Wonderful article and terrific message to the people J.

thats right pat sajack….preach!!!!!!!

I’m not really feeling giving Diddy credit for increased interest in voting. Rock the Vote and MTV’s Choose or Lose did this work years before. Diddy just jumped on the bandwagon with similarly designed t-shirts, and launched Vote or Die where? On MTV.

good points..

Great post! I applaud celebrities who endorse a candidate. It shows guts because he/she is risking losing fans who may have the opposing view. We all should make the stand behind our candidate after becoming informed about the issues.

I think this was a very good peice J Dakar.

Everything you said is absolutely on point - especially with that 18-34 demographic. It’s very important to make informed choices about everything - from politics to fashion - and not blindly follow the crowd.

Because I was not one to immediately jump on the “Obama” bandwagon, my own family members said to me “it’s black folk like you that keep US down.” Why? Because I don’t want to vote for Obama simply because he’s black?

People make decisions for all types of reasons - just make sure the decision is YOURS, and it’s an INFORMED CHOICE!

Great post!

so true. our society IS high school with the celeb popular crowd. they act, we see, and we do. but i understand why celebs play along. the outcome is a good outcome - the end justifies the means. i’m in college so i was pretty young when this campaign started and it did make me more excited to vote.

I agree with tianna great message.
I so appreciate the fact that j. dakar was added to this site. Im hoping with all the coverage it will make the people on this site more aware and more focused on the world around us other then beyonce and jay. It’s actually a plus to hear a young african american dicussing current events or politics.
I hope the site and all of the coverage makes it more cool for the people who never had an interest to get involved and more aware.

I don’t think celebrity endorsements help candidates, if anything I think it hurts them. In 2004 Kerry had many many celebrities endorsing him and he still lost.

This is my first year voting….and im only doing it cuz celebrities are! lol j/k but really they do have a major impact on us teenagers

I am soooooo glad someone spoke on this. I am sure people say it everyday to each other, but it is nice to see it on this blog. Especially with all the quotes and pictures posted of celebrities endorsing this candidate or that one. Great article J. Dakar! With all the additions to concreteloop, I am loving this site more and more every year.

Excellent article - and so on point…. many people do follow celebrities in a most facets of their lives, that is why companies pay celebrities millions of dollars to endorse their products.

It can be a blessing and a burden.

I do believe the “Vote or Die” campaign encouraged a lot of non-voting people to at least pay more attention to the process and take some action, but in many cases they were blindly following someone else’s position instead of their own…..

J.,

I believe it’s OK for celebrities to say they’re voting. I even think it’s OK for informed celebs to support candidates. But we definitely don’t need the Paris Hilton’s of the world swaying votes. We as a people should just ignore when they begin speaking about anything political.

And you definitely should consider the issues before you choose a candidate. Don’t subscribe to a candidate unless you know what they stand for, otherwise, you’re an uninformed idiot. And do not be dumb enough to base your decision on what some celebutante says or believes.

“the popular people are doing it; so should you.” I think that really summed up the whole logic of having a celebrity endorsement. The whole “Vote or Die” did show a lot about us as young black americans we want a change in this country but some just don’t know effective ways to go about it, voting helps but not that much in my opinion.

OBAMA ALL THE WAY…………………….. O8!!! BUSH NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF OFFICE AND LOWER THESE DAMN GAS PRICES IMMA GEORGIA GIRL AND THE PRICES IS FUCKIN 3 DOLLARS AND MORE..

I say “by any means necessary” If it takes celebrities to peak the interest of some to get involved in politicis, then so be it.

That’s why people need to be careful how they throw “role models” to these celebrities.If a celebrity was to tell a person to jump a cliff if one of told them so.Be yourself.Vote for someone who sparks your interest, not be so and so is voting.I’m not jumping on the Hilary train either just because she is a woman.But if celebrity endorsements count then most don’t have a mind on their own.

GREAT.
impt stuff…

I’m voting for whoever Soulja Boy vote for……….. LMFAO

“if any group of citizens is uniquely unqualified to tell someone else how to vote, it’s those of us who live in the sheltered, privileged arena of celebrityhood.” that sentence of Pat Sajak is nothing but sooo true…

never been the type to base mt life off peole who dont know my name.
clebs have now power over me, sweetie.

your article is very good. im gonna show this to so folks tommorow
but then again…

the way the world is changing today
and how teens are acting i doubt a celebrity get

together will have the same affect in 2004 as today.

