Africa And Colonialism 2.0

Africa And Colonialism 2.0

I think Europe and America need to pay reparations to Africa for those decades and centuries of colonization. But instead we have a scenario where the net flow of money is from Africa to elsewhere. A nice middle ground between what I propose and what is happening right now would be total debt relief for Africa. The continent deserves a fresh start. There is a direct correlation between Africa's inhuman debt burden and its AIDS, malaria and other epidemics. Money that should go to feed people and provide medicine for the sick is instead going to banks on Wall Street, among others. This is not okay. Okay?

AIDS Epidemic In Africa, Obesity Epidemic In America

It really is similar. If you cure obesity in America, that will be more than a trillion dollars in savings. That is no pocket change, yo.

Will Barack Not Start On Day One?

What is this talk about Hillary starting on day one as president? Does Barack have different plans? Does he plan to take a week long break into Camp David after getting sworn in? What's going on? Someone fill me up on this one.

The Republican Fighting Spirit

I can see them fighting all the way to their convention. They might end up with an actual vote at the convention. Right now it looks no one Repub will get a decisive victory, but all of them will get delegates. And so they will have to sort it all out at their convention. A few rounds of voting. Delegates will shift.

I am going to credit Obama for this. Seriously. Hillary could not have been riding the anti-Iraq War mood in the country. She was part and parcel of it. I was saying Barack will carry more than 35 states in fall. Now I am jacking that up. I am saying 40. And black guys like Al Sharpton still got no clue. Harlem needs a rescue mission. Obama 2008 already covered all the hair salons in Harlem. They were so happy to take Obama posters. Way to go Tamara. Tell Sharpton, the dude needs a haircut bad.

Only a few days back Europe gave record money to the World Bank. I am also going to credit Obama for this. Seriously.

When Obama talked tough on Musharraf months back, suddenly the Supreme Court in that country also started talking tough. That was no coincidence.

Ah, the soft power of a compelling candidate like Barack Obama. Barack is about to pull a FDR in 1940. That is really remarkable. I am going to study more on this new kind of politics thing.

Two Way Contest In NH

That is what you are looking at. My guy Barack is already leading even when it is not two way. But in two way, he will have a wide margin.



