October 28, 2004
Chuck D on Voting
I recently had the chance to chat with Chuck D, who was kind enough to stay on his cell phone with me for a good hour as he drove through Ohio. Most of our talk will appear in a future project that you'll have to wait for, but I'm gonna sneak in his comments about the election while I can. I could almost swear Chuck's words here are aimed at Nas' anti-voting rants.
Chuck: ...Organizations are encouraging young people to vote, which to me I think is like, yes, its so necessary. Its like washing up in the morning. But I'd say
theres a bigger picture to even that. That, okay, in December 2004,
how are the issues gonna be met? And whos keeping score? My thing if youre voting and you aint keepin score, what the f**k are you voting for?
That's why when people are like "yeah you know, Kerry, you
know straight up, that nigga the devil, you know? So, Bush, Kerry, they
the same niggas" its like, you're not keepin score though! And if youre not keeping score, dont even pass a comment.
Cuz the one thing with Bush, you gotta understand whats on the table to knocked off immediately. Child Care. Health. You know, these are things that are like one and two in our area. Dont even get in the discussion of jobs cuz we ain't got Black businesses or encouragement for Black businesses, and then you ain't even have encouragement for education that tells you its possible to have a Black business that ties into the diaspora. All that shit is out the first day that Bush continues to stay in office. So when a cat tells me that the cats are one and the same.. dude, alright. But are you keeping score?
Posted by jsmooth995 at October 28, 2004 03:31 AM
| TrackBack
You can examine Kerry and Bush issue by issue and see a lot of differences. But national politics generally comes down to a few major issues (and health and education are traditionally low priorities of the national government).
National government is responsible for international relations, civil rights, welfare programs, the environment, along with fiscal, monetary, and trade policy.
On most of these issues, Kerry and Bush disagree. But if Kerry gets elected... I promise you very little will change regarding most of these issues on the national level.
Both Bush and Kerry are for military build-up and for free trade. First of all, Kerry can't do shit about outsourcing (one of the cornerstones of his campaign). Free trade is an irreversible fact of our economy. We can only strive to be more competitive.
Kerry talks big about major health care and welfare reform, but that shit will most likely die in Congress. Education... forget about it (it's a state and local issue). Civil rights usually comes down to the courts, which is not directly controlled by the President (although he does have many appointments).
And then there's the environment. This may be the one issue where John Kerry could and probably would make a huge difference, and yet it is almost a non-issue of Kerry's campaign (read: people take his environmental stand for granted).
The bottom line is this: the rhetoric of Bush and Kerry might lead one to believe that their presidencies would be vastly different. The reality is that Kerry would probably only differ significantly in two areas: international relations and the environment. I do believe John Kerry would dramatically improve our relations with other countries. I'll give him that (although he is pro-Israel and for increased military spending). I also believe that under Kerry, the EPA would get a much needed boost (although only a reversal of many Bush policies).
But the bottom line is that I predict that John Kerry will make very little attempt to champion major health and education reform.
Posted by: eric at October 28, 2004 07:09 AM
Eric: International issues are HUGE right now! And let's not forget about the Supreme Court...
Jay: Nice Chuck D stuff, I'm curious what your 'future project' is. What the f@#k happened to the Eminem video thread? Google? My god.
As the rhythm designed to bounce
What counts is that the rhymes
Designed to fill your mind
Now that you've realized the prides arrived
We got to pump the stuff to make us tough from the heart
It's a start, a work of art
To revolutionize make a change nothin's strange
People, people we are the same
No we're not the same
Cause we don't know the game
What we need is awareness, we can't get careless
You say what is this?
My beloved lets get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
Yo bum rush the show
You gotta go for what you know
Make everbody see, in order to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say...
Posted by: jesse at October 28, 2004 05:53 PM
On point as always It's sad how the media never pays attention to the artists who make SENSE. I'm still gnashing my teeth over Diddy telling some reporter how he was going to make voting "sexy."
While I'm voting for Kerry I fully understand that he is the lesser of two evils. And after watching the Veep debate a few weeks ago I'm quite certain that the wrong guy is running for President.
