CHRIS BROWN IS DEAD

Dag, my brothers and sisters. Just when it was becoming media overkill, and people were starting to ask axe that awful question, "Well, what did Rihanna do to deserve it?"... it seems that the guy who has been called "Usher's Replacement" (everyone), "The Young Mike Jack" (Nas), and "hot" (my niece G), is pretty much going to become one of the most reviled men in entertainment since O.J. Simpson, Ike Turner and Kobe 2004. You even have the whole "leave Chris Brown alone" campaign going on, where cats like this guy below share their intuitive thoughts on the situation they know so much about, because they know about shit like this. Plus, "how can guilt look so cute?"





Chris Brown had a great thing going for him, and I don't mean the love of the guy above. He was handsome [ll], talented, young, rich, famous, charming [ll] and even seemed humble. Not at all the type of guy you'd see in one of those animated cartoons, where "the bad guy" is terrorizing some pearly young damsel, as she cries for a superhero to save her from the terror. CB was winning awards, had almost completely wiped clean the spectrum of modern male R&B singers, and was well on his way to at least 5-10 years of upward mobility in his career. Then, his goon hand came crashing down, repeatedly, on a woman. A woman like any other woman, except that she happens to be one of the finest and most famous women walking the planet right now.





I say that the storm was settling, because the major news pundits were starting to weigh in on the subject of the violent beating of Rihanna. Once the major news networks start letting their hacks get at a person, it's only a matter of time before some cash-poor publicist/"crisis manager" would come calling, offering to vigorously defend CB and bring him back to comfortable levels of public relations. Sure, it wouldn't be easy, but people are forgiving when it seems that the media isn't being fair or letting you have the chance to either defend yourself on television or raise even more questions about your effery, like A-Rod's recent roid press conference. It was even looking like Rihanna might show mercy (read: weakness/love), and publicly forgive CB, to take the edge off the incredible shit stain he placed on his own career. T.I., Will and Jada, Terrence Howard and all other types of celebs who probably have their own private or public dirt, were coming out of the woodworks to try to help the rest of us understand that these things probably happen a lot more than we think, and that there are ways to fix them without demonizing the guilty party.





I had my questions as to whether or not there was some incredibly strange situation that led to this beating, even though it was never in question as to whether or not he deserved to be publicly denounced for his actions. You just can't hit women, under any circumstances, is what most people believe. I tend to think that if a woman raises a gun at me, she has earned the right to get her ass whooped, just like a man. Barring that, the only option is to walk away, if your temper reaches the level that you are seriously considering letting your fists fly into her face.

So you can imagine that I was waiting to hear what CB would have to say about the whole ordeal before passing any personal judgment against him. I was also not completely sure of what happened, and there had been no available pictures to document how severe the assault had been. But alas, oh my brothers and sisters, the picture of Rihanna is worth a thousand words, and all of them are the same: "Damn."





When you wake up tomorrow, Chris Brown will be just a figment of your imagination. You won't be able to remember the lyrics to any of his numerous hit songs. You won't think of him as you chew your gum. You won't be able to name three things he did last year in the public eye. All you'll remember is the busted lip, scrapes, scars and swelling on Rihanna's face. And you'll look at her eyes. Closed, but tight, revealing pain that seems deeper than anything physical. She looks helpless, confused, and emotionally hurt to the point that tears won't even fall. And though she is completely beautiful, she is, in the TMZ picture, the new, ugly face of domestic abuse.

This blog is in the memory of Chris Brown's career. It is dead and gone. Hope you ladies enjoyed the show while it lasted.

STRATEGY IS DEAD

There's a lot of talk today about this whole debate debacle, as Governor Sarah Palin faces the world in a test of preparedness against Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware.

No one expects Biden to "lose" this debate, which is highly dangerous for him and why you might have noticed both political parties playing down expectations. The wisdom is that if you handicap your player and publicly predict a low performance, even alluding to the possibility of a loss, you will easily come out on top without having to exert very much energy or intellect.

Everyone—even Palin—knows that Biden is the better, smarter and more qualified candidate. But no one knows how bad Palin will be against him. There are many risks, which include a PR nightmare scenario for Biden: he could forcefully prove that he is better, smarter and more qualified, thus causing a sense of resentment. Nobody likes a know-it-all, and everybody loves the underdog. America is huge on victims and charity.

So if Biden engages Palin, he runs the risk of looking like a father, which would also immediately transform him into an old, chauvinist misogynist by default. "Who does Joe Biden think he is, dismissing a woman so fervently?" I can already see Elizabeth's lips flapping tomorrow morning on The View, and it's not at all as if I plan on watching The View.



You can see what type of dilemma that Biden is in, and how millions of Republikkkan lackeys, flunkies and surrogates are prepared to spin this into a victory for Palin no matter how badly she fails tonight. So there's only one way that Biden can soundly rout Palin in their one and only VEEP debate:

He's got to surrender.

