"Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee because of Black voters not in spite of Black voters"

Life on the Democratic Party Plantation Cue in the theme song to Roots

Joe Biden won forty-eight per cent of the vote in South Carolina’s Democratic Presidential primary on Saturday.Photograph by Sam Wolfe / Bloomberg / Getty

Thanks to South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden carried all of the red, voter suppressing, Confederate, Slave States on Super Tuesday when African American voices are finally heard.  Candidate Biden didn't have to spend not one dime or make one promise to African American voters.  All it took was the word of one powerful Black man. 

A Trump presidency that’s been disastrous for America has been catastrophic for Black people.
From spikes in hate crimes to Trump’s racism, Black communities have suffered mightily under this administration. Certainly, more progressive policies pitched by Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren would benefit Black people, yet there is also a sense that this nation has no real appetite to foster economic or racial equality espoused by candidates on the left.
“I like [Warren and Sanders], but I don’t see them winning, because I think they’re too progressive for a lot of white people in his country,” said Marsha, a jewelry maker who offered political analysis along with her deft recommendations for good barbecue joints in Charleston. “I don’t think white people generally vote in a way that will benefit them if it also benefits Black people.”

So now we know for sure the power of the black vote is used to benefit white people.  And all Black voters can do is vote blue no matter who and HOPE and pray white people will decide to treat us as equals someday. 

My read of the South Carolina vote is that black people know exactly what they’re doing, and why. Joe Biden is the indictment older black folks have issued against white America. His support is buttressed by chunks of the black community who have determined that most white people are selfish and cannot be trusted to do the right thing. They believe if you make white people choose between their money and their morality—between candidates like Sanders or Elizabeth Warren (who somehow finished fifth in South Carolina, behind Pete Buttigieg) and candidates like Biden and Michael Bloomberg—they will choose their money every time and twice on Election Day.

EYE HOPE the candidate with the most votes wins this time. 

EYE have two words to say about #SteveBannon being named Trumps Chief Strategist, Van Jones

White House Adviser Van Jones Resigns Amid Controversy Over Past Activism

EYE wish EYE could say EYE am surprised by the rancid smell of the white male dominated media enabled republican hypocrisy, but EYE can't. EYE just can't.  It goes on and on like the Energizer Bunny.

So, Donald Trump named the man who created an online haven for white nationalist as his chief strategist.  But that's OK.

"We're the platform for the alt-right," Bannon told me proudly when I interviewed him at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in July. Though disavowed by every other major conservative news outlet, the alt-right has been Bannon's target audience ever since he took over Breitbart News from its late founder, Andrew Breitbart, four years ago. Under Bannon's leadership, the site has plunged into the fever swamps of conservatism, cheering white nationalist groups as an "eclectic mix of renegades," accusing President Barack Obama of importing "more hating Muslims," and waging an incessant war against the purveyors of "political correctness."

Before he was a sometimes Talking TeeVee Pundit Head on CNN, Van Jones served as President Obama's "green jobs czar", who republicans, enabled by the media , was forced to resign amid controversy.

On March 10, 2009, it was announced that Jones would serve as Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.[2] Jones, while an ardent supporter of President Barack Obama, originally did not intend to work for the White House, later explaining "when they asked the question, I burst out laughing because at the time it seemed completely ludicrous that it would even be an option. I think what changed my mind was interacting with the administration during the transition process and during the whole process of getting the recovery package pulled together."[34]

His position with the Obama Administration was described by columnist Chadwick Matlin as "switchboard operator for Obama's grand vision of the American economy; connecting the phone lines between all the federal agencies invested in a green economy."[35] Jones did not like the informal "czar" term sometimes applied to his job, and described his position as "the green-jobs handyman. I'm there to serve. I'm there to help as a leader in the field of green jobs, which is a new field. I'm happy to come and serve and be helpful, but there's no such thing as a green-jobs 'czar.'"[36]

