By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer
DETROIT (July 30, 2008) – In a city like Detroit, which is facing record unemployment rates, rapid home foreclosures and decreased city services, the last thing Motor City voters should consider is sending a rookie to Washington to watch their backs. But as the race for Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick’s seat heats up, it’s becoming clear that her troubled son, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, has opened the door for the longtime congresswoman’s rivals to overtake her in the race to Capitol Hill.

As a native Detroiter who has watched and waited for Motown’s comeback, I realize the only folks who have been able to come to the city’s rescue in recent years have been Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D) and the “Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus,” Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). 

So on Tuesday, when I read in The Detroit News that Kilpatrick is holding only a razor-thin lead over her two challengers, I was shocked.  Kilpatrick has represented the 13 Congressional District for six terms.  Still, according to a poll of voters in her district, she leads her opponents, former state Rep. Mary Waters, by 4 percent and state Sen. Martha Scott by 9 percent. 

The survey conducted by EPIC-MRA has an error margin of 5 points, so the incumbent has to be concerned.  I believe the closeness of the race is related to the problems her son, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, is facing.

The mayor is under indictment for perjury and other felony charges.
 While the Kilpatricks are related by blood, their political accomplishments or failures should not be lumped together.  Detroit can’t afford to lose the power and influence of a woman, only the second African-American woman and only Michigan Democrat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
  This appointment has given her the clout to secured more than a half-billion dollars for statewide improvements; more than $145 million for Detroit Department of Transportation; $4 million for education; and $18 million in mortgage loans. 

I would hope that a city with struggling public schools, fleeing grocery store chains, and no retail shopping malls folks would think long and hard about the plight of their member in Congress with the best shot to bring funding for their schools, healthcare and transportation. 

Carolyn Kilpatrick, like most other elected officials might not be perfect, but during these troubling times in her district and throughout the state, her constituents need a member with working knowledge of Washington, experience and seniority.  

She is the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus and has pounded her challengers in two debates in as many weeks, asking Waters and Scott how many members are on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee; what department is the largest part of the federal budget; and how many federal departments there are?  Neither of Kilpatrick’s opponents could answer these questions, proving they clearly aren’t aware of what’s at stake.

I’m sure Waters and Scott could eventually get up to speed, but the question is can the folks in the 13th district afford to wait. 
 

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer 

July 29, 2008 – The department responsible for protecting our rights and upholding the law has now found within its ranks an institutional and authorized form of discrimination.  An internal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department found that top aide Monica Goodling has violated federal law by improperly considering the politics of a candidate seeking employment at the department.

What’s really sad about these finding is that they really aren’t a surprise.  After Goodling’s testimony, or the lack thereof, at congressional hearings in May 2007, it was pretty clear these practices were on going and sanctioned by her boss, former Attorney General Roberto Gonzales. 

Inspector general Glenn Fine released a statement saying: “Our investigation found that Monica Goodling and others in the attorney general’s office subjected candidates for certain career positions to the same politically based evaluation she used on candidates for political positions, in violation of federal law and Department policy. This resulted in high-quality candidates for important Department positions being rejected because of improper political considerations.”

The reported cited examples of Goodling’s blatant prejudice against candidates whose political views were not popular within the Bush administration.  They found Goodling often used “political or ideological affiliations” to select or reject career attorney candidates for even temporary positions.
What isn’t really clear from this report, but is implied, is the damage that has been done to the department responsible for protecting us, regardless of our political ideology.  The practice appears to have run so deep and for so long that it could take years before the Justice Department be “just.”

Goodling wasn’t alone in these unlawful practices; she’s merely the low-hanging fruit in an accepted conspiracy. Her predecessor, Jan Williams, and Kyle Sampson, a top aide to former Attorney General John Ashcroft and then to Gonzales, instituted the same practices and inappropriately considered “political or ideological” affiliations when looking at immigration judges.

