READY FOR THE DNC CONVENTION - Brad Thompson of Raleigh leads a contingent of supporters and delegates from the Capital City to Charlotte next week to attend the Democratic National Convention [Cash Michaels Photo]
NC DNC DELEGATES READY
FOR CHARLOTTE CONVENTION
By Cash Michaels
Editor
It is history for sure.
The very first convention by a major political party in North Carolina, and even more historic, the first time that an incumbent African-American president of the United States is re-nominated to run for re-election.
Even with a struggling economy and an election that is dead even in the polls ten weeks out from the November 6th presidential election, over 120 North Carolina delegates attending the three-day Democratic National Convention in Charlotte next week are not only beaming with pride, but determined to hold President Barack Obama up as the leader who saved the American economy, has positive job growth for 29 straight months, and has kept America safe since he took office in 2009.
“Having the convention here indicates the importance of the state to the Obama campaign in this election,” says former Raleigh City Councilman Brad Thompson, who serves on the DNC National Platform Committee.
Indeed, North Carolina, which Obama won by just 14,000 in 2008, is considered a battleground state that Republican Mitt Romney must have, experts say, if he’s to unseat the president. The Obama campaign is expected to protect North Carolina from Romney and his minions.
For Montica Talmadge, a Raleigh analyst, this will be her first experience as a delegate to the Democratic Convention. Talmadge, who is slated to become the first African-American to be DNC Woman of the Young Democrats of America, is going with a mission.
“It’s just a huge, huge honor for me, and I’m very excited,” Talmadge said, adding that the policies of the Democratic Party, and President Barack Obama, are important to move America forward.
For Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, this is a true moment to shine.
The eyes of the world will be on the Queen City for the DNC Convention, and if its successful, it will because Mayor Foxx, and African-American, helped to lead a plethora of community and business leaders to prepare for it.
“Historically this means a great deal to all of us, and we want it to be very successful,” Foxx told The Carolinian, adding that the economic impact could be as much as $150 million for the city and state.
The Democratic National Convention in Charlotte begins Tuesday, Sept. 4 at the Time Warner Arena, and ends Thursday, Sept. 6 at the Bank of America Stadium where President Barack Obama will accept his party’s re-nomination.
It was February 1, 2011, when First Lady Michelle Obama had announced that Charlotte had been chosen for the 2012 convention.
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CONGRESSMAN JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC)
EXCLUSIVE
CLYBURN SAYS GOP TOOK “BLOOD OATH” TO STOP OBAMA
By Cash Michaels
Editor
The
third most powerful African-American in Congress says that in their zeal to
stop President Barack Obama’s agenda, congressional Republicans were “disloyal”
to the nation.
South
Carolina Congressman James Clyburn (D - SC) also charged that Pres. Obama has
met with so much opposition, degradation of his character and humanity by the
right-wing, because they refuse to believe that an African-American is “not
capable” of being president of the United States.
In
an exclusive interview Thursday with the Power 750 WAUG-AM radio program “Make
It Happen,” Rep. Clyburn - reacting to the GOP continuing to push the false
birther and welfare claims against the nation’s first black president during
their Republican National Convention week - charged that the Republicans never
had any intention of working with, or even compromising with Pres. Obama for
the good of the nation from the moment he took office in 2009.
“They
met on the night that he was sworn-in, and took a blood oath to each other that
they would be obstacles to [Obama’s] administration,” Clyburn maintained. “And
they set out to do so in a way that demonstrates the ultimate in disloyalty to
the country.”
“Every attempt by President Obama
has made to “light a candle” to help show the way for progress, for
opportunity, for bringing us out of the darkness of the great recession that we
just experienced, he had seen those candles, those flames blown out time and
time again by these Republicans,” Clyburn charged. “And then they have stood on
the sidelines cursing the darkness.”
Rep. Clyburn said the Republican
“trickle-down economics,” as first pushed by President Ronald Reagan in the
1980s, didn’t work. The massive Bush tax cuts of the last decade have ballooned
the national deficit because they weren’t paid for.