After his White House appointment, Jones began receiving criticism from media sources such as WorldNetDaily and Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, who featured Jones on fourteen episodes of his show.[37][38] They criticized Jones for his past political activities, including his involvement with STORM and his support for Mumia Abu-Jamal, a prisoner sentenced to death for murdering a police officer in a highly controversial trial.[39][40] In July 2009 Color of Change, an organization that Jones founded in 2005 and left in 2007, launched a campaign urging advertisers on Beck's Fox News show to pull their ads, in response to comments by Beck stating President Obama has a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture."[41] In September 2009, a video on YouTube was circulated of a February 2009 lecture at the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative at which Jones used strong language to refer to Congressional Republican lawmakers, and himself, when conveying that Democrats need to step up the fight. Jones was asked how Republicans could manage to pass measures through the Senate without a supermajority, yet Democrats, with 58 votes of their own, were being blocked by Republicans. Jones explained, "Well, the answer to that is, they're assholes. As a technical, political kind of term. And Barack Obama is not an asshole. Now, I will say this: I can be an asshole, and some of us who are not Barack Hussein Obama, are going to have to start getting a little bit uppity."[42][43][44] Jones apologized, "for the offensive words I chose to use during that speech. They do not reflect the views of this administration, which has made every effort to work in a bipartisan fashion, and they do not reflect the experience I have had since I joined the administration."[44]

Then-Representative Mike Pence (R-Indiana), the chairman of the Republican Conference in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, publicly criticized Jones, while Senator Kit Bond (R-Missouri) urged Congress to investigate Jones' "fitness" for the position.[45][46] Bob Beckel, a Fox News political analyst who was formerly an official in the Carter administration, became the first prominent Democrat to call for Jones' resignation.[47] In response to the criticisms, Jones issued a statement that said, "In recent days some in the news media have reported on past statements I made before I joined the [Obama] administration – some of which were made years ago. If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologize."

Then-Representative Mike Pence (R-Indiana) is now the Vice-President Elect.

"Given recent revelations concerning the associations and statements of the president's green jobs czar, Van Jones should resign his position and if he is unwilling to do so, the president should demand his resignation. His extremist views and coarse rhetoric have no place in this Administration or the public debate," Pence said.

Sniff Sniff....Smell the #Hypocrisy? 

Dear Bill Maher and Hillary Clinton, Can EYE talk to you for a minute? #WomensHistoryMonth2016

Bill Maher, usually you and EYE are on the same page, but your calling young activist #AshleyWilliams a F***ing Idiot  because she had to courage to confront candidate Clinton went way to far.  Your mother is a F***ing Idiot.  That didn't feel good did it?  Like you, Ashley Williams is somebody's child, and she has the right to power without being called a F***ing Idiot.  What you call people is what your are yourself. OK?

For many months EYE was undecided who I would cast my vote for in the democratic primary, but events in Charleston helped me make up my mind to vote for Bernie Sanders. The fact that you said no one ever asked you to apologize for the 1996 Crime Bill, and your not doing do so on the spot, was telling to me.

To be fair, Bernie Sanders voted for the bill after speaking out against it, but at least he predicted what the outcome would be, i.e. mass incarceration, and police and vigilantes who view shoot black men/women/children first, and ask questions later.

Hillary, EYE have the feeling you are being advised to distance yourself from the Professional Left , aka the traditional democratic base, and pander to the white, EYE mean, right wing moderates. Here's the problem with that...they are not going to vote for you no matter what.  

EYE would advise you to get a new team and develop a new plan ASAP.  There is style, then there is substance.   We want our HOPE for Change we can Believe in back.  Strike that, we want a FUTURE we can Believe in.

Your Friend,

RedEye

#WomensHistoryMonth2016

This is not your momma's Civil Rights Movment

Update~ Free Your Mind Friday, Facing an "Inconvenient Truth" #BlackHistoryMonth2016

As Super Tuesday draws near EYE have to face an inconvenient truth. Regular readers know EYE am conflicted about which democratic candidate will get my vote in the primary.  To be honest, at one time EYE considered not voting in the primary and supporting the winner in the general.  But that would be the cowardly thing to do.  EYE can't ask our elected officials and others to be brave when EYE am not willing to do the same.  So, EYE am facing my fears and voting with my gut. Despite some (not to be confused with all) of his supporters, EYE will vote for Bernie Sanders.

Who/What helped me come to this decision? The actions of a brave young activist named Ashley Williams 



And the tragic death of an activist named Viola Liuzzo.



Ironically EYE made this decision on the anniversary of the murder of Trayvon Martin.  The reason police shoot first and ask questions later is because they see black men/women/children as Predators/Thugs.  The 1996 Crime Prevention Bill created the environment of today.

