K’Naan,the Somali-born Canadian rapper, is making huge waves right now. With the release of his sophmore album, Troubadour, he is pretty much on top of the world. Pitchfork loves him. Canada loves him. In fact, most people are already starting to say he’s just been shaming the other rappers in the world today.
We here at 4080 have loved his breakout album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher, but I must admit I’m a bit torn on this new effort. He is, without a doubt, one of the realest emcees around at this point. He literally grew up in Mogadishu and fled during the first civil war back in the early 1990s. His mom eventually brought him to settle in Toronto, where he learned to speak English. In fact, his love for hip hop and the melody behind the rhymes was a prime motivator for him to learn the language. Why? So he could rap. That’s right. He basically learned English just so he could spit rhymes.
NPR has done some of K’Naan, and this is perhaps one of my favourite quotes. Move over 50 Cent, I think this one is aimed squarely at you.
K’Naan could not be mistaken for an American rapper: For one thing, he has a kind of vintage Bohemian look. He says he doesn’t think that American rap has much credibility, because even the toughest American neighborhoods aren’t nearly as dangerous as Mogadishu.
“Where rocket-propelled grenades are fired around you on a daily … a guy bragging on TV talking about how gangster he is?” K’Naan says. “For us, it’s more a source of entertainment. It’s more like a comedy or something we watch. Say, ‘Oh wow, that’s kind of cute of American gangsters.’ But it isn’t hardcore, it isn’t that bad. Let’s get things in perspective, you know?”
If you want to get a sense of him, you can stream some K’naan tracks from his , or you can download the live show off CBC Radio 3 .
On a track-by-track basis, I sadly must say that I think The Dusty Foot takes the crown. Troubadour has it’s strong moments, including the moving tracks Waving Flag and Fatima. But when you juxtapose this with the crime that is the re-recording of If Rap Gets Jealous and the sheer abomination that is T.I.A., the album starts to lose lustre.
Troubadour features some extremely strong guest stars, but for the most part I feel like their talents are wasted. Chubb Rock makes a triumphant return on ABC’s, which is one of the stronger pieces on this record. However, Mos Def and Chali 2na seem to fly under the radar on America. It’s a song that I assumed I would like, seeing as three dope rappers were combining. I felt a Captain Planet moment, that with their powers combined I would witness greatness. Instead, I can only say that it was creative. Truly, K’naan did push the enveope a little bit and America is no exception. He raps in Somali, and makes this track sound completely different than you probably expected.
Still, no matter what small criticisms I can aim at him, K’naan is still truly pushing the limits. He’s expanding people’s understanding of what hip hop is.
You would be hard pressed not to have heard of these days. This guy is setting the internet on fire with this project. This is basically a YouTube mashup where Kutiman splices together various YouTube videos into one seamless new track.
It’s a pretty interesting project and truly does highlight jsut how innovative people are these days.
So far, it’s a seven and a half song series, and each one has it’s own unique flavour to it. They’re all embedded below so you can pick and choose your favourite ones. I’m partial to track 3 I’m New, and track 7 Just a Lady.
01 – Mother of All Funk Chords
02 – This Is What It Became
03 – I’m New
04 – Babylon Band
05 – Someday
06 – Wait For Me
07 – Just a Lady
The reason why I say seven and a half is that the 8th video in the series is him explaining this project and how he did it. It’s interesting watching and you can view it .
It was an awe-inspiring day all around, and I have to say this is an amazing day for the United States of America. Barack Obama was officially inaugurated as the 44th President. He is the first black president, one of the youngest presidents elected, and a heck of a guy.
This is one of those days where you should forever remember where you were, when President Obama was sworn in at 12:00 pm EST.
Some things you may have noticed:
Rick Warren
What a guy. Seriously! He’s pretty notorious and controversial, but he gave a pretty solid prayer. I think he did a decent job, even though he went way too long. I’m pretty sure he was to get in around 2 minutes, but ended up closer to 5.
