Obama’s HCR Speech Challenge, & O’Donnell’s Reality Check

Last night on The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC political correspondent Lawrence O’Donnell addressed what might be President Obama’s last chance to rally substantial support for progressive Health Care Reform in the US.  Obama will to speak before a joint session of Congress next week.

Some folks are banking on Obama’s rhetoric genius to deliver a speech that will inspire even the most cynical, namely the GOP opposition.  But can a speech actually change the hearts and minds of a party hell-bent on engaging in the art of hyperbole to belly-ache and spread blatant falsehoods about real Health Care Reform?  If you recall back in 1993 at the height of a similar Health Care Reform debate, former President Bill Clinton went before Congress and delivered what was at the time considered a pivotal speech on progressive Health Care Reform.  The result of his monumental speech, you ask? Ask our current Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.  And, as Lawrence O’Donnell points out, Bill Clinton wasn’t facing nearly as much opposition upon delivering that speech as President Obama is facing now.

Yo, Michael Steele, Whut Up Homie!

From Huffington Post.

Dear Michael Steel -

From one Hip Hop Head to, well, I guess another, do you mind if I address your latest call on the GOP to engage broader, more diverse groups like the Hip Hop community?

This will only take a sec.

While I don’t think the idea of reaching out to broader or more diverse communities is counterproductive for the GOP, I do think that as their leader, you ought to focus more on encouraging the GOP to deeply reflect on their public policies, image, and messaging. Then, after some necessary introspection, perhaps the GOP might be ready to reach out to the Hip Hop community. You can’t expect other communities to accept your olive branch when your own tree house isn’t in order.

And then there’s that whole 2006 campaign thing, you know where you kinda misled poor, low-income folks of color to distribute campaign fliers in Philadelphia under false pretense. That was pretty gangsta, but it’s really not the kind of change we’ve been looking for. By reaching out to Hip Hop folks now, are you just using another community to satisfy your own personal interests? It’s a fair question, no? One that also asks you and your folks to engage in some serious reflecting before going forward with this whole reaching-out-to-the-Hip-Hop-community bit.

Baby steps, GOP, baby steps.

Don’t suggest that the Hip Hop community will help, or even save, the GOP. And please don’t use the “first-African-American-to-chair-the-RNC” shtick to seemingly assume black, brown, yellow, and white folks within the Hip Hop community will follow the GOP lead. Like Obama, you and your party need to earn our short attention spans by first checking your own party members. This includes voting records that hardly reflect issues of those within our communities and neighborhoods – oops, I mean, ‘hoods.

Quick! What was Mos Def’s position on the Jena Six situation, and why was it important to social and criminal justice? And no, it wasn’t that he thought Bush didn’t care about Black people – that was the other Black rapper guy talking about that other Louisiana city.

(My bad, “gotcha” questioning is so 2008.)

But nothing says ‘I’m seriously engaged in your community’ like uttering phrases such as “bling-bling” and “off the hook” while speaking to members of Congress and national press. That’s right, Michael, using patronizing slang as code words for being disingenuous is exactly what gets you an “in” with all the hipsters.

On the real though, you should encourage the GOP to be more concerned about its dangerously divisive domestic and foreign policies. Polices that, by in large, aren’t grounded in reality but instead centered on a combination of illusion and some really neat 1950’s sitcom I saw on TV Land last weekend.

Reconsider GOP messaging, which largely impacts the GOP’s perceived image and brand. Stop using folksy, out of touch women to be the “face” of the party, when it’s obvious that the party needs much more than a faux feminist face lift. Try reconstructing the entire GOP political body by supporting women and their issues all of the time, not just when it’s convenient. Stop allowing your party to use self-absorbed, self-serving, and unapologetic Black men as puppets to passive-aggressively talk smack to the opposition.

Aim low, GOP.

Consider recruiting humble, thoughtfully spoken, and open-minded individuals who have a complex understanding of the worlds we inhabit. Having a complex world view doesn’t mean adopting a post-9/11 mentality that believes “most” of Islam wants to kill “all” Americans.

Stop giving right-wing conservative warriors (?) like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh woodies by either appearing on their shows or acknowledging their existence.

There’s always room for opposing views, but for any conservative leader to encourage such narrow-minded opinions should be held accountable – this especially includes you, Michael. (You might want to peep out fellow GOPer Arlen Specter’s radio interview with Laura Ingraham, a.k.a Ann Coulter Jr.)

When you can approach your party behind closed doors without cameras and microphones and ask them to candidly reevaluate their regressive policies and ideology, then you certainly have my permission to step up on that podium and ask to engage broader, eclectic, and creative communities of influence. Then maybe, just maybe, we’ll consider your request.

