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jelani1906
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Sep 1, 2008 11:18 AM
During the convention, I sat on a panel about hip hop and politics with a number of well-read and highly-regarded thinkers in the black community. At one point a fellow panelist commented that it was impossible to criticize Barack without being considered...
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jelani1906
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Sep 1, 2008 09:55 AM
We have, by now, all heard the speech. Here are the things that I brought home with me from Denver: the amazing visual of literal miles of people lined up to get into Invesco Field; the security that was so tight that several celebrities and a well-known...
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jelani1906
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Aug 28, 2008 09:12 PM
Listen, I loathe the incessant fawning over celebrity that has all but replaced serious discussion of what is going on in this country. But at this point the sheer wattage of (black) celebrity that the convention has attracted speaks to the fact that...
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jelani1906
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Aug 28, 2008 07:41 PM
History is the highlight reel of great events. Take any critical, grand, sweeping moment in history and there are a thousand details you would rather not know. I guarantee you there's a brother who missed the "I Have a Dream Speech" because he was too...
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jelani1906
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Aug 28, 2008 07:39 PM
There are things that require explanation and those that don't. I could tell you what it feels like to cast a ballot for the first black presidential nominee, but I think you already know. I could talk about how it felt to lock arms with 500 black people...
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jelani1906
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Aug 27, 2008 07:12 PM
On Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 5:06pm, William Jelani Cobb, Delegate from the 5th Congressional District of Georgia, cast a ballot to formally nominate Barack Obama for President of the United States....
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jelani1906
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Aug 27, 2008 03:37 PM
I awoke Monday morning to a screaming declaration in USA Today that read "Hillary Supporters Restless." The article pointed to the only 47% of Clinton supporters who were willing to support Obama. That headline echoed the worst suspicions of the Obama...
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jelani1906
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Aug 26, 2008 12:02 PM
In America, the speed of light is exceeded only by the speed at which glory is transformed into commerce. To be in Denver right now is to witness the most high-velocity hustle off all things Obama. Let's say your aunt -- the one who calls you her favorite,...
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jelani1906
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Aug 26, 2008 11:59 AM
Hardworking White Folks: The Sequel ......
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jelani1906
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Aug 26, 2008 09:06 AM
If you had seen Michelle last night, for even the most fragmented seconds, you immediately recognize the meaning of the term Obama Green. She coined that shade in the twenty feet that separate the entrance from the podium at the Democratic National Convention....
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jelani1906
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Aug 26, 2008 08:55 AM
One has to wonder if Barack Obama's youth, energy and his fluency in the language of pop culture -- brushing off shoulders, dropping Malcolm X samples into his speeches on the sly -- translated into the choice of music for the convention. Here is a running...
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jelani1906
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Aug 26, 2008 08:20 AM
In a move designed to shore up support among that all-important "Wu Tang" demographic, Pennsylvania Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden has taken to rolling with a huge crew full of heavily armed men. I mean, really big. Like, rapper onstage...
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jelani1906
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Aug 25, 2008 12:46 PM
Almost from the outset of his campaign Barack Obama has inspired more awkward posturing than a beginners yoga class. That was never more apparent than last night as a generation of black leadership at the Civil Rights Salute attempted to turn their downward...
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jelani1906
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Aug 24, 2008 08:59 AM
Conventions, like armies, corporations and family reunions have their own internal pecking order, which is to say that not all states are created equal. Fair or not, the placement of your state delegation is seen as a barometer for how much clout you...
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jelani1906
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Aug 24, 2008 03:53 AM
Roll through downtown Denver and you get the vague impression that a Democratic National Convention might be going on this week. If the acres of red, white and blue bunting and the "DNC 2008" signs don't give it away the huge -- scratch that -- massive...
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