“She said that ‘We need to bring them to heel.'” Williams said. “And in this quote she is pathologizing and demonizing and also criminalizing black youth and other youth of color in terms of how they participate in criminal activity or how they are involved in criminal activity. I found these comments really racist and inappropriate. And also untrue.

Let me be clear, my decision to vote for Bernie Sanders is not a vote against Hillary Clinton. EYE trust her, and if she is the democratic nominee I will support her %100, but on Tuesday, EYE must stand with the young people who are our HOPE for a FUTURE we can believe in.

"So all these folks now want to apologize for the role they played in making us the most criminalized population on earth. "

 The new generation of civil rights activists never accepted "trickle-down economics" from conservatives. Today they are rejecting "trickle-down justice" from the liberals" .~Van Jones on CNN

Ashley Williams demonstrated the power, not only of Black Lives Matter, but also individual acts of courage. With social media, a single voice can trigger an avalanche.

RedEye

Update: "Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History" and "Well Done Protest is Always Inappropriate" #BlackHistoryMonth2016

Update:  Clinton apologizes for 1996 remarks on 'super-predators' after encounter with activist.

In case you haven't heard, the woman who is attempting the break the already cracked glass ceiling to  become the first female President of the United States of America was confronted by a young, black, female activist at a private, $500.00 per person fundraiser in Charleston, SC last night.  Yes, the interruption was rude and disruptive, but so was Hillary's response.

For those who have been living under a rock, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are in a fight to the finish for the black vote.  Both of them, as my Daddy used to say, are N-wording up.

With the Democratic candidates’ first test in the South approaching, a battle of high-profile surrogates is intensifying as Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders vie for the support of African-American voters, who are expected to make up more than half of the primary electorate in the Palmetto State.

As Super Tuesday draws near EYE am still undecided which democratic candidate EYE will vote for.  Just when EYE think my mind is made up, one of the candidates, or their supporters, do or say something that brings me right back to being undecided.

 

EYE don't know who is advising Hillary, but EYE HOPE it's not the same people who advised President Obama and others to pander to those who might vote for them at the expense of those who did, and will vote for them.  It was  not a good look to be campaigning with the Mothers of victims of gun and police violence one day and marginalize their daughters the next day.  

Listen up Bernie and Hillary, the young people are sick and tired of photo ops and lip service.

Pulley said Thursday she was not interested in being a part of what she called "a photo opportunity and a 90-second sound bite for the president."
"I was under the impression that a meeting was being organized to facilitate a genuine exchange on the matters facing millions of Black and Brown people in the United States," Pulley wrote in an op-ed piece. "I could not, with any integrity, participate in such a sham that would only serve to legitimize the false narrative that the government is working to end police brutality and the institutional racism that fuels it. For the increasing number of families fighting for justice and dignity for their kin slain by police, I refuse to give its perpetrators and enablers political cover by making an appearance among them."

The young people aren't the only ones who are sick and tired of being sick and tired. If either of you really want to understand the fear, yes EYE said fear, of being black in America, and the significance of the Black Lives Matter Movement, yes, EYE said Movement, as in the Civil Rights Movement both of you like to use as props, watch last nights' episode of black-ish, then go out and earn the Black vote.

We want our HOPE for Change we can Believe in Back.

#BlackHistoryMonth2016

In honor of Black History Month and since South Carolina is Ground Zero for the battle for the hearts and minds of Black voters, here an excerpt from a previous post reminding us about the history of South Carolina.

So now it's on to the racist, I mean conservative, Christian, red, republican, Confederate, slave state of South Carolina. Which may explain why Willard starting slinging red meat in his victory speech,accusing President Obama of not knowing what it means to be an American, who wants to turn America into a European-style entitlement society. Code for birth certificate, welfare, food stamps. 

Here are some facts about the conservative state of South Carolina, which according to the Talking TeeVee Pundit Heads, is known for it's bare knuckles politics.

South Carolina is the home of The Orangeburg Massacre at South Carolina State University where three black students were shot and killed by police during a peaceful protest. 

South Carolina is the home of former republican U.S. Senator Strom Thurmon, racist by day, hypocrite by night. 

South Carolina is the home of current republican U.S Senator Jim "Waterloo" Demint. 