Yes; the senator must hold back his mental arsenal of foreign policy, economics, law, social issues, education, energy and anything else he knows that would warrant an answer to any of Gwen Ifill's questions longer than two sentences. We already know that the campaign of Senator John McCain is trying to DISCREDIT Ifill because she has written a book called Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama. If it is perceived that she is tossing journalistic "softballs" at Biden, it will appear as if GOP commentators were correct in assuming that she was already in pocket as an Obama loyalist and supporter. If he answers a question exceptionally well, Republikkkans will yell that the fix is in. Sheesh… at least McCain finally came out and admitted that Ifill, highly respected as an objective political journalist, will probably do a great job, as always.



On the other hand, if he decides to limit his answers, it will put pressure on Palin to best him. If she rambles, she will slip. If she keeps her answers similarly short, she will look like she's following Biden's lead because she is incompetent and has no answers. If she answers them correctly and blows everyone away with her understanding of the issues, she will still be less qualified as Biden, because no one with an I.Q. over 60 could possibly believe that he is not ready to step in at a moment's notice.

Biden will win regardless, but public relations can be a bitch to control, and you'd better believe that those wacky, Kool-Aid drinking Republikkkans are already preparing their victory statements for the morning news shows. Palin is a nincompoop, and it doesn't take an intellectual bombardment from Biden to expose this. Allow her to be the cause of her own political death, and she will most certainly euthanize herself on the public stage, proving to everyone that she never belonged behind that podium in the first place.

The best strategy is a non-strategy. If Biden follows my advice, I guarantee that he will have slayed the "LEVIATHAN OF FORENSICS" without having to raise his voice. And you can bet that if Biden walks away clean, the conservatives who were once all too giddy with the pretty lady from Alaska will attack her themselves, or simply decide as early as tomorrow that they cannot support the GOP ticket in November.

PRIDE, DIGNITY, SELF-RESPECT - THEY'RE ALL DEAD

Warning. This shit is sad. You've been warned.

So I was riding along I-20 yesterday afternoon on my way back from Birmingham, taking in my daily dose of the best news program on the planet, NPR. Forget whatever you heard or thought; no television station, newspaper, magazine, blog or website does a better job of reporting the events that occur in our world with as much consistency and objectivity. Which reminds me, I need to go ahead and start donating money (whenever I get some).

But back to the point. While I'm enjoying my highway cruise, I was flabbergasted by a story about PRINCELLA SMITH, a 24-year old Republikkkan who is an African-American female and happens to be a member of Newt Gingrich's think tank, American Solutions. CLICK HERE FOR THE AUDIO. And if you will excuse me for a moment while you listen, I will now puke on myself.

*earling*


Ok, we're back. So anyway, this heifer intelligent black woman has decided to show her independence and freedom by being a token negro mascot for the GOP. She even had a blog post published at one of my favorite liberal bully blogs that attacked my beloved Hip-Hop. Check it out:

Sadly, the new slave master portrayed in many (not all) rap videos is the black man.

The executives and heads of these hip hop record companies are white males who sell 4 out of every 5 rap records recorded to a young, white, suburban, male audience. This image of oversexed black men who disrespect women, wear gun wounds as a badge of honor and brag of "bling and bills" is ingrained into the minds of white America, and thus becomes a new form of bondage for African-Americans. These young white men go out into the corporate world, and many are eventually sitting behind a desk to hire employees, and we want them to be objective. Yet, in their subconscious lies these images of African-Americans.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

Good try, sista. Now, let's examine that theory a little bit more. If we are seriously defined as a race by the entertainment that we created for our own enjoyment and is now an incredibly popular worldwide financial juggernaut, that would not be a failure upon our part in sending a clear message. The onus lies upon the anuses who listen and believe anything they hear, see and read. All art is open to interpretation, and what seems like mysogynistic and self-hating garbage to you might be comedy to me. In other words, I don't have to tell a joke or write a sentence that you like, if I don't wish to do such a thing. If you like it, great! If not, kill yourself!

Here's an example. I don't get upset at Oprah, Tyra or that other black woman on The View when they say dumb shit that I don't agree with or could shine a negative light on black men. I just think that they're entitled to their own opinions, and then I ask axe myself, "Why the eff am I watching Oprah?" Immediately following this revelation, I shake my head and change the channel. Problem solved. I don't sit around and wonder, "But what if white women believed that all black men were worthless, irresponsible, shiftless, immature animals with bad credit? Do you know what that would do to interracial dating and the population of light skinned babies? Oh, the horror!"

That was a joke. All I'm trying to get across here is that if you don't like something, don't watch, listen to or read it. Leave it the hell alone, like I'm doing with your beloved GOP convention. And I'm going to do my best to ignore you, my sista, because you are being used like a rubber dildo by the Republikkkans to sodomize the African-American race in a manner that Nelly could never achieve with a million "Tip Drill" videos.

My problem with Princella Smith is that she is a tool. If she doesn't know it, then there is hope for her yet. Ignorance is bliss, but nothing lasts forever. Now, if she does realize that she is letting the Republikkkans parade her around town as their new weapon against their own reputation of racial hatred, then she is despicable, stupid and a classic sell-out. And I'm sure that will put her on the path to the Supreme Court like another famous GOP ball-blower.





For the record, Ms. Smith, I do not judge you for being an opportunist. I'll pray for you tonight, even. Now go back to your aluminum shack behind Massa's house and finish shucking corn for tonight's GOP convention dinner. I'm sure they'll save the "chitterlings" for you.




