The Main Event: Steele vs. Obama

Michael Steele is the current chairman of the National Republican Committee (GOP), the first African-American to hold this office. Steele won the GOP chair in January 2009, shortly after the inauguration of first African-American President Barack Obama. In general, the GOP along with the right-wing extremists like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have been very critical of Pres. Obama's policies since day one, even before he was elected. Now, we find Michael Steele as the GOP's main spokesperson leading the political attacks.

This whole Michael Steele vs. Barack Obama angle is straight up black-on-black crime at the highest level. The GOP couldn't risk having a "white man" at the top (of their party) criticizing the "black President" all the time. So, they throw Steele in there to do their dirty work. Now, after making several political gaffes, including making seemingly critical remarks against Rush Limbaugh, the GOP quietly wants Steele to resign. For example, NC GOP Chair Tom Fetzer has called for Steele to step down stating that his resignation is "the only way to end scrutiny of the national party over lavish spending and ensure Republicans maximize gains during the mid-term elections." Let's see if Steele can somehow redeem himself by putting his ego to the side in favor of uniting the party before he causes any further damage that will be very difficult to repair come election time.

As always, all supporting or opposing points of view are welcome. Would love to hear from Steele, Limbaugh, Hannity, Fetzer or anyone else on this. Please click on the word "COMMENTS" to voice your opinion. Again, you can leave an anonymous comment if you wish. Hit me up on Facebook as well. Thank you!

Al Sharpton - The Real Monkey

After a long hiatus, I am back on the politics blogspot! I have been focusing my efforts for the past few months on my relationships blog which is gaining popularity. Go to http://davejerridoonrelationships.blogspot.com to check it out and leave comments.

Now, let's quickly talk about this latest buzz concerning the New York Post. Earlier this week, a 14-year-old, 200-pound pet chimpanzee in Stamford, Conn. left a woman in critical condition after attacking her—mutilating her face and hands. Police eventually shot and killed the mammoth chimp. The next day, the New York Post published a cartoon depicting two police officers standing over a fallen chimp with the caption: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

This immediately sparked outrage among members in the African-American community; in particular, Rev. Al Sharpton who made the following statement (amended): "The cartoon in today’s New York Post is troubling at best, given the racist attacks throughout history that have made African-Americans synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual inference to this form of racism when, in the cartoon, the police say after shooting a chimpanzee, “now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill.” ..... The Post should at least clarify what point they were trying to make in this cartoon, and reprimand their cartoonist for making inferences that are offensive and divisive at a time the nation struggles to come together to stabilize the economy if, in fact, this was yet another racially charged cartoon."

Al Sharpton along with Jesse Jackson were pivotal figures during the civil rights struggles in the 1960's and early 1970's. Their collective leadership efforts brought a multitude of people together for the cause of peace and unity. But that was then and this is now. Sharpton still uses the same tactics today with very little fanfare. Seems like the only time he shows up is when he can get his face on camera. If you are an organization involved in an ordeal similar to the New York Post and you are not making any financial contributions to Sharpton's benefit, then he will call you out and organize a march against you. Sharpton does not have the street credibility that President Obama has and will attempt to cash in on his 15 minutes of fame whenever he can get in front of a TV camera.

As always, all points of view are welcome - supporting or opposing. Please click on the word COMMENTS below and join in the conversation. You can now leave anonymous comments if you wish. Thanks!

Retailers singing the "blues" on Black Friday

The nation's retailers offer deep discounts during the holiday season in hopes that shoppers will come out in full force to salvage a dismal year of sales in a struggling economy.

The case against the automotive bailout

The CEOs of the top three U.S. automakers (Ford, General Motors [GM] and Chrysler) recently met in Washington DC before lawmakers to lobby for an industry bailout plan that would cost an estimated $25 billion. Their claim is that a failing automotive industry spells disaster for the U.S. economy, which will eventually have a ripple effect in the global markets. President-elect Obama supports the bailout plan and believes immediate action should be taken to prevent a major meltdown of the U.S. economy......but I have an opposing point of view on this.

OK, let's cut to the chase. First, it was $700 billion to bailout the corporate hot shots that were (and still are) gambling our savings and 401(k) money away in the Wall Street casino. Now, the millionaire, Cessna jet-flying automotive CEOs want a piece of the pie. When Michael Moore predicted back in about 1990 that GM could go "belly-up" within approximately 20 years, his predictions were viewed as blasphemous and "unpatriotic", but as we now see, he was right on the mark. Moore was recently on CNN - Larry King Live blaming the automotive industry crisis on inefficiencies, greed and overall disregard for consumer choice and concern. He said they should not get one red cent of this bailout money and I totally agree.

