Obamanation

Barack Obama's campaign has condemed Ludacris's latest rap lyrics, Politics as Usual. This was to be expected given that Obama is now the presumptive Democratic nominee to be President of the United States.

As MMM reader Rick Ambrosia pointed out, the Obama campaign issued the following statement:

"Obama camp says Ludacris should be 'ashamed'"

(CNN) – Barack Obama's campaign sharply condemned rapper Ludacris Wednesday over his new song celebrating the Illinois senator's presidential bid while referring to Hillary Clinton by an offensive remark.
Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said Ludacris should be "ashamed of these lyrics."

"As Barack Obama has said many, many times in the past, rap lyrics today too often perpetuate misogyny, materialism, and degrading images that he doesn’t want his daughters or any children exposed to," Burton said. "This song is not only outrageously offensive to Senator Clinton, Reverend Jackson, Senator McCain, and President Bush, it is offensive to all of us who are trying to raise our children with the values we hold dear. While Ludacris is a talented individual he should be ashamed of these lyrics."

Why is Barack Obama's campaign doing the condeming. What does the candidate have to say himself.

This is what Obama told Rolling Stone in a interview posted to the magazines website on July 10, 2008, three weeks before Politics as Usual was released:

What do you think of rap? Has it been unfairly attacked for destroying family values?

By definition, rock & roll is rebel music, which means if it's not being criticized, it's probably not doing its job. I am troubled sometimes by the misogyny and materialism of a lot of rap lyrics, but I think the genius of the art form has shifted the culture and helped to desegregate music. Music was very segregated back in the Seventies and Eighties — you'll remember that when MTV first came on, it wasn't until Thriller that they played Michael.

I know Jay-Z. I know Ludacris. I know Russell Simmons. I know a bunch of these guys. They are great talents and great businessmen, which is something that doesn't get emphasized enough. It would be nice if I could have my daughters listen to their music without me worrying that they were getting bad images of themselves.

These are the lyrics to Ludacris's hit Coming 2 America:

The royal penis is clean your highness
Thank you, king shit

Yeah motherfuckers! Welcome to the United States of America.
Time to roll out the red carpet on y'all bitch asses.
Hailin from the filthy, dirty South, where the Kings lay.
Ludacris; Disturbin' Tha Peace family. Recognize royalty
when you hear it. The throne has been taken, so kiss this
nigga's earring. Luda throw some grapes on these bitches!

[Ludacris]
These bitches throwin rose petals at my feet mayn!
They wanna spoil me, treatin me like royalty;
what I'm 'sposed to do? It's such a sweet thang
Work that track, whip 'em like Kunta
That's why they stay down, they loyal citizens of Zamunda
By way of A-T-L; if you disagree
don't even look at me ho don't pass go just go straight to jail
With no probation or bail, but this ain't Monopoly
It's Jolly Green Giants cause we smoke so much broccoli
Uh-oh, Spaghetti-O's! Luda's oodles of noodles
And testin me is like pitbulls put up to poodles
My rap career goes back further than yo' father hairline
It's Ludacris - I pack more nuts than Delta Airlines
I'm fly, even when I get high I work cash
And even got my coats bumped up to first class
I'm boss to all employees - and I'm here to teach the principle
Cause I've been saved by mo' bells than Lark Vorhees

Man fuck that nigga 'Cris man, for real man. I'm tired of
this shit man. Man I try to rap for the nigga, I try to get
a nigga tracks; he ain't hearin my shit. Man for real.
Man my four-year-old son can rap better than that nigga;
man that nigga garbage. Man I got talent too, the nigga ain't
hearin me. Man iii-iiiis this shit on? 'Cris, c'mon 'Cris.
'Cris, f'real man. FUCK YOU NIGGA, MAN FUCK YOU!