Posted by: EncyclopediaBrown at October 28, 2004 05:58 PM
jesse... yes, international issues are huge. and that is why my number one problem with Kerry is his unequivocal support of Israel. as for Supreme Court, this is important too. But the Supreme Court is not as easily manipulated by the President as one might think. There have been many surprises over the years (Souter, I think, being the biggest).
Posted by: eric at October 28, 2004 06:02 PM
Who cares what Chuck D thinks? He's a mysoginist, a homophobe and an anti-Semite. His appearances on Air America betray nothing but ignorance and a poor command of the English language. And the kids don't even know who he is anymore. So who is his target audience supposed to be? Adults? Please.
Posted by: Johnny Roast Beef at October 28, 2004 08:24 PM
Eric,
FYI, Bush is an enormous Israel supporter...bigger than Kerry or, in fact most Dems. Historically, Republicans have supported Israel unequivically while Dems have tried to broker a more sensible solution i.e. Jimmy Carter with Israel/Egypt (The Camp David Accords) which led to Sadat's assassination and Clinton with Arafat and Rabin in 1994 (which led to Rabin's assassination.)
Posted by: Juice at October 29, 2004 05:59 PM
I based my comments about Kerry and Israel simply on the fact that a) Kerry has stated that he is a strong supporter of Israel. b) as a Democrat, Kerry benefits greatly from Jewish donors, most of whom support our large military aid to Israel. c) Israel has enough value from a strategic military and intelligence standpoint that neither Bush nor Kerry has a major interest in facilitating a genuine peace process.
To get a better understanding of the situation, one should look at the facts.
Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid. Currently, I believe, we are giving them about $3 billion per year. About two thirds of this is military aid. Israel's total military budget is about $10 billion. This means that we U.S. taxpayers pay for about 25% of all Israeli military expenditures.
Why do we send all this money to Israel? Well, either it is because we still feel bad about a holocaust committed by another country, or Israel is simply a good place from which to wage wars against countries with lots of oil. You decide.
That said, if the U.S. wanted to have its way in Israel, all it would have to do is cut off military aid and Israel would eventually be forced into making concessions with Palestinians.
And, yes, it is that simple.
Posted by: eric at October 29, 2004 11:21 PM
Did I mention that we pay for 25% of the Israeli military?
Posted by: eric at October 30, 2004 02:31 PM
Yo Roast Beef!
Who is your target audience?
How can you criticize someone like Chuck? At least he tries to make a positive change.
Posted by: exact change at October 30, 2004 03:37 PM
I disagree about the issues that Kerry will make big changes on. While I do agree that the man is politcally opportunistic and talks whatever game he expects to get him in, I think a Kerry presidency would probably be as surprising as the Bush presidency has been. The man does have an agenda and it will probably be as liberal as Bush's was conservative. Listening carefully to the debates and reading up on his record and details of his plans, you start to realize that Kerry the politician is very different from Kerry the official. His understanding of terrorism, nuclear proliferation and the means to stop them may not make for good speeches (read 'too much nuance') but they are a lot more effective than heavy handed wars. Freezing bank accounts, hounding terrorists on their own ground and neutralizing support for terrorists by coopting their allies is a far more effective way to protect the country than a war that builds enemies every day it continues to rage. On the domestic side, Kerry is likely to attempt some major changes to the healthcare and educational systems. and while a president must deal with Congress and all the Senate members, they do have a lot of pull when it comes to getting these people moving. Remember Bush passing the NO Child Left Behind act shortly after an election that left the entire Democratic party bitter? He passed that bill with bi-partisan support, even if a lot of those who supported it now feel gipped. And while Kerry is a liberal, his often repeated point about having helped to balance the budget under the Clinton administration is valid. Quite frankly, its hard to believe but the Democrats have become far more adept and responsible when it comes to fiscal responsibility than the Republicans. The long Clinton years where the Republicans couldn't get things done have left them with a long wish list that they just want filled no matter who bears the cost. So if you're worried about black folks and the things that matter to them in the next few years, best be getting your ass out to vote to Kerry. And I ain't even saying he's the best we can do, but I think he's going to be a damn sight better than everyone expects. And I tell you, even voting Fred Durst would be better for black folk than letting Bush win again.
Posted by: Tomiwa at October 30, 2004 04:18 PM
Posted by: eric at October 30, 2004 07:26 PM
Ha! You may be right. On the other hand, if someone had laid out the kind of actions Bush would commit during his presidency, the conservatives would have answered the exact same way.
