By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

July 3, 2009 – The first family will celebrate the Fourth of July on the South Lawn of the White House with a barbecue, fireworks and 1,200 military families.

The White House event will honor military heroes and their families and the invited guest will enjoy a barbecue on the South Lawn and an evening concluding with fireworks.

Entertainment will be provided by the Marine Band and the president will deliver brief remarks. 
 
This week the president delivered some tough talk to keep his agenda on track.    He kicked off the week pressing for healthcare reform with a town hall meeting, tried to ease fears over the  26 year high unemployment numbers, and wrapped up the week prepping for his trip to Russia, Italy and Ghana.

The president also made his first public statement regarding Michael Jackson to The Associated Press.  Obama said he has Jackson songs on his iPod and is glad to see that the entertainer is being remembered for “the great joy” that he brought to people with his extraordinary gifts. But he said that brilliance was paired with a tragic and sad personal life.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

July 2, 2009 – Next week President Obama and the first lady will travel to Russia, Italy and Ghana where they will meet, greet, and dine with heads of state and deliver a series of addresses laying out his foreign policy. 

The White House offered up a preview of the trip that will begin July 6 in Moscow and end with a tour of the capitol of Ghana and a speech on development and democracy. 

The overall reaching goal for this trip will be to focus on economic, political, and global issues important to the United States and members of the G-8.  Some of those issues include climate control, non-proliferation, and assessments of the global economic climate.

 Obama wants to “reset relations” with Russia his aids say and hopes to emerge from a Moscow summit with progress toward reducing both nations’ nuclear arsenals and changing the way the Russian people view the United States.

In Russia, Italy and Ghana the president is expected to talk about a large range of issues including climate change, international trading systems and food safety.  Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs Michelle Gavin said it’s important Africa is also at the table.  

Africa needs to be “integrated in global and foreign policy,” Gavin said.  Ghana is important to this trip she said because the country has demonstrated strong governance, economic development and stability.  She praised their last election where “power transferred peacefully,” she said.

The president and First Lady Michelle Obama will arrive in Ghana on July 11 and will tour the capitol city Accra.  Obama will meet with the President John Agyekum Kufuor and is expected to deliver a speech highlighting the country’s improvement in over-all governance.

By Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)

I got tested.  President Obama and the First Lady got tested.  Did you?

National HIV Testing Day was June 27th, and I wanted to lead by example to encourage others to get tested.

Testing is easy and painless – it can be done by a simple swab inside your cheek, without a needle or blood – and you can get your results back in half an hour.

I encourage all Americans to get tested for HIV and educate themselves about the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) more than one million Americans are living with HIV/AIDS — and more than one out of five people living with HIV do not know they are infected. 

HIV/AIDS affects men and women of all races and ethnicities. 

However, Blacks and other minorities however are disproportionately impacted by the epidemic.  Combined, minorities represent 67% of new HIV infections, 71% of new AIDS cases and 67% of people living with HIV/AIDS.

One out of two Blacks living with HIV is unaware of being infected.  This means the disease is not detected until it has advanced.

That is why getting tested and learning your HIV status is extremely important.  Those who test positive can begin to get lifesaving medicine and prevent spreading the virus to loved ones.  Those who test negative can continue to take steps to protect themselves from infection.  In any case, knowledge is power and knowing your HIV status allows you to make informed decisions.

We need to increase the availability of HIV tests and encourage individuals to get tested so we can reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS. 

To encourage and enable more Americans to be tested for HIV, I have introduced the Routine HIV Screening Coverage Act (H.R. 2137).  This bill would require health insurance plans to cover routine HIV tests under the same terms and conditions as other routine health screenings.

As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1998, I spearheaded the establishment of the Minority AIDS Initiative, and I have continued efforts to expand it.  I sent a letter signed by a total of 53 Members of Congress, many of them my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus, to House leaders who make key funding decisions requesting that the Minority AIDS Initiative receive $610 million in fiscal year 2010.  This would be a considerable increase from the funding level of about $400 million per year during most of the Bush Administration.

