Babs just announced First Lady Michelle Obama as the most fascinating person of 2009. Of course, the list includes Glenn Beck and Kate Gosselin, but I agree 100%. Some folks say the First Lady’s gone from an Ivy-League educated lawyer to the First Lady of Fashion - arm candy that should take on more issues - but I wholeheartedly disagree. Rome wasn’t built in a day people.

It excites me that we’re being barraged with positive images of African-American men and women – images that run counter to what the world is used to seeing. Side note: can someone make Nikki Minaj go away? And will Tyler, Eddie and Martin stop dressing up in fat suits? Can BET cancel Tiny and Toya?

I love entertainment as much as the next person, but one of my ongoing gripes is that there’s no balance in how we’re portrayed and in how we portray ourselves. Having been in the corporate world for almost eight years, I, like many others, have experienced the stereotypes. It excites me that people are seeing another side of the black experience that many think don’t exist (including ourselves).

I’m veering away from the entertainment angle of this post, but this is definitely a conversation worth having. Only, it seems that we keep having it and nothing ever changes.     

But back to Babs. Do you agree with this list? Who else should be on it?

First Lady Michelle Obama

Lady Gaga (I like her music but she scares me)

Glenn Beck (I don’t have the energy)

Tyler Perry (can’t knock the hustle)

Kate Gosselin

Liza Minelli Adam Lambert (sorry, but his voice reminds me of her)

Sarah Palin (some things are better left unsaid)

Brett Favre

 Jenny Sanford (Yes!)

MJ’s kids

The President’s Afghanistan speech, delivered last night at West Point. First, I think it’s ridiculous to suggest that President Obama took too long to make a critical decision involving our troops and this country’s (as well as the world’s) security. Perhaps if there had been more deliberation on the decision to go to war in Iraq, things wouldn’t be such a mess there and here in terms of the emotional and financial strain on this country.

Second, I find it interesting that more conservatives seem to be in favor of the plan than liberals/progressives. I have friends and family that deal with the strains of long deployments and see the effects everyday, but I agree with the decision. As summed up by The Washington Post:

Mr. Obama’s troop decision is both correct and courageous: correct because it is the only way to prevent a defeat that would endanger this country and its vital interests; and courageous because he is embarking on a difficult and costly mission that is opposed by a large part of his own party. Importantly, the president did not set an end date or a timetable for the mission beyond July 2011; the pace of extracting U.S. forces will depend on developments on the ground.

. . .

Many in America and around the world have wondered about Mr. Obama’s personal dedication to winning that war. The president’s speech offered a qualified answer. He said he must “weigh all of the challenges that our nation faces,” and argued against a more expansive commitment to Afghanistan “because the nation I am most interested in building is our own.” But he also described powerfully the threat posed by “violent extremism,” and said, “it will be an enduring test of our free society and our leadership in the world.” With obvious reluctance but with clear-headedness, Mr. Obama has taken a major step toward meeting that test.

The Atlanta Mayor’s Race.

Kasim Reed, a 40-year old attorney, may be the next mayor of ATL, though his opponent, Mary Norwood, has not conceded defeat. 

What was so interesting about this race? It feautured an intense showdown in a runoff election between a black man and white woman (Atlanta’s only had black mayors since the 70′s), prompting major discussions on everything from race to gay rights in one of the South’s most prominent cities.

Reed’s win is razor thin, but the race signals something important going on in Hotlanta: a slight decrease in the black population with an increase in the city’s white population. Was this as simple as shifting demographics, or a move toward colorblind politics?

Good coverage on this story here, here and here.

I visited The Huffington Post this morning and a quick review of its site reflected what seems like the media’s increased interest in giving a platform to the racists and lunatics that have cropped up since President Obama’s election. Now mind you, these folks have always been here: hovering around the fringes, locking their car doors when you walk down the street, clutching purses when a brother steps on the elevator, asking if you work here or quietly assuming that the reason you’ve accomplished certain milestones is because someone gave you the answers to the test.

Last week, as I luxuriated (for work purposes!) in one of Southern California’s beautiful beach communities, I watched Pat Buchanan spew forth angry, inaccurate and highly offensive statements about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor and the overall contribution (or his perceived lack thereof) of minorities to America. Buchanan’s hateful and presumptive assumptions about Judge Sotomayor’s intellect and blatantly racist comments got the Twitter world into a tizzy, as people from all walks of life posted comments about his KKK-inspired rant.  

