OBAMA IS

DIFFERENT!

“Whether this nation is finally grown up enough to accept the possibility of a black becoming president, this much is certain: For the first time the prospective candidate would be coming not from the arena of civil rights and protest but from a position that is on an equal footing with the other potential nominees, a high elected office. Until now the African-American candidates have approached the task from almost an adversarial position with white voters.” (December 27, 2006 Boston Herald “Opinion” column by Dan K. Thomasson, former editor of the Scripps Howard News Service.)

“TAXES” IS A RACIST CODE WORD

“Money is not everything in upward mobility, but “taxes” is a code word for saying that collectively, white America has no intention of really paying for quality schools so the next generation of Deval Patricks do not have to leave the South Side of Chicago or flee out of Boston to Metco for education. “Taxes” is code for saying that we will not really fund law enforcement either to reduce crime or to fight discrimination. It is code for saying we really will not fund equitable health care.” Derrick Z. Jackson, The Boston Globe, December 23, 2006.

WHY PATRICK AND OBAMA?

Paraphrasing McCormack School Dean, Steve Crosby, and Asian-American Institute Director, Paul Watanabe, Jackson also wrote, “There is hope they said, in the notion that white voters are more and more expressing their hopes and current frustrations with government through black faces. Perhaps this is because deep down, voters know that no other group has been as frustrated with government as African-Americans.” Crosby is quoted as saying, “Everyone is feeling disenfranchised…from the war in Iraq to cynicism here (Massachusetts) over Romney. Everyone is sick of polarization, and people like Obama and Patrick have gotten where they are navigating treacherous polarized waters. That may be why people are giving them a chance.”

OR MAYBE WHITE

SUBURBANITE RESENTMENT OF MINORITIES HAS

SHIFTED

ELSEWHERE!

Quoting The Washington Post journalist, David Ignatius: “For a generation, GOP strategists encouraged these (White) suburban voters to focus their anxiety and resentment on urban minorities, but Emanuel argues that isn’t working anymore. “Today, the new welfare queen is corporate America,” he says. Suburban voters, like those in the inner cities, “are angry at powerful citizens who are getting a better deal than they are.” Thanks to this suburban populism, the Democrats picked up Republican seats in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and other states.”

GOVERNOR PATRICK CONFRONTS THE RACE ISSUE

Just days into his term, Black Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick confronted the race issue in a speech at Faneuil Hall in Boston:

“The notion of equality is never even mentioned in public discourse today. Race relations is the only major social ill…we seem seriously to be considering curing by denial.”

“It’s always been about simple justice, about making good on the American promise of freedom for all.”

(January 16, 2007)

HONEYMOON! BLACK

GOVERNORS

NEED NOT APPLY!

By now Deval Patrick understands that he will not be given the 100-day honeymoon normally extended to new governors by the press and the legislature. As we at POV predicted, from the instant he was sworn in, his every move has been scrutinized with a fine tooth comb and a sledgehammer (Well, I didn’t use that exact word!) and his slightest slip is immediately and loudly elevated by the mainstream media to be an act of voter betrayal. Patrick is a competent businessman but a rookie politician who could have used that 100-day grace to iron out the rough spots. But this is typical America. Honeymoon! His handlers should have emphasized to Patrick that Black governors need not apply!

WHO IS FIRING THE BULLETS AT BLACK MAYORS OF

SOUTHERN

WHITE TOWNS?

The new mayor of Westlake, Louisiana was killed with his own gun just after winning an election in a predominantly White town. Shortly thereafter, two shotgun blasts were fired into the home of the new Black mayor of the predominantly White Louisiana town of Greenwood, which is only 150 miles away. The Westlake shooting was called a suicide, which many had good reason to doubt, but there is yet, no explanation for the Greenwood shooting, which raises the legitimate question of “Who is firing bullets at Black mayors of Southern White towns?”

ADVERTISING

AGENCIES FACING

DISCRIMINATION CLAIM

“In a staggering blow to Madison Avenue’s predominantly white establishment, the New York City Commission on Human Rights issued subpoenas to CEOs of 16 New York advertising agencies…The subpoenas are the culmination of a year-and-a-half-long investigation. The Commission seeks to hold advertising executives, and their clients, accountable for the values and hiring practices that have systematically blocked African-American and other minorities from entering the rarified world of the advertising industry.” Black Enterprise, August 2006.

GOOD NEWS?!

Studies show that Black inmates in state prisons have a 57% lower death rate than Blacks in the general population. In fact Black death rates in prison are 206 per 100,000, while for Blacks in the general population it jumps to a whopping 484 per 100,000. Whites and Hispanics in prison have a higher death rate than their free counterparts. I won’t even begin to speculate on reasons for this bit of “good news” but I’ll bet you can imagine! n