No More Bitchassness on TJMS

Tavis Smiley has left the Tom Joyner Morning Show. (source)

Bye, Tavis. Maybe this time they can get someone whose ego doesn’t take up all the oxygen in the room. I vote for Roland Martin over at The Roland Report and CNN.

Why I’m Voting for Barack Obama

As I sit here waiting on the results from the Wisconsin primary. I began thinking about why I support Senator Barack Obama for president. Obama supporters have been accused of being blind followers, falling for a great speaker without much substance, and wanting to finally see an African-American hold the highest political office in the land. Well Senator Obama is a great speaker and I do want to see an African-American become president, but not just any African-American. I support Barack Obama for president because I believe he is a man of integrity, vision, and leadership. He hasn’t been in Washington long enough to have the “hope burned out of him yet”. Sen. Obama is intelligent and I believe he will choose smart competent people for his administration. I admit there are emotional aspects to my support.

My mom and dad are children of segregation and jim crow. I heard all the stories of the indignities they faced and their parents faced as a result of this shameful policy from our American history. It moves me to tears to hear the excitement in my mothers voice when she talks about Sen. Obama and actually being alive to possibly witness history.

As a mother of young daughter and the aunt of a 7-year-old boy, to be able to explain what an Obama presidency means to African-Americans would be incredible. And when I look my daughter or nephew in the eyes and tell them they can be anything they want in this country regardless of their skin color, I will actually mean it.

In spite of my desire to have a black president doesn’t mean I (and other Obama supporters) haven’t done my homework. I don’t let speeches or soundbites determine what why I vote for someone. I‘ve gone to Senator Obama’s website to see where he stands on the issues. And I liked what I saw. For example:

• He plans to ban racial profiling on a federal level and Obama incentives to state and local police departments to ban it as well.
• He would eliminate the sentencing disparities for crack and cocaine possession/tracking.
• And most importantly as a mother he plans to invest billions of dollars in early-childcare education. I have high hopes for his zero to five program. He wants make sure child care centers have ratings. When I was searching for daycare for my daughter it was daunting and troubling. There was no info on which daycares had complaints, which were licensed (in SC you can still operate a daycare if you have registered to get a license.) I had to rely on word-of-mouth and a listing provided by the local United Way. I like my daughter’s daycare but my husband and I are looking at other childcare centers that aren’t mere babysitting warehouses. And as for the public school system in Charleston, well let’s just say there is a reason Charter schools keep popping up all over town.
  

Those are just a few of his policies that encouraged me. I encourge anyone whose on the fence or who is an Obama supporter to check out his website. Inform yourself, so you know who you are voting for.

This is what I’ve been angry with Tavis Smiley and his so-called commentary on Sen. Obama and then bitching about Obama not attending the State Of the Black Union. First its sounds as if Tavis feels his is the gatekeeper for all things related to black folks. That in order to get the blessings of black folks to run for president, Obama has to come through Tavis and Tavis will make the decision for all of us. Tavis is always telling us not to “fall in love” with Sen. Obama without holding him accountable. Accountable to what? Not once have I heard Tavis call out Barack on a particular issue. If Tavis said “Sen Obama’s health plan would leave out milions of lower and middle class blacks” or “Sen Obama’s plan to change the sentencing laws for crack possession vs cocaine possession will not come soon enough and large numbers of black folks will to go to prision by the time its enacted.” But Tavis hasn’t addressed any of Sen Obama’s policies directly and continues on to insinuate that Sen Obama may not be for us. What does Tavis want the man to do this?


Obama supporters tend to be accused of simply falling for the “hope” platitudes and exciting speeches. I disagree, I don’t think anyone who supports Sen Obama, believes he’s gonna change things right after his inaguration. Obama is not some naive simpleton who believes the day he takes office, everyone in the congress is gonna hold hands and sing Kummbaa. He is well aware of the mess he would be inheriting. But shouldn’t he be given the opportunity try? How can we sit back and complain and talk about nothing ever changes in Washingtion and politics in general if we continue to put the same type of people in office regardless of party affiliation. I was watching Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough on MSNBC the other day. He is a conservative pundit who really likes Obama and what he stands for. He said why he and other republicans/conservatives like Obama is because make though they may disagree with his stance on many issues, they feel that he would reach across the isle and work with them. He comes across as non-partisan. And let’s be real, the democrats and republicans are gonna have to work together or things we’ll never get done.

So I say the time is now and Barack Hussein Obama is the man. YES WE CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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UPDATE: Right as I finished my last post, I checked CNN and Barack Obama wins Wisconsin!!!!! right now its Obama 56% to Hillary Clinton’s 43%.

What’s Beef? Tavis Smiley and Barack Obama

Well it seems Tavis Smiley is throwing a hissy fit because Barack Obama will not be attending his State of the Black Union this year. However, Tavis made a point to note on Tom Joyner’s show that Hillary Clinton will be attending. Now to be fair Barack didn’t attend last year. But then neither did Miss Hillary. When the Obama campaign offered to have Michelle Obama sub, Tavis said pouted like a 2-year old and said no. As much as he says this whole thing is not about them, its about us (the black community), what is really seems like its about Tavis ego. The response to Tavis’ hissy fit has been interesting:

Roland Martin on The Roland Report

Melissa Harris-Lacewell on The Root

And this blog Soulconviction

Hmmm…Tavis as Das Efx once said “You betta check yourself before you wreck yourself”