For me, what’s even more shocking than Buchanan’s statements -because it really is no secret where he stands on race in America – is that MSNBC continues to give him air time and prominence as a commentator. After all, he’s just crazy old Uncle Pat, and it’s ok because we all have that crazy uncle who regularly spouts racist rhetoric, right? Yet Buchanan’s continued defense of Sarah Palin’s lightweight and now incomplete acccomplishments, and support of her as a viable candidate for president, highlight that Buchanan’s politics are singularly racial.

I’m all for giving platform to opposing opinions. It’s one of the reasons that I don’t limit myself to one network or website for my news source, that I listen to Michael Smerconish in the morning (he admirably offers great balance on the issues he discusses, even though his audience is heavily and rigidly conservative),  and that I like to talk to strangers about their belief  systems. You have to step out of your bubble to get a true flavor of what people really think and feel.

Critical debate is essential to progress. Narrow-minded, ill-informed and divisive commentary is not. Debate Judge Sotomayor on her comments and her merits, whether she properly explained herself, or what her judicial record may reveal about how she’ll impact the Supreme Court.  You don’t have to like her, and you can go on TV and say that.  

But to suggest that Judge Sotomayor got to where she is because she stole opportunities from more deserving white men, that she made law review and garnered her legal jobs because of affirmative action, and that she doesn’t deserve to be on the bench – despite having a far more substantial judicial record than the Chief Justice himself – is ridiculous. And to warn her about her alleged temperament, as Sen. Lindsey Graham did, pays homage to that black tax reminder that once you do make it, you better remember to stay in your lane since we’re letting you up in here. 

Side bar: Another one of my black tax favorites is that once you do get in the door, please don’t try to do “too much.” Example: the current theme in the media  as to whether President Obama is trying to do too much, and whether he should just focus on the economy. Can I tell you how many times I’ve personally heard that, while the underlying directive is to work harder, smarter and faster?    

If we’re going to truly evolve in the aftermath of President Obama’s historic election, it means that we do not have the right to remain silent (for these purposes). It means that when you’re arrested in your own home, you raise hell about it. When racist idiots pollute your television, you raise hell about it. When the publishing world refuses to publish diverse thought, you raise hell about it. When your kids can’t swim in pools for fearing of changing the complexion, you raise hell about it.

For the sake of balance, I note that MSNBC does have several African-American anchors and commentators on air throughout the day. Those commentators of color, however, are not using their time on the air to rail against white Americans or other minorities, or to insert divisive inaccuracies into the mainstream- thought that is an affront to progress.  

Rachel Maddow took on Buchanan in a follow-up after his appearance, but for me it’s not enough. The point is that regardless of what MSNBC does with Buchanan, we have a voice and options. Let’s exercise them, even if it’s as simple as changing the channel and not buying from the advertisers who implicitly support these offensive thoughts. Let’s use these options to push for more balance, and to create alternative platforms that give air to both sides and actually educate. 

It also means that we hold our own accountable, because when they do or say things in the mainstream, like performing ”Every Girl” on stage with underage girls, it furthers the stereotypes of African-Americans generally. Those stereotypes that fuel, and in some minds, support Pat Buchanan’s lunancy. 

Below is your morning round up of what ”post-racial” American looks like. I don’t cite these headlines from HuffPo’s site to sensationalize the problem, but, rather, to illustrate that we’re far from a post-facial America. So what are you going to do about it?       

Maddow Demolishes Buchanan’s Surreal Facts About America’s Racial Past

Lou Dobbs Speculates If Obama Is Undocumented

Liz Cheney Defends Birthers On Larry King

Fox News Host: Is Obama’s Surgeon General Too Fat For The Position?

Brian Kilmeade Apologizes For Racist “Pure Species” Comment

Bad Day For Birthers As Matthews Picks Up Where Sanchez Left Off 

Riot Police Storm Texas Town After Black, White Protesters Clash Over Dragging Death

A couple of weeks ago, Melissa Harris-Lacewell, associate professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton, commented on the crisis of the black public intellectual in the age of Obama. And she put it down.

