How the World Views the US post-Obama

Throughout the election season, Obama was largely well received across the globe.

More than 200,000 people came to watch his speech in Berlin, Germany, in July, according to police estimates -- and it wasn't because they'd read his book or memorized his policies. It was because they all felt that he was the incarnation of change and they admired him. They had an emotional connection.

When Americans voted for Obama on November 4, citizens around the world celebrated his resounding win. People in cities and villages danced and cheered in the streets, and Kenya declared the day after the election a national holiday.

In China -- where the media is state-run and domestic stories are almost always the top stories -- newspaper headlines read "First Black President of the United States."

When President Bush was elected for his second term, the cover on the U.K.'s Daily Mirror read, "How can 59,054,087 people be so dumb?" The day after Obama's victory, the paper's cover read, "GOBAMA!"

Read full article on CNN.com.

Obamas Reflect On Election

Check out these clips of Barack & Michelle Obama on 60 Minutes.

Inauguration 2009 - Hot Tix!

The hottest ticket in the country is...

...free?

Yep, the January 20, 2009 swearing in of President-elect Barack Obama has ignited a firestorm of constitutent hopeful to get a first hand glimpse of history.

More than 1 million people are expected to descend upon Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 20 event -- but there are just 240,000 tickets available.

Thousands upon thousands of people have requested the tickets from members of Congress, forcing some lawmakers to tell constituents to stop calling. And those are just requests to be admitted somewhere within four blocks of the Capitol when Obama raises his right hand and takes the oath of office.

West of the Capitol complex, the unticketed masses will gather the length of the National Mall with next to no chance of seeing Obama sworn in with their own eyes. Jumbotrons are expected to relay the images.

I don't care if I get a ticket or not. I'll be in DC regardless!!!

Everybody Hates Barack

Well, as to be expected, not everyone is overjoyed about the President-elect.

Kimberly Chapman of Picayune, Mississippi, says that her 13-year-old son was paddled in school last week for saying the name "Barack Obama." According to Chapman, Picayune Junior High School has enacted a policy prohibiting students from talking about the president-elect.

Wow.

Check out the entire article at Essence.com.

106 Year Old Anne Nixon Cooper: Living Legend

When President-elect Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech at Grant Park in Chicago, he specifically thanked the actions of one woman who took special pains to make her voice heard. That woman, Anne Nixon Cooper, is 106 years old. As Obama pointed out, she was born but one generation past slavery, in the days before cars, computers or cell phones. She was also born in the days before women, particularly Black women, had obtained the right to vote. Despite her age and all the physical ailments that come with it, Nixon Cooper left the Atlanta home she has lived in since 1937 to vote for Barack Obama.

"It's just great!" Nixon Cooper says about the publicity she's received since casting her ballot. "I may be sitting in my chair but there is always something on my mind." Read entire story at Essence.com.

She said that she would be "very proud to meet and shake his [Obama's] hand." Watch her CNN interview below:

Yes We Did!

The 44th President of the United States: Barack Hussein Obama

Check out the victory speech (in it's entirety) given on election night from Chicago's Grant Park:

Obama's Grandmother Madelyn Dunham Passes Away

Tragically, just a day before Barack Obama could win the presidential election, it was announced that his grandmother passed away early this morning in Hawaii. Obama left the campaign trail for a couple a days a week or so ago, to go to Hawaii to visit with her. He has spoken of her much over the course of the campaign. Our hearts are heavy. If he wins tomorrow, it will certainly be bittersweet.

Here's a clip of him speaking about it in North Carolina today.

I VOTED TODAY!!!

I am TOO EXCITED! No, it wasn't my first time voting early, but it was the first time that voting meant so much more. As I approached the early voting location, the thought hit me (Divinely I believe) to document the moments so that they would be savored forever. I sent a series of emails to my friends each step along the way. I probably wasn't supposed to be taking pictures, but since I didn't get caught...here it is!

2:30 PM:
So, here I am in line at the State Archives bldg. It's 2:30 and there are at least 100 people in line ahead of me and 50 more behind me. Not sure what happens after we make it into the auditorium or how many more people are in there!

