Afrosphere Committee to Unite the Democratic Party

Keith Boykin, Former Clinton Acolyte, Flips the Script

2008-03-29T01:22:00.000-04:00

Friday, March 28, 2008

Keith Boykin, longtime blogger, recently suspended his blog to edit the Daily Voice, another site aimed at providing news and opinion to middle- and upper-class African-Americans online. It's actually a good site though it could use a little more Web 2.0 flava. There's a lot going on over there though and I recommend it, including this article on How the Clintons Lost The Black Vote by Kia Gregory.

What caught my attention this morning was Boykin's piece called simply Clinton Owes Obama An Apology. As a former Clinton loyalist, I can imagine this was difficult to write. Like many black people, I too went on a journey at the beginning of the campaign. I started out fond of the Clintons and their strong relationship with the black community and suspicious of the newcomer Barack Obama, whom I'd scarcely heard of. Hillary Clinton's "strategy" succeeded in repulsing/alienating me at the same time Obama's audacity began to surprise and inspire me.

When I talk to Clinton supporters now, they wince when her name is mentioned. They almost apologize for their support. They talk about "experience" and when I say "which experience -- running a racist campaign, being wrong on Iraq, being weak on illegal wiretapping -- which appeals most to you"? -- they either backpedal nervously or come out swinging with defensive, illogical bluster.

Even my moms after the Geraldine Ferraro flap was exhausted and dispirited at the effort to keep defending Clinton to herself and to me. She's still behind her girl, but one more Ferraro-like episode from Clinton or a surrogate and it will be "game over", I know. Even Howard Dean has stepped forward to call publicly for the Clintons to back down and STFU. Though the message is directed at both, we all know whose behavior he's really addressing.

Boykin stops short of endorsing Obama. He does however have some carefully chosen words for his former boss's um, wife. His disappointment and pained anger reflects the feelings of many African-Americans (emphasis mine):

I've had it with the Clintons.

The past few months I've tried to defend Bill and Hillary Clinton against some of the more unreasonable attacks from their critics. Just last weekend on CNN's Ballot Bowl, I defended Bill Clinton when critics accused of him of questioning Barack Obama's patriotism. The critics may have misinterpreted Clinton's remarks, I said, giving the former president the benefit of the doubt.

I've also defended Barack Obama in recent weeks against unreasonable charges directed at him because of his association with his church and his pastor. It seems obvious to me that Barack Obama loves his country and is not an anti-white bigot.

Maybe I'm too close to the two Democrats to be against either one. I went to law school with Barack Obama and worked in the Clinton White House, so I have connections and allegiances to both candidates. That's why I've never understood the rabid Hillary haters or the angry Obama opponents. To me, all three candidates -- including John McCain -- are good and decent Americans who have served their country with distinction.

I wish Hillary Clinton would acknowledge that fact too.

[...insert tragic list of Hillary's recent sins against black people...]

She ought to be ashamed. A month ago she stoked the fears that Obama might be a Muslim and now she plays on the fears of Pennsylvanians that the Illinois senator is a radical black Christian. I would expect that kind of nonsensical fear mongering from a Republican, but I'm disappointed when it comes from a fellow Democrat.

Even John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has acknowledged that Clinton and Obama are both honorable Americans. When a conservative radio host attacked Obama at a Cincinnati McCain rally last month, the Arizona senator stood up for his Democratic opponents and apologized for the attack. "I have repeatedly stated my respect for Senator Obama and Senator Clinton," he said and promised to "treat them with respect." That was much classier than Hillary Clinton's comments on Jeremiah Wright.

As a New Yorker, I have been proud of Hillary Clinton's service in the Senate, and I harbor no ill will toward her. If she somehow manages to wrangle the nomination from Obama, I will actively support her general election campaign. But I cannot remain silent any longer while my own senator destroys the Democratic Party, and her own reputation, in a desperate and degrading effort to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

It's time for Senator Clinton to act like a leader that I know she can be. Hilary Clinton not only needs to defend Barack Obama, she needs to apologize to him.

I'll go further. It's time for Hillary Clinton to step down and concede if not for the sake of the nation and the Democratic party -- then if nothing else, to preserve what's left of her family's reputation.

That's why I just now signed the Afrosphere's Petition to Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee urging Clinton to concede defeat based on the grounds that she cannot win and that her candidacy of vanity and ego threatens democracy in America. I am the 1121th signer. Please join me. Here's the text of the petition.