ONLY if we get good prople behind it.
we need role models lik alicia keys, kanye , tyra , not soulja boys..

and trust if i turn on my tv and soulja boy telling me to vote for somone

i will defintly vote opposite, casue you know that dude dont
know whats going on, like im really gonna listen to someone who

goes around screaming about some yahh trick yahh!

man please.

Thanks J. Dakar great post. Vote or die was big but some of the celebs couldn’t vote.

This election year is exciting

im mad some errors in my comment [ just sjip 'em ]

skip that one 2!

my hand keeps slipping off the darn keys.

I support the person who has the best vision, the best judgement, and the experience to get the job done. Barack Obama has the brilliance, the commitment to serving regular people since his days as a Community organizer and civil rights attorney, the knowledge from teaching constitutional law for over 10 years, and the ability to bring us all together from such a multi-cultural background and experiences such as having lived in hawaii and indonesia and having family members from many backgrounds, including his half-indonesian sister. He is running to make this country better, to bring about change in the way we deal with the world and each other, to stop doing business as usual, and to bring both republicans, independents, and democrats together! I’m so moved and inspired by not just him but all of his supporters. We want to make this country better and I want to be apart of that! Support Barack Obama! Tell your family and friends about him….your aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents, etc. Share his story and why you like this man! Barack Obama 2008!!!!

I’m curious. I know that Maya Angelou is endorsing Hillary Clinton but who is Toni Morrison endorsing?

evn though vote or die had something to do with numerous of votes, it didnt help us much cause our country voted the same president in, the same one they call “the worse” i blame the people who voted his ass in and now they wish they never did. but i wish people would back our people up cause white people back up their people all the time! but i want obama to be on top regardless of raceobama 08!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey people … turn on CNN or go to CNN.com … that debate between Hillary and Barack is about to begin ….

@ 27

Obama.

I AM SO PROUD OF ALL OF OUR RAPPERS AND THEIR DEVOTION TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND BLACK WOMEN, AND WAS ESPECIALLY PROUD OF P.DIDDY FOR HIS “GET OUT THE VOTE” CAMPAIGN IN THE RACE BETWEEN KERRY AND BUSH.

NOW THE JEALOUS OPRAH, AND THE POWER/HUNGRY/SELFISH OBAMA, HAS PUT THEM UNDER SUCH ATTACK, THEY’RE TOO BUSY DEFENDING THEMSELVES TO PUSH THE YOUNG PEOPLE TO VOTE. SHE IS GOING TO PROVE TO BE AS DETRIMENTAL TO BLACK AMERICA AS ADOLPH HITLER TO THE JEWS. OBAMA CAN’T WIN. WHITE CONSERVATIVES KNOW IT, AND THEY KNOW THEIR CANDIDATE WILL RULE THE BLACK COMMUNITY WITH AN IRON FIST AND CARRY ON THE DOWNWARD, BACK TO THE GHETTO AGENDA OF GEORGE BUSH. THEY WANT HIS WEAK SELF IN THE RACE.

I work with several staunch Republicans. They all hate Hillary but they all equally hate Obama. Why? because, these Republicans are convinced he is a muslim Manchurian candidate. I have argued with them many times that this is nonsense to no avail. There is also another thing at work here something they won’t explicitly acknowledge. That is the fact he is an African American. While we Democrats celebrate this, I don’t think Republicans do.

If Obama is the nominee, the conservative attack machine will crank-up (the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter, Bill Bennett, etc) its volume and will go after him for a full 8 months and they will send droves of their right wing Republican bretheren to the polls!

What has his record been on that in the time he has been a US Senator? Has his stirring rhetoric moved the hard-hearted and overcome filibusters?
His record in the senate has not been exceptional while hIS record in the Illinois legislature is less than courageous
The Republican and media slime machines have concentrated on getting Clinton defeated. Once that is accomplished they will start on Obama and, by the time they’re done, even his supporters won’t be thrilled with him.

Everyone likes to talk about Obama’s experience as a community organizer in Chicago, but I can tell you that the only time a Chicago community organizer gets anything done is when he cuts a deal with the (Richie) Daley Machine. In other words, sells out to power in order to get crumbs for the people he claims to be helping. So count me as a bit skeptical of the “wink-nudge” theory

http://www.salon.com/opin...07/12/21/right_and_obama/
Why conservatives love Barack Obama
Clinton haters who think the Illinois senator can beat Hillary support him now, but their affection will fade if he gets the nomination.