I’m outty five thizzie, home skillet!

Tara

OBAMA BABY GIRL!

Yes, I know the commercialism of Barack Obama and his family is outrageous nowadays.  But whatevs.  My niece (a.k.a “Obama Baby Girl”) is the shiz-nick.  Yes, I said it – shizzzzzzz-nick!

“Obama Girl” pales in comparison to Obama Baby Girl!

MUST WATCH IN HD!

Women of Color in an Obama Era

From Huffington Post.

Today, like I do everyday around noon, I moved my car from one side of the street to the other as directed by the Culver City parking limit sign. While waiting at the stop sign, a block from theBrave New Films office (my employer), I watched as three Latina women crossed the street strolling along three white children. The women appeared to be related, la abuela, la madre, and the daughter following closely behind. Three generations of Latina domestic workers pushing three white-raced children in a stroller along the pristine streets of Culver City, California – what else is new? This wasn’t the first time I’ve seen Latinas walk white-raced children around the streets of this liberal-leaning city. Fifty years ago, those Latinas would probably have been African-American women – the faces have changed, but not necessarily the situation.

All this got me thinking about women of color and where we fit into this new Obama era. While I don’t believe any politician is ever more powerful than the will of the people, I can’t help but wonder how Obama’s power as President will address the myriad of low wage-(or no wage)-earning, care-taking, health-insurance-lacking, poverty-stricken women of color (WOC) in the United States.

African-American women still comprise over sixty percent of the labor force among women. Women of color in general are much less likely to hold managerial and professional jobs than white women. Women of color are more likely to be poor than white women, and with the exception of Asian-American women, WOC are considerably less likely to hold a BA degree or higher than white women. WOC earn less than white women with the same education level. Asian-American and Native American women in particular share in the highest proportion of female suicide deaths across race, ages 15-44. African-American, Native American, and Asian-American women are significantly less likely to than white women to report being a victim of sexual and domestic violence. Among women, Latinas/Chicanas are the least represented at the highest levels of education.

I thoroughly respect Obama’s National Security choices, including Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice, and Janet Napolitano. Placing these women at high leadership positions symbolizes a societal transition toward forward thinking shape-shifters. Yet, just as we aren’t in a post-race era, we certainly haven’t transcended gender discrimination and economic and health disparities among women and men – especially as it relates to women of color.

My African-American mother is the sole caretaker of my white-raced father, a 78-year-old veteran, suffering from heart disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and severe emphysema. She, like many other WOC who take care of sick and dying family members, is also unemployed – and not necessarily by choice. Despite the fact that she has chosen to go back to school and finish her Bachelor’s degree, there aren’t many options for a middle-aged black women (with a plethora of work experience) in this day-in age.

But my little familial anecdote isn’t any different from, say, that of women in DC living with HIV, wherein 90% of them are black. Nor is my story any different from the Latina domestic workers in Culver City, or the large majority of Native and Asian-American young women struggling with depression, and taking their own lives as a result. We have progressed as a nation, and while we all can take great pride in our future First lady and First daughters (Michelle, Malia, and Sasha), the problems WOC collectively face in the U.S. are significant in comparison to that of white women and men. In other words, we still have work to do.

Issues concerning women of color span economy, education, health, poverty, and popular culture. While the problems that arise within these multiple modes of society vary, the fact remains that the struggles we face as women of the growing minority are compounded by race. The implications of an Obama administration upon the lives of women of color is yet to be seen. Though we understand that policies and legislation which positively influence the conditions of WOC can, in essence, impact the entire well-being of U.S. society. If women of color suffer, we all do – because we are the workers, the (First) mothers, the (First) daughters, and yet still, the struggling and dying many.

Right: Friend, Kami Fletcher, and I at Obama rally in Dallas during the Texas primaries.

Many thanks to Smita Satiani and Axel Woolfolk for contributing insights and editorial suggestions to this essay.

Sources:
Institute For Women’s Policy Research
Eliza Noh, Ph.D., California State University, Fullerton
National VAWA Survey

What is a Progressive Movement? (A work in progress…)

A cyber buddy of mine asked me an important question today via Facebook.  He wrote in response to my open letter to Russell Simmons:

“Hey Tara. I totally agree that it is silly to suggest that hip hop will be a serious part of the political process. I have a serious question for you though. What is the progressive movement? Can you put it into a few sentences?”