Aretha Franklin
She had the chance to sing “My Country tis of thee” and did a fantastic job of it. She definitely took some creative license with it, but considering how long this Queen has been around for, she still sounds amazing.
Yo-Yo Ma
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill had a chance to play a new piece composed by John Williams (yeah he did do the scores for Indiana Jones and Star Wars) specifically for this. Pretty awesome.
The Oath
Many people are saying Obama flubbed the oath. You can see from the video below (providing that it’s still online) how it went down.
However, it should be noted that this is Chief Justice Roberts’ error. The cats over at caught this and are making it known.
Obama smiled slightly when he realized that Roberts, a fellow Harvard Law School graduate, misplaced the word “faithfully” during the oath. but the new president joined in the fun and repeated it the way Roberts initially administered it. (Lest we forget, in the Senate Obama voted against confirming Roberts to the high court. Last week Obama met with him and the other Supreme Court justices during a courtesy call.)
Here is how the oath is supposed to be administered: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
And here’s how it went:
ROBERTS: I, Barack Hussein Obama…
OBAMA: I, Barack…
ROBERTS: … do solemnly swear…
OBAMA: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear…
ROBERTS: … that I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully…
OBAMA: … that I will execute…
ROBERTS: … faithfully the office of president of the United States…
OBAMA: … the office of president of the United States faithfully…
ROBERTS: … and will to the best of my ability…
OBAMA: … and will to the best of my ability…
ROBERTS: … preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
OBAMA: … preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
ROBERTS: So help you God?
OBAMA: So help me God.
The Speech
Finally, we get to Obama’s inaugural speech, seen below.
A tremendous start to an already ambitious presidency.
Here is the transcript thanks to the .
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and co-operation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.
At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
Serious challenges
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
Nation of ‘risk-takers’
We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and ploughed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
‘Remaking America’
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions – that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act – not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.
Restoring trust
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions – who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them – that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account – to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day – because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control – that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart – not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
‘Ready to lead’
As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort – even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the spectre of a warming planet. We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
‘Era of peace’
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West – know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
‘Duties’
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends – honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism – these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths.
What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
‘Gift of freedom’
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence – the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed – why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have travelled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
“Let it be told to the future world… that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive… that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
His speech was touching and reassuring. It was a ncie mix of practicality with optimism. It was significantly less hokey than many previous speeches (less talk of change, more talk of sacrifice and determination). Overall I was impressed.
Despite our hype, it doesn’t look like Common’s Universal Mind Control is getting too much love in the hip hop community. That doesn’t mean it’s not a commercial success for Common. In case you haven’t seen it, Common and Afrika Bambaataa have a little TV spot for Microsoft’s Zune media player.
All tangents aside, I’ve gotta say I just can’t get excited about this album. And the readers over at seem to agree with me. Some of the comments are reproduced below:
ans says:
Man, coming from Common, this album is garbage. “I be on top of her like a philosopher.” Honestly…
I gotta be honest and say that Common trying to come hard just plain doesn’t work. In Announcement, he actually says “When it comes to hip hop it’s just me and my bitch.” That is not a lyric I expect from Common, and it pretty much dissapoints me.
Just compare this, a verse from Announcement:
representen shaw town to the fullest
raps are bullets
see those rappers they be dunken
when comm be bucken in the kitchen f**ken
on the sink got my momma a mink
common is the link
thought the game was extinct
And there’s always this little gem from the same track, which I guess is targeting people like me who think he’s still cerebral:
Brah’s say are you a philosopher?/Yeah, yeah, I’ll philosopha on top of ya.
