LARRY HOGAN (R-MD) IS RE-ELECTED, DEFEATS BEN JEALOUS (D)

LARRY HOGAN (R-MD) IS RE-ELECTED, DEFEATS BEN JEALOUS (D):

JEALOUS WAITED TOO LATE TO GAIN MOMENTUM.

DEMS TRIED TO USE FAKE PROVISIONAL BALLOTS & FAKE SAME DAY VOTER REGISTRATION/ BALLOTS & STILL LOST.

WHETHER YOU LIKE HIM OR NOT, HOGAN WON THIS ELECTION FAIRLY.

CONGRATS


Post Sources: The Intercept, NY Times


***** WHY BEN JEALOUS LOST THE MARYLAND GOVERNOR’S RACE


LAST NIGHT, BEN JEALOUS, the Democratic candidate for governor in Maryland, lost his race to incumbent Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, 56 percent to 43 percent.

Jealous would have been Maryland’s first African-American governor and was running on one of the most left-wing policy platforms in the country,

Although polls had been showing Hogan with a significant lead for months, progressives hoped a strong blue wave on Election Day could bring about a major upset. After all, Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 2-1 ratio in Maryland.

But Jealous didn’t lose because he ran on issues like “Medicare for All,” a $15 minimum wage, and legalizing marijuana. In fact, voters in Maryland largely agree with Jealous on his signature policy issues.

A Goucher College survey released in mid-September found that 54 percent of Maryland residents hold a favorable opinion on “Medicare for All” or single-payer health care, with 33 percent holding an unfavorable view. Support for other key parts of Jealous’s plan polled even higher. Seventy-one percent of Marylanders support raising the statewide minimum wage to $15 dollars per hour, with just a quarter of residents against it.

This was actually a substantial jump from February, when Goucher found 66 percent of Marylanders supported the $15 minimum wage. On legalizing marijuana for recreational use, 62 percent of Maryland residents support it, with just one-third opposed.

A Hobbled Campaign

The primary reason Jealous lost is that his campaign couldn’t pull in the necessary funds to compete effectively. Despite winning 22 out of 24 counties in the state’s crowded Democratic primary, the Jealous campaign’s own internal polling revealed that as of July, one-third of Maryland voters, and one-quarter of the state’s Democratic voters, did not know who Jealous was. He had never run for office before, but had earned the teachers union’s endorsement in the primary, which many believe helped secure him his June victory.

Meanwhile, Hogan started out with a big fundraising advantage and a high approval rating. Although Jealous assumed he could turn things around after Labor Day, by then it was too late to change the narrative.

At the end of August, Hogan had $9.4 million to spend for his re-election campaign, compared to Jealous’s mere $385,000. And the gap never closed. In the final two weeks of the campaign, Hogan had almost 12 times more cash than Jealous, or $3.3 million to the Democrat’s $275,000. Few people wanted to donate to a race that seemed uncompetitive, which in turn made it even less competitive as the weeks went on.

While Hogan’s campaign and the Republican Governors Association have blasted negative ads against Jealousnonstop since July, Jealous’s campaign didn’t run its first TV ad until mid-September, and the Democratic Governors Association didn’t run their first ad against Hogan until late October. Jealous couldn’t afford to compete on television, or even really through mailers.

The Jealous campaign understood that it needed to invest more in on-the-ground organizing to make up for the complacency that gripped Democrats in 2014, when Hogan eked out his upset victory. So this year, 70 Democratic organizers were hired to work across the state, compared to 15 field organizers for the state’s Democrat-coordinated campaign in 2014.

But even Jealous supporters noted that his campaign was making it difficult to rally support for his team. On his campaign website, there was nowhere for supporters to order lawn signs, bumper stickers, or other paraphernalia to demonstrate support — unlike on Hogan’s website, where such ordinary purchases were made prominently visible and available. Supporters had to ask around to learn that they had to show up in person at a campaign office to get any swag. That information wasn’t even available on the website.

And while Democratic candidates across the country have been leaning on new media platforms like viral two-minute online-only campaign ads, the Jealous campaign relied predominantly on awkward and less popular tools like Facebook Live.

Lack of Endorsements

The Washington Post has been writing favorably about Hogan for years, so much so that a reader wrote a letter to the editor in June asking, “Seriously, has Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) changed his name? Apparently so, at least according to The Post. In nearly every reference to the governor, The Post’s writers insist on referencing him with a new first name of ‘popular,’ as in the popular Maryland governor.”

As a result, it was unsurprising when the Washington Post gave its endorsement to Hogan, praising him for having the “agility and sense to govern as a moderate — that disappearing breed of American politician.” The Post dismissed Jealous’s plans as mostly “politically unrealistic” and “unwise.” But more staggering was the Baltimore Sun, which endorsed Jealous in the primary but endorsed Hogan in the general election, despite literally acknowledging in its own endorsementthat Hogan’s “actions in office have too often treated [Baltimore] as an afterthought, if not with outright contempt.” (Hogan’s decision to cancel the Red Line light rail, a project that had been in the works for a decade and to which the federal government was going to contribute $900 million, was a disastrously cruel move for the long-neglected city.)

Outside Maryland, the national press was also largely uninterested in Jealous’s general election challenge, especially when compared to the attention paid to Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum, black candidates running to be Georgia’s and Florida’s first African-American governors, respectively. The Maryland race was deemed uncompetitive, and thus less exciting to cover.

During the primary, most of Maryland’s Democratic establishment lined up behind Rushern Baker, the outgoing county executive in Prince George’s County. (Kevin Kamenetz, the county executive for Baltimore County was also a frontrunner, and had raised more money than other candidates in the primary, but he died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest six weeks before the election.)

After Jealous won, several dozen Maryland Democrats announced their support for Hogan, though most were older white men who hadn’t served in office for years. Others had received political appointments from the governor, or had records of supporting Republican candidates in the past.

Jealous did end up securing endorsements from the Democratic Party’s current elected officials, but some were much slower to voice their support, and many remained muted in their enthusiasm. The long-serving state Senate president, Mike Miller, was a prime example. He was guarded in his support for Jealous, while being enthusiastic in his praise for Hogan’s work. Ike Leggett, the outgoing executive of affluent Montgomery County, at first withheld his endorsement of Jealous over tax issues that he said would hurt his wealthy constituents. When he finally did endorse Jealous in in mid-October, he did so in the world’s most half-hearted way. When the Washington Post asked him if Jealous would be a better governor than Hogan, Leggett declined to say yes. “That’s a good question,” he said. “I’m simply for the Democratic nominee.” About 45 percent of Montgomery County ended up voting for Hogan.

It’s unlikely that vocal enthusiasm from Leggett and Miller could have really changed Jealous’s fundraising numbers in a substantial way, but they certainly didn’t help.

Jealous also tamped down enthusiasm from some otherwise natural allies. Despite running on one of the most progressive platforms in the country, he didn’t even try to court some of the newly established Democratic Socialists of America chapters or get their endorsements. He also upset a lot of leftists over the summer, when he disavowed socialism in a way that not even Barack Obama did during the eight years he was blasted for being on the left. After Hogan called Jealous a “far-left socialist” in an interview, a different reporter followed up by asking Jealous if he identified as a socialist. Jealous responded, “Are you fucking kidding me?” The Republican Governors Association funded a TV ad this summer that featured Jealous saying, “Go ahead, call me a socialist,” cutting off the rest of his sentence, in which he went on to say, “It doesn’t change the fact that I’m a venture capitalist.” The Jealous campaign demanded that local stations pull the ad for being false and too misleading.

Larry Hogan Was a Better Campaigner

Hogan’s schtick of acting moderate was largely successful, in part due to the light press coverage his administration has received over the past four years. Over the summer, for example, he earned glowing national headlines by recalling Maryland’s four National Guard troops from the southern U.S. border — thus appearing to be someone willing to stand up to Trump and his family separation policy — but his actual record on immigration was far more hostile and overlooked. Hogan also moved to the left when he felt he needed to politically: In July, he announced a new student debt relief plan and announced he would no longer take donations or an endorsement from the National Rifle Association. In 2014, he took the gun lobby’s money and endorsement, and also received an A- rating.