[Ludacris]
Fuck you too! What you wanna do, scrawny nigga
But I got a arsenal of automatics down to twenty-twos
Know how to use 'em, fight dirty as SHIT
I throw a grenade and all-in-one bury a CLIQUE
You see y'all got it all wrong like women in tuxedos
And comin up shorter than five Danny DeVitos
I'm on a cool ranch, get laid more than Fritos
With five strippers, four wives and three amigos
I go scuba divin in Bays at Montego
I find gold links and snatch 'em like I'm Deebo
But I'm the light-skinteted version of Mandingo
I've seen more Beatles and Jagged Edges than Ringo
I used to run numbers in line they caled me BINGO
Cause I'm big, you a little star, you just twinkle
Old asses like sharpeis, y'all all wrinkled
And I stay with more BULLETS than yo' Billboard singles

Ho that is just too much! You just gotta give applause
he is definitely all f'real - yasee WHAT I'msayin? Ha ha I be
fuckin with him all the time, yah know what I mean? I'm sayin, I used
to just sell home herb (?) now home come through he want fiftys OF purple,
he want quarters OF purple now. I DONT KNOW HOW to trip with it
man, I just sold him a QP last week of the flava,
yaseewhatI'msayin?

[Ludacris]
Yeah, can I get a little hit of that, little nigga with a bigga sack
See piece of the bigger trap look at that God be rollin on that
Where they kick it at? And a lot of people just don't know
Shady Park you heard just don't go
Quick to flip the bird up po'-po'
Makin the way for that rodeo, that rodeo show!
Gotta hit 'em with a reload, I gotta put 'em with the people
I gotta make a nigga stop, drop, roll - oh no where the beat go?
Bring that, shit back, didn't wanna hear that, clik-clak
Tons of fun with guns
Fuck all the lil' chit-chat get back get that get that
Who knows, who goes there? Motherfuckers it's Poppa Bear
Stop and stare; pourin out a lil' gasoline and then drop a flare
I'm on, FIRE! And you know I can't stop 'til I re-TIRE!
Oh no, we stay swoll, rollin on Vogue TIRES!
Right down the avenue, passin you rapidly stackin
In the back of the Cadillac and packin emergency action
Camera, LIGHT LIGHTS, throwin a punch and then FIGHT FIGHT
Packin a lunch and then BITE BITE, A-T-L stay TIGHT TIGHT

I'm just tryin to save ya shorty. I'ma let you know
it's real down heah. When you ride down that two-eighty-five,
and you go past Kincaid, get ready to go past that Cambleton Road
fo' you get it cut free shorty just shake; cause dat where dem
real niggaz at. I ain't lyin when you in Decatur and you flossin
down Glenwood, Candler Road or Rainbow to shake!
Cause dat where dem real niggaz at. When you're goin down that
ol' Nat Hill and you pass dat second waffle house 'fore you get
to the rich niggaz daaang, cause dat where dem real niggaz at!
Matter of fact, just shake when ya get to Georgia nigga.

I wonder what Martin Luther King, Jr would have to say about this. Somehow I don't think he would be saying what a great talent and businessman the writer is. Somehow I think King would be concerned outraged about these lyrics. Somehow I think King would not appreciate this music himself but forbid his daughters from listening to it.

I wonder what Lorenzo Dangler, Jim Purcell and Joseph Caliendo will have to say about this in The Courier NAACP DEMOCRAT.

Lightshines, are you out there? I need a song. I'm thinking Lorenzo, Joseph and Jim to the tune of Abraham, Martin and John.

What is Dangler really up to?

I was just in the midst of researching the alleged bias incident in Asbury Park last Friday night when I got a call from Courier reporter Alyssa Passeggio.

Passeggio told me that Greater Long Branch President Lorenzo Dangler will be issuing a statement later today condemning me and my writing about race on this blog. She wanted to know if I had a comment.

How can I comment on a statement that hasn't been issued yet?

So rather than give the Courier a comment on Dangler's statement that hasn't been issued, the quote I gave Passeggio was, "Why would Dangler issue a statement about me when there was an alleged bias incident happening in Asbury Park?"

Passeggio was unaware of the incident.

Dangler had nothing to say about Jesse Jackson calling Barack Obama a fucking half breed nigger until I started writing about it.

More on the alleged bias incident tomorrow, as well as comments on Dangler's statement, if he makes it.

UPDATE: Justified Right Steps Up Again:

In 1996 the State segregated Asbury Park's school district by race.

I've never heard Dangler say a Sharpton-esque word about it.

Or the Asbury Park dePressed, or the Coaster, or the Courier, or any other paper.

What the hell is wrong with liberals these days? MLK, RFK, they fought for people. They fought for civil rights.

Today's liberals only want to save polar bears and trees and stuff like that.

