Want Something Done? Give It to a Woman

President Obama's State of The Union speech was good. It was well-paced and well put together. I felt very encouraged. Nonetheless, Obama can sell skin to a snake, so he was using his gift where and when it is needed the most-to reassure a bruised country that things will turn around and to get lawmakers to straighten up. Paul Ryan gave the rebuttal from the Republicans. It was a pretty safe speech. Much better than the Bobby Jindal fiasco from last year. However, it was Michelle Bachman that brought out the big guns. Homegirl had charts and some one-liners for the president. I paraphrase 'we heard all this before and we have still moved backwards'. Damn. Call it what you want. She was right. Paul Ryan was much more concilatory but Bachman threw gas on a simmering flame. These political women (Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Michele Bachman) know how to throw up the dukes for real, making the opposition sweat and making voters wake up and pay attention.

I know it is sacrilegous for a Black person to give kudos to a Republican, let alone a Tea Party person. However, we as a people need to embrace the whole political spectrum to see what will actually work for us. I'm for whoever's trying to lower my taxes. I'm for whoever's about smaller government. I'm for whoever is about personal responsibility. I'm for whoever's about allowing opportunity to flourish. I'm for equal opportunity. I'm for smarter gun control. I'm for honoring our country's diversity. I'm for whoever makes the most fucking sense. And every now and then, the 'Repugs' get it right and the Dems get it wrong. Every now and then Obama gets it wrong and his critics have it right. He is a nice person and I'm sure Michelle is too. However, he is not perfect and has not been the perfect President (so we can stop with the charade about that one).

We as Black people must not get caught up in the charisma or in any political party. We have more power than we think we do. We, in a lot of ways, determine which party will get in. If the Black vote falls below 80%, Dems will not get in. Oh, you thought Obama being on Black radio prior to the November 2010 vote was standard? Right. He knows (and the Dems know) we are his bread and butter. We must use this power more wisely, no matter who the politician, candidate, or party is.  The media, a largely Democratic organism, knows this and uses the race card ad nauseum when most Black people don't see any harm in the latest faux race relations controversy... until they watch the talking heads. Then everybody's up in arms and it reinforces their commitment to the Democratic machine. The media knows racism is kryptonite to Black people and they overtax Republicans and Tea Partiers with the label. I know. I know. Republicans sometimes go out of their way to earn the label. However, these are the same stations that refuse to hire Blacks to primetime positions, or most other time slots to think of it. They will brandish Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly on a moment's notice when these two say something out of pocket but nary a peep is made when Bill Maher says an unsavory remark which he is too often prone to do regarding Blacks and/or Obama. We as Americans, but especially Black Americans, must be more critical and throw our weight behind people who will do things which are in our best interests. And for the record, that does not include increasing welfare subsidies but you already know that. Democrats, too often, do not. Gee, who put it in people's minds that we are a bunch of poor haps that need/deserve the gubb'ment to do everything for us and all Hispanics are illegal? Rolling eyes (in my Beyonce voice) to the left, to the left.

Critical thinking is good for your health.