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My CNN appearance and post-show analysis (videos included)

cross-posted to Jack & Jill Politics So here's the setup for this post. We've got:
  • The CNN segment thanks to some incredible technology from RedLasso which lets you search aired TV and radio, clip it and embed it.
  • My own post-show video response. There was a lot that could not be said on the show. Rev. Jackson and Rick Sanchez are some talkative brothas!
  • The show transcript
  • Parting thoughts
The Segment (9 minutes) Note: the quality is pretty good considering I got the video due to magic. Check out RedLasso and see the crazy stuff they let you do with video.
My Video Response (9 minutes)
Parting Thoughts I'm so glad I forced in my last comment. Rev. Jackson wanted to end on a note saying Obama lacks substance. That's just not true. You have questions about the man's substance? Ask here in the comments and someone will educate you.Most disturbing was the story immediately following this segment: Britney Spears. I actually called Sanchez on it off air and was like, "Yo, don't do it. You can stop it Rick. You can save America! How can you follow this segment on Obama and go to Britney Spears!?" What a sad way to end.Overall, the experience was a good one. TV is a surreal, fast-paced environment not conducive to the exchange of real ideas, at least not on a show like that, but I'm happy with the points I was able to communicate: the sense of ownership and pride many black folks felt, Obama's criminal justice work, Bush stealing the election in 2000 and Obama having already demonstrated both hope and substance with one major result being increased participation in the democratic process. I tried to point out the substance without directly arguing with the good Rev. about the so-called lack of substance.I wanna thank the Jack & Jill Politics fam especially for the moving comments over the past few days. It's been amazing. Let's keep on pushing. Update: I want to add that a show like this on CNN isn't the best deliberative forum, nor did I expect it to be. Because of that, I'm even more excited that we have our own media in the form of the blogosphere, web video, etc. Really. The Show Transcript (click here for the full show including the segment before me, Michael and Jackson showed up).
(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: That's Harlem today. Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. You know when I first got my first inkling something like this might be coming? About a month ago I was in Miami covering what I thought was a very important story at the time. And I ran across an old-timer at a park. He and I went and shot some baskets. And we were talking about the state of black America. And this guy is about 70 years old. And he told me that he's never voted before because he doesn't trust the system. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STANFORD PATTON, NEVER VOTED: I have never voted in my life. I ain't seen a God-damned thing to vote for. I'm going to vote for this time, the first time, for Obama, you know, because the one thing he said, he's going to try to get some justice for black men. (END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: Isn't that interesting? It just came out of the blue, by the way. What I get a sense of today and I think a lot of folks who have been watching this get that same feeling, is, from talking to a lot of African-American voters and reading the blogs, is that Obama's win in Iowa has triggered something that has people waking up today with a certain spring in their step, if you will indulge me. Joining us now is Baratunde Thurston. He's a comedian and a writer for the blog Jacques and -- Jack and Jill -- not Jacques and Jill -- that would be the French version of it. And then Michael Washington, he's president for the group Harlem for Obama. Hey, guys, thanks so much for being with us. (CROSSTALK) SANCHEZ: I guess congratulations are in order. You both backers? BARATUNDE THURSTON, COMEDIAN AND BLOGGER: Definitely. MICHAEL WASHINGTON, PRESIDENT, HARLEM FOR OBAMA: Absolutely. SANCHEZ: Yes? THURSTON: Yes. SANCHEZ: Is this akin to a color barrier being broken in this country? Is this akin to Joe Louis winning a fight, like my dad used to tell me when I was a kid, or even Ali, or Jackie Robinson breaking into baseball? Is it like that yet? THURSTON: I think it's a lot like that. I was telling Michael backstage when he won, when the results came in and they called