The Africana Media Blog

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the American media is colluding to derail Senator Barack Obama’s march to the presidency of the United States.  In many studies, and as a few of the media itself, has come to acknowledge, they are doing everything to get very negative on Obama’s positions, while handling with kids’ gloves what his Republican opponent has been saying and doing, especially with the inconsistency of his position on several issues. 

Yesterday morning, I tuned in to CBS radio, and the first item on the news was “Did Obama’s overseas trip help or hurt him,” and proceeded to quote the new inconsistent USAGallop poll which had McCain with a lead of 4% over Obama of likely voters.  But on Monday at the same time, the CBS, which had been accused of doctoring an interview between its network anchor Kathie Couric and McCain, cutting out certain portions of the interview in which McCain made certain statements detrimental to his campaign, didn’t lead with a poll by the same Gallop organization which showed a bounce for Obama after his trip, with an 9-8% lead over McCain. 

Despite perception to the contrary, in which Americans felt the press was harder on McCain than on Obama, a new study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, has “found that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Obama than on Republican John McCain during the first six weeks of the general-election campaign.

“What is most annoying is that the Obama campaign, for reasons best known to them, as if they haven’t learned how the campaign almost came to be derailed by vicious attacks by Hillary Clinton, are adopting the same silly “taking the high road,” approach to the attacks by John McCain and the media.  People tell you they detest negative advertisements, yet they are more than influenced by those ads. 

As we say back in Africa, “Do me, I do you, God no go vex.” You hit me, and I hit you back, God will not be angry.  That needs to be imparted to the people who run the Obama campaign.  Docility in the face of voracious negative attacks, don’t win elections.  Both Al Gore and Kerry tried it, look where it landed them.  A word for the wise. 

What is going on?  Now, it is African women who seem to be making more progress than their male counter-parts.  Are African men being castrated or what?  All we hear are this woman or that woman being appointed to this post or that post on the international scene.  What happened to our males? 

For the 262,368 times, the MSM has dwelt on why Obama should not accept that the ‘Surge’ advocated by McCain has worked in Iraq, while ignoring the same question of McCain of why he voted for the iraq war, said Americans would be welcomed with love and that the war would hardly cost the American tax payers anything in monetary or terms.  Yet the war has cost more than $700 billion and counting and over 4000 lives. 

Again, I am sure you want to know who is this guy with the over-accomplished daughter, with the 5-acre estate with a mansion to boot in toney Westport, Connecticut. Rajat Gupta, the father of Geetanjali is a brilliant man, and holds many directorships in top companies and universities.  He is the Managing Director of that ivy league of consulting companies, McKinsey and Company…

Democracy seriously is crying for leadership in Africa.  It needs the leadership of a country with the stature of Nigeria, as in the case of Zimbabwe, South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki having abandoned his claim to such leadership.  Yar’Adua came into office through the machinations of fraudulence, but there is nothing that says he could not do the right thing by championing democracy in Africa, including good governance, civil rights, gender equality, free and fair elections and the independence of an free press.  That’s a path that could lead to his own redemption.

So, I vote for our keeping our eyes on the prize - POTUS, and despite all denials, I am happy that Obama is beginning to see the clear sky now that the fog has cleared.  I don’t see another candidate that could help him win easily as Senator Hillary Rdoham Clinton could, and I vote for her as the vice-presidential candidate to Senator Barack Obama.  It is a winning combination that is formidable.

What the Zimbabwean situation has shown is that there are quite a few African leaders with democratic credentials who are no longer willing to acquiesce in the politics of the former OAU (Organization os African Unity).  That organization, popularly known as the “club of dictators,” died and was buried in 2002.  We are beginning to see the emergence of credible African leaders.