Senator Obama speech in Richmond last night pts. 1-4

After a line of victories, Barack Obama celebrated in Richmond, Virgina - a state who votes along with Maryland, and Washington D.C. During this celebration, Sen. Obama, delivered yet another enlightening and igniting speeches. Critics call his words, just words - could he be too positive for politics? Pt.1 Pt. 2 Pt.3 Pt.4 (My personal favorite) I will post Senator Hillary Clinton's speech in Richmond, VA soon, as well. But it should be noted, that she didn't even mention Obama's name - nor did she acknowledge him by name. It was more about John McCain, but enlightening nontheless. Until then.

A Race to the Finish

Supporters indicate a big day for Obama.

Senator Obama swept the race to be the Democratic nominee in Washington (state), Nebraska, Louisiana, and the U.S. Virgin Islands yesterday, tightening his already snug race with Senator Clinton. The count for delegates stands at 1,139 for Senator Clinton and 1,106 for Senator Obama. 2,025 delegates are needed to win the nomination. The skinny jean-like tight race has brought some attention to the more than likely fact that a winner will not be announced until the Democratic Convention in late August. It also allows both candidates to focus on "superdelegates" which are elected officials and party leaders who will vote at the convention. Even more important, there are 796 of them, with the race being this close, even a portion of 796 is imperative to the two candidates. Both campaigns of the candidates are already focusing on the superdelegates by having big names in the world of government make phone calls to them. On the list for the people making the calls for the candidates are Madeline Albright (former Secretary of State under President Clinton I), President Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton [all in support of Hillary] as Tom Daschle, Gov. Janet Napolitano, and Senator John Kerry are among those making calls for Barack. Disheartening News for Obama Despite his recent surge in gaining support and votes across the country, the New York Times took a survey of these "superdelegates" about a week ago and the results were a bit lopsided, 204 pledged support for Sen. Clinton to only 99 for Sen. Obama. Although other surveys depicted Obama with more support than the New York Times indicated, I'm not quite sure if it is close to 204. "Superdelegates" include all Democratic governors and members of Congress, as well as officials and other prominent members of the party. Some said they were grappling with how to use their power if it comes into play, especially if their judgment does not match the will of a majority of voters - which might cause them to lose their own popularity and, in a way, disregarding the voice of the American people. Some Quotes from MSNBC about the issue of "Superdelegates"

• “My strong belief is that if we end up with the most states and the most pledged delegates from the most voters in the country, that it would be problematic for the political insiders to overturn the judgment of the voters." -Senator Obama
• “I think it is also important for superdelegates to think about who will be in the strongest position to defeat John McCain in November and who will be in the strongest position to ensure that we are broadening the base, bringing people who historically have not gotten involved in politics into the fold.” - Senator Obama

• “Superdelegates are, by design, supposed to exercise independent judgment, but, of course, if Senator Obama and his campaign continue to push this position, which is really contrary to what the definition of a superdelegate has historically been, I will look forward to receiving the support of Senator Kennedy and Senator Kerry.” - Senator Clinton

Many "superdelegates" said they would stay neutral as long as possible, hoping to be spared a decision. But, they said, they are prepared to step in and try to push the party to a decision as soon as the primaries are completed.

• “Once the primary season is over, I am hoping we will have a nominee. If those of us who are uncommitted can help bring that about, then I think we should try to do that.” Senator Cardin (D-MD)
• “I will not go through the summer, I can tell you that, without endorsing a candidate, I am not a big believer in smoke-filled rooms.” Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
• “My personal opinion is it would be a mistake and disastrous either way for the superdelegates — insiders, establishment politicians — to come along and overturn the expressed view of those pledged delegates,” Senator John Kerry (D-MA)

It's obvious that as Sen. Obama is streaking and making a run at taking the lead and eventual victory over Sen. Clinton when it comes to delegates, he might not be as fortunate if/when it comes down to superdelegates. I understand what they're saying though, it's sort of like, if the people choose one candidate by a narrow margin, why should we have so-called "superdelegates" overturn our voices? With that said, after a line of victories yesterday for Senator Obama, he had a great speech in Richmond, VA - whose primary will be held on Tuesday along with Maryland, and Washington D.C. In the speech, he spoke about an issue I haven't heard too many candidates speak about -- education - maybe that's why it hit me as hard as it did. Nonetheless, it was a goodie, I will post it separately. Until Then.

