Chill Baby, Chill

There was always something juvenile about the call of "drill baby, drill," as though all of our oil needs would be resolved overnight (this lot has been on the quiet side of late). It reminded me of the continual whine for tax cuts, as though they are the keys to the kingdom. Anyway, I thought that it would make sense to study ways that we could consider looking into the various reserves that we had available in the country, but I realized that it would take time to get reliable independent data.

So when Obama announced that he was going to push for offshore drilling, I thought that it was way too soon for that. I didn't trust much coming from the Bush administration on this issue for three reasons: both Bush and Cheney were of the oil world (with powerful U.S. industry allies), the government had been littered with oil favoring minions, and industry studies would likely be most beneficial to the industries and not necessarily the American people. So, in my mind, Obama's ascension would provide us an opportunity to step back and look at these issues in a more independent fashion (call me naive).

The only silver lining to the tragedy of the oil spill that is about to impact Louisiana, is that Obama has called for a hold on offshore drilling projects, in order to conduct more studies. I know that accidents are inevitable, but events like this spill, coupled with the mining tragedies that we've experienced make it clear that we need to ensure that the necessary regulatory apparatuses are in place as we push to meet more of our energy needs at home (particularly considering that regulations were eliminated or flouted throughout the Clinton and Bush administrations on nearly all fronts, with impunity).

So for now, let chill and get this as close to right as possible.

Ken Blackwell Makes No Sense, and Jon Stewart Gave Him a Forum to Show Us Why

Ken Blackwell is someone with whom I have little in common, politically, and his appearance on "The Daily Show" last night was MasterCard priceless. Wouldn't he be the perfect replacement for Michael Steele as the head of the RNC?

Just watch.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Ken Blackwell Extended Interview Pt. 1
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Ken Blackwell Extended Interview Pt. 2
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Ken Blackwell Extended Interview Pt. 3
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

I will say this. In terms of some of the worst abuses of the Bush administration in dealing with the war on terror, the Obama administration has indeed maintained that "power grab"(warrantless wiretapping, continuing the use of military tribunals for detainees, etc). Mind you, that wasn't a "power grab" according to Blackwell, when Bush did it.

Obama (and Every Other DC Politician) Could Use His Wall Street Campaign Contributions and Actually Help "Main Street" Directly

I do not know the exact amount of money that the Obama campaign received from the financial services sector, but I think it would be great if he gave that money to organizations that really are helping to bring jobs back to "Main Street." For example, why not work with the National Main Street Center of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and provide money to all of the various Main Street organizations throughout the country? Or give that money to the Save America's Treasures program. I think the positive impact of a move like that from Obama would be immediate (he did something similar with his Nobel Prize winnings, and helped, I think, four charities). It would also put historic preservation, "Main Street" and community revitalization into the spot light, as I've mentioned a couple of times in this blog.

This would be an economic win for the country, and a political win for Obama (or any other politician willing to do it). Wall Street, through the middle man Obama would be funding "Main Street," as is supposed to be the case.

Sticking it to Wall Street, directly helping "Main Street," and creating American jobs that cannot be outsourced, while revitalizing communities and spurring economic development? Dude, it's not that hard.

Sinead O'Connor: A Modern Cassandra? II

Yet again, my girl Rachel Maddow has come through. I'd already put forth my thoughts about Sinead O'Connor in an earlier post, but it was awesome to hear Sinead O'Connor speak about the issue herself.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Check Out Tim Wise's Re-imagining of the Tea Party Movement as a Black Movement

Okay, I have to admit that I found an interesting little tidbit on the Internet this morning, and it was something is about to make me re-examine a chapter in the recent past. Over at the blog Ephphatha Poetry, there is a post from Tim Wise who re-imagines the Tea Party movement as a predominantly black movement with a white POTUS in the White House. It was an interesting exercise, to say the least, and it does raise some real questions about how the media would have covered a movement of that sort.