This report should come as wake-up call for every minority, but especially for Latinos, who have found themselves facing immigration judges selected and sanctioned by the first Latino attorney general who was not necessarily empathic to their plight.

Black folks won’t be surprised by these findings; the courts have never been too kind to African Americans.  But these findings should underscore why these appointments are so important and why career lawyers should fill critical posts and be protected from this type of behavior.  The Civil Rights Department was a prime example of political hard-lining, eliminating experienced career attorneys with years of experience from office, making them casualties of the Bush administration.
 
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said he will have his staff review the report to find out if any of the top aides or former attorneys general lied to Congress and whether a criminal investigation for perjury is needed.

Vermont Democrat Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, “In this report, we once again see that the Bush administration has allowed politics to affect and infect the nation’s chief law enforcement agency’s priorities.”

This could just be the first layer of a really bad onion.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

CHICAGO (July 28, 2008) – Sen. Barack Obama made his first appearance Sunday morning following his eight-day tour through the Middle East and Europe before minority journalists gathered in his hometown.  I, along with about 1,500 other journalists of color, arrived at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago about two hours before the live broadcast on CNN to hear from the Illinois senator.

Journalists and guests filed in to the ballroom forced to leave their morning java and sweet rolls per the security rules.  We were required to wear our convention ID badge and hit the ladies/men room before entering the ballroom. 

Obama’s long-awaited appearance at the five-day conference was well received by all those I watched seated in my area.  This was the first time most attendees had seen the Democratic presidential hopeful in person. 

During the taping breaks, camera shutters and cell phones were a buzz as folks stood and took pictures of the Democratic presumptive nominee.

Questions from the moderators centered on his recent trip abroad; the four journalists of color organizations asked about his stance on  affirmative action, immigration and whether Native Americans and Blacks deserved an apology for treatment they received by the countries earliest immigrants.

Dianne Solis, a reporter for The Dallas Morning News and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, told me, “I’m really happy he spoke with more details and clarity on his position – especially on immigration’s finer points on legal immigration, more fairness and based on need.”

Jerry Monti, 58, is a Technology Instructor at Knight Digital Media Center in Berkley, Calif. He sat in front of me during the program and afterward told me, “I can’t wait until January.”  He said Obama clearly understands the world stage and the role of the United States.  “His whole understanding of how unique America is in our ability to work together underscores his leadership ability.”

Jessica Wilson, a 23-year-old entertainment reporter for InStyle magazine and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists was also impressed with the first-term senator.  She was also pleased he addressed some nagging issues of little importance.  “I loved the fact he addressed the ‘too-Black’ comments, and how the coverage has been different for him. I’m glad he gave Unity a shot.”

A shot his Republican rival decided to take a pass on.  The McCain campaign told Unity organizers he couldn’t attend during the five-day conference because of scheduling conflicts. 

McCain has turned his attacks on Obama’s trip abroad and focused on criticizing his decision not to visit wounded troops in Germany; he’s released an ad blaming the senator of snubbing the soldiers.

But today Obama is changing the topic; he announced Sunday he will be turning his attention to domestic issues for the “duration” of the campaign.  On Monday, he’ll host a conference in Washington with former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and billionaire investor Warren Buffett to get the discussion going.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

CHICAGO (July 25, 2008) – Sen. Barack Obama had  better not believe the hype and Black folks better realize that the 2008 election will only deliver a victory for Obama if they show up at the polls.

Fox News released the results of poll on Thursday showing that most people believe Obama will win the presidential election in November over Republican nominee John McCain.

Fifty-one percent believed Obama will win the election compared to only 27 percent who thought McCain will be the next commander in chief.

Many people think this is good news for a campaign, but it isn’t.  If Obama’s supporters start thinking their candidate is a shoe-in, they might stay home.

The survey discovered that registered Democrats are more confident than registered Republicans about their candidate’s chances of winning.  Seventy-one percent of Democrats think Obama will win Nov. 4, while 51 percent of Republicans believe McCain will be the victor.