In her piece, Harris-Lacewell takes to task what she calls the “soul patrol,” the group of black, male intellectuals (Tavis Smiley, Dr. Cornell West, Michael Eric Dyson and others) who are critical of President Obama’s approach to race  – which is to be race neutral instead of explicitly acknowledging race in his agenda.  

Harris-Lacewell’s criticisms center on the modern role of the black intellectual, and how, on the lecture circuit, they suggest that ”they, not Obama, are the authentic representatives of the political interests of African-Americans.” Says Harris-Lacewell:

African-Americans are now citizens capable of running for office, holding officials accountable through democratic elections, publicly expressing divergent political preferences and, most importantly, engaging the full spectrum of American political issues, not only narrowly racial ones. The era of racial brokerage politics, when the voices of a few men stood in for the entire race, is now over. And thank goodness it is over. Black politics is growing up.

There are several other wonderful points from her commentary, but instead of posting large blocks of quotes from her column, I suggest reading it in its entirety and giving her column the page hit attention that it deserves.

Related pieces that are worth reading:

Emerging Leaders Energized In The Black Community.

‘Post-racial’ America Isn’t Here Yet.

Over the weekend, the Times covered Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas,’ and Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor’s, stark views on race:

Judge Sotomayor celebrates being Latina, calling it a reason for her success; Justice Thomas bristles at attempts to define him by race and says he has succeeded despite the obstacles it posed. Being a woman of Puerto Rican descent is rich and fulfilling, Judge Sotomayor says, while Justice Thomas calls being a black man in America a largely searing experience. Off the bench, Judge Sotomayor has helped build affirmative action programs. On the bench, Justice Thomas has argued against them with thunderous force. 

Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation would mark the first time that the Supreme Court would include two minorities at the same time. Great article in light of the “is America post-racial” debate.

In other news . . .

Plagiarism, regardless of who it’s lifted from, is bad.

U.S. journalists get sentenced to 12 years in N. Korean labor camps.

Those crazy Buchanans are at it again.

I was officially over Will Ferrell after “Blades of Glory.” Still love Anchorman though  . . .

Single Women Can Learn a Thing or Two From Our First Lady.  

So that explains my Law and Order obsession.

NBC news just reported that President Obama will nominate Second Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court. The official announcement will come at 10:15 a.m. today.

No word, however, on when the Republican opposition to her nomination will officially begin, or how conservative they will be in their attacks on her (as a sassy, brassy, diva) as they try not to alienate the Hispanic community.

When I’m on a plane (or sitting in the airport), one of my go-to authors is James Patterson. His books are a quick read and entertaining - even if somewhat formulaic. I’m planning to catch up on his Women’s Murder club series. You have to respect Patterson’s hustle. He can churn these books out in his sleep.

After President Obama’s address to Congress, the media/blogger consensus is that he delivered in a big way, while Governor Bobby Jindal evoked the spirit of 30 Rock’s Kenneth the Page during the Republican response.

I watched Jindal (with jaw dropped) as he delivered a  speech that was not only a trainwreck in delivery, but appeared to be a laundry list of outdated talking points and confusing messages (Katrina, huh??) that suggested that he hadn’t actually read the President’s speech before writing his (and wasn’t ready for the national stage). I think President Obama’s speech would have been a tough act for anyone to follow, but if I were Michael Steele, I’d be worried that the republican response resembled an SNL skit. Can’t wait to see if SNL mocks it . . .

President Obama’s Address to Congress (via CSPAN):

Kenneth the Page’s Governor Bobby Jindal Delivers the Republican Response (First Part):

I would have posted part two of Gov. Jindal’s speech, but this is better:

Paulson wants to spend the second half of the bailout money. What did he do with the first half?

Auto industry officially on life support.

This gives new meaning to Lil Wayne’s “Mrs. Officer.”

Wasn’t this called “Liar, Liar?”

Hillary tells Kennedy detractors to relax.

Some Iraqi’s want a return to the way they were.

The craziest part of this op-ed is that a 35-year old wouldn’t know what hooking up means.

Even the White House is tired of Elizabeth Hasselback, but she strong arms them into a Christmas party invite.

C’mon. Given the current state of our country, we need Jesus.

Not like you’ll be able to get into or see anything in the crowd of millions, but here are your inauguration details.

So much for having an 850 FICO score.