South Carolina is the home of U.S. Congressman Joe "You Lie" Wilson. Speaking of Congressman Joe "You Lie" Wilson, he will address a group of defense and military leaders at a $1,000.00 per person luncheon in Huntsville, AL today. Dale "voter suppression with the state seal of approvall" Jackson will introduce Congressman Mo "I will do anything short of shooting them" Brooks who I'm assuming will introduce Wilson. What's up with out of state/city Congress Critters raising money in North Alabama? 

South Carolina is the state vowing to sue the United States Department of Justice, to enact a state voter ID law, which they have already said punishes black voters.
South Carolina is the state where republican Governor Nikki Haley rejects the NAACP push to remove the Confederate Flag from atop the Statehouse. 

I can't wait to see which candidate will emerge victorious in the Battle for South Carolina.

RedEye

Note:  The quotes in the title are by  Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and Matthew Williams

The Best #BlackHistoryMonth Ever! #BlackHistoryMonth2016

Aisha Adams:  5 Reasons This Has Been The Most Unapologetically Black Black History Month Ever

 This has been the blackest and most unapologetic Black History Month ever, and it isn’t even over yet. I am personally here for every melanated moment of it. All this Black excellence and Black power… As much as I love “Lift Every Voice & Sing” and enjoyed writing Black history reports, it could never compare to the ebony joy I have felt since the start of the month as a Black woman. A lot has happened, and I may actually have to do a part two post because we still have 11 days to go. For now, here are five reasons why this has been the most unapologetically black Black History Month ever.

“As the cofounder of Black Lives Matter Chicago, I was issued an invitation to this event, and various news outlets have already listed me as an attendee. But as a radical, Black organizer, living and working in a city that is now widely recognized as a symbol of corruption and police violence, I do not feel that a handshake with the president is the best way for me to honor Black History Month or the Black freedom fighters whose labor laid the groundwork for the historic moment we are living in.” — Aislinn Pulley

RedEye

Neither Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders "deserve the black vote." They have to earn the black vote. #BlackHistoryMonth2016

 Michelle Alexander, who EYE admire and respect, wrote a scathing article outlining why Hillary Clinton doesn't deserve the black vote.  She made some valid points in regards to former President Bill Clinton's Three Strikes Crime Bill, which led to the mass incarceration of black/brown/poor folks.  To be fair, Hillary was First Lady, and not the President of the United States.  She did not vote for or against the crime bill, but Bernie Sanders and The Congressional Black Caucus did.  It's not fair she be held responsible for the actions of others, including Bernie and the CBC.

 WASHINGTON -- With the switch of at least three votes, the Congressional Black Caucus made clear yesterday that it would come to President Clinton's rescue on the crime bill. 

After a meeting at the White House with Mr. Clinton, three Black Caucus members who had voted against bringing the $33 billion measure up for final House vote last week announced that they had succumbed to his appeals to save not only the crime bill but perhaps his presidency.

"He was selling his presidency, the party and the fact that we will not get a better bill than this," said Rep. Charles B. Rangel, a New York Democrat who found Mr. Clinton persuasive. "Every step forward in a positive way renews the confidence the people have in the president."

Now that the Angry White Primaries are over it's time for the Angry Black Primary, and believe me Black folks are mad as hell.  We are sick and tired of being sick and tired.  It's going to take more than soundbites, photo ops,  coat tails, and endorsements, to earn our vote this time.  We are not going to be a firewall , nor will our votes be taken for granted, for either democratic candidate.  That said, either candidate is better than the alternative, but neither will be the democratic nominee without the black vote.

The fight over the African-American vote is central to any Democratic candidate getting elected,” said Todd Shaw, a political scientist at the University of South Carolina.
Though polls show Clinton has the overwhelming majority of the state’s black voters, Winthrop University political scientist Scott Huffmon said after New Hampshire, she needs a big win to sustain the notion that she has a wider appeal than Sanders.

Which brings me to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations', not to be confused with the Congressional Black Caucus, endorsement of Hillary Clinton.  Words matter.  The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is not the Congressional Black Caucus.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) is an American educational foundation. It conducts research on issues affecting African Americans, publishes a yearly report on key legislation, and sponsors issue forums, leadership seminars and scholarships. Although linked with theCongressional Black Caucus (CBC), the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is a separate nonprofit group that runs programs in education, healthcare and economic development.
Established in 1976 by members of the CBC, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) began as a non-partisan research institute. Today, the Foundation is organized as a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy, research and educational institute with an office located near Dupont Circle inWashington, D.C., as well as a Board of Directors and two Advisory Councils. R. Donahue Peebles is the Chairperson of CBCF and A. Shuanise Washington is its president and chief executive officer.
Fundraising events and corporate partners support CBCF programs. The CBCF funds many of its activities by hosting an Annual Legislative Conference each September.[1] The Foundation often works with the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses, a group of wives and husbands of the African American members of the United States Congress.