This could be a problem for Obama. While some see Obama as the winner, national polls indicate the race is a statistical dead heat.

The Fox News poll also found that  Obama leads McCain 41 percent to 40 percent among registered voters. Obama has managed to lead McCain by 40 percent to 37 percent as the preferred presidential candidate,

But that’s not all. Another poll released Thursday by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute showed McCain had cut Obama’s lead in the key battleground states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and that he has overtaken Obama in voter support in Colorado.

The Obama campaign is going to have convince supporters to keep their enthusiasm high, increase voter turnout and overshadow the media hype proclaiming Obama an early victor.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

CHICAGO (July 23, 2008) – The thousands of minority journalists gathered in Chicago this week will be the first to hear from Sen. Barack Obama following his Middle East and European travels.

“We are pleased that our UNITY colleagues will have the chance to hear from Sen. Obama and be among the first to question him upon his return from his overseas trip,” Unity’s President Karen Lincoln said.

UNITY, the association that represents Asian, Hispanic, African-American and Native American journalists, invited both Obama and the presumptive nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to address the nearly 10,000 professional media persons. The on-line schedule for the convention has a “Presidential Forum” planned for Thursday, July 24, but scheduling conflicts with OBama’s international travel called for a date change.  The organization is still waiting to hear if McCain will be able to schedule an appearance.  His campaign had him speak at Ohio State on Thursday, but no word on his Sunday obligations at this time.

 Lincoln said, “We hope that in this historic campaign, Sen. McCain, whose presence is equally important, will also address our audience — the kind of audience that reflects the growing diversity in America.”

The BET News team has several members here in Chicago this week, and the network is sponsoring two panels for the conference. “ Patriotism, Pandering, and That Preacher Man: Minority Journalists and the Unpredictable, Unprecendented Presidential Campaign” is a panel I will moderate, which will take a look at the how many minority journalists cover presidential politics.  BET host, Jeff Johnson will moderate a panel titled “Lunch ‘n’ Learn Event – Coverage of Violence in Communities of Color.”

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

July 22, 2008 – By embarking on his recent tour of the Middle East, Sen. Barack Obama has managed to monopolize the media while annoying his his headline-starved Republican rival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

McCain has been working overtime to draw some of the news coverage that his camp contends is unfairly skewed toward the presumptive Democratic nominee.  But it appears that even the chatter about “fairness” has only given more ink and airtime to Obama.

On Sunday Obama’s trip to the Middle East made headlines, touting his meeting with Afghanistan leaders and visits with U.S. troops; on Monday his meetings with Iraqi leaders and U.S. military commander in Baghdad created a buzz; and that was all topped by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki telling a German magazine that he thought Obama’s timetable for withdrawing troops was reasonable.

And there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the gushing over Obama if a poll released on Monday is any indication.  Rasmussen Reports released the results of a survey of 1,000 likely voters, showing that 49 percent of them believe reporters will favor Obama in their coverage this fall, compared with only 14 percent who expect the press to give the Arizona senator a leg up. 

These findings are exactly why the McCain camp has stepped up television advertising while Obama is overseas and made a point of leaking the story about The New York Times’ refusal to run McCain’s opinion editorial on the Iraq war last weekend.  McCain had written a response to an article by his Democratic rival, titled “My Plan for Iraq.”   The Times wanted McCain to provide his own plan rather than merely criticizing that of his opponent.

The Obama campaign has been setting the agenda, thus making it tough for McCain to gain any media momentum. His jaunt overseas has been well choreographed to shift the conversation from the economy to the war in Iraq, a topic McCain has considered his strong suit.

 But Obama has managed to shift the conversation and the discussion around the U.S. strategy concerning troop levels in Iraq in one fell swoop, not to mention overshadowing McCain’s town hall meeting with the news from Maliki.   

The prime minister was quoted in a German magazine saying, “U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months.  That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.”