The community-based organizations and health care providers who receive grants through the Minority AIDS Initiative have been effective in delivering HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs to minority communities in culturally and linguistically appropriate ways.  That is why we are seeing some encouraging signs. 

For example, the Kaiser Family Foundation reports that more Black Americans (68%) and Latinos (57%) than Whites (42%) have taken an HIV test. 

However, we still have a lot of work to do with regards to HIV/AIDS prevention, awareness and testing.
Many clinics, health care centers and community organizations provide testing, and in some cases the test is even free. 
To find a testing site near you, call 1-800-CDC-INFO ( 1-800-232-4636 ) or visit http://hivtest.org
“Take the test, take control.”
        Have you been tested for HIV?  What additional steps can we take to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS in our community?

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

June 29, 2009 – President Barack Obama sent a handwritten, private letter to the family of Michael Jackson over the weekend, expressing his condolences. 

Following the announcement Thursday of Jackson’s unexpected death, reporters pressed for a reaction from the commander-in-chief.  During Friday’s briefing,  White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters:  “I talked to him about it this morning.  Look, he said to me that obviously, Michael Jackson was a spectacular performer, a music icon.  I think everybody remembers hearing his songs, watching him moonwalk on television during Motown’s 25th anniversary.”

“But the President also said, look, he had — aspects of his life were sad and tragic.  And his condolences went out to the Jackson family and to fans that mourned his loss,” Gibbs added.

On Sunday, David Axelrod, senior adviser to the president told NBC’s Meet the Press; “the president has written the family and has shared his feelings with the family.”  

“The president obviously believes that he was an important and magnificent performer,” Axelrod said.  “Obviously, he led a sad life in many ways as well, but his impact is undeniable,” he said.

There are no plans for the president’s “private” letter of condolences to be released to the public.

While the investigation into the “King of Pop’s” death continues, Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson’s personal physician and the last man to see him alive, was interviewed by homicide detectives over the weekend.  While he has hired a high-powered attorney to represent him, investigators said he has been helpful filling in the last  hours of the singer’s life. 

Murray, a cardiologist, was living at Jackson’s home in Los Angeles when he suffered cardiac arrest.  The family has requested a second autopsy and is awaiting those results.   

The Jackson family has gathered at the family home in Encino, Calif., to start plans for MJ’s memorial and decide if it will be public or private.   The Jackson family patriarch Joseph released a statement saying, “In one of the darkest moments of our lives we find it hard to find the words appropriate to this sudden tragedy we all had to encounter.

“Our beloved son, brother and father of three children has gone so unexpectedly, in such a tragic way and much too soon. It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times.”

Tribute celebrations are already planned in Detroit and New York and more are expected around the world in addition to the family’s memorial in Los Angeles.

By Pamela Gentry, BET News

June 26, 2009 – The sudden death of Michael Jackson sadden me more than I expected.  As a native of Detroit, the pop star always reminded me of the early days in the music business and the tradition of great music from my hometown, the place where Motown began. 

Like everyone who ever saw Jackson perform live, the first experience is often the most memorable.  For me, it was in the late 1970s when he was still touring with his brothers.  Through the concert MJ broke away from the pack for several solo numbers and it was evident he was becoming a solo act right before our eyes. 

Jackson’s last performance in Detroit was in October of 1988, white glove and all, in The Palace of Auburn Hills, an arena just north of Detroit. During the  three-night stand on the singer’s “Bad” World Tour,  the sold out crowds were treated with a great concert and given a night to remember. 

As a native of the city that created the  Motown sound, I know Jackson was always a favorite there.  He had friends from the early Motown days like Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy who were his mentors.  The Jackson Five recorded at Hitsville USA on Detroit’s west side.   

With word of Jackson’s death on Thursday, mourners gathered outside of the Motown Museum to pay their respects at the passing of the pop legend.

I know the City of Detroit is mourning deeply because Jackson’s music was such a big part of the Motor City’s spirit and heart.  Founder of Motown, Gordy released the following statement:

“I am shocked beyond words. It’s like a dream - a bad dream. This cannot be! How can Michael Jackson not be here? As a kid, Michael was always beyond his years. He had a knowingness about him that was incredible.

