Political Blog ‘08
This is the second in my series of people I HAD to personally say thank-you to at the Democratic National Convention. Today I spotlight CNN’s Roland Martin…commentator extraordinaire!
Roland S. Martin is an award winning writer, speaker, producer, radio show host, blogger, and commentator! This brother does it all — with class, and grace, and a dose of that ‘Old Time Religion’ that has carried our people through many challenges in America.
Thankfully, CNN had the foresight to see what this brother could offer. He brings to the table wisdom and fairness and a needed perspective as an African-American male. Never has this been more needed that during this election process. Martin carried the torch and represented ‘our’ point of view against partisan heavyweights such as Begalia and Carville.
Roland Martin does not let up and he tells it like it is! Here is an excerpt from one of his recent blogs concerning McCain’s running mate:
With Palin, McCain now supports affirmative action/quotas
August 30th, 2008
“I’ll have more to say on this later, but please, give me a break? Does Sen. John McCain actually think he chose the most qualified – or even the second, third or fourth - person to be his vice president? Sarah Palin may be the governor of Alaska, but prior to that, she was the mayor of a 10,000-person town. This was all about being a woman.
McCain knows it and we know it.”
THANK YOU ROLAND MARTIN! Your voice is needed….keep up the great work!
Linnie Frank Bailey
September 21st, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Roland Martin stands on issues but does not create a voice for black America. Recently, I have turned to CNN for coverage of the 2008 election. There are several commentators or anchors for CNN that have a tendacey to pull left or either right. It distorts the viewers ground on issues. I see Roland as just another commentator not a brotha. Not to say he is not that in his questioning. Truth in journalism blacks have played out on black newspapers. Journalism was one of the brunts to the Civil Rights Movement. Various columist wrote against white politician and where sued particularly in California. The strength of black news and meda has since then declined and is unsupported. Roland is a bi-product of that movement. He can not be looked at as a harold in the scruntiy of what is good media. Headlines today are attention getters. Rolands comment was not interely trueful. Wasilla at the time of Palin’s post was about 6,000 residents now it is fastly reaching 10,000. Strategy for McCain was to get votes. Morally, McCain chose Palin for the wrong reasons. Palin stands for drilling, religion, gun activist, non-abortion, working class and rightwing consertatism. McCain did him self a service and disservice by using her as a target so that he can hide behind her Reform efforts. She did Reform and stand up against oil companies and the old boy network but with a price. Wasilla was not in a surplus when she left and moreover women in Alaska are not fund of here do to her views particularly on abuse. The state leds on spousal abuse but the issue has not been tackled. Palin sets on the sidelines to the issues that really matter to the majority and focus on issues of those in the minority the Republicans. Wasilla majority is the middle and lower class people that could not afford a football size facility but she wanted it built on land that the town did not own. People there enjoy the changes that were made because at least there is more to do but they are suffer because of Palin’s over use of governmental spending. The choice of Palin is much deeper than her being a woman. Strategy was to get voters and comparsion of Barack Obama. Republicians wanted her to fire up the Republican base and she did. They were setting her up to get Hillary’s votes and use it against Barack. Furthermore, they mocked Obama’s youth and experience to get Americans to think of experience which McCain obviously has. Unfortuately, people wanted to know about Gov. Sarah Palin and Charles Gibson landed the first interview and she past just barely. The scrutiny of Palin’s record is not finished due to the Troopergate scandal. She does not have a degree or resume that stands up to any vice-presidental candiidate in the pass. They are using Palin just to mock Obama. I think there using Palin as a distraction to fire up and anger the Republican party on the Democratic Presidental choice. Some of ads are words that black use in their daily lives like disrespectful. They even characterized Obama as a black male that wanted kidnergardners to learn safe sex practice. The ads they put out are stern, bold, creative and racist but we do not see Al Shapton or Jesse Jackson talking about that. Nor do we hear much at CNN how Sarah Palin did not acknowlege Barack Obama for his history making accomplishment. Instead she scolded him on his resume and community corrdinators record. Her speech was powerful but it was a brutal attack and a well educated, educator, Senator and presidental candidate. It really angered me that the Republicans sent Palin out as an attack dog on Obama.
October 12th, 2008 at 9:29 am
WE do not need or want Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton coming out to voice their opinions on Barak Obama and the election. They do not speak for me. I am an educated, forty something, Afri-Jamerican woman who thinks Barak is doing a fine job speaking for himself. Our Ivy League-educated Afri-Anglo candidate needs them to stop whining about being too hard on irresponsible black parents and require that we start taking charge of our plight in life. If they suddenly start being in the news in support of Obama, it will hurt him because he is trying to appeal to all Americans. Besides that, although they may have started with good intentions, they are just a couple of protesters-for-hire lap dogs now!