Senator Obama’s support among working — hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again. And how the — you know, whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me.

The “hard-working” part is pretty ugly and ill-advised. With that statement, she is now officially on the margins. Basically, the constant focus on Sen. Obama’s perceived inability to gain additional strength from White working class voters also implies that no other base within the Democratic party is “hard-working” or that only White Americans are “hard-working.”  It takes this White blue-collar thing a bit too far, a bit too over the top. She also position herself to leverage that White voting bloc into something negotiable should she begin considering the “graceful exit” from this nomination vote: “I’ve got my people voting for me, so what are you going to do about it?  I need something for those votes.” 

It’s all a bit surreal, yet refreshing in the sense that it all comes out.  She’s admitting to what many are in great denial about, and that’s the number of White voters who are uncomfortable with the prospect of having to vote for a Black man. 

But, interestingly enough: we wonder how this would have been received if coming from the lips of her opponent?  Not for certain since it hasn’t happened, but we do know that Obama has had to walk a very tight line on race by remaining “race-neutral.”  The pressure for him to maintain that neutrality is harsh and unforgiving, but it is out of necessity if he wants to win.  Clinton, on the other hand, hasn’t been under fire for the very charged feminist tone of her campaign, as she directly comments on the obvious historic change following the election of a woman President.  We don’t diminish the truth in that statement, we’re just wondering how it would be received if Obama were to directly comment, regularly, on the historic ramifications of the election of a Black President.  Of course, he’d be lampooned into electoral insignificance.   

NEW YORK — Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), among Hillary Rodham Clinton’s top African-American supporters, was none too pleased with Clinton’s comments this week to USA Today that she has broader appeal with white voters.

“That is rough campaign talk. That is not presidential talk. You leave that stuff to the boys in the backroom,” said Rangel, the dean of New York’s congressional delegation.

We always understood the endorsement of Sen. Clinton from longtime Harlem Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) as fairly smart politics … or, rather, common sense politics.  He’s part of the New York state Congressional delegation, which also includes his colleague now running for the Democratic Presidential nomination.  In this case, his state (where he and his district resides) comes first.  Of course, there are many African Americans who would like to think that Rangel, of all people, would understand the need for Black political solidarity with his Congressional Black Caucus colleague Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL).  But, it’s not that simple.  Rangel, at the end of the day, has to work with his Senate colleagues in order to bring ”bacon” to his district, primarily the rapidly gentrifying Harlem part of New York City.  Again, African American elected officials are … elected officials. 

The great thing about this Democratic primary is that the Black political elite have been exposed for what they truly are: politicians.  That’s not such a bad thing; it simply shows that we’ve evolved and matured politically.  What we take exception to is when they front as though they are not politicians but, instead, community activists or battle-crying advocates and “race saviors.”  For too long, most African Americans have been fooled into the totality of that notion. 

In the situation reported by Politico, Rangel is clearly positioning himself for some sort of reconciliation with Obama once the nomination is formally locked by the Senator from Illinois.  But, he still can’t free himself from the chains of the Clinton endorsement since his priority is his district.  The lock and key to these chains is provided courtesy of the New York state and city Democratic political machine, which ensures that all its members fall in line. 

There is a manufactured quality to this controversy, and its timing – right on the eve of the Pennsylvania primary – creates the impression that it’s somewhat engineered.  In reality, it is much to do about nothing. Another example of the 24/7 news cycle needing something to clamor about.  There is the sense that the political news cycle is slow at the moment, the primary is dragging on and media folks are bored. 

1) We caught this photo courtesy of the DemocraticUnderground.com blog.  For certain, Sen. Hillary Clinton didn’t do this on purpose, she just wasn’t thinking.  But, when one lacks respect for the memory and the location, one is inclined to slip on what one thinks is the small stuff – but really isn’t:

2) So, here we go again, peeps inside the Beltway just love using Martin Luther King, Jr. as a political prop.  Not certain what the background image of the MLK Memorial in Atlanta has anything to do with the content of a recent Political Lunch episode.  Be different if they did a memorial episode which talked about King’s legacy. Again, cats aren’t thinking. Of course, like Clinton above, you didn’t mean any harm – but, we don’t get it:

3) And, this isn’t related to the 40th Anniversary of King’s assassination, but it’s another one of those moments where we have to school our Caucasian friends: would you, please, stop rubbing our heads.  It’s not cool. Black men are not your pets.  You know what we’re talking about – many of us grew up with the subtle, paternalistic and racially coded insults.  Many still do it.  To date, we have not seen President Bush rub the heads of any of his other male and White Cabinet secretaries. Even though HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson (shown below) is on his way out after resigning amid corruptions probes, we can see why many Black Republicans like him are having issues:

Tomorrow Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by speaking in Memphis on the 40th anniversary of King’s assassination.