it, I stood on a chair. I threw my arms in the air. SANCHEZ: Did you really? THURSTON: Because I felt like I won. And in the second you just showed this old man, it actually -- it hurts to see someone who feels so disenfranchised from the process, they wouldn't trust the system at all to even cast a vote and to see that they have been changed, they have been brought into this process because of some hope they have that things might get a little better. SANCHEZ: Michael, let me bring you into this, because I think there's something interesting going on in terms of people who -- I have been reading all these blogs today by a lot of smart African- American writers, who say, goose bumps, tears in my eyes, that kind of feeling. Can you help us understand that? WASHINGTON: Yes, I mean, we're on the streets of Harlem. We're doing the outreach. So, what we find is that a lot of people, you know, up until this, you know, this Iowa win, a lot of people didn't really believe it could happen and especially a lot of people in the African-American community, because a lot of times people make a lot of promises and they say things are going to happen, and it doesn't happen. But this kind of confirmed that, you know, this is real. This is going to happen, and you can get behind this candidate, because this is the real deal. SANCHEZ: Well, you guys are young. You're part of the new thing that's going on in this country. You're both younger than I am obviously. Think about what this must be like, though, for people who have been a part of this struggle for half a century now, people like the Reverend Jesse Jackson, a former presidential candidate himself, who many would say even opened some doors here. And, before that, he was there when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. As a matter of fact, he's with us tonight. He's good enough to join us. Are you honored to see a guy like this come over here and talk to us about something like this? You have fought the battles. How are you, sir? WASHINGTON: Good to see you. (CROSSTALK) BLITZER: Good to see you, Reverend. Did you get that feeling? You have been there. You have won primaries. You were an African-American presidential candidate who's actually had this. How is this different from what you did? REVEREND JESSE JACKSON, FOUNDER, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: It's one of those great moments. He's running a crusade, not merely a campaign. I will only warn people, faith is the substance of things hoped for, and hope and substance has to come together. Kennedy represented the hope. We had to fight for a public accommodations bill. There is the hope that Obama represents... (CROSSTALK) SANCHEZ: But let me stop you just for a moment, because something seems -- and you guys correct me if I'm wrong. And you can jump in here and talk to the reverend as well. It seemed like what you did was astonishing. But, then, I don't know if we can call it the dark ages, but there seemed to be a dip, sir. And there was a period of disillusionment. And I think what these guys are saying is, we may be coming out of that sense of disillusionment now. JACKSON: Well, we have some need to overcome the structural gaps. For example, there are 2.2 million Americans in jail. A million are young blacks. That's the substance of our crisis. In every major city, seven of 10 young black males don't finish high school. That means there must be some investment in urban education and choose schools over jails. And, so, the substance involves budget and agenda. I think Barack represents that hope, that feeling. We must also fight for that substance. And that substance -- Dr. King would say, freedom is not enough. We must pay for equality. SANCHEZ: Are you -- go ahead. THURSTON: Just on that point -- and I love that you brought up the prison thing, because that's an issue that very few people even talk about. One of the pieces of Obama's plan that I was so impressed with, he wants to restore voting rights for ex-felons. With those 2.2 million prisoners.... (CROSSTALK) SANCHEZ: Do you think that Bush won the first election because of what happened in Florida? Was there a disenfranchisement there? (CROSSTALK) THURSTON: First of all, I don't think Bush won that election. I think he earned a selection from some people. SANCHEZ: Do you agree with him, Reverend? (CROSSTALK) JACKSON: Well, he had the fewest number of votes. He won by a Supreme Court appointment. THURSTON: Right. JACKSON: Gore got the most votes. And really coming now by '88 