When I first heard him sing Smokey’s song, “Who’s Lovin’ You” at 10 years old, it felt like he had lived the song for 50 years. Somehow, even at that first meeting with him, he had a hunger to learn, a hunger to be the best and was willing to work as hard and as long as it took.

I had no concern about his ability to go to the top. He was like my son. He had warmth, sensitivity and two personalities.

When he was not on stage, he was loving, respectful and shy. When he WAS on stage, he was so in charge you would not believe he was the same person.

Michael was and will remain one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived.

He was exceptional, artistic and original. He gave the world his heart and soul through his music.

I extend my sympathies to Joe, Katherine and the entire Jackson family. My prayers are with them.

Berry Gordy “

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

June 23, 2009 – The president delivered his priorities to a packed White House briefing room Tuesday when the press event was moved from the Rose Garden.  But the cramped quarters didn’t stop reporters from grilling the president on Iran, healthcare reform, unemployment and his on-again-off- again smoking habit.

 Here are a few highlights from the news conference, beginning with unemployment: 

Obama was reminded that his administration had predicted in January unemployment would rise no higher than 8 percent with the help of $787 billion stimulus package. Now that it has exceeded that mark and is at 9.4 percent Obama was asked would another stimulus be needed.

“At that point, nobody understood what the depths of this recession were going to look like,” Obama said. “If you recall, it was only significantly later that we suddenly get a report that the economy had tanked. And so it’s not surprising, then, that we missed the mark in terms of our estimates of where unemployment would go.”

The president said it’s not time to start talking about another stimulus until they determine “how effective the first stimulus is.”

On Iran, the president delivered stronger language against the recent crack down on protestors following the election.  But he delivered an even stronger smack down to his Republican critics when asked if his recent tough talk was influenced by pressure from Republicans like Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John McCain(R-Ariz.).  Obama smiled and scoffed: “What do you think?”  Following up that his critics are free to say what they like: “Only I’m the president of the United States.”

The president suggested Iran’s leaders will face consequences if they continue “the threats, the beatings and imprisonments” against protesters but stopped short of saying what they might be. Leaving room to keep his options open, the president said, “We don’t know yet how this thing is going to play out.”

 ”It is not too late for the Iranian government to recognize that there is a peaceful path that will lead to stability and legitimacy and prosperity for the Iranian people. We hope they take it.”

While Iran dominated the questions, health care was a close second.  The president said the work in Congress on a health care bill is underway and he has been clear about the overall objective.  “We have not drawn lines in the sand other than reform has to control costs and that it has to provide relief to people who don’t have health insurance or are underinsured.”

Is the president still smoking?  “I would say I’m 95 percent cured, but there are times where I mess up,” Obama admitted.

On Monday the president signed an anti-smoking bill into law, and told reporters, “The new law is not about me. It’s about the next generation of kids coming up.”

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

June 23, 2009 – President Barack Obama has scheduled his first Rose Garden news conference for Tuesday marking his fourth face-to-face with the Washington press in his nearly six months in office.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told us at Monday’s briefing the president would open with remarks on health care, energy legislation and Iran’s disputed election.   

This news conference will be unlike the first three held in the East Room of the White House.  This would be the first time reporters will be given the opportunity for extended questioning of the president on a wide range of issues.

The president will most likely use this press conference to sure-up his popularity which in recent weeks has started to falter according to recent polls.  His numbers in a survey released Monday by Rasmussen are trending lower, of those surveyed 54 percent of voters say he doing a good job, a slip from over the last three months where he held an approval rating in the mid-60.   

 But that’s just one poll, others give the president a sizable approval rating, the lower numbers e appear to be with some Independents who are questioning the Administration’s deficit spending.

 Peter Hart, conducted a Wall St Journal/NBC survey this month, the pollster said the president quiet popular, “but there are a lot more thorns in [it]”.  Meaning folks are watching him more closely.  Even an  CBS /New York Times poll found that 52 percent vs. 41 percent of  voters surveyed want him to reduce the ballooning trillion-dollar annual federal deficits  rather than spending to stimulate the economy.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

June 22, 2009 - The First Lady Michelle Obama sent a special message this weekend telling folks to “celebrate responsible fatherhood and the men who’ve had the courage to step up,” including her father and her husband.