Super Tuesday Quick Notes

Super Tuesday came and went...and voters are still left in the same ambiguous puzzle as they were before the supposedly revealing day. On the right, it seems like John McCain is slowly pulling away from his opponents (Romney and Huckabee) with his seemingly moderate approach. It's a pretty tactical strategy for McCain because if/when he wins the Republican nomination and then tries to convince some Democrats to vote for him, it won't seem like he's switching it up or "flip-flopping" as much if he keeps this moderate approach. He's probably the best candidate on the right for the country. On the left, it is still a mess...an organized one, though. And it is very exciting (we never thought CNN could be so exciting). Sen. Clinton won by a little margin in both delegates and states, but the race is still very tight and anyone who is counting Senator Obama out, might just be setting themselves up for a big shock, (see Giants vs. Patriots, LOL). On Tuesday, McCain won 605 delegates, his closest competitor, Mitt Romney, won a mere 201 and Huckabee won 195. Overall, McCain leads with 707 delegates, and Romney is in second with 294. It takes 1,191 to win the Republican nomination. In other words, this race is all but over. I read a report of how if Sen. Clinton were to win the Democratic nomination, it could lead to a big mess of a Democratic Convention in Denver during August. I respectfully disagree with that, although Colorado might be an Obama state, Clinton has more support of her peers than that of Obama. The real mess at a convention will be the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minnesota during the beginning parts of September, because of the simple fact that McCain gets steady criticized for not being "conservative enough" by his peers and far right wing voters. A good portion of his supporters and those that have voted for McCain might just be Moderate Democrats who don't want to or aren't ready to see either a Woman or an 1/2 Black man as the President - so they'd rather vote for the closest Republican to their ideals. Both the woman and the 1/2 black man fared exceptionally well on Super Tuesday - it was a very tight race, as expected. Clinton won 784 on Tuesday, Obama won 758. The race was so tight, delegates in Missouri split among the two candidates evenly. The total count for Cinton is 1,045 and Obama has 960 - 2,025 is required to win the Democratic nomination. In other words, this race is far from over. Lastly, I find it terribly important for voters to acknowledge that no one is perfect, not even you, so voting for the candidate that is "most like you" is a bit stupid. I'm sure you wouldn't want the responsibility of running the "most powerful country in the world" nor do you want everyone to be the same, have the same mindset, do the same things - that, my friends, is communism. It is important that we vote for the candidate who is best for this country, for the good of Country - not just because he/she is just like me. It's one thing to be down to earth and to relate to a candidate but another to consider his/her ideals and intended policies. Make the right choice - don't put people who call Ronald Reagan a hero in office, or else it will be a repeat of the 1980s.

Head to Head: Sen. Clinton vs. Sen. Obama

For many of us, Super Tuesday is tomorrow and it is the first step to creating a much needed change to a country down and in dire need of help. Many of us are vexed and torn about who to vote for when it comes to the Democratic Nominee. For voters, there is no better way than to judge our candidates than to see how they react under pressure in a debate or to hear what they say and how they react to tough questions. We all need to be dedicated in getting out and voting. Many of us do not like the position that we are in today with the so-called leader we have today, our chance to begin changing it is tomorrow - it lies in our hands. For Democrats, the vote is between two candidates being that the third candidate (who is probably the right choice dropped out, for once, we can say that a candidate was neither Black enough or Woman enough - big props to my big bro Rob). On the Republican side, many of us have our minds made up: we don't want/need another Ultra-Conservative President in office - especially when they mention Ronald Reagan as a Republican/Conservative Hero - that's more of a reason for me to steer away from those guys. Although I'm only in my early 20's, I've still seen the after effects of what Reagan has done to the working class and Black community. (see, the Crack Epidemic, war on welfare, affirmative action, & war on poverty - disguised as a war on drugs). We still see these after effects as someone who gets locked up for a particular amount of possession of crack/cocaine gets at least 15 years in the pen - I'm not arguing against that, but when you compare that to White Collar Crimes and DUIs that murder people daily - and see these crimes get ignored or getting off by paying fines - the worst case scenario is they get 11 years in most cases - unacceptable. Here is a series of video-clips of the Democratic Debate between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton last Thursday. Be informed, Be educated, Be aware. Introductions On the Effects Illegal Immigration on the Economy On the Chances of being each other's VP Paying Homage to the Good Guy Quick Notes

• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) has endorsed
• Sen. John McCainSen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama
• Maria Shriver (Arnold's wife) endorsed Sen. Barack Obama

Final Thoughts Be informed and do the right thing. Don't hesitate to use your resources to find out more information on candidates, do whatever is necessary.