campaign, Clinton -- Bush and Gore got more white votes than Clinton, didn't get more rainbow votes. And he won. (CROSSTALK) JACKSON: But, in 2000 and 2004, Bush, by nullification, took away votes and won. SANCHEZ: But is that -- maybe what I'm trying to get at here -- Michael, maybe you can help us with this. Is that feeling so entrenched, that that's what people are feeling, a release of pressure now with this Obama win? Is that it? WASHINGTON: Well, I think, with the Obama win, it's kind of -- you know, it's basically saying, yes, we can do this. And I think we have to give a lot of credit to, you know, the run that Reverend Jackson did, because he kind of set the -- he set the pace. And now I think Obama has taken that baton and run with it. JACKSON: So, I think, as a campaign, he's going to keep doing well, but that it remains for us the challenge of structural inequality, black babies, infant mortality rates higher, and life expectancy shorter, health care gap, education gap, income gap, access to capital gap, today, the mortgage foreclosure, subprime, exploitation gap. These gaps require a real commitment to invest in closing these gaps. That's -- so, hope and substance has to come together. (CROSSTALK) WASHINGTON: I totally agree with you, I think. But we have to do this simultaneously. I don't think we can just look at one aspect of the campaign. And I think we need to be in the forefront. The African-American community needs to be in the forefront, so that we can address this. JACKSON: I think, for so long, that we have assumed that whites could not rise above their own racial fears. To see -- I think, tonight, I would say Dr. King would be happy that -- he would be glad that our last night and America rose above its own historic fears. We have been ready for a long time. It seemed like more and more white Americans are getting ready. We have been qualified. Dr. King was qualified. (CROSSTALK) SANCHEZ: Especially when you break down the numbers. JACKSON: We're not changing. America is changing... (CROSSTALK) RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: I'm being told we're about out of time, guys. I know we can go on this forever. Are you -- what role are you going to take now that this guy looks like a front-runner, Barack Obama, in his campaign? And I know it's a delicate thing for him because he wants to see these young faces out there, right? JACKSON: Well, I think it's important, but his campaign must determine strategically where he wants people to fit in the campaign. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, right. JACKSON: And those who put them must respect the distance and proximity that he wants. And so far, he has running a campaign where he's tried to bridge that delicate gap. SANCHEZ: But you're willing to support? You're willing to help? You're willing to endorse, wherever needed? JACKSON: We've done that already. I'm telling you the real challenge remains. We must connect hope and substance. BARATUNDE THURSTON, COMEDIAN AND BLOGGER: And I think that he's -- SANCHEZ: Ten seconds. THURSTON: I think he's done that. What I took away from you yesterday was participation. He got more people in the process. (CROSSTALK) SANCHEZ: There's no doubt, guys. THURSTON: He got younger people in the process. SANCHEZ: They're yelling at me in the control room. Sure, they're young. They're independents, women, young -- THURSTON: People have spoken loudly, and I think they will continue. That's why I appreciate his campaign. SANCHEZ: We appreciate you guys. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're doing a lot in South Carolina. SANCHEZ: We have a lot more to say tonight. Reverend, thanks so much for being with us, sir. JACKSON: Thank you. SANCHEZ: Well, Baratunde Thurston, Michael Washington and Rev. Jesse Jackson. All of us with this one. By the way, speaking of New Hampshire primaries, you're going to be able to see all of it right here. Join us Tuesday night for the best political team on TV and results as they happen. That's Tuesday, starting at 8:00 p.m., right here Eastern. And call this guy towering candidate. Why? Well, can hanging out on top of a 320-foot-high tower get him elected to the U.S. Senate? It's an interesting story. It's a little different than Barack Obama's way, but it's his way, nonetheless. Later, just when you thought that things couldn't get any worse, we've got this afternoon's breaking news about Britney Spears. We'll bring it to you. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Where Were You?

