Did you happen to check out Sen. Obama’s ”Obamercial” last night? I have to admit, I have my doubts on how effective it was. Outside of presidential debates and State of the Union addresses, using primetime slots for politics on non-political stations is usually pretty pointless. If the intention of his segment was to further motivate his Amen Corner, mission accomplished. If it was intended to lift the cloud of speculation from “undecided” and Independent voters, the jury is still out.
Regardless of the outcome of the segment, I have to at least recognize how absolutely well done it was. For starters, I can’t say enough about the top notch production value. Even if you paid little or no attention to the substance in the segment, it at least had a visually aesthetic look. The lighting, the camera work, the backgrounds, and the music all came together to capture the viewer’s attention. But, let’s be real here: Obama’s charisma also made the segment attention grabbing. Good cimematography doesn’t always make a candidate appealing. Case in point:
What was also pretty well done in the segment was shifting the attention away from Sen. Obama and more to the average person (the real Joe’s out there). Though the stories were definitely scripted (I suspect the Obama camp tried to find some of the most depressing stories they could find), there was still a special hurt that I had for the people showcased. Their stories could’ve have easily been my story. Your story. Rather than formulating policy around fictional characters, Obama used real people with real struggles. Further, he didn’t have to spend any time peddling his policy on the audience considering that – if true – most polls suggest people’s trust already lies in him more than McCain in handling critical issues.
What also caught my attention was the delicate and subtle way Sen. Obama connected with the average person. He didn’t come across as the elitist which the nuts on the right like to portray. He showed the world who he really is: a child from a single parent, a grandson of people from the “Greatest Generation”, and a father who reads Harry Potter books with his children. In the office setting, I couldn’t help but think that Obama also had a certain…presidential look to him. Looking cool, collected, and sophisticated, his portrayal in this segment was undoubtedly a far stretch from the “terrorist” label people on the right try to tag on him. To this effect, the segment was brilliant and touching. Then again, for the supporters, Obama had us at ”Hello.” For independent voters or folks who generally have an ax to grind, we’ll have to wait and see how effective it was.
Whatever the case, I have to give Obama kudos for having the gumption to try this. Suddenly, I don’t feel like my campaign contributions have been a waste.
If the measure of a man is how infrequently he gets moved to tears, then I probably need to get my manhood checked out. Then again, I challenge anybody to peep this story out without being moved:
In a nutshell, a woman – Marilyn Mock - went to a foreclosure auction. There, she met Tracy Pottsboro, a woman who joined millions of other homeowners whose lives were swept away during this ongoing mortgage crisis. After a brief encounter, Ms. Mock did the unimaginable: she bought Pottsboro’s house and then gave it back to her. Under their arrangement, Pottsboro will pay Mock in installments instead of owing the bank which formerly owned the house.
I simply can’t put into words how amazing this story is. While the housing situation isn’t exactly comparable to ridiculous shows like ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”; which try to pass as being humanly compassionate, the story of Marilyn Mock showcases one person’s willingness to take care of a complete stranger who represents the least among us.
Living in a city like Flint, I’m constantly amazed (and disturbed) to see church building projects commencing while surrounding communities are being lost and deteriorated. Christ’s model of love and compassion for our fellow man is trumped by the greed and self-gratification that comes with having the biggest church on the block or in keeping up with the Joneses. One thing’s for sure: regardless of the faith to which she subscribes (if she’s even a believer at all), we can all still learn a thing or two from Marilyn Mock.
This woman is truly an angel walking among us. Looks like Mr. Autrey’s got some company.
I never thought I’d find myself putting CNN in the same category as Fox News and BET. But even the Cable News Network has hit a new low.
I’m not sure if you caught it, but CNN has debuted a new political comedy show starring D.L. Hughley. Yeah, that D.L. Hughley. In the face of one of the nastiest political seasons I can recall where Sen. Obama have been labeled a terrorist, un-America, and has received numerous threats based on his race, CNN has decided to go comedic nevertheless; and with one of the country’s most racially polarizing “comedians” at the helm. Really…?
The first time I saw this mess, I was seriously tempted to toss my television out the window. Granted, I should’ve thrown my TV out a long time before now. But Hughley’s show could be the deal closer. I might just have to say goodbye to my television from here on out. It’s bad enough that with the exception of a few solid political minds (I immediately think of Roland Martin, Donna Brazile, Amy Holmes, and Leslie Sanchez), CNN has solely been viewing this historical campaign from a white lense. That’s one issue. But then CNN has to further insult the politically intelligence of minorities by allowing this show to make the cut…and now of all times.
I should note that I’m a huge fan of political comedy. The Onion, John Stewart, Stephen Colbert, SNL and a host of political cartoonists have kept me laughing during an otherwise depressing eight years of George Bush. SNL’s brilliant impersonations of this year’s candidates - for instance – have provided much needed comedy relief after hearing the likes of McCain, Palin, and their minions. I just think humor and satire need to be reserved for networks that cater to the comedic crowd.