And this was my response:

Thx for commenting & asking a GR8 question! As I see it, a progressive movement is a forward shift in practice & ideology. As a practice, it’s a fluid space that looks like labor reform (EFCA), universal healthcare, energy policies that work with preserving our environment, not damaging it. I’m thinking in terms of human & civil rights - laws that give LGTBQ folks the same legal ‘privileges’ as heterosexual folks. It’s ideology (& I can write an entire thesis on my idea of progressive ideology), that doesn’t limit our scope of understanding the worlds around us. We begin to think less in terms of “us vs. them,” “this or that,” “black or white,” “moral or immoral” but consider that much of our world functions in an ‘in between’ space. By functioning within this ‘in between’ space, we acknowledge our pitfalls, failures, & vulnerabilities inspite/despite our incessant need to be right. A movement of progress means truding forward beyond what was & moving toward what can be.

I also want to add that depending on one’s ‘core belief system’ a progressive movement will differ. However, notwithstanding these core belief systems, I think folks might agree that a progressive movement is change of some sort. Now what that ‘change’ means to certain groups of people and how that ‘change’ can be accomplished will continually be up for debate.

I think asking ourselves what progress means is the $60 million question of our times.  As I continue to hash out exactly what this monster of an idea means, I wonder what others think about a ‘progressive movement.’  Can it be defined succinctly?  My guess is, probably not.

An Open Letter to Russell Simmons

This letter came about after reading Russell Simmons’ latest post on Huffington Post.  Actually, it was a comment that I wanted to post but I exceeded the commenting word limit by 397 words.  So I decided to make my own post about the topic of the new hip hop community’s role in an Obama era.  While I appreciate Russell’s intentions, I think he’s dodging the overall point, and I think it’s done intentionally because he wants to preserve hip hop’s legacy in our culture.  Fair enough.  But what he fails to realize is that hip hop can last if it can admit to itself its own failures and shortcomings.  Once in a while, we have to admit to ourselves that we got it wrong.  Only then can change and transformation actually happen.

Russell,

With all due respect, I understand that hip hop is an angle that you claim uniquely, but I don’t quite understand the connection you’re trying to make by inserting lines like “Hip Hop is about perseverance” and “Hip-hop is the culture of transformation” into this post about a progressive movement. Besides these lines being completely obscure, I also question how “hip hop” in the 21st century can contribute to an entire progressive movement on the brink of transformation. As one who is willing to be apart of this movement, I find it very difficult to see how SOME within the hip hop community can shout progress while purporting some of the most non-progressive ideals (i.e. stereotyping and exploiting African-Americans, Latina/os, women, and urban youth). If the new hip hop generation wants to march with me in this progressive movement, I think some serious reconciliation has to happen first.

I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s listening to A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, Run DMC (your brother), Nas, etc., and I can say without hesitation that hip hop then is not the same as it is now (which can be a good and bad thing). Yeah, the message might be just as politically incorrect, but at least it was political – at least we heard our fair share of social justice messages and weren’t inundated with messages aligned with poppin’ bottles in the club. Sure, some can argue that hip hop back then was just as misogynistic as it is now, but at least we had voices like Queen Latifah, Monie Love, and MC Lyte to counteract these stereotypes. What do we have now? A bunch of one-hit wonders for people to bang out to in the club. Club-bangers are cool, but if that’s all a genre of music can produce then it’s very difficult to swallow the “Hip-hop is the culture of transformation” pill. What type of transformation, exactly, are you talking about?

For those of us who grew up during a generation when hip hop was more about cultural expression than cultural exploitation, we’re going to need clarification on what you mean by “hip hop” now and how your vision of hip hop relates to the ideals of an Obama administration. Race aside, how can a 50 Cent, Jay-Z, or Young Jeezy help with securing Universal Health Care and reforming labor rights? Are these issues that “hip hop” in the 21st century really want to confront? If not, cool. Then let the role of the hip hop community be for entertainment purposes only and escapism.

Though I’m hopeful that the hip hop community will confront these issues head-on, I’m realistic that it won’t. I hope that the hip hop community can band together to work in efforts to pass progressive legislation and help inspire a generation of people toward a progressive movement (online AND offline). However, I’m a bit worried that the hip hop community will in fact largely turn apathetic toward these efforts and instead do what’s in the best interest to preserve itself.

I believe hip hop in the 21st century is experiencing it’s own shift and identity crisis. So before the new hip hop generation (artists, Executives, consumers, critics, etc.) decide to lend itself to a progressive movement perhaps it should take a serious look at itself and ask if/how it is helping the movement. The way I see hip hop now is just like any other ‘radical’ practice that falls victim to the american (hyper) capitalist system; it’s becomes that which it proclaims to critique. The only message I hear coming from the new hip hop era – an era of excess – is “Get Rich or Die Trying.” And honestly, I don’t care too much for that message in this progressive movement that we’re trying so desperately to build.