It also helped that while Maryland voters are generally Democratic, they’re not always very progressive. Fifty-six percent of Marylanders think their state taxes are “too high,” and Hogan spent the bulk of his campaign emphasizing that he’d continue to cut taxes and that Jealous would significantly raise them. While the Jealous campaign was banking on major turnout in the city of Baltimore to push him over the edge, in the end, nearly one-third of Baltimore went for Hogan, up from 22 percent in 2014.

In the Maryland legislature, however, Democrats maintained their veto-proof majority. Republicans had targeted eight Democratic seats and hoped to flip five, but failed. Baltimore’s three largest suburban counties will now also be led by Democrats, with Anne Arundel and Howard counties flipping blue.

NORTH CAROLINA LEADERS DISCOURAGE BLACK STUDENTS FROM ENGAGING IN PEACEFUL FERGUSON PROTESTS (KKK & THE NAACP)

#NorthCarolina

BLACK COLLEGE STUDENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA DISCOURAGED FROM ENGAGING IN PEACEFUL PROTESTS TO SUPPORT FERGUSON:

THE KLAN & SCARED BLACK LEADERS KEEP A TIGHT LOCK ON BLACK PEOPLE IN NORTH CAROLINA.

NORTH CAROLINA IS STILL RULED BY THE KLU KLUX KLAN.

As Hundreds of Thousand of Young People engaged in Nationwide Peaceful Protests Monday night and Tuesday to show Solidarity and support for FERGUSON.........

In NORTH CAROLINA you only heard Crickets.

Crickets and the voice of a North Carolina NAACP President
(Dr William Barber).

BLACK College Students in NC were basically Discouraged from engaging in Peaceful Protests as a public show of Solidarity for FERGUSON.

You see in NORTH CAROLINA the KKK still Controls every facet of State and Local Government entities.

You see in NORTH CAROLINA the KKK also Controls BLACK Leaders.

In fact there are some areas of NORTH CAROLINA that no BLACK Human Being would dare to venture.

Especially at night because they may go missing, or they might be LYNCHED!

Wait a minute!

Is this NORTH CAROLINA in the 19th Century or the 21st Century??

I am indeed referring to 21st Century NORTH CAROLINA!

The BLACK Leaders in this region don't want to admit it because they are SCARED and ASHAMED, but it's 100% TRUE!

Whenever BLACK People want to Peacefully Protest in this State it is Only allowed for POLITICAL reasons, such as the "Moral Mondays" Protests.

The NAACP-led "Moral Mondays" Protests conducted earlier this year, were used to help U.S. Senator KAY HAGAN maintain her seat in Congress.

Well this Political tactic backfired and HAGAN lost to her GOP Opponent THOM TILLIS.

So other than for POLITICAL reasons, BLACK Citizens in NORTH CAROLINA are NOT allowed to engage in Peaceful Protests.

Especially in the Cities of CHARLOTTE.......DURHAM.......and GREENSBORO.

GREENSBORO is the North Carolina KLAN Headquarters location.

While CHARLOTTE and DURHAM are Centuries old safe havens for the KLAN.

Whenever BLACK People in NORTH CAROLINA attempt to rise up and Speak up for their U.S. CONSTITUTIONAL Rights, the WHITE Leaders in North Carolina call on NAACP Leaders to Shut us down!

Or the WHITE Leaders in North Carolina call on NAACP Leaders to Slander us........BLACK List us and Label us as "CRAZY" & "Troublemakers".

Thus I repeat..........

BLACK COLLEGE STUDENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA NOT ALLOWED TO JOIN IN PEACEFUL FERGUSON PROTESTS:

THE KLAN & SCARED BLACK LEADERS KEEP A TIGHT LOCK ON BLACK PEOPLE IN NORTH CAROLINA.

NORTH CAROLINA IS STILL RULED BY THE KLU KLUX KLAN.

Article Sources: Russia Today; WRAL; Youtube

ARTICLE: "NCCU Students Have Subdued Reaction To Ferguson Decision"

For the dozens of students gathered at N.C. Central University Monday night to watch the Ferguson grand jury announcement, they already had a sense of what the decision would be.

When it was announced that the grand jury will not indict Ferguson, Mo. police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, their reaction was subdued.

"I don't think any of this was ever set up to bring an indictment," said Jordan Perry, a NCCU junior who watched the announcement in the school’s James E. Shepard Memorial Library. "We can tell just from the delays that have been going on. I think everybody kinda already knew. We were just kinda holding on to a scrap of hope that maybe something positive would happen but I think we already knew.”

Fabiola Doissaint, a NCCU sophomore, didn't agree with the verdict.

"I just feel bad for Ferguson right now," she said. "To me, this seems unrealistic to me. This is crazy right now. Ferguson will not sleep tonight."

The grand jury's decision was announced by St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch shortly after 9 p.m. Monday.

"Our only goal was that our investigations would be thorough and complete to give to the grand jury, the (U.S.) Department of Justice and public all the evidence to make a fair decision," McCulloch said.

President Barack Obama, who spoke from The White House following the announcement, said disagreement is expected, no matter the grand jury's decision.

"We are a nation built on the rule of law," he said during a live media briefing. "And so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury's to make. There are Americans who agree with it and Americans who are deeply disappointed, even angry. It's an understandable reaction."

Obama urged protesters to do so peacefully.

“Let me repeat Michael’s father’s words, hurting others or destroying property is not the answer," he said. "No matter what the grand jury decides, I don’t want my son’s death to be in vain. I want it to lead to incredible change, positive change. Change that makes the St. Louis area better for everyone.”

The anticipation of possible protests led Ferguson school officials to cancel school on Tuesday.

Several vigils and protests are planned across the Triangle and throughout the country on Tuesday. N.C. NAACP President William Barber, who has traveled to Ferguson and met with community leaders there, will share his reaction during a news conference Tuesday morning.

A vigil will be held at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Ferguson protests made international headlines for weeks following the Aug. 9 confrontation between Wilson and Brown, which inflamed tensions between the city’s majority black residents and majority white police force.

During the initial protests, local law enforcement – dressed in riot gear and carrying militarized weapons and vehicles – were criticized for what some perceived was a heavy-handed response, prompting the Missouri State Highway Patrol to oversee police efforts. The Missouri National Guard were also called in to help quell the riots and violence.

Locally, the Ferguson protests were a reminder of the multiple marches after the death of Jesus Huerta, 17, who died in November 2013 after shooting himself while handcuffed in the back of a Durham police car. The marches resulted in multiple arrests and damage to police cars and a police building.

Hundreds attended peaceful Ferguson protests and marches in Durham and Raleigh in August.

Wilson, the police officer, encountered Brown when he told the teenager and another person walking in the street with him to move out of the roadway, according to Brown’s autopsy report from the St. Louis County Medical Examiner's Office.

“The deceased became belligerent towards Officer Wilson,” the report said. “As Officer Wilson attempted to exit out of his patrol vehicle, the deceased pushed his door shut and began to struggle with Officer Wilson. Officer Wilson had his service weapon drawn, as the deceased began to run towards him, he discharged his service weapon several times.”

Witnesses said Brown, who was shot six times, was killed while his hands were up, or while he was running away.

The claim led to the protest slogan “hands up, don’t shoot,” which was echoed across the country. During an August protest in Durham, attendees raised their arms in the air and held signs that read “don’t shoot.”

Days later in Raleigh, about 70 people chanted “hands up, don’t shoot” and held their arms in the air while marching on the sidewalk from the old Wake County courthouse to the state Supreme Court building.

The shooting also prompted a federal civil rights investigation. U.S. Department of Justice officials said civil rights charges against Wilson are unlikely, according to The Washington Post.