By Joe Conason
Exactly why the American right hates the Clintons so fervidly remains a subject of debate among both political scientists and psychiatrists, but the persistence of those emotions is beyond dispute, especially among commentators and activists with little actual exposure to Hillary Clinton herself. (Evidently her conservative colleagues in the Senate have developed warmer feelings for the first lady they once demonized, but that’s another topic.) So powerful is their fury that they will not hesitate to promote the career of a liberal black politician whose background and religious affiliation they regard with suspicion. Of course, they’re also quite confident that they can bring him down later, too.

But nobody should imagine that the right-wing media whose voices now praise Obama will continue to do so if he wins the Democratic nomination, or that the mainstream media, which still takes so many cues from the right, will do likewise. The conservative movement’s affection for any Democrat is always fickle and flimsy. Its assessment of any black Democrat, let alone a presidential nominee, is more likely to reflect the bigoted crudeness of Limbaugh than the manufactured erudition of Will.

But Obama and his supporters must cherish no illusions about what will happen to him if he vanquishes Clinton. He will need the same kind of armor that she has worn proudly for years. What the right likes best about him is that he doesn’t seem to own any.

Republicans oppose Hillary Clinton because we understand that she is a political liberal, far more liberal than her husband.

What has Barack said he’s going to do for you? Not a damn thing!

http://www.hillaryclinton...ews/release/view/?id=2624

In response to a question, Senator Clinton indicated that she would push for diversity on the Supreme Court and criticized the Court for turning back the clock and dismantling measures that were designed to give minorities and women equal opportunities in schools and the workplace.

Clinton left office with a 65% approval rating, the highest end-of-presidency rating of any President that came into office after World War II

In 1982, Clinton reclaimed his old job as governor and kept it for another 10 years, helping Arkansas transform its economy and significantly improving the state’s educational system.
Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which required large employers to allow their employees to take unpaid leave because of pregnancy or a serious medical condition.

Clinton signed the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases. He also expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit, a subsidy for low income workers.[22]
In August 1993, Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, which passed Congress without a single Republican vote. It cut taxes for 15 million low-income families, made tax cuts available to 90% of small businesses,[37] and raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2% of taxpayers[38]. Additionally, it mandated that the budget be balanced over a number of years, through the implementation of spending restraints.

Clinton also oversaw a boom of the U.S. economy. Under Clinton, the United States had a projected federal budget surplus for the first time since 1969
The consequences of welfare reform have been dramatic. As expected, welfare rolls (the number of people receiving payments) dropped significantly (57%) in the years since passage of the bill. Substantially larger declines in welfare rolls were posted by many states, and even big city-dominated Illinois achieved an 86% reduction in welfare recipients. [MacDougal 2005] Child poverty rates for African American families have dropped the sharpest since statistics began to be tallied in the 1960s
The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-34) reduced several federal taxes in the United States.

Subject to certain phase-in rules, the top capital gains rate fell from 28% to 20%. The 15% bracket was lowered to 10%.

Starting in 1998, a $400 tax credit for each child under age 17 was introduced, which was increased to $500 in 1999. This credit was phased out for high income families.

The act exempted from taxation profits on the sale of a personal residence of up to $500,000 for married couples filing jointly and $250,000 for singles.

The $600,000 estate tax exemption was to increase gradually to $1 million by the year 2006.

Family farms and small businesses could qualify for an exemption of $1.3 million, effective 1998. Starting in 1999, the $10,000 annual gift tax exclusion was to be corrected for inflation.

The act also provided tax relief for education savings and retirement accounts. Some expiring business tax provisions were extended.

It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 5, 1997.

On June 14, 1997, U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton announced One America in the 21st Century: The President’s Initiative on Race. This initiative, established with Executive Order 13050, was a critical element in President Clinton’s effort to prepare his country to embrace its growing diversity as its greatest strength in the 21st century. The main thrust of the effort was convening and encouraging community dialogue throughout the country designed to heal racial and ethnic divisions wherever they exist.

President Clinton envisioned an America based on opportunity for all, responsibility from all, and a unified community of all Americans. He was convinced that, even as America rapidly was becoming the world’s first truly multi-racial democracy, race relations remained an issue that too often divided the nation and kept the American dream from being real for everyone who worked for it.

