a commitment to economic growth through lower taxes and increased trade,” he said.

In the Wall Street Journal online, Peggy Noonan writes of the Republican death throes: The Republicans? Busy dying. The brightest of them see no immediate light. They're frozen, not like a deer in the headlights but a deer in the darkness, his ears stiff at the sound. Crunch. Twig. Hunting party.

She notes that when the party had the chance to break with the President, they didn't - missing their opportunity to save themselves. She goes on to place the blame squarely at the feet of President Bush:

""Members and pundits . . . fail to understand the deep seated antipathy toward the president, the war, gas prices, the economy, foreclosures," said Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia in a 20-page memo to House GOP leaders.

MORE from Noonan.....

"Mr. Bush has squandered the hard-built paternity of 40 years. But so has the party, and so have its leaders. If they had pushed away for serious reasons, they could have separated the party's fortunes from the president's. This would have left a painfully broken party, but they wouldn't be left with a ruined "brand," as they all say, speaking the language of marketing. And they speak that language because they are marketers, not thinkers. Not serious about policy. Not serious about ideas. And not serious about leadership, only followership."

OUCH!

Bad politics, even worse candidates... and a President that no one likes - not even his own party? Geez, that sucks!

But you know what, Representative Maxine Waters called it a year ago..... posted on freepublic.com and attributed to Rep. Waters:

"The Republicans are dead in the water, and we need to put our foot on their necks and drown them."

The scandal sheet is long: Haliburton, Katrina, the Iraq War, Sex Scandals, Memogate, Tom Delay, Pundits on Payroll (Armstrong Williams), Alberto Gonzalez, Abu Ghriab, etc. And these are from just the first four years of Bush II.

And so in conclusion... Yes, the Party is Over. R.I.P. GOP!

Where in the world is Dandy Don Meredith when you need him??????

Powell For V.P.: It Could Happen!

While most of the country is now focused on selecting the next American Idol or "Dancing with the Stars", some die-hard political junkies are engaged in the futile practice of handicapping the most important yet insignificant decision to be made this year: selection of the major party choices for vice president.

Before the ink has dried on the pundits' prediction that race and gender no longer matter with the success of Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both parties are scheming to find ways to both take advantage of the energy brought by the race for the Democratic nomination, and to blunt the potential impact of the race and gender demographic bump that will no doubt propell the Democratic Ticket.

Without going through all of the boring prospects (and there are many – trust me!), I have found some intriguing candidates:

The Washington Post offers a nice primer on the usual suspects, however there have been some very interesting names that have come up lately – particularly on the Democratic side. New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has been whispered as a possible choice for Obama, as he helps to firm up the Senator’s economic gravitas; Colorado Senator Ken Salazar has also been mentioned as a surprise choice.

On the Republican side, it was revealed today that Dr. Condoleezza Rice, our esteemed Secretary of State, is now actively campaigning for the spot on the Republican ticket. Previously, Dr. Rice has shied away from expressing any interest in the VP slot, which makes this latest revelation a big surprise. Despite this reluctance, she makes an intriguing choice, providing some ethnic balance to Obama and lending some serious credentials to the Republican ticket that no other choice can provide (Note to my peeps: Do NOT sleep on Dr. Rice).

The name creating the most buzz???? Colin Powell. Yes, that’s right – Colin Powell. He is intriguing because, under the right conditions, he could actually be a good choice for either party.

No, I am not high! Read on.

Matt Cooper on Portfolio.com argues that McCain would do well to select Powell for a variety of reasons, the least of which is that Powell counters the potential impact of Obama's presence on the ticket. While conservatives are not in love with Powell, he does bring something to the table other than racial balance that can have a significant impact in the fall.

The real intrigue, however, comes with Powell as the Democratic choice. Now, before you dog me here, it would pay to remember back to 2000, when Powell actually had his pick of either party’s nomination. Desipte his Republican connections, Powell has served in both Republican and Democratic Administrations. A war hero, Powell was The Man. While family obligations kept him out of presidential politics, he could have easily earned the top spot and been the first Black President (sorry, Bill). And despite the best efforts of President Bush 43, Powell remains popular with large segments of the African American community.

If Obama wins, this scenario is Dead on Arrival for obvious reasons. However, if Hillary pulls this thing out, Powell could be the choice that appeases African Americans for defeating Obama, while helping Hillary to win over moderate Republicans and giving her candidacy real military experience that can rival McCain.

The Republicans would have no answer for Powell, other than... Dr. Rice.

