What do we think of Obama so far?

Here’s a quick debate from toddbbq and me on President Obama’s performance so far. Would love to hear some input from the rest of you guys:

toddbbq: So is there going to be a public option or not? Prez, more LBJ, less Lincoln please. Thanks.

David White: More LBJ? The same LBJ who decided universal healthcare was too difficult and decided to go with Medicare instead? The same LBJ who couldn’t pass Medicare the first time around and had to come back to it and try again?

toddbbq: Meh. I’m referring to his manner of dealing with Congress. LBJ would call those congressional fools into his office and put them in a choke hold until he got what he wanted. Obama gives us milquetoast platitudes about the beauty of bi-partianship, and lets the repub minorties and “blue dog” dems water down the bill until there’s nothing left. If there’s no public option, it’s not really health care reform. I think he even said that once or twice on the campaign. If the repubs had majorities in the house and senate and were in the WH, would they be so acquiescent? I doubt it. I don’t even think he should have bothered with health care this soon to be honest, but since he did, you have to go all in. The likelihood of having senate and house majorities isn’t very high after mid-term elections next year. It’s basically now or never.

David White: Todd, 1) Don’t get caught up in the myth of LBJ; 2) There’s gonna be a public option. I’ll bet you whatever you want to bet that the bill signed by Obama will have a public option. It may involve a trigger or a state opt-out, but it’ll be there; 3) The Republicans will make pick ups next year probably, but I haven’t seen anything that credibly argues they’ll take the majority in the house or the senate; 4) Your complaint, and the complaint that I hear from many people on the left, seems to center more around style than anything else. We’re the closest we’ve been to real healthcare reform since LBJ, but since Obama isn’t shoving it down the Republicans throats, that means he’s weak. I don’t care what platitudes he uses, how bipartisan he is, or how acquiescent he looks, as long as he gets a good bill passed. And I think he’s on track to do so.

toddbbq: I’ll check out the article you linked. I’m not as optimistic in regards to the public option though. If there’s a state opt-out, we’re right back to square one. The states have proven time and time again that when left to their own devices, chaos ensues. I have other beefs with Obama, but they’re not limited to what most on the left are saying. Remember the promise he made to the black farmers when he was campaigning? Hasn’t done anything. He went to New Orleans for a morning. Hasn’t touched DOMA. Hasn’t touched “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” Doubling down on Afghanistan. I could go on. I just don’t see the value of this bipartianship foolishness. Grow a pair for crying out loud. And it’s a sad day when Burris is taking a more principled stand on the public option than the Prez is.

I never would have thought that 10 months into his presidency, that I’d be more impressed with Eric Holder than Barack Obama. I won’t go as far to say that he’s been ineffectual, but I’ve been underwhelmed to be honest.

David White: I disagree about the state opt-out. I think the only states who’d opt-out are the rabid republican states in the south. And Burris can say whatever he wants about the public option, but he’s not the one who has to manuver the House and the Senate into getting the actual bill passed.

Look, I think Obama’s public option strategy has been pretty clear: 1) get the House to pass a bill with a public option, which will undoubtedly happen (just look at Pelosi’s statements on this); 2) get the Senate to pass anything, with or without the public option (which is also on track to happen); 3) then fight to make sure the public option is included in the conference committee bill; 4) then fight it out in the Senate. Fighting it out in the Senate right now isn’t particularly necessary or useful.

I agree about Obama’s treatment of the black farmers. That’s been straight up shameful.

I disagree about Afghanistan. He campaigned on increasing troops there, so it shouldn’t be a surprise when he actually does so. And let’s not forget that troops are being removed from Iraq on essentially the schedule that he campaigned on, which is a big deal.

On the other stuff, he has four years to impress me or let me down.

As far as being underwhelmed, I’ll say this. If Obama gets health care reform with a public option passed (and I think he will), that’ll be the biggest domestic policy achievement by a Democratic president since LBJ.

Hip Hop…for Grown Folks!

