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John McCain has said on numerous occasions that he would run a respectful campaign. With the economic crisis looming and his poll numbers declining daily, McCain has decided on a new static. From all indications, his campaign is in desperate mode. There is only 28 days until the election and they have no strategy or how to attack the bread and butter issues. The only way they feel that they can succeed is by attacking Barack Obama’s character. By questioning his association with Bill Ayers with paralleling him as a domestic terrorist, factoring his middle name in play “Hussein,” and resurging his former minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in an attempt to make him militant and angry. The above attacks have now put Obama on the defensive. The Obama campaign has put together a website ( http://www.keatingeconomics.com/ ) to counter McCain’s attacks. During this time of economic decline due to mishandling of financial institutions, this is extremely damaging given the fact that the Ke...

On September 25, 1962, James Meredith was blocked from entering Ole Miss by segregationist, Governor Ross Barnett, despite a Court order. He was later admitted on October 1, 1962 as the first black student at the university. His entrance caused riots which left two people dead, 48 soldiers injured and 30 US Marshals with gun wounds. The Governor was fined $10,000 and sentenced to jail for contempt but never paid the fine or served time. This was a pivotal moment in the history of civil rights in the United States. Forty-six (46) years later, September 26, 2008, Ole Miss is the site for the first presidential debate. With the crude history of the school, it is astonishing to note that the school is hosting the first debate which includes a Black Democratic nominee, Barack Obama. Days earlier it was questionable to whether the debate was going to take place. It was about a year ago, that the Republican nominee, John McCain, admitted that he did not know much about the economy. Af...

During the Republican National Convention of 2000, the GOP flaunted diversity. There were minority speakers, performers and delegates galore. The Republicans were trying to meet the challenge of presenting the “illusion of inclusion.” With this presentation, it allowed them to make an argument that the Democrats are taking the minority vote, specifically the Black vote, for granted. In 2004, 290 of the party’s 4853 delegates and alternates were African American. This year that number dropped significantly. As the cameras panned the audience of the Xcel Energy Center, in Minneapolis, MN, it became apparent to the viewers that the audience did not look like the majority of Americans. It was obvious to viewers that the demographic was age 50+ and white. The numbers indicate that there were only 2300 delegates and 36 were African American. Based on the projected number of minorities in this country by 2040 which will out number their white counterparts, how does the GOP intend to s...

There are two distinct reasons for this occurrence. First, on August 28, 2008, Barack Obama made an exceptional acceptance speech. Even the harshest of critics had a hard time attacking it. In order to eliminate the positive coverage and impact of the speech, McCain had to change the media coverage cycle. The way to do this was to announce his Vice Presidential Nominee the following day. Secondly, McCain celebrated his 72nd birthday on August 29th. It went without any fanfare and barely mentioned in the media. His campaign did not want to bring additional attention to his age. Because he is a 4-time cancer survivor who just turned 72, his choice for the #2 spot is now a major factor because of his age. Although no one anticipates the worse for Senator McCain, if he becomes president and an unforeseen fatal event occurs, Sarah Palin would be president. Is Palin ready to lead?

While in Denver, I'd heard a rumor the day before the anticipated speech that a line would begin forming at Invesco Field at approximately 10am. Pursuant the tickets, gates would open at 1pm with the event starting at 3pm. The Democratic Presidential Nominee, Barack Obama, would take the stage at 8pm. I knew instantly, that there was no way I could sit out there that long. I arrived at Invesco Field minutes before Stevie Wonder took the stage which was about 5:30pm. I had taken my time roaming the 16th Street Mall, eating and picking up souvenirs. Fortunately, when I arrived there were no tremendous lines. The stadium was packed. As I approaching my section, I was given a flag and sat down. Later, signs with ‘CHANGE’ also included the Obama campaign website were distributed. The crowd was incredible. There was an indescribable love in the air which I felt on the streets of Denver earlier in the day. People had a general respect for one another. During those hours in the...

On Thursday, the day of Obama’s acceptance speech, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Regardless, of the fact that James Dobson group was praying for rain. His follower, Stuart Shepard, made a request that Christians pray for “abundant rain, torrential rain … flood-advisory rain.” He adds, “I’m talking about umbrella-ain’t-gonna-help-you rain … swamp-the-intersections rain” at Invesco Field during the exact time of his speech. Shepard’s prayers were answered. He received the type of rain that he described in his prayer. Hurricane Gustav's arrival in the Gulf was the cause of delay with the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sometimes, you must be careful with your prayer requests. God always answers prayers. As the Negro spiritual says, “he may not come when you want him, but he’s always right on time.”

