She’s a Capricorn. She’s pragmatic, practical, earthy, she leads, she’s strong, she teaches, and she’s powerful.

That’s all.

I never said I wouldn’t vote for him b/c of Michelle – can’t speak for others however my opinion as a STRONG BLACK WOMAN (who has had babies!) myself is that she does not come across in the right manner. She comes across actually as insecure but maybe making up for it with the strong persona. I think if you are strong and “tough” you can act that way but it’s not necessary to hit others over the head with it so to speak(when you are secure).If she did then I really don’t think the MSM would have all of the sound bites they have of her to be used against her husband.

I also never said that women emasculate men I said she comes across that way. I beleive that men emasculate themselves and blame it on women at times, personally.

Again, I am not trying to convince anyone else of fight anyone over this but this is MY opinion as a loyal BHO supporter.

Civil disobedience is a compromise. So is nonviolence.

MLK’s nonviolent movement was a compromise. Turning the other cheek is a compromise.

You quote king’s statement: “A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”

As if nonviolence in the face of violence is not “bending one’s back,” to assume the position one must in order to make the change they want to see.

A lot of people called King an accomodationist. They accused him of doing the very thing that particular quote warns against. Well, in the end, King’s style got more accomplished. In fact, King’s style has become a template for other movements over they years. He saw the bigger picture.

Was King an accomodationist? Judging by his goals, I say no. Yet many obviously felt that subjecting black men and women to violence was the definition of bending one’s back to let the man ride on it.

Compromise (strategic compromise) is not a sign of weakness. It can be a sign of immense strength.

The Civil Rights Movement was built with a belief that “black” struggles must take on a more universal appeal if things were to change. That’s strategic compromise.

That’s what a minority group often does. It doesn’t have the numbers on its side. Instead, it finds leverage to maximize the opportunity at hand.

As a practical matter, King and others realized that they could not change the wheels of power with a purely “black” message. But you find a way around the zero-sum equation. You make a win-win situation out of a win-lose situation. That’s strategic compromise.

Thus, they transformed the concept of black liberation into wider, more universal, appeals of equality, humanity and spirituality. And yes, even symbolic politics has its place in moving the country forward.

That’s mastering the game. That’s finding a way to make the game work for you. It’s beating the majority at it’s own game. . . slowly, but surely, one step (one generation, even) at a time. That’s understanding the forces at play and seizing the opportunity at hand.

The perfect storm surrounding the Civil Rights Movement presented a unique moment, which allowed King to repackage black rights in a more palatable manner and create a paradigmatic shift.

Civil rights was no longer a “black” issue for blacks to bear alone. The Civil Rights Movement was a coalition of black and white designed to pressure government into specific legislative action on generic matters like voting rights, education, equal protection and employment.

Malcolm didn’t create that type of a coalition. Rev. Wright won’t create that coalition.

That doesn’t make them better or worse, just different. Their less concerned with universal appeal and more concerned with “speaking truth to power.”

My point is you need both. Obama is building a coalition to affect change. . . just as King did. He’s taking advantage of a perfect storm that is ripe for another paradigm shift.

It’s my belief, however, that women are much stronger than men.

Much.

And it comes down to the strength it takes to give birth.

If the electorate doesn’t want to vote for Obama because his wife speaks her mind, then too bad for us.

I agree with you about Michelle O. She often comes across as emasculating towards her husband. Let me say/repeat (before I am attacked) I am a loyal BHO supporter but she has not been coming across very well to me. I suppose that is not truly the case as they do seem happy and she did do MUCH better in the interview with Caroline Kennedy.

Remember: Obama is not running for president of Black America. By the same token, he’s not presenting himself as a Black leader with any specific intent on doing anything in particular for Black people per se. Taking his own statement and not some idea people want to project onto him, Barack Obama, the presidential candidate, sees something wrong with that kind of idea.

What kind of Tuskegee like project has Barack Obama talked about?

See, that’s the silliness of the Booker T. reference. But it is rather illuminating. What’s really funny is how folks are swinging at the wind, to use language that’s already been used.

