John Edwards to drop out of presidential race

From the Michigan Messenger:

Former Senator John Edwards is expected to announce today that he will no longer be running for President. With the exception of Iowa, Edwards consistently placed third  behind Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the early primaries and caucuses. Edwards’ campaign was defined by the need to end poverty and fighting for the working and middle class against corporate greed.

Edwards decision to withdraw before Super Tuesday on February 5th where twenty-two states will go to the polls has fueled speculation that he would strongly consider running as Vice President under the eventual Democratic nominee.

If Edwards decides to endorse someone before February 5th, it may prove to be the extra boost that that candidate will need to lock up the nomination.

Edwards is expected to make his announcement at 1 p.m. from New Orleans, the same place where he launched his bid for the 2008 Democratic nomination.

Stay up fam,

Brandon Q.

The SuperSpade on The State of the Union

Here, for the third straight year, is Garlin’s play-by-play of G. W. Bush’s LAST State of the Union Address:

The irony of Obama and Kenya

The irony of Senator Barack Obama’s recent South Carolina victory and endorsement by Senator Kennedy is soured by the chaos and violence in Kenya. For those that don’t know, Obama’s father is from Kenya and since elections last month, Kenya has been engulfed in a vicious conflict, pitting the Kikuyus against the Luos and Kalenjins. For context, the elected President Mwai Kibaki is supported by the Kikuyus and Kibaki’s rival Mr Raila Odinga is supported by the Luou and the Kalenjins. Odinga accuses Kibaki of stealing the election. To date, reports estimate the death toll at 800. Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable enough about Kenya to take sides or offer meaningful commentary.

I am just frustrated because among Black folk in America, we have been somewhat vitriolic in our treatment of Black folks who do not support Obama. Supporting Clinton or Edwards does not make you a coon or an Uncle Tom. And my fear is that unlike Kenya, supporters of Clinton or Edwards (or other) have not had to fear for their life but respect and civility have taken some body blows. Maybe we could help heal those wounds by coming together to find out ways to help our Kenyan brothers and sisters.

Stay up fam,

Brandon Q.

Obama’s Black Tax and the “Badge of Black Intellectualism”

What’s up fam, we have a special guest contributor today in the form of Clarence Wardell, a colleague from my days at U of Michigan who is a political activist when he is not working on his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Enjoy!

There is a scene in the movie “Something New” where Sanaa Lathan’s character and Blair Underwood’s character have an exchange over their exasperation with having to constantly deal with the “black tax” in their respective careers. The “black tax” is the notion that a Black person has to work twice as hard as a White person to gain the same level of recognition and compensation within the work environment. Whether or not it continues to exist in some circles is debatable, but whether or not such a figurative tax ever existed is undeniable. Given such a standard once existed it is hard to completely erase it from the memory of a people, even when faced with stark evidence that it no longer does.

Put a stake in it

What’s up fam, I found this great article in Salon.com that discussed how we can all save energy by running appliances that run all night. Though this was not mentioned in the article, I did think about my slight obsession with making sure all of my gadgets are fully charged because I am on the road so much. I posted the article in its entirety, enjoy.

 

Cut up to 10 percent of your electric bill simply by turning off “vampire” appliances that run all night.

Living the dream

Now that Martin Luther King Day is firmly behind us, the best way to honor King is by leading a life of service the other 364 days out of the year. This line is oft repeated but it is ironically made on King Day in most instances. To be sure, Americans are notorious for neatly arranging our compassion in departments reserved for special days and if we are lucky, we might even get the day off. Just think of the emotions and fund raisers that are reserved for Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, and the tsunamis that hit Southeast Asia. All of these actions are noteworthy but the sad part is that compassion is not in vogue if it’s out of season.

The Weekly Dream: In Search of Character

Good day all,

My life is beginning to take on some semblance of normalcy, so I am back in the saddle.  I recently returned from the Dominican Republic, so I am rejuvinated.  I will write about that experience in a later post and put pictures up.

While I was on holiday, I was able to do something I had not been able to do as much, and that is read for pleasure.  I finally was able to read a book Garlin got for me last Christmas called “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell.  In it, he lays out a pretty convincing argument for environment over genetics. 

Ron Paul’s philosophy: A libertarian can’t be a racist

Crossposted at the Michigan Messenger

[COMMENTARY] In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul responded to charges of being a racist because of his association with a racist newsletter. Since this incident and other allegations, including a Michigan Messenger report that Paul’s campaign was receiving support from neo-Nazis and white supremacists, his campaign has tried to distance itself from racist accusations.

What Obama’s win really means

Now let’s assume Obama wins the nomination and shoot, goes on to be the next President. What do you think would happen to the civil rights–donor–industrial complex? I am not sure but I think along the way, it will be increasingly difficult for Black “leaders” that came out early for other candidates to 1) go negative against Obama like Andrew Young, who claimed that Bill is blacker than Obama and 2) making the transition to supporting Obama if and when he wins the nomination. My hope is that Obama’s candidacy will bring young folks out the shadows and fill in leadership vacuums by doing real work.

Senator Obama wins!!!

I am excited that Obama won although to be honest, I never expected him to lose. Regardless, this is a historic time and I am happy to be a part of the process. (full disclosure: I have donated money to the Obama campaign) I think the real story from Iowa is the coveted No. 2 spot and I think this bodes well for Edwards and my prediction is that Clinton comes out of Iowa but Obama pulls out of South Carolina because hopefully the Black folks in SC will feel safer voting for Obama.

Regardless of who gets the nomination, real change starts with you.

Stay up fam,
Brandon