Wilson faced potential charges that ranged from second-degree involuntary manslaughter, punishable by up to four years in prison, to first-degree murder.


ARTICLE: "NC NAACP: Michael Brown's Family Didn't Have Advocate"

Leaders of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP responded Tuesday morning to a St. Louis County grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, saying the decision was an "indictment and a charge against a system that is not willing to fully address the racial and discriminatory flaws that exist."

Speaking at a 10 a.m. news conference, NAACP President William Barber railed against a judicial system that he says perpetuates discrimination and the criminalization of black men.

"It's an indictment on a district attorney who was elected to be an advocate for the people and the search of truth as opposed to an advocate for the perpetrator," Barber said of the decision not to indict Wilson. "Mike Brown's family did not have an advocate in the secret rooms of the grand jury."

Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said the jury of nine whites and three blacks met on 25 separate days over three months, hearing more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses, including three medical examiners and experts on blood, toxicology and firearms.

"They are the only people that have heard and examined every witness and every piece of evidence," McCullough said, adding that the jurors "poured their hearts and soul into this process."

After the announcement that Wilson would not be charged, violence erupted in the streets of St. Louis County. There were 61 arrests in Ferguson overnight, many for burglary and trespassing, and there were 21 more arrests in St. Louis, where protestors broke some store windows.

At least 14 people were injured during the violent night.

At Tuesday's news conference in Raleigh, Barber cautioned journalists in attendance about how they cover the protests.

"There is something underneath the protests. We have to deal with the fact, and we have to put this front and center," he said. "The reality of racial injustice in our system are not figments of people's imaginations. America cannot ignore the cry, the pain, the hurt."

Barber also called for reforms to the justice system that he said gives police officers "too much power." He said the NAACP and other civil rights groups are asking for reforms that will stop police abuse and require mandatory training on racial bias and the use of force. Barber also said every police officer should be required to wear cameras on their bodies to record every encounter with a civilian.

"A police officer is the only one I know that can knock on my door, hand a piece of paper to me and take my son out of my house in handcuffs and I don't do everything I can to stop him," he said. "That's power."

LENNON LEE LACY - Was He Lynched By The North Carolina Klu Klux Klan?? It Was Not Suicide!

Was 17 yr old LENNON LEE LACY Lynched last Summer by the NORTH CAROLINA Klu Klux Klan??

LENNON'S Death was Not due to "SUICIDE".

Instead it was a 21st Century LYNCHING!

Although it's the year 2014, please note that Klan activity in NORTH CAROLINA is once again on the rise.

Although it's the year 2014, please note that NORTH CAROLINA remains one of the most RACIST States in the United States, equally comparable in RACISM to FERGUSON, Missouri!

Although it's the year 2014, please note that Klan activity in NORTH CAROLINA is once again on the rise.

Although it's the year 2014, please note that NORTH CAROLINA remains one of the most RACIST States in the United States, equally comparable in RACISM to FERGUSON, Missouri!

The OBAMA Admin doesn't care because the OBAMA Admin only cares about BLACK People when it is time for another Election.

Especially Not BLACK Boys and BLACK Men!

ERIC HOLDER sincerely cared about BLACK People in America, however the rest of OBAMA'S Admin doesn't really give a D_ _ N!

Article Source below: WRAL


NORTH CAROLINA NAACP WANTS FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO BLACK TEEN'S HANGING DEATH:

The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP is calling for a Federal investigation into what it believes is the "race-based homicide" of a black 17-year-old Bladen County boy who was found hanging from a swing set this past summer.

Investigators ruled the death of Lennon Lee Lacy – found Aug. 29 on a playground in Bladenboro – a suicide, but Lacy's family and the NAACP are questioning the police investigation, saying detectives rushed to reach a conclusion and did not fully investigate all possible leads.

"What has concerned the family and us is the local authorities' seemingly impatient desire for easy answers," state NAACP President Rev. William Barber told reporters at a news conference in Raleigh Tuesday. "Questions remain."

Barber said he met with U.S. Attorney Thomas Walker for nearly 90 minutes Tuesday and that Walker said he will "thoroughly review" the request to determine if and how the U.S. Department of Justice should be involved.

Bladen County's district attorney, Jon David, defended the local investigation in a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying a preliminary review found that "it appears to be detailed, thorough and professional" and that both the State Bureau of Investigation and Bladenboro Police Department "have my office's absolute confidence."

"My office and the investigating agencies have been, and remain, receptive to reviewing any and all information that would shed light on the circumstances surrounding Lacy's death," David said.

"In a show of transparency, we welcome federal investigators to review our file and join in the investigation if they so choose," David added. "At this point, my office has not been presented with any evidence to suggest that there was any foul play in the death of Lennon Lacy."

Lacy's mother, Claudia Lacy, spoke at Tuesday's news conference, saying that she's willing to accept the findings that her son killed himself but only after a more comprehensive investigation addresses other leads and information that haven't been thoroughly reviewed.

"God has prepared me for all things," she said. "With His grace and mercy, I've come this far. He's not going to leave me now."

Barber declined to comment on what information an independent review of the case has turned up but said his organization could release more details this week.

"There are facts that we can't talk about at this press conference," he said. "This is serious business, and we've asked the federal government and the FBI to come in."

Claudia Lacy said that her son, a junior and varsity football player at West Bladen High School, had goals for the future and had been excited about his first game of the school year after being sidelined for a season to work on his grades.

He had been grieving the recent passing of an uncle, and Claudia Lacy told investigators that he had been depressed.

But Barber said it was a word that she had used to describe his mourning and that Lennon Lacy had no history of mental illness and had never been diagnosed as clinically depressed.

The boy was found around 7:30 a.m. on the Friday of his first football game, wearing shoes that were two sizes too small. By the time his mother arrived, Barber said, her son's body had been placed in a body bag, and police had released the scene – a move also being criticized by the Lacy family's attorney, Heather Rattelade.

Guidelines and protocols on how to handle a possible crime scene weren't followed correctly in the case, Rattelade said.

"By 3:09 p.m., the lead investigator notified the medical examiner that he believed it was a Suicide," she said.

Pennsylvania's GOP Voter ID Laws Disenfranchises 750,000 People From Voting In 2012 (Voting Rights Law Violation!)

HELP RE-ELECT BARACK OBAMA IN 2012!

GET YOUR STATE-APPROVED ID CARDS NOW AND GO TO THE POLLS THIS NOVEMBER EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO CRAWL THERE!









Stringent voter ID law in Pa. could prevent 750,000 from Voting

New data released by Pennsylvania officials suggests that as many as 750,000 voters in the crucial battleground territory could be impacted by a stringent new voter ID law.
The law, passed this May ostensibly to prevent voter fraud, requires all voters in Pennsylvania to show a valid photo ID at the polls.

Among those acceptable forms of photo ID include a state-issued driver's license, a valid U.S. passport, a U.S. military ID, a government-issued employee ID, an ID card from an accredited Pennsylvania higher learning institution, or a photo ID card issued by a Pennsylvania care facility, such as an assisted living residence or personal care home.

According to the survey, 758,939 voters - 9.2 percent - could not be matched in state databases as having Pennsylvania driver's licenses, the most common form of photo ID in the state.

Of those 9.2 percent, about 22 percent - or 167,566 people - are categorized as "inactive" voters, according to the data. A person can be characterized as an "inactive" voter if he or she has not voted in five years and has not responded to a state inquiry about his or her current address. Federal and state law also mandate that an "inactive voter" be kept on the state registration list until he or she fails to vote in two consecutive general elections for federal office following the notification.

"Even though many voters identified in this comparison as not having PennDOT IDs are 'inactive voters', most of whom have not voted since 2007, we will err on the side of caution and include them in this mailing," said Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele in a statement released alongside the study.

