Political Punch

freedom of speech baby. i love it.

I must have missed your point. How is this a knock on Obama?

WHY DO WE LISTEN TO THE MEDIA AND ALLOW US TO GET INVOLVED IN SIMPLE AND RATHER PETTY ISSUES, COMPARED TO MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WE SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT. RUSSEL SIMMONS IS NOT SOMEONE WHO WILL BE HELPING THIS COUNTRY MOVE ALONG FINANCIALLY OR PUT THE US 'S IMAGE BACK IN SOME KIND OF REPUTABLE STANDING. HES NOT FIGHTING IN IRAQ OR FIGHTING HERE AT HOME TO ALLEVIATE FINANCIAL POVERTY OR RECESSIONARY TRENDS. FORGET ABOUT IMUS COMMENTS OR RUSSEL OR HIP HOP LYRICS. WE NEED TO MOVE PAST THESE PETTIER ISSUES AND LOOK FOR OUR COUNTRY'S FUTURE AND CHILDRENS CHILDREN. GET INVOLVED, AND BE INFORMED, (TRULY INFORMED ) NOT CAUGHT UP IN THE POPULAR CULTURES MEDIA.

Russell Simmons has done a lot for music, fashion, helping others and also his community. His support for Obama will swing votes to Obama! Russell also says he respects Hillary!

Mr. Obama and Mr. Simmons - are both right and Mr. Simmon's comments - make sense. At first, Mr. Obama said that demeaning comments aren't good for anyone. Mr. Simmons said that Imus has no idea what it is like to live as an African-American. Both men were right.

If Mr. Simmons now knows more about Mr. Obama and supports him - that is his right and his decision. Many voters have only recently become familiar with Mr. Obama - and have also decided to support him.

Every community - white, African-American, Latino, women, etc., has their own issues - issues that may be hard for others to understand. That's where a willingness to learn about other cultures and communities - becomes important.

Also, the idea that every person is born - able to achieve what some other person can achieve - is ridiculous. We all have talents and weaknesses - areas in school and in life where we are strong and not so strong - add in a person's family history and life experiences - and one can not argue that we will all end up in the same - 'successful' - place.

Life throws all types of challenges our way - and some people can overcome those challenges - while others can not. This is true for people of both genders and all 'colors.' I can't do math easily. Does that make me any less 'worthwhile?' No, it just makes getting an engineering degree less likely.

We are all different. Genetics guarantees this as does our very different life experiences. There is supposed to be room in American society for everyone. At least - that is what we 'say' we are all about.

Well, the sad fact is, the black community has respect, lots of it for people like RSimmons. And I wonder how many people realize that the damage done by Simmons is probably far greater for the public image of blacks in america than that of Imus, with his one comment, carried on even furthur.

I applaud Obama's ability to state the obvious. Great man. I wish there were more people like Obama and Cosby telling the youth of today whats wrong, destroying themselves, its revolting.

I wonder how many black kids have lost their respect of women or parents or even adults, loss of public manners - due to Simmons 'creative touch'?

It's discouraging to see the subtle and not-so-subtle racism in these messages. (And if you don't like the music, don't listen to it.)

The beauty of America is that we are entitled to speak freely and make our own decision. As such, there is nothing wrong with 80% or more of African-Americans supporting Obama. It's pretty presumptuous to conclude it is race based. Obama is a Harvard educated candidate that is very qualified for the job and he happens to be black.

Hillary is the candidate seeking support based on her Gender. It's funny that African-Americans did not complain the last 200 plus years of whites voting for white candidates, but it has become a huge issue for Obama.

America is not a homogeneous population, it is a nation of immigrants. We are not a melting pot rather we are a bowl of salad. As lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and cucumber make a salad, they don't lose their individuality or culture. In a similar fashion, African Americans, Mexican Americans or Native Americans do not have to lose their culture to become American.

how does this make him a flip flop?? he didn't agree with obamas comments on a particular subject, that doesn't mean that he hated obama...before trying to make a hip-hop guy look stupid try writing something thats newsworthy and not exaggerated..thanks

In his first major public address since a cancer crisis, Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said Sunday that presidential candidate Barack Obama is the "hope of the entire world" that the U.S. will change for the better.

The 74-year-old Farrakhan, addressing an estimated crowd of 20,000 people at the annual Saviours' Day celebration, never outrightly endorsed Obama but spent most of the nearly two-hour speech praising the Illinois senator.

"This young man is the hope of the entire world that America will change and be made better," he said. "This young man is capturing audiences of black and brown and red and yellow. If you look at Barack Obama's audiences and look at the effect of his words, those people are being transformed."
HOPE OF THE ENTIRE WORLD?