In The News

Iran Receives Nuclear Fuel in Blow to US New York Times
Russia delivers first nuclear fuel to Iran MSNBC
People of Terai want to secede from Nepal Hindustan Times Upendra Yadav, the convener of Unified Madheshi Front, said if the Girija Prasad Koirala-led government continued to suppress their demands, they will be left with no option but to get out of Nepal. ....... Yadav alleged that Koirala, instead of resolving their grievances, is using force to suppress them. The government raised a Special Task Force (STF) recently to crush the uprising in Terai. ...... “The STF has unleashed a reign of terror in Terai,” Rajendra Mahato, former industries minister and senior leader of Nepal Sadbhawana Party, said, adding that human rights of the poor are being violated.
Giuliani Pins Hopes on Big Later States The Associated Press beginning with Florida on Jan. 29. ...... Giuliani has a wide lead in that state, and he hopes winning its 57 delegates will give him the delegate-count lead heading into the bigger-prize states that vote Feb. 5, including California, New York and Illinois. ....... Michigan and Nevada are muddles ..... no one candidate riding a wave of momentum into Florida. ..... Giuliani has double-digit leads in four states in which the winner takes all the delegates: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware. He also has an advantage in California, where delegates are divvied up by congressional districts. ....... his consulting business, Giuliani Partners, whose clients include the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar. ...... Giuliani has chosen to press ahead with his untested strategy rather than change course. ....... "leading a revitalized, 50-state Republican Party into the White House"
India to hold high-level meet on Maoist rebels: report AFP combat a firmly rooted left-wing rebel movement ...... say they are fighting for the rights of landless labourers and neglected tribals in rural India ..... 33 districts, more than half of them in two newly created eastern states -- Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh
The Daily Five: Clinton Steals A Georgia Endorsement From Obama Atlantic Online
Fresh Doubts About Clinton in NH Washington Post "Where has the 'conversation' gone that she said she wanted to start with her announcement last January? It seems as if she is talking 'to' or 'at' us, even 'down' to us. She needs to talk 'with' us -- in fact, one of the strengths of the NH Primary is that candidates indeed have that chance, to get away from the podiums and look us in the eye, face-to-face, not talking over our heads." ........ the relative caution and message-controlled rigor of Clinton's campaign ...... her campaign still has continued to emphasize 'experience' rather than 'ideas,' and the 'past' rather than the 'future.' ...... no clear message other than this stuff about a President needing to be ready to 'lead from day one.' What's that mean? ........ " ....... Saturday, where she stuck firmly to the experience mantra and, most notably, made little attempt to try to conjure a longstanding connection with the state's voters ........ I just think something's wrong with her campaign right now. I've been involved at one level or another in every NH Primary since 1960 ....... did not appear to be tailoring her approach particularly to the audience -- she spoke very slowly and clearly, as if aiming to reach the least politically engaged people in the crowd, an interesting tack to take in a state known for its sophisticated primary voters. ........ recalls Clinton thinking aloud to him ....... show us who she really is and not just what her consultants and handlers from Washington media firms want us to think she is ....... "And I ask her to present her ideas in her own words, without the buzz phrases that might rate "80%" on the electronically-generated curve in some focus group session" ...... Be yourself. Just yourself. We'll like what we see...Challenge us. Talk with us about America's possibilities and our opportunities. Give us your vision.
Commentary: Drug rumors about Obama CNN the Clintons don't like to be challenged. And when they are, they don't just try to beat you. They set out to destroy you. ....... The harder Team Clinton tries to destroy Obama, the more damage they wind up doing -- to Hillary and her campaign. Just when you thought that the former first lady couldn't come across any more unlikable, desperate, and vindictive, the floor collapses and we find ourselves on a new level. .......... Shaheen is no political rookie. ....... Isn't it interesting that Shaheen, or whoever is behind this, opted to invoke the image of a drug dealer in referencing the first top-tier black candidate for president? That's quite a coincidence. This wouldn't be an ugly Willie Horton-type tactic intended to harvest fear and play on stereotypes about who is a criminal and who isn't, or -- in this case -- who uses drugs and who sells them?
Clinton hits back at Obama AFP Clinton launched a counter-attack Monday ..... Clinton, on an intense helicopter tour of first-voting state Iowa, blitzed six morning television talk shows ...... Most opinion surveys in key states show Obama rising, and Clinton sliding, suggesting the first-term Illinois senator may be peaking at the right time. ....... "When Obama speaks before a crowd, he can be more inspirational than Clinton.
Michelle Obama utters a forbidden phrase Los Angeles Times
Fighter Edwards vs. realist Obama? Chicago Sun-Times While all the Democrats back universal health coverage, the campaign has centered on how the front-runners would get it done. ...... Obama said Edwards' approach is not realistic. ...... "My job is to be so dazzling today that I have persuaded at least some of you to caucus for me."
As lawyer, Obama was strong, silent type why did Obama never make impassioned speeches in court when he returned to Chicago from Harvard Law School in the early '90s ....... he played the "strong, silent type" in court, introducing himself and his client, then stepping aside to let other lawyers do the talking. ....... Obama never lost his cool, and he won the case. ....... Obama admits he played a mostly behind-the-scenes role at his law firm, Miner Barnhill & Galland. He researched the law, drafted motions, prepared for depositions and did other less glamorous work during his three years full-time and eight years "of counsel" to the firm. ....... "I was an associate, and a lot of my work was in the research and writing" ...... "I was one of the better writers. I ended up doing the more cerebral writing, less trial work," Obama added. "That's actually something I regret -- not doing more trial work." ....... "He wrote lots of substantial memos, but he didn't try any cases" ....... A search of all the cases in Cook County Circuit Court in which Obama made an appearance since he graduated from Harvard in 1991 shows: Zero. ....... a total of 10 cases in his legal career. He was on