Even if voters are classified as "inactive" with 100 percent accuracy, however, that leaves nearly 600,000 "active" voters who lack driver's licenses and may not be able to cast their votes on Election Day.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele had previously said that 99 percent of Pennsylvania voters had the photo ID they needed to vote this November.

The controversial legislation has come under particular scrutiny in the last few weeks after Republican Mike Turzai, Pennsylvania's House Majority Leader, suggested during a June Republican State Committee meeting that the legislation aimed to benefit Mitt Romney's electoral prospects this November.

"We are focused on making sure that we meet our obligations that we've talked about for years," Turzai said in June, listing off a litany of Republican accomplishments in the state, according to Politics PA. "Pro-Second Amendment? The Castle Doctrine, it's done. First pro-life legislation - abortion facility regulations - in 22 years, done. Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done."

The remarks inspired widespread criticism from Pennsylvania Democrats, who decried it as an admission that Republican legislators were attempting to disenfranchise Democratic voters.

The Pennsylvania Department of State, however, maintains that the law merely aims to deter people from voting illegally.

"We are committed to helping any eligible voter who does not have an acceptable ID get one to be able to vote in November," Aichele said. "We are continuing our outreach to get the word to voters about this law. The goal of this law is to allow every legal voter to cast a ballot, but detect and deter anyone attempting to vote illegally."


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Sources: ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, Youtube, Google Maps

NAACP & SCLC Lose 21st Century Relevance: Push Gay Rights Versus Enforcing Anti-Discrimination Laws In Workplace & Voting Booths

The NAACP & SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) are both Irrelevant in the 21st Century because these two "Civil Rights" Organizations have lost their Original Focus & Mission i.e., Fighting Racial Discrimination which is Still a Major Problem in the South.

The Strategy for Fighting against Racial Discrimination must Change, however the Focus on this issue should NEVER have been diverted.

NEVER!!!

Just because America now has a BLACK President does NOT mean Racial Discrimination in the Work Place has stopped.

Especially as it relates to Hiring & Firing.

High BLACK Unemployment for the last 3 Years is NOT due to Unqualified BLACK Applicants.

Instead it is largely due to Widespread Employment Discrimination as a result of Retaliation against the Election of a BLACK U.S. President.

Now here it is the year 2012 and many BLACK Supporters of Pres. Obama's Re-election campaign Can NOT Financially Support him because they are BROKE.

In addition those new Voter ID Laws will make it more Difficult for BLACK & Latino Obama Supporters to Cast Ballots for him in November.

Widespread Employment Discrimination & Voter Suppression are what the SCLC and NAACP should have been Focusing on for the past 3 years.

Instead they are pushing Gay Rights!

If the SCLC & NAACP wants to push Gay Rights why NOT do so After the 2012 Election when Pres. Obama's 2nd Term is Secure?

Its because of these reasons many BLACK U.S. Citizens No Longer see the Relevance for either of these supposedly "Civil Rights" Organizations.







Is Civil Rights Group losing its Relevance?


Whenever someone has lived a solid and productive life, the pastor at his or her funeral may turn to Matthew 25:21 to offer a few words the good Lord may utter as the person's spirit ascends to heaven: "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

In the pantheon of civil rights organizations, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference stands tall as one of the greatest groups ever to advance the cause of civil rights, helping bring the hatred and bigotry of Jim Crow to its knees.

From its marches and protests to its negotiations with political and business leaders and its efficient work with other civil rights groups, the SCLC's work has been legendary.

Yet 55 years after its co-founding by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it is an organization that makes headlines today more for infighting among members and the revolving door that its top leadership positions have become -- all while crucial social justice issues continue to fester for African-Americans and others.

Whether we want to admit it or not, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference has been devoid of a Christian spirit for a long time. It is leading nothing and doing nothing.

The fact that I'm writing these words may be painful to civil rights stalwarts (and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers of mine) like longtime activists the Rev. Joseph Lowery and the Rev. C.T. Vivian, but sometimes the truth hurts.

On Monday, the SCLC is set to announce that former CEO Charles Steele is returning to helm the organization he served as president from 2004 to 2009.

In the four years since he left, the SCLC has gone through four leaders, including the Rev. Bernice King, who, in a strange debacle, was chosen as CEO in 2010, but never assumed the post after a conflict with the board. Her cousin Isaac Farris, a nephew of Dr. King, was chosen to lead the group about a year ago, but he was replaced.
In the past several years we have seen split factions among the board, leading to competing board meetings; the doors to the headquarters being chained to keep others out; even arguments at board meetings where some members nearly came to blows.

This is nothing but drama, mess, childish antics or whatever you want to call it.

It is a severe stain on the life and legacy of King and the many others who stood with him during the darkest hours. When your group is known more for fighting among its leaders than fighting racism, sexism and inequality, you serve no real purpose.

One of Steele's accomplishments when he took over the first time was building the organization a national headquarters that the group owned.

He did so, debt-free -- but who cares about a building when an organization has no mission and no relevance? Who really cares if the organization's leaders proclaim a desire to be solvent when the SCLC has lost its soul?

I've meet Charles Steele and we've had many discussions.

He's an honorable man. But the issue here isn't who is the leader.

Instead, it's a group of people on the board of directors who aren't leading the group anywhere but further into the grave.

I'll be perfectly honest: The SCLC has been persona non grata on the media platforms I have that reach millions of African-Americans.

Booking someone from the group on my Sunday morning news show on a black cable network, TV One, or my daily news segment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, a syndicated radio show with a huge black audience, would be a waste of time.

Why am I going to waste valuable time advancing the latest initiative from the SCLC when it's likely to go nowhere due to constant infighting?

The list of issues the SCLC could be addressing is vast, from the scourge of inner-city violence that continues to take away another generation of black kids, to a high school dropout rate that is shameful.

If the SCLC wants to get back to basics and play a crucial role in the 21st century, Steele is going to have to rid the group of the spirit of dissension that is running through its veins.

He is going to have to show a new generation of pastors across the country that aligning with the SCLC has value other than raising their blood pressure.

As a Christian, I desire the best outcome for the SCLC. But frankly, I have no faith that the organization has put its past drama behind it.

And until it can prove to me and others that it wants to be taken seriously, the SCLC will be just like the Congress for Racial Equality or the now-defunct Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee -- groups that had their glory days during a different era, and saw them end.


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Sources: AOL, CNN, Huffington Post, The Grio, Wikipedia, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

Student Loan Debt Interest Rates Increased By Congress! BLACK College Students In Peril!

NOT WANTED!!! BLACK HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO WANT TO ATTEND COLLEGE!

Congress' Failure to Stop the Interest Rates on Current Student Loan Debt from rising to 6.8% in July, appears to be some kind of Political Strategy to Further Discourage BLACK Students from Attending College.

This includes BOTH Political Parties NOT just the GOP!

I could be Wrong but I believe Congress is attempting to Save that Federal Student Loan Money to Attract More Foreign College Students.

AKA Asian Students, Middle Eastern Students & Hispanic Students!

In other words BLACK People are being REPLACED!

Its Ok if BLACK People go to Prison but NOT to College because Prison is FREE Labor.

Is Ok for BLACK People to accept Low Wage Jobs but Don't Attend College and if you Do Attend College Don't Expect to find a High Wage paying Job.

This is what Congress & some 21st Century BLACK Leaders are attempting to make BLACK People Accept as their NEW Reality.

Politicians Don't Care If BLACK Students Attend College Because They
(Including Many BLACK Politicians) Only See Us As Dispensable, Low Wage, Stupid SLAVES Who Will Do As We Are Told.

Congress & some 21st Century BLACK Leaders wants the BLACK Community to believe there are NOT more BLACK in Jail than in College. They're LYING!

There ARE in FACT More BLACK Men in Jail then in College, I don't care how they try & cook the Numbers to dispel this FACT.