The headline should read;   The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation endorses Hillary Clinton. See it's media enabled, GOP style stuff (for lack of a better word) like this, that turns me off.  That, and the fact the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation doesn't speak for the masses as is implies.

A New York Times article that investigated the caucus’s connections to corporate interests reported that from 2004 to 2008, the Congressional Black Caucus’s political and charitable wings took in at least $55 million in corporate and union contributions.[2]
The caucus says its nonprofit groups are intended to help disadvantaged African Americans by providing scholarships and internships to students, researching policy and holding seminars on topics like healthy living.[2]
In 2008, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation spent more on the caterer for its signature legislative dinner and conference — nearly $700,000 for an event one organizer called “Hollywood on the Potomac” — than it gave out in scholarships, federal tax records showed.[2]
The Dallas Morning News reported in August 2010 that congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson had awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarships to four relatives and a top aide's two children using foundation funds. The recipients were ineligible under anti-nepotism rules of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which provided the money, and all of the awards violated a foundation requirement that scholarship winners live or study in a caucus member's district.[3]
The foundation's former chairman, Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., said that neither the foundation nor the Congressional Black Caucus "will allow unethical behavior in the awarding of scholarships or any programs that are designed to benefit the community." [4]

Another reason the distinction is important is because member of the CBC PAC and some (not to be confused with all) black leaders who support Hillary Clinton slam Bernie Sanders on race issues. Implying Bernie Sanders didn't start supporting black folks until he wanted to be the President.  Well that's not factually correct.  Bernie Sanders filibustered the Sugar Coated Satan Sandwich, aka The Debt Ceiling  Compromise, and the Congressional Black Caucus, not to be confused with the Black Caucus Foundation, joined him.  

"You can call what I am doing today whatever you want, you it [sic] call it a filibuster, you can call it a very long speech," said Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. "I'm not here to set any great records or to make a spectacle. I am simply here today to take as long as I can to explain to the American people the fact that we have got to do a lot better than this agreement provides."

"We are simply here to say that we want a fair deal," said Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.). "You know, there was the New Deal under Roosevelt, and then there was a Fair Deal under Truman. Every new deal is not necessarily fair, and we see this new deal as not necessarily fair."
Payne was joined by other members of the Congressional Black Caucus - considered President Obama's most loyal backers - who announced that the "vast majority" of caucus members would oppose the plan as it is currently drafted.

So no, EYE am not impressed, or moved, by the Congressional Black Caucus PAC's endorsement of Hillary Clinton.  As a matter of fact it's a turn off.   EYE am still undecided which candidate will get my vote in the democratic primary, but EYE will support the democratic nominee, because the alternative is terrifying.

Currently Bernie Sanders is leading Hillary Clinton in Sweet Home Alabama, to be honest,  that worries me. How can a self described democratic socialist be leading in red, republican, Alabama?  EYE think it's more about hating Hillary than supporting Bernie.  If Bernie is the winner and carries Alabama, it will prove me wrong. If Hillary is the winner, and Alabama remains solidly conservative, it will prove me right.  Pun intended.

#BlackHistoryMonth2016


RedEye

Paging President Obama, Vice President Biden, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Somebody please help us #BlackHistoryMonth2016

Dear All,
EYE know you like to come to Alabama to take pictures,  raise money, and give speeches , but we are in desperate need of some some substantive help down here in Sweet Home Alabama.

The White House announced President Obama plans to visit #Selma on March 7, 2015 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the signing of the Voting Rights Act, which was gutted under his administration, but I digress.

EYE hate to say it, but your election seems to have bought out the worst in white Alabamians.  Because we dared get out and vote for you twice, EYE fear they have lost their collective minds.