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Obama did not mention his plans to bring troops out of the region in 16 months during Monday’s meeting with the prime minister.  But the comments were enough to bring swift reaction from the White House, which is working on a planned agreement with Iraq due the end of this month.

White House press secretary Dana Perino told reporters, “What it will not do is have any sort date tied to combat troops, like how many American troops would be in Iraq at X date. That would not be included.”

Al-Maliki’s spokesman, Dabbagh, said, “We cannot give any timetables or dates, but the Iraqi government believes the end of 2010 is the appropriate time for the withdrawal of the forces.”

Obama is going to Europe when he leaves the Middle East, so McCain will have to keep busy stateside to make sure he gets his fair share of the political spotlight. 

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

July 21,, 2008 – Black Republicans are being asked if party loyalty or the chance to vote for an African American for president will be a tough choice to make. 

Prominent Black members of the GOP, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, political talk show host Armstrong Williams and former Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts, have all noted that the historic nature of this election could make the choice tough, but they haven’t disclosed whether they will vote for Sen. Barack Obama. 

Over the weekend, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was asked by CNN show host Wolf Blitzer what she thought of Obama’s candidacy to become the next commander and chief.

Blitzer: “Now, you grew up in the segregated South. You know what racism is in our country. The fact that Barack Obama is now the Democratic presidential nominee, what does that say to you?”

Rice: “I think it’s great. And I think it’s great for our country. And I do think it says that we’ve come a long way. But it’s interesting that it’s from Colin Powell. He knocked down a few barriers of his own. He knocked down the barrier of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He knocked down the barrier to the first Black Secretary of State. Yes, I’ve knocked down a few too. It just shows that our country has been doing this for a while, and it’s great that this last barrier perhaps, has also come down.”

Blitzer: “Have you decided who to vote for?”

Rice: “Wolf, yes.”

Blitzer: “Do you want to tell us?’

Rice: “No.”

Rice, a Republican, is one of President Bush’s top advisers on foreign affairs. She wasn’t given up the info on her presidential pick.  But it makes you wonder, why didn’t she just say the nominee of her party when asked?

Do you think Black Republicans will cross party lines to support the first African-American nominated by a major party for the presidency, or will they stick with the GOP?
 

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

(July 18, 2008) – It looks like the opportunity for the two presidential rivals to speak to 6,000 minority journalist won’t be taking place at the Journalists of Color convention Unity.  

According to Richard Prince’s Journal-ism.com both Sen.’s John McCain and Barack Obama won’t be able to attend because of other commitment.  Obama is scheduled to be in Europe for one of his first international trips since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee.  McCain is set to speak at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

Convention planners had hoped to attract the two candidates and feature them as speakers on in Chicago on July 24.  Onica Makwakwa, Unity’s executive director, told Journal-isms, “We’re still working on it. We’re still working on both campaigns. We know there are some changes with the schedules for both of them. We should be able to make an announcement in a few days of what adjustments, if any, we will make.”

It appears invites were extended but neither candidate had committed to attending Unity.   While journalist are usually the link between the candidate and the voter, Nick Charles, Vice President of content for BET.com, pointed out; “They don’t need journalists as they did before: with the Internet, they go straight to the people.”

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

(July 16, 2008) – Trying to make the most out of a rare Republican address to a humongous African-American audience, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told the NAACP convention Wednesday that there needed to be much more energy toward improving education, suring up the economy and eliminating federal spending.  The Republican nominee was making a direct appeal for the Black vote. 

In recent days, McCain’s African-American party mates have been adamant that he should not concede the Black vote to his African-American rival for the presidency.  The Arizona senator’s appearance on Wednesday already puts him ahead of the man he hopes to succeed. President Bush declined the civil rights organization’s invitation throughout his first term in office and spoke to the gathering only once during his second term.