Lord, give me a sign.

CONSISTENCY IS DEAD

It's so crazy that Jon Stewart has more gall than almost any liberal thinker, commentator or columnist. Dude always seems to find factual information that throws the hypocrisy of the GOP back in the face of the dead elephants. And - get this - he's a comedian.

This just supports my theory that the truth is a joke, and vice-versa.

THE OBAMA CRUSADE: Day 39 - MCCAIN'S PAIN

I have to apologize to my readers, because now I get what's happening, and as of right now, I'm taking the bait. So this will be the last time I write an entire post about what the hell is or isn't going on with this. But for now, I have two separate theories as to why Senator John McCain chose Governor Sarah Palin as his VP candidate.


1. Either McCain hit it when Palin visited him on a LATE NIGHT SECRET FLIGHT to Arizona last week, and she put that thang on him so badly that he gave her a key to a room in the White House for some late-night creep action in 2009,


OR...


2. McCain is spitting in the face of the Obama campaign, saying with subtlety that since OBAMA IS A CELEBRITY, the Republikkkan party can create it's own star, while still having a balanced ticket with a Senate veteran, just like the Dems. Except, the roles would be reversed.

The argument sounds like this. If Biden beats Palin in the VP debates, that means nothing, because, historically, no one votes for a VP anyway. Plus, she's just a politically made celebrity, so it's no big deal if she can't overcome any expectations.

The GOP probably thinks that this neutralizes Senator Obama. They think he has no experience, so they got someone with even less experience than zero. So now, the fight is between Biden and McCain. Both are long standing U.S. senators, and both have a wealth of foreign policy and government experience. But since Biden is not the presidential candidate, it makes Obama look bad, I guess.


All of that is a crazy gamble, but it still doesn't knock down the biggest question:

Is this the best person McCain could find to be president after him, in case he's not available? And if it isn't (and let's be honest - it isn't), what does that say about his judgment?

Seriously, I think he hit it.

THE OBAMA CRUSADE: Day 35 - REGGAETON IS OFFICIALLY DEAD

I just can't even believe this awkward buffoonery. Look at your boy, Daddy Yankee, going out like a straight sucker...




Senator John McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, says he's introducing "a special friend" and a "great American success story" (from Puerto Rico) who's been married for 15 years with three kids, aged 14, 12 and 10. Then this guy Daddy Yankee comes on stage looking like a 40-year old pedophile, hugging girls his childrens' ages and rambling in short bursts of Spanglish about how he's backing McCain because of his stance on immigration.

If this doesn't seem strange to you, it's because you don't pay attention. See, Puerto Ricans have no problem getting in and out of the U.S. Their Visas aren't like Mexican citizens'. So I don't exactly get Yankee's point. However, this is a great moment of opportunity for the Democrats. This is precisely where John McCain is weak when it comes to his political base of support.

You'd better believe that the immigration issue is what almost kept him from getting the nomination from the Republickins in the first place. Now, he's touting it early and unnecessarily. If the Democrats are smart and not the weak, punk-ass beeyotches that the Republickins always frame them as, they'll make an attack ad that goes as hard as McCain's recent commercial that tries to put a wedge between the supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton and the rest of the Democratic party. See below:



See how McCain is trying to meddling in Democratic party affairs, trying to make Clinton seem like a victim and Obama look like a white chocolate devil for not choosing or consulting her on the VP issue? Keep in mind that before the Dems' convention started, something like 24% of Clinton supporters said that they would rather support McCain on November 4, all because they're "outraged" at the way their girl was treated by Obama.

Well, the Democrats need to put something out that says something to the effect of, "John McCain wants the Hip-Hop vote so badly that he went out and got a washed-up reggaeton artist to confirm what we already know - McCain will leave our borders unsecured for thousands, if not millions, of undocumented illegal immigrants to cross into America. This is the guy conservatives don't really want to support..."

That would start some serious whispering among the neo-conservatives and evangelicals who are only supporting McCain because they have no better option. But one thing independent candidates don't want to hear about is our country losing more jobs to illegals at a time when the economy is pissier than McCain's bedsheets.


The Democrats need to either grow some nuts or some nipples and stop walking the fence, so to speak, on this issue. Time to get tough; McCain would have done the same. And by the way, what was the last Daddy Yankee song you liked?




- My name is THE UNDERWRITER, and Barack Obama did not approve this message. But the Democrats had better tell him to get on my level soon if they want to win this election.

THE OBAMA CRUSADE: Day 33

[I'm going to wait for a day or two to weigh in on why Senator Barack Obama, by selecting Senator Joe Biden as his VP candidate, has made a great political move. Too many people are putting up nonsense opinions right now. I prefer it quiet when I'm speaking.]


TODAY:


Sunday is always the day that the major networks do the weekly wrap-up in political and governmental affairs. This weekend, the talk of the nation is still Obama/Biden but several other stories are also emerging. Senator Hillary Clinton is expected to RELEASE HER DELEGATES and the Rules and Bylaws committee of the Democratic Party have FULLY RESTORED THE MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA DELEGATES, both just in time for the national convention, which begins tomorrow.


