The CBC Monitor and Black Agenda Report are putting together an event called Lawn Jockey Awards on 26 September 2007 in Washington DC. More details here.

These events that hold the government publicly accountable are not only [sadly] entertaining, but they are fundamental to the success & survival of representative democracy. This political age is too familiar with politicians who thumb their noses at the people they represent, caring only about a small, influential rich subset of their constituency.

The Congressional Black Caucus is just as guilty of this as any other subset of the legislature. However, given the general lack of attention afforded to Black issues in media and government, this adversely the Black folks the caucus represents even further.

I'd like to see "awards" like this given out for every caucus within the Congress. It's time to start getting politicians to put their votes where their rhetoric is. Too often these two do not align.

One Love. One II.

P.S. Can I vote for Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick?

Why would they want to do that? Probably because instead of being better than the Republicans, some members would secretly rather be just like the Republicans, at least in the way they handle the political process. What these members fail to realize is that it’s pretty hard to find Washington Republicans that have Black folks’ best interests at heart, and even harder to find a major US Corporation that has Black folks’ best interests at heart.

Just as before, we ask that you contact members of the CBC and ask that they turn this trend around and get back to the vision and goals of the original members of the caucus:

to promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens

You thought we were done with the CBC, didn’t you?

One Love. One II.

“Fox News has a history of inappropriate on-air mistakes that are neither fair, nor balanced. This type of disrespect for people of color should no longer be tolerated. I am personally offended by the network’s complete disregard for accuracy in reporting and lackluster on-air apology.”

Conyers is from Detroit (my hometown) and he has been around the block enough to know that Fox does not have the interests of Black folk at heart. And that is why it was strange for me to read that Conyers was one of the CBC members that signed a letter for Democratic candidates to participate in the CBCI/Fox debate. The irony here is almost funny, if it wasn’t so tragic.

Jack and Jill hit the nail on the head when they wrote,

“My hope is that FINALLY the CBC will understand who their true friends are (that would be us, their constituents) and who has a back-stabbing agenda against them. I hope this is a turning point where they realize those piddling Fox donations to the CBC might have a cost that’s too high for Black elected officials.”

And do you know that Fox news “apologized” for their mistake without even mentioning Conyer’s name? You might as well not have said anything at all!

The problems we have with the media might seem mundane in light of issues like the war and economy but we will never be able to move an agenda in a society that is so brainwashed by outlets like Fox News. We need an Anti-Defamation League for people of color whose sole responsibility is to monitor and call people out for talking out the side of their neck. In the meantime, I guess the bloggers will have to hold it down. Which reminds me, why wasn’t there more of a reaction from the CBC as a whole?

Stay up fam,

Brandon Q.

The above reasons are why it troubles me so much that he is SO ABSOLUTELY WRONG about the CBCI/CBC-Fox New Debate Issue.

Kucinich actually said this:

This is particularly troublesome because the concerns of African Americans should take precedent over what network is broadcasting the debate…Those candidates planning to skip this debate clearly are trying to avoid a forum where there will be hard-hitting questions from people who may not agree with them. But taking questions from all sides is part of politics, and part of being President. I’m running to be President for all people in this country.

This is what I like to call literal B.S. Kucinich is race baiting, plain and simple. He is trying to use this alleged chance to “speak to Black people” as a ploy to get votes. Well, he just doesn’t get it.

James Rucker of ColorOfChange.org, the leader of the fight against the Fox News/CBCI debates, a fight that The SuperSpade has been an integral part of, wrote:

Kucinich tries to act like he’s standing up for Black folks, while ignoring the fact that most Black people think this is a horrible idea. If he had listened to Black talk radio, read Black blogs, or took a look at Black newspapers, he’d realize that the CBC is woefully out of step with Black America on this. Either he didn’t bother check how Black people actually feel about this debate, or he knows and he doesn’t care. Whatever the case, it didn’t stop him from betraying his penchant for recognizing and pushing back on corporate control over legislators. In this case, he’s playing right along, and in the process, furthering marginalizing the voices of everyday Black folks.

The reason this hits home for me is because I found myself ready to throw support behind someone I had not taken the time to fully understand. I encourage everyone who is preparing to vote in their local, state, and national elections to spend some time getting to know the people begging for your votes. It doesn’t take a whole lot. Here are some good ways to keep tabs:

Search online for the candidate’s name
Most have websites these days. This site will give you at the least the person’s contact information, policy stances, and a schedule of events. This will also give you a chance to find out more about them if they do not currently hold an office.