2:52 PM:
After an 8 min coaching session on the 7 amendments from one of my fav advisors, I've made it into the auditorium. [I'm very ashamed to admit that I'd been too busy MANAGING A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN to notice that there were going to be 7 constitutional amendments also on the ballot. When I got to the voting location I was completely caught off guard and had to get some insight on them at the last minute!] There are 10 voting stations and about 3 ID verifiers/check in stations [actually there were 4]. The line is moving quickly. It's very fluid.

In about 5 mins, I will cast my history changing vote. What an awesome moment!!!

3:13 PM:

Okay, I'm in my car and I have to admit, I walked out a little emotional as the reality of what I've just done sinks in. I just voted for a brilliant, qualified, young, energetic, community serving, Spirit led, BLACK MAN to be President of the United States of America!!! I am sitting in my car in tears as if I can hear the voice of Harriett Tubman saying "don't turn back!" and MLK saying "I have a dream that someday..." and Langston Hughes writing "what happens to a dream deferred...". I hear my ancestors finally exhaling in relief. I hear my slave foreparents resting now, knowing that their labor was not in vain....and the chorus singing "...we shall overcome someday."

My heart is full of joy and I am completely overwhelmed, knowing that this moment will be shared for generations to come. In the words of Maya Angelou, "Barack Obama, we speak your name."

Now I'm drying my face and going to find something to eat.

Wow, what a day. Yes We Can...and Yes I Did!

Colin Powell Endorses Obama

“It isn’t easy for me to disappoint Senator McCain as I have this morning, but we need a president who will not just continue the policies of the last few years. We need a transformational figure. We need generational change."

Barack-star in Berlin

Barack Obama is on tour in the east. On a stop in Berlin, Germany, he made a speech before an estimated crowd of 200,000.

“I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before,” Obama told the crowd. “Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for president, but as a citizen – a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.”



Here's the speech in its entirety:

Obama's Father's Day Sermon

If you haven't watched the Father's Day speech, here's the video in it's entirety. It's about 23 minutes long. Good message.



According to CNN.com:

The issue adds to his family values credentials and lets voters see him delivering a stern message to black voters.

"We can't simply write these problems off to past injustices," Obama said Sunday. "Those injustices are real. There's a reason our families are in disrepair ... but we can't keep using that as an excuse."

Obama urged black parents to demand the best from themselves and their children.

He compared it to his own presidential campaign and early comments from black voters who said they liked him but didn't think a black man could ever be elected president. He said they were admitting defeat before the competition had even begun.

"That was when I wasn't black enough. Now I'm too black," he said in a joking aside.

The next holiday on my calendar is Independence Day. John McCain's camp has got to be all over that one. I can't wait to see him under a tent somewhere with fireworks poppin' in the background, weighed down by flag pins, with a really confused look trying to figure out who mistaked his request for a little boost (of Geritol) for Lil' Boosie (...I-n-d-e-p-e-n-d-e-n-t do you know what that means?...).

Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination

Watch the full acceptance speech:

Superdelegates are Getting Off the Fence

Just as I predicted last night, the superdelegate hornets' nest is stirring. Already today, three supers have pledged support for Obama and one for Clinton.

Obama is ahead of Clinton in total delegates: 1,842 to 1,686. Only 217 pledged delegates are up for grabs in the remaining six contests: West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota. Neither Sen. Barack Obama nor Clinton is expected to win the 2,025 delegates needed to capture the nomination during the remaining contests. That means the superdelegates -- party and elected officials who are allowed to vote during the national convention -- will probably decide who becomes the nominee.


Here are some of the SD's perspectives: (source)


Former North Dakota Sen. George McGovern -- who had supported Clinton -- called on her to drop out of the race. He said he's supporting Obama. "I think mathematically the race is all but won by Barack Obama and the time has come for all of us to unite and get ready for the general election in the fall."


Rep John Lewis, D-Georgia, who originally supported Clinton but later threw his support to Obama, said "there are quite a few people who are having what I call an 'executive session' with themselves. People see the end is near."


Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California and a superdelegate, said she wants to talk to Clinton to "see what her view is on the rest of the race. What the strategy is."


Several SDs are still sitting on the fence:


Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey, said he wants to "wait a little more time" before announcing his endorsement


Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colorado, has remained undecided "I think if we get this thing settled in the first 10 days of June we'll be fine," he added.