I've Been Warning Ya'll This Negative Stuff About The BLACK Community Was Coming, However Many Of You Have Labeled Me As Some Bitter, Angry Conspiracy Theorist.

Thus Many Of You Keep Ignoring The Obvious Handwriting On The Political Wall!

I am NOT an Angry, Bitter Conspiracy Theorist. I am just really Passionate about the Well Being of the American BLACK Community.

MOST Politicians Just Want The BLACK Vote But Plan To Do NOTHING For Us Other Than REPLACE Us!

They Don't Care About BLACK Voters!

They Just Want Our VOTES!

If BLACK People Attempt To Speak Up, Speak Out Or March Against Systemic Injustice, The Federal Gov't Will Send In The NAACP To Control Us Or Just Shut Us Up Like They Did Mayor Cory Booker.

Like it or not, Accept it or not but BLACK AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE BEING REPLACED.

Its time for the American BLACK Community to recognize that the 21st Century Democrats are NOT the Same Democrats as Bill Clinton & His Crew.

Bill Clinton did a Lot to help & Encourage BLACK Students to Attend Colleges & Universities.

Today's Democrats basically have an Anti-BLACK Agenda.

The Majority of today's current Student Loan Debt did NOT come from BLACK Students.

Instead it was created by WHITE & Foreign Students Studying to become Doctors, Attorneys & Engineers.

Now CONGRESS wants BLACK American College Students To Pay For It!

And if We do NOT Pay for it, the Feds will Confiscate Our Passports, Mess Up Our Credit Reports, Keep Us from Getting Decent JOBS, take our Homes, etc.,

In other Words, another form of FINANCIAL SLAVERY!

The American BLACK Community Must Continue To Pray, STAND & Speak Up About Injustice No Matter WHAT!

THROW THE BUMS OUT!

CONGRESS IS NOTHING MORE THAN A BUNCH OF CORRUPT, MONEY HUNGRY, CROOKS BEING PAID OFF BY LOBBYISTS!

THIS INCLUDES 99% OF BLACK CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS MEMBERS.

THROW THE BUMS OUT!






Senate fails to agree on student-loan-rate freeze

The Senate held two votes Thursday on measures to ensure that student loan rates for millions of college students do not double in July — and at the conclusion of the legislative action, the issue remained exactly where it began: stuck.

The measures, one offered by Democrats and the other by Republicans, each failed to reach the 60-vote threshold necessary to move forward, as the parties remain at loggerheads over how to pay for the $6 billion loan subsidy.

If they cannot resolve the dispute, loan rates will rise from 3.4 to 6.8 percent on July 1, increasing the cost of college for 7 million students.

Leaders in both parties have said they want to freeze rates for another year. President Obama has barnstormed college campuses arguing for lowered rates. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has said he agrees that Congress should extend the lower rates.

But as with many issues in Washington, agreeing on the end goal has so far not been enough to get a bipartisan bill.

Democrats have proposed paying for the additional year of loan subsidies by ending a tax provision that allows executives of some small businesses to collect some of their income as business profits instead of wages, allowing them to avoid paying payroll taxes.

Democrats say the provision is primarily used by professionals such as lawyers and consultants, and they sought to end its use by those making more than $250,000 a year.

Republicans said the Democrats’ proposal amounted to a tax increase on those best positioned create jobs in the sluggish economy. They also argued that payroll taxes are earmarked to fund Medicare, and any new revenue should go to the retiree-health program.

On a 51 to 43 vote, the measure failed to advance.

The Republican proposal would have paid for the loan-rate freeze by eliminating the preventative health-care fund created in the 2010 health-care act.Republicans call it a slush fund and have pointed to what they say are misuses in its spending. Democrats note that it funds HIV/AIDS screenings, obesity prevention and other key programs that could help bring down health-care costs.

The Senate Republican bill mirrored a measure adopted last month by the GOP-controlled House. Republicans called the House action a bipartisan vote and said their Senate colleagues should move forward with the bill. Thirteen House Democrats had joined 202 Republicans in supporting it.

The White House has said Obama would veto that bill if it advanced, but it failed to move ahead in the Senate on a 34 to 62 vote.

There had been no suspense over the outcome of the day’s votes in the Senate — they were staged largely so both sides could point to their own votes in favor of lowering rates while highlighting the opposition’s vote against it.

Democrats say the failure to find a compromise is a sign that Republicans do not actually want to freeze rates. Eliminating the health fund, they argue, is a poison pill that Republicans know Democrats can never support.

“The Republican proposal is paid for by stripping Americans of life-saving preventive health care,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). “The Democratic proposal is paid for by closing a loophole that allows wealthy Americans to dodge their taxes.”

Republicans countered that Democrats are more interested in finding a popular campaign issue for Obama than working out a solution to the loan issue.

“This problem could have been solved weeks ago,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said. “Democrats weren’t interested. They wanted a scapegoat more than a solution.”

McConnell called on Obama to become more involved in negotiations to find a resolution to the dispute. “As with so many pressing issues, the president has not led on this issue. He has campaigned on it but has not worked to actually fix it,” he said.

The Senate will be on a one-week recess next week for Memorial Day, while the House returns from a one-week break. The two chambers will likely turn their attention to attempting to negotiate a deal on the issue later in June.



Black College Students Will See Interest Rate for Subsidized Stafford Loans Double in July

A dangerous consequence of last year’s federal budget will begin July 1, 2012, and will have a devastating impact on African Americans who need the assistance of loans to attend college. Last year, when congress was trying to find ways to reduce the federal budget during the debt-ceiling debate, they left interest rates poised to increase July 1 for all government student loans.

This means that nearly eight million students nationwide who rely on subsidized loans to cover college costs would see the interest rate double from the current 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent as of July 1, if there is no change made to address this by Congress soon.

Moreover, to make things worse, student borrowing subsidized Stafford loans processed on or after July 1 will no longer receive the six-month grace period in which the government pays the interest.

This rate increase comes as part of a broader piece of legislation known as the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Also, a new problem will arise for graduate students enrolling in a program of study on or after July 1, since now they will no longer be eligible for subsidized Stafford loans. They will remain eligible for unsubsidized loans, which already carry an interest rate of 6.8 percent.

All of this add up to more debt for African American middle-class and low-income students who use the subsidized loans to pay for the ever- increasing price of university tuition and fees that used to be covered by Pell grants and other federal forms of student aid.

Now, students, in order to obtain these loans, must demonstrate financial need and meet income restrictions to receive them.

If the current rate is not stopped by congress, the average subsidized Stafford loan borrower would have an additional $2,800 in college debt over a 10-year repayment term. In addition, borrowers who assume the maximum $23,000 in subsidized loans will see the total of their interest inflate an additional $5,000 over a 10-year repayment period and $11,000 over 20 years.

Over the last 10 years alone, college loan debt has increased from $41 billion to $103 billion, according to a report released by the College Board. It now outpaces credit card debt in the United States, exceeding $1 trillion last year, according to the Wall Street Journal.


Sources: AP, Fox News, Rolling Out, Russia Today, Washington Post, Youtube

Ben Jealous Chokes On NAACP's Endorsement Of Gay Marriage; NAACP Does NOT Speak For All BLACKS!

NAACP president chokes up over support for marriage equality

NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous on Monday became emotional as he spoke to reporters about his organization’s decision to support marriage rights for LGBT couples.

“Our calling as an organization is to defend the U.S. Constitution,” Jealous told reporters during a press conference at the NAACP headquarters on Monday. “We are here to speak to matters of civil law and matters of civil rights.”

The NAACP president added that he wasn’t worried about a backlash from religious members of NAACP over support for marriage equality.

“I’ve spoken to many clergy who feel differently, different sides, different theologies, different doctrines. All are very clear that if this is a difference, it is a difference, not a division. If this is a contrast, it is a contrast, not a conflict.”

“To a one, they understand that they are a well…,” he said, pausing as he choked up.