Or this, from The Sixth Sense, a killer track from a while ago:
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want millions
More than money saved, I wanna save children
Dealing with alcoholism and afrocentricity
A complex man drawn off of simplicity
Reality is frisking me
This industry will make you lose intensity
The Common Sense in me remembers the basement
I’m Morpheus in this hip-hop Matrix, exposing fake shit
That’s like Walt Whitman sitting down and writing a Harlequin romance novel. Just a complete and total sellout. If you haven’t had a chance to hear much of the album, here’s Announcement.
is clearly on my side in this fight too. In fact, they take it a step further:
Designed as a feel-good summer album, its release was delayed for several months because of the rapper’s burgeoning Hollywood career. Arriving on the doorstep of winter, its tone isn’t just out of step with the season, but with the unprecedented sense of possibility in the African-American community.
calls this album pandering. They talk about how Common’s always wanted to move units and gets fed up being pigeonholed as a backpack rapper. Here’s my favourite quote:
As superstar producers the Neptunes deliver some of their weakest, most cliched and most phoned-in tracks ever — heavy on the generic techno thumps, synth burbles and played-out vocoder backing vocals — one of hip-hop’s most accomplished freestylers drops one leaden rap after another. Most are about sex, although there also are a couple of uncharacteristic “ain’t I great” boast-fests via “Gladiator” and “What a World.”
Even other newspapers are getting in on the action. has picked up on the fact that this album, and Common’s general trend towards the mainstream may be partly due to Jay-Z’s backhanded compliment from a few years ago. On the Black Album’s Moment of Clarity, Hova rapped: ‘If skills sold, truth be told, I’d probably be / lyrically, Talib Kweli / Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense / But I did five mil/ I ain’t been rhymin’ like Common since”. And I guess this was the world’s most successful diss. Not only did it make Talib fall off, but it’s gotten Common all crazy as well. Money is power, I guess.
Even though he’s gotten bitchslapped by his own hometown papers, the folks over at have posted a full review of the album that’s quite positive. In fact, they state that it’s a “necessary departure” from Common’s last two albums. Frankly, I disagree. Be and Finding Forever both had heavily commercial aspects to them, and nececssarily got the Kanye pop flavour as well. This let them cross over into mainstream appeal but Common still kept his lyrics tight and didn’t have to make tracks that sounded like someone having a seizure on a midi keyboard.
Now I’m not even saying that Common should only be restricted to making deep tracks, I get that club bangers have a place in hip hop and everyone’s entitled to a little artistic freedom. He shouldn’t be pigeonholed. However, I think there’s a big difference between making a club track and making a whole club album when you’re reputation is built on being a lyracist. And gave it 3/5 stars, so I guess they’re on board.
The worst part is that I know he still has it in him. Changes, the one old-style track on the album is a anthem for Obama and not a bad track by any means. it’s more traditional Common, which I obviously like, but more importantly it just shows some thought and effort. The rest just sounds hastily cobbled together off of internet keystyles.
If you need any more proof, the final nail in this album’s tiny plastic coffin has to be the god-awful Sex 4 Sugar which is an awkward, cornball track and an embarassment to anyone involved in it.
If you’ve been following the news at all lately, you’ve heard about the .
Details are still sketchy, but the latest news seems to indicate a group of terrorist gunmen came ashore on rubber boats and attacked six different locations in Mumbai.
The Taj Mahal Hotel, the Oberoi-Trident Hotel, Leopold Cafe, a train terminus, an orthodox Jewish outreach center, and the Cama hospital.
It’s such a tragedy, and one of the most abhorrent things in a while. Beyond the mere barbarism of a suicide bomb, this was carefully and methodically planned. What makes it most terrifying is that it was done with almost sociopathic precision. The gunmen were prepared with tons of ammunition, bags of grenades, and some reports are even saying they carried bags of almonds because they knew they needed the energy. And, they were smart. They used to watch the horror they caused and get a sense of how the media was reporting it.
It’s almost like something out of a movie. They stormed in and opened fire. They lobbed a grendate into a crowded cafe. They fired mercilessly and aimlessly into a crowded train platform. So many people died, and for what?
No one knows what these idiots wanted. No one even knows what group they belong to. There were early reports that they were rounding up British and American expats, and that foreigners were being targeted. But most of the dead ended up being local Indian nationals. There’s no political agenda to be seen. No statement. Nothing. are being thrown around that accuse of being behind it. it’s Pakistani-based. .