[If they are an incumbent,] find out how they vote
Members at every level of government cast votes. All of these votes are public knowledge. Go to your state’s website, and from there you can find the voting record for your representatives at every level. This is the best way to see if a person in office agrees with you and votes like it.

Have a conversation
Talk to someone about a candidate. Chances are you know someone at work, school, the gym, somewhere who you consider knowledgeable about this sort of stuff. Engage that person and use each other as information resources. This is the best way to spread information.

When we vote, we are making a choice. It is choice to support a person, a position, a policy, and/or an idea. Let’s be sure that we examine these choices closely, make truly informed choices, and vote for what is truly in our best interest.

Don Hazen from Alternet has coverage on this, so take a look at his analysis.

One Love. One II.

Below is an open letter to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards, created by Color of Change, which The SuperSpade has signed officially (along with other Black bloggers). The letter is encouraging the three of them to stand their ground and not participate in the CBCI debates. If you are interested in signing it too, let us know so we can add you to the list.

One Love. One II.

Dear [candidate],

Your decision last month not to attend the debate sponsored by Fox News and the Congressional Black Caucus institute demonstrated truly principled leadership.

Now, a group of CBC members, led by Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), is asking you to reverse that decision. But the truth about Fox and its partnership with the CBC institute has not changed. A Fox-CBCI partnership will use the brand of the CBC—perhaps the most prominent and powerful Black political institution in America—to lend legitimacy to a propaganda network that regularly denigrates black people, black culture and black institutions. This partnership is bad for Black America, and it is a huge mistake.

Since before the debate partnership was announced publicly, Black bloggers, community newspapers, columnists, and radio hosts have expressed outrage that such a partnership would even be considered. Over 16,000 members of ColorOfChange.org reached out to individual CBC members and the CBC institute in hopes that they would be responsive and accountable to the community they purport to represent. But the leadership of the CBC institute has continued to willfully ignore the voices of Black Americans, and amazingly, also dismissed voices of dissent from within the CBC itself (nearly a quarter of CBC members have expressed opposition to the debate, either publicly or privately). Now, more than ever, it’s obvious that the CBC’s leadership is painfully out of step with Black America.

It has been suggested that by skipping this debate, you are missing a valuable opportunity to speak on issues of concern to Black Americans. However, the CBC institute debate broadcast by CNN as well as Tavis Smiley’s debates on PBS provide similar opportunities to address these issues without sending the message that you are willing to validate a network that is consistently hostile to Black Americans and Black political interests.

You did the right thing by rejecting Fox. We applaud your leadership and will continue to support your decision.

–
Brandon Quante White, The SuperSpade
Garlin Dorell Gilchrist II, The SuperSpade
Jill Tubman, Jack and Jill Politics
Wayne Bennett, Field Negro
Bruce Dixon, Black Agenda Report
Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report
Leutisha Stills, Sr. Correspondent & Chief Researcher, CBCMonitor
dnA, Too Sense
Pam Spaulding, Pam’s House Blend
Chris Rabb, Afro-Netizen.com
Rikyrah, Mirror on America
Earl Dunovant, Prometheus 6
Margaret Kimberley, Freedom Rider
James Rucker, ColorOfChange.org
Skeptical Brotha, skepticalbrotha.wordpress.com

Apparently the Congressional Black Caucus Institute (CBCI) doesn’t think this is how one conducts business. That is why they are still going ahead with these debates that they are airing with Fox News. What’s interesting is that the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) itself is split on the issue.

Let’s be clear here, the CBC and the CBCI are different organizations. But, there are 4 members of the CBC that sit on the CBCI’s board. One of those people is Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, Democrat from Detroit. She wants the debates to happen, and here’s what she said (my emphasis added):

“First of all, all the networks have a certain bias,” said Kilpatrick, who emphasized that the CBC Institute and not the CBC itself is sponsoring the debate.

Wow, where do I start?

Let’s just say this: that is B.S. Yes, “…all the networks have a certain bias.” That is not the point here. There is a difference between having a “certain bias” and a deliberate, specific bias against those that the CBCI wishes to reach & represent, and the CBC advocates for. If I had to choose to partner with someone that had a bias, I probably wouldn’t choose the blatant racist.

If you agree with me, please call Kilpatrick’s office and politely ask for a retraction. The phone number is 202-225-2261.

We’ve talked about this a lot because it is important be conscious of who is broadcasting the things we see and hear. We all understand that the same message from different messengers are not the same. One example is how friends talk with one another. If Steve or Brandon tell me, “G, you’re crazy,” it’s a whole lot different than if someone that I do not know at all says, “Garlin, you’re crazy.”