But keep this in mind:

Some of Clinton's supporters were outraged that the delegates were not fully reinstated in May. They were also angry that Obama claimed some of the delegates won by Clinton in Michigan.

SOURCE: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

It could get ugly, or at least stupid, if those Hillraisers decide to cut the fool at the convention. Denver, Colorado has built temporary holding cells in a city-owned warehouse for those who violate the law during convention week. FYI: The first version had razor wire at the top.





New reports say that the razor wire was removed. I guess they didn't want pictures to come out of Hillary fans who had escaped either by chewing their way through the floor or shredding their faces and bodies into square centimeters - just to demonstrate against Senator Obama. I'm telling you, those people have the devil in their hearts...




Not that I really care, I'm just reporting. I'm not trying to find out if there's actually razor wire on those cages, so I'm staying in GA this week. Feel free to get arrested in my place and report the story after you're gagged, beaten and thrown against a chicken wire fence for fun. Like the Chappelle skit said, "If you've got hate in your heart, let it out."

I suspect that there will be plenty acts of random hate this week, as the new Democratic regime attempts to regain the reigns of control over the party, and Republickins do everything in their power to continue the chaos. For God's sake, man; she's even got something called a "whip team", which is supposed to be in place to overshadow the dissenters in her party who plan to disrupt the convention with noise, angst and hate. We'll see how good of a job she does "whipping" her own friends as they yell in her defense.

If you have an Obama t-shirt and plan to support the man in November, this is the week to bring it out. If you don't have one, buy one. They have some cool bootlegs in Five Points, off Campbellton Road and even Old Nat'l. Oh, and even if you want something free, MOVEON.ORG is shipping free Obama/Biden stickers to supporters. I think all you need is an email address, which you obviously have.

Word to the wise: If you're in Denver this weekend, don't trip; the police might get on some "Operation Heartbreak Hotel" stuff and straight gas you haters to death in that warehouse.


"Listen to me now,
Believe me later on..."

Khujo Goodie of GooDIE Mo.B - "Cell Therapy"

DIG THIS

I just found an article on a blog called THE AFTER PARTY titled, "Hip-HopChivalry is Dead."

Wow. A blog after my own heart. Actually, The After Party has been around since December 2005, so I'm obviously late as hell. But I'm adding them to my blogroll, so everything is now right in the world.


Check out a snippet:

Yesterday I made a comment over on VSB about how it’s not trickin’ if you have it. I initially wrote it as a joke. A few minutes later, I thought about it. I do not trip when I have to spend money. I take pause and give thanks that I can afford to spend. This doesn’t mean I’m out medium pimpin’ buying things full price…Full price is for suckers. Like I said before when I wrote it first it was a joke. I even made reference to rappers.

On my long ride home I heard the line again in a rap song. I have NEVER heard a man who can afford nice things for himself AND a mate complain about spending money. I want to focus specifically on dating. The topic on VSB was about bitter men. Men who brag about not being chivalrous. The example that was tossed around was how some men refuse to pay for dates or even refuse to plan inexpensive thoughtful dates. Someone over there mentioned six chicken wings. Not a thoughtful date.

Click that link above to read the entire post. I'm off to the Bun-B show, hoe.

THE OZONE AWARDS ARE IS DEAD

Trae tha Truth punched Mike Jones in the face? Southern rappers are beefing? Rick Ross had his goons manhandle DJ Vlad - all down in Houston at the Ozone Awards? Really?!





I absolutely don't care. It's probably a good thing I wasn't there in Houston for this event. I still have some issues with a few people who attended the show, and I'd rather not start an epic fight outside of the venue. Trust me, if I get punched in the face a'la Mike Jones at an awards show, there will be metallic repercussions. Even though I have more than a few friends who were down in Texas attending Julia Beverly's cottage-cheese rendition of a black awards show, I declined to attend. Look at everything I missed...





So I'm passing off the torch on this one. The homie Maurice Garland wrote a recap of the show, and he's obviously not as slanted against the machinery of false cultural representation as I am. That was a joke.

CLICK HERE to read Garland's take on the 2008 Hozone Ozone Awards. In the meantime, here is another take on the truth from Trae. It's funny how snitching on yourself is the new album promotion. Oh well, that's why southern Hip-Hop is where it is today - half in the spotlight, half in the coffin.





And you probably wonder why I spend so much time writing about politics...

LINKS FOR YOUR LIFE - LIVE FROM BEIJING (not really)

[The Underwriter does not condone racial intolerance. But this is a funny picture.]


OBAMA'S ON VACATION, and to a degree, so am I. I quit my former day job last week, and it feels great to be alive. And still, no cigarettes. I feel as far away as the continent of Asia from my old life as I knew it two weeks ago.

See, I'm focusing on getting my shite right, so I quit doing a lot of things that were bad for my everlasting soul. As a result, I've been having mad, ill dreams about trailer-loads of girls and bombastic bus trips to exotic places where Amazonian women live without any male company. Sheeit, I've had some of the best sleep in years recently.

I do wish I was in Beijing in reality. Have you been watching the Olympics? Seriously, this is the only time in life that I'm really amped to watch sports all day long. There's something about the Olympics that makes sports seem innocent again. But alas, there is still turmoil afoot in the world, and death circles above us all like a skinny black vulture. No time to waste, no time to chill...

