I write this piece on the eve of my beautiful grandmother’s birthday. My grandmother, who tomorrow-God Willing- will turn 77 years young, still walks the streets of Harlem on her daily outings as vigorously as she did the day she migrated to the Big Apple from her hometown of Goldsboro, North Carolina more that 50 years ago. I thought of her as I watched Senator Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. accept his victory as the 44th President of these United Sates of America last night around the hour of 11:00.  Addressing this nation with his new world order at task, he spoke of a woman named Ann Nixon Cooper; a 106 year old former homemaker and socialite from Atlanta who for the first time in her life was able to cast her vote for an African-American nominee. For more than a century on this earth, this extraordinary woman has witnessed America evolve before her eyes. I wonder if Mrs. Nixon Cooper or my grandmother ever thought, in their wildest dreams, that they would see a black man being prepared to take the helm of this country. I think of my maternal grandmother who passed way in 2004, the same year that Barack Obama was just making his mark in the national political arena by giving maybe the most important speech of his career at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. I think of my mother, as all she could say was “Oh My Goodness,” in between her sobs of joy as she watched the nation erupt in jubilee on her television. I think of my father, who was an award-winning journalist at the Village Voice during the 1980’s, when young black people were being killed at an alarming rate by a bigoted NYPD and the devastating crack epidemic. I think of my grandfather, who fell limp across his bed crying when he received the news that Malcolm X was killed at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.

Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine This: A manifold-colored coalition of people that have been drawn from diverse generations. Their eyes are glued on one man: their democratic prince. As he is being sworn in as the 44th President of these United States of America on the steps of our nation’s capital, the clean January air brims with a sense of new found hope and glory. As Senator Barack Obama takes over the reins from the most infamous President of all time, GWB, he surveys his new hometown with his loving wife and daughters-watching the world consume the allure out of the palm of his hand. Just then, we hear the speakers on those steps envelop the chilly skies with an opus:

This is street ra-di-o/For unsung hero
Ridin’ in the Regal/Tryin’ to stay legal
My daughter found Nemo/I found the new Preemo
’Ye, you know how we do/ We do it for the people

Just imagine Common’s song, “The People”, ringing as an anthem for those gathered here today- with hoary headed political stalwarts and Jigga-cool infused preppy backpackers all moving their bodies in unison. While I sometimes can’t resist letting my imagination and love of music get the best of me, I doubt this song will be tapped as Sen. Obama’s inaugural theme. That’s kind of disheartening, because those four bars I just quoted capture everything that the senator from Illinois has been championing for in his campaign; the struggle, the fight, and the pleas for the common man and woman. It seems as if this song would be the perfect backdrop to the end of a hard fought election (As it looks like the desperate McCain is running out of time to defeat “That One”). It’s the platform that Obama has put his hopes for change on: from choosing between eating a meal or buying gas, to crusading for a higher minimum wage, to wondering if your new born daughter will have reasonable health care, let alone a pension to retire on; to praying that a loved one makes it home safe from war. Barack Obama has heard the cries of the people, and he plans to carry those cries on his eardrums as he moves his family into the White House; looking to cement his status not only as our first Black President, but as our first true Metropolitician in power.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, the conventions have both wrapped up. So, you know what’s coming next: analysis. And lots of it.

Before you hear the opinions from the people paid to give them, voice your own.

Who delivered the best convention speech? What are the most memorable moments? Have the conventions affected your vote?

Sound off, Baltimore!

So, if you’ve watched any iota of the Republican Convention and the Democratic Convention you know that there’s a tremendous difference in tone between the two.

The Democrats came off hopeful, forward-looking and welcoming.

The Republicans are coming off as tenacious (if not vicious), vague on details and dismissive of the other side.

It was capped off last night by Gov. Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech, in which she lashed into “her opponent” (whose name she would not use) and proved why her self-description as a pit bull with lipstick is accurate.

What do you think the 12% of voters who say they’re undecided are going to prefer?

Read the rest of this entry »

After all the Republicans’ talk about wanting to keep Gov. Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter, Bristol, out of the conversation, they announce that the daughter’s boyfriend will be in attendance at tonight’s convention.

Say what?

We all know the rules of television news. When showing a crowd or a group of people, the reporter will point out notable people and give some quick background information on each of them. So, does the McCain campaign expect the media to ignore the fact that the boyfriend, Levi Johnston, is sitting with the rest of the Palin family?

Are we supposed to ignore the fact that he was with the rest of the Palin and McCain families when the Senator stepped off his plane this afternoon?

Read the rest of this entry »

b’s bloggers – Live from the RNC

From dan and justin. Live from St Paul

St. Paul, Sept 2
We spent part of the day with our close friends from New Orleans and we happy to find that they suffered only a small impact from Gustav. We are proud of the unity our fellow delegations shared in service and prayer to our friends in the Gulf.
Read the rest of this entry »

This morning started off with breakfast with the Maryland Delegation. We were only one of 16 states chosen to hear speeches from McCain surrogates at breakfast. We heard from Senator McCains son, Doug McCain, Sec. Tommy Thompson, Senator John Kyle, Ev Alvarez (a POW with Sen. McCain in the Hanoi Hilton) and a last but not least a former American soldier who was a POW in the Iraq war.
Read the rest of this entry »

The Republican Convention is set to really begin tonight, after last night’s convention was all but scrapped because of Hurricane Gustav.

Speaking tonight will be Maryland’s own former lieutenant governor Michael Steele. You can catch his speech live on your favorite cable news channel at about 9:50 p.m.

Expect his speech to be similar to the ones he gave when he ran for Senator. Read the rest of this entry »

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Gov. Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol, is pregnant. And you also probably know that there’s been some considerable debate over whether this should even be a story. Some people claim it’s irrelevant.

Umm… no. It’s very relevant. In fact, it’s a stunning revelation.

With every passing day, it seems news about Palin just gets stranger and stranger. Oh, and let’s not forget that some are starting to call Palin a liar — and that’s a pretty accurate conclusion.

Read the rest of this entry »

From today’s b, the paper

These Marylanders — and Republican alternate delegates — will be giving you an inside look at the Republican National Convention, straight from Minneapolis-St. Paul. Be part of the experience at bthesite.com and in print this week.
Read the rest of this entry »