Rudy Giuliani on CNN and Morning Joe Defending Sanford By Throwing Clinton Under the Bus

Master politician Rudy Giuliani appeared on Morning Joe and CNN spouting the new GOP line. When asked  if disgraced Gov. Mark Sanford should resigned he responded well let’s look at Bill Clinton. He said Clinton lied under oath and he did not resign. That does not answer the question. Sandford went AWOL from his state and left his staff scratching their heads. He put his staff and his family in an awkard position. So say this happens on both sides of the aisle is not an answer or a justification for bad behavior.  Sanford was a very visible and vocal critic of the former president. Mitt Romney gave a more enlightened response when he appeared on Meet the Press.  Romney commented on people in public office “people in public life ought to be held to a higher standard. … I heard one … former governor say, ‘Well, everybody makes mistakes.’ Well, that’s true. But not all mistakes are the same. And not everybody is a governor or a senator or a president. And we expect [those] people to live by a higher standard, because what they do is going to be magnified, their families are going to be hurt more by what they do, the things they care about will be hurt, and the culture of the nation
and the people who follow them will be hurt.”  Romney’s response is the kind of response one expects from someone who wants to lead, and Giuliani’s response is the kind one should expect from someone committed to dividing.

We Mourn the Different Faces of Michael Jackson

Over the past few days as we come to grips with Michael Jackson’s death I find that we are all mourning different Michaels. The Michael I mourn is the Michael of my childhood. I still see him as the lead singer of the Jackson 5. He was the precocious child with the adult soul. I still see him and his brothers showing us all the latest dance steps.  I still wonder how did Jackie feel dancing behind his little brother. Did he feel like Fredo in the Godfather or was he comfortable in his supporting role? My friend Gail and her contemporaries mourn the silver-gloved Michael. She and her friends are part of the Thriller generation. The other group of mourners grieve over the loss of the myth. They are too young to have heard the music when it was released. They have heard their parents play the music and they have heard it over the radio, but they are finding that through his death the true genius of his music. Over the last few days I have heard commentators say he united the world, but what is also unique is he closed the generation gap. So today we mourn the many faces of the man in the mirror.

Mark Sanford’s Wife is No Stedford Wife

 So often when a politician does something incredibly stupid his spouse feels the need to fix it. That is not the case in the Mark Sanford fiasco. His wife Jenny is letting him twist in the wind and allowing him to fix the situation he created. She was asked about her husband’s career and she replied “his career is not a concern of mine”. She went on to say she concerned about the character of her children. Jenny Sanford refuses to put on blinders and only allow herself to see what is best for their political future. Mark Sanford is apologizing to his cabinet, the press and the people of South Carolina. All of this is designed to save his job but the bigger obstacle he faces is saving his family.

Michael Jackson Was One of Us

Today we are wrapping our minds around the fact that Michael Jackson is dead. Yesterday we just could not believe it. We are still reeling, but gaining our footing. I have talked to friends last night and everyone has there favorite Michael Jackson or Jackson Five memory. I was talking to my friend Jonelle this morning and she said something that made me think. She said we loved him and his brothers so much because “they were the people that lived down the street and made it,” We loved them because they were us. They were raised in a working class home and they were never expected to be a household name. Joe Jackson knew his sons were talented, but he could not have dreamed a dream so big. So we loved their music, but we were also proud of them because their lives gave us hope. Don’t get me wrong we knew that everyone would not grow up to be superstars, but we knew we all could grow up to be somebody.

There Would Not have Been A Michael Jackson without Joe Jackson

Tonight everyone who ever wrote a Michael Jackson article has been in front of a microphone. Several of them have given their dime store analysis of jackson, but one thing that struck me wrong was their portrayal of Joe Jackson. They have said that Joe would take the kids on tour for weeks, and he also used to beat the children. Joe has been painted as a villian, but what he really was a visionary. He saw that his children had real talent and he saw that Michael had the potential to be a supestar, and he made it happen. Joe Jackson was a product of his era. Most black children who grew up in the 60s and 70s were spanked, whipped or beaten by their parents. It was not child abuse. They truly believed spare the rod spoil the child. This is how they had been raised and this is how they raised their children. They did what they knew to do and now that we know better we do better, but let’s not crucify Joe Jackson. As we celebrate the life of Michael jackson  let us not vilify Joe Jackson without his guidance we would not have known Michael Jackson.

Al Sharpton’s Interesting Observation on Michael Jackson’s Death

Al Sharpton said that it was so ironic that some of the same people praising the dead superstar today would not have given him the time of day yesterday. It was a true statemnt because of the complexities of the man. Michael Jackson was an incredible entertainer who provided the soundtrack to my generation.  My children can only remember him as anything other than a wierd looking man, but I still remember him as one of the most talented entertainers that I ever saw.  I have heard people say when talking about someone who has died that when you look at the obituary you see the date that the person was born followed by a hyphen and then the date that person died. What is important is what that person did between the hyphens. How did they live?  What impact did they have on others? Did they make a difference. When you look at Michael Jackson’s life you can say he lived alot between the hyphens.

Michael Jackson’s Death is Hard to Believe

I grew up with the Jackson 5. They were all so cute my friends and I would sit around dreaming about which Jackson we would marry. I bought Right On magazine so I could keep up with what the brothers were doing. So today when I heard that Michael Jackson had died I felt like it was a death in the family. It is so hard to believe. Over the years Jackson was plagued with legal problems, but that is not what I will remember about him. I will remember seeing them on the Ed Sullivan show when it was still rare to see somebody black on television. I will remember being amazed when I first saw him do the moonwalk. I will remember the Motown 25 special in 1983 where Michael gave a performance that is still talked about today. I am sad tonight, and I will miss the Michael Jackson I grew up with. Rest in Peace Michael.

Mark Sanford’s Wife Chose Not to Stand by Her Man…Good for Her

I admire Jenny Sanford for not standing by her man yesterday. I often wonder how these cheating men can get their wives to stand next to them as they outline their indiscretions to the world. Mark Sanford created this mess and he alone should have been the one standing there answering the questions. Jenny Sanford released a statement that expressed her feelings on the situation and that was sufficient.  She has indicated that she is willing to give her husband a second chance, but she refused to be part of yesterday’s  media circus and I admire her courageous choice.

What’s the Difference Between Kwame Kilpatrick and Mark Sanford?

 Kwame Kilpatrick is the disgraced ex-mayor of Detroit. He had an affair and all of his dirty laundry was exposed for all to hear and see. Today we see Mark Sanford the latest politician to admit having an affair. The emails that he sent to his mistress have become fodder for the press, and some among the GOP are crying foul. They say he has a wife and family and for their sake the media should be mindful of their feelings. Kilpatrick had a wife and children too, but no one was crying for them. Their situations are not identical by any means. Kilpatrick broke the law and served time for his crimes. The press was zealous in their reporting of Kilpatrick’s sexual escapades, and I expect that same zeal from the press as the Sanford situation unfolds.

Fox News Mistakenly Identifies Mark Sanford As a Democrat…this Was No Mistake

Mark Sanford is famous for two things: being the governor who refused the stimulus money because according to him it came with too many strings.  He is also the governor who admitted today he was having an affair and he had his staff lie about his whereabouts. When he was the fiscal conservative Fox News embraced him, but today this hero of the right was identified as a Democrat. Did the graphics guy make a mistake? No this was a deliberate attempt to deceive, and it did not work.