Super Bowl XLII First, congrats the to New York Giants last night - no one thought they could do it, except themselves. They definitely played their asses off - never underestimate the strength of heart -real talk. A few things that no one would have imagined -especially this time last year: 1) The Giants would make it to the Super Bowl 2) The Giants would make it to the Super Bowl minus Tiki Barber AND Jeremy Shockey 3) Tom Coughlin still had a head coaching job in the NFL 4) Eli Manning - Super Bowl MVP!? It all seems a little too good to be true and I'm interested in seeing what the off-season brings for the G-Men besides huge raises for all of them. Let's just hope that they stay hungry and don't get ahead of themselves like their opponents last night. The Patriots blew that game because they know that they didn't play like they should have and not as hard as they should have. Retrospect is only 20/20. I can't lie though, I did want to see perfection - (it's such a pretty word with even better meaning) and my homie Randy Moss do it up big - but I'm definitely not mad at the G-Men they did it up and they definitely deserve it - if anyone. P.S. I still say fire Tom Coughlin, LOL, their Def. Coordinator will be a head coach very soon, trust that. Battle of the Titans (Microsoft vs. Google II) In case you haven't heard, Microsoft has bid $42 billion to take over Yahoo! Inc. in order to compete with Google as the world's leading search engine and advertising haven. But critics oppose Microsoft's bid, arguing that it'll lead to a Microsoft monopoly...complementing their unethical practices of getting consumers to add many of their products while they only want to add one. According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Google owns about 75% of the market and the Microsoft takeover would only enhance competition because it won't be able to eliminate Google. Not yet, at least. Google argues that if/when Microsoft takes over - they will have too much control over the internet and that Microsoft will be able to hinder internet freedom as consumer automatically be directed to adding their e-mail and instant messenger softwares. Yahoo Inc. said that they will closely examine Microsoft's bid. The battle has gotten to serious that Google CEO called Yahoo CEO to try to persuade him not to accept the bid. An interesting twist to this is that last year, Google bought Double Click Inc. for $3.1 billion and Microsoft tried to protest it, deeming Goggle an internet monopoly - it was unsuccessful in the U.S. Best Super Bowl XLII Commercials #8 Who: Audi - "Godfather commercial" Why: The car is very sexy w/ a spook of a classic to compliment.

#7 Who: Bud Light - "Wine and Cheese" Why: Bud Light always brings the heat (no pun intended for those that saw the "Breathe Fire commercial - it was just OK in my opinion)

#6 Who: Tide - "Talking Stain" Why: Don't Wear Dirty Clothes

#5 Who: Diet Pepsi Max - "What is Love" Why: Hilarious

#4 Who: Planters - Unibrow Hottie

#3 Who: E*Trade - Baby Why: Possibly the Funniest of the Day

#2 Who: E*Trade - BabyII Why: Another funny

#1 Who: Doritos : Rat Trap Why: Another hit

Overall, it was probably a sub-par year in Superbowl Ads and commercials, but it was fun, to see all of the commercials, one by one. Go to http://sports.aol.com/nfl/superbowlads Also, DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE TOMORROW! GET FAMILIAR - I'LL BE POSTING A HEAD TO HEAD BETWEEN TWO CANDIDATES LATER TO HELP US ALL OUT...UNTIL THEN.

IN MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT

I've never seen so many facials tattoos on a brotha.

I don't know where to start, there were a lot of happenings in the world of music and entertainment, and I don't go into too much detail about nothingness. First, as I wrote before Lil Wayne was arrested in Arizona after his tour bus was stopped by Border Patrol, they found various so-called "harmful" drugs and about $20,000 in cash on the bus. It was learned shortly thereafter that Wayne's DJ, DJ Taz Poe essentially called him out for being a junkie, and advised him to go to detox. Lil Wayne apparently went bananas calling him a bitch and speaking of how he will never accompany him again. THEN, it is said that Wayne, after 5 minutes, apologized to his DJ and thanked him for gifts and even performed "Go DJ"....I'm as confused as you are; don't do drugs. Speaking of junkies, on allhiphop.com, there is a video of a former G-Unit member calling out Young Buck for being a junkie, saying that he pretty much sniffed coke with him and what not. Check it out: http://allhiphop.com/stories/rumors/archive/2008/01/30/19207295.aspx The dude's name is D-Tay. Something had to prompt him to say these things, maybe its the fact that Young Buck has signed with Cash Money a few days ago.

Missy has always been years ahead of the game.

Staying on music, Missy Elliot is always flippin the game, always original - a true pioneer. Her next move, making a 3-D music video. Missy has been and will always be recognized as one of the most creative, influential, and original artists around - I'll write more when I know more. First Beyonce, now Rihanna!? Some pictures of Rihanna to be featured in FHM magazine have been photo shopped to make it look like she was posing in the nudie for the male magazine. Let's not forget what a fan did to Beyonce's photos.

FAKE!!! AUTHENTIC!!!