CNN lays claim to being “The Most Trusted Name in News.” But, this latest spectacle is making me seriously question their contention. This nation is inching closer and closer to another Great Depression by the day. Bigotry and hatred have become all but common themes in this year’s election. We are still at war. Yet, CNN decides to tone down the seriousness of the times by launching this mess. For real…?
Outside of its clear conservative bias, Fox News lost any chance of becoming a reputable news network with me the moment they allowed Red Eye and the short lived 1/2 Hour News Hour to hit the airwaves. But CNN is even worst; in the opinion of this humble blogger. Not only do they stand to tarnish their image as a legitimate place for news, but they’re doing so by putting a black comic (a bad black comic at that) at center stage. This is so not gangster CNN. Not gangster at all.
Perhaps I’m getting carried away by thinking this, but I feel like CNN is subscribing (perhaps unintentionally) to a subvert affirmation that blacks in media and popular culture only fit a certain profile. Even when we are witnessing history; the avant garde of politics so to speak, CNN has taken steps backward. As blacks are starting to become more politically influencial, the station decides to make way for a black comic who typifies the standard sterotype of blacks in popular culture.
Am I calling CNN racist? Of course not. I still consider them one of the most reputable sources of news in this country. But I do have to question how seriously they are taking the historical significance of this year’s election when they decided to greenlight this Hughley project. Make no mistake about it, I would’ve still questioned their journalistic integrity if they had a white guy doing the show; just by the sheer lack of “seriousness” the show representw. But having an unfunny and racially divisive black comedian doing the show as Obama stands to become the country’s FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT, is a pretty disappointing move.
In the seven weeks Gov. Sarah Palin has been on the scene, there hasn’t been a single issue, speech, or comment over which I found myself in agreement. In fact, outside of being ridiculously hot, following Palin has been a headache of massive proportion. But in a recent interview with CNN (especially significant since it appears she’s finally making herself available to the media), she asked a single question that speaks to the heart of her campaign:
“Why does Joe Biden get such a pass…?”
When I think about the onslaught ensuing from the media, I have to admit the good Governor from Alaska has a point about the existance of double standards. Joe Biden – infamously known for his gaffes – has not been so much as questioned for many of his comments (including the most recent comments about Obama potentially being “tested” with a crisis during his first six months in office). Meanwhile, virtually everything Palin says is seemingly dissected word-for-word. No argument there.
But what Palin (and the folks on the right) don’t seem to get is that most of Biden’s comments – while often boneheaded and non expedient – are at least laced with some element of truth and are supported by his years of knowledge and experience. Palin, on the other hand, is a complete twit. Between rambling on incoherently during interviews (the interviews from which she doesn’t duck out), to the ridiculous assertion that geographical proximity to Russia makes her an expert on foreign affairs, to claiming that she reads everything without being able to name a single publication, to the numerous occasions where she has shown a complete ignorance of what the Vice President does, Sarah Palin is truly the Ms. South Carolina of politics.
I should point out that my issue with Gov. Palin has never been about her ignorance on things. Politics – I’m starting to discover – is extremely complex. Instead, my ultimate concern with her is that she doesn’t possess the intellectual curiousity necessary to learn the things she needs to know. Not knowing what a Vice President does is one thing. I suspect the average American would miss that question in Trival Pursuit. BS’ing your way around the subject without taking the time to read the Constitution and study the role of VP is another. For all of his faults and stupid comments, Joe Biden is still a seasoned politician, a Constitutional scholar, and a proven Congressional leader. If that earns him a little more ease from the media, so be it.
My good friend The Hippie Conservative once made a great observation. The beauty of Obama’s run is that he has shown that anybody can be President. You don’t necessarily have to carry the name Clinton, Bush, or Kennedy in order to become a powerful political figure. You don’t have to come from a stable two-parent household. You don’t have to be a white male. You can have a “funny sounding name.” To a great extent, I share in his sentiments. But I’d also take it a step further by stating that at their core, Presidential candidates still HAVE TO BE better than the rest of us. We don’t need an average and unlearned person leading this country. We need an extraordinary person to do an extraordinary job (I guess that rules out 85% of Congress. But I digress). While Palin’s charm, charisma, and – yes- inexperience matches Obama’s to a tee, she doesn’t possess Obama’s level of intellectualism; a requisite for being in the White House. If anything, that’s what makes the biases she face justifiable.
Calling Sen. Obama a “transformational figure”, former Secretary of State Colin Powell has come out to endorse Obama for president on Sunday’s Meet the Press.
Though he indicated that both Obama and Sen. McCain are up to the job, he indicated his belief that Obama is far better equipped to handle the problems – domestic and international – than McCain. Also, McCain’s questionable choice of VP in Gov. Palin and the negative direction of their campaign (especially with Bill Ayers) were both cited as reasons for Powell’s endorsement .
This campaign has taken a considerably interesting turn.
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