So here are a few deadly things that have been going on recently, just to keep you abreast of things and stuff. Here's what's been going down:


LINKS FOR YOUR LIFE!!!


War Games



Russia is still bombing the shite out of Georgia. I guess "cease-fire" is either not a literal term, or something must have been lost in translation. Either way, it's still war out there, and the Olympics served as nothing more than a distraction from the assault. CLICK HERE for the story.


Michael Phelps is Him



Michael Phelps, the American swimmer and the winningest Olympian of all time, listens to Lil' Wayne's classic mixtape track "I'm Me" as he prepares for nautical warfare. He recently admitted this to the media. As you should know, this dude is breaking swimming records left and right. Wayne haters, you can now drown yourself in wolf piss, or just CLICK HERE for the story.


Ozone Magazine = Hip-Hop Coloring Book



The Ozone Awards was a coon-fest of epic proportions. My homie Jacinta was in attendance, and she came back with several reports that confirm my decision to stay home and get zooted. I remember having the opportunity to interview Julia Beverly, Ozone's publisher, once, and I just changed my mind and canceled at the last minute, on some "who cares" shit. I discovered that I wasn't impressed. She just seems out of place, and under her guidance, the awards ceremony gets worse and worse every year. Oh well, she's still banking off you idiots that read Ozone, so CLICK HERE for the full unedited story, or CLICK HERE for the clean version @ Rolling Out.


Hillary Wants Some Effing Respect



Senators Obama and Clinton have reached a "compromise" that will allow Clinton's name to be placed in nomination at the Democratic convention. That means that even though Obama won the needed amount of delegates and has more pledged superdelegates than Clinton, she doesn't have the balls to tell her supporters that protesting, yelling and voting for her at the convention will be counter-productive, not cathartic. I think she's still trying to be V.P., but she doesn't know that you can't be a beeyotch about it and expect people to sympathize. Whatever. CLICK HERE for the story.


Keep R. Kelly Away from the Chinese Gymnast Team



It is being reported that Chester is not only alive and well, he might be Chinese. Team China has at least two questionable team members for the gymnastic squad. I feel like that's weird as hell, so I'm out, but you can CLICK HERE for the story.


Going to see Pineapple Express tonight with the homies. Already copped the t-shirt, because I heard the movie was funny as hell. For now, back to the games.


UPDATE: IMAGES ADDED (8/17/08).

THE OBAMA CRUSADE: Day 26

TODAY:


We interrupt this program to bring you this special, extraordinary bulletin of epic proportions. But first, a word from our sponsor. Don't touch that mouse!




Back to our regularly scheduled program, former U.S. Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, who was recently being vetted to be Obama's VP, has been dug up as an unfaithful spouse and veritable liar, slutmonger and dewshbag. If you didn't already know, Edwards's wife has cancer, and it is terminal, which makes John look like an even filthier piglet for cheating on his dying soulmate.

Not only did Edwards go public with his admission of guilt on Friday, but he did it right before the Olypics began in Bejing. That means that he knew it would be a small American news item going up against a weeks-long world news story that only comes once every few years. I'm dead @ this.


Without trying to judge or speculate too much on this one, I'll defer now to James Poniewozik, who has broken down the good and bad reasons why a journalist might be interested but probably would not cover this story.

My bottom line: It comes down to whether the story affects a public issue. This story at least bore investigation back when Edwards was a candidate. (Whatever any of us thinks about whether an affair disqualifies someone for office, a voter has every right to take it into consideration—even if for tactical reasons—when trying to vote for their party's nominee.) When Edwards dropped out, it was probably fair enough to ignore it: the fact that it was a story once, or might be a story in the future, did not make it a story at that time.

But with Edwards facing the possibility of getting shut out of his own party's convention, it would have been bizarre to simply let that pass without explanation from the media. It was not a huge, earth-shattering story, but it was a story. He must have known that—and Democrats sure as hell did, "private figure" or no—hence his disclosure (on a Friday, before the opening of the Olympics).

Now, of course, the press will probably over-cover the story in compensation, because that's what we do.

SOURCE: TIME.COM

So why is this relevant to Obama? Simple: Edwards endorsed Obama, and he could have been a veep candidate - you never know. Whether you have sympathy for him or not, you have to admit he was wasting everyone's time if he knew that this was lurking in his past.

They say that leaking your VP choices, if you're a major party candidate for POTUS, is a smart thing to do. If you let the media know who you're vetting, they might do an even better job that you or your limited team. Hell, these internet lurkers can and will dig up all types of dead dirt on someone that you could have sworn was the truth. Ask Axe Rick Ross.

Ain't that America?

THE OBAMA CRUSADE: Day 25

TODAY:


Well, wouldn't you know it. It appears that Senator Hillary Clinton is back from the dead. It is being widely reported that Senator Clinton will be not only speaking at the Democratic convention on Tuesday, but SHE IS UNLEASHING THE HOUNDS OF HELL known as "Hillraisers" after Senator Obama. Talk about conflicting messages... Also scheduled to speak is former POTUS Bill Clinton.