And the economic crash and loss of
over 2 million jobs during the final months of President George W. Bush’s
administration, crippled America.
“We
were teetering on the brink of [economic] disaster,” when Pres. Obama first
came in, Clyburn insists. “That is what greeted this president.”
The
South Carolina Democrat credits Obama’s quick work to shore up the economy,
pumping in tens of billions in stimulus, and saving the auto industry from
bankruptcy. But Clyburn also recalls how Republicans in Congress refused to
work with the president to shore up job growth, even before the Tea Party took
over Congress in 2010.
“
The loyal opposition has been anything but loyal,” Rep. Clyburn said. “We
expect for them to be in opposition to [Obama’s] policies, but we would hope
that they would be loyal to the country. They have made it very clear, that the
only reason for their existence... their number one reason…is to make sure that
Barack Obama is a one-term president.”
“What
kind of loyalty to the country is…the number one priority for every elected
official, especially those sitting up here in Washington, should be to protect
the American people; to secure the futures for the American people; to maintain
safety in our communities, and to keep moving our country forward. When you
tell me all of that should take a backseat to unseating a president, then I
think it tells the public all they need to know about your priorities.
“Why?”
the number three man in House Democratic leadership asked rhetorically.
Race,
according to Clyburn, is certainly a big part of it.
“There
has been a theory put forth in this country, from its inception, that there are
certain gene pools that are not as good as other gene pools, and by that I mean
that some people are just inherently unequal,” Clyburn said. “[The theory says]
there are some people who are just inherently inferior and not capable of doing
certain things.”
“When
people see that this longstanding philosophy that [has been] perpetuated
forever is getting a very, serious, in-your-face denigration of its own
veracity or validity,
then they try to fight it off.”
“No
African-American is supposed to have the capacity, least more the capability,
of being president of the United States,” Rep. Clyburn continued. “There are
people who actually feel that way.”
Clyburn
made clear that he “strongly disbelieved” that that was the view of the
majority of white Americans. “But there is a big minority of white voters who
are absolutely upset that an African-American is president of the United
States,” he said.
Propagating
the falsehood that Pres. Obama is a Muslim, know that doing so in a
Judeo-Christian culture enflames hatred, in addition to questioning his
citizenship and patriotism, are also tools used to “other” the president in the
eyes of white voters, Rep. Clyburn says.
Pundits
like MSNBC’s Chris Matthews have echoed that charge directly to the face of RNC
Chairman Reince Priebus, who has vigorously denied that Republicans, and
specifically the presidential campaign of former Governor Mitt Romney, are
“playing the race card.”
And
yet during the RNC Convention, which once again noticeably lacked a large
number of black delegates, a black CNN camerawoman was reported taunted by two
white RNC attendees who threw peanuts at her saying, “This is how we feed the
animals.”
The
Republican racial image also wasn’t helped when GOP House Speaker John Boehner
told reporters at the RNC Convention that while, according to polls,
African-Americans probably won’t vote for Mitt Romney (an NBC-Wall Street
Journal poll reported that zero percent of black supported Romney), “…I’d
suggest to you they won’t show up and vote for the president either.”
Rep.
Clyburn says that’s the intent of the GOP ploy in several states to make
casting a ballot in November harder for voters of color because of new voter
photo identification laws.
“We
can dress it up anyway we want to; we can talk about it anyway we want to, but
you know the good Lord has allowed me to live long enough - I’m 72 years old -
to…call it as I see it,” Rep. Clyburn said of why the Republicans have
vigorously opposed the president.
“That’s what the fact is.”
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS
CAIN TELLS NC DELEGATION - “STUPID” AMERICANS RUNNING THE
COUNTRY
[TAMPA,
FLA] Herman Cain, the black Republican former pizza executive whose run for
president ended earlier this year after several women accused him of sexual
harassment, told the NC delegation at the Republican National Convention this
week that “stupid Americans are running America,” a slam at the Obama
Administration. Cain is scheduled to visit North Carolina twice in September,
in Raleigh for a business luncheon on Sept. 12th; and the next day
in Charlotte. Cain says he also plans to meet with black ministers and students
while in NC.