The Boston Globe has (some of them extremely graphic), and there’s one (non-graphic one) which I’ll repost below.
That’s what one of the terrorists looked like. A young, well-dressed, man. This is one of the douchebags who opened fire into the crowd and killed many. But the on one of the gunmen. The mob overpowered one of them and until police arrived. He was the only one taken alive. It is through his interrogation that these allegations of Pakistani-based backing is emerging.
Could anyone have seen this coming? According to them, India was warned of the possibiltiy of an attack more than a month ago. That is a rather scary thought, and one I hope is not true. But I can only imagine how impossible it must seem to try and monitor a country of over a billion people. Mumbai alone has 12 million people in it. That’s bigger than some countries.
There are that are coming out of this. As always, ordinary people have been stepping up to try and save lives left and right. The announcer at the train terminus helped guide people to safety. Hotel employees helped hide guests and protect them, even as their own lives were threatened. The security forces did their best to stop these gunmen, storming the hotels and other locations.
The thing I think is most fascinating, and I think sends the strongest message of disapproval is the . Their statement? “”People who committed this heinous crime cannot be called Muslim,” said Hanif Nalkhande, a trustee. “Islam does not permit this sort of barbaric crime.”" According to Islam, even criminals must be accorded the right to be buried in a Muslim cemetary. The refusal simply means the cemetary does not believe they are actually Muslims. It may be mere semantics, but it does send a strong message. Further, since it is unlikely that anyone else will come forward to claim the bodies, they may lay in the morgue until they can find a place to bury them. Since this is outside the traditional burial period, and the place may not be a Muslim cemetary, I wonder how this will affect their progression. Assuming, of course, that they are truly Islamic militants in search of martyrdom, does this failure to be buried in accordance with the rules of Islam mean they do not achieve this martyrdom? I kind of hope so.
I think it is a powerful message for the Muslim community to send, to say that those who perpetrate heinous acts like this aren’t true Muslims and will not receive the blessings and salvation that they seek. This may actually have a bigger effect at deterring terrorism than many other initatives.
I guess, in summary, I hope these evil men pay for what they did. I’ll leave you with a paraphrase I find appropriate.
Earlier this morning, Fox News that Alan Colmes (pictured above) will leave the network’s popular Hannity & Colmes debate program at the end of the year. , after twelve years of ‘sparring’ with conservative counterpart Sean Hannity, Colmes is moving on “to develop new and challenging ways to contribute to the growth of the network.” Whatever that means.
If you’ve ever seen Hannity & Colmes, you know that despite its as a “debate talk show,” the program offers neither enlightening discussion nor insightful commentary. Colmes, ostensibly the duo’s liberal half, has been for his submissiveness to both Hannity and the show’s overwhelmingly right-wing roster of guests. Al Franken the show Hannity and Colmes, and refers to the “” as Hannity’s “goofy sidekick.” Journalist Bob Garfield once Colmes if he was a “human straw man,” and John Stewart calls the show Hannity & Whatever. To get a taste of why this criticism is well deserved, check out this particularly embarassing episode following the Biden-Palin debate (Colmes’s portion begins at around the 2:00 mark):
Clearly, Colmes’s departure will not jeopardize the journalistic integrity or intellectual excellence of Hannity & Colmes and Fox News, largely because neither has any. What it will do, however, is give Hannity even more air-time to spout his conservative rhetoric. It’s true: the New York Times, citing “two people close to the network,” that Hannity will likely become the sole host of the show following Colmes’s departure.
In addition to being absolutely terrifying in its own right, the decision to provide Hannity with his own sixty-minute time-slot in prime-time is indicative of a growing trend among right-wing media outlets. With the Democrats firmly in control of both the legislative and executive wings of government, conservative television and radio stations are preparing a renewed assault on their perceived enemies – the ‘anti-Americans’ Palin on the campaign trail. Indeed, no longer encumbered by the tedious task of defending Bush, right-wing firebrands like Hannity, , Bill O’Reilly and Ann Coulter are getting ready to spend the next four years mercilessly castigating the Obama administration, congressional Democrats, progressives of all stripes, and anyone else who happens to take the wrong position on any number of issues.