Flying home to Chicago, Obama told reporters on his campaign plane that he talked separately this week to Clinton and her husband, the former president, and that they were enthusiastic about having a smooth convention at the end of the month in Denver.

"As is true in all conventions, we're still working out the mechanics, the coordination," Obama said. One such issue is whether there will be a convention roll call on Clinton's nomination, he said.

"I'm letting our respective teams work out details," he said. Asked if that meant he wouldn't object to her name being placed in nomination and a vote taken, Obama said: "I didn't say that. I said that they're working it out."

SOURCE: MSNBC

It has been said that Obama has invited the Clintons to speak because it is only right. I mean, he is the guy who denied them a political sub-prime mortgage and pre-evicted them from another 8-year lease on the White House. Now he has to be respectful of the Clinton brand for chivalry's sake, plus he still doesn't have the full support of those 18-million people who didn't vote for him in the Democratic primary race. So Obama has decided that to end the nonsense, he will extend his hand and allow the vanquished Clintons to assume their rightful places - behind him, pulling his coattails.

I hope that there is a contingency plan on what Obama should do if one or both Clintons decide to drop a political deuce on him from the big stage in Denver. Either of them could do less than their best speaking up for Obama, deflating the energy of the convention and signaling further that the split within the party has not yet healed. Or they could just stage a mutiny and tell everyone who supported them to stay home, because Obama is an apparent misogynist. Which would be Superbad.

This is what you call quiet blackmail. With 18-million votes, Senator Clinton is holding the convention hostage. She is making a dramatic impression on party leaders, who don't quite know what to expect. Remember, Obama is not the official nominee until the delegates choose. Is Senator Clinton really going to demand her God-given right to nightly dinner at The White House, even if it's a second-place seat and not from the top of the table?

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would expect Hillary's voice to get louder as we get closer to August 25. I'd expect more news agencies to cover her supporters, and less definitive talk from Clinton about what she plans to say.


Remember, Obama still has not selected a running mate...

LEGALLY-DEAD MCs

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, a.k.a. "The Hip-Hop Mayor", is legally dead, but you already knew that. Yes, this idiot cheated on his wife, Carlita, with his chief of staff, Christine Beatty.




Yes, he lied about it. Yes, he was brought up on federal charges of perjury. But now, yes, this dumb-ass took an unauthorized trip to Canada recently (probably for some good weed) and got his ass arrested upon returning to the city he's supposed to be running.

He is now in the hoosegow. The clink. The concrete hotel, if you will.




Check the excuse stupid-ass reason your homeboy gave when he offered an apology to District Court Judge Ronald Giles about his conduct:

"I've been living in an incredible state of pressure and scrutiny."

But Giles sent the mayor to jail anyway, telling him he would have given any defendant the same treatment.

SOURCE: TIME.COM

I'm dead @ this. I mean, you're a young, African-American mayor. You claim to represent my culture. You come from a politically-known family. You're even built like a football player, which is a breakthrough - people are sometimes weary of large black men in powerful positions. But despite all of these good things going for you, you couldn't keep your Piston in your pants long enough to be an example for young black men who might aspire to your job someday.




Please believe that the media is going to love this, especially when a black guy is running for POTUS. Let's just hope they keep dude locked up through the rest of the presidential campaign, so he doesn't have time to pull some of that Marion Barry "race card" or "it was a setup" bullshit.

I can't take it. I'm off to drink some white tea.

THE OBAMA CRUSADE: Day 21

TODAY:


It has been announced that Senator Obama has requested that the Democratic delegates from Florida and Michigan be fully reinstated. If you'll remember, both states broke party rules last year and moved their primary contests up, ahead of the national party schedule.

Since this was a rules violation and not part of the bigger plan, the states' parties were punished. First, the states lost all delegates, then they received half of them back in an electoral compromise. Now, it seems that Obama wants both states to be able to sit all of their representative delegates at the Democratic National Convention on August 25, and he'll probably get what he wants.

Mr. Obama’s request is likely to cause consternation among party officials, who have struggled to maintain some authority over the primary calendar. Restoring full voting rights will essentially be giving a green light to other states to ignore the primary calendar next election.

The credentials committee is scheduled to meet Aug. 24, the day before the convention begins.

SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES

Obama is expected to receive a significant bounce in the polls (we've heard that before) after the convention, but since polls are janky it makes sense that he's shoring up support early. The funny thing is that back around May, when the primary and caucus contests for the Democratic nomination were still going on, Senator Clinton was fighting for the full delegation seating, but Obama wasn't having it.

While Clinton's campaign is demanding that 100 percent of the disputed delegates be seated, a move that would give her trailing candidacy a much needed delegate boost, many of the panel members reached by ABC News this week agreed Clinton isn't going to get what she wants.

SOURCE: ABC NEWS (5.29.08)

See, if Hillary would have received the full delegation seating when she wanted it, her total popular and electoral vote would have been a lot closer to Obama's. That still wouldn't have made a difference when time started running out and Obama had run away with an unbeatable lead in delegates, but it could have had the effect of making him look weaker on the national stage. As close as the race was, it would have been much closer, and McCain would have been using this to make people believe that the Democratic party was much more divided.