I might’ve failed to mention that this chick was creative
But once the man got to her, he altered her native
Told her if she got an energetic gimmick
That she could make money, and she did it like a dummy
Now I see her in commercials, she’s universal
She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle….- I Used to Love H.E.R. (Common)

When Nas said hip hop was dead, at the time, I tended to agree with him. I believed that my long love affair with hip hop, for me as a thirty-something professional male, was winding to a sad conclusion. Too much Soulja Boy! Way too many novelty acts and mediocre music! I felt like an old curmudgeon, complaining about these “kids” ruining “my music.” I didn’t know hip hop anymore. She and I had grown apart. So I resigned myself to reminiscing about our past good times together, which meant loading my Ipod with old De La Soul, Nas, Wu-Tang, Biggie, and Jay-Z. I felt Common’s pain, and I would need to move on like he did. My mourning period would be quick but probably painful. Like removing a band aid. It would be best for all involved.

Thankfully, it never came to such a depressing end. I can now happily report that hip hop is not dead, my relationship to her has just changed. Hip hop has also evolved, and now has more room for my generation. It is not only about us celebrating what hip hop was, but reflecting on and looking to its future. Some recent releases further highlighted my hope for hip hop for the over 30 set. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the two most anticipated albums of the fall, Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 and Raekwon’s follow-up to his seminal work Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, which gave me renewed optimism. Frankly, besides his track with Alicia Keys and his two singles, it felt that Jay was going through the motions. His passion, or at least his sense of competition, appeared gone, long replaced by the business need for commercial success and relevance.

My feelings about Raekwon’s album are a bit more complex. I knew that it would be impossible to top Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, and the long delays of the album’s release further heightened the sense of anticipation. Overall, I think it was a good album, but that it just suffered from letdown syndrome. I appreciated the effort, given the immense pressure he must have been facing, but I left wanting more. It was satisfactory, just not life-altering. I had no sense of pure ecstasy after listening to it. Basically, it wasn’t Illmatic, Enter the Wu-Tang 36 Chambers, 3 Feet High and Rising, or Only Built 4 Cuban Linx I. That is not a criticism, it’s just the reality. It’s like A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders (great) vs. Beats, Rhymes and Life (good). Good, but not great.

On the other hand, it was Raekwon’s fellow Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah who created an album that showcased hip hop for grown folks. Ghostdini Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City is Ghost’s so called R & B album, and I think a vastly underrated one. I believed that it is actually the reflection of his personal growth and development, and represents what cats of my generation discuss. Relationships, children, transitions, back in the day times, all in Ghost’s unique style. From asking for a second chance (“Do Over”) to thinking about a love lost (“Lonely”), it also demonstrates a level of vulnerability not often found in mainstream hip hop. While the songs may not be cookie cutter, radio-friendly, it is a complete album. Definitely a must listen and the perfect example of mature hip hop.

The other album which blew me away and reflected my new relationship with hip hop is M.O.P.’s Foundation. Yes, those fellas from Brownsville created a gem. I always appreciated M.O.P.’s ability to get my adrenaline flowing, imagining their criminal hijinks on St. Mark’s Ave. and being pumped up vicariously through it. Grimy, the way I like it. Unfortunately, I gave up on them once they signed with G Unit, fearing they would be lost under the weight of 50′s huge shadow and ego, watered down into oblivion. Well, with Foundation, they have sounded the alarm that they are back, and with a vengeance. Taking the independent record route (E1/Koch Records), M.O.P. seems revitalized and accepting of their place in the game. They are still spinning tales of their Brownsville hard knock life, but with a more nuanced perspective, and even some social commentary thrown into the mix. Like Billy Danze’s lyrics from “Forever and Always”:

I never thought I’d come out of the hallway
To focus and become a commodity some day
While stricken by poverty, sitting in gunplay
Forever and always
Perfecting the grind
While trying to become one of those expected to shine

and

Yeah, we do what we do, but somehow it’s their fault,
Here’s the fatal attraction, they got us caged in,
They offered us magnums and asked us not to blaze’em,
Tell’em I ain’t sinning for them no more,
I’ll sin if I gotta sin, but I’m more into winning the war

I now understand that my hip hop won’t be found on the radio. She has migrated to Itunes and benefits from word of mouth communication and the blogosphere. My hip hop is about how to retain our youthful vigor and enthusiasm, without being childish and immature. My hip hop isn’t about “keeping it real,” it’s about authenticity. My hip hop will never die, but will learn to grow old gracefully. I have come to terms with this change, and am excited about the possibilities.