McCain knows he won’t wrestle a slew of Black votes from Sen. Barack Obama, but he opened his remarks with nothing but praise for the Illinois senator. “Don’t tell him I said this, but he is an impressive fellow in many ways,” McCain effused. “He has inspired a great many Americans, some of whom had wrongly believed that a political campaign could hold no purpose or meaning for them. His success should make Americans, all Americans, proud.”

McCain added jokingly, “Of course, I would prefer his success not continue quite as long as he hopes.”

Understanding the importance of education to this audience, McCain used the opportunity to introduce his policies to the audience.  To some applause, McCain told 5,000 gathered at the 99th Annual meeting in Cincinnati that “after decades of hearing the same big promises from the public education establishment, and seeing the same poor results, it is surely time to shake off old ways and to demand new reforms.”

A shakeup by a McCain administration would mean more “choice,” including public education dollars to pay for private and religious school education, and better pay for teachers.  “I will target funding to recruit teachers who graduate in the top 25 percent of their class, or who participate in an alternative teacher recruitment program such as Teach for America, the American Board for Teacher Excellence, and the New Teacher Project,” McCain said.

While education was the largest focus of the speech, McCain also pledged not to increase taxes as part of his economic plan and to work across party lines, “reforming government and controlling spending.”

“My opponent and I have honest differences as well about the growth of government. And it may be that many of you share his view. But even allowing for disagreement, surely there is common ground in the principle that government cannot go on forever spending recklessly and incurring debt,” McCain said.

The audience was gracious to the Republican presidential candidate and interrupted his remarks with applause on several occasions. McCain ended his remarks by making one last pitch, “I am a candidate for president who seeks your vote and hopes to earn it. But whether or not I win your support, I need your good will and counsel. And should I succeed, I’ll need it all the more.”
 

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

July 15, 2008 — Sen. Barack Obama told thousands gathered to hear him speak at the annual meeting of the NAACP’s convention he would not halt his call for African-Americans to embark on “individual responsibility” as part of the solution for improving the plight of Black families and communities. 

Obama who is poised to become the first Black Democratic presidential nominee, said his journey to the White House, should he win, isn’t enough, stressing that it will require all Americans to exercise greater social responsibility. 

His remarks during the civil rights organization’s 99th annual convention in Cincinnati Monday night praised those Black leaders, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rep. John Lewis, and the organization’s executive director, Julian Bond, for paving the way for today’s aspirating leaders.   He told the crowd of 3,000, “If we’re serious about reclaiming that dream, we have to do more in our own lives.

 ”But with providing the guidance our children need, turning off the TV set and putting away the video games; attending those parent-teacher conferences; helping our children with their homework; setting a good example. That’s what everybody’s got to do,” Obama insisted.

He received thunderous applause when he urged Blacks to demand more of themselves, without mentioning recent criticism he received from the Rev. Jesse Jackson.   Last week Jackson accused Obama of “talking down” to Black folks in his earlier comments on the issue of “responsibility” of Black men to their families. Jackson later issued an apology to the Illinois senator for his remarks.

 But Obama reiterated the theme Monday night, saying, “I know some say I’ve been too tough on folks talking about responsibility. NAACP, I’m here to report, I’m not going to stop talking about it. Because as much I’m out there to fight to make sure that government’s doing its job and the marketplace is doing its job, … none of it will make a difference — at least not enough of a difference — if we also don’t at the same time seize more responsibility in our own lives.”

The 46-year-old, father of two, told those gathered at the Duke Energy Center that “when we are taking care of our own stuff, then a lot of other folks are going to be interested in joining up and working with us and taking care of America’s stuff. We can lead by example, as we did in the Civil Rights Movement. Because the problems that plague our community are not unique to us. We just have them a little worse, but they’re not unique to us.”

Obama revealed in his books that he grew up without his father and has spoken often about the importance of parental responsibility and fathers participating in their children’s lives.

 Arizona Sen. John McCain (R) is scheduled to address the convention on Wednesday.