That's what I want to know. Where were you last night? Your kids may ask you in 20 years: "How did it feel to experience history?" I tried to go to two different Obama campaign watch parties. One I could not find in time, and the other was way too crowded. I settled down at a watch party thrown by Drinking Liberally in midtown Manhattan. It was a blogger-heavy event whose attendees cheered whenever Edwards was in the number one slot and booed or took another swig of beer whenever Clinton's name showed up there. While we waited, I ended up in an intense discussion with a friend who supported Edwards, mostly because she felt Obama wasn't tough enough, that he didn't have that Edwards "fire." I explained my perspective on that simply: as a white man, Edwards can scream his head off about poverty and inequality, and I love that he's using his privilege to do that. Obama on the other hand has to appeal to a more nervous group ready to see him as the Angry Black Man. This isn't my own argument, but it was new to her, I think. I also told her about this video that someone on dKos posted:

When the results were called, I threw my hands in the air and screamed. It was a beautiful moment. I texted mad people, and I browsed for as many stories as my little cell phone screen could show me. One thing that really stood out: participation.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A wide-open race in both parties sparked a record turnout Thursday in Iowa's caucuses, far exceeding previous contests. Projections showed a turnout of 220,588 for Democrats, compared to 124,000 who participated in 2004. Most projections had estimated turnout would be about 150,000. Turnout was also up on the Republican side, where projections showed about 114,000 people taking part. The last contested Republican caucuses in 2000 drew 87,666 in caucuses won by then-Gov. George W. Bush.
You see that? Democrats had a nearly EIGHTY PERCENT increase in participation (and 30 percent on the GOP side). This is a great sign for democracy, and I wanna thank the people of Iowa for rolling out and representing. I think this also validates Obama's point about bringing more people into the process. I asked a friend in Iowa what it was like for her on the ground. I'll leave you with her response.
It was amazing. In my particular location, there were 315 people. 121 of us were for Obama. There were people of all different genders, races, ages, even political parties. I was talking to a family that were Republicans, but they were changing parties to vote for Obama. At one point, the person in charge asked who was caucusing for the first time. A large majority of people raised there hands. A lot of them were older, and they were caucusing because they wanted Obama to win.
Actually, I'll leave you with Obama's post-election speech. So where were you, and what were you thinking after it all went down? Please share in the comments

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Not-Clinton Takes Iowa!

In an unexpected turn which is sure to make the history books, the unlikely campaign of Not-Clinton swept to commanding victory over Senator Hillary Clinton in yesterday's Iowa Caucuses. With all precincts reporting, Not-Clinton held 71% of the vote, more than double the 29% garnered by the former First Lady.

http://sheet.zoho.com

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Why I Support Barack Obama

cross-posted to jack & jill politics Just before Thanksgiving, I wrote a series of blog posts titled, "Why I Don't Support Hillary Clinton." Honestly, I've been overwhelmed by the number of people contacting me to say how those pieces have influenced them. I was at a holiday party in Columbus, Ohio and an 80-year old family friend was half-excited, half-annoyed that I had upended her presidential choices.

In an effort to clarify my own thinking and perhaps influence others, it's now time to offer the flip side argument on who I do support: Barack Obama.

Besides, as one of 10 black people to have ever visited Iowa, I think I am uniquely qualified to influence caucus voters today. :)

Fellow Jack & Jill blogger rikyrah has already spit a pretty comprehensive post on her endorsement of Obama, dealing with issues of progressive values, electability, the symbolic value of a black president and more. I won't re-tread those fine steps. Instead, I'll try to share pieces of my own Obama story.

The Buildup

In hindsight, I was probably sold during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. I had worked hard to convince myself that I actively supported John Kerry beyond the pro-sanity-anyone-but-Bush wing of my psyche. I watched that documentary about his Vietnam service and was moved. However, the convention was the beginning of the end of my forced love affair of convenience. I was living in Boston at the time, and Obama's speech lit a fire in that city as it did across the country. I remember many conversations with fellow citizens going a little something like this: "Uh, you think maybe it's too late to switch the nominee?" When rumor spread that he would be showing up at a convention afterparty at a spot called Vinalia, the place instantly flooded with people.

How many state senators could have that instant effect on people? That doesn't happen very often.

As the current campaign season kicked off, I watched and waited. Like most black people, I did not instantly decide to support him. As I wrote several seasons ago, I sincerely worried about his safety and doubted his ability to survive, much less get elected. Like a good citizen, I felt a duty to keep an open mind, watch debates, read extensively and survey the entire field.

At the Yearly Kos 2007 convention in Chicago this past August, I had to chance to see him in a small setting and ask a pretty tough question about his support for coal and a Renewable Portfolio Standard. His answer wasn't perfect (we reminded him that all coal is evil), but was was excellent nonetheless. While I don't think he had the best answer on coal as far as my stance, I respect him for actually listening to the question and giving me a direct, complete and thoughtful answer.  Watch the video right now. (his answer to my question is about 4 mins long).


And here's a photo from after the event.

Baratunde & Obama

I warmed up to him even more by October when he dropped a bomb of an editorial blasting Democrats for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard resolution and was reminded that while his 2002 opposition to the Iraq war looks mainstream from the perspective of late 2007, at the time it showed real risk-taking and leadership during a frightening era in which the White House, Congress and the media made that war seem like the only reasonable response to 9/11. The deal was sealed when I saw him at the historic Apollo Theatre in Harlem.

But wait, there's more.

His Life.

I don't make book recommendations lightly, so please take seriously this one: read Dreams From My Father , a book he wrote after he graduated Harvard Law School and long before he held any public office. It's both an amazing story and amazingly written. I just finished it two days ago, so it's fresh in my mind.

