Obama Wins Big! History Is Made!

By Gary A. Johnson

I have never witnessed anything like this in my lifetime. Talk about you magic moments. I just watched President-Elect Barack Obama give his victory speech to a crowd of approximately 100,000 people in Grant Park in Chicago, IL. Change has come to America!

It is extremely difficult to put this night into perspective. Barack Obama is the president-elect of the United States of America. He will be the 44th president of this country. There are a lot of factors that one can identify as the reasons for this historic accomplishment. Looking back, I think Barack Obama’s judgment, political skills, his ability to raise money and his campaign infrastructure made the difference in winning this presidential race. Perhaps Barack Obama’s skills as a “community organizer” was the “difference maker” in this election.

History is likely to reflect that Barack Obama put together the most effective campaign in all of politics. His use of the digital technology (the Internet, cellular phones, e-mail) and the campaign’s ability to raise money via the Internet where the average contribution was $15.00 was brilliant. The Obama campaign shattered all fund raising records. In the end, America made a very clear choice and the chose the candidate of “inclusion.” People from all walks of life want to be included in the political process–and their vote for Barack Obama is a signal that they believe he is the best person to heal this country and bring people together.

I stood in line for almost 3 hours in the rain to cast my vote. I was prepared to stand in line for 8 hours to vote. This election is that important. While standing in line I felt a sense of community. People were supportive and excited to be a part of history. I saw young people helping senior citizens, I saw parents with the children. I did not hear one complaint. The entire experience was heartwarming. I’ve talked to about a dozen people today about their voting experience and they all have shared similar positive experiences.

It feels different to be an American tonight! It just feels good!

Take a look at the next First Family in America. These little girls will finally get a puppy that their father promised them after the election.

How do you feel about the results of this election? What was your voting experience?

Photos courtesy NBC News

Powell Endorses Obama

Commentary by Gary A. Johnson

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell publicly endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president on Sunday, on “Meet The Press.” criticizing his own Republican Party for what he called its narrow focus on irrelevant personal attacks over a serious approach to challenges he called unprecedented.

Is this an important endorsement? You bet it is. Powell’s endorsement makes it OK for other Republicans to vote for Obama. Colin Powell so eloquently laid out the case for not voting for John McCain and once again it boils down to a matter of leadership, judgment, temperament and the perception of America around the world.

Finally, a respected American hero and longtime Republican had the courage to chastise the Republican party their shift to the right and more important, hold John McCain accountable for his poor judgment on selecting Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential nominee and for the divisive tactics that McCain has allowed his campaign and it’s surrogates to use against Obama.

Colin Powell is probably the most well-known and respected veteran in the country. He has never held an elected office and yet I bet his favor-ability rating is over 75%. Powell “broke it down,” he “kitchen tabled” the issues–he put the “smack down” on the Republican party.

Powell, a retired Army General who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and who has served three presidents said about Sarah Palin what a lot of people have been saying for weeks–John McCain’s selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate raised questions about McCain’s judgment.

Sarah Palin is not ready to become President of the United States. I know it, you know it and I think John McCain knows it. “I don’t believe [Palin] is ready to be President of the United States,” Powell said flatly. By contrast, Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, “is ready to be president on day one.”

Click here to watch and listen to Colin Powell’s endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama on “Meet The Press,” courtesy of our partners at MSNBC Politics.

The Debates Are Over–Now What?

The presidential debates are over. The debates probably did more for those “undecided” voters. How do both campaigns use what they saw from their candidates to close the deal?

Who do you think won the final debate?

A MESSAGE TO BLACK AND WHITE MEN IN AMERICA: McCAIN AND OBAMA MOVE OVER: LEE IACOCCA FOR PRESIDENT!

By Harold Bell

Remember, Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He has a new book titled, “Where Have All the Leaders Gone?” How about jail? He sounds like my echo. Its like he is preaching to the choir, here are some excerpts.

‘Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? “Lee, I often wonder the same thing, “Am I the only guy in the black community who’s fed up with what’s happening?”

Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘Stay the course.’

Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned ‘Titanic’. I’ll give you a sound bite: ‘Throw all the bums out!’

You might think I’m getting senile, that I’ve gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we’re fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving ‘pom-poms’ instead of asking hard questions. That’s not the promise of the ‘America’ my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for (we had different modes of transportation. I’ve had enough. How about you?

I’ll go a step further. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged. This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have. The Biggest ‘C’ is Crisis!

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It’s easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else’s kids off to war when you’ve never seen a battlefield yourself. It’s another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A Hell of a Mess. So here’s where we stand. We’re immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We’re running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We’re losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way.

These are times that cry out for leadership. But when you look around, you’ve got to ask: Where have all the leaders gone?’ Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Lee, lets keep it real, they are being called “Troublemakers and Agitators.”

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We’ve spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.

Everyone’s hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn’t happen again. Now, that’s just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you’re going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when ‘The Big Three’ referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn’t elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity.

What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break!

No Lee, black folks are scared they will be kicked off the Corporate Boards, lose their cushy jobs at the networks or be exiled from the “In Crowd.”

Why don’t you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough?

Hey, I’m not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I’m trying to light a fire. I’m speaking out because I have hope I believe in America. In my lifetime I’ve had the privilege of living through some of America’s greatest moments. I’ve also experienced some of our worst crises: The ‘Great Depression’, ‘World War II’, the ‘Korean War’, the ‘Kennedy Assassination’, Lee, don’t forget ‘Dr. King’s Assassination’, the ‘Vietnam War’, the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I’ve learned one thing, it’s this: ‘You don’t get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it’s building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That’s the challenge I’m raising in this book. It’s a call to ‘Action’ for people who, like me, believe in America. It’s not too late, but it’s getting pretty close. So let’s shake off the crap and go to work. Let’s tell ’em all we’ve had ‘enough.’

Lee, with Pimps in the Pulpit and crooks and sex deviants holding public office, it sounds like good advice to me! This book should be required reading in our community. We have a tendency to listen to white folks! Some of us really think your ice is colder.