If the cries of Montgomery politicians under indictment don’t generate sympathy, certainly the lamentation of unemployed workers in the Black Belt does. One effect of the bribe-induced Riley-Canary war on bingo in Alabama is the closure of bingo operations in Greene, Macon and Houston Counties, that employed literally thousands of workers, and brought millions of dollars annually to local government treasuries. We all wish that overwhelmingly black Greene and Macon Counties had bulldozers clearing land for new automotive and electronics plants, or for high-powered biology labs or computer engineering firms, but that’s the progress of the next generation. Right now, those counties are absolutely dependent on the entertainment and gaming business for their economic survival, and Obama’s what-me-worry attitude about Canary has placed that survival in jeopardy. Even in the white-majority Wiregrass, it’s probably safe to assume that Country Crossing employed a fair number of African-Americans in its service sector jobs. Had Bob Riley needed to worry about a U.S. Attorney with integrity in Montgomery, he would likely not have earned his Mississippi Choctaw bribes by shutting down the bingo halls, and the Legislature would probably have put a bingo referendum on this November’s ballot. As it is, there is no way to know when, or if, these businesses will reopen. At some point, even the President’s biggest supporters have to ask if he’s paying attention.

EYE know you are busy with ISIS and all but could you spare us some of your time and attention too? There is a mean spirit on the loose with our Governor leading the pack.   EYE need you to come to Alabama and do for the people who did vote for you, what you did for the people who didn't vote for you.  And could you please hurry?

Because Bentley has refused to accept assistance from the federal government, almost entirely out of political posturing, many working Alabamians — people with jobs, trying to do their part — who are caught in the so-called health care gap have to go without coverage of any kind.

#BlackHistory2016

How the children of Birmingham changed the Civil Rights Movement

RedEye

Clinton/Sanders or Sanders/Clinton, it's a win win for the American people #BlackHistoryMonth2016

"What they are saying is, let's destroy the world. Is that worth voting against?"

In 1931, two white women stepped off from a box car in Paint Rock, Alabama to make a shocking accusation: they had been raped by nine black teenagers on the train. So began one of the most significant legal fights of the twentieth century.The trial of the nine falsely accused teens would draw North and South into their sharpest conflict since the Civil War, yield two momentous Supreme Court decisions and give birth to the Civil Rights Movement. In addition to its historical significance, the Scottsboro story is a riveting drama about the struggles of nine innocent young men for their lives and a cautionary tale about using human beings as fodder for political causes.

RedEye

Blast from the past re-post: Bernie Sanders for President

Regular readers know EYE am undecided between Hillary and Bernie, largely due to the behavior of some (not to be confused with all) Sanders supporters.  EYE must admit, after reading and editing this blast from the past re-post EYE am leaning towards Bernie Sanders.~ RedEye

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders during his filibuster speech, on 10 December 2010, against the proposed extension of Bush-era tax cuts and other measures agreed by President Obama with congressional Republicans. Photograph: Guardian screeengrab from C-Span coverage

After watching Senator Bernie Sanders courageous filibuster of the Obama compromise , I am convinced he should be our next President because he is truly a man of the people. He is not a republican, nor is he a democrat. He is my kind of people, a proud, card carrying Independent.

After listening to Sanders,  anyone who votes for the Obama compromise (yes, I'm calling it the Obama compromise, because that's what the republicans are going to call it when things go south) will show their true colors, because as Sanders said over and over today "the little guy and gals are getting screwed while the rich get richer".

Of course the Lame Stream Media is marginalizing and minimizing Sanders, calling what he did today a "rant", quoting a Gallup poll claiming a vast majority of the American people are in favor of extending the Bush tax cuts, and that's who the White House is listening to, because this will help Obama be re-elected by wooing independents (who ever they are) blah, blah, blab, blab.

The other media enabled weapon of mass distraction is former President Clinton being summoned to the White House to help an embattled President Obama sell a controversial tax deal to members of his own party.  It's like 1992 all over again, Obama is moving to the center like Clinton, blah blah blab blab.

One thing I will say about Bill Clinton, he didn't capitulate, and he certainly didn't throw his base under the bus. When the repubs said they were going to shut down the government,  he said go ahead. And we see how that worked out.

Bill Clinton also created 22 million new jobs, and made the rich pay their fair share of taxes. Bill Clinton also didn't have to fight against his own damn party.

In 2008 the pundit heads predicted the end of the republican party, but here they are two years later, bigger and badder than ever. I wonder how that happened? Yes, that was a snark.

If you have some free time this weekend, watch/ read or listen to Bernie Sanders in action, then tell me what you think about the Obama Compromise. The devil is in the details, and Sanders lays out the details loud and clear.