To: Senator Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee

Senator Hillary Clinton Must Concede Defeat and Support the Democratic Presidential Ticket

The signatories to this statement urge that Senator Hillary Clinton must concede defeat in her quest for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination and must support the Democratic ticket.

Wherefore:

(1) The Democratic Party base has spoken. The delegate count shows that Senator Hillary Clinton cannot win the nomination on the strength of earned delegates, based on the will of the voters.

(2) Mrs. Clinton's political attacks upon Senator Barack Obama have increasingly appealed to and sought to increase resentment against others based on the color of their skin.

(3) This divisiveness is regrettable because, via the presidential candidacy of Senator Obama, the vast majority of African-Americans stand united with millions of white Americans and Americans of all colors, genders, ethnicities and religious backgrounds, erasing divisions to implement a program of Democratic change.

(4) It appears that Mrs. Clinton is about to shatter this historic unity.

(5) We therefore call on Mrs. Clinton to face the reality of the earned delegates count, concede defeat, and thereby contribute to healing a wound which is opening and continues to widen.

(6) Mrs. Clinton must wholeheartedly support the winner of the nomination, who has earned the most delegates, and devote herself honestly and enthusiastically to defeating Republican electoral hopes in 2008, not attacking Democratic politicians and Democratic constituencies.

(7) Should the Democratic Party leadership nullify the people's votes by giving Mrs. Clinton the nomination, despite the popular will as represented by earned delegates, we would then call upon African-American voters and all Democratic Party constituencies and supporters to withhold their support from a Hillary Clinton candidacy in November. We have survived eight years under President Bush and, if compelled to do so, we will survive four years under a President McCain. However, we cannot and will NOT survive the nullification of our most hard-won right - our votes.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Campaign for Senator Clinton to Concede Now

2008-03-25T15:26:00.000-04:00

By Yobachi Boswell and Francis L. Holland, Esq.

The Afrosphere Action Coalition and the

Committee To Unite the Democratic Party

Read about this initiative here.

Sign the Petition here.

See Press Release here.

See AOL News coverage here.

Bloggers Participating in the Day of Blogging For Voter Justice should sign up with your name (real or internet handle) and FULL url address (example: www.blackperspective.net) in the comments.

1. Francis L. Holland http://francislholland.blogspot.com/2008/03/concede-now-hillary.html

2. D. Yobachi Boswell www.blackperspective.net

3. Villager electronicvillage.blogspot.com/

4. PurpleZoe purplezoe.blogspot.com/

5. Sojourner’s Place sojournersplace.blogspot.com

6. Vanessa Byers www.blackhandside.net

7. JD www.blackinbusiness.org/

8. MrsGrapevine mrsgrapevine.com/

9. Sincere www.sincere-thoughts.blogspot.com

10. Credo dowdellresearch.blogspot.com

11. Black Women in Europe blackwomenineurope.blogspot.com

12. Belizebound www.inpursuitofperfection.typepad.com/

13. Shawn Williams www.dallassouthblog.com

14. MarvalusOne opinionatedblackwoman.com/

15. Rock AfricanAmericanPoliticalpundit.com & AfricanAmericanOpinion.com

16. Anne-Marie McReynolds www.backyardbeacon.org

17. therealready.blogspot.com/2008/03/its-on-now.html

18. Phil philpierrepaul.blogspot.com/

19. imby.wordpress.com/

20. Gunfighter gunfighter1.typepad.com/warrior/

21. Tom automaticpreference.wordpress.com/

22. InvisibleWoman invisible-cinema.blogspot.com/

23. Baratunde www.jackandjillpolitics.com/ and www.jackandjillpolitics.com/

24. Marcus E. Carter www.inpursuitofperfection.typepad.com

25. Terry Howcott www.terryhowcott.com

Afrosphere Press Release on 3/25 Day of Blogging for Voter Justice

2008-03-20T18:14:00.000-04:00

Don't Let Clinton Steal the Election!

Afrosphere Seeks Voter Justice in Democratic Party

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Afrosphere Action Coalition Announces

Day of Blogging for Voter Justice on March 25, 2008

Cincinnati, OH - March 20, 2008 - The Afrosphere Action Coalition (AAC) is circulating an online petition to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), to super-delegates, and calling upon Senator Hillary Clinton to "face the reality of the earned delegates count, concede defeat, and thereby contribute to healing a wound which is opening and continues to widen" in the Party. Therefore, the AAC sponsors a "Day of Blogging for Voter Justice."

