BIG IDEAS

Over the years when I lived in DC, one of the things I found most fascinating, and never took for granted, was that on any given day I could stumble into a major protest on the National Mall or some side street and really see and feel Democracy in action - in all its beauty, glory and occasionally, ugliness.

So this weekend I’m driving with my kids down Independence Avenue on our route to Rock Creek Parkway and a lovely Fall drive and what do I run into but the National Tea Party wingnuts holding signs like these.

I still love Democracy, but I am way over the fascination. These people are just fools.

(AP Photo)

Starting this Friday July 10, EbonyJet.com will be bringing daily coverage of the historic first visit of President Barack Obama to sub-Saharan Africa.

Writer Toby Tompkins will be reporting from the ground in Ghana on the politics of the trip and the culture that makes this visit an important new step in bringing focus to the region. He will be blogging for EbonyJet.com before, during and after the trip, with follow up articles in JET next week as well as the October issue of EBONY.

With the assistance of The Africa Channel and a group of students journalists as well as citizen journalists throughout Ghana, we’ll be offering a visual record of the trip as well in video and photos. Stay with us for the next four days.

Not entirely a surprise if you’ve followed Arlen Specter. The Senator has for years been an independent voice of reason in a field of ideologues on both sides of the aisle.

In truth it’s not a complete switch over, but a switch back. Specter started his political career as a Democrat, though back in the early 60s when a high number of Black people were actually still Republicans as a holdover from the 40s. No telling is this move is about winning his next election or about the consistently misguided calculations of the Republican Party that have been holding up progress. Probbaly a little bit of both.

What is most interesting is that the Republicans have never really considered Specter a true Republican. That points to the real issue with that particular Party. When reason, fairness and independent thought are considered anti-Republican traits, the your Party has a problem.

Now comes the documentary film New World Order, and just in time. It’s likely this film has been in the can for a bit so it probably stops in the Bush era, but I have been wondering what the response from the conspiracy theorist fringe would be to a victory by Barack Obama.

It always seemed to me that part and parcel of the conceit of a “New World Order” was that it was led by a (white) elite that has passed on power from generation to generation, wreaking havoc for centuries for their own ultimate wealth. And certainly I’ve fallen for a couple of the urban legends myself over the years.

But how does all that square with a Black man as the current center of power in the contemporary world? Is there some cabal of staff people in the White House holding information from the Prez on behalf of the Illuminati? Can a Black man be part of the world ruling class in the eyes of the theorists? And if Obama is the kind of man who would be a party to all that, what does that say about our collective role in getting him elected? Are we all pawns in some elaborate Masonic chess game?

From my point of view, a Black President tends to negate all of those theories, but what say you theorists?

It didn’t occur to me until I talked to one of my employees who is a Jehovah’s Witness that the Witnesses do not participate in voting. I knew about not celebrating holidays and birthdays - but voting?

It led me to several questions that I’m still getting answers to in dribs and drabs, things my colleague can articulate and things that have to be backed by tracts from The Watchtower. It’s all been a pretty interesting exercise for me since I spent most of my life turning down the TV and acting like I wasn’t home when a Jehovah’s Witness came to the door. Now I actually have to listen to one AND read Watchtower. Journalism sucks sometimes.

Does that mean that Prince and Michael Jackson didn’t vote either? I love Prince, but he’s just so much less cool right now if he doesn’t vote, religion or no religion.

Stay tuned for that story - maybe next week or so.

Here are some of my questions:

1. On Election Day, people were cheering in the streets and expressing great pride in the not only their ability to vote, but the person they were voting for and what it meant to history. How did it feel to be out that mix? Was it a historic or happy event for you, or were you still neutral?

2. How do you square enjoying the religious freedom enjoyed in this country which was won by a war and the political process, and not exercising the right to vote to maintain that freedom if it were ever challenged?

3. Similarly, would a challenge to your religious freedom be a reason to change the rules?

4. If, as I understand it, the religion believes that God’s will be done so man’s attempts to control the word don’t matter, do you then believe that the eventual election of a Black President was part of God’s plan?

5. Each day you make free-will decisions that have impact on your life and have consequences, from deciding to pay the mortgage to deciding to got to work. If God’s will be done in matters of state, won’t his will be done in the making of any decision?

That’s a start. Said employee handed me a Watchtower to answer Question #1, but that’s led to all the others - and more.

By the way, every company should have at least one Jehovah’s Witness, if only to cover the phones on Christmas.

Forgetting for the moment that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s odd “I can’t be guilty because I’m a snitch” defense is just a bizarre addendum to an already bizarre case, why is it that nobody’s talking about the real oddity here.  Meaning, how is it that Jesse Jackson Jr. could serve as campaign co-chair for Barack Obama, fly around the country raising money for the candidate, publicly and aggressively (way over the top if you ask me) excoriate his own father for his open mic incident, and still - STILL - not be on Obama’s favored list to replace him on the Senate seat?