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

I always had a bit of a problem with Brother Voodoo being a laughingstock.

My first contact with the supernatural superhero was in cartoonist Fred Hembeck’s strips in Marvel Age, the publisher’s house fanzine that was around during the 1980s. He was always the butt of jokes that basically reminded us that he was a C-list character. This guy was never making it to the big time, so why not make fun of him, right?

I felt for him. It wasn’t just that he was part of a relatively small (and sometimes embarrassing) contingent of black superheroes when I was growing up. I learned that he was Haitian–probably thanks to a Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry–and that he, like me, was a twin. Still, for all that personal subtext, I never felt strongly enough about Jericho Drumm and his ectoplasmic brother to seek out his (their?) adventures in back-issue bins. Whenever he’d appear in a comic that I was reading, I’d wince and brace for the worst.

Thinking about Brother Voodoo always hit me in a weird way. He struck a dissonant chord at the place where my Haitian-ness and my nerdiness intersected. Like most children born to Haitian immigrants, I didn’t learn much about vodou from my parents. My mom nervously laughed off any questions I had when I was younger, leaving me to learn what I could on my own. The stuff I did figure out– West African religious traditions jammed up against the Roman Catholicism that the slave trade forced on laborers–fascinated me. Voodoo, and Haiti itself, is the product of two worlds, two cultures impacting each other.

That’s why I’m going to give the new Brother Doctor Voodoo comic a chance.

I’m Not a Racist!

I just don’t believe in race mixing. So says Keith Bardwell, Justice of the Peace  in Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana. You can read about it here.

You really can’t make this stuff up. My question is, what does it take to actually be a racist these days? Bardwell says he not a racist. Neither is this guy. Even this guy claims he is a “racial realist” now. It seems as though you have to be the modern day equivalent of Ross Barnett to even be up for “I’m a racist” consideration. He may not even qualify anymore.

But back to JOTP  Bardwell. I think it’s safe to assume that he’s not familiar with Loving v. Virginia, a landmark 1966 Supreme Court decision that outlawed bans on interracial marriage.  So Bardwell flagrantly violated the Constitution, which could lead to a slew of legal repercussions for him.

At least he’s not a racist.

The limited vision of black hollywood

I tried to read Push when it was being hyped to death back in the mid-90s. I didn’t get that far. It was just too ugly for me, and I found the unrelenting tragedy piled onto the main character to be laughable. I simply couldn’t take the book seriously. In the end, I concluded the rave reviews for the book were just the latest manifestation of what Ishmael Reed called “the black pathology biz.”

I understand why Push would be made into a movie. Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, the main black champions of the flick, were both victims of abuse, and they both love these type of stories. And white liberal Hollywood loves these “look at how much this poor nigga had to overcome to make something of themselves” plots. (There’s even speculation that Mo’Nique (!) will receive Oscar consideration for her performance as the monstrous mother.)

But we’ve seen this type of story dozens of times, and I can’t help that feel that black people need to demand more. And I don’t mean the “don’t you love our beautiful buppie world?” movies that we get on the other end of the spectrum. Why are these the ones that are chosen? When will black Hollywood start taking risks?

Of course, a big part of it is Hollywood’s aversion to risk, especially when it involves movies for black people. And the career trajectory of great risk-takers like Wendell B. Harris (Chameleon Street) and Charles Burnett (To Sleep With Anger) can’t be very encouraging to black filmmakers wanting to follow in their footsteps. As difficult as it is for black filmmakers to get a foot in the door in this industry, I can understand the inclination to not rock the boat.

But black filmmakers are doing us a disservice by settling comfortably into this rut. We have so many great stories to tell. We don’t need another version of Soul Food. We don’t need another Love Jones. We don’t need another blaxploitation parody (even if I am hyped for Black Dynamite). We don’t need another Drumline.