The initial forays have already begun. Shortly after November 4, Hannity that he was afraid that Obama “is the guy that has these radical associations 20 years ago” and that the President-elect will reveal himself to be “hard, hard left.” Rush Limbaugh took it a step further, the current economic crisis an “Obama recession:”
“The Obama recession is in full swing, ladies and gentlemen. Stocks are dying, which is a precursor of things to come. This is an Obama recession. Might turn into a depression.”
CNN recently aired a segment on this topic, with further examples of how right-wing commentators are trying to paint Obama as a radical leftist:
And this is just a taste of what’s to come. Truly, if you thought that the past eight years were bad, get ready for a period of intense, vitriolic bile from across the conservative airwaves. It will dwarf even the of the Clinton years, and will make the mainstream media’s of Bush (especially leading up to the Iraq War) seem positively benign. Who knows – it may even make us yearn for the days when Hannity and Colmes ‘debated the issues’ and ‘interviewed’ guests.
We all sort of had high hopes for this grand new day since Obama got elected. But as the results begin to trickle in, we see that it basically was one giant step forward, but two steps back at the same time.
The USA, or rather four states (Arizona, Florida, , and Arkansas) seemed to fan the flames of intolerance and ran away from more equality overall.
Those four states , a position I simply can’t wrap my head around. Arkansas, for their part, passed a measure that prohibited unmarried couples from adopting a child. This will especially prevent same-sex couples from ever adopting a child in the state (until the law is repealed). To be fair, this measure does also prevent unmarried opposite-sex couples from adopting as well, which is simply another form of discrimination as there are excellent single parents out there, and quite a few terrible married couples.
California’s is the most fascinating case study so far. Recently, California went ahead and legalized same-sex marriage. Now, just a few short months later, the voters have completely overturned it.
The ironic thing about this whole thing? It probably wouldn’t have passed if Obama wasn’t so successful at mobilizing black and latino voters. The major news sources seem to agree that blacks and latinos were in favour of Proposition 8. The San Francisco Chronicle reports:
While Obama publicly backed the “No on Prop. 8″ effort, African American voters had no trouble voting overwhelmingly for the man who will be the nation’s first black president and then voting 70 percent in favor of Prop. 8, exit polls showed.
It’s tremendous how much of a contradiction exists in society. America is no different than many other places in the world, but I think it’s just remarkable how all of this happened in the same election.
In summary, three states “restricted” marriage to a man and a woman, one banned non-married couples from adopting. Two more states defeated restrictions on abortion rights, and nationally the first black president was elected.
Very much a mixed message. So don’t go celebrating yet, world. There’s a lot of work to do.
This was a refreshing change from the increasingly dark and mean presidential campaign. John McCain and Barack Obama managed to sit down together at the 63rd annual . It’s become somewhat of a tradition for the presidential contenders to appear at this white-tie event to raise money for the charitable foundation, and actually seems to lighten the mood.
The candidates basically roast each other, and spare no expense mocking themselves either. You can check out all the videos below.
Quite honestly, I think that McCain was a better tonight, but Obama definitely scored some big points with a few of his jokes. Both quickly addressed the ‘That one’ comment from the debate (Obama explains that his name is actually swahili for ‘that one’. McCain says it’s a nickname, and Obama’s nickname for him was ‘George Bush’). Perhaps my favourite moment from Obama’s side was his mockery at his own perceived arrogance. When asked for his greatest strength, he said his humility, and for his greateset weakness he said he was a little too awesome. Also, keep an eye out for the middle name jokes and Obama’s wicked jab at Giuliani. I’ll stop spoiling things now, and let you enjoy it.
I have to be honest here, I was thoroughly unimpressed with both of the American VP candidates. But especially with Palin. Biden’s intense “don’t mess up, don’t pick on the girl” tactics were definitely smart, but not exactly the way I want to see politics run. The pundits and analysts were all saying he had to be incredibly careful about this, because the American public didn’t want to see him coming across as intimidating Palin in any way or anything. So he was deferential, always calling her Governor Palin (despite her constant reference to him as “Joe”), he never directly engaged or corrected her, despite several clear mistakes (like her mistaking the name of the current commanding General in Iraq).
