SuperSpade Quick Notes Summary for 2008-06-27

• Captain Obvious says 3 in 10 Americans Admit to Race Bias http://tinyurl.com/48za2z #
• @urbanreporter Nice work on NPR fam. #

SuperSpade Quick Notes Summary for 2008-06-26

• Does Barack Obama owe Clarence Thomas? http://www.theroot.com/id/47016/ #

SuperSpade Quick Notes Summary for 2008-06-25

• New post at The SuperSpade: The SuperSpade on NPR\’s \’Day to Day\’ Thursday ( http://tinyurl.com/55rb75 ) #

UPDATED: The SuperSpade on NPR's 'Day to Day' Thursday

Last week I recorded an interview for the Day to Day show on NPR. I was asked a series of questions relating Barack & Michelle Obama’s “terrorist fist bump,” as well as the election as a whole and whether or not there was an understanding of the Black experience in white America.

That interview is set to air on Thursday, 25 June 2008. Check your local listings to find out when it’s on in your area so you can hear it live. For those that can’t here it or those who are in places where there’s no NPR, I’ll put a link on this site as soon as I have one.

UPDATE: I’ll be on the What’s the new what? segment of Day to Day. The audio and my comments will be available on NPR’s site.

One Love. One II.

SuperSpade Quick Notes Summary for 2008-06-24

• New post at The SuperSpade: Obama\’s victory and its implications ( http://tinyurl.com/6oagyj ) #

Obama's victory and its implications

What’s up fam, I will be out of town for work this week but I wanted to drop some lines before I leave. I have been thinking about Obama and the ramifications of his being elected President. An old adage in the Black community is that “The army ain’t no place for a Black man.” Of course, scores of Black folks and people from all types of backgrounds have served with distinction in America’s armed forces. And just so you know, if Obama is elected President, he will be presiding over wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as the Commander-in-Chief. It is hard enough for any President to end a war and I fear that his not serving will place tremendous pressure on Obama to show how much he bleeds red, white, and blue. Obama’s perceived need to show how much he loves America can and will be spun into continuing (and perhaps emboldening) the military-industrial complex.

 

Obama’s stance on the military includes the following excerpt from his website,

Expand the Military: We have learned from Iraq that our military needs more men and women in uniform to reduce the strain on our active force. Obama will increase the size of ground forces, adding 65,000 soldiers to the Army and 27,000 Marines.

I have no doubt that on the strength of Obama’s oratory and conviction, thousands of young people will be inspired to serve in the armed forces but what will happen when Obama calls on you or your loved ones to serve? Can you envision there being more trust of the armed forces with Obama at the helm? I think that it is possible but not likely. Many liberals decry war and its ravaging impacts but will war appear to be more noble knowing that you are serving under President Obama?

Stay up fam,

Brandon

 

SuperSpade Quick Notes Summary for 2008-06-20

• New post at The SuperSpade: Obama does the right thing ( http://tinyurl.com/6k3wgv ) #
• New post at The SuperSpade: What Middle Ground? ( http://tinyurl.com/5z45tf ) #
• Did an interview with Youth Radio for NPR’s Day to Day show about Barack & Michelle Obama’s Terrorist Fist Bump. Should air late next week. #

What Middle Ground?

There is a disturbing trend happening in politics & political discussion today. In the name of compromise or searching for the “middle ground,” people doing nothing more than diluting their positions to the point where they are actually not positions at all.

What I’m saying is this: for the larger issues we face, there is no middle ground. That’s right. Most issues in today’s political discourse are simple binary, yes or no, support or no support questions.

SuperSpade Quick Notes Summary for 2008-06-19

• Does the nonexistent response to the flooding in the Midwest mean that BushCo is not only racist and classist, but criminally negligent? #
• New post at The SuperSpade: How you win matters ( http://tinyurl.com/555lqe ) #
• Should Obama have accepted public financing? He said he would before , but he didn’t. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25259863/ #
• Should Obama have accepted public financing? He said he would before , but he didn’t. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25259863/ #
• When Democrats say compromise, what they really mean is “I do what Republicans want.” http://tinyurl.com/3trjdh #
• Great Electronic Fronteir Foundation site about NSA wiretapping issues: http://www.stopthespying.org/ #

Obama does the right thing

Breaking News: “Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday called and apologized to the two Muslim women who say they were told they could not stand behind the candidate at a rally in Detroit on Monday because they were wearing traditional hijab.”

Just yesterday, I wrote that Obama’s campaign wrong and that he needed to call these two women (one of whom I know incidentally) and apologize, so I will take some satisfaction in helping put pressure on Obama to do the right thing.

This is a teachable moment because for starters, how you campaign is a good indication of how you will govern. If Obama, through his campaign is willing to take the low road by offending the Arab-American community, then what would prevent him from doing so once he got elected? And contrary to popular belief, holding Obama’s feet to the fire will not cause him to lose the election.

In his stump speech, Obama tells people that he is a better candidate after going against Clinton in all fifty states (save MI and FL). In the same way, Obama will be a better candidate for making those two calls. Not for nothin’ we are talking about making two phone calls and I know Obama is busy but he ain’t THAT busy. And now, his campaign will be much more sensitive to offending various constituency groups not just during the campaign but translate these lessons into governing the country.

Why is it so outrageous for people to think that Obama should be held accountable to a higher and dare I say progressive standard?

Stay up fam,

Brandon Q.