As the Democratic nomination contest wears on, Senator Clinton wages an increasingly divisive campaign, throwing the "kitchen sink" at Senator Barack Obama, recklessly alienating and dismissing as inconsequential those states with large Black populations; white states like Iowa and Vermont, and states with Republicans, like Wyoming and Montana. In fact, Clinton discounts every state that she fails to win.

Behind in the earned delegate count and the popular vote, Clinton's desperate political tactics threaten to split the long-standing Democratic Party coalition. AAC utterly rejects Senator Clinton's seeming endorsement of the other party's candidate's experience, should she fail to win her own party's nomination. It's unprecedented. If she cannot win enough earned delegates under the current process then it appears Clinton seeks self-serving rules changes or to win in a smoke-filled room.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 2008 Democratic National Committee Convention Chair said, "If the votes of the Super-Delegates overturn what's happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic Party."

The Afrosphere Action Coalition concurs with Speaker Pelosi and therefore calls upon the DNC, super-delegates and Hillary Clinton to "end her relentless war against established Party principles and constituencies and concede defeat in the nominating process." Only by dramatically rigging the process could Mrs. Clinton hope to win, which voters would reject as invalid. "Hillary's divisiveness could lead to four more years of George W. Bush's disastrous economic and foreign policies."

Therefore, on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, the Afrosphere Action Coalition will conduct a Day of Blogging For Voter Justice. Coalition members and friends will blog to insist that our votes, earned delegates and established rules be honored. "We must unite behind our nominee in March, not August." If you are not a blogger, you can still support this effort by signing the online petition.

This is a nonpartisan effort to increase participation in the political process. If you have questions or wish to discuss further you can reach out to any member of the Afrosphere Action Coalition including Yobachi Boswell, Wayne Hicks, Francis Holland or Daz Wilson.

About Afrosphere Action Coaltion

AAC is a coalition of Afrosphere bloggers who first coalesced around the Jena 6 issue and have since taken actions via the net to bring awareness or to call people to action on various issues including AIDS and Darfur.

About Electronic Village

Electronic Village, founded in January 2007, is a blog created to share information and dialogue that is uplifting to people of African descent. This blog recently celebrated its 1-year anniversary ranked in the Top 35 of all Black blogs.

Afrosphere Action Coalition

Yobachi Boswell (615) 478-5204

Wayne Hicks (513) 362-2703

Francis Holland

Daz Wilson

Electronic Village
Wayne Hicks, Blogger

(513) 362-2703

Click here to subscribe to the Electronic Village blog.

The Voter's Dilemma and Democratic Accountability: Explaining the Democracy-Development Paradox

by Mona M. Lyne by Pennsylvania State University Press

Hardcover

List Price: $60.00

Our Price: $60.00

Buy Now

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The Math

2008-03-19T14:02:00.003-04:00

Listed Below is the current democratic delegate count. The math never lies.

Barack Obama

Delegate Total*

1,611

Pledged: 1,404
Superdelegates: 207

Hillary Clinton

Delegate Total*

1,479

Pledged: 1,242
Superdelegates: 237

Day of Blogging for Voter Justice, Tuesday, March 25, 2008: Hillary Must Concede Now!

2008-03-19T12:32:00.001-04:00

We in the afrosphere and many of us in the AfroSpear have devided that we're not going to simply sit by while Hillary Clinton schemes to find a way to claim the nomination, even though she is behind in earned delegates and behind in the popular vote. Plus, we're tired of being insulted by Hillary Clinton's surrogates, who need not say anything at all about our skin color, and yet they don't seem to be able to talk about anything else.

And so, this is the press release that we in the Afrosphere Action Coalition (ACC) we are issuing:

For Immediate Release

From: Afrosphere Action Coalition, March 24, 2008

RE: Day of Blogging for Voter Justice, Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The Afrosphere Action Coalition (AAC) is circulating an online petition to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), to super-delegates, and calling upon Senator Hillary Clinton to “face the reality of the earned delegates count, concede defeat, and thereby contribute to healing a wound which is opening and continues to widen” in the Party. Therefore, the AAC sponsors a “Day of Blogging for Voter Justice.”

As the Democratic nomination contest wears on, Senator Clinton wages an increasingly divisive campaign, throwing the “kitchen sink” at Senator Barack Obama, recklessly alienating and dismissing as inconsequential those states with large Black populations; white states like Iowa and Vermont, and states with Republicans, like Wyoming and Montana. In fact, Clinton discounts every state that she fails to win.

