On Christmas Day the new movie It’s Complicated hits the screen. The premise of the movie is a man cheats on his wife and marries his younger lover then he cheats on her with his first wife and the laughs begin. In light of the Tiger Woods cheating fiasco it is a little hard to find comedy in cheating. I invite you to read a very interesting post on this issue entitled, It’s Disturbing : http://gaj1206.wordpress.com/
Last week American exchange student Amanda Knox was found guily of sexually assaulting and killing her roomate. She was sentenced to 26 years in an Italian prison. News reports here say that the police mishandled evidence and Knox claims she was physically abused by the police when she rendered her initial statement to the police. Italian journalists labeled Knox as “Foxy Knoxy”. Many slanderous news stories were written about her and the jury members had access to this material. Some contend an anti-American sentitment was another factor that led to her being found guilty. Knox plans on appealing her conviction and there is even talk of our government intervening, but what do we learn from this situation. We learn we can not expect to find our same system of justice in other countries. Knox has encountered Italian justice because her crime was committed on their soil not ours.
While being interviewed on Sirius radio Sharon Osbourne took a cheap shot at Susan Boyle. She said that she was a “hairy a-hole.” The men interviewing her found this statement hilarious, but why do women insult other women. This was completely unprovoked. Why aren’t men asked questions about how other men look. Why do so many women feel the need to lash out at other women. Osbourne has since apologized via Facebook. Osbourne said “Susan Boyle is a lovely gracious woman and I took advantage of that by poking fun at her. I would never want to be responsible for hurting Susan and I must apologize for getting a cheap laugh at her expense.” It was just a very unclassy move from a woman who claims to have some.
When I received my Newsweek I was mildly amused when I read the headline “Crazy Talk, Oprah, Wacky Cures and You. Finally somebody had the audacity to question the Queen or tell the Queen you too are a mere mortal. Oprah has influence. What she says has the ability to get people to do or consider things they might not do. When she has a guest on her show by virtue of being her guest they gain credibility no matter what lunacy they might be spewing. One of the people mentioned in the article was Suzanne Sommers who has used some very unconventional medical procedures on herself, but when Oprah gives her a platform she lends legitimacy to that person. I think Oprah is incredible but not infallible. In recent weeks she had a show with two 14 year olds who were ready to have sex. She had a therapist talking to them as if they were a married couple. When she was challenged on this issue by her best friend Gayle she simply dismissed the criticism. Last week CNBC ran a special called the Oprah Effect. It showcased businesses that had been mentioned on the Oprah Show and how that exposure or salute from the Queen made them millions. So it was great to see an article that did not simply rubber stamp her as the all knowing one but actually questioned some of the things that she has been saying or doing. Finally someone had the nerve to say she can’t turn water into wine, walk on water or feed 5000 with two fishes and five barley loaves. She is a woman, a powerful woman but she is mortal and finally someone had the nerve to say it.
Hillary’s final campaign ad for Pennsylvania is a litany of gloom and doom. She has captured almost 80 years of catastrophes in one 30 second spot. This has to be a record. The ad features the Stock Market Crash of 1929, FDR, JFK missile crisis, Osama Bin Laden, Hurricane Katrina and skyrocketing oil prices are all featured. The goal is clear–it is time to scare the voters. She is saying these are tough, scary times and you need a leader ready for the challenge. As the ad says it is the “toughest job in the world.” This is truth is it is a tough job, but you don’t have to try to scare people anytime they go to the gas pump or the grocery store they know times are bad. This is the kitchen sink strategy in its purest form. The voters of Pennsylvania should be afraid, very afraid of Hillary.
Over the past few weeks we have been witness to bitter exchanges between both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama. Last night they both spoke of unity.They both vowed to support whoever is the Democratic nominee. I believe they will be out on the campaign trail but what credibility wil they have? We have heard their surrogates say some vile things that will not be forgotten by November. How can Clinton question Obama’s judgment in both foreign and domestic policy and then go out on the stump and say he is the best candidate for the job. Likewise, how can Obama speak of Hillary’s integrity when his surrogates have branded her a liar. The bigger issue is how do you get the supporters of Obama to support Hillary? Or vice versa. This campaign has become increasingly personal and nasty and unfortunately the supporters of the candidates have become increasingly polarized. When all is said and done somebody is going to be unhappy. The question is how will that unhappiness translated? Will supporters stay away from the polls or will they vote for McCain? Either way the Democrats lose. We all know the old saying,”united we stand” and divided…you know the rest.
The Clintons believe they can do whatever they want and things will turn out in the end. That will not be the case. If she manages to get the super-delegates to support her I hope she enjoys the moment, because that will be the only taste of victory she will experience this election year. I can not vote for Hillary Clinton under any set of circumstances. Seeing her stand at the podium and blatantly lie about her Bosnia trip was bad enough, but using the Wright situation as a diversion is a new low even for her. She seemingly labors under the misconception that black people are such loyal Democrats that they will vote for her no matter what tactics she and her husband employ. She is sadly mistaken; I have talked to so many people who say they will not vote for her. There is simply too much bad blood under the bridge and it can not be forgiven. I would hate to see black people stay away from the polls in November, but if she is the nominee it is a very real possibility. I for one will not stay away from the polls. We fought too hard for the right to vote, and I will be there to reluctantly cast my vote for John McCain.
Today I read a number of stories that questioned Sen. Obama’s tenacity. Was he up for the challenge? Was the Clinton machine more than he could handle? The fact is in our society to be a successful you have got to know how to fight. You still have to do twice as much as your white counterpart to get the same recognition he gets for simply doing his job. You have to be a political animal to simply survive in corporate America. You have to learn how to control your anger so that you are labelled as the disagreeable one. You have to learn to be confident, but you can never appear arrogant. You have know when to pursue an issue and when to gracefully retreat. Sen. Obama was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had to fight to get where he is today. You don’t have to be a street fighter, but you must know the tactics of the street. He is tougher than he appears and after yesterday he know he will have to throw a punch not just be prepared to take a punch.
Growing up my parents always told us you can be anything that you want to be. The key to doing this was to work hard. This was truly a statement of hope. Growing up I saw people of color achieve a lot of things, but I have not yet seen a black president of the United States. That is what makes this election year so exhilerating…the possibility. To see a viable candidate embraced by people of all color gives me hope. Hope for the future, hope for this country and especially hope for my children. I was discussing this with a co-worker this morning and we both are so inspired by what we see happening. Even if Senator Obama does not win the nomination he has restored my faith in the system. He is the living example of hard work and staying true to your principles, and others will also see the great possibilities in you. I have not been this excited about a candidate in years. I will continue to tell my children what my parents told me–you can be anything you want to be, but I will add this statement-including the President of the United States.
It is 2008 and race still matters in politics. Over the past few weeks all we have heard about is race. Hillary Clinton started it with her statement to Fox news regarding Martin Luther King Jr. In short she said he had a dream, but it took white politicians to make the dream a reality. Once the sound bite was out there it changed the dialogue of the campaign. Now everyday we hear about race. Is BarackObama just a black candidate or is he an American candidate. We are losing sight of the real message. It is a new day and it is time for a change. We know race still matters, but we can not allow it to color our judgment. We have a unique opportunity and we can not afford to squander it.
politics from the eyes of an ebony mom
