Anderson@Large

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, 1949-2008

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones died on Wednesday after suffering a brain aneurysm. She was 58.

Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said in a statement:

This is an enormously solemn day for Members of Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus family, Ohio residents and the world. Chairwoman Tubbs Jones was undoubtedly a true steward of the people. She dedicated her life to ensure that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness was afforded to every American. Her command of the law was only matched by her boundless sense of integrity.

Tubbs Jones was the first African American woman to represent Ohio in Congress. She was the first black woman to sit on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and served as chairwoman of the House Ethics Committee.

Tubbs Jones championed wealth building and economic justice, access to health care and quality education, ex-offender reentry programs and voting rights.

In the wake of problems at the polls in Ohio’s 2004 presidential election, Tubbs Jones mounted a challenge to the state's 20 electoral votes. She later introduced the "Count Every Vote Act” to fix the widespread voting irregularities that occurred nationwide during the 2004 election.

Tubbs Jones’ career as a public servant was characterized by historic firsts. Prior to her election to Congress in 1996, she served as the first black and the first female Cuyahoga County, Ohio prosecutor. She was the first African American woman to sit on the Common Pleas bench and was a Municipal Court Judge in Cleveland.

Tubbs Jones caught a lot of flak for her role as a “top-tier cheerleader” for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid. But she took the hits and kept on keeping on.

She was scheduled to travel to Denver on Sunday to attend the Democratic National Convention as a superdelegate. Instead, this black-leather-pants-wearing self-described “bad sister” with an infectious smile will be missed.

Her son Mervyn L. Jones II, entire family and friends will be in our thoughts and prayers.

You can post your condolences here.

Obama Suffers Big Mac Attack

The Democratic National Convention is five days away. As convention planners get ready to throw open the doors, new polls suggest voters are not ready for the presumptive Democratic nominee.

CNN’s poll of polls shows Barack Obama’s lead over John McCain has been cut in half. And for the first time, McCain tops Obama in a national survey. The latest Reuters/Zogby poll of likely voters found McCain leads Obama 46 percent to 41 percent.

Pollster John Zogby said:

Since Obama returned from his overseas trip, it seems like McCain has thrown all the punches. Clearly, the blows have landed. In recent days, Obama is fighting back, going after McCain on the economy, the issue voters care about most. McCain has changed the dynamic of the race heading into the two conventions. That puts more pressure on Obama to go to Denver and effectively define himself and McCain.

The Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll similarly found that McCain’s negative ads are working. Obama's favorable rating is 48 percent, down from 59 percent in June. The Times reports:

Barack Obama's public image has eroded this summer amid a daily onslaught of attacks from Republican rival John McCain, leaving the race for the White House statistically tied, according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll released today.

Far more voters say McCain has the right experience to be president, the poll found. More than a third have questions about Obama's patriotism.

Indeed, 80 percent say McCain has the right stuff compared to 44 percent who think Obama has the right experience. As worrisome, 35 percent question Obama’s patriotism.

So, Obama is going on the attack against McCain in key battleground states. He is also tackling his vulnerabilities head-on. In remarks before the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Obama said:

Let me be clear: I will let no one question my love of this country. I love America, so do you, and so does John McCain.

There is some encouraging news. Independent voters prefer Obama 47 percent to 36 percent. Obama’s supporters are also more enthusiastic than McCain’s. This should transform record numbers of newly registered voters into likely voters. And Obama will need every vote he can get to make it across the finish line on Nov. 4.

Riding Saddleback

I skipped Pastor Rick Warren’s Saddleback Civil Forum. I avoid people who want to share their faith whether on a street corner or on TV.

In any case, the reviews are in: John McCain won the non-debate. He was “on his game.” While Barack Obama was “thoughtful,” the consensus is that he failed to connect with white evangelicals.

Though the presumptive presidential nominees did not go toe-to-toe, Obama’s backers find it hard to accept that their man, whom House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called “a leader that God has blessed us with at this time,” was eclipsed by old-man McCain.

So, some have accused McCain of cheating and breaching the “cone of silence.” The cheating allegation gained traction after NBC chief correspondent Andrea Mitchell opined on “Meet the Press”:

The Obama people must feel that he didn't do quite as well as they might have wanted to in that context, because what they're putting out privately is that McCain may not have been in the cone of silence and may have had some ability to overhear what the questions were to Obama. He seemed so well-prepared

McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, called out Mitchell. He fired off a letter to NBC News President Steve Capus requesting a meeting to discuss “our deep concerns about the news standards and level of objectivity at NBC”:

We are extremely disappointed to see that the level of objectivity at NBC News has fallen so low that reporters are now giving voice to unsubstantiated, partisan claims in order to undercut John McCain.

This is irresponsible journalism and sadly, indicative of the level of objectivity we have witnessed at NBC News this election cycle. Instead of examining the Obama campaign's spin for truth before reporting it to more than 3 million NBC News viewers, Andrea Mitchell simply passed along Obama campaign conspiracy theories. The fact is that during Senator Obama's segment at Saddleback last night, Senator McCain was in a motorcade to the event and then held in a green room with no broadcast feed. In the forum, John McCain clearly demonstrated to the American people that he is prepared to be our next President.

It's also clear that McCain is fired up. He has again challenged Obama to meet him mano-a-mano:

If the Obama campaign really believes that Senator McCain had some unfair advantage, our offer of weekly town hall forums remains on the table—anyplace, anytime.

Score one for the “wrinkly white-haired guy.”