The messenger and the message both matter.

One Love. One II.

Again, why is no one from the CBC not saying anything? Do they even want to sponsor a debate? Their silence is driving me crazy. 

Thanks again to Color of Change and all the other online communities that worked together to put pressure on the candidates to back down from participating in this debate.

 Stay up fam,

 Brandon Q.

For starters, why haven’t anyone from the CBC (members or staff) released a statement or held a press conference defending their decision to sponsor two Presidential debates with Fox News? Their silence is deafening.

In related news, I must give props to John Edwards for announcing that he was not going to participate in the Fox debate. Here is an excerpt from his statement,

We just called the CBC to let them know that we’re looking forward to their January debate with CNN but we’re not going to participate in the proposed debate with Fox. The CBC champions critical issues that matter enormously to the future of our country, and we look forward to discussing them throughout this campaign and at their debate in January. But we believe there’s just no reason for Democrats to give Fox a platform to advance the right-wing agenda while pretending they’re objective.

Granted, John Edwards is really taking advantage of his underdog status with this gutsy move, but I respect him for it. This now puts pressure on Senator Obama and Senator Clinton to back out so we will keep you posted.

Lastly, I read an intriguing piece from Jack and Jill politics that pointed out the irony of the DNC not officially sanctioning the Fox debate with the Congressional Black Caucus Institute right when PBS announced on April 8^th that,

Tavis Smiley will moderate two live presidential forums later this year. The Democratic gathering will be held June 28 at Howard University in Washington, D.C., while the Republicans will meet Sept. 27 at Morgan State University in Baltimore.

Jill made the observation that,

Tavis’ debate looks like an easy one for the DNC to get behind. Indeed, their announcement Thurs on the heels of Tavis’ announcement seems almost a tacit acceptance of one debate aimed at the African-American audience while openly rejecting another. All done with velvet gloves, so politely.

The CBC finds themselves out-classed and isolated. It’s time for leaders there to do another cost-benefit analysis. Does the benefit of Fox and News Corp donations and the dubious “exposure” with Fox’s audience make up for the loss of influence among Democratic peers?

I couldn’t agree with Jill more and if this fiasco gets more out of hand, it would be interesting to see if and how endorsements made by CBC members will be affected by the candidate’s handling of the Fox debate. And unlike past elections, the symbolism of having heavy contenders for the White House include a White woman and a Black man, endorsements made by any woman leader of leader of color will serve as critical turning points in this election cycle.

Go to Color of Change to join their campaign to put pressure on the CBC Institute to end their partnership with Fox

Stay up fam,

Brandon Q.

]]> http://thesuperspade.wordpress.com/2007/04/07/important-updates-on-the-foxcbc-institute-debates/feed/ 0 brandonq http://thesuperspade.wordpress.com/2007/04/01/action-put-pressure-on-the-congressional-black-caucus-institute/ http://thesuperspade.wordpress.com/2007/04/01/action-put-pressure-on-the-congressional-black-caucus-institute/#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:08:35 +0000 brandonq http://www.thesuperspade.com/action-put-pressure-on-the-congressional-black-caucus-institute/ ]]> What’s up fam,

In lieu of the outrage caused by the agreement reached between the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and Fox News to host 2 Presidential debates, I want to direct your attention to a petition being collected by the good folks at Color of Change. The SuperSpade has signed on to the petition as we help to fulfill our mission to helping solve offline problems with online solutions.

The petition reads,

It is wrong for Black leaders to legitimize FOX — a network that calls Black churches a cult, implies that Senator Barack Obama is a terrorist, and uses the solemn occasion of Coretta Scott King’s funeral to call Black leaders “racist.”

The Congressional Black Caucus Institute must end their partnership with FOX, and presidential candidates should reject the FOX debate in favor of the CBC Institute’s CNN debate.

If you agree, click this link to make your voice heard.

Thank you,

Stay up fam,

Brandon Q.

First, I am appalled that the debate is happening in Detroit. More importantly, I don’t think the explicit bias of Fox News is in line with the mission of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, which if you are wondering, “is to provide political education and training to the next generation of African American leadership.” Now I am sure there are some Black people who enjoy Fox News and I would never impose a group think on Black people.

However, the prejudices and biases should outrage Black people regardless of their political persuasions. And for that reason, I will make my voice heard to let the Congressional Black Caucus Institute to cancel their agreement with Fox News. If outside pressure forced Nevada Democrats to cancel their agreement to sponsor a debate with Fox News, then we can accomplish the same with the Congressional Black Caucus Institute. Please help us Lord.

Stay up fam,

Brandon Q.