Rep. Brad Miller, who represents the 13th Congressional District in North Carolina, said he will announce who he's supporting soon. "I'm going to let the dust settle for a few days," he said.


This will get more interesting over the next few days. It's time to make a decision and the SDs know it. As the old folks say "Pee or get off the pot."

Now That the Smoke Has Cleared...

Barack Obama showed up at high noon in the center of town. He turned and walked 20 paces. As the people braced for what was about to happen, he reached for his weapon and fired. *POW* A thick cloud of smoke makes it difficult to see who got hit...

After yesterday's events I was left feeling deflated, despondent, discouraged, in disbelief, dismayed and downright dissed. Over the last 24 hours I've received irate phone calls, traded emails, read blog sites and analysis, listened to national radio commentary, and pondered the question "Where do we go from here?" I was emotional when it first happened. I and many in my circle were disappointed. We were numb, not able to comprehend what we had just heard.

Psalm 46:10 is one of my favorite, favorite scriptures and I have learned over the years to "Be still...". Sometimes we need to stop, take a deep breath and just be still. Let the dust settle and the smoke clear. Never make an emotional decision.

Roland Martin, CNN commentator has eloquently put this whole situation into perspective.

Now, let's refocus. Let's take back our agenda. Let's put the issues back on the table and not be duped by a cleverly constructed smoke screen. Jeremiah Wright is not running for President. He is not responsible for the state we are in and he will not create the policies that will change our course. YES, Barack Obama is a politician, but let us not buy into the subtle distrust that is feeding the division. We are not choosing between Obama and Wright.

To quote the song my mama used to sing around the house when times were hard, "Nobody told me that the road would be easy...I don't believe He brought me this far to leave me." Listen folks, we've come too far as a people to have this page in history re-written before it even makes it into the book. We need to finish this and not allow them to use fear to run us back into the house and into the fields.

I referred to the Willie Lynch letter yesterday and it bears repeating:

"...I take these differences and make them bigger. I use FEAR, DISTRUST and ENVY for control purposes. Don’t forget, you must pitch the OLD black male vs. the YOUNG black male, and the YOUNG black male against the OLD black male....BEING A FOOL IS ONE OF THE BASIC INGREDIENTS OF ANY INCIDENTS TO THE MAINTENANCE OF THE SLAVERY SYSTEM."

Don't be fooled. On BOTH sides of the table, Republican and Democratic, they are all sitting together in the back rooms smoking cigars, drinking brandy, and slapping high fives. Amused at how after hundreds of years, it's still working like a charm. Meanwhile, we're distracted, fighting, arguing, bickering, and assassinating one another's character for the sake of posturing and looking good in front of "them". They want us to turn on him. They want us to despise and distrust him. They want us to do the dirty work of tearing him down. In no way am I suggesting that we not hold him accountable as we should do with ANY and EVERY elected official. What I am saying is that we need to STAY FOCUSED on November. STAY FOCUSED on January. STAY FOCUSED on healthcare, education, economy, foreign policy, supreme court appointments, and all the other issues that will affect our children's children. As one of my good friends always says - don't fall for the banana in the tailpipe. IT'S A TRICK, A DISTRACTION, SMOKE & MIRRORS!!!

The Civil War ended over 140 years ago. North and South pitted brother against brother and they shed the blood of their fathers. Now it's time to get on the same side despite our differences and despite our disagreements. This time we know what we're fighting for, and we know who our enemy is. Turn the page. Change the subject.

Yes We [Still] Can.

Obama vs. Wright: Divide and Conquer

"...I HAVE OUTLINED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENCES AMONG THE SLAVES; AND I TAKE THESE DIFFERENCES AND MAKE THEM BIGGER. I USE FEAR, DISTRUST AND ENVY FOR CONTROL PURPOSES. ...DISTRUST IS STRONGER THAN TRUST AND ENVY STRONGER THAN ADULATION, RESPECT OR ADMIRATION. The Black slaves after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for HUNDREDS of years, maybe THOUSANDS. Don’t forget, you must pitch the OLD black male vs. the YOUNG black male, and the YOUNG black male against the OLD black male.

...BEING A FOOL IS ONE OF THE BASIC INGREDIENTS OF ANY INCIDENTS TO THE MAINTENANCE OF THE SLAVERY SYSTEM."