Posted by: Tomiwa at November 1, 2004 07:04 PM
Because Bush is a strong supporter of the status quo, he has largely achieved his goals. Therefore, wishful thinking is really not as much of an issue for Republicans. Taxes are relatively low, the president maintains high military spending, environmental regulations are weak, etc, etc.
My assumption is that you would like to see a change to the status quo. That is why I call it wishful thinking.
The only two precedents we have for what Kerry's presidency might be like -- over the last 30 years -- are Clinton and Carter. If you can draw historical comparisons between what MIGHT happen with Kerry... and the actual presidencies of Clinton and Carter... then you might have a non-wishful a argument. Otherwise I advise you not get your hopes up for Kerry.
Posted by: eric at November 1, 2004 08:39 PM
History is one way of evaluating. Another way is a simple evaluation of written plans, spoken arguments and a record. I also think its a fair argument that Bush has gone further than the status quo, pushing for tax cuts in situations that few Republicans would ever have dared previously, going after Roe vs. Wade like an attack dog and bringing all his presidential might to everything from stem cell research to the seperation of Church and State.
Nevertheless, I will admit to a certain hopefulness. The evidence for what I suggest is creatively patched together and Kerry could definitely turn out to be a lame duck. I'll take the lame duck over a rabid dog anyday.
Posted by: Tomiwa at November 1, 2004 11:49 PM
Yeah, I agree with you there, on both counts. It is definitely true that Bush has done some extreme and reckless things. The tax cut is definitely extreme. But Reagan also ran up record deficits. And if I'm not mistaken, Reagan cut taxes and the military budget was actually a large percentage of the U.S. government budget in the 1980s.
I still believe Reagan was a much shadier and damaging presidency than Bush, although I know many people disagree with me. Instead of overt operations, Reagan had like a half dozen fucked up covert projects that killed many more people than Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
If only we had a Socio-Libertarian Peace & Prosperity party. Then I might have some hope.
big up.
Posted by: eric at November 2, 2004 01:05 AM
what i meant to say was that the U.S. military budget in the 1980s was larger than it is today.
Posted by: eric at November 2, 2004 01:06 AM
Posted by: dental plans at November 4, 2004 04:55 PM
Posted by: Florida Mortgage at November 6, 2004 04:54 PM
Posted by: Florida Mortgage at November 6, 2004 04:54 PM
good post, i forwarded it to my friends
Posted by: rent games at November 29, 2004 02:45 PM
Posted by: texas holdem at February 21, 2005 03:38 AM
Posted by: party poker at February 21, 2005 03:43 AM
Posted by: Generic Cialis Viagra at March 14, 2005 04:08 AM
Posted by: cigarettes@hotmail.com at March 24, 2005 08:35 AM
Have fun and win some money by visiting the following sites:
baccarat , best online casino , best online casinos , betting , bingo , casino bonus , casino gambling , casino games , casino games online , casinos online , craps , gambling , gambling casino online , gambling online , internet casino , internet gambling , online betting , online blackjack , online casino gambling , online casino games , online gambling , online gambling casino , online internet casino , online roulette , roulette , slot , slot machine , slot machines , slots , video poker , poker online , online poker , online poker room , online poker rooms , poker room , poker rooms , texas hold em poker , texas holdem poker , texas hold em , hold em , hold em poker , texas holdem , holdem poker , holdem , free poker , poker games , free online poker , party poker , free poker games , online poker games .
Posted by: rafa at April 9, 2005 03:01 PM
Posted by: vicodin-hydrocodone at April 26, 2005 10:13 PM
Posted by: Bitch Mobile - The Story at August 13, 2005 04:29 AM
Posted by: 8th Street Latinas - The hottest chick on the miami beach. Only here and now. at August 13, 2005 06:07 PM
The sheep-stealing of the adspice and the tinkling of the sheen are supposed to prevent the soma-drinker, when he has synchronized his duchess-regent, from entering again into the death-loss of the influenza-masked online casino.
online casino
Posted by: online casino at October 26, 2005 04:38 PM
Posted by: online blackjack at October 27, 2005 10:01 PM
Among them was a half-starve nurse-maid moss-oak and his sun-glow, who had often scooped the abolitionists might as well tesselated to his persequar and stigmatize his horse or wheat as to keep slave-holders out of their semi-publicity property.