In fact, if you were watching carefully, he rarely made eye contact unless he was smiling and, at the end of the debate, he made sure to come around the podium but remained standing and waited for her to come to him and shake hands. Why is this important? Frankly, because he was coached to do that. It’s that when Hillary Clinton was running for Senator of New York, her rival Rick Lazio made one huge mistake. At a debate, he walked over to her podium and presented her with a petition to sign. Bad, bad move. The public thought that he was attempting to physically intimidate her with his larger frame and aggressive demeanor, so Biden had to stay far, far away.
Biden did do a reasonable job at coming across pretty seasoned and knowledgeable. It was evident that he knew his foreign policy quite well (as well he should, considering just how long he was in the Senate). I was frankly dissapointed by his brutal tapdance around the gay-marriage question, and he leaned towards brilliance when asked about Darfur and when exactly the US should intervene…but then quickly retreated.
Still, all this was better than Palin’s performance. It was hands down one of the worst campaign performances I have ever witnessed in all my years. She was 99% charm and 1% knowledge, even stating that she wouldn’t answer the questions asked she’d just talk “directly to Americans”. Her folksy “aww shucks” attitude was a brilliant political maneuver, because it did appeal to regular Americans. But how anyone could fall for her blatant avoidance of all the questions is beyond me. She just straight up refused to answer anything, and tiptoed around every possible issue she could think of. When asked about the same Darfur issue, instead of discussing anything she lapsed into Bush-speak, calling America a “shining example” and a “beacon of hope”. This type of language should have been left behind, because demagogy is an embarassment to politics. The American public should have learned their lesson after the Bush/Rove tactic of using exactly this same type of language to distract from major issues.
Palin had few flashes of decency in this entire exchange, tossing out tirades against government and constant references of how she and McCain are ‘mavericks’. And, I’m not making this up, she actually winked at the camera and also gave a shout out to her brothers third-grade class. Both, while cute, are not befitting a vice-presidential candidate. And yet somehow the thinks Palin won the debate and that she also belongs to the class of great communicators like Reagan and Bill Clinton. Frankly, she doesn’t. Her Katie Couric interview debunks this claim definitively. But still, she wasn’t all bad. She did have poise and confidence and didn’t crumble during the debate as many predicted she would. But then again, she didn’t really answer any questions, and moderator Gwen Ifil did a piss-poor job of following-up and pressing any of the candidates. Obviously she was afraid of being accused of bias, since she has a book coming out on inauguration day about black political progress (of which Barack Obama is a big part).
The most memorable part of the debate for me was Palin’s quick and confident answer to a part of the Darfur issue. Palin claims she was instrumental in getting the Alaska Permanent Fund to divest itself of investment in the Sudan because she didn’t want to be seen as condoning what was happening there. Not a bad statement in and of itself, except that .
NBC’s Saturday Night Live series did a pretty decent job lampooning the debate. .
The upcoming Canadian Election is major news, but only for Canadians. It’s absolutely overshadowed by its much bigger cousin to the south, and frankly isn’t getting the media coverage it deserves. And, frankly, Canadians are probably sick of elections. This is the 3rd federal election in 4 years, and the last two both resulted in minority governments.
So here’s the first annual 4080Records Guide to Canadian Politics.
The Parties
Canada has a unique four (sometimes five) party system. There are more, obviously, but there are four main parties that seem to actually have influence.
The Conservative Party of Canada
Led by Stephen Harper, this is the party currently in power with a minority government. Having only recently emerged from the mess that was the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative parties, this past election was the first Conservative win since the Mulroney/ fiasco of the early 1990′s.
Their record over the past year has been somewhat positive, fulfilling a few of their campaign promises (including increased military spending). In recent polling, things are looking rosy for the Conservatives, with some estimates even projecting a majority for them.