Behind in the earned delegate count and the popular vote, “Clinton’s desperate political tactics threaten to split the long-standing Democratic Party coalition.” “We utterly reject Senator Clinton’s seeming endorsement of the other party’s candidate’s experience, should she fail to win her own party’s nomination. It’s unprecedented.” If she cannot win enough earned delegates under the current process, “Clinton seeks self-serving rules changes or to win in a smoke-filled room.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 2008 Democratic National Committee Convention Chair, announced:

“If the votes of the Super-Delegates overturn what’s happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic Party.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/us/politics/16delegates.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&sq=pelosi&st=nyt&scp=4

The Afrosphere Action Coalition concurs and therefore calls upon the DNC, super-delegates and Hillary Clinton to “end her relentless war against established Party principles and constituencies and concede defeat in the nominating process.” Only by dramatically rigging the process could Mrs. Clinton hope to win, which voters would reject as invalid. “Hillary’s divisiveness could lead to four more years of George W. Bush’s disastrous economic and foreign policies.”

Therefore, on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, the Afrosphere Action Coalition will conduct a Day of Blogging For Voter Justice – “Concede Now, Hillary”. Coalition members and friends will blog to insist that our votes, earned delegates and established rules be honored. “We must unite behind our nominee in March, not August.” “Hillary Clinton cannot win and must concede defeat now.”

Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/ACUDP2/petition.html

“Day of Blogging For Voter Justice” Bloggers: http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/hillary-must-quit/

Afrosphere Action Coalition Coordinating Committee

Mr. Francis L. Holland, Esq. Mr. Daz Wilson

Mr. D. Yobachi Boswell Mr. Wayne Hicks

Support the "Concede Now, Hillary!" Online Petition Drive.

2008-03-19T12:26:00.000-04:00

Here's a link where you can get the HTML for the above photo and display it at your blog or website.

Some people have asked me if we in the Afrosphere Action Committee are really furthering our political goals with our "Concede Now, Hillary!" online petition drive. The petition says to Hillary, the Democratic National Committee and the super-delegates that "Senator Hillary Clinton must concede defeat in her quest for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination and must support the Democratic ticket," because she simply cannot win numerically and is now only being divisive and destructive.

This is how I see this political jucnture and the function of our petition:

Right now, the super-delegates are deciding how to vote, and their decision, now or before the Convention, will determine whether Clinton stays in the race or concedes defeat. Perhaps only pressure from the super-delegates can convince Clinton to concede.

Inserting the code below into a blog's HTML will cause an attractive one-click "Concede Now, Hillary!" HTML widget to appear at your blog. E-mail me at francislholland@yahoo.com for code that you can just paste in, or simply press on the widget below and make the widget appear in your blog or website.

Blacks are 20% of Democratic Party voters and it is not possible for Clinton or any Democratic Party candidate to win a presidential election without enthusiastic support from Black voters. So, If we show that Blacks, in addition to voting 90% / 10% against Clinton in the primaries, are also furious at Clinton and will not vote for her in November, then her candidacy becomes inviable. Clinton cannot win without Black votes, and she cannot get Black votes even if she somehow if she steals the nomination from Obama. So, her candidacy is inviable.

Clinton may be in denial about this, because she may think that we will soon forget what she has done in the primaries. Our petition and our blogging is offering Hillary Clinton and the super-delegates some much needed reality-testing about this notion that Blacks will soon forget and vote for Clinton.

Once the super-delegates understand that Blacks are in open revolt against Hillary, they will hopefully see that Obama (1) is ahead in earned delegates, (2) ahead in the popular vote AND (3) has a lock on a constituency without which the Democratic candidate will be dead in the water in November.

We are raising our voices at a critical time and in a crucial way.

Attorney Offers Reward for Best Prediction of Hillary's Concession Date and Time

2008-03-19T12:22:00.001-04:00

Atty. Francis L. Holland is offering a twenty-five dollar reward to the member of the "Concede Now, Hillary!" Facebook group, or signer of the "Concede Now, Hillary!" petition who most closely predicts the day and time when Hillary Clinton will concede the Democratic presidential nomination to Barack Obama.

To join the competition and claim the prize, join

(1) Sign the "Concede Now, Hillary!" petition online, including your day and time prediction next to your name, and/or

(2) join the "Concede Now, Hillary!" Facebook group and send a message to Atty. Francis L. Holland with your prediction of day and time of concession in the subject heading.

Good luck to you and to our country!