He will no doubt sound a bit different than he did in April 1987, when McCain was interviewed by USA Today about his five and a half years as a P.O.W.

Most glaringly, McCain as a young congressman in 1983 voted against a federal holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

McCain backed the decision at the time. But eventually he changed his mind.

Press release from last week from the National Black Republican Association (NBRA):

NBRA LAUNCHES MLK BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN

NBRA Press Release – March 24, 2008
Contact:  Frances Rice
1-866-905-6701

The National Black Republican Association (NBRA) launched a new phase of its nation-wide educational campaign by putting up the group’s first “Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican” billboard in Orangeburg, South Carolina, just off of exit 145 of I-26 that has a daily traffic count of 60,000.

“The billboard is located at a busy intersection where DOT signs direct traffic to Columbia and Charleston,” said NBRA Chairman Frances Rice, “and it is attracting a lot of attention. We welcome the opportunity to explain why Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican.”

“Of interest is the fact that Orangeburg is the hometown of black Democrat Jim Clyburn who is the majority whip for the US House of Representatives,” Chairman Rice noted.  “We hope he appreciates our informing his black constituents about their civil rights history.”

A picture of the billboard may be seen below and more information about the NBRA is at:  www.NBRA.Info/

 But, here’s the win-win in this: If he wins this thing all the way to the White House, he can look back and say: “See – the tipping point in this race was my speech on race across the street from the birthplace of this great Union.  It was there that I brought this country together.”  He can, literally, paint himself as the authentic “uniter.” 

If he loses either the path to the nomination or to the White House, he can also say: “Well – the moment of fate for my campaign was this controversy with Rev. Wright.  And I responded to that moment with a unifying message.  Obviously, it was politically risky.  But, it was, morally, the right thing to do as somebody had to do it.”  Basically, he loses with mad grace and becomes a permanent, iconic fixture in American politics.

That’s our analysis on Obama’s brave, admirable speech on Tuesday.  It left a lot of folks on both sides of the aisle in awe of him.  His critics could only keep reaching on what they thought he didn’t say or what they believed he should’ve said.  Thing is … he said it all.

Now on that double standard.  Oh – and it’s a big double standard.  The kind that keeps poking you in the eye.  The way the media rides this Wright controversy is awfully telling indeed.  For one: there is little, if any, analysis on “Black Liberation” theology, which is what Wright had been doing throughout the course of those 4,000 sermons he delivered as head pastor of Trinity.  We suspect it’s because folks are scared of that analysis and the ugly realities it may present.  That Black churches are venues offering Black people an opportunity to vent their frustration once a week. 

Many talk about Wright’s sermon, but few dare discuss the call-and-response action to it.  Few dare touch the fact that his congregation loved it.  We’re certain quite a few media analysts, pundits and prognosticators had ancestral Nat Turner flashbacks on that one.  How ironic that as “Black anger” flashed on every American TV screen this week, the Supreme Court argued over the constitutionality of individuals arming themselves with guns.  Hmmmm ….

Anyway, more on the double standard.  The double standard appears in the fact that every major Black politician is called to task for the irate, controversial or otherwise despicable comments of some prominent Black activist or theologian who commands respect with the larger African American community.  That has to be annoying for the Black political establishment, but they sign on to it.  Sometimes, they wish they could say: “would ya’ll give it a rest?” But, of course, there are too many, so many social and very vocal commentators and critics of the Black experience who ride their coattails into the public domain.  Much like Wright has done with Obama; no one beyond Chicago really knew of Wright like that until this controversy.  Now, he’s a celebrity.  You think he’s all torn up about this, remorseful that he may have ruined the Senator’s bid for the Presidency? Did he really care about how it would impact his protege/friend who happens to be running for President? 

Minister Louis Farrakhan always appears as the media litmus test for Black public figures, even if they have absolutely nothing to do with him or the Nation of Islam.  Hence, a similar situation with Wright. The game is played time and time again.  It’s tiring since it has absolutely nothing to do with nothing.

But, there is little mention or critique of Texas mega-church minister John Hagee’s endorsement of presumptive GOP nominee Sen. John McCain.  No one rides McCain to repudiate Hagee, the fiery Southern evangelical who rails against everything Islam and blames New Orleans’ sins for Hurricane Katrina, to name only a couple of really interesting statements. 