“My father, Frasier Robinson, was the rock of our family. Although he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early thirties, he was our provider, our champion and our hero,” she wrote.

While the president’s relationship with his father wasn’t the same, it still played a great influence on the type of father the president is today, she observed.  “Barack didn’t have my good fortune — his father left when he was just two years old. But he has always been determined to give our daughters what he never had, and he values being a good father more than any other accomplishment in his life.”

The president has written and spoken openly about his relationship with his father and the importance of fathers taking responsibility: his message this year was the same.

“In many ways, I came to understand the importance of fatherhood through its absence—both in my life and in the lives of others. I came to understand that the hole a man leaves when he abandons his responsibility to his children is one that no government can fill,” the president said.

“That is why we need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one.”

Mrs. Obama’s message on Sunday introducing her husband’s Father’s Day message continued the call for responsibility.  “So today, on this 100th anniversary of Father’s Day, take a moment to celebrate responsible fatherhood and the men who’ve had the courage to step up, be there for our families, and provide our children with the guidance, love and support they need to fulfill their dreams,” she said.

It was clear the “first parents” want to see more fathers take an active role in the lives of their children.  That message was delivered loud and clear.

But it may be a challenge for some fathers. According to a study by  Families and Living Arrangements: 2006 , there were 12.9 million one-parent families in 2006 — 10.4 million single-mother families and 2.5 million single-father families.  Among African Americans, 63 percent of households are headed by single-parents, almost double their White counterparts.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

June 22, 2009 – The Tennessee Democratic Party is still unhappy about what they call “a slap on the wrist” for Republican Senate staffer Sherri Goforth for her e-mail depicting President Obama in what was clearly “racist” context.  The e-mail was sent to her Republican colleagues but leaked to a local blogger.   

The e-mail titled as a “keepsake” and circulated by Gofoth feature photographs of all the presidents, except Obama, in the place for his photo was an entirely black box with two white eyes. 

Still outraged over the incident, Tennessee Dems decided to place a copy of the reprimand letter written to Goforth by her boss, Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Diane Black on their website.

If you would like to read the reprimand letter, click on this link.

This reprimand isn’t hard hitting, it gives Goforth more praise than criticism and almost sounds like a letter of recommendation.  

Do you think it’ goes far enough? 

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

June 18, 2009 – The racist and offensive behavior of members of the GOP is now becoming a daily occurrence and it makes you wonder if this is what they deem the priority; it clearly isn’t the plight of the faltering economy, job loss, and rising health care costs.

This is the e-mail distributed by GOP staffers.

The target now is President Obama.  Sherri Goforth, an executive assistant to Tennessee State Republican Caucus Chairwoman Diane Black, e-mailed a picture of all the U.S. presidents, except Obama, on a poster captioned “Historical Keepsake Photo.”  

Rather than a photo of Obama, the last space was entirely black except for two white eyes. 

While some folks are calling for Goforth to be fired – it appears she is only going to receive a verbal reprimand and note in her file.  Her actions aren’t that serious to her superiors and they undoubtedly feel it’s an acceptable insult to the commander in chief.     

Mike Turner, Tennessee House Democratic Caucus Chairman, described the e-mail apparently distributed to Republican legislative staffers as “racist humor.” 

“It’s irresponsible. It’s despicable to have that type of racist humor coming out of their (Republican) caucus,” he told reporters.

Goforth’s boss said she placed a written reprimand in Goforth’s personnel file and told her she could be fired if something similar occurs in the future.  Can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.

“Obviously this communication was done without my knowledge,” Black declared. “It absolutely does not reflect my beliefs.”  Well, that makes me feel a whole lot better, but it’s okay if your staff does it?

Above is a copy of the poster as it appeared on the blog, newscoma.com, which reproduced it from an e-mailed photo.

Late Thursday I was able to get a response from Leroy Coleman, the director of media affairs at the Republican National Committee, he told me: “That type of behavior is inexcusable and isn’t refective of  this party’s beliefs.”