Posted by Ashley Slayton for BET You(th) Vote

You would have thought John McCain would retire his “Joe the Plumber” crusade after the media dropped Joe like a bad habit, but nooooo, some politicians don’t know when to quit.

According to my calculations, Samuel Joesph Wurzelbacher’s 15 minutes of fame were up weeks ago. Someone just forgot to give John McCain the memo. Why are we even discussing a man who’s planning to buy a company that makes over $250,000 a year and has catapulted to the status of a D-list celebrity? Joe isn’t hurting right now! (Especially since the ink is still drying on that new book deal he just cut.) Keith Olbermann said it best on his show Countdown:

“Senator, Joe the Plumber is going into the toilet, and he’s taking you with him.”

While this circus has been amusing, isn’t it really just a way of distracting us from the fact that McCain’s campaign has lost its center? The poor guy is so confused from trying to run against his own party he doesn’t know what to focus on anymore. So Joe became his guinea pig.

But apparently even Joe is getting tired of being exploited. At a campaign rally yesterday, “Joe the Plumber” became “Joe the no-show” when Senator McCain singled him out from the audience.

“Joe’s with us today,” McCain said. “Joe where are you? Where is Joe? Is Joe here with us today? Joe, I thought you were here today.”

Joe didn’t answer. So I’ll answer for him. Enough is ENOUGH. We’ve had it Senator. Something stinks around here, and it isn’t Joe, it’s your campaign strategy. So get a new one because the old one’s washed up.

Is McCain focusing on Joe to avoid addressing weaknesses in his campaign? Who will even remember Joe two months from now? Is McCain’s political strategy played out? You tell me.

-Ashley

P.S. Soon they’ll be coming out with t-shirts to go along with Joe’s book. Mark my words.

Posted By: Keisha Courtney for BET’s You(th) Vote! 

A 20-year-old Anaheim, CA man was dead after protecting his home and family.

Twenty year old Julian Alexander heard a noise outside of his home Tuesday morning and went outside to investigate.

The officer who shot him had been chasing burglary suspects when he came in contact with Alexander who was said to be holding a broomstick or shower rod. 

The officer in question shot Alexander twice in the chest. 

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Posted by Ashley Slayton for BET You(th) Vote

Two neo-Nazi men were arrested this week after their plans to go on a nationwide killing spree against blacks and assassinate presidential candidate Barack Obama, were foiled. (Check out an article about the attempt here.) I don’t know what’s more surprising about this video, the planned killing spree, the assassination plot, or the flawless way Senator Obama responded to the threat.

“That’s not who America is, that’s not what our future is…”

I desperately want to believe that. Especially now, when change seems to be the new phenomenon that’s taken the country by storm. Still, I hold no disillusions about this country. We can beat the word change into the ground and it won’t make everyone get on board.  It’s easy to ignore that Americans combat issues of racism and prejudice everyday when it doesn’t make the news.  It’s easy to forget that our government doesn’t reflect its people when we are so clearly reflected in celebrity and pop culture. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by ANGEL ELLIOTT, BET News for YOU(th) Vote!

Chad Moresette, a Los Angeles resident took a mannequin, dressed her in a red skirt suit, brown wig in an up-do, smart glasses and hung it from a noose on the door of his home. Does that description sound like anyone to you? Yup, he made the Halloween effigy in Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s likeness. With Halloween right around the corner, folks are finding interesting ways to freak out trick or treat-ers. I’m not so sure if this one is scary or funny however. As much as a dislike like Gov. Sarah Palin’s hypocrisy, race baiting, sometimes fanatical campaign style, someone hanging her from a noose might not be the best way to express dislike of the candidate. Cops in the area say they can’t charge the Chad with a hate crime, because it’s a part of a Halloween display.  

I know I know, taste of her own medicine and all of that, but does the endorsement of an individual who chooses to hang Palin from a noose in his front yard make anyone any better?

But then I got to thinking, what if this is another GOP trick to make Obama supporters look like the racially divisive ones? I mean hey, just last week little Ashley Todd beat herself up and blamed a phantom Black Obama supporter. In the final week until the election someones screws are obviously becoming unhinged.

What do you think? A Halloween decoration taken too far? Or is the GOP wardrobe queen getting a taste of her own medicine?

Let me know,  

-ANGEL

Posted By: Keisha Courtney for BET’s You(th) Vote!  

With one week left in the 2008 Presidential Election the candidates are deciding what to do with their last bit of campaign money.

According to The New York Times, Barack Obama has a remaining $66 million in the bank while McCain has $25 million. WOW! That is a huge difference between the two, and furthermore it is A LOT to spend in 7 days!

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Posted by Ashley Slayton for BET You(th) Vote 

YES. For once the rumors are true. Obama hasn’t even vacated his seat and already eager politicians are lining up to fill it. According to political gossip rags, Jesse Jackson Jr. has taken an interest in the position,  and he’s broken out the binoculars to keep a close eye on the spot.

Should Barack Obama become the next president of the country, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich would need to appoint a replacement to serve until 2010, the next election period. Jackson, co-chair of the Obama campaign, released a statement saying he’d be “honored” and “humbled” to replace the Illinois senator. Even more bizarre than the campaign within the campaign, is the Chicago Defender’s endorsement of Jesse Jr.