Former President John Adams once said that “My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived." You would not know it from all of the energy that goes into the selection process.

Stay tuned… this is bound to get even more interesting this summer.

Buchanan to Black Folks: "Where's the Love?"

Pat Buchanan is at it again.... This time, he's reminding Black Americans how lucky they are to be in America:

In a March 21 post on his website, Buchanan is attempting to respond to Sen. Obama's landmark race speech. In wondering aloud how Sen. Obama would respond to the Rev. Wright controversy, Buchanan tears into the Senator's strategy:

"Its the same old con, the same old shakedown that black hustlers have been running since the Kerner Commission blamed the riots in Harlem, Watts, Newark, Detroit and a hundred other cities on, as Nixon put it, “everybody but the rioters themselves.”

That's just a warm up... it gets better. The post goes on:

"First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known...

"...no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ’60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream..."

Are you SERIOUS???!!!!

While no one will argue against America's greatness (I for one am going nowhere!!!), its galling that Buchanan thinks that African Americans still have not demonstrated enough "gratitude" for the privilege of being treated like second-class citizens for the vast majority of their presence in America. More gratitude for subsistence programs? More gratitude for programs instead of real opportunity? Please.

He then goes on to suggest that the "Silent Majority" (read: Angry white people) needs to be heard, and that they are angry that Blacks do not acknowledge that America has been good to them and that White Americans have bent over backwards for Black people to make up for past injustices.

Finally, he hits on two platinum issues of racial fear: Reverse discrimination and Black on white crime.

Buchanan didn't get it when he worked for Nixon, and today he still does not get it. Black people are proud to be Americans -- they just want to be treated as full citizens. Black people have demonstrated "gratitude" by serving faithfully and honorably in every armed conflict involving the United States; by demonstrating grace and pride in the face of hatred, anger and bigotry; by advancing within systems that did not want them, excelling and advancing the cause of inclusion for Blacks and others who seek that which every American is entitled: The opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

Anger and pain are evident (and real) on both sides. However, insulting Blacks by insinuating they should be more appreciative for what they've "received" is dishonest at best, inflammatory at worst and threaten to entrench further the misunderstanding and mistrust between the races.

Buchanan blasts Rev. Wright as a bigot and a racist, someone unfit to occupy a space in the public square as a so-called leader.

If Buchanan does not see his comments in the same light, then he is the one who is obtuse.

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I will agree with you on the fact that Pat Buchanan is wrong on many items.

First of all, the “600,000” blacks he talks about, who came here as slaves did not ask to come. I won’t even mention the millions who died on the trans Atlantic voyage to the new world. Not much to be grateful for here…

Secondly, the “…’60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs…” were not designed to help blacks. As a matter of fact, most of those on these programs were white. And as far as welfare specifically, it became nothing more than a generational curse on the black community. Sorry, nothing here to be grateful for either.

The truth is that at our inception we committed a great sin by not abolishing slavery. The price for that sin was the blood of over 500,000 American boys during the civil war, most of them white. But our stupidity did not stop there. Because we did not learn our lesson; we chose to continue treating an entire race of people as less than human for 100 more years through Jim Crowe laws, lynching and voter intimidation. That equates to over 400 years of oppression against black folks. A few handout programs over a couple of decades that benefited whites more than blacks does not make up for that.

The truth is that nothing will. No program, no reparation, no apology will ever make up for what has happened to those brought to this country in chains. But that does not mean that we cannot overcome it. As a matter of fact, we already have in many ways.

I am a part of the first generation to grow up after the passage of the 1964 civil rights act. I grew up equal under the law. I was not told that I could not use the same bathroom, drink from the same fountain, eat at the same restaurant or go to the same school as whites. This is not to say that the playing field is completely level. But to say that we are still being treated like second class citizens is a major overstatement.

Do you deny that black Americans are the most educated, prosperous and free of all peoples of African decent? You can’t, because we are!

Do you deny the statistics quoted by Buchanan on black on white crime?

“Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?

Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?”

You can’t because they are true. And Buchanan doesn’t even get into the statistics on white-on-black crime vs. black-on-black crime.

I believe Pat Buchanan to be full of himself and on many issues his perspective is stupid at best, racist at worst. But there are times when he does make good points. And he is right when he points out that liberal black leaders spend far too much time blaming “Whitey” for what ails black Americans and not enough time talking about the opportunities available for blacks today that have not been there in the past. They should focus a little more on the blessings of being black in America, rather than always pointing out the curses.