Jack & Jill Politics

I got a great note from one of my friends, Tara, who lives in London. She was watching the BBC all night and was wondering what happened.”Did it air?” She asked. Well, actually it didn’t. I got to the studio early. Got mic’d up. Sat in front of the camera. Did a sound check with the BBC — and then waited as John McCain stole my time slot! I knew there was a reason I didn’t vote for that guy. Basically the BBC covered with McCain’s speech and then Obama’s acceptance and then planned to sign off for the night. No time for me.

Which is too bad, because if there’s one thing I’ve noticed in media coverage is that there has not been much turning to a younger generation of black people (for example those who used the internet to inform & get out the vote, ahem)  for our opinions although I saw Tavis Smiley and Harold Ford on the Today show this am. I did appreciate the coverage last night from Spelman and Morehouse (two HBCUs in Atlanta) from a few media outlets.

No worries though — the rest of the night was fantastic as San Francisco erupted into full on, people dancing in the streets party mode. More on that later. Here’s how Tara described being an American abroad at this moment in history. Seems the party is not just here but worldwide, y’all.

How do I feel as an American abroad? I feel homesick for the first time in 8 years. I feel so proud to be an American, and that’s for the first time in more than 8 years. I’ve been alternating btwn smiles and tears all day as people who don’t know me - just know I’m American - come up and hug me, or say ‘congratulations’ or give me a thumbs up. One guy I work with said, ‘Finally Americans are getting the president they deserve’ and that’s so right - we have been so under-served by our president for the past 8 years, it’s affected our sense of self, it’s affected everything. I’ve spent my entire time in London making apologies for our president and now finally I can be proud and believe. Anyhow, I could go on and on and on but I won’t. Just one last thing - do not underestimate for a second the power this has outside the US - it is huge.

Good Evening.

Let’s continue the conversation.

Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.

And continue to have a peaceful day.

You knew this was coming.  Via the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama pivoted quickly to begin filling out his new administration on Wednesday, selecting hard-charging Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff while aides stepped up the pace of transition work that had been cloaked in pre-election secrecy.

Several Democrats confirmed that Emanuel had been offered the job. While it was not clear he had accepted, a rejection would amount to an unlikely public snub of the new president-elect within hours of an electoral college landslide.

Looks like the President-Elect plans to hit the ground running come January 21, 2009.  What do you think about his choice?

I know we’re still celebrating and whatnot, but do you realize the bullet we dodged in the McCain camp, most notably, the loose cannon VP, better known as “McCain’s Choice”?

A picture says a thousand words.  Cherish the look as homegirl realizes not all of America is in love with her egotistical ass.

Sarah Palin looks on during a concession speech by Senator John McCain of Arizona, Republican presidential nominee, outside the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News/Landov

Buzz up!

From US Magazine:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had tears in her eyes as John McCain gave his concession speech Tuesday night in Arizona.

He called his running mate (and self-described “hockey mom”) “one of the best campaigners I have ever seen and an impressive new voice in our party for reform and the principles that have always been our greatest strength.”

That line received the loudest applause of the night.

Palin is expected to arrive in Alaska sometime today in a campaign plane.

After McCain’s loss, she phoned supporters attending an event at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex.

Now, y’all know McCain had to show some class last night.  Actually, he showed quite a bit of class as he graciously conceded to President-Elect Obama.  “That One” ran the score up on McCain and he had to give credit where credit was due.  He couldn’t very well trash Palin in public, though he’s got to be blaming her for losing the whole shebangabang.

He’d better eat some of that blame - he picked her ass to be his running mate.  Not vetting her is really to blame here.

Palin, for her part, insists that she wasn’t the reason McCain lost.  Ya Think? According to her, it was everyone else’s fault that they lost last night.  It couldn’t have anything to do with:

• $150K to dress her up; and that amount has increased when it’s been discovered an additional $20-40K was spent to dress up First Dude;
• Refusal to do “real” interviews with credible journalists who wouldn’t have fallen for her flirting, winking and “you betchas”, but would have grilled her ass like filet mignon;
• That she and her family were a bunch of “grifters” enjoying the good life on the taxpayers’ dime.
• Troopergate and an investigation that revealed her abuse of power in trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaskan State Trooper.

Nah, according to Palin, it was the media’s fault.

Palin blamed the media for the reason why some female voters didn’t fully embrace her.

“You have to consider that there has been the constant barrage, a kind of spin on my record or my positions,” she said on ABC’s 20/20 last week.

