Anderson@Large

A Hit Dog Hollers

My admission that I’m not manic about Sen. Barack Obama apparently struck a nerve. 

I heard from a number of folks, including my longtime friend, fellow blues enthusiast and political operative, Oliver Brown.

Oliver sent me a hot email in which he reminded me I “haven’t had a winner since Bush 41” (I served in his administration). Oliver added:

Atlanta is Obama Country and I am still on his bandwagon! Anyone who can set off a small riot the second he visits a city has got a lot going for him.

As far as I am concerned, those handkerchief-head Negroes in South Carolina can have the Goldwater Girl Hillary. We will probably bypass that little state and Florida anyway!

While Oliver questions the political acumen of black voters in South Carolina, Obama must get pass them.

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson draws a distinction between naysayers and "they sayers:"

I hear from African Americans who are excited about Obama's candidacy but who suspect that somehow, when push comes to shove, “they” won’t let him win. It’s unclear who “they” might be -- white voters, the “power structure,” the alignment of the stars -- and it’s unclear how “they” are going to thwart Obama’s ambition. The point is that, somehow, he’ll be denied.

I’m just saying.

Obama Girl

I’m still in Chicago, where I hope to gain insight into Obama mania because, frankly, I don’t get it.

I put that plan on hold once I found out my dear friend Emily is an “Obama girl.”

Never at a loss for words, Emily told me:

Barack Obama has a vision for America that is proactive; what we need to survive and gain back our greatness in the eyes of the world. His experiences growing up in Hawaii and multicultural background give him a broader understanding of the world.

His vision is one of tough love, changes and decisions that people have to make on their lifestyles. He has the authority and moral compass to get young people to think about what they’re doing and what impact it’s having.

He has an understanding of this country and where we’re headed greater than any of the other candidates.

I asked Emily whether she agreed with polls showing that America is ready to elect an African American president. Her response:

OMG. I would love to see that day. It would be a source of pride; an affirmation that hard work and dedication can pay off. It would do a lot for race in general and black men in particular.

In his remarks before the National Urban League’s presidential forum, Obama said:

The day a minority becomes president, the country looks at itself differently.

Emily agrees:

Obama’s election would say to the world, look how far America has come.

So, girlfriend, have we overcome? Ever the realist, Emily said:

Race still matters. Only his election will prove me wrong and I want to be proved wrong.

I’ve known Emily for a long time and she’s been wrong before.  But this time I think she’s right: the race of a candidate matters.

Illegals’ Pyrrhic Victory

The federal district court’s decision striking down ordinances by the City of Hazleton, Pa. intended to put out the unwelcome mat for illegal immigrants is far from a “major blow.” It is a mere skirmish in a long-term battle to restore the rule of law.

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, whose legal affiliate, the Immigration Reform Law Institute, helped craft the ordinance, vowed he’s in it for the long haul:

This is an issue that will ultimately have to be ruled upon by the United States Supreme Court, and we are confident that when the high court reviews the facts of this case, they will side with the right of local communities to take steps to protect themselves against the destructive impact of mass illegal immigration.

The challenge to the Hazleton ordinance was brought by well-financed outside interests that are fundamentally opposed to just about any enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.  They were able to select a judge who was politically inclined to side with them. But today’s ruling is not the end of the road for the Hazleton ordinances or the many similar ones instituted by cities and towns all across the United States. Rather it is a step in a legal process that will inevitably lead to the Supreme Court.

The Bush administration’s refusal to enforce the laws already in place and Congressional Democrats placing a hold on addressing the issue until 2013 ensure that opponents of illegal immigration are not going anywhere.

While advocates for illegal aliens want to draw analogies with the civil rights movement, a more apt analogy is the campaign to dismantle affirmative action programs.

In the wake of the 1978 Supreme Court decision in the Bakke Case upholding the constitutionality of affirmative action, opponents used various tactics and strategies to chip away at race-based programs.

Their tactics included legal challenges, ballot initiatives (here and here) and the court of public opinion.

They hit pay dirt with the recent Supreme Court decision striking down voluntary public school desegregation programs in Seattle and Louisville.

It ain't over.

Going to Chicago

In a couple of hours, I’m going to Chicago to attend BlogHer ’07. I’m speaking on a panel on how to write great political coverage, moderated by Kim Pearson.