“You have to excuse me,” Jealous explained, his voice trembling. “I’m a bit moved. My parents own marriage was against the law at the time and they had to return here to Baltimore after getting married in Washington, D.C. And the procession back was mistaken for a funeral procession because it was so quixotic to people to see all these cars with these headlights on, having to go from one city all the way to the next just so they could have a party after they got married in their own home. This is an important day.”

The NAACP announced on Saturday that it had passed a resolution affirming support for same sex marriage rights.

“At a meeting of the 103-year old civil rights group’s board of directors, the organization voted to support marriage equality as a continuation of its historic commitment to equal protection under the law,” a statement said.

The U.S. Supreme Court declared anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional in its 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision. By 2005, Stanford University sociologist Michael Rosenfeld determined that 7 percent of all marriages in the U.S. were interracial.


Sources: CNN, Fox News, Raw Story

Cory Booker "Nauseated!" Offers Constructive Criticism Then Walks It Back! EXCLUSION, GROUP THINK & The NAACP

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Cory Booker a Rising Star within the Democratic Party, Offered the Obama Campaign some Constructive Criticism regarding Pres. Obama's Re-election Campaign attacks against Romney over his Bain Capital Job Creation record then very quickly walked it back.

Why?

Mayor Booker does NOT want to be Excluded from Key Political Inner Circles.




Here is Cory Booker's Follow Up Video to his recent Appearance on NBC's "Meet The Press".
He walked back his Constructive Criticism for Pres. Obama's Re-election campaign regarding Romney's Bain Capital Jobs record REAL QUICK!

See what I mean.

Booker does NOT want to be Excluded from Key Political Inner Circles.

Unfortunately for Cory he can NOT take back what he said.

Going forward it will be interesting to see how Pres. Obama's People treats Booker going forward.

Let's see if Pres. Obama's Key Inner Circle Ostracizes & EXCLUDES Booker for simply offering another Helpful Political Perspective.




The 21st Century NAACP is NOT about REAL Civil Rights. Its about Controlling the Collective BLACK Community! i.e, GROUP THINK! STAY IN LINE!



The NAACP is a BLACK Greek Letter Political Organization. Its True Mission: Controlling the American BLACK Community!



‎"Surrounding Yourself w/ people who consistently Agree with You on EVERY issue, means One of us isn't Necessary."

What is the Distinct Difference between BLACK Unity vs Group Think?

Group Think philosophy is what Drives Most BLACK Greek Fraternities & Sororities.

But it requires REAL Courage to be willing to Think outside the Box, Think apart from a Group & Stand by Your Principles and Opinions regarding Important Issues.

Is it a Crime for BLACK People to Think as Individuals & use the Good Minds God Blessed us with?

Should BLACK People be allowed to offer Pres. Obama Constructive Political Criticism without being Banned, Blacklisted or Ostracized by Other BLACK People?

Absolutely!

To Disagree is NOT a demonstration of Hatred or Mental Illness. Its Just Life!

Isn't that Why GOD gave us a Brain & Mind to THINK Individually with?

In fact ALL Human Beings regardless of Ethnicity or Social Status, should all be able to Disagree Agreeably without Fear of being labeled a "Troublemaker" or Fear of Exclusion. i.e, Blacklisted!

This includes Pres. Obama who does NOT Need to consistently surround himself with "YES" folks.
Its Important for him to also hear Constructive Criticism.

This Morning on NBC's "Meet The Press" Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker offered some Constructive Criticism for Pres. Obama's Mostly WHITE Re-election Campaign Staff regarding their decision to Attack Mitt Romney's JOB Creation at Bain Capital.

While its True that All is Fair in Love, War & Politics,

I don't think its Wise for Pres. Obama's Re-election Campaign to Focus on Romney's Job Creation record at Bain when the U.S. Unemployment Rate has remained High for 3 Consecutive Years Straight.

Especially Unemployment within the BLACK Community!

Pres. Obama is a BLACK President and yet the BLACK Community's Unemployment Rate has lingered at 16 to 55% for 3 Years depending upon local Demographics.

Thus I agree with Cory Booker's analysis regarding attacking Romney on Creating Jobs.

And even though Romney's Massachusetts Job Creation record was No. 47 in the Nation, it doesn't really matter.

Why?

Because Massachusetts was NOT No. 47 for three consecutive Years in a row!

On the other hand America's Unemployment Rate HAS been High for three Consecutive Years in a row.

And Super High for the BLACK Community three years in a row.

I know that Pres. Obama DID in fact Inherit George W. Bush's Mess, nevertheless America's Unemployment Rate has been Extremely High for three Consecutive Years in a row.

That's NOT Good News for an Incumbent President seeking Re-election.

Mitt Romney is a Businessman who understands Business, that's his area of Expertise.

Romney is NOT a Politician!

He's a Businessman who knows how to make Money & knows how to Reform Businesses.

Just as it is in the Political world, sometimes Reform HURTS.

So Mayor Booker was simply looking out for Pres. Obama when he suggested that Obama's Mostly WHITE Re-election campaign staff think twice before attacking Romney's Job Creation while he was employed at Bain Capital.

Mayor Cory Booker says he is "Uneasy" regarding Democrats attacking Romney's JOBS Record at Bain. He's Right!

It Won't Work!

Romney is campaigning as a Successful Businessman NOT a Politician.

Romney's Mission at Bain Capital was to make MONEY for the company's Investor.

That's It!

Romney did that Very Well!

However immediately after Cory Booker Offered the Obama Campaign some Constructive Criticism then quickly walked it back.

Why?

He doesn't want to be Excluded from the Inner Circles.

i.e., Cory doesn't want to be Blacklisted. I understand. Its part of the Game.

Should BLACK People be allowed to offer Pres. Obama Constructive Political Criticism without being Banned, Blacklisted or Ostracized?

YES!

Isn't that Why GOD gave us a Brain & Mind to THINK Individually with?

Unfortunately the Mainstream Media does NOT want BLACK People to THINK for themselves.

They Prefer that BLACK Community All THINK Alike & Agree Alike on Every Issue.
i.e., Group Think!

Group Think makes the BLACK Community easier to Control.

Now you know why the Feds always Send in the NAACP to Calm us Down or Tells us what to Think about Every Situation.

And notice whenever a BLACK Human Being chooses NOT to "Fall In Line", He Or She is Banned, Blacklisted or Ostracized by the rest of the BLACK Community.

So I understand why Cory Booker felt he had to walk back his Constructive Political Criticism for Pres. Obama's Mostly WHITE Re-election Campaign Staff.

Yes I understand.




Group Think philosophy is what Drives Most BLACK Greek Fraternities & Sororities.



In many cases BLACK Greek Fraternities & Sororities Promotes Group Think Mentality within the BLACK Community.



What is the Distinct Difference between BLACK Unity vs Group Think?

BLACK Cal. State Students Kristin High & Kenitha Saafir Drowned while Pledging to become AKAs. Was it Worth it?

BLACK FAMU Student & Band Member Robert Champion lost his life to Hazing. Was it worth it?



Is the Gay Lifestyle promoted within some BLACK Greek Letter Organizations?



‎"Crossing Over" concludes the BLACK Greek Letter Organization Pledging Process. Where do they "Cross Over" to? What's the FINAL Destination?



Is it Possible to EVER really Leave or Denounce membership to a BLACK Greek Letter Organization?



Once again I ask does BLACK Greek Letter Organizations promote Group Think Mentality within the American BLACK Community?



Dying to Belong: Pledging to become an AKA Soror. IDOLATRY & HUMAN WORSHIP!



Are BLACK Greek Letter Organizations still Necessary for Survival as a BLACK Citizen living in the 21st Century or do they Discourage True Diversity & Unity with other Ethnic Groups?



What is the TRUE Agenda of BLACK Greek Letter Organizations? To Promote Group Think without Questioning Authority! i.e., SLAVERY!