On Wednesday, during the Democratic National Convention, I was live on location covering the event on my radio show . During the last three minutes of the show, I received a call from a man who identified himself as “Max.” He asked “what is the point of voting?” Out of curiosity, I immediately looked down at the switchboard on my screen and noticed that the call was from Florida. Initially, I paused because I wanted to see if he had an additional comment to include as to why he posed the question. Then, I realized that he is serious. At that moment, I didn’t know what to say. He was asking this question to someone who could not wait for the opportunity to register to vote. I actually registered two months prior to my 18th birthday, so that I would be ready to vote on my birthday. Voting was a right of passage, like getting my driver's license. My maternal grandparents left an indelible mark on my psyche regarding the voting process. For as long as I can remember, my grand...

While attending the Congressional Black Caucus in September 2005, I stopped at an unknown candidate’s table in the exhibition hall. I listened intensely and even watched the quick video displayed about the candidate. The candidate and his staff were abreast of the issues of their state of Massachusetts and vigorously fundraising right there on the spot. I took his contact information and made a mental note to watch his campaign. As the year went by, I watched the polling for him. By December 2005, the current popular Republican office holder decided not to run for re-election. This guy now began to gain traction. I admired his tenacity, but I never thought he could win – at least not in the state of Massachusetts. Well, a year later he wins the election and becomes Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts -- the second African American in history to be elected to this office. The first was Governor Douglas Wilder of Virginia, although P.B.S Pinchback of Louisiana served for 35 ...

The “Mile High City” is very beautiful. The hospitality and customer service was outstanding. It was noticeable from the time my feet hit the ground in Colorado. I’m a frequent traveler and a member of the Emerald Club at National Car Rental. Sometime the car rental shuttle drive will offer a map, sometime they don’t. In Denver, the driver not only offered the map, he also proceeded to give directions on how to leave their hub. He did this for every single person (individually) on the shuttle. As a member of the Emerald Club, I am able to bypass the counter and choose a car that is in a specific row for members. The shuttle drivers normally just let me out and roam the lot. Because it was already dark, he actually waited until I found the car of my choice and then drove the rest of the customers to the hub. When exiting, the rental attendant also asked if I needed a map and gave explicit directions which saved me at least 10 minutes of time. I thought to myself, that particu...

During my flight to Denver today, I had a lot of time to think about the enormous magnitude of this week’s event. As I’ve mentioned in past blogs, I grew up in a neighborhood with older citizens --most of whom were grandchildren of slaves. As the Old Negro proverb says, “it takes a village to raise a child,” well the entire neighborhood influenced my upbringing. As I think about my pilgrimage to Denver, I can’t help but think of all of them. I sat on their porches frequently and listen to stories of the past. Most of whom had big dreams that they were never able to see come to fruition. I would always ask why? As I think back, no one ever mentioned the lack of opportunities because of race, though. In contrast, my life has been very different than they could have dreamed for me. As I watched Ted Kennedy speak last night, I began to marvel at the past and began to look at the possibilities. I met Senator Kennedy about 2 years ago. At the moment my hand met his, the tears began to swell ...

Bernard (‘Bernie Mac') McCullough died this weekend from complications of pneumonia. Back in 2006, Bernie Mac was hospitalized at which time they released his diagnosis. He had been sick for years with a condition formally known as Sarcoidosis. It is reported that Sarcoidosis was the underlining factor in his death. Sarcoidosis is a common disease that can go undetected because it can be mistaken for several other diseases. The disease may produce inflammation in the form of bumps or discolored areas which are granulomas. It may affect the skin, liver, lymph glands, spleen, eyes, nervous system, heart, brain and kidneys, but it most often starts in the lungs. Although anyone can get sarcoidosis, the risk is greater if you are a young black adult and no one knows why. When I initially heard about Bernie Mac’s illness a couple years ago, I would check news sources frequently for his progress. It was very personal because I’m a sufferer of sarcoidosis, too. In late November 1994, I wo...

Two weeks ago, Obama was in Europe capturing the media's full attention. McCain did all he could to get some publicity. Obama returned to the states on Sunday, July 27, 2008. The next day, the McCain camp released a fallible ad. The ad which shows Obama shooting a basketball narrates "and now he made time to go to the gym, but cancelled a visit with wounded troops. It seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras." The first thing wrong with this ad is that clip was taken when he was at a gym during his visit with troops in the Middle East -- NOT GERMANY. As a matter of fact, blurred in the background of the clip, the troops are watching him. Secondly, his visit with troops in Germany was cancelled because Pentagon & White House informed his campaign just a day prior that he would not be able to visit without the House Delegation (Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. & Jack Reed, D-R.I.). Otherwise, it would have been in violation of campaign rules as it relates to fu...