 While Jackson’s got good credentials, he’s also got a few strikes against him. For one thing, he is associated with a controversial preacher.That’s right, Daddy Jackson. (Didn’t a preacher almost end up being Obama’s downfall?) Could you imagine the Jeremiah Wrightesque drama that would haunt Jesse Jr.? He’d never be able to escape jabs at his former civil rights champion father, turned would-be castrating nutcase. And then, there’s his competition. There are plenty of politicians vying for the spots of both Senator Obama and Senator McCain.

Do you think Jesse Jackson Jr. would make a good replacement for Barack Obama in the senate? Will the older Mr. Jackson’s comments overshadow his son’s qualifications? Who would you pick as a replacement? You tell me.

-Ashley

Posted by Ashley Slayton for BET You(th) Vote

I wonder if years from now John McCain will look back and ask himself if Sarah Palin was the Achilles Heel that brought his campaign tumbling down? Even if he wins this election, his campaign has taken serious blows since the country was first introduced to the Alaskan governor. Now, many voters aren’t secure with McCain’s choice of running mate.

No one would ever mistake me for being pro-Palin, but when the governor originally joined the McCain ticket, I hoped it would revitalize his campaign and bring new perspective. So I buried my initial doubts … until the scandals started coming, and kept coming.

First there was the investigation into the suspicious firing of a state official. We’re still in the dark on that. Then, there was the teenage daughter pregnancy drama. America quickly dismissed it. And who could forget that series of disastrous interviews? Now the media is relentlessly pursuing yet another scandal involving Palin’s wardrobe. These days the governor is better known as “Sarah the Shopaholic,” which shatters her “I’m just an ordinary middle class hockey mom” image. What do you think?

Has Palin done more damage than good to the McCain campaign? Will she reel in middle class voters or will the strategy backfire? Is she McCain’s Achilles Heel? You tell me.

-Ashley

P.S. Seriously though, the new wardrobe is pretty chic. Amazing what a measly $150, 000 can do.

Posted by Ashley Slayton for BET You(th) Vote 

This is the latest racially inspired “Get out and Vote” text message floating around. It’s spreading like wildfire in states where early voting has begun. When I opened my phone I really wasn’t sure what to do with it. Should I delete it? I certainly wasn’t going to pass it on since the message read, “Please get registered and vote! This is why every black person needs to vote! Pass this on to everyone. Barack Obama must be our next president!” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by ANGEL ELLIOTT, BET News for YOU(th) Vote!

UPDATE 2:41pm: IT WAS A HOAX. Apparently Ashley had a record of previous mental problems; and had at some point scratched the “B” onto her face. Crazy broad…

I’m the eternal skeptic, but even for someone as skeptical as I am, something is awfully sketchy about this story. Apparently 20 year old Texas McCain staffer  (first shady thing), Ashley Todd was drawing money out of an ATM, when  (according to her) a dark skinned black man walked up to her, robbed her stacks, then when she tried to run to her car followed her there. After the robber saw that Ashley had a McCain-Palin bumper sticker, he became enraged, punched her, grabbed a knife and carved “B” on her face…

The reported robbery occurred at 8:50pm, she called police at 9:30pm, and refused medical treatment that night. The next morning, she went to the hospital and had an MRI and CAT scan performed (????). First of all, if someone carved a letter of the alphabet on my face with a knife, it would look A LOT worst than the photo above. That “B” looks like a welt to me. Either this broad is another crazy GOP plant, or there is some even crazier guy thinking he’s supporting Obama, giving shout outs to him on Ashley’s face.

This poor girl was obviously a victim of something, but the circumstances of the attack sound suspect.

1. The assault happened outside of the ATM surveillance video, even though the robber  jacked her “while she was right at the ATM”

2. McCain Campaign statement: “The McCain campaign is aware of the incident involving one of its volunteers. Out of respect, the campaign won’t be commenting. The campaign also confirms that Senator McCain and Governor Palin have both spoken to the woman.“  Yeah, they spoke to her alright, when is the question.

3. “The robber is described as a dark-skinned black man, 6 feet 4 inches tall, 200 pounds with a medium build, short black hair and brown eyes. The man was wearing dark colored jeans, a black undershirt and black shoes.”  Hmm, typical at large robber description. Remember folks, “dark” is scary.

 Pittsburgh police officers are conducting a “thorough investigation” to determine if the attack is real, or made up.

What do you think, is the story a hoax, or could she be telling the truth?

Let me know,

 -ANGEL

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Posted by TRAVERS for BET’s YOU(th) VOTE

They call him U-S…H-E-R…R-A…Y-M…O-N-D…and I know you know the rest!  However, this time around Usher is bringing more to the table than his normal baby-making melodies (although, 11 years after it’s release, I’m STILL bumping his album My Way.  That’s his best album HANDS DOWN—and I DARE you to argue otherwise! LOL) .  In his new single “Hush”, released exclusively on iTunes, Mr. Raymond talks about important issues such as service, poverty, and VOTING.  ”Hush” is a song that has been 10 years in the making, and let me tell you, this ish is AMAZING.  

Of course the vocals are on point, but it’s the words that really got me.  He’s basically saying that if you’re not doing anything to help make the world a better place, than just “HUSH” (I would’ve put it a little less politely and said “shut the ____ up”, but to each his own. lol).

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