The Martin Luther King Holiday is over, back to life, back to race baiting in #SweetHomeAlabama

Kyle Whitmire

Alabama Media Group's Kyle Whitmire shows what's wrong with Alabama, and why republicans are in control of all three branches of government.

Reed and ADC have effectively taken over the Alabama Democratic Party's executive committee and turned it into an overtly racist organization. There are whole swaths of Alabama not represented on that committee because Reed and his followers refuse to appoint otherwise highly qualified representatives on the committee from those districts.
The Alabama Democratic Party doesn't represent the state, but more importantly, it doesn't even represent Democrats in the state. It has turned into a barren plantation, abandoned by its owners after they salted the soil so nothing could grow there, but where the field hands keep tilling the dry dirt because the straw boss never stopped making them. And if anyone shows up at the gates offering real help, they're quickly chased away.

Nothing could be further from the truth, but blame it on Joe Reed and his bunch. 

Last year, then-party chairman Mark Kennedy and other key employees resigned from their positions, leaving to form the Alabama Democratic Majority, a group whose stated goal is to break the GOP legislative supermajority in the 2014. At the time, Worley – who was then interim chair – complained about ADM's staff taking items and information that belonged to the Democratic Party, not to them, such as login information for software accounts, paper supplies, and even allegedly their website, to which Worley says ADP no longer has access.

Many have characterized the strife as racial, with some pointing to Dr. Joe Reed as the culprit. Dr. Reed, who has long been a top politico in State affairs, has opposed every diversity amendment that has thus far come before the body. Dr. Reed is the minority chair of the party, and is also the chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference, an activist group whose endorsement can mean more than half of the African American vote in many districts around the Yellowhammer state. 

While Dr. Reed claims that his objections are mostly technical – including the fact that women are included when they already comprise half the body – some say that his opposition is only an effort to prevent African American influence in the SDEC from being diluted, even  if at the expense of other guaranteed minority representation in the body.

Using the media to promote negative negative racial stereotypes in par for the course in #SweetHomeAlabama.  

The function of the ADC was never to inspire or support black Democrats. It was built to control them like slaves on a plantation, and Reed was the straw boss — the slave the overseer gives just enough authority to make him feel important. The straw boss doesn't challenge the status quo. He protects it. 

This is why Senator Richard Shelby (R. Tuscaloosa) is running ads saying he's standing up to Obama,  Congressman Mo Brooks (R. Huntsville) is using the public airways claiming Obama is the most racially divisive President since Slavery, and Judge Roy Moore is on TV again.

Psst Kyle Whitmire and the rest of the Alabama Media Group Editorial Board....  Joe Reed represents a constituencyy.  Joe Reed doesn't demand support from his constituents.  He earns it.  You attack him, you attack us.

Joe Reed is known as a “fighter for fairness” for black representation. In 1975, Joe Reed led the efforts to get equitable representation for blacks on the Montgomery City Council. His efforts resulted in four (4) blacks of nine (9) being elected. He served on the Montgomery City Council for 24 years. In the Democratic Party today, Alabama’s black representation exceeds all other states in the nation. For over 40 years he has led the effort to get more blacks elected and appointed to public office, including federal marshals, federal and state judges, members of the boards of registrars, legislators, county commissioners, city councils, and school boards. Due largely to his leadership, today Alabama has more black elected officials than any state in the nation. He drafted two (2) plans that increased black representation in the Alabama House of Representatives from 13 to 27; and in the Senate from 3 to 8 in 1982, and 1992, respectively. He also drew a reapportionment plan that provided for 25% (two of eight) majority black districts on the State Board of Education. Alabama is the only state in the nation where the Legislature reflects the state’s population of blacks and whites. Dr. Reed’s congressional plan also led to Alabama’s gaining a black congressional seat.

A RedEye  must read.

The Legacy of Dr. King

Watch a lively discussion between Dr. Cornel West, Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, Killer Mike and Senator Bernie Sanders. Throughout the discussion, the focus centers on integrity and character as epitomized by Dr. King. Much of the discussion focuses on racial disparities as well as a central theme of Senator Sanders' campaign, income inequality, which affects everyone, but hits harder in black communities.