So, it’s Katie Couric’s fault that she showed you to be a blithering idiot on National TV.  Way to stay classy, Sister Sarah.

And far from her career being over, she’s threatening us with a comeback in 2012:

“I am neither bitter nor vanquished, but very confident in the knowledge that there will be another day,” she continued.

So should she decides to make a “comeback”, I say we’ll be ready for her ass.  Just like Hillary, she doesn’t know when to gracefully exit the stage; she has to be PUSHED OFF.

And with that, I’m hoping that this will be the last word on Sarah Palin…at least until 2012. Even then, we’ll be ready and waiting for her to trip and fall again, unless they polish her up real good.

A few days ago, I posted about the importance of holding our elected officials accountable, as well as posted on current issues, such as how the money from the Banking Bailout Bill is really going to be spent.  I promised readers that as long as Jack and Jill allow me to, I would post a thread opening up discussion on these issues, and hopefully, begin dialogue that leads to input on the national agenda, now that we will have a POTUS that actually listens to his constituents.

Today, I thought I would post about the need for sound leadership in Congress, and the need to ensure that any elected official showing treachery in the midst, and continual stabbing in the back of its party and leadership, must be DEALT WITH.  If President Obama is going to be effective in getting this nation back on track, it will have to start with Congressional Leadership that can facilitate unanimity among its party members when it is needed.

I don’t believe Senator Joe Lieberman fits the bill.  I posted on his treachery and how he uses his position as a supposedly “Democratic-Caucusing Independent” to hold the Senate hostage and use issues like ramming through the Supreme Court Nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito here.

So, what’s the Issue I want to put out for Discussion?  Why Joe Lieberman must be DEALT WITH, Harriet Tubman-style, and if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is unwilling to do so, the next step is raising enough hell to get the attention on Capitol Hill to encourage and promote a Challenge to Senator Reid for his Majority Leadership Position.

Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT and Lieberman’s State Colleague), would be a good choice, because he demonstrates the “Ride or Die” quality that our new Vice-President, Joe Biden, does.  Hell, if Joe Biden wasn’t the VP, I’d nominate HIM for the role, but we go with the guys we got.

Read the rest of this entry »

I love this picture. The President-Elect with his mother-in-law, and the Vice-President Elect with his mother. (AP or Getty)

Good afternoon.

Yes, I know that we have been posting fiends around here, but we can’t help ourselves. History sorta happened…LOL

So, until we get the posting out of our system, I’m going to post new Open Threads. We definitely want to hear from you here at JJP.

Give us a couple of days. I’m sure by the weekend, we’ll be back to our regular rhythm.

In the meantime,

Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.

And always, have a peaceful day.

As a confessed Michelle-a-holic, this brought me to tears this morning:

From Craig Hickman:

A Black woman born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, a descendant of auction blocks and Daughter of the Ghetto, with chocolate-brown skin and wide hips is going to be the First Lady of the United States of America. That completely blows my mind.

(images by AP or Getty)

I’ve posted this numerous times over the course of this campaign, but I’m going to have to do it again.

From the comments at Skeptical Brotha, May 2007:

yogo
May 24, 2007 at 1:34 pm

I joke a lot about these two, but something sticks out at me about the whole campaign. especially after seeing this interview:

I like her. And not because of any strong this and that, she just seems genuine.

Is America ready for a First Lady who looks like her? A regular black woman? Not a passable biracial curly girl that they call black, but a regular black woman from the south side of Chicago? With dark skin?

Is she going to be the face of The Woman on the largest pedestal in the country? A self-confessed “loud-mouth” black woman?

If they succeed, it turns white supremacy upside down. And not, in my opinion, because a black man is in the White House, it’s because a black woman is in there. And she didn’t have to come in the back door to lie in bed with the president.

I will finally admit this. When all of this seemed like a dream, I watched the HGTV Annual Special, ‘ Christmas at the White House’, and , yes, I thought about what it would be for Michelle Obama to be doing this special in 2009. I have the Architectural Digest Issue with the White House, and imagined Michelle Obama doing it.

I know we won’t ever SEE it, but I have the vision in my mind from watching it on WW and CIC - the family showing up at the White House…and the entire staff assembling to greet them.

On so many levels, it was more important to me that SHE got to The White House.

FIRST LADY Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama

My friend Pat lives in Texas. He’s an MD and also got his MBA with me at Georgetown. He’s a high income white male, in his late 40s-early 50s - a classic McCain voter. He sent me this message early this am. I’d like to share it with you and share my response:

Subj: Proud to Be An American

Hi Cheryl !

