Politico.com has a great story, Black lawmakers emotional about Obama’s success. Several black members of Congress are quoted, including Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr, whose father ran for President in 1984 and 1988:
“I cried all night. I’m going to be crying for the next four years,” he said. “What Barack Obama has accomplished is the single most extraordinary event that has occurred in the 232 years of the nation’s political history. … The event itself is so extraordinary that another chapter could be added to the Bible to chronicle its significance.”
Jack and Jill Politics has a list of of Congressional Black Caucus members who wouldn’t be missed. As stated in their posting:
We started the Congressional Black Caucus Monitor with the precise intention of putting a spotlight on why the Caucus was being infested and infected with DLC tendencies. (The DLC, short for Democratic Leadership Council, is considered the moderate to conservative wing of the Democratic Party. – Ed) When you examined the voting records, you found clear evidence that at least 30% of the Caucus was taking two and few payola from Corporate interests, and it wasn’t even Tom DeLay-type cheddar, either. The CBC sells out on the cheap, and leave the few remaining warriors hanging in the wind. That is what has to stop.
Jack and Jill Politics also has a link to an article which provides evidence of a smoking gun regarding the Clinton campaign’s use of racial politics to derail the Obama express.
At Daily Kos, there is a very good article titled Gallup: Why McCain and Obama Are tied – For Now. The piece looks at the current polling for Obama and McCain based on geography, age, gender, and political affiliation. Very interesting.
BlackElectorate.com has made ex-offender rights and advancement a major focus of its web site. Clearly, one of the best African American websites on the planet.
So, what has the NAACP done for you lately? It has published the 2008 Presidential Candidates Civil Rights Questionnaire, which highlights the presidential candidates’ positions on what the NAACP has defined as “essential civil rights priorities facing our nation.”
The Questionnaire was sent to Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama. Clinton and Obama responded to the Questionnaire; McCain did not. You can see go here to download the Questionnaire results.
While we’re on the subject: It seems that many people are unaware that the NAACP has chosen a new executive director, Benjamin Jealous. Jealous is a “think outside the box” choice: he’s young (35 years old) and biracial. Still, he has an enviable record of service.
You can get thoughts on the selection from the USAToday’s DeWayne Wickham (New NAACP president’s biggest challenge: Restoring group’s relevancy) and black newspaper columnist Eddie Curry (Looking for the NAACP’s next leader and New Ideas Needed to Invigorate the NAACP).
Did you know: that at least five African-Americans before Obama have mounted serious campaigns for president? The first was then-Rep. Shirley Chisholm in 1972. The most successful was the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who won 30 percent of the delegate votes at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. The Rev. Al Sharpton made a notable run in 2004, as did former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun. Republican Alan Keyes campaigned in 1996 and 2000.
> And props to my pops, who heads an NAACP chapter in upstate NY. Keep the faith, dad.
All Other Persons 