Sorry Hillary; Obama is Electable

Hardy Brown

This email also made me think of when Tom Bradley ran for mayor of Los Angeles and people told him he could not be elected because he was Black. Bishop H. H. Brookings of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church said, "yes he can win all we have to do is work and get the message out." When Bradley lost the first time people asked where do we go from here? Bishop Brookings said we go after it in four years and the rest is history.

When the California Black Media Association sent an invitation to meet with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to discuss issues relating to the Black community and his bid for re-election, I was informed his consultants advised him not to meet because they believed Blacks are hostile to Republicans. I responded that we are a professional group and to give us a chance to prove it. Not only did he meet with us once but several times. He and his consultants would have been happy to get a mere 15 to 18% of the Black voters but after his involvement with the Black media he walked away with 39.1% of the Black voter. He was elected in a Democratic voting state.

When Pastor Raymond Turner informed Wilmer Amina Carter that God had given him a vision for her to run for the Assembly, Carter said to some of us God has not spoken to her. The more a few of us sat and discussed the vision the more it became feasible. There were many reasons for her not to run such as: money, name recognition, no political party support, no major donors, not to mention the "race" issue. Now we call her Honorable Wilmer Amina Carter Assemblymember.

I give these examples to illustrate that historically, no one knows who is really electable and who is not. Can Obama be elected? I believe he can. The question of electablity, posited by Senator Clinton, is really a veiled attempt to address the hidden race issue in America and I am surprised Hillary would indulge herself with it. I am not surprised that the campaign would disseminate the message because it has been a successful political strategy in the past. I say in the past because for those who have ignored this strategy and went on to win are testimonies to the Obama's of the world to continue to move full steam ahead. The same strategy is going to be used against Hillary if she was to get the nomination.

The American public right now is fed up with "politics as usual" and Hillary will deliver that. I am not against Hillary Clinton as much as I am for Barack Obama. I am sick and tired of the Iraq situation, high gasoline prices, inadequate health care, no affirmative action, lies, and the increasing attack on the poor for the past 28 years. The so called middle class has been split into the have and have nots. The billionaire and millionaire clubs have expanded while the poor have increased at the same rate. As for Blacks our unemployment rate is still double that of whites. Out of the 2 million prisoners in America 990,000 or 49%  are Black while we are 13% of the population. Our country has lost its moral way in the world and only a new fresh face with a commitment to change can help us regain what we have loss.

So to all who believe that a change is needed, then cast your support behind Barack Obama for the democratic nomination for president.

SB Police Need To Connect With The Community 

After every election we evaluate and determine the winners and losers. In San Bernardino it is obvious that the biggest loser was the police association. The association supported Joseph Turner for city clerk and Betty Dean Anderson for city council and each lost. They decided not to endorse longtime friend Jim Penman for city attorney and he won. They did support Chas Kelley and Wendy McCammack who won but they gained nothing in the political arena. Because of their political positions on some issues the division between the Black community and the police has gotten wider and deeper. The citizens are hesitant to call the police for fear of being shot by them. The citizens want to trust the police but have heard and seen too many treat Blacks in a negative way thus are reluctant to get involved.

Then when they see or hear that 90% of the police live outside the city they police because they are fearful of the city they work in, it leaves doubt in the citizens' minds.

 Can this mistrust be turned into trust? Yes. I know the community is willing, able, and ready to begin a dialog with the cops on the street to establish a relationship. We know how to meet with the chief and his executive staff, but the officer on the beat is different. Will it be easy? No because some anger has to be vented first, but the outcome will be great. It is clear we need each other so we have to see what will work. I'm sure officers have a few choice words for the community, but they must be tempered because the public is the boss. They best way to begin the conversation would be to offer  suggestive ways the public can help officers do their jobs better. In other words, what can the public do to prevent crime, report crime, secure our neighborhoods, etc.

One last thing the police can do is be mindful of who they elect to represent their interest in the public.