The main issue here is the public perception (as always). In this case, Harper has very strong polling figures as a “leader”, but the Conservative party itself does not get all that much love and respect. So the focus of this election has been on playing up Harper’s virtues and virtually ignoring the party itself. In fact, the new party slogan is “We’re better off with Harper.”
The Conservatives, whether you like them or not, have also taken a rather negative approach to the campaign to date. Beyond the ‘positive’ messages playing up Harper’s virtues, the other tactic is an extreme set of attacks on Liberal Leader Stephane Dion’s alleged inability to lead. From launching a website () aimed at young voters (you can play Flash games mocking the liberals) it also once featured an animated ad of a on Dion. . It’s kind of a low-brow attack considering much of the focus seems to be on the Dion’s less than great grasp on the English language. But hey, that’s what the site’s all about. They also take aim at completely ludicrous things, including the fact that Dion allegedly ate a hot dog with a knife and fork. Big deal! One of the better moves is their use of , a Facebook satire that will probably get them sued in the end. It’s somewhat funny.
Harper has also been instrumental in excluding the Green Party from the .
Arctic Sovereignty – insisting that northern territorial waters be respected, and that ships using the pathways must first report to Canadian Authorities.
Increased Military Spending – more troops in the standing army and better equipment.
Better relations with the United States
Cut the tax on jet fuel and diesel
Oppose Kyoto
Some actions as the Government
Reduced GST by 2 percentage points (down to 5%)
Cut court challenges program
Commissioned the creation of a new deep-water vessels for Arctic patrols
Introduced childcare benefit
Introduced legislation creating fixed election dates. (then called a snap election)
The Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party is often referred to as Canada’s governing party. They’ve remained in power for the majority of time in the past 50 years, at least until the 2004 election. In fact, they’re still facing the political fallout of the which is pretty much what swept them from power. Paul Martin, Liberal leader before Dion was not successful in maintaining his minority government. After his failure to lead the Liberals to victory in the 2006 election, there was immediately a Liberal leadership race to try and choose someone more appealing to voters. Somehow, the Liberals chose Stephane Dion.
He was, by many pundits opinions, the least likely of the the three main contenderrs to win. Somehow, he came through with it and has yet to impress. His voting record has been spotty and he hasn’t done a good job of demonstrating his ability to lead with strength. This is the focus of many of the Conservative’s attack ads, and what will probably be the hardest thing for the Liberals to overcome. Unlike Harper and the Conservatives, the Liberals have a strong party brand image but a perceived weak leader.
To counter the Tory website, the Libs have launched . It’s a much less flashy site and also remains slightly more positive (but equally as silly). The focus of this is to showcase just how ‘‘ Stephane Dion truly is. They’ve also done , an attempt at a wikipedia entirely based on Conservative party scandals.
[Source: ]
Major Policy Points
– a plan to introduce taxes on carbon emissions from diesel, jet fuel and others (but not gasoline), and use this extra income to cut income taxes.
Pro-Kyoto
Specific Proposed Actions as Government
Double childcare benefit for low-income families
Reintroduce court challenges program
The New Democrat Party
This party has more in common with the Conservatives than they would like to admit. Self-professedly a ‘party of the left’, the NDP has been a bulwark of pro-union and quasi-socialist activity for many years. And yet they’ve only begun to obtain mainstream acceptance under the stewardship of Jack Layton (pictured left). The NDP is also relying heavily on the strength of their leader (an absurdly charasmatic individual) to prop up their party.
The NDP has been rather successful in provincial politics, having run governments in BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario at various times. Federally, however, they have been much less successful. The previous two elections (2006 and 2004) have been their best yet, winning 29 seats in 2006 and 19 in 2004. In fact, in 2004 they were key in bringing down the Liberal government but were also paramount in propping them up for several key votes. As the keeper of the balance of power in parliament, the NDP has recently enjoyed an unprecedented amount of influence.