We need movies that’ll challenge our minds and our spirits. We need to see Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, with its black female space-based cult leader in a future, post-collapse U.S. We need Charles Johnson’s epic Middle Passage. We need Thulani Davis’ Voodoo and Santeria influenced horror mystery, Maker of Saints. John Edgar Wideman’s Homewood trilogy. David Bradley’s The Chaneysville Incident. Paul Beatty’s White Boy Shuffle. Toni Cade Bambara’s Those Bones Are Not My Child. The stories are there, we just need filmmakers ready to take up the challenge.

Pass me the rock and I’ll score ‘em with decorum

I get into how my history as basketball fan and basketball video game player intersect over at Crispy Gamer.

Now, I’ve never been much of a sports gamer because I’ve never been much of a sports fan. My only athletic heroes growing up were Muhammad Ali and Reggie Jackson, and since I grew up with the gangly clumsiness of a nerd, I knew that I wasn’t going to replicate their prowess.
Basketball was the only sport I had any kind of grasp on. Even if I wasn’t very good at it, the immediacy of passing and shooting was easy to understand. And in early basketball videogames, waggling a joystick to shake a defender, tilting to aim, and pressing a button to shoot felt somewhat similar to doing the real thing on the court. But my skill with a joystick let me pull off moves I could never execute in real life.

Writing this made me think back to the days of my most fervent Knick fandom. I remembered being crushed (crushed!) when they’d lose a regular season game. And don’t even talk to me about the playoffs…! Nowadays, I could name one, maybe two Knicks if pressed. I can’t decide whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

That Nigger’s… Crazy?

Marlon Wayans may be playing Richard Pryor.

Now I’m not going sit here and say Marlon Wayans can’t act. His performance in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream showed that he’s capable of more than the goofball mugging that he brings to 90% of his other roles. After all, very few people could’ve predicted Will Smith’s transformation from the “Parents Just Don’t Understand” guy to the mannered con artist in Six Degrees of Separation to Muhammad Ali. A good chunk of artistic motivation can come from defying expectations.

But.

One would hope that Wayans’ ambition isn’t exceeding his grasp. I pray that it’s not ego driving this move. Despite how it may look from the work they produce, I always got the sense that the Wayans Bros. as a collective understood their comedic roots. In Living Color had some cutting satire in its time. (Though as I understand it, Marlon wasn’t necessarily part of that creative engine.) You could even trace a sketchy line from more earnest fare like the Jeffersons and 227 forward to that stupid WB sitcom Shawn and Marlon starred in in the ‘90s.

Livin’ Proof to the Young Black Youth

By now, I’m sure most of you have seen the horrifying footage of the senseless death of Derrion Albert. A brief rundown of the facts – Albert, 16, was an honor student at Christian Fenger Academy High School on Chicago’s South Side.  On his way home from school, a vicious mob jumped him, clubbing him in the head with a railroad plank, punching him in the face, and finally stomping his lifeless body as it lay on the ground. Sadly, all of this was recorded with a cell phone camera. No one intervened.

I don’t even know where to begin on this one. Unanswered questions abound. Why the hell were railroad ties lying around outside a school in the middle of Chicago? Why did the police take so long to arrive? Where was security? And most importantly, why is black life, especially young black male life, so cheap?

We’ve all heard the grim statistics – more black men in prison or jail than in college (not true, by the way, but that’s a story for another day).  Nearly half of all black children live without their father in the home. More than 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock, with the vast majority raised by single mothers. But you can make numbers look like whatever spin you give them.  Obviously, several significant socio-economic factors play a substantial role in these stats. But the ultimate question is this – what are we going to do about it?

I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do know that some mythical, messianic Superhero Negro figure can’t do it. We’ve already been down that road. A Million Man March won’t take care of it either – we went down that path before too.  Essentially, it comes down to a matter of personal responsibility. The government can’t mandate the way we raise our children or take care of our communities. That’s on us. And when we fail to do that, as in the case of the hoodlums who savagely beat and killed Darrion Albert, we have no one to blame but us.