Clinton appointed the following justices to the Supreme Court:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg - 1993 Stephen Breyer - 1994[58]

Ginsburg is part of the “liberal wing” in the current court and has a Segal-Cover score of 0.680 placing her as the most liberal (by that measure, which takes no account of judicial actions post-confirmation) of current justices, although more moderate than those of many other post-War justices. In a 2003 statistical analysis of Supreme Court voting patterns, Ginsburg emerged the second most liberal member of the Court (behind Justice Stevens).[7][8]

Stephen Gerald Breyer (born August 15, 1938) is an American attorney, political figure, and jurist. Since 1994, he has served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Known for his pragmatic approach to constitutional law, Breyer is generally associated with the more liberal side of the Court.[1]

President Clinton on Affirmative Action
July 19, 1995
Selected text of President Clinton’s remarks on Affirmative Action, July 19, 1995:

The purpose of affirmative action is to give our nation a way to finally address the systemic exclusion of individuals of talent on the basis of their gender or race from opportunities to develop, perform, achieve and contribute. Affirmative action is an effort to develop a systematic approach to open the doors of education, employment and business development opportunities to qualified individuals who happen to be members of groups that have experienced longstanding and persistent discrimination.

When affirmative action is done right, it is flexible, it is fair, and it works.

This was the exact article that this site needed. I’m going to be emailing this link to everyone I know … ESPECIALLY that 18-24 age bracket of friends I have. This is so important and no one does their own thing anymore. Good job J.

You did it for me J.D.! Your posts are now my favorite ones!!!!! Please continue to keep us informed!!!!!

I dont really care for who is supporting my president of choice. I just want to choose the best candidate that will not only benefit my generation and the next one, but the American citizens as a whole!!!

OBAMA 08!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

J. Dakar,
Good commentary. I appreciate the perspective. My only disagreement - if you can even call it that - is the statement “I am a free-thinking individual (just like everyone else).” Truth is, while YOU may be a free-thinker, not many others are, and certainly not “everyone else.” But I’ll interpret that statement as an attempt at unoffensive, politically correct sentiment since even the basic premise of your entire piece highlighted the sheep-like tendencies of the general public.

That being said, there’s some good to celebrity endorsements in many respects. If not for the ability to be sheep-like, a lot of people simply wouldn’t act at all. They would just sit by and let things take shape without the hint of input, feedback, individualized commentary or whatever. So, yes, in my opinion celebrity endorsements can be greatly beneficial in situation like these where the “consumer” may not be self-educated on the facts and backgrounds of these political candidates. And if it takes a clown like Diddy to get the youth riled up about voting or spur conversation among adults who would generally not care about the next President of the United States, then that’s a small price to pay for being a sheep.

Great Post!!

NOT EVEN PRAYER IS GOING TO HELP YOU WHEN THESE HATEMONGERS WIN THE ELECTION BECAUSE OF THIS DIVIDE IN THE COMMUNITY, CREATED BY THE PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING OPRAH, WHEN SHE TALKED OBAMA INTO RUNNING, WHEN HE STANDS LESS OF A CHANCE THAN A SNOWBALL IN HELL OF WINNING!

Huckabee: I’m Still In The Race
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Mike Huckabee brushed off predictions Thursday that he would drop out of the Republican presidential nominating contest, but dropped new hints that he’d prefer John McCain to Mitt Romney as the party’s eventual pick.

Mike Huckabee on Civil Rights : Nov 1, 2002
No affirmative action for state contracts nor colleges
Q: Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity, or gender be taken into account in state agencies’ decisions on:
Q: College and university admissions

A: No.

Q: Public employment

A: No.

Q: State contracting

A: No.

On Dec. 22 at the Smoky Row Coffee Shop in Oskaloosa, Iowa, the locals asked Obama about his Muslim roots. He said- quote-: “My father was from Kenya. A lot of people in his village were Muslim. He didn’t practice Islam. Truth is, he wasn’t very religious.” That was a lie. Obama’s father and stepfather were devout Islamics. Both faithfully practiced their religion.
His stepfather, who had a much greater impact on Obama’s upbringing, was a radical Wahabbi Muslim. -Quote-”My mother was a Christian from Kansas.” That was also a lie. Obama’s mother, his maternal grandmother and grandfather were all atheists.
-quote-”They married and then divorced. I was raised by my mother. So, I’ve always been a Christian. The only connection I’ve had to Islam is that my grandfather on my father’s side came from that country. But I’ve never practiced Islam…For a while I lived in Indonesia because my mother was teaching there. And that’s a Muslim country. And I went to school—but I didn’t practice Islam.” Another lie. Obama’s mother married Lolo Soetoro, a Wahabbi extremist who lived in Indonesia. When Obama’s mother moved to Indonesia—before she married her second Muslim husband—she enrolled her son in Francis Assisis Catholic School. He was enrolled as a “Muslim” because he was a Muslim. The enrollment form required each student to choose one of five state-sanctioned religions when enrolling: Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, or Protestant. If he had been a lifelong Christian

Great Post!! I’ve really been enjoying the political commentary on the site. This was a good move adding J to the team Angel. I guess when the elections are over he’ll stay on doing social commentary (?) like the piece on Haiti…

Yes, I agree with Pat Sajak and Ernest Gaines, full heartedly. But J. should you add yourself to the “uniquely unqualified” group??? I believe that celebrity endorsements should not play as big of a role but I understand the intent (although most people don’t look at it that way). Hopefully it will get more people to vote and watch debates and things like that. Shake up the political hierarchy.