In other news, Tyra Banks is working on making another reality show to air on the CW network to be launched in the spring or summer. The show, which doesn't have a name yet as far as I'm concerned, is going to be a competition for who wants to be the Assistant Editor of a fashion magazine publication. Ken Mok, who is 1/2 of the team that brought "America's Next Top Model" to life, said that it for aspiring assistants who want to become assistant editors but have to prove that they have a fashionista sense of style in their swag. According to the Hollywood Reporter, contestants will have to complete a pair of challenges every episode - an individual challenge and a team challenge in which they have to submit a page for a mock edition of the magazine. Sort of like "The Devil Wears Prada" which was a good movie, I can sort of see myself digging this show, BUT, it is really no surprise that Miss Banks, with all due respect, a pioneer is modeling sure, but Journalism is simply not her thing - I don't think she has an ounce of subjectivity in her body, as she does nothing but center around herself. Does she have a clothing line by the way? If she does, maybe it'll give the show more substance - well, not maybe but it definitely will. There is a big difference between the people who come up with the ideas for the clothes and the people who just wear them and look pretty. This should be interesting. Additionally, "Pretty Boy" Floyd aka "Money" Mayweather is expanding his empire and his influence beyond the ring, as he always has, by combining a list of stars to participate in his upcoming "Mayweather Experience" festival next weekend in Grand Rapids, MI. On hand, Floyd will have Jadakiss, Styles, Swizz Beatz, and Soulja Boy, Kid Capri, and Shuana for his "King of the Ring" freestyle battle to be judged by the celebrities (let's just hope Soulja Boy isn't a judge) on the first day. The winner will win $10,000 and a possible record deal. On the second day, "Money May" will be having a basketball game that will feature Jadakiss, Bow Wow (who apparently got in a fight with security guards at his concert with Chris Brown - funny for a dude that ran from Toure of BET), Lloyd, Keyshia Cole, Chili, and Christina Milian. On the final day of the festivities, Mayweather will have Cedric the Entertainer on hand for a comedy show. Get your tickets at ticketmaster.com. And, expect a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya in September. Finally and most importantly, IF YOUR STATE IS PARTICIPATING IN THE SUPER TUESDAY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES ON FEBRUARY 5TH, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE!!! Soon come.

John Edwards Waves the White Flag

I've always liked John Edwards, he's a very sensible guy, down to earth, genuine, and it seems like he doesn't lie TOO much, for politicians standards anyway. His wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2007 and he still trucked on - it was a dream of both of theirs. He is a good guy. But having placed second in the Iowa Caucuses was the high point for his 2008 Presidential bid, and hence, Senator Edwards has now quit the 2008 race for Democratic Nominee. Leaving ALL of the attention (before it was just most) on Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama. I always said that in order for us to see Sen. Obama as President, he and John Edwards would have to join together on a ticket because Obama can't do it alone, just yet. Maybe there is chance for that now that he dropped out of the Presidential race, it would be smart for Sen. Obama to hop on that and have a little chat with Edwards about "an agent of change," we should expect something along those lines, Sen. Obama is a remarkably smart man with great charisma and speaking abilities. According to various news outlets, his decision to drop out of the race came shortly after a very disappointing and disheartening third place finish in his own state's primary of South Carolina. Sen. Obama won South Carolina convincingly with 55% of the votes - about 44% coming from Blacks, leaving only 11% from other voters. Sen. Edwards' presidential bid was committed to ending poverty and increasing housing development - he immediately went to work with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans. Edwards is truly a great man, who did all he could to give a voice to the working and middle classes - people who really do feel irrelevant in this country, as if they have no voice because of the tradition of this country, especially when it comes to voting. That simple fact makes Edwards and Obama a hot ticket - because they are compatible in that aspect. Yesterday, Sen. Clinton won 50% of votes for Democrats in Florida, a state full of old retirees - a dominating win that isn't getting too much attention because no delegates were awarded, but both the South Carolina and Florida primaries prove how imperative winning the southern states, which are traditionally "red" or republican states, really is. Not that anything is wrong with Sen. Clinton, but recent reports have been accurate, her bitterness in the attack of her fellow democrats have overshadowed her actual stance on some issues. Additionally, Bill stepped into the spotlight for the previous two weeks and it seemed like he was doing her battles for her. Both Democrats have the opportunity and the potential to not only make history but to CHANGE history, which is really what we need right now, the last thing we need is another Republican President, most of the candidates are referring to Ronald Reagan as a "hero." No explanation needed for the young and old in minority communities or those who are "working class" to know who he really was or what he really did to our communities. By the way, former NYC mayor Rudy Guliani dropped out of the race, too - no surprise there.