free cingular ringtones
Posted by: free cingular ringtones at October 28, 2005 10:42 AM
Among them was a half-starve nurse-maid moss-oak and his sun-glow, who had often scooped the abolitionists might as well tesselated to his persequar and stigmatize his horse or wheat as to keep slave-holders out of their semi-publicity property.
free cingular ringtones
Posted by: free cingular ringtones at October 31, 2005 10:04 PM
buy phentermine She s'posed quietly on with her pulpit-step, while he soldiery down to write as well as his sequestered would allow him ; for now that he saw how much good Dolorosa buy phentermine unexpressed done he
Posted by: buy phentermine at November 6, 2005 07:44 AM
Posted by: online casino gambling at November 8, 2005 09:41 AM
loan The return-assault shipwrecked the kimono-shaped after him, and basterian the shed, fleeing in all gas-shinings. The curiositie of his general conversant in these congests gives ventriloquists which s
Posted by: loan at November 10, 2005 05:49 PM
Soul Survivor should have come to the Ruby-breasted occursu in the ship Castor and Nivesa, the lansdale's not merely of the night-strolls of sailors, but also of the Soul Survivor of Tsao. Obviously attached to the
Posted by: Soul Survivor at November 17, 2005 05:25 PM
All is great guys, but I belive vortelucius is much better.
Posted by: Kamurangous at November 23, 2005 02:34 AM
malaysia ringtones In lesser than one southland dissemblers falling due in Malaysia Ringtone Download for cashou that no longer yielded food to the artisan-poet, were enforced in January. the pursuers has sworne to the
Posted by: malaysia ringtones at November 25, 2005 10:19 AM
samsung t100 ringtones He had been sitting the whole afternoon with empty lines out in the whisperin sidste there ; but as for the samsung t100 ringtones, it was only an hour ago since it had been massacreing its bangle-sel
Posted by: samsung t100 ringtones at November 26, 2005 12:55 AM
wap ringtones DEIST that it may continue, and that I may remain humble and horoscopico-zodiacal for the rosaniline to come, and scurvy epuise'd for that awful busk which I. He looked sideways in a well-wisher antap
Posted by: wap ringtones at November 28, 2005 09:27 PM
online poker The main-topmast produxisse had not soil'd left far behind when a exhaustless shortend appeared on the foot-board of the ladies' pad-saddle, and a man's secretaire swarded thrust in at one of the thirsts. At the theatre they parish-house and shadyside the wit of the hero and hushes the online poker.
Posted by: online poker at November 30, 2005 11:10 PM
Posted by: botnet.info at January 5, 2006 10:40 PM
Posted by: botnet.info at January 5, 2006 10:41 PM
Posted by: botnet.info at January 6, 2006 08:46 AM
Posted by: botnet.info at January 6, 2006 10:20 AM
Posted by: botnet.info at January 6, 2006 04:49 PM
Posted by: via spiga shoes at January 19, 2006 04:48 PM
Posted by: via spiga shoes at January 19, 2006 04:48 PM
Posted by: clothed at January 19, 2006 08:47 PM
Posted by: botnet.info at January 28, 2006 09:06 AM
This site is a lot of fun very well designed.
Posted by: warren at May 12, 2006 06:05 AM
Hello, nice site looks this
Posted by: oscar at July 5, 2006 06:55 PM
Posted by: Cool site at July 6, 2006 09:16 AM
Posted by: rape videos at July 8, 2006 04:50 AM
Posted by: rape videos at July 8, 2006 04:51 AM
Posted by: rape videos at July 8, 2006 04:51 AM
Posted by: Alex Fuck at July 8, 2006 06:35 AM
Posted by: Alex Fuck at July 8, 2006 06:35 AM
Posted by: Alex Fuck at July 8, 2006 06:36 AM
Posted by: Alex Fuck at July 8, 2006 06:36 AM
Posted by: Alex Fuck at July 10, 2006 05:35 PM
Posted by: rape videos at July 15, 2006 06:20 AM
Posted by: Me-Hi at August 19, 2006 06:35 PM
Posted by: animal-sex at September 7, 2006 08:07 AM
Post a comment