At the young age of 30, he offered an impressive overview of the history of race in America and the history of America in general. In so many ways, his story was my own: warnings from black elders to watch your back (and identity) in college; wrestling with the tug of war between black consciousness and mainstream American culture; experiencing the endless loop of self-important college "activists"; the barbershop!

Through his family history, I felt that I was better able to connect with America and even the world because his experience is worldly, and not in that backpacking-through-Europe with my parents' money sort of way, but more in the living-under-a-corrupt-government-in-Indonesia then talking-to-my-grandfather-about-the-War then reconnecting-with-my-East-African-relatives sort of way.

Those who think of Obama as just another elite member of the political class would gain a lot from reading this book. Granted, he has been influenced by the high octane educational institutions he attended, but he seems to have exited largely intact, having worked in community organizing both in New York City and Chicago when his degrees could easily have swayed him toward Abramoff-Kravis wing of the socio-economic spectrum. Organizing residents of the Altgeld Gardens projects on the South Side is not the standard pedigree of the political elite.

His Policies.

I have not done a comprehensive review of all of his policies, but two specifically excite me.

Obama's plan for driving innovation and openness in our tech/communications infrastructure and the government itself is inspiring as hell. Matt Stoller at Open Left said this:

...Obama has thrown down a big gauntlet, policy-wise.  He is pushing to break up the wireless gatekeepers, net neutrality will be a strong priority in his administration, and open government will allow citizens to generate new sources of political power.  I don't trust Obama's politics and I find his post-partisan rhetoric problematic, but I believe in organizing, and I believe that if he is willing to put the government on an open level playing field for all citizens while protecting our ability to access it, good things will happen.

Gristmill, a pretty trustworthy environmental site, has a strong endorsement of Obama's energy plan.

In addition, Populista over at DailyKos has a set of insanely detailed and informative diary posts covering "How Obama Will Change The System." This is a great answer to those who consider him a progressive lightweight who is not "serious about change."

  • Part 1 public financing of campaigns. Highlights: Obama teamed up with Feingold as lead sponsor of a public financing bill; he also promoted the idea in the Illinois legislature
  • Part 2: media reform. Highlights: through letter-writing, aggressive public statements and sponsored legislation, Obama fought against further consolidation of our media
  • Part 3: transparency of government. Highlights: has led on the issue of ethics and government transparency for his entire elected career; was lead sponsor of the Google for Government Bill which provides unprecedented public access to information on government contracts. You can play with it now. It's real!
  • Part 4: election reform and voting rights. Highlights: Obama is against Voter IDs, for restoring voting rights to ex-felons, opposed the nomination of Spakovsky to the FEC, co-sponsored legislation to give full voting rights to my hometown of D.C.

My Fears.

It is almost guaranteed that the systemic disenfranchisement of millions by our political and economic systems will remain largely in place with any of the presidential candidates. This nation requires a war-level effort of sacrifice and innovation to reinvent our energy, climate and food systems.

Our monetary, currency and banking policies would probably be significantly improved if we shifted a greater portion of them to local systems.

While economic growth is sought universally by both political parties, few acknowledge that endless growth is impossible within the closed system that is this planet.

Our military industrial complex has grown far beyond Eisenhower's worst fears. (check this April 2006 edition of my old podcast - I interviewed an Air Force official who oversaw contractors)

And then there are these five issues raised recently by Matt Stoller.

And then there is overpopulation.

Obama is not speaking much about most of these issues, but then again, few presidents ever have. Still, as I pointed out above, he's been very active on key threats to our democracy such as media consolidation, government corruption and campaign financing.

Conclusion

Obama is neither a Magic Negro nor a messiah. He is not Martin Luther King Jr. nor is he Sojourner Truth. He cannot change this country and make it all the great things so many people want it to be on his own. No politician can. No single person can. Anyone who promises that cannot deliver it. What I hope and increasingly believe, however, is that his ability to connect with people, to inspire participation, to transcend some of the more obscene flavors of recent partisanship will encourage us to take a step closer to fixing this country ourselves.