This “compromise” FRAME and the whole argument is an argument B-Serious et al are having with themselves. I’ll refer back to MLK, another so-called “compromiser”:

“A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”

Translation: Just assuming the position based on the assumption that that’s what you have to do puts you at a position of disadvantage that’s of your own making and have nothing to do with the game but rather with the role you assumed without respect to how the game has changed and what can be done to change it.

Apartheid Victims’ U.S. Lawsuit To Proceed
High Court Can’t Intervene Because 4 Justices Forced To Sit Out Case Over Apparent Conflicts
Comments 6
WASHINGTON, May 12, 2008

someone up above linked to the story at HuffingtonPost. The girl got arrested at prom. Roland Martin also has it as a story at his blog at Essence.

Sigh….

Top 10 Reasons Obama Beat Clinton

More than 20 Senators Say They’d Be Willing to be VP

@ Rikyrah-In what context are you talking about the clothing? Unless I missed something, you gave a response without posting the story. That said, it is often very challenging to find appropriate girl’s clothing that your child also likes. The dept stores sell grown women’s clothing in miniature. You can buy a size 6x shirt that says “Hottie,” and little wedge heel sandals. Luckily, my daughter doesn’t like that stuff, but neither is she willing to look like one of those FLDS girls. I saw an ad for Beyonce’s mama’s clothing line, House of Derion (or whatever-derriere) and that stuff looked pretty bad. It can be an issue, and a lot of people really don’t know any better because they lack standards and discernment.

As for Obama and anger, the MSM has also been calling for him to be more forceful and exhibit more testosterone. He’s darned if he do and darned if he don’t. After the bowling fiasco, morning joe said he bowled like a little girl. It was tre’ insulting. This is another aspect of america’s collective unconscious. We glorify the thug, the mafia, John Wayne, Shaft or hillary. We like assholes and ass kickers. Thats why McCain polls so high sometimes even though most people claim to be against the war. Its a conundrum.

As for Michelle, I’m not a big fan of hers either (please, no hating). I have also wondered why she has said some of the things she has said, and I have wondered if she is mad at him and exacting revenge. I wasn’t crazy about her saying things about his socks stinking, etc., and I wondered why I was supposed to care. To me, it was kinda like her saying, “He’s not all that!” So I’m thinking, you can take the sister out of the hood, but….Why is she doing this? What is the point of saying “I love accessories. I’m married to one.” She did an interview where she told someone he has 1 shot at this only, and that there would be no more chances. I guess I should assume that they had discussed it and come to a mutual agreement, but my initial impression was that she is some kind of dominatrix. That said, she did slam dunk for him in a tv appearance I saw with Caroline Kennedy. She was GREAT and redeemed herself with me. I just think that if she can’t muster the self-control, she needs to say nothing.

They do appear to have the warmest union of all the candidates. I think Obama is a kind and decent person. He doesn’t have the harshness or edginess of those of us raised in the continental 48. I’ve seen him be generally affectionate and huggy on the campaign trail.

I also feel sorry for Cindy McCain. She’s married to the crypt keeper. Not only did he call her a cunt, he called her that in public. He probably wanted a more passive woman after being raised by his mother. What a shrew. She reminds me of hillary.

I don’t want to see Hillbilly get any post or appointment. I want to see her flat ass go down in flames.

I saw Speed Raced this afternoon, and you had me thinking about Obama…LOL

great links.

It wasn’t until he got to Chicago that he immersed himself in the Black Community. By then, he was grown.

You can take the boy out of the East, but you can’t take the East out of the boy.

That is what those links above suggest.

Mr. Cool’s Intensity – a Post column on Obama

This one is particularly stunning. It’s worth reading several times:

The Tao of Obama

I will only add this…for all the criticism of Booker T. Washington, he created a lasting legacy in the institution of Tuskegee University. How many Black people have created something that goes on well after their deaths? Think about the thousands of Our Community that have been and will continue to be educated and be able to use that education to lift themselves up because of what Booker T. ‘ The Compromiser’ Washington did way back when?

LOL

Go Michelle!

Great post!

The other two are saying that she needs the white vote.