Excerpts from the "Willie Lynch letter: The Making of a Slave".

I got a call while I was out at lunch from my girlfriend Tiffany. Sounding alarmed and excited, she wanted to know if I was watching CNN. She mentioned that she was in a restaurant or something and could see the picture but not hear the what was being said. Barak Obama was on and the words she was reading did not sound so good. As I turned on CNN for myself, I was in total shock at the words splattered across the screen. Barak Obama was standing at a podium at a press conference, visibly ticked-off, disclaiming everything (see Obama 'outraged' by Wright's remarks article at CNN.com) that Rev. Jeremiah Wright said yesterday during the National Press Club appearance.

Obama took questions from the press and was clear to brand Wright's appearance before the National Press Club yesterday (see video here) as a "performance" saying "yesterday was a bunch of rants not grounded in truth." "It was a show of disrespect to me...she [Michelle] was similarly angered." Obama also stated that everything that Rev. Wright said contradicts who he is and what he believes and that Wright didn't show consideration for him or his campaign.

Now, the question that the media has posed for weeks is how will Rev. Wright affect Barak Obama's electability? Prior to today, I would have said that it wouldn't have had much of an effect, but now I'm not so sure. Is Barak getting caught playing politics? Is Rev. Wright insensitive to Barak's campaign and speaking out at the wrong time? Should Barak have stood strong in defense of his pastor? Should Wright have backed out of the spotlight to let Obama shine?

The bible says that a house divided against itself cannot stand. The Willie Lynch letter (whether fictional or not) proves that division can be institutionalized and used for generations to control people. I believe that we are in the midst of watching that theory try to play itself out. Pitting old black man against the young black man and the young black man against the old black man. Now, we are taking sides. We either agree with the old black man or the young black man. We are deciding to vote for Obama or against him based on whether or not we perceive that he is standing up for his "house". We have watched the media create a frenzy around Rev. Wright and Obama. They have injected distrust and anger, fears and vocabulary words that most of us have now incorporated into our normal lexicon. We are now standing on two sides. Divided by our desire to see history made and our desire to make a sound decision that will impact our generations. Divided by our desire to hear Obama stand up for Rev. Wright and our knowing that he has to play the political game. Divided by the feeling that Barak sold Wright out for political gain and that Wright sold Obama out for the purpose of pontification.

Karl Rove recently published an article giving some "advice" to Barak Obama and I hate to say I saw it coming, but his #2 pointer was:

When you get into trouble, pick one, simple explanation. And stay with it. Take the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. You said you weren't sitting in church when he said those ugly things. Two days later, you excused him, saying his comments didn't give "a well-rounded portrait" of him. Two days after that, you condemned his statements as "not only wrong but divisive" but still couldn't "disavow him" any more than you could your grandmother. Ten days later, you implied if Wright hadn't retired, you might have left his church. It would have been better to say from the start that Wright's words were wrong and offensive and you should have spoken out earlier. The applause would have been deafening.

Is Obama buckling under the pressure to conform to Washington politics? I wonder if we will see his campaign strategy conform to Rove's advice. I'll be watching closely. You should too.

These recent developments beg us to revisit the question, "What is the Prize?"

Whites Gone Wild

In case you've been MIA like I have for the past few days, you may not have noticed that after hearing clips (taken out of context) of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermons rebuking the less than honorable actions of America and of Barack Obama's speech on race last Tuesday, White folks are MAD! We all have seen those Girls Gone Wild commercials with the girls showing all their business, well white folks are lifting their shirts up all over the TV and they don't care who's watching. I've been reading articles and blog comments and I'm almost amazed at how brazen people are with their negative opinions of Black America. ...I said ALMOST amazed.

It's funny to see how people who have an ingrained sense of entitlement react to being criticized or having their dirty deeds aired. Check out this blog entry by Pat Buchanan "A Brief for Whitey". He is so p.o.'ed about a negro having the audacity to suggest that white America is not the savior of blacks. Black folk better be thankful for being brought to this country as slaves, for being given food stamps and welfare, Section 8, Medicaid, and soup kitchens (I'm not making this up...read his blog). Rev. Wright needs to kiss the ground in thanksgiving of the wonderful privileges and advantages of being an American (bow and kiss the ground...isn't that worship Mr. Buchanan?). Wow.