Rebirth: Documenting Obama’s Historic Win

Live-blogging from my Blackberry.

I can’t really put into words this moment.

I didn’t think I would be so affected in this way. Witnessing Obama win state after state is an experience like non other. This man, who looks like me, holds similiar ideological beliefs as I do, and understands that being black and white isn’t a burden but a possibilty, makes me proud. It’s a similar feeling I had during the primaries when I witnessed Hillary make herstory. I’m moved beyond words.

I’m sitting here at a company election party writing by myself on my Blackberry while my co-workers indulge in finger foods and cheer at the screen projecting Obama wins. Though I write alone, I’m fulfilled. I’m witnessing history, herstory – our story, right before my eyes.

My mother-in-law (my brother’s wife’s mother) passed away yesterday of complications due to cancer.  She died alone. Some say that we choose to die alone while experiencing a surreal transition.   It’s a sacred moment, like when we’re born. No witnesses, no cameras, no documenting. Just alone.  

I’m awaiting Obama’s acceptance speech – alone. I feel like what I’m about to withness will be sacred. Profound. I suspect that I’ll cry being overwhelmed with heavy emotion. I suspect I will grapple internally when witnessing a shift in paradigm. I figure that I won’t fully grasp the miracle happening because I am apart of it, and made it so.  

I’m looking at Chicago’s Grant Park on television. Tens of thousands gather to witness history. It’s an amazing sight to see. People of all colors, socio-economic backgrounds, and genders convene on the lawn at Grant Park. United States flags wave proudly in the wind; folks r proud this time around because we feel change coming.

It can easily be argued that an Obama landslide is largely due to a failed Bush Administation.  I agree. But I also think that people respond to ideals aligned with radical change. Bush had something to do with it but so did Hillary’s monumental run and Barack Obama’s transformational message.  Things indeed do happen for a reason, even George W. Bush.

***

Barack Obama was just announced President-elect of the United States of America.

I’m crying.  I’m hiding behind my hair.  I’m fixated.  I don’t understand what’s happening.  I don’t believe it.

Co-workers approach me rubbing my back, hugging me.  I’m shaking my head.  Black Revlon mascara drips down my brown cheeks.

I just left the party and now I’m standing alone in the women’s bathroom stall at Bugby’s.  Crying.  I call my mom.  No answer.

White-raced women come in and out of the bathroom.  They notice me crying.  They smile at me.  They understand.

I call mom again.

“Mom, Barack Obama is our new President” I said to her.

“I know.  I never thought I’d see this day” she said to me.

“I’m crying right now mom” I said while listening to other women in the bathroom talk to their mothers and grandmothers on their cell phones.

“Awh, baby.  I know. I know” she says.

Walking back to the party my boss Robert Greenwald approaches me.  Smiling, he hugs me. Sobbing on his shoulders, I thank him.  He understands. 

This moment, though largely due to our efforts, is so much bigger than us.

I await Obama’s acceptance speech.  While waiting, I’m thankful John McCain acknowledges this moment in his concession speech.  Whether for political purposes or not – what’s said is said.  I’m just glad it’s over.

Trying to hold back tears I stand thinking about all that we need to accomplish in the following days.

It’s just the beginning.  Like I said in my 2005 documentary on Hurricane Katrina, we have so much work to do.

I pray, hope, plead, beg, and cry out that Obama uses his power wisely.  He represents us; you and I. Though, just like a child being reborn into this world for the first time, I hope all my crying isn’t in vain.

Why Early Voting in L.A. Sucks . . . but in a good way

 

*Live-blogging from my Blackberry:

Imagine having folks from one of the largest counties in the U.S. convene in one location for the most historic election in our history.

Then imagine my disappointment upon approaching a jam-packed parking lot in the L.A. County Registrar’s office on Friday, October 31, 2008 at 1 p.m.  The plan was to leave during my lunch break, stand in line for a few minutes, leave by 1:30 p.m., and be back to work by 2:00 p.m.  Not so.  I’m not sure what on earth made me think I could get in a quickie during my lunch break knowing that people from all across the country are voting in record numbers.  I should’ve known.  After all, I do work in the press department for Brave New Films.  Lesson learned.

Here’s how it wend down – and why early voting in L.A. sucks:

It all began when I stood in the ‘number line’ that wrapped around the block.