#43: The point I was trying to convey is that I, nor anyone else, can or should tell you who to vote for in the upcoming election. Sen. Clinton, in last night’s debate, mentioned that every voter should examine what they want from the next president and that is what I want for the Concrete Loop community.

It is my duty to make you all more aware of what’s going on in the race, but as I’ve said before, do not limit yourselves to my point-of-view. Get information from numerous sources and decide who and what works best for you.

Peace and blessings,
J. Dakar

You know what strikes me with the whole celeb thing… where are they now? I’ve been looking for the rock the rock the votes and vote or die campaigns and have seen none thus far. While those efforts may seem pretty superficial (and I’m pretty sure they are), they still send a message that the political process and one’s vote are worthy of being in the open discussion of young people. And frankly, this is the time in which I feel there is finally a genuine voice that speaks for the people that are traditionally forgotten about/lied to by many candidates. Whether or not the celebs endorse Barack Obama (like I clearly do) or any other candidate (GOP or otherwise), I still feel that discussing politics (and the process) is important. With that said, I gotta give you (Mr. Dakar- a fellow Birminghamian) and concreteloop MAJOR love and respect for starting these posts. They are very informative and exciting. Keep them coming.

I agree with Pat Sajak.

I don’t think Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison can be included in the same vain as diddy and other popular celebrities. These women are intelligent women, Mayo Angelou is a poet, historian, educator…not to mention a civil-rights activist. I think that has citizens we need to educate ourselves on the issues, and if celebrities bring attention to the issues…well I say they are using their celebrity for positive change. Also, if you are dumb enough to vote for an individual based upon their celebrity endorsements, you truly do not deserve the right you have been afforded.

Great post, Mr. Dakar.

I am a regular on the CL, but have never commented before now. I appreciate the insightfulness being brought to us via the current updates. Go my black people. I think you guys should check out the website: http://glassbooth.org/ and see how your thoughts compare to some of the statements made by our candidates for President. You may be surprised by who you really are in tuned with. Keep up the great work CL team. Much love.

Great post, I enjoyed reading it! I wish more people would educate themselves about the candidates instead of voting for whoever is the most popular.

First of all, I can definitely appreciate an article of substance. It’s always a good thing to make some of us think for a change instead of being bombarded with celebrity tabloid-journalism. I always questioned the fascination people have with celebrities. However, if it takes a celebrity to get people (of color) involved in the political process (whether local or national), I’m all for it.

OBAMA ‘08

First of all I don’t believe whomever gets elected is going to get into office and make any real change. The system is not set up that way. At this point in the game all politicians are going to say WHATEVER will get them elected.

If Hillary Clinton was not BIll Clinton’s wife we would not even be discussing her right now. Do I feel that she can do a better job than Obama or vice versa. I say no. Presidents can set the political agenda but they need Congress to fullfill whatever platform they are pushing.

We are not going to get out of Iraq in a year. Get that out of your head. Will we get universal healthcare? And if so at what cost. Nothing is free. The more government programs the less money you are taking home bottom line. Gas is not going to drop because we get a Democrat or Republican in the office. Watch somebody are going to end up with pie in their face when they can’t keep the promises they are making because they are telling people what they want to hear rather than the truth.

Don’t be fooled by smoke and mirrors really listen for the solutions for the problems we have and to be honest to me, I have not heard anything worth a damn from anybody. But I still will vote because in good conscience I just can’t be passive. I can at least say that I tried.

Oh and Celebrity endorsements don’t mean a damn thing. It just makes it quote worthy in the media.

I think you are right on the money. I think these celebrities have too much influence on our young children. And, I say young children because as an adult if you are doing something because someone else is doing it you have other issues. But these young people listen to everything they say and do and that is really scary too me.

But I am glad that they are getting involved in politics and realizing that it does affect them. The decisions are made effects everyone.

[...] many black celebrities have been endorsing their favorite presidential hopeful, but endorsements aren’t the only thing black celebs are [...]

[...] this year, Pulitzer and Nobel prizes winner Toni Morrison caused quite a stir with her endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for President of the United [...]