Farrakhan compared Obama to the religion's founder, Fard Muhammad, who also had a white mother and black father.
FOUNDER OF BLACK MUSLIMS HAD A WHITE MOTHER AND BLACK FATHER LIKE OBAMA-

"A black man with a white mother became a savior to us," he told the crowd of mostly followers. "A black man with a white mother could turn out to be one who can lift America from her fall."

Farrakhan also leveled small jabs at Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama's rival for the Democratic nomination, suggesting that she represents the politics of the past and has been engaging in dirty politics.

Farrakhan's keynote address at McCormick Place, the city's convention center, wrapped up three days of events geared at unifying followers and targeting youth.

It had a different tone from a year ago, when Farrakhan made what was called his final public address at a Saviours' Day event in Detroit. The 74-year-old was recovering from complications from prostate cancer and months earlier had temporarily passed on leadership duties of the organization's day-to-day activities to an executive board.

© 2008 Associated Press.

why do i read blog comments? people feel safe saying things like 'go back to africa' from the anonymity of their computer screens. so annoying.

i agree with russell's comment. if you don't know much about hiphop, you likely don't understand the cultural moment it comes from, that is fueled by no access to education, poverty and anger. it is important that people understand WHY people in this country are living that life. that voice needs to be heard, and the point of art is to engage, and even be inflammatory. don imus wasn't speaking poetry. he was editorializing from a position of power and authority and it was irresponsible and unforgivable. someone needs to point out the difference to barack.

It's not the he changed his mind- when there is only one item on the menu at the place you like to eat, you order it. That's it. No thinking necessary.

Perhaps Russell Simmons has been listening to what Obama's been saying about parenting and education, as well as the role of government.

Instead of continuing to make excuses for people who are "angry, uneducated and come from tremendous struggle", better to elect a government which will help correct the sources of those problems, as well as point out the responsibilities of others. That would be Obama.

weird, I have no idea what the draw of Obama is. His vague so called "inspirational" sppeches, say nothing concrete about what he will do or what he stands for except "change". Kind of like a preacher- great leader for a country of blind faith and no logic!

I am not impressed by Simmons. The man is a businessman. He knows how to pick a winner. That doesn't make him inspired, inspiring, or anything but an opportunist.

Playing class war to cover his exploitation is pretty lame.

What's Simmons' response Wynton Marsalis, "From the Plantation to the Penitentiary"?

Nothing but crickets.... that's what.

He defends it as poetic license, but Russell Simmons makes a lot of money off of the hip hop music he is defending. The music has to be good, but often the more offensive the lyrics are, the better it sells.

Most if not all politicians are the same: Self-serving, corrupt bureacrats who will do anything benefit themselves.

Ohhhh, now I get it -- you're just flipping every positive for Obama into a negative and every negative for Clinton into a positive.

I coulda had a V-8!!!

To shadodemon: You must be deaf or you may not be listening properly to Obama. If anything Obama is the one who makes sense. The other opponent is just a follower in a very sneaky way, stealing all his ideas and lines...come on jsut listen propely next time maybe you will change your mind also just like me.

I'm so sick of the Clinton supporters claiming Hilarys experiance. I cannot think of 1 sinlge thing Hillary actually did that made any difference to any middle class american life. Just because my wife is a CPA doesnt mean that I am one too. Her experiance is her claim that she is Bill. Hillary is a BAD dicision maker and we dont need her as president making more bad decisions. Word!

How can people go for Obama because all he does is talk? I don't know how that as pepped everyone. I for one go for Hillary and hope she beats Obama. We dont need another talker as a president. We need a doer, one that can do what they say they can do.

I agree with zlt. You can disagree fundamentally about hip hop criticism and be on common terms when it comes to the general direction this country needs to go in.

I like how Russel Simmons believes that if you had a rough go of it in childhood, it gives you a blanket excuse to be rude, demean, and be publicly offensive without repercussions. It is exactly that line of thinking that will keep those who are underprivileged to stay underprivileged. The fact is, black, white, or other, a person must make a choice to become a valuable member of society or not. Upbringing can only be used as an excuse for so long.

Lame, weak, waste of time, and pointless story. Who cares about Russell Simmons?

Great notice, extremely catchy title...best I've seen on the subject.

I don't think this is necessarily a flip-flop. I don't agree on every single position of my candidate of choice, but the core issues are in place. Afterall, unique life experiences will always lead to different points of view. I don't agree with my husband on all issues, but the core of his character is inline with my values. This is really news we can't use.