While in the Windy City, perhaps I’ll conduct some man-on-the-street interviews about the smackdown between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama (here and here). I could ask whether they thought it was "irresponsible and naive" for Obama to say he would meet unconditionally with the leaders of  Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea?

Who am I kidding? It’ll be more like man-at-the-bar interviews.

Chicago is home to some of my favorite joints, including B.L.U.E.S., Blue Chicago, Kingston Mines and Buddy Guy’s Legends.

Yeah, I wanna go. Sweet home Chicago.

BET Must Do Better

Tonight, BET will premiere "Hot Ghetto Mess" "We Got to Do Better" (here and here).

The name change is in response to the ruckus raised by Gina McCauley of What About Our Daughters and the defection of sponsors.

No matter how much lipstick you put on a pig, it’s still a pig. And BTW, this little piggy will follow “S.O.B. (Socially Offensive Behavior).”

BET’s reversal illustrates the power of citizen journalism.

Past efforts by the National Pan-Hellenic Council to organize a boycott of BET’s socially offensive programming never got off the ground.  Then as now, “many African Americans have been put off by its racy videos, risqué humor and reruns of old black sitcoms, and accused it of perpetuating black stereotypes.”

But today, corporations ignore citizen-generated outrage at their own peril.

The NAACP Youth Council, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the National Congress of Black Women, the National Organization for Women and others will hold watch parties to watch the commercials.

I'll publish the names and contact information for the shows’ advertisers in a future post. You can write and remind them of their responsibility to their customers.

In the meantime, let’s turn off the SOB BET.

Tuesday’s Just As Bad

Well, I didn’t die and go to heaven. Bobby “Blue” Bland’s performance at Celebrate Brooklyn was canceled due to illness.

Instead of grooving to “I Pity the Fool,” I was singing “This Little Light of Mine” along with legendary blues and folk singer Odetta.

The next day I was still in a Sixties state of mind so I decided to keep on walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. I then took the ferry to the American Folk Festival on Governors Island, where Richie Havens was performing.

Located in the middle of New York Harbor, Governors Island is a former military post that dates back to the Revolutionary War.

The Island was closed to the public until last year. It offers sweeping views of the Statute of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and the New York City skyline.

I toured some of the historic buildings, including Pershing Hall, where I viewed murals commissioned by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration.

The murals depict scenes from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War and World War I.

The Civil War mural includes "a well dressed figure representative of the carpetbaggers who flooded into the South, swindling Negroes out of their livestock."

Oh, freedom.

YouTube, the Boob Tube and You

The endlessly hyped CNN/YouTube debate will air tonight at 7 p.m. ET, from the Citadel (and here) in Charleston, S.C.

Democratic presidential candidates will answer questions uploaded to YouTube by you -- the American people.

South Carolina's primary will be the first test of the candidates'€™ appeal among black voters, who make up 50 percent of Democratic primary voters.

The latest CNN/Opinion Research poll found Sen. Hillary Clinton has a commanding lead over Sen. Barack Obama. The poll findings set tongues wagging over at First Read:

The poll also indicates race plays a large roll in how South Carolina Democrats plan to vote. Among whites, Clinton has a thin 3 point lead over Edwards, 30 percent to 27 percent, with Obama coming in third at 18 percent. Meanwhile, among blacks, Clinton holds a 16 point lead over Obama, 47 percent to 31 percent, with Edwards drawing a paltry 4 percent. This breakdown carries a margin of error of plus or minus 8 percentage points.

Why does Clinton appear to have an edge over Obama among blacks? According to CNN Polling Director Keating Holland, one reason may be the "œbrand loyalty"€ many blacks feel toward the name Clinton -- most black primary voters in South Carolina say that Clinton understands their problems better than Obama does.

But another may be the "€œelectability"€ factor, Holland said. Black primary voters by a wide margin think that Clinton has a better chance than Obama of beating the GOP nominee in November. If blacks want a Democrat in the White House and don'€™t think Obama is electable, they may see Clinton as the better choice for blacks regardless of the racial background of the candidates.

If Clinton breaks out with "€œnothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning,"€ it won't be because she got a good deal on those overpriced sweetgrass baskets. Instead, her strong support among black voters may turn Obama's strategists into basket cases.