On Friday, July 18, 2008, Obama left for his much anticipated international trip. With him, an entourage of media and the anchors from all 3 major networks -- CBS, NBC & ABC, respectively. Because of all the attention, the pundits and McCain campaign are taunting media bias. Remember, McCain toured Iraq in March 2008 with Joe Leiberman (I - CT) & Lindsey Graham (R - SC) without massive media. If it wasn't for Leiberman, McCain was oblivious between the difference between the Al-Qaeda and the Iran extremists. The media did not capitalize on his gaffe because of the hype with the Democratic primary at the time. Interestingly enough, if Obama had made this verbal blunder, the media would still be playing it and the Right would say that he knows nothing about international policy or how to handle the war. McCain did an interview on Monday with Good Morning America mentioning the "Iraq - Pakistan border." Again, he gets away with it. If he doesn't know the geograp...

In the past month, Tim Russert & Tony Snow have died. Although Snow had been battling cancer, it was not as unexcepted as Russert's death. Last year, Snow did an interview with Russert on Meet The Press. Both, in their 50's, were looking like the picture of health. While watching a replay of this clip last week, it was iry to know that the two of them did not realize that they only had approximately a year to live. Again today, death looked me straight in the face. An attorney whom I'd been working on a project with died suddenly on Sunday of a massive heart attack. Each time we talked, he always mentioned that he was stressed. Over time, his slouched shoulders begin to revealed it's toll. Last week, he was here and gone today. I grew up in a neighborhood of seniors. Here I was in the sunrise of my life and they all being over 60+ were in the sunset. I would sit on their porches and listen to stories of what they wished they "coulda, shoulda, woulda" done....

On July 4, 2008, my friend, Tony, calls me to make the announcement. I immediately blurted out, "so, the possibility of Barack Obama winning the presidency killed him, huh?" I'm originally from NC and was able to view the bigotry politics of Jesse first hand. Mr. Helms believed in the values of the Old South and worked to maintain them while in the Senate. Although he claimed that he was not a racist, he opposed civil rights, the holiday honoring Martin Luther King, the extension of the Voting Rights Act in 1982 and affirmative action. In 1956 he wrote, " to rob the Negro of his reputation of thinking through a problem in his own fashion is about the same as trying to pretend that he doesn't have a natural instinct for rhythm and for singing and dancing." While running for Senate against his Harvey Gantt, African-American opponent, he used a race baiting ad to defeat him. So, it is apropos that he would die during an election year where there is the prospec...

In the past weeks, I’ve been plagued by the question of ‘Is America Ready For A Black President? With racism raising it’s ugly head since Barack Obama entered the race, the most appropriate question ‘Is A Black President Ready For America?’ Initially, Obama’s campaign was viewed as insignificant until he won Iowa. Once it was understood that Obama is a player in the game of presidential politics, as said in street vernacular “it was on.” Obama was running a campaign that transcended race. During the South Carolina primary, Hillary & Bill Clinton decided to play the race card. All of a sudden, Obama became the Black candidate, instead of, the candidate who happens to be Black. When the race card wasn’t working as effective as anticipated, then the religion card was put on the table ……”is he Muslim? Oh better yet, we got these Rev. Jeremiah Wright tapes, let’s make him Christian and play the 3 second loop over & over & over. Yeah, that’s the ticket.” You can’t help but notic...

While working the Obama campaign in Pennsylvania, my canvassing partner, Sophie (a 20-something white female) asked me ‘why does Obama identify himself as Black'. At that very moment, I realized that there is now a generation that is not familiar with the one-drop rule or maybe doesn't even care. Although we are moving towards MLK's dream where people are judged by the content of their character and not by the color their skin, race still seems to matter. Racial identity is still important especially with how the media and government categorize us. In the American psyche, identifying by one race is a focal point, but as society continues to blend culturally, this is becoming increasingly complicated for those who would like for us to check just one box. So, why is it significant that Obama chose to check the Black box?

Last night AMERICAN history was made. As I watched Obama's speech, I couldn't help but think that my grandparents would be proud and that MLK never could have dreamed this back in August 1963. At that very moment, I couldn't control the emotions and tears of joy that ran down my cheek. This nomination means so much to this country and the world. As the political commentators kept noting the division of the voters......young vs. old, I thought that maybe, just maybe, the prejudices and discord of the older generation (65+) is losing ground. For the first time in a very long time, I'm hopeful for the future of America. GOD Bless Senator Barack Obama and GOD Bless America.