Cory Booker’s Conscience Held Hostage, Day One

On Morning Joe, Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s subsequent video explaining that he has no real quarrel with the tactics and methods of the Obama campaign is compared to a “hostage tape.”

On Twitter this morning, I’ve been… extending the metaphor.

“One image says it all: The flag of the seal of Newark, being burned by angry crowd of Obama staffers outside Booker’s embassy gates…

Ever since Shah Daley left the Obama camp, there has been fear that the radical young students had taken over the movement… Analysts note that in his hostage tape, Booker blinks in Morse code, ‘MY CITY STILL NEEDS A THRIVING FINANCIAL SECTOR.’ …

A figure with ties to both the Obama camp and high finance, like Jon Corzine, may be permitted to visit Booker’s conscience in captivity….

The angry mob of Obama staffers is now chanting, “DOWN WITH THE GREAT LIEBERMAN,” an ancient figure associated with betrayal in their faith…

In an ominous development for the fate of Booker’s conscience, Ayatollah Axelrod has declared it guilty of “apostasy against our deity.” When Booker’s conscience called the Bain attacks “crap” and “nauseating”, he committed blasphemy under the strict orthodoxy of Obamism…

All across the country, candlelight vigils are beginning, with millions praying for the safe release of Cory Booker’s conscience.”




What Cory Booker finds 'nauseating'

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, widely considered a rising star in Democratic politics, raised quite a few eyebrows yesterday when he denounced criticism of Mitt Romney's work at Bain Capital.

On NBC's "Meet the Press," Booker said, "[F]rom a very personal level, I'm not about to sit here and indict private equity," adding he's "very uncomfortable with" the recent talk about Bain. Drawing a parallel between attacks on Jeremiah Wright and criticism of Romney's private-sector work, the mayor said, "[T]his kind of stuff is nauseating to me on both sides."

It was an unexpected, and rather confusing, argument. For one thing, I've seen no evidence of Democrats attacking private equity in general, but rather, criticizing Romney's specific tactics: orchestrating leveraged buyouts, loading up companies with large debts, flipping them quickly for large profits, and treating thousands of laid off workers as collateral damage. For another, Obama isn't running around saying, "Vote for me because I was a member of Wright's church," so comparing Bain criticism to The Ricketts Plan is misplaced.

As reports of Booker's comments spread -- Republicans were promoting them heavily -- the mayor felt the need to clarify matters in a YouTube clip.

It's hard to see this as anything but a reversal. Whereas on "Meet the Press," Booker said in no uncertain terms, "Stop attacking private equity," the mayor said in his clip, "Let me be clear: Mitt Romney has made his business record a centerpiece of his campaign. He's talked about himself as a job creator. And therefore it is reasonable -- and in fact I encourage it -- for the Obama campaign to examine that record and discuss it. I have no problem with that."

Apparently, upon further reflection, the scrutiny of Bain is less "nauseating" after all.

Booker added, "In fact, I believe that Mitt Romney, in many ways, is not being completely honest with his role and his record even while a businessperson, and is shaping it to serve his political interest -- and not necessary include all the facts of his time there."

The walk-back was no doubt welcome news at President Obama's campaign headquarters, but it may be a while before Booker lives this one down. The Newark mayor has been a popular Obama surrogate, but I suspect his role won't be as high profile going forward.

To be sure, plenty of Booker's constituents work in private equity, so it stands to reason he's going to defend the industry -- though the industry is not itself under attack -- but when the Republican National Committee can exploit the on-air comments of a rising Democratic star, after he undermined one of his own party's key election-year messages, it's easy to imagine Booker riding the bench for a while.

Incidentally, CNBC's Jim Cramer, who's generally not considered an Obama ally, also appeared on "Meet the Press" yesterday and said, "Romney's known as a job destroyer, not a creator.... I think Bain sticks. I think the idea that you bring in Bain, which is what happened in the '80s. They fire a lot of people and that's how they get prosperity for the rich."


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Sources: AP, CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, National Review, NBC, Twitter, Youtube, Google Maps

NAACP Backs Same-Sex Marriage While BLACK Unemployment Remains Extremely HIGH; They Don't Speak For ME!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I Don't know about YOU but the NAACP Does NOT Speak for the Entire American BLACK Community.

Perhaps back in the 1950's & 1960's But NOT in the 21st Century!

They Most Certainly Do NOT Speak for ME!

I Personally Do NOT Accept Gay Rights Or Gay Marriage as a Civil Rights Issue.

This Does NOT Mean That I HATE Gay People Because I Don't Hate Them.

I Can Love Gay People With The LOVE Of GOD While Choosing To Disapprove Of Their Gay Lifestyle, Of Which I Believe Is Nothing More Than A Personal Lifestyle Choice Versus Natural Genetics As Skin Color & Ethnicity Are.

Yes I Do Believe What God's Holy Word Says about Homosexuality.

He Condemned It! FOREVER!

Please Don't Argue Or Debate With ME Regarding GOD's Views On Homosexuality.

Instead Go Directly To GOD And Debate With Him!

If Anyone Thinks They Are More Intelligent Than GOD & Can Win A Debate Against GOD, Please Be My Guest And Step Up To Him.

I Can Assure You That The Lord GOD Almighty Will Always WIN!

GOD Will Always Have The LAST WORD! NOT Mankind Whom HE Created!

If Other People Within The 21st Century BLACK American Community Choose To Accept Gay Rights Or Gay Marriage As A Civil Right, That Is Their Choice.

I Respect Their Choice Even If I Do NOT Agree With Them.

If My Refusal To Accept Gay Rights Or Gay Marriage As A Civil Right Causes National 21st Century BLACK Leaders To Ostracize Me, Then I Will Just Pray For Those Leaders & Continue To Trust In GOD.

Jesus Christ Is My Lord & Savior.
He Is Also The Author & Finisher Of My Faith!
It Is In Him That I Live, Move & Have My Being.

I Personally Do NOT Accept Gay Rights Or Gay Marriage as a Civil Rights Issue.

Thank You For Respecting My Decision.


The NAACP Has Announced Its Support For Legalizing Gay Marriage In America.

Excuse Me But What About JOBS, Black-Owned Small Businesses, Quality Education, Protecting Voting Rights, Racial Profiling, Student Loan Debt, Reducing BLACK Recidivism & Affordable Housing?

I Don't Mean To Sound Redundant But I Would Like Someone To Please Logically Explain To Me How Legalizing Gay Marriage Is Going To Heal What Ails The Collective American BLACK Community?

Will Gay Marriage Lower the BLACK Community's Unemployment Rate??
For 3 Years it has hovered between 16 to 55% depending upon Demographics.
The BLACK U.S. Unemployment Rate fell to 13% in April. However the WHITE U.S. Unemployment Rate is 8.1%. Its Still Much Higher for BLACK Men. Up to 55% depending on Regional Demographics.

Will Gay Marriage Repeal GOP-Sponsored, 21st Century Jim Crow Voter ID Laws?
New Voter ID Laws threaten to Deny the Voting Rights of Millions of U.S. Citizens.

Will Gay Marriage Improve the Quality Of Public School Education for Millions of BLACK Children?
Many BLACK Students in the U.S. are Performing 30 Years Behind White Students!

Will Gay Marriage Reduce Recidivism In the American BLACK Community?
In case the NAACP has forgotten, there are currently more than 846,000 BLACK Men housed in U.S. Prisons like Slaves.
Included in those disturbing statistics are a growing number of BLACK Fathers & Their Sons Both being Sentenced for Crimes & Incarcerated at the SAME time!

Will Gay Marriage Increase the number of BLACK-Owned Businesses or Help BLACK-Owned Businesses to Expand so they can become Job Creators?
Many BLACK-Owned Businesses Lack the Capital to Expand. Less than 1% of Funding for BLACK-Owned Businesses was included in the Stimulus Bill.