IF REPUBLICANS WIN NC, SPEAKER PROMISES VOTER I.D.
[TAMPA,
FLA.] If the GOP wins the governor’s race, and holds on to its majority in the
NC General Assembly, then voter ID will pass, assured NC House Speaker Thom
Tillis during the North Carolina delegation breakfast at the Republican
National Convention this week. Gov. Beverly Perdue, a Democrat, vetoed the
first bill passed by the GOP in the NC General Assembly in 2011, and the
Republicans couldn’t override. Tillis says if Pat McCrory, a Mecklenburg County
Republican candidate for governor wins and the Legislature says in GOP hands,
then a voter ID law is a certainty.
POLICE ARREST MAN FOR ALLEGED BOMB THREAT TO RALEIGH
BUILDINGS
[GARNER]
Police have arrested a Garner man, charging him with making a bomb threat to
three City of Raleigh buildings. Carl Maurice Allen, 38, allegedly called the
Raleigh Public Utilities building Tuesday, saying workers there had “40 minutes
to get out of the building before it blew up.” Subsequently, two other city
government buildings, including City Hall, were evacuated. After a search by
authorities, the buildings were cleared. Allen reportedly had been previously
charged with making terrorist threats in 2006 in Pennsylvania. Charges were
dismissed in that case.
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TRIANGLE NEW BRIEFS
TRANSPORTATION TURMOIL AS WAKE SCHOOLS OPEN
On
Monday, Wake Schools Supt. Anthony Tata was welcoming the first day of the new
traditional school year, saying that the 16th largest school system
in the nation was ready to handle the challenges. But as he spoke, thousands of
Wake school children weren’t being picked by their school buses, a problem that
persisted for several days. Meanwhile, Board of Education headquarters in Cary
were filled with angry parents, trying to finalize their children’s
registration. On Tuesday, Tata promised to iron out the problems caused by the
school choice plan he fought so hard for. He said transportation budget cuts
put fewer buses on the road. The system has added four more buses to the over
eight hundred to cover some of the shortage. Tata’s critics say his lack of
experience in education is the reason for this latest foul-up.
MORRISVILLE VOTES TO BAN FIREARMS IN LOCAL PARKS
The
Morrisville Town Council this week voted to ban firearms from several local
parks and sites that are allowed by state law. The areas include the
Morrisville Community Park, Morrisville Aquatics and Fitness Center, Shiloh
Park, Cedar Fork Community Center, Crabtree Creek Nature Park, and Indian Creek
Greenway Trailhead. In 2011, state lawmakers passed a law that allowed handguns
to be legally carried in local parks and greenways, but gave local officials
the right to opt out in municipal areas.
EX-MARINE SNIPER CONFESSES TO WANTING TO COMMIT A
SHOOTING SPREE
Wake
law enforcement authorities say there was no real threat, but a North Carolina
State University student was committed in July for serious mental health issues
after it was determined that he allegedly wanted to go on a shooting spree,
ultimately killing a law enforcement officer and his family. The unnamed student was formerly a
Marine sniper who served two terms of duty in Iraq. A search warrant to his
computer files revealed that the student, who reportedly suffered from depression
and post-traumatic stress disorder, would daydream about killing people, and
made plans to do so, complete with what weapons would be used. The student
wanted to kill a police officer and his family by following him home one night.
He’s being treated at the VA Hospital in Durham.
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http://www.nnpa.org/news/lead/straight-black-men-ignored-in-aids-initiative-by-freddie-allen/
http://www.nnpa.org/news/lifestyle/new-miss-black-usa-‘ready’-for-the-future-by-freddie-allen/
CASH IN THE APPLE
By Cash Michaels
AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL - You won’t
believe this, but I have never been able to attend the Raleigh/Wake
African-American Cultural Festival. One of
the reasons why is because my youngest daughter, KaLa, has been sponsoring a lemonade stand during Labor
Day weekend for the past three years, with proceeds going to the North Carolina
Zoo, so the whole family has been busy.