Mile High Blues

It is no secret that I love the blues. For me, the blues is more than a musical genre. It is the prism through which I view the world.

Every bluesman knows “Stormy Monday”:

     They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday’s just as bad
     They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday’s just as bad
     Wednesday’s worse and Thursday’s oh so sad

As Democrats descend on the Mile High City a week from today, their four-day convention may turn into a mash-up of that blues standard.

On Monday, there will be storm clouds of uncertainty as Hillaryites, PUMAs and assorted nuts gather inside and outside the Pepsi Center.

Tuesday will be just as bad. Hillary Clinton’s headline speech will be preceded by a biopic hagiographic video produced by her Hollywood BFF.

And Wednesday will be worse when the Clintons hold court. Bill will speak and Hillary will get a state-by-state roll call vote. Question: Will Assemblyman Sheldon Silver, chair of the New York delegation, say the Empire State casts 93 votes for Barack Obama and 139 votes for Hillary Clinton, the almost-next President of the United States?

And what will the superdelegates do? California Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez told Politico.com:

I believe there are a lot of supporters for Hillary among the superdelegates, especially now that they’ve agreed to place her name in nomination. I think half the House Democrats would probably be Hillary supporters, especially women. ... I felt she was the most experienced and the best candidate and I still feel that way.

On Thursday, Barack Obama will accept the nomination before more than 70,000 people at Invesco Field, but a divided Democratic Party will remain “oh so sad.”

Clinton Rolls Obama

The Houston Chronicle headline says it all, “Never-say-die Clintonites evidently didn't get memo.” Nor did they take a hint. And their persistence has paid off. In the name of party unity, Hillary Clinton’s name will be placed in nomination.

The move will ensure “the voices of all 35 million people who participated in this historic primary election are respected and heard in Denver.” Or so Barack Obama hopes. In reality, the voices of the Clintons – Hillary, Bill, Chelsea and their video team – will dominate two of the four nights of the convention.

In a joint statement, Obama said:

I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton's historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion.

Clinton added:

With every voice heard and the Party strongly united, we will elect Senator Obama President of the United States and put our nation on the path to peace and prosperity once again.

Clinton’s former adviser, Dick Morris told Fox News’ Sean Hannity:

Obama had every bit of power and the Clintons had none…She had no power and this guy gave her Tuesday night, Chelsea introducing her, Bill takes over on Wednesday. A guy who’s that weak and negotiates that poorly shouldn’t be President of the United States.

This is Hillary’s convention. She fleeced him good...It will tell the country that Hillary won the nomination.

Similarly, David Gergen, another former Clinton adviser, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper:

It doesn’t reflect well on the Obama camp…They have given the appearance that if you push hard enough, you can roll them. They will give in.

Truth is, Obama had to give in to Clinton’s growing list of demands. He needs her supporters to win in November.

A new Pew Research Center poll found that only 72 percent of Clinton backers support Obama. By contrast, 88 percent of the backers of McCain’s former rivals support him.

The bottom line: Clinton will hold her 18 million voters hostage to get what she wants.

Isaac Hayes Memorial Service

 

Isaac Hayes passed away on Sunday at the age of 65.  The family issued the following statement:

We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and love from Isaac's dear friends, colleagues and fans from every corner of the world, and we thank each and every one of them for their kind thoughts and prayers. While he was an iconic figure to many, to us he was husband, father and friend. We will ever miss his love, wisdom, humor and the familiar comfort of his voice.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, Aug. 18, at Hope Presbyterian Church, 8500 Walnut Grove Road, Cordova, Tenn., from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to celebrate the life of pioneering soul man.

In lieu of flowers, the Hayes family requests that donations be sent to the Stax Music Academy, made out to "Soulsville," 926 E. McLemore Avenue, Memphis, TN 38106. Please note "In memory of Issac Hayes."

Written condolences may be sent to the family here.

Sun Peeks Through in Florida

I am not taking the “last train to Jacksonville,” but I am heading to the River City for the A. Philip Randolph Institute’s 39th National Education Conference.APRI was co-founded by the legendary labor leader and Bayard Rustin.

Randolph’s steadfast devotion to the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, which he founded, helped lift tens of thousands of black families into the middle class. The statute of Randolph in Union Station in Washington, DC, is a constant reminder that giants once walked among us.

Randolph, a native of Jacksonville, was an unsung hero of the civil rights movement. As Florida state Sen. Anthony C. “Tony” Hill Sr. observed:

This APRI National Education Conference is very timely in view of the fact that July 26, 2008, marked the 60th anniversary of Executive Order 9981 issued in 1948 by President Harry Truman to ban segregation in the military. What is lost on most is that A. Philip Randolph’s nonviolent organizing against discrimination was a key instrument in effecting the implementation of that crucial document.

Hill has brought a ray of hope to a state that has seen more than its share of disasters – natural and man-made (think 2000 election debacle and George W. Bush).

Last year, Hill introduced legislation that launched a statewide competition for a song to replace the official state anthem, Stephen Foster’s “Swanee River (Old Folks at Home).” Adopted by the Florida legislature in 1935, the not-so-golden-oldie rhapsodizes about a slave yearning for “de old plantation” and refers to blacks as “darkeys.”

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist recently signed into law Hill’s legislation establishing a new state song, “Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky),” written by Jan Hinton, a music teacher.

So, props to my friend, Tony. But I’m looking forward to the Opening Session and the rendering of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which was written by James Weldon Johnson, who was also born in Jacksonville.