 

 

 

 

After an hour of standing outside (while it also rained for a brief fifteen minutes), I finally reached the end of the line.  After showing my I.D. and handing the volunteer a slip of paper with my voter information written on it, I then received a green piece of paper with a three-digit number on it.  Hope is arguably the campaign slogan for 2008, but false hope was the theme of the day for those of us who reached the end of the number line thinking we were just moments away from casting our votes.  Truth is; the end of the number line is just the beginning.

I’m now sitting on a metal chair blogging about my voting experiences on my Blackberry underneath a large white canopy with hundreds of other early voters. Like good little sheep, we await our numbers to be called by a woman with a bull horn.

Herded Sheep

My number? 240 Green. It’s strictly random – like Bingo. One woman actually yelled “Bingo!” when her number was called. I’m now hearing folks chatter to each other saying that they’ve been here since 10am. I’ve been here for nearly 2 hours.

“It’s a crap shoot!” one man yelled. Another man behind me who just spotted his number in the bin called out “Oh lawdy, I see my number – thank you Jesus!” Damn him.

Some early voters are demanding to see the supervisor. Numbers have been called twice while other numbers haven’t been called for hours. What will they do for people who missed hearing their number being called? Certainly not take away their opportunity to vote.

 

I see news crews all around. I’m tempted to hustle on over to one of the reporters and send a shout out to Brave New Films. But I don’t want to lose my seat.

I just overheard a voting official tell one early voter that after we turned in our information from the number line, they took our info down to the “basement” to verify whether or not we are registered. No telling what happens in the basement, or what happens to and from the basement.  After verification, the numbers are carried back outside in a bin and given to the woman with the bull horn calling out numbers under the canopy.

If (yes if) our number gets called then we retrieve our voting card and proceed to another canopy where the voting booths are located.  There aren’t any constant variable with this scenario (except for the lady with the bull horn).  Your number might get called within minutes after turning in your voter information, or as is the case with most of the folks around me, you could be waiting for hours.  It’s obvious that the volunteers here cannot keep up with the volume of early voters.

 

Oh god! They just announced that they ran out of numbers. They’re calling out names now.

Two elderly women sitting behind me are talking to each other about what’s happening.  They, unlike me, sit patiently.  “This is the most historic election in our history” said one woman.  “Can you believe this turnout?  This is wonderful” said the other woman.  I needed that reminder.

Despite the inconvenience, rain, and frustration this is one of the most amazing, and admittedly surreal, moments in my life. Now approaching hour three, I’ve grown close to my fellow early voters who sit patiently and impatiently around me.  It’s familial in here. A woman who stood in the number line with me hours before and who is also sitting next to me now just heard her number announced by the lady with the bull horn.  Heading toward the poll booth she turned around and waved at me, “Good luck!” she said.  They come, they vote, and then they leave.  I’m gonna miss my early voting compadres.

So while there are some factors of early voting in L.A. that does indeed suck, witnessing the enthusiasm and determination of those voting make the experience memorable and worth wild.

Finally!  My number is called.  I’m walking to the voting booth dazed yet anxious as hell to cast my vote.  I’m met by a non-user-friendly voting card.

Why, oh why, does this have to be so freakin’ complicated!  A lady next to me just asked how to fill out her card – I noticed she’s voting for Nader.  I assist the woman by telling her to fill in the circles on her Scantron that correspond with her choices in the booklet.  I feel like I’m having high school SAT flashbacks.

The woman thanks me.  I drop my card in the voting box and don’t look back, except for a moment when one volunteer approached me and said, “You look tired sweetie.”  “I am” I replied.

It’s  about 5:30 p.m. and I’m heading back to work at a complete stand-still on I-10.  The sky is darkening and L.A. traffic couldn’t be any more sinister than it is right now.

I’m thinking back to what one woman whispered to her friend while waiting for her number to be called.

“Next time, I’m voting absentee.”

The Number Line

Herded Sheep

240 Green

Bull Horn Lady

Enter the Booth Dazed and Confused

Change is coming

Have you read my “About” page yet?

If so, you’d know that I dibble and dabble in singing once in a while.  I just posted a new cover, “Business Man,” written by Grammy-nominated artist Emily King.

(Oh yeah, this blog ain’t just about me blogging – I sang too:-)

I honestly felt compelled to cover this song, especially considering all that’s going on in the U.S. right now. I’m an Obama supporter. During the primary season, I was a Hillary supporter – still love Hill (you can read all about why I support Hill HERE).  

But I’m so tired of the way we are existing in society right now.  I’m ready for change. And so, I sang a song about it.  Like to hear it, here it goes.