Congratulations on a monumental victory last night for Senator Obama.  I have to tell you, that I was thinking of you– yes, you– as I watched his speech.  I am not sure why, but I was !!  I thought Senator McCain gave a magnanimous concession speech, and I thought Senator Obama gave a great and uplifting acceptance speech.  His election is historic, and I felt very proud to be an American as I watched his speech.  I can only imagine what you must have been feeling too.

I just wanted to reach out and say that to you.

Kind regards,
Pat

PS:  Just so you don’t think I’ve gone crazy, I haven’t changed my political stripes and I wont be supporting liberal policies.  So when our paths cross, there will be plenty of fuel for debates.  But for today– heartfelt congrats!!

Subj: Re: Proud to Be An American

AWWWW Pat!!! That is the best email I’m probably going to get today.

I’ve actually worked really hard for today personally. You know, my great-grandfather was a slave. It’s amazing to think how far we’ve come as a nation so quickly. I think it’s a testament to the dynamism and fairness endemic to the American spirit. I too thought John McCain’s speech was incredibly kind, generous and needed. He probably saved a few lives through conceding graciously and quickly. It would have been a shame if last night had been marred by violence on either side. I was in total shock last night - it was like I’d been hit with a 2-by-4. Today, I’m alternating btwn smiling and crying or both at the same time.

I really think that Obama is serious about wanting to be everybody’s president — not just the people who voted for him. This is a great day for Americans and this country will never be the same again in a good way. This is a quantum leap for all Americans and African-Americans are going to have to re-define themselves in the wake of it.

THANK YOU, Pat for your email. It means a lot to me. I am giving you a big virtual hug right now.

Hugs, Cheryl

P.S. Off to book my ticket for inauguration day!!!

Over at Alternet, read Tiger Woods, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Samuel L. Jackson, Jay-Z, Spike Lee and others talk about the notion of a black president. Here’s Maya Angelou:

I never thought I’d see a black president in the White House in my lifetime. I didn’t even dare dream it. I feel like a child approaching Christmas, you can’t believe election day is finally here. It’s been so long since we’ve had people — Asian and black, white and Spanish-speaking — come together and say YES. Some did during the civil rights struggle but not as many as today. What it means if Mr Obama is voted in, is that my country has agreed to grow up, and move beyond the childish idea that human beings are different.

And he didn’t play the race card, the gender card, or any other card that’s on the table.  President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama showed us and the entire world how to get the job done.

He showed how elections could be hard-fought without descending into mudslinging, name-calling, or personal attacks on an individual. Though his opponents did not afford him the same degree of respect, dignity and honor, he never wavered in his determination to do it on HIS OWN TERMS.  While the world watched the circus that was the McCain Campaign, Obama did what he needed to do; he contended for every state, whether it was 3 electoral votes or 55; each state was important to his campaign.  In so doing, he ran up the score on McCain, while McCain was still tilting at windmills and Palin thought they were winning.

Did you see that stunned look on her face?  If you didn’t here it is, while McCain admonishes his supporters about their lack of class in booing at the mention of President-Elect Obama:

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News/Landov (This was the picture I wanted when I originally posted this blog.)

He didn’t kiss the required asses, either (Yeah, Congressional Black Caucus Members toting water for Hillary and still not wanting to get on board the Obama train, I’m talking about YOU).  He paid his dues the way the old-school contingent wanted - yet he also had to decide when it was time to take HIS TURN, because there are some of you with the “Crabs-In-A-Barrel” mentality, and won’t take your hands off the steering wheel to allow someone else to drive.

Finally, the President-elect’s humility forced his opponent to show some class in his concession speech last night - even though McCain’s supporters showed their decided lack of CLASS, and Sarah Palin was so selfish, she couldn’t even play the game of unity on behalf of the man that plucked her out of obscurity and placed her on the National stage where she really HAD NO BUSINESS being.

For future elections (2010 is around the corner, y’all), with help from DNC Chair Howard Dean, the man who will be known as President Obama, showed us - US, the PEOPLE, how to GET IT DONE.  Let us not let him down by forgetting how he did it by failing not to do it in future contests, because you not only COULD; YOU DID IT.

YES. HE. DID.