Forget about Geraldine Ferraro for a moment – a long moment.  That was nothing, really.  White Republican or conservative politicians who get endorsements from or are affiliated with bigoted White evangelical ministers never get called out for those associations.  The argument is made that McCain doesn’t attend Hagee’s church – as Obama attends Wright’s.  That’s splitting hairs; the fact is that these firebrand conservative White ministers or ”family values” advocates - the Pat Robertsons and Tony Perkins’ - find their way into the White House and are able to articulate or influence policy in such a way that dangerously impacts millions of people at a time.  White evangelical commentary on Islam and terrorism feeds policy decisions on Iraq and the Middle East.  It also drives Bush Administration policy in Africa, where much of that HIV/AIDS prevention money has found its way into the coffers of Christian relief organizations. 

As warped as Wright’s comments may have been perceived, at the end of the day, he’s not shaping major national policy.  He’s not in the White House influencing a President’s decision. He is merely one of a countless number of Black ministers in any major city, town or suburb on any given Sunday who simply provide rhetoric on the issues faced by African Americans on their jobs, in their neighborhoods, in their schools and elsewhere.  Certainly, their commentary, and the reflections of others in the community, poses a problem for the race-neutral Obama’s campaign.  But, he took it on yesterday with that same coolness he addresses every other issue. 

It’s a vexing issue, the reality of being Black in America. If Black people can’t talk about it in church, where can they?   

The media also played us, too. She was down, but she was never out. She was simply playing possum, looking limp as a way to both fool Obama while getting sympathy from White female voters who love their girl so.  We thought it strange that while she was so behind and he looking inevitable, she managed to get more media play than he did over the past couple of weeks.  As they say: any media is good media.  It worked.

On the Republican side, McCain gets a rare political double paly.  He gets the nomination and he gets to watch the Democratic race on the sidelines since it will be in flux from six weeks to the middle of june.  So, now he’s got betwee4n 7-14 weeks to craft his message and image without getting hit by the Democratic nominee becase there isn’t one. He also has the opportunity to shore up his base, because Clinton and Obama will have to continue veering to the left in an effort to attract Democratic primary voters.

Clinton set the mark and then hit it since she got 3 ourt of 4.  There was a confluence of factors helping her – a tipping point of events. From the infamous Farrakhan question and “3am ad” to the strangely timed photo of Obama in Somali garb to the reports about Obama’s economic advisor meeting with the Canadian embassy on NAFTA – these were all carefully laced with a volatile mix of racial, religious and protectionist code that tapped into the insecurities of working class white voters and white female security moms.  

She won at least the primary, with the caucus - as of press time – finding him still leading.  The problem for her is delegate math: he’s still ahead in delegates and she can’t catch him unless she wins every single contest to follow with a 65% – 35% margin. 

The problem for Sen. Obama at this stage is perception and momentum. For one, she was successful in playing him: she made him look more like a politician than the movement he had become.  She deflated his iconic status to a degree.  So, he has no choice but to win Wyoming and Mississippi.  He then has 6 weeks to turn Pennsylvania into Iowa.  

Obama has a hard choice to make.  He must decide if he, too, can sling some mud – the trick is how he does that without getting dirty. He has to walk his talk and hang tight on the the line of this “new politics” approach he’s been pushing, the new school of thought where you are above the fray and focus on the issues without getting bogged down in petty campaign tricks. But, how does he attack a woman?  And how does he do it as a Black man attacking a White woman?  It will be a very compelling balancing act he’ll have to play.

Still, Obama has two points in his favor.  One: The delegate math Two: when he has lots of time – like the next 7 weeks – to go into a state and campaign, he typically does well in persuading voters to go his way.  Over the next 7 weeks, he’ll need to touch voters; he does well in town hall formats. 

In Ohio, he lost because of machine politics,  Entrenched, labor-dominated, Democratic party machines that have been around for years can roll out and place pressure on folks and precincts. It’s hard to crack that.  He’s going to have to figure out how to do that in a city like Philadelphia; he has to find a way to integrate himself into the city machine while at the same time attracting the Philly voter that is traditionally suspicious of that machine. 

Clinton, on the other hand, has to be very careful not to get too arrogant in the wake of these wins.  She’s got a long way to go still and if she becomes too dismissive and arrogant, she’ll risk turning off many Pennsylvania voters. 

The larger political picture finds Democrats struggling to figure this out since McCain has free reign between March 5th to June 3rd. They can’t allow him that much time.  So, now the party has to re-examine this; they need a nominee soon before they lose what’s seen as their best shot.