The re-examination that I spoke of regards the Black Panthers. Mind you, I still hold that their approach to the trials of the post-MLK era was not the best, but I will go back and review the information around the events that made the party infamous. I think it is safe to say that there are some shared aspects to the Black Panther phenomenon and the Tea Party phenomenon (particularly the feelings that their freedoms and second amendment rights were being threatened by an overreaching government), but of course one was from the left and predominantly black, and the other is from the right and predominantly white. I might have to consider a comparison post in the future.

Meanwhile, please take a look at Tim Wise's post. I really found myself wondering just what would have happened if, say, there had been a black Tea Party movement under George W. Bush.

The Immigration Reform Legislation in Arizona is a Bridge Too Far

Well, the governor of Arizona has signed this legislation. Take a look.

I have to admit that I am one who thinks that racial profiling can play a role in law enforcement. I also recognize that there has been all sorts of abuse of profiling by law enforcement, which is why people are so leery of it. With that said, I think that this legislation is a bridge too far.

Anyone who looks Hispanic will be under the suspicion of being an illegal immigrant, unless the law enforcement agencies of Arizona really work hard not to make this so. I think that it will have a chilling effect for Hispanics traveling to Arizona. I think that I (black guy) would be safe traveling around Arizona. I think my boy Ron (white guy) would be safe traveling around Arizona. I am not sure that my boy Jerry (Hispanic guy) would be so lucky, especially if the members of law enforcement approach the situation is the same manner as Rep. Brian Bilbray of California.

Hispanics are expressing both outrage and disappointment over this legislation. I think it's deep when a member of Congress representing Arizona suggests that people should boycott the state until this issue is resolved (Rep. Raul Grijalva's offices have received death threats in the wake of this legislation). This does not diminish the fact that immigration reform is needed in the country, and Arizona does see the need to stave off illegal immigration. But, this really is an example of gross overreach.

There has got to be a better approach to immigration reform than this.

As the GOP Continues to Cringe at the Spectacle (or Diversionary Tactics?) of Michael Steele, He Gives Some Truth

I think it is interesting the Michael Steele said something that the overwhelming majority of black folks, including black Republicans, know: there is little, at this time, that is appealing to black folks about the GOP. Some would argue that I am being generous by using the term "little." But to hear that coming from the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, again (Ken Mehlman essentially said the same to the NAACP a few years ago in his apology for the use of the Southern Strategy). Steele went further by noting that it was the Southern white male vote that the GOP sought through that strategy, and there is no question that the strategy worked. That demographic group is as solidly Republican as the Southern black male is Democratic.

I commend Steele for continually reminding the world that black folks were solidly Republican from the acquisition of the vote for black men until the middle of the 20th century. Both parties made strategic decisions with regard to black voters, from Harry Truman integrating the armed forces, to Barry Goldwater denigrating the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And it is almost comical today to see that if something is appealing to the wide swath of white Southern voters, then it is almost equally unappealing to the wide swath of black Southern voters. So when you add the fact that the national Republican party has essentially become (with small variations) the embodiment of a white Southern voter's world view, then one can understand the uphill battle that Steele has in helping to diversify the GOP.

I still find it funny that many young Republicans from the South seem genuinely unaware that their grandparents, for example, were likely strong Democrats, and that they seem not to know precisely why "granny" or "paw paw" abandoned the party that was their political home. I've actually had those conversations, and they have been rich. And I don't think that anyone would blame black folks for going toward a party that seemed genuinely interested in helping them achieve a better existence in this country.

With all of that said, I wonder if Steele's admission will get folks talking. It needs to. I've long said that black Christianists and white Christianists can certainly bond on those issues that are directly related to their understanding of the Bible, like the abhorrence of gay rights or the disdain for abortion. We saw that type of coalition building come together when the various states passed marriage equality bans.

I think it is sad that we still have this level of enmity within the body politic, but I fully understand why it is there. So does Michael Steele. The fallout from this should be interesting. It's also possible that Steele may be deflecting, once again, negative attention about his management skills at the RNC. As a matter of fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all, but that doesn't diminish the truth in what he said. After all, the GOP is the original home of the black vote.