WHY HILLARY WILL LOSE

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton has blown an almost sure shot at the Democratic presidential nomination. Having surrendered the lead to Obama, she is not likely ever to regain it. It is a fantasy that the Ohio and Texas primaries will be a “firewall” to contain the flames of enthusiasm for Obama and reverse her defeats of February. Just as with Giuliani’s supposed Florida firewall, Hillary’s will crumble as Obama’s momentum carries him forward to the nomination.

Before Hillary lost her first primary or caucus, she lost the dialogue with the Obama campaign vis-à-vis the totally misguided decision to focus her message on experience, surrendering the ground of change to her opponent.

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WHAT OBAMA MEANS TO BLACK VOTERS

By Donald V. Watkins
Editor and Publisher
Voter News Network ©2008

Barack Obama

BIRMINGHAM, AL--February 10, 2008--Black voters across America are turning out in massive numbers to support Illinois Senator Barack Obama’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Super Tuesday’s primaries revealed some awesome socio-political dynamics at work among black voters during this presidential election cycle.

Once every generation, someone comes along who inspires the best in us worldwide. For my generation of blacks, it was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his civil rights movement. His mere presence was uplifting. His devotion to improving the everyday lives of minorities, women and the working poor elevated humanity. He loved everybody, even those who hated him. Dr. King’s message of self-respect and respect for others, human dignity, faith and prayer, goal setting and hard work resonated with men and women of goodwill of all races, and left a lasting impact on how the world sees itself.

After Dr. King’s death, black America coasted on the momentum of his civil rights movement. We saw dramatic improvements in educational opportunities, housing options, job availability, and social mobility. Eventually, we became so comfortable as a people that we began to focus on the trappings of wealth we saw highlighted in America’s larger society. An emphasis on new cars, bigger houses, high-end clothes and expensive parties soon replaced our focus on hard work and individual responsibility. The willingness to sacrifice to achieve economic security was replaced by a sense that we were entitled to get something for nothing. Our music went from love ballads exalting the virtues and beauty of black women to rap music demonizing them as “bitches” and “hoes”. “Cool” went from being a label signifying how successful we were in life to now defining how ignorant we can be in our communication skills, dress and behavior. Our communities have exploded with cultural suicide bombers intent on taking us and our historical values straight to hell. Not even slavery in America produced as many broken homes and babies born out of wedlock as we have now in our communities.

In the political world, black people have seen a sad transformation in their political leadership. In the 1970s and 1980s, we were represented in the halls of power by respected black men and women like Mayor Coleman Young in Detroit, Mayor Maynard Jackson in Atlanta, Mayor Harold Washington in Chicago, Edward Brooke in the U.S. Senate, Thurgood Marshall on the U.S. Supreme Court, and Constance Baker Motley on the Federal Court of Appeals. All of these brave souls joined other freedom fighters of all races and walks of life who fought everyday to improve the lives of blacks in America.

In contrast, today’s black elected and appointed officials have, on too many occasions, brought shame and embarrassment to our communities. They are often too timid to tackle the tough educational, economic, public safety, and infrastructure issues plaguing our strained cities and communities. In growing numbers, they seem to be largely focused on how they can feather their own nests. Too many of them have been convicted of crimes or have otherwise neglected their duties as good stewards of the public’s interest and money. A vast segment of them appear to be nothing more than pack-mules for special interest groups who openly tote political agendas that primarily benefit rich people.

It is against this backdrop that Barack Obama emerges on America’s national political scene. Black voters see in him their own hopes and dreams for a better America. They know that too many black politicians are so compromised by the daily sellouts to special interest groups that their effectiveness as problem solvers in our communities is virtually gone. As a result, blacks are flexing their political muscle by delivering record-setting votes to Obama in the primaries, despite the established black political leadership group’s endorsement of Senator Hillary Clinton for president.

In Obama, we see a presence and sense of purpose blacks have not witnessed since Dr. King’s death. He is young, gifted and black. He is what each of us wants in our own child. He’s married with children, and exalts his wife and kids. He loves people of all nationalities, races and religions. He exemplifies the historical values that delivered us from the bowels of slavery to the mountaintop of opportunity. We have witnessed him grow into political manhood. He is the best we have. We support him without hesitation or reservation.