ASSOCIATED PRESS VIDEO - MAY 2008:





Fast forward to today. Obama, as the "presumptive" nominee, is now in control of the Democratic party. With this power, he can ask axe the committee to restore all delegates, which will pacify the people of Michigan and Florida. He'll need them in November.

The question is, will Clinton's "Hillraisers" support group make a big deal of this at the convention? Will Hillary allow her people to demonstrate against this apparent flip-flop? Does anyone really care?


I do. I think it is a very interesting political chess move. And it shows how intelligent Obama is when it comes to making deals. Shady? Maybe a little. Smart? Very. You know you have pull when you can make people change the rules at your convenience.

And for the record, hell yeah I'd do the same thing. Because, like Obama, I'm black, and that's how we do.

THE OBAMA CRUSADE: Day 17

TODAY:


Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges, my former co-intern for Ryan Cameron, is about to take some serious heat for his newest song: "Politics," off his new Gangster Grillz mixtape with DJ Drama.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE MIXTAPE HERE.

While you're waiting for the file to transfer, here are some quick quotes, just so you can see what type of mess people are saying that Ludacris has made, for himself and Obama, with his lyrics.


RESPONSE - THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN:

Through his campaign team, Senator Obama released a statement condemning the song as offensive and typical of much of Hip-Hop’s current lyrical content.

“As Barack Obama has said many, many times in the past, rap lyrics today too often perpetuate misogyny, materialism, and degrading images that he doesn’t want his daughters or any children exposed to,” explained spokesman Bill Burton. “This song is not only outrageously offensive to Senator Clinton, Reverend Jackson, Senator McCain, and President Bush, it is offensive to all of us who are trying to raise our children with values we hold dear. While Ludacris is a talented individual he should be ashamed of these lyrics.”

SOURCE: ALLHIPHOP.COM

RESPONSE - FOX NEWS:

In his new song “Politics: Obama Is Here,” rapper and staunch Barack Obama supporter Ludacris trashes presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain and former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton.

“Hillary hated on you, so that b—- is irrelevant. … McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he’s paralyzed. Yeah I said it cause Bush is mentally handicapped,” Ludacris sings.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper, whose real name is Christopher Bridges, also takes aim at the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was recently caught on video slamming Obama.

“Jesse talking slick and apologizing for what? If you said it then you meant it how you want it have a gut,” Ludacris sings, refering to Jackson’s off-the-cuff criticism of Obama’s speeches on morality at black churches.

SOURCE: FOXNEWS.COM

Do remember also that Obama was recently quoted by Rolling Stone Magazine founder Jann S. Wenner, voicing his support for Ludacris in his July 10 cover story.

Wenner:
What do you think of rap? Has it been unfairly attacked for destroying family values?

Obama:
By definition, rock & roll is rebel music, which means if it's not being criticized, it's probably not doing its job. I am troubled sometimes by the misogyny and materialism of a lot of rap lyrics, but I think the genius of the art form has shifted the culture and helped to desegregate music. Music was very segregated back in the Seventies and Eighties — you'll remember that when MTV first came on, it wasn't until Thriller that they played Michael.

I know Jay-Z. I know Ludacris. I know Russell Simmons. I know a bunch of these guys. They are great talents and great businessmen, which is something that doesn't get emphasized enough. It would be nice if I could have my daughters listen to their music without me worrying that they were getting bad images of themselves.



SOURCE: ROLLINGSTONE.COM

The internet is going nuts (no Jesse). All the commenters and geeks are saying that Luda is stupid. He should know his role. He's hurting Obama with this type of colorful rhetoric. Whatever.

Shout out to Cris Lova Lova; CONGRATULATIONS on getting tapped (nolo) for the GA Music Hall of Fame. And for the record, I happen to think that this was a smart if risky move that will ultimately work in both mens' favor. Nobody is changing their vote over a rap song. But Luda deserves some respect for even trying this, especially right after his induction was announced. Think about it; it leverages good and bad publicity right when he has the spotlight. He gets to be honored by a prestigious group, and he gets to retain his hood pass indefinitely. It's not like he's saying anything that every other Obama supporter isn't. He was just bold enough to record it over a Young Buck beat and release it, knowing that Fox News would go ballistic. Brilliant.

Obama can't pretend that Hip-Hop will just let him play the middle forever and not push him to either condone or condemn us. Hip-Hop, like Rock & Roll, is rebel music. And black people, as quiet as it's kept, created both. So he can't expect for those same rebels to keep quiet forever. Who knows; this might be exactly what needs to start happening to keep the Hip-Hop crowd interested and motivated enough to vote in November. Word to Nas; rappers are finally learning how to use politics to promote their projects.




"Hip-Hop... is bigga than religion. Hip-Hop... is bigga than "my nigga." Hip-Hop... is bigga than the government..."
Erykah Badu - "The Healer"

THE OBAMA CRUSADE: Day 16

TODAY:


We're going to laugh. We're going to look at the ignorance, and laugh together. Because really, even though political humor can go too far, sometimes it's still funny if you can dig past an obvious insult and find your sense of humor.

Here are a few photos I've found along the way to fullfilling this assignment to cover the Obama campaign for 100 days.

