It says something powerful when you have the largest pool of small campaign donors in the history of presidential elections. It says something powerful when you can lure 30,000 ordinary people to a political rally, especially when you do so in a country whose leader doesn't wear fatigues or put his image on the nation's money.

If President Obama can accomplish two or three of the changes that candidate Obama has laid out, that would be a vast improvement for the country. But what I'm really rooting for is that he will help rekindle that spirit of civic engagement and community that is the lifeblood of this experiment called democracy. In the end, it's not about Obama. It's about us!



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NPR Redux: Sharpton & Kwanzaa

Just wanted to post the audio (once you click through, hit the "Listen" button at the top of the page. Est 15min) of our latest appearance on the Blogger Roundtable at NPR's News & Notes. Thanks to all involved in the show for getting us in the lineup so much this past year!

Again we didn't get to the Enough is Enough campaign, but we spent some solid time on Sharpton and Kwanzaa.

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Returning to News & Notes today (12/26) 1pm ET

We're back on NPR's News & Notes with three topics in the queue. In addition to Jack & Jill, we've got Desmond Burton from Afronerd plus Carmen Dixon from All About Race. The topics: 1. Is Al Sharpton the new go to guy for candidates? Does he speak for all black people? Why do high profile whites always go to him for advice? Check this article, and see Al gloat over his attention from the top three democratic candidates 2. Habari Gani! Do black people really know what Kwanzaa is? Can it coexist with Christmas in the African-American community? An article in Christianity Today. 3. Enough is Enough. Is there a cultural war in Black America? What's up with the feel good black movies? Can they really change Americans' perceptions of black folks? As always, throw your thoughts down in the comment area if you have em

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Andrew Young, I Hereby Revoke Your Black Card

cross-posted to Jack and Jill Politics rikyrah did an excellent take-down of Andrew Young for his niggardly (yes, I am getting Shakespearean on this clown) comments about Barack Obama, but I want to tag team this Negro. Civil rights has-been Andrew Young felt the need to explain to the press why he is not supporting Barack Obama. Mr. "Thank you for shopping at the local-economy-destroying Wal-Mart" thinks he still matters. Poor thing. His arguments?
"Barack Obama does not have the support network yet to get to be president...," he said. He reflected on his days serving as one of many lieutenants to Martin Luther King Jr. He also said that while Obama's rival Sen. Hillary Clinton is surrounded by quite a few black advisors Obama has very few. "To put a brother in there by himself is to set him up for crucifixion," he said.
Mr. Crab in a Bucket, do you know what might help Obama's network of support? How about if cowardly, corrupt sellouts such as yourself were to simply keep your mouths shut? And don't mistake the endorsement of a council of fools for real support. With more small donors than any other candidate in this campaign, Barack has a support network comprised of the people. Remember them? Bro? Another argument?
He also joked that author Toni Morrison may have been on to something when she referred to former President Bill Clinton as the "first black president." "Bill is every bit as black as Barack," he said. "He has probably gone out with more black women than Barack."
When would the married Bill Clinton have had time to go out with all of these black women, Mr. Young? More importantly, how many times do I have to scream this? BILL CLINTON WAS NOT BLACK. BILL CLINTON IS NOT BLACK. BILL CLINTON NEVER WILL BE BLACK! Who is really behind this repeated claim? This is some bullshit, and it has got to stop. Now. Just because you play the saxophone and shamelessly, repeatedly cheat on your wife does not make you one of us. It's one thing for a comic to joke about this. It's another for a once-respected "black leader" to repeat such nonsense. And just because you served with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. decades ago does not make you Lord of Blackness. Whether it's Jesse saying Obama is "acting white" with regard to Jena or this Andrew Jackson Young clown attempting to undermine Obama, we are going to call you on it every single time. And, Mr. Young, since you think you have some God-granted right of judgment over people's black credentials, let me declare here and now that you, sir, are no longer black. I hereby revoke your Black card. Hand over your ID. You are barred from the meetings. You lose the right to speak ebonics. Do not pass go. If you are any color, it is green. You are green with greed that could so blind you to support such a devastatingly destructive company as WALMART in the so-called name of your people. Mostly, you are green with envy, that someone like Obama makes you look so tacky, so trifling, so out of touch, so transparently lame.

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