The automakers had an opportunity in the past to produce a more fuel-efficient line of vehicles, but chose not to pursue this product line in favor of mass producing gas-guzzling pick-up trucks and SUVs. Not surprisingly, soon after this, the cost of fuel at the pump began to creep up and eventually skyrocket recently reaching a national average of over $4.00 a gallon. Makes me wonder if the automakers and big oil companies were in cahoots, but that is merely speculation. When you add on top of this years of fiscal irresponsibility and mismanagement, you end up with the big mess we are currently facing.

Bottom line: whose fault is this? The automakers themselves; not the U.S. labor workers who watched their jobs get shipped overseas in favor of cheaper labor which resulted in a lower quality product and not the consumers who were force-fed certain vehicle product. But, it's the U.S. taxpayers who would foot the bill of this massive bailout plan of the automotive industry. Now does this sound fair? I'll let you be the judge.

The "Rush" to Judgment

Some members of the media are putting undue pressure on President-elect Barack Obama; blaming him for events he cannot control and questioning his selections for his administration.

Democrats ride Obama's coattails to election

President-elect Barack Obama (D-Ill) catapulted himself to the White House with the support of a strong, well-organized ground campaign and a solid, well-versed political platform. Obama was also the beneficiary of several external factors such as a deteriorating economy and an unpopular President who continues to support an unpopular war. The American people had more confidence in Obama to fix the economy, settle the war, and bring overall unity to the country as a whole. America right now feels that the Republicans are not as committed to these objectives.

Now, as far as the rest of the Democrats elected, I believe Mr. Joe Mavretic (former NC House Speaker) summed it up best when he said, “The Democrats will ride Obama’s coattails into office.” Reason: after selecting the President, it appears many voters just voted a straight party ticket instead of taking the time to vote for each office individually. I believe this hurt some more qualified candidates like Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory who seemed better versed on the issues and ran a much better campaign than Lt. Gov. (now Governor-elect) Bev Purdue. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) had her race won and then just killed herself with that controversial “Godless Americans” ad campaign and ended up losing to now Senator-elect Kay Hagan.


Elections are very crucial to the futures of our cities, states, the country and most importantly our children. We should invest some time in researching all candidates running for public office and not just rely on what we see on the nightly news. Remember, the TV news is only going to focus on what they feel will get ratings - they will not cover everything. We need to do our homework to make sure we are putting the right individuals in office that will best address the issues of concerned citizens and will do so in a fiscally responsible manner. Merely showing party loyalty does not ensure this. One thing is certain: North Carolina and the nation will be under new management in 2009 and let’s see if we will be better off in 4 years than we are now.

McCain urges for support of President-elect; supporters boo

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/05/angry.mccain.supporters/index.html?iref=newssearch

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) delivered a gracious, well-versed concession speech after losing to now President-elect Barack Obama Tuesday evening. McCain acknowledged the difficulties currently facing the country and pledged his support to President Obama. But, when he asked the crowd to offer their support to the new President, McCain was met with loud boos and very negative remarks. In contrast, when Obama admitted that John McCain was a formidable opponent during the entire campaign, the huge crowd in Chicago applauded to show their respect.

That brings me to my point: that crowd in Phoenix to me showed a total lack of respect to the new President-elect of the United States. They have had things their way for the past eight years and they anticipate sweeping changes that may impact their lives for what they think will be for the worse. Some of them are still playing on all the ignorant rhetoric perpetrated by the radical right-wing media (there is another eight-letter word for "rhetoric" I wanted to use but I will keep the blog as vulgar free as possible). And, of course, you have those who just don't like the idea of a non-white male President.

Without question, all this negativity from the McCain-Palin supporters is absolutely deplorable and condemnable. However, let me make this clear: Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) did not directly sow any seeds of hatred and division during this campaign. (This is where I disagree with Rep. John Lewis (D-GA).) They did not create the climate that caused this manifestation of negativity and borderline racism from their supporters. I blame the radical right wing radio talk shows and biased cable TV news shows that could not find legitimate flaws in President-elect Obama's political history and chose instead to focus on his character flaws and questionable associations. Seeing so-called "Americans" react this way to the election of the first African-American man as President of the United States tells me that we have a long way to go before we totally heal the wounds of racial division in this country.