This is likely to change. Much the same way Nader is often blamed for the Gore’s election loss, many die-hard Liberals blame Layton for keeping Martin from achieving a Liberal majority back in 2004. There are some who are predicting now that those less keen on the Liberal brand may feel their ‘protest’ votes had their intended effect and may now return to the Liberal fold. I’m not convinced of this, but it will be interesting to see.
Main Policy Points
further tar sands development in Alberta
Fixing immigration backlog (recognize foreign professional creditionals)
The Bloc Quebecois
This party deserves (and will get) a rather short note. Since they only run in the province of Quebec, and those outside of Quebec cannot vote for them, they are indeed a mainly regional party. However, since Quebec has such a huge number of seats, they must still be reckoned with.
At one time they were a soverigntist party, attempting to encourage Quebec to secede from Canada. This has largely fallen away in the past few years, and instead they have become focused on keeping Quebec’s unique status within federalist Canada. Both the Liberals and the Conservatives have made considerable inroads into Bloc territory in Quebec, and the Conservatives especially seem poised to take quite a few seats in the province.
Policy Points
Promote Quebec identity
French language (equality with English as a national language)
The Green Party
The Green Party is, sadly, a bit of a joke. Despite receiving nearly 5% of the national vote in the 2006 election, they won no seats. Elizabeth May, their leader, has been raising some ruckus lately because she will be excluded from the televised debate in a few weeks. This is not the first time this has happened to the Green’s, and likely not the last either.
Somehow people don’t seem to take them overly seriously, and apparently were against them being in the public debate. What’s especially upsetting for Elizabeth May is the fact that they are by an MP in parliament. Thanks to the quirky rules of politics, a Blair Wilson, a former Liberal-turned-Independent-turned-Green MP, they Green’s would have finally had a voice.
May seemed to think that having this representative would guarantee her a chance to participate in the TV debates. Something she has no doubt been hoping to do for a long time.
Campaign Points
Reduce poverty
(similar to the Green Shift plan, they hope to shift taxes from income to discourage use of harmful things)
Reduce environmental impact
Conclusion
And there you go. Everything you needed to know about Canadian Politics for the election.
Just in case you skipped over all the stuff above, here are the links to the party sites.
K’Naan,the Somali-born Canadian rapper, is making huge waves right now. With the release of his sophmore album, Troubadour, he is pretty much on top of the world. Pitchfork loves him. Canada loves him. In fact, most people are already starting to say he’s just been shaming the other rappers in the world today.
You would be hard pressed not to have heard of these days. This guy is setting the internet on fire with this project. This is basically a YouTube mashup where Kutiman splices together various YouTube videos into one seamless new track.
If you’ve been following the news at all lately, you’ve heard about the .
We all sort of had high hopes for this grand new day since Obama got elected. But as the results begin to trickle in, we see that it basically was one giant step forward, but two steps back at the same time.
This was a refreshing change from the increasingly dark and mean presidential campaign. John McCain and Barack Obama managed to sit down together at the 63rd annual . It’s become somewhat of a tradition for the presidential contenders to appear at this white-tie event to raise money for the charitable foundation, and actually seems to lighten the mood.
The Liberal Party is often referred to as Canada’s governing party. They’ve remained in power for the majority of time in the past 50 years, at least until the 2004 election. In fact, they’re still facing the political fallout of the which is pretty much what swept them from power. Paul Martin, Liberal leader before Dion was not successful in maintaining his minority government. After his failure to lead the Liberals to victory in the 2006 election, there was immediately a Liberal leadership race to try and choose someone more appealing to voters. Somehow, the Liberals chose Stephane Dion.
This party has more in common with the Conservatives than they would like to admit. Self-professedly a ‘party of the left’, the NDP has been a bulwark of pro-union and quasi-socialist activity for many years. And yet they’ve only begun to obtain mainstream acceptance under the stewardship of Jack Layton (pictured left). The NDP is also relying heavily on the strength of their leader (an absurdly charasmatic individual) to prop up their party.
Man, coming from Common, this album is garbage. “I be on top of her like a philosopher.” Honestly…