If we can not support our best political progeny, then who can we support? If we will not support Obama, then why do we encourage our kids to dream big, to get the best education possible (at a cost we can’t usually afford), to go to church, to be good husbands and fathers, to be role models in the community, and to offer ourselves for public service?

While Senator Clinton is an impressive candidate for president, life has taught us that nobody understands our plight in America better than us. We believe it is time for us to join Obama in making the sacrifices necessary to bring blacks into the mainstream of social and economic life in America. The old politics of divide and conquer, practiced so often by some of our political leaders, no longer works in our communities. Obama’s candidacy transcends a political campaign for one man. It has become a movement for the betterment of mankind, and is flowing across America like a cleansing body of fresh water.

South growth leads USA

By Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY

The South is rising again, this time as a population magnet for immigrants who come for the same reasons that pull Americans there from other states: the warm climate, jobs and cheaper housing, according to an analysis of Census estimates out Friday.
More than half of the population growth in the USA in the past year occurred in southern states. The July 1 estimates also are the first to reflect Hurricane Katrina's devastation: Louisiana suffered a staggering net loss of 219,563 people, the largest annual decline in any state's population since troops were deployed during World War II.

STATE-BY-STATE: 2006 population estimates, changes since 2000

If people don't return, Louisiana will lose a seat in the House of Representatives, according to an analysis by Election Data Services, a consulting firm. Seats will be reapportioned after the 2010 Census.

The South now attracts as many people from other countries as the West, partly because California's appeal is waning.

"Immigrants are finally catching up to the fact that the South is a magnet for jobs and quality of life," says William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. "They are tag-along migrants, taking jobs created by people who come from other parts of the U.S."

For the first time since the early 1990s, when California was in a severe recession, the influx of immigrants to the USA's most populous state did not offset the loss of people to other states. The state grew only because births outnumbered deaths.go to story

MORE NEWS...

VNN STAFFER WINS EMMY

Atlanta (September 2006) -- Atlanta--September 13, 2006--Drew A. Watkins, webmaster for Voter News Network, won the 2005 Sports Emmy Award in the category of Segment Producer, Outstanding Show-Daily for “Inside The NBA-Playoffs” on TNT. This is the second consecutive Emmy honor for Watkins, who last year shared a 2004 Emmy with his TNT colleagues for the show.

Watkins, the son of VNN founder Donald V. Watkins, has been producing sports shows for ESPN and Turner Sports Network since he graduated from Howard University in 1997. Watkins has been VNN’s webmaster since the inception of the organization.

“The VNN and Watkins families are extremely proud of Drew for his award winning talents”, said the elder Watkins. “He is an extremely gifted young man who has achieved enormous success all of his life. We wish him nothing but the best in his professional and personal endeavors”.

VNN FOUNDER STARTS CHILDREN'S BANK

(September 2006) -- Birmingham--September 27, 2006-Voter News Network founder Donald V. Watkins established the Donald V. Watkins, P.C. Fund, more commonly known as the Children's Bank, to help children with entrepreneurial dreams start or expand businesses by providing them with resources unavailable from a traditional bank. The fund is open to children 18 years of age and younger, and requires applicants to formulate a business plan.

The Children's Bank was inspired by a similar fund created by Mr. Watkins' good friend and business associate, Delford M. Smith, founder and owner of Evergreen International Aviation in McMinnville, Oregon. The primary goal of the Children's Bank is to encourage entrepreneurialism, responsibility, hard work, and success in children.

Mr. Watkins' life experiences have taught him that success is partly due to finding the right support at the right time. Mr. Smith always said that, " what the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve". Mr. Smith and Watkins desire to instill this faith in America's future entrepreneurs by giving them the means to reach their goals. Interested children may obtain more information by visiting the Children's Bank. Loan Applications may be downloaded on-line. The Children's Bank has a nationwide service area. go to story