Will Gay Marriage ease the Affordable Housing Crisis plaguing many BLACK Communities?
Or Help Prevent Foreclosures for Millions of BLACK Homeowners Hurt by the Wall Street Crash & Underwater Housing Crunch?
Many States are using Federal Funding allocated for Affordable Housing & Mortgage Assistance to plug Budget Deficits.
For Troubled BLACK Homeowners Hurt by the Wall Street Crash, its about to get Worse because of the BLACK Unemployment Crisis.

Will Gay Marriage help Hundreds of Thousands BLACK College Students/ Grads Burdened by Student Loan Debt?
Due to the High BLACK Unemployment Rate, many BLACK College Grads are experiencing great Financial Difficulty Repaying their High Interest Loans.

Will Gay Marriage End Racial Profiling In America For BLACK & Latino Men?
Especially in Large Metropolitan Regions like New York City.
Trayvon Martin's MURDER was a Direct Result of George Zimmerman's Racial Profiling.

YES The American BLACK Community is in Peril!
Even Young BLACK Children Learn At An Early Age That The American BLACK Community Is In TROUBLE.

So What's the NAACP's Solution?

Just Legalize Gay Marriage!

I guess JOBS, Black-Owned Small Businesses, Quality Education, Protecting Voting Rights, Racial Profiling, Student Loan Debt, Reducing BLACK Recidivism & Affordable Housing are NO longer on the NAACP's list of 21st Century Priorities.

Dear GOD Help Us!

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NIV):
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters, nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Leviticus 18:22 (KJV):
"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind it is abomination."

Leviticus 20:13:
"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

Romans 1:24-32:
"24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."






NAACP announces support of same-sex marriage, shoring up Obama's base

The NAACP announced Saturday the 103-year-old black civil rights group is supporting same-sex marriage.

The group's board of directors made the decision at a meeting this weekend, saying it was a "continuation of its historic commitment to equal protection under the law."

The decision follows President Obama's recent support of gay marriage, a move that threatened to divide key parts of the Democratic voting base -- the gay and black communities.

"The mission of the (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) has always been to ensure political, social and economic equality of all people," said Roslyn M. Brock, chairman of the board. "We have and will oppose efforts to codify discrimination into law."

Black religious leaders -- who traditionally have opposed same-sex marriage -- originally opposed the president's recent decision but appear to have softened their position in recent days.

Pastor Emmett Burns said on the Sunday following the president's May 9 announcement that he opposed the decision but this week reportedly said he would vote for Obama.

Burns, a delegate in the Maryland state legislature, was among the lawmakers who strongly opposed a same-sex marriage bill that passed in the Assembly this year.

He helped defeat the bill last year.

Conservatives think the issue could still split the president's base.

"He's on the wrong side of this issue," Deneen Barille, a black conservative told Fox News earlier this week.

"He's going against the values of black Americans voters. … He's splitting his base. He's going for the gay community versus the black community where he has thrown them under the bus."

However, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force hailed the NAACP's decision Saturday.

"This is truly a historic moment," the group said in a statement. "The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force could not be more thrilled."

This gay marriage issue marks the second time in the last year that a decision by the Obama administration has threatened to split the president's base.

The administration has withheld federal approval on the Keystone XL oil pipeline over environmental concerns.

The decision has pleased environmentalists but has upset some union members who say construction of the pipeline, from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast, would create thousands of jobs.

Should the administration grant the permits, Obama could arguably lose the environmental vote.

Democratic strategist Ben Tulchin said earlier this week the question of whether either issue will hurt the president's re-election efforts must be viewed in the context of the 2012 election cycle.

"Two years ago, with the president not having a named candidate, this might have been an issue," said Tulchin, president of the San Francisco-based Tulchin Research. "But is the president's base going to flock to Mitt Romney, absolutely not."

He said the Keystone issue further illustrates the point, considering that states run by Republicans are pushing anti-union legislation.

Democratic voters are saying "we have guys who are trying to protect union rights versus guys who are trying to screw workers."


Gay Marriage could be big voting issue in Colorado

Minutes after President Barack Obama endorsed gay marriage on May 9, Colorado's Democratic governor choked back tears as he ordered state lawmakers to reconsider a civil-unions measure defeated the day before by Republicans.

In the week that followed, the debate over equal rights for same-sex couples consumed the Capitol. Republicans succeeded in killing the measure, but lawmakers from both parties say the issue could play an important role in White House race in Colorado.

"Go back to your communities, go back to your neighborhoods, go back to your churches and let them know that the fight continues," Republican House Speaker Frank McNulty told gay-marriage opponents gathered outside the Capitol last Tuesday.

Colorado Democrats predict that their loyalists, as well as independents, will rally behind Obama, given his support of same-sex marriage.

"That will have a positive impact on the chances of the president being re-elected and winning Colorado in November," said Democratic Rep. Mark Ferrandino, a gay lawmaker who co-sponsored the civil unions legislation and said that its supporters would be "very active" in the fall on the issue.

Obama plans to give the commencement address Wednesday at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, before attending fundraisers in Denver.

Since 2008, equal rights for same-sex couples -- either through civil unions or gay marriage -- has flared in a few of the most contested presidential states.

Two of those, Iowa and New Hampshire, now recognize gay marriage.

North Carolina recently took the opposite stance, voting to strengthen its ban against gay marriage.

But the fight in Colorado has proved especially bitter, and feelings on both sides are raw.

So Republicans and Democrats are bracing for social issues such as gay marriage and civil unions to factor into voters' calculations about whether to back the Democratic incumbent or likely GOP nominee Mitt Romney, who opposes allowing gay people to get married.

The economy is certain to dominate the race in the state. Colorado's unemployment rate is 7.9 percent, lower than in some swing states and marginally lower than the national average of 8.1 percent. But with joblessness falling, social issue could well become more of an issue in voters' minds.

Colorado has nine electoral votes, and the state is evenly divided among registered Republicans, Democrats and independents.

Look no further than the state's evolution on same-sex partnerships as evidence of its swing nature.

Just six years ago, Coloradans overwhelmingly voted to change the state constitution to ban gay marriage after a campaign largely funded by Focus on the Family, a conservative group based in Colorado that's influential across the nation.

By this spring, though, there was enough bipartisan support in the state Legislature to approve civil unions. Yet GOP leaders twice used legislative maneuvers to stop same-sex recognition, most recently last Monday.

Republicans accused Gov. John Hickenlooper of taking marching orders from the White House by pushing the civil union measure in hopes of diverting attention from the sluggish economic recovery.

"Make no mistake about it," McNulty said. "It's absolutely clear to me that Gov. Hickenlooper is reading straight from President Obama's campaign playbook."
Democrats said Colorado Republicans filibustered equality.

Some conservatives insist that Obama's position on marriage will hurt him in Colorado.

"Six years is not a long time," said Carrie Gordon Earll of CitizenLink, the public policy arm of Focus on the Family. She was referring to the state passage of its gay marriage ban. "I would think a majority of voters would say, `That does not align with my views."'

Others counter that Colorado's views may be changing as quickly as the nation's.

Consider that a handful of Republicans in the House said they'd support civil unions, meaning the measure would have passed if GOP leaders hadn't maneuvered to prevent a vote.

Senate Democrats have passed civil unions two years in a row, both times joined by Republican women in the Senate.

Some Republicans fear that the GOP's civil unions stand in Colorado could harm the party with independent voters.

"The truth is we may have not only sacrificed our razor-thin House majority, but we also may have permanently impaired Republican prospects in Colorado at all levels, including for the presidential race," said Alexander Hornaday, president of Colorado Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights organization.

Then there are those who doubt the issue's potency come the fall. Among them is Kirk Fordham, the executive director of the Denver-based Gill Action Fund.

The political organization is funded by Tim Gill, a nationally prominent gay rights activist credited with helping fund a Democratic takeover of Colorado's legislature in 2005.

"By the time we get to November," Fordham predicted, "the attention will largely have shifted back to economic issues."



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