B-Serious quoted Langston Hughes yesterday. Our “poetry” moment for today is brought to you by the Godfather of Soul and the 1st Black President of Funk, James Brown. Tell em Godfather:

hey! listen to the man!
Payback! Cold blooded!

people people
we gotta get over before we go under
people people
we gotta get over before we go under

hey country, didn’t say what you meant
just changed the brand new funky president
stock market going up, jobs going down
there ain’t no funky job to be found
tax keeps going up
i changed from a glass, now i drink from a paper cup
gettin’ bad

people people
we gotta get over before we go under
listen to me
lets get together and raise
lets get together and get some land
raise our food like the man
save our money like the mob
put up a pension on the job

tell em’ godfather
turn on your funk motor
get down and praise the lord
get sexy sexy
get funky and dance
love me baby love me nice
don’t make it once but can you make it twice? i like it
Read the rest of this entry »

Um. Yeah.

Gonna take me a while to write anything more than that.

Um. Yeah.

In order to prevent certain frightened white people in your office or workplace from bringing a gun to work and going postal on your ass, JJP would like to provide the following public safety tips on handling the victory of Barack Obama. Really, it’s important to show some self-restraint today, people, especially if you live in a red state or a battleground state. Please note: this is satire inspired by the expressed fears of some McCain supporters & white supremacists online of what would happen if Obama was elected.

DO NOT:

• Declare today a official national holiday and give everyone the day off
• Shred all the post it notes in your office and dance around your workplace strewing the pieces like confetti saying any of the following:
  • “Land-a-goshen! Land-a-goshen!!!
  • “Obama is President! Obama is President!!! Obama, Obama, OBAMA!!!!! YAYYYYYY!
  • “I OWN you bitches!”
  • “Now y’all are gonna pay for what you’ve done to me!”
  • “Wheeeeeee!!!!” “Whoooooo Hooooooo!!!”
  • “Suckas! HAHAHAHAHA”
  • “Where the white women at!!!”
• Send an inter-office email asking all white people in your office to bring all their shiny and/or electronic stuff to your office, cubicle or locker
• Send an inter-office email asking all white people in your office to bring all their shiny and/or electronic stuff from home on Thurs to your office, cubicle or locker
• Request all white people form an orderly line during lunch for the purposes of kneeling, kissing your hand and begging for mercy under a new Obama administration
• Promote yourself to CEO, manager, director, vice president or president unilaterally
• Give yourself a raise unilaterally
• Fire anyone
• Point and giggle, titter, or guffaw in the presence of people in your office you know voted for McCain and look on Wed like they just swallowed something very nasty
• Threaten anyone i.e. “Don’t make me call Michelle Obama or Oprah on yo ass. Cuz you know I will!”
• Tell anyone that your cousin works for the Obama campaign. Especially if you live in Chicago. Just hang onto that information for now.
• Do the Obama hustle all day long in your office
• Blast Obama speeches loudly all day from your computer, tv or radio
• Make references to the the 25th dynasty of Ancient Egypt. You know, the one where the Nubians took over and restored the land to prosperity. Avoid mentions of black pharoahs or pharoahs in general.

DO:

• Smile — just ever so slightly — and nod when someone asks you how you feel about Obama’s big win. Say something like: “I believe this is a victory for ALL Americans whether you voted for him…or not.” Continue to smile and nod at whatever is said next.
• Ask nicely and politely for a raise and/or promotion. Definitely do this today.
• Casually drop hints that you’ll be in the conference room around lunchtime in case anyone wants to bring by their shiny and/or electronic stuff for you to look at….
• Accept shiny, expensive and/or electronic gifts graciously, e.g. “Why Bill, you bedazzled an iPod…just for me? It’s not even my birthday. Ain’t that something? That is so sweet. My kids are gonna love it!” Or “Wow, a gift card? For me? Ashley, you shouldn’t have.”
• Allow white people to give you high fives and/or do the bump with you (Heyyy!), but only for today.
• Wait until next Monday at the earliest to fire any white people
• Accept apologies with grace. If someone wants to apologize for something, anything at all on Wed or really for the rest of the week, just nod your head and smile.
• Play Obama speeches from your office computer, tv or radio…softly.
• Name that baby you made last night “Barack” or “Baracka” or “Michelle”
• Do what black people have been doing for generations: Pull tearful, sad or uncomfortable-looking white people into your arms, hold them and tell them it’s going to be OK. “Mmm hmm….I know, baby….You gonna be alright?…Yeah, you’re gonna be fine.” Keep a box or packet of tissues handy.

In summary, remember: show restraint. Smile slightly and nod. And hug a white person today. Do it…for America.