Why African Americans are on FIRE for Bernie Sanders

On the heels of the announcement that there will be no indictment, and so, no trial in the murder of Tamir Rice, a 12 year old boy shot literally within a second of police officers arriving on the playground, Bernie Sanders called for a federal investigation. He acknowledged police officers have an "impossible job" and went on to say that "as a nation, we have got to recognize that lethal force should be the last response, not the first response - and we're seeing too much, I think, [shootings] in this country."

Writing on his Facebook page, Robert D. Wilson succinctly summarized our tragic circumstances which amount to a reign of terrorism against entire segments of our national body politic.

"White cops nationally are getting away with murder. White lynch mobs with free passes.

Bernie Sanders calls for what should have been done already, a federal probe. Only Bernie seems to give a damn. It is not safe to be Black in America, thanks to the racism displayed by the Republican politicians toward OUR President."

There it is: in retaliation for the people's choice in electing and re-electing President Barack Hussein Obama, we must pay with murderous injustices perpetrated by the very institution charged "to protect and serve" our communities.  

Bernie Sanders addresses five areas of racial violence waged against black, brown and indigenous Americans: physical, political, legal, economic and environmental.

Before detailing actions he proposes to take in each of the five areas Senator Sanders wrote:

"We are far from eradicating racism in this country. Today in America, if you are black, you can be killed for getting a pack of Skittles during a basketball game. Or murdered in your church while you are praying. This violence fills us with outrage, disgust and a deep, deep sadness. These hateful acts of violence amount to acts of terror. They are perpetrated by extremists who want to intimidate and terrorize black, brown and indigenous people in this country."

At his packed, rousing rallies, he describes systemic abuses on issue after issue. After each, Bernie regularly intones: "Enough is enough is enough!"

Then he reminds us that "When we stand together, there is nothing we can not accomplish!"

There's barely a month before the primary season begins in earnest, and there are so many things to do. If you want to be part of this peaceful, political revolution, we Bernie supporters welcome you to volunteer.

EYE understand the fear in #SweetHomeAlabama #DonaldTrumpSupporters vs #BlackLivesMatterBirmingham Edition

Mercutio Southall was arrested in April 2015 during a protest in front of Birmingham police headquarters on First Avenue North. (Carol Robinson)

Remember what GOP presidential front runner Donald Trump said would happen if #BlackLivesMatter protesters dared try to shut him down?  

I don’t know if I’ll do the fighting myself or if other people will.

Well now we know... other people will do the fighting for him.

Trump supporters — yes, the same crowd that attracts “White Power Rangers” in droves — finally had an opportunity to do what they all secretly want to do anyway: beat up a black guy. At a campaign event in Birmingham, Alabama, a city with a long history of racism, discrimination, and violence against minorities, an African-American man became too disruptive for Trump’s liking, so the billionaire screamed “Get him the hell out of here.”

EYE thought Governor Bentley said it was his responsibility to protect us? 

Trump, the front-running Republican presidential candidate, had Southall thrown out. Secret Service agents and Birmingham police escorted Southall from the room. "They were trying to protect them from me and I was like, 'where were you when they were attacking me and choking me?" he said.
Southall said he was repeatedly called a "n****r" and "monkey" and told his life doesn't matter. It's nothing new to him. "When I wake up in the morning, I pretty much expect trouble,'' he said. "We're not the Negros from the 60s. I believe in defending myself, defending my people and sticking up for my people."
"I'm not violent. I'm not out threatening to blow up people,'' he said. "Self-preservation is an instinct every creature has and we deserve respect."

Nope, Mr. Southall, Donald Trump said you got what you deserved, and it wasn't r-e-s-p-e-c-t.

Trump was asked to weigh in on his supporters’ actions on Fox & Friends Sunday morning. “Maybe he should have been roughed up,” he said. “It was disgusting what he was doing.”
The Republican frontrunner compared what happened at his rally to a Black Lives Matter protest at a Bernie Sanders event, which prompted the Democratic candidate to release a detailed racial justice plan. “This is not the way Bernie Sanders handled his problem, I will tell you, but I have a lot of fans and they were not happy about it. And this was a very obnoxious guy, a troublemaker, looking to make trouble,” Trump said. 

AL.com captured a video of Southall flipping off the crowd while being led out of the building by police, but they didn't capture a video of Southall being attacked by trump supporters. Typical case of the media turning the victim into the criminal.

EYE understand the fear in Sweet Home Alabama.  Maybe they should change the slogan from Alabama the Beautiful to something else.....