I hope I can make it this year. It’s Saturday and
Sunday, Sept. 1st and 2nd. On Saturday from 11 a.m to 10
p.m., and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. It’s free for the family, and there
will be music, food, fun, and of course, culture.
Now if I do make it to the festival, I may have some
petitions for the Wilmington Ten
pardons of Innocence with me for you to sign. I hope you will.
THE DNC - As I indicated last week, next week is a
week of history here in North Carolina as the Democratic National Convention comes to Charlotte. We’ll be writing the column
from the Queen City, giving you
the sights and sounds as we experience them.
We’ve already interviewed Democratic National
Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz,
who is also a Democratic congresswoman from Florida. Add to the list CNN
contributor Donna Brazile, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, Obama
Campaign Manager Jim Messina, actor Don Cheadle, Philadelphia Mayor Michael
Nutter, South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, actress Lynn Whitfield and
North Carolina Congressman G. K. Butterfield.
We hope to run into several more notables when we get
to Charlotte.
The bottomline is this is a more historic election
than in 2008, primarily because while history was made with the first
African-American president being elected four years ago, today we have a bold
and daring conservative opposition that has done everything in its power to
deny our president any victories for the nation.
So this election is about, after four years, whether
the American people trust Barack Obama
to finish the job of getting America back on the right track.
We’ll get that perspective while in Charlotte. And if
we can fins any Republicans willing to speak with us, we’re more than happy to
hear from them.
They better be willing to answer some tough questions
too.
POWER 750 WAUG REPORTS - For you folks outside of
Raleigh-Durham, you can get the radio station I do my Thursday show, “Make It
Happen” on at www.myWAUG.com. For those in
the Raleigh-Durham area, of our you can find it at Power 750 WAUG-AM,
Thursday’s at 4 p.m.
I share this with you because starting Monday Sept. 3rd,
I’ll be filing a series of special “Make It Happen” reports on the Democratic
National Convention in Charlotte featuring many of the personages we’ve already
listed above, plus new interviews on the ground there in the Queen City.
It’s going to be exciting, so make sure you don’t
miss a minute Monday, Sept. 3rd to Thursday, Sept. 6th.
And then on Thursday, Sept. 6th at 4 p.m., a special DNC edition of
“Make It Happen where we preview the president’s acceptance speech that night
at the Bank of America Stadium.
Like we said, next week is going to be a week of
history here in North Carolina, but it means absolutely nothing unless we all
go to vote in November. So arm yourself with information in order to make your
decision in 2012.
PIERS MORGAN NEEDS TO SHUT UP - I will admit it right
now that I can’t stand CNN’s Piers Moron…, I mean Morgan. Piers, as you know,
replaced the incomparable Larry King as
CNN’s primary talker over a year ago, and the ratings have been in the toilet
ever since. Morgan has one of the lowest rated shows in all of television.
Reruns of “Leave it to Beaver” see twice the audience that a snooze session
with one of Britain’s greatest yellow journalist.
And yet, in a recent interview, Morgan has the gall
to suggest that CNN, which is experiencing it’s lowest prime time ratings in 20
years, needs to “be more opinionated” to boost the numbers.
How ironic. Advice from a guy who crams his worthless
opinions down everyone’s throats on CNN, telling his network the path to better
ratings is to run your mouth, even though his show can’t draw flies.
Reports are that CNN may start running HBO
documentaries in prime time in order to boost ratings. I say great. If it will
take Piers Morgan off the air, then so be it. The man is a joke!
BRAVO, CHRIS - I like MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. Chris gets clumsy at times, which his analysis,
and he climbs out on more limbs than a tree monkey. But he has a good heart,
and he is who he is.