the winning side of just about all those cases. ....... In 1995, former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar refused to implement the federal "Motor Voter" law, which Republicans argued could invite fraud and which some Republicans feared could swell the ranks of Democratic voters. ...... The law mandated people be allowed to register to vote in government offices such as driver's license renewal centers. ...... "Barack was a young kid when he came here," Miner said. "Senior lawyers are not going to be very deferential to Barack. He was not 'THE Barack Obama' yet." Obama was 32 in 1993 ....... "We had a raucous meeting shortly after the remand, and Barack was a very adamant spokesman for taking a very aggressive stance to try to repair the damage," Mollica said. "He's the one who put a charge in us that it was time to move and hold the state accountable." ....... Obama represented Calvin Roberson in a 1994 lawsuit against Citibank, charging the bank systematically denied mortgages to African-American applicants and others from minority neighborhoods. ........ I was the lead lawyer for Citibank and he was not very visible to me. ....... Obama's hourly rate of $165. ..... His final bill on the case was 138 hours, or $23,000. ...... Obama had offers from more prestigious, higher-paying firms. But he chose to work for Miner -- former Mayor Harold Washington's counsel -- because of his firm's focus on civil rights litigation and community redevelopment. ........ developer Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who back then had a reputation as "a star" of the urban renewal movement in Chicago. ........ "As smart as he is, he is very quick to appreciate all kinds of nuances with legal issues," Miner said. "He finds it very hard to shoot back a real quick, simple answer. His instinct was to better understand what the nuances were." ......... "I found he's a very smart, innovative, skilled, relentless advocate for his client," Baravati said. "When I met him, he reminded me of Abraham Lincoln." ....... Obama was elected to the state Senate, and Miner offered to keep him on salary and let him open a Springfield branch of the firm. ..... "He's such an honest guy. On the third day, he calls me up, 'Jud, I'm not going to have any time here, so I don't want to take a draw,'" Miner recalled him saying.
Obama to Edwards: 'What did you do?'
New Obama ad in Iowa Baltimore Sun
Hillary Clinton Says Obama Not a Factor in Day-to-Day Decisions FOX News Maybe it's because I don't have to get up before the crack of dawn every morning ........ She is also touring all 99 Iowa counties in the coming days by helicopter. ...... the paper hasn't picked a winner in more than 20 years ..... what it seems to have guaranteed is a second place finish in the caucuses ...... she said, "I feel really, really good about where my campaign is," and: "I believe that I will get the nomination and that I will be the next president."
Obama confronts rumor he is a Muslim Boston Globe Obama yesterday confronted one of the persistent falsehoods circulating about him on the Internet - by going to church.
Clinton has room to give Los Angeles Times
Clinton campaign launches a preemptive attack Los Angeles Times
Clinton still dominates in California Los Angeles Times
On the Road: Clinton Backers ‘Not on a Suicide Mission’ New York Times Clinton’s “Every County Counts” tour ....... that flight diversion might make for one weary candidate. ...... any five of the top Republicans candidates, if the election were held today, would defeat you. ......... Obama is getting tougher against Edwards. ...... “Like Senator Edwards who is a good guy, he's been talking a lot about I am going to fight the lobbyists and the special interests in Washington. Well the question you have to ask is were you fighting for 'em when you were in the Senate? What did you do? Because I did something, immediately upon arriving in the Senate..." ...... Durbin and Obama are personally close and Durbin urged him to make the run. ...... Clinton, not having the same I’ll watch your back relationship with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has had to make sure her New York bases were covered this past year. ......... Clinton was on six morning shows ....... She was playing a lot of defense, pressed with questions following up on Bill Clinton’s interview with Charlie Rose where he said a vote for Obama was rolling the dice. I’m told there is a split in the Clinton campaign over whether or not Bill Clinton helps or hurts in his going after Obama. ......... But this campaign is about me and my ideas,” she said. ....... Over at NBC’s “The Today Show” David Gregory asked if Bill Clinton is a distraction at this point. ...... The campaigns are expecting more than the 124,000 who showed up in 2004. At the high school here, dozens of people just stood up when asked if they were going to caucus for the first time.
Sharpton and Bill Clinton, Together in S.C. (21 comments)
Managing a Post-Feb. 5 Campaign (16 comments) fast-paced, multi-layered campaign, there is growing sense among Republicans that for their contest at least — and perhaps for Democrats — Feb. 5 may not be the end of the line. And at the same time, Democrats are looking at a scenario where only two of their candidates emerge out of this state.”
Managing a Post-Feb. 5 Campaign three tickets out of Iowa ...... Democrats are looking at a scenario where only two of their candidates emerge out of this state. ...... entirely plausible that Mike Huckabee of Arkansas will win the caucuses here; that John McCain of Arizona will win New Hampshire; that Mitt Romney of Massachusetts will win Michigan, Fred Thompson of Tennessee will win South Carolina and Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York will win Florida. ....... they could just divide the prize on Feb. 5 and move on to the next primary. ...... the race might not be over until the convention ...... This race just won’t close ...... The Republicans have four seriously viable candidates: Mr. Romney, Mr. McCain, Mr. Huckabee and Mr. Giuliani. ....... a third-place finish for Mr. Edwards would be the end of the line for him ....... a two-way contest between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama going into New Hampshire.
On Polling: The Eccentricities of Iowa (December 12, 2007) their neighbor’s living room, or in a church basement, a VFW hall or a school auditorium ...... expecting a “record turnout ..... the state will allow people to register to vote on their way in. ...... the firm that conducts the Iowa poll, said they had picked up a precipitous decline for Howard Dean in their tracking poll four days before the Iowa caucuses. They predicted Mr. Dean would finish third, which he did ....... first-time caucus goers, who accounted for more than half of the Democratic caucus goers in 2004 ..... Turnout is so low, less than 10 percent ..... George Gallup, the founder of the Gallup poll, is from Iowa.