The irony of all this is that at first they were implying that Barack is a Muslim. Now, they have quickly abandoned that theory and allowed him to be a Christian, but not just a good Christian like them...oh noooo. He's a bad black Christian. They have beef with Barack Obama for staying in his church for 20 years. They want to believe that Barack secretly agrees with everything his pastor said and that he has a burning hatred for this country. They don't care that they have to insult every black church in the nation in order to substantiate their point. Nope. They are white, they are right, and how dare anybody suggest otherwise?! God bless America!

Can I let you in on a little secret Pat? The Christ whom you claim to follow was not considered a friend of his nation. He didn't flow with the status quo. He stood out on controversial issues. He made incendiary and inflammatory statements about the government and it's leaders....yet, you have called yourself a follower of Christ for how long now? Forgive me, maybe your church doesn't read that part of the bible. I guess you're one of those Christians who only adhere to the parts of the bible that validates your agenda.

Not all white people agree with the ignorance of Pat Buchanan. There are many who repudiate that foolishness, just as not all black people embrace the brutal truth of Rev. Wright's messages. But I tell you one thing. Pandora's box has been opened and the conversation about race is now happening all around us.

The race conversation will not be televised. It will take place in homes, churches and on jobs. It will take place in boardrooms and courtrooms, in classrooms and on playgrounds. On the golf course and on the basketball court. Unfortunately, what we have to realize is that this dialogue won't be pleasant to the ears. A lot of feelings will be hurt (black & white) and a lot of toes will get stepped on. In order for a wound to properly heal, you must first get to the root of the problem. There may be bacteria and the stench of infection. There may initially be pus. It may be ugly, uncomfortable, or itch a lot. It's not a pretty process, but eventually after the worst part is over, the wound starts to heal and only memory will serve as a reminder of the pain.

The ugliness that we hear right now, however unpleasant, is absolutely necessary. In order for this conversation to progress and prosper, we have to allow people room to be imperfect, to misunderstand, and to misinterpret. We have to be big enough to forgive and humble enough to admit our own shortcomings. We have to take into account a person's life experiences and not dismiss them as less important than our own. We have to expose, and then we have to cover. But, most of all we have to listen and after we have heard and understood...we have to Change.

Yes We Can.

We Can Change the World

My goal is to keep you informed, inspired, and accountable, so I want to kick off the "resurrection" of CRL 2.0 by giving a big shout out to Presidential candidate Barack Obama for reviving hope and giving this generation something to get excited about! There are many songs and videos that have been produced saluting Sen. Obama's message of hope, but I was caught off guard at the way I was moved by the first video that Will.I.Am did ("Yes We Can"). A new one titled "We Are the Ones" was also recently added to the website http://www.dipdive.com/.

What is the Prize?

Sometimes we are so naive and lazy. We believe everything we see on the news and everything we read on the internet. Remember the "KKK Endorses Obama" email that was floating around? I heard a nationally syndicated radio show talking about it as if it were the absolute truth. The sad part about it is all one had to do was a little research to find out that it orginated from a satirical publication in the UK. *sighs* Sometimes we seem so gullable and we wonder why "they" don't respect us.

All of the 80's babies should remember R.I.F. - Reading is Fundamental. I guess it was in the 80's but not anymore. People will pass on anything sent via email without thought for whether or not it is true. Beware of mass deception that has occurred and will continue to occur because we won't do the necessary research to stay informed.

Has anybody actually gone to the candidates websites to get the facts for yourselves? I hadn't either. Seemed like too much work, until now. It's not enough that the candidate is black, white, male, female, great orator, great debator, etc. I had a moment of enlightenment when watching "The State of the Black Union" on CSPAN an last weekend (that's a post within itself...why was I home on a Friday night watching CSPAN?! my 9-year old niece suggests that I check out match.com ...LOL!). Panel member Dr. Eddie Glaude, who is a BRILLIANT, young brother and protege of Dr. Cornell West, made a profound statement when evaluating the possibility of our nation's first black president. His thought-provoking question was, "What is the prize?"

Research, think, discuss, decide.

We can change the world. Check out Derrick over at Take Back the Mic.