I say all of that because Chris ha a tendency, at times,
to place his foot firmly in his mouth.
In 2008, Chris said he felt a tingling up his leg
when Barack Obama became the first black president. And when Pres. Obama first
delivered the State of the Union address, Matthews said it was so good, he
briefly forgot that Obama was black.
I don’t think he meant it the way it came out, but he
did get hammered for it.
To be fair, Matthews has spent an awful lot of time
do relief work in Africa, and almost lost his life when he contracted an
infection.
So I don’t see Chris Matthews as a racist.
And that’s why I was quite pleased with Chris when he
bluntly confronted the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince
Priebus, Monday morning on MSNBC’s
“Morning Joe” and point blank accused him and the Mitt Romney campaign of
“playing the race card” with their false accusations that President Obama had
removed work requirements from welfare (a damnable lie, particularly after
Romney later said Obama was doing so “to shore up his base”), and of course,
bringing back up the Obama birth certificate controversy.
Both are racial dog whistles to white voters that
Obama is looking out for his own.
Chris Matthews, to his credit, would have none of it
Monday on “Morning Joe.”
"That cheap shot ...
was awful," Matthews told RNC Chair Priebus, referring to the joke.
"It is an embarrassment to your party to play that card ... you are
playing that ethnic card there." Priebus triedn to laugh it off, but
Matthews continued to nail him with, "you can sit there and giggle about
it, but the fact is your party is playing that card."
Priebus later called
Chris Matthews, and apparently all of the Republican talk show guests insisted
that Romney joked last week in Michigan when he brought up no one asking him
for his birth certificate.
These folks think they’re
slick by half. They aren’t. But the only way to prove that is for voters to
have the last say on November 8th.
Then we’ll see who gets
the last laugh.
Good going Chris.
NCCU WILMINGTON TEN EVENT
- Don’t forget next Wednesday, Sept, 5th, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the
North Carolina Central University Turner Law School, law school Professor attorney Irving Joyner presents, “40 Years is Long Enough,” a forum on the
Wilmington Ten and their quest for pardons of innocence from Gov. Beverly Perdue.
The forum will include
Wilmington Ten defense attorneys James Ferguson, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, and other
members of the Ten and their families.
The session will be piped
via television to four other UNC System historically black universities - Winston-Salem
State University, Elisabeth City State University, NC A&T State University
and Winston-Salem State University.
The event is free and
open to the public.
To register and attend,
contact Michelle S. Roberts at 919-530-6601, or email talias@nccu.edu.
LIES - There is a new
movie out called , “2016: Obama’s America” that is doing well at the box office
apparently. The film, written and narrated by conservative shill Dinesh
D’Souza (he wrote a book a few years
back called “The End of Racism” which turned out to be an all-out attack on the
African-American community).
The producer is Gerald
Molen, who has worked with Steven
Spielberg on such films as “Jurrasic Park” and “Schindler’s List.”
Essentially, the film
says that Obama thinks anti-American because his father, Barack Obama Sr. was
anti-American. The film has been fact-checked, and found to be so misleading in
its claims. Count this as the work of the birther movement.
Don’t waste your
hard-earned money on this racist trash.
Just don’t.
Make sure you tune in
every Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. for my talk radio show, ''Make It Happen''
on Power 750 WAUG-AM, or online at www.myWAUG.com. And read more about my thoughts and opinions
exclusively at my new blog, ‘The Cash Roc” (http://thecashroc.blogspot.com/2011/01/cash-roc-begins.html). I promise it will be interesting.
Cash in the Apple -
honored as the Best Column Writing of 2006 by the National Newspaper Publishers
Association. Columnist Cash Michaels was also honored by the NNPA for Best
Feature Story Journalist of 2009, and was the recipient of the Raleigh-Apex
NAACP’s President’s Award for Media Excellence in Sept. 2011.
Until next week, keep
a smile on your face, GOD in your heart, and The Carolinian in your life. Bye,
bye.
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