Forget all this hullabaloo about Blagojevich. Patrick Fitzgerald already said Jesse Jr. is not a subject of the investigation. So why is Jesse Jr. focusing on this so much and drawing attention to himself when he needs to be focused on the very serious career-damaging issue posed by my question above. What has he done or not done -or not achieved (at least in the minds of his colleagues)- during his tenure that would warrant a complete lack of consideration such as this?

Remember, his name even came up in this Blagojevich thing because he was being used as the official “Fuck You” candidate, as in “if you don’t play ball, I’m nominating this guy who nobody wants.”

Seriously, after so much time in office, and a congressional record to lean on, how does that happen?

That’s not necessarily an indictment against Jackson and his record, but it says something at least about the tenuous nature of the Obama/Jackson relationship and Obama’s way of doing business. Did Jackson piss him off without realizing? Did he prove himself to be unworthy of consideration by some action that he was unaware gave off a bad impression? Was Obama convinced that Jackson could not win statewide? Did Obama have other plans for Jackson that the Senate thing interrupted?

Either way, that would put Jackson in good company, along with John Kerry and a host of other early supporters who probably expected a very visible gift but got squat.

Think about it. And does that say more about those people or more about Obama and his definition of loyalty versus theirs?

“This a very sad day for Illinois government.” So says US AttorneyPatrick Fitzgerald.

Yeah, so what else is new?

My wife, nice person that she is, called and asked as simple question, “Why would someone think they could get away with this?”

My answer: ‘It’s Chicago.”
This makes two governors in a row for Illinois.  Only Maryland during the Agnew Administration can compete.

Let’s be perfectly clear, conversations like the ones Gov. Blagojevich had on the phone happen all day every day in state, local and national politics. But not on the phone, you idiot.
That of course, does not make it right. There is a fine line between trading favors and flat out quid pro quo bribery. Favors are traded on the floor of the Senate and House all day. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours is how most of us get business done on any given day.

But even with that understanding, Blago’s brazen requests for tribute are fairly amazing, and all that more amazing given that he was under active investigation. And what’s pretty clear is that he was negotiating his way into a cushion with the assumption that the heat was going to come down on him even more. That just takes either balls made of steel or a brain made of mush.

Obviously this means confusion over the governor’s pick to replace Obama in the Senate. Who would actually want that seat from Blago, since technically he is still the sitting Governor unless/until he resigns? The latest talk is that State Senator Emil Jones wants to pull together a special senate session to pass a resolution calling for a special election. In which case, all hell breaks loose among the would-be candidates to raise funds and put together a quickie campaign to get elected. And of course it leaves that senate seat open for longer than anticipated, throwing off the numbers on votes if all of this goes down after January 20.

Developing…

If you expected Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. to take the rumor that Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett is the President-Elect’s personal choice to replace him in the Senate sitting down, then you don’t know Jesse, Jr.

The Congressman is now floating an e-mail quoting the results of a self-funded Zogby poll that was done to directly answer the concerns that Jackson might not be able to sustain the seat in a statewide election two years after an appointment. Though with a Democratic president from Illinois, it is tough to believe that any Democratic incumbent supported by the President would lose to a Republican.

According to the survey, Jackson would beat several competitors (the poll does not include Jarrett) for the position by anywhere from 6% to 8% on several fronts - Democrat v. Democrat or Democrat v. Republican.

In the meantime, Jarrett has said publicly that she is “not interested” in the position.

One thing: If Jackson is really serious about being seen as Senate material, his team might want to pull down the 56 Kung Fu pictures that populate his jessejacksonjr.org web site. Also, probably not the best idea to have his photo galleries powered by a service called “Smug Mug”.  I’m just sayin’…

Cindy McCain from GQ magazine.

Okay, the Republicans generally sound batshit crazy when they’re screaming about liberal media bias, but damned if they don’t have a point on this one. Who’s the escapee from the mental health facility pictured above?

Well, that’s none other than the beautiful (cough, cough) Cindy McCain, wife of the Republican nominee from a photo essay in the latest edition of GQ magazine.

In fairness to whoever shot the photo, you can’t really claim that she’s not made up or that it’s an accidental photo. Clearly it is posed. You can’t even really claim she’s not lit sufficiently. But the hair, the skin, the close-up, the harshness. It’s one thing taking a photo like this, but it’s another choosing one like this in the editing process.

For good measure, her husband’s picture isn’t much better, showing him in a too tight shirt that extends his neck muffin top-like over the collar. Obama, on the other hand, is shown from the Democratic Convention in halo-like beauty.  Someone at GQ obviously wants you to vote for Obama.