If this were the 1960's, liberal activists would be parachuting into Asbury Park to protest a school the government segregated by race.

Today liberals say, "Well, they get $60 million a year in Abbott money, so I guess it's ok to be segregated. Save the whales?"

Good grief.

Purcell surrenders editorial control to the NAACP and Democrats

Let's shut that white boy up

At the behest of Greater Long Branch NAACP President Lorenzo Dangler, Courier publisher Jim Purcell has chosen to discontinue the More Monmouth Musings column which has appeared regularly in the weekly since last September. The editorial space will be filled with a column by Middletown Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo. Earlier this month Purcell informed me that he was getting heat over the popularity of the More Monmouth Musings column and asked if I would alternate weeks with Caliendo. I agreed and Caliendo's column first column appeared in the most recent issue.

The More Monmouth Musing column never addressed the race issue.

Ironically, Caliendo's column was a slam on Judith Stanley-Coleman and her "farmers" property tax break, which this blog wrote about and satired last fall. Stanley-Coleman is the Middletown Republican who is funding Highlands Democrats.

Purcell admitted that he had not consulted his paper's owner, former Senator Joe Azzolina about this decision. He also admitted that Dangler and Caliendo had discussed my writing. Dangler turned down a request to talk with me, conveyed through Purcell, last week.

Dangler's only public remarks condemning Jesse Jackson's use of the N-word in reference to Barack Obama was in a Courier article last week about this blog.

Dangler condemns Jesse Jackson's use of the N-word

Finally.

Even though it is buried in deep in a Courier article about my intentionally controversial use of the N-word, an African-American leader, Lorenzo W. Dangler, President of the Greater Long Branch NAACP said, "The Rev. Jesse Jackson, as a one-time revered civil rights leader in our country, was wrong, whether or not a microphone was on. As a reverend, Jesse Jackson should never have than kind malice in his heart for anyone."

Yet, Dangler went on to justify Jackson's filthy remark. According to the Courier, Dangler said jealousy for Barack Obama's success thus far in his presidential bid may be a cause for Jackson's vulgarity.

It seems to me that Dangler called Jackson a jealous has been and a charlatan. On that we can agree.

Dangler also characterised my posts about Jackson, the N-word, and race as "not acceptable", "ignorant", "not reasonable," and "not productive." I respect his opinion.

Dangler was also very generous with me. He said that this blog is influential and that I am "an intelligent and educated man, but one who is still thinking back to the early civil rights days and earlier. That is why the United States is where it is at today. People think this is a way to generate conversation and it truly is not."

I appreciate Mr. Dangler's kindness and disagree that my thinking is still back in the 60's and earlier. I think in terms of race relations and equality, The United States is a better place than any other and better than it has ever been. We still have a ways to go. From what I have heard second hand, Mr. Dangler had to deal with quite of bit of anger before making such a gracious statement.

My only regret about the controversial posts, so far, is the angst I understand that they brought up for Mr. Dangler.

Please note I said "brought up" not "caused." I maintain that I did not cause this controversy. I take full responsibility for stirring it up and keeping it going, but it is always brewing below the surface of our inter-racial relationships. Generally speaking white people are fearful of this conversation and black people are angry about it. Thus, we go out of our way to avoid the conversation rather than work through those volatile and unpleasant emotions and get to a place where we better understand each other.

I hope to be able to establish a dialogue with Mr. Dangler wherein I am perfectly willing to genuinely understand the error of my ways, if that proves to be the case, rather than to simply avoid using the term with no understanding of what the usage of the term means when a white person uses it, vs. when a black person uses it.

The other critics of mine cited in the Courier and with their own blogs are laughable liberal white suburbanites looking for attention. I suspect that none of them have any significant relationships with any black people or members of any other minority. The loon blogger wannabes who tried to make this a partisan issue by attempting to drag Eric Sedler and Joe Oxley into it are pond scum of the DailyKos, Moveon.org variety, but with a lot less talent.

To me, it is very telling that in our little corner of the blogosphere and in Northern Monmouth County where The Courier articles will be read, that my comments are more controversial than Jackson's, and that Jackson's comments are old forgotten news for most of the rest of the world.

I am grateful to my friend Jim Purcell for giving this conversation exposure in his paper and on his blog. He knowingly took my bait, even though he disagrees with my methods.