Pretty classy, huh? Feel free to pass them around to others. Or feel free to start a petition demanding that people stop using caricatures, drawings and graphic manipulation to create images that unfairly draw negative and misleading racial and cultural reactions upon political candidates from those who don't know how to tell a lie from the truth. See how far it gets you.

Good luck with that.

MALE SPIDERS ARE RAPISTS

Scientific researchers at the University of Aarhus (?) have made a brilliant discovery - one whose announcement is sure to spread like cobwebs in the circles of internet-saavy spiders. Female arachnids, beware: your men are out chea boning unsuspecting potential mates by playing dead and stealing the ass.





Hell, at least the spiders don't have to live in Darfur these days, for God's sake. Then not only would such savage spiders rape the ladies, they might just kill them and the kids, then burn it all down on the way to the next unfortunate victim.

So don't you PETA pricks get mad at me if you see me in the woods squashing the shit out of some tarantula or black widow. He might be the "Chester" that sodomized Charlotte.


CLICK HERE for the article.


"I'm gunnin' for your spouse, tryin' to send that bitch back to her maker, and if you've got a daughter older then 15, I'm a rape her, take her on the living room floor, right there in front of you, then ask you seriously, what you wanna do?"
DMX - "X is Coming" (nolo)

THE OBAMA CRUSADE: Day 6

Out of town in Afghanistan for just 24 hours, and my man Obama is already stirring up trouble.

Depending on who you believe, the Senator from Chicago either has or does not have the support of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in his quest to end the American military presence in 16 months.


Here's the CNN VERSION of the story:

"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months," he said in an interview with Der Spiegel that was released Saturday.

"That, we think, would be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes," he said.

But a spokesman for al-Maliki said his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."

SOURCE: CNN.COM

Now, just to keep it "fair and balanced", here is an excerpt of the version that you will find at SLYFOX.COM:

The statement by Ali al-Dabbagh came after an article was published by Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine which quoted al-Maliki as favoring the 16-month withdrawal window proposed by Barack Obama.

The article quoted al-Maliki as saying “U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.”

Al-Dabbagh said al-Maliki’s views were “misunderstood and mistranslated” by Der Spiegel and that the prime minister backs a general vision of pulling out U.S. combat forces based on talks with Washington “and in the light of the continuing positive developments on the ground.”

Al-Dabbagh said statements by al-Maliki or any members of the Iraqi government “should not be understood as support to any U.S. presidential candidates.”

SOURCE: FOXNEWS.COM

In other words (mine), Iraq's prime minister probably should have consulted Bush before he went and endorsed anything pro-Obama without permission. Somebody's not being a team player, it seems.


All caught up. Moving on...

OBAMA: THE LAST 100 DAYS - Vol. 2

Day 2.

99 days left before Senator Barack Obama is inaugurated as (literally) the first African-American POTUS. But, lo and behold, the time is not now to celebrate. There's plenty of work to do in the meantime. Let's get it.


TODAY:

THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS that in Iraq, Obama is beloved. He is urging an almost complete withdrawal from the country in 16 months. People there love the idea, but he is still being tested for his theory and proposal that America must pull out of the region before we are tied down for generations in a war that was never meant to be fought in the first place.

“In no way do I favor the occupation of my country,” said Abu Ibrahim, a Western-educated businessman in Baghdad, “but there is a moral obligation on the Americans at this point.”

Like many Iraqis, Mr. Ibrahim sees Mr. Obama favorably, describing him as “much more humane than Bush or McCain.”

“He seems like a nice guy,” Mr. Ibrahim said. But he hoped that Mr. Obama’s statements about a relatively fast pullout were mere campaign talk.

SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES ONLINE

IMO, we absolutely cannot afford, as a nation in a recession, to continue to let our national budget go deeper in the red because of a stupid decision by the outgoing Bush. We have to get smart. And sure, we have an obligation to make sure things are alright, but we might be giving the Iraqis their best chance to craft their own government if we actually leave it up to them.


See you tomorrow...

OBAMA: THE LAST 100 DAYS

Go ahead and hit that cigarette, my brother. Only 100 days left before November 2. It's gonna get shitty...


This is the beginning of the real movement, for those of us who are true supporters and not suckers. It is time to toughen up and get ready for the real fight. The true political season starts now.

I believe that political action involves debate. And some people are too stupid to know why they should like Obama. All they can do is hate him, because they are programmed as such.


Here's where our responsibility comes in. Everyone who has an Obama t-shirt, book, poster, magazine or campaign sticker ought to be able to give anyone outside of the know a few reasons why they too should support the candidate. For me, it's culture, environment, economy, diplomacy, conversation and even freedom. Mental, that is.

I'm gonna try to post something every single day until November 2 - Election Day - about my choice for President. Good and bad. Supportive and critical. Realistic and idealistic.


If you feel like commenting, shit... go for it. If not, don't.


TODAY:

THE WHITE HOUSE JUST ANNOUNCED that a special envoy will be meeting with Iranian diplomats.

This is a major shift which stands to help Obama, because John McCain does not believe that diplomacy can work with Iran. If Bush starts a dialog with Iran, it will severly undercut McCain's stance on foreign policy.

Translation: Obama looks like he's on the right correct side of the Iran issue. McCain looks old as usual.