I just recorded my first podcast in support our March of Dimes’ campaign.
I haven’t shared this particular part of the story with many people, but I think it helps explain why we March for Babies.
Our goal hasn’t changed.
We’re raising $5,000 this year, and I know we will get it.
Thanks to all of you that shared our story over the years, or donated.
It warms our hearts to have friends and associates who are so giving.
Please donate to Team Rico and Jordan now.
With Former President Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday fast approaching there has been much fervor on the American political Right to rewrite history and place the “Gipper” into the Pantheon of great American statesmen. Scant a day passes where a member of the Republican Party or Tea Party does not wax poetically of the utopia which existed in the 1980’s under Reagan’s watch. In this articulation of history taxes were low, the military was strong and the American Dream was in reach for all as freedom and equality rained down in a mighty torrent washing away the excesses of the liberal oppression of the past.
At the forefront of this effort to revise history, for obvious reasons, is Ronald Reagan’s son Michael Reagan who recently penned an article “Ronald Reagan — More of a Friend to Blacks Than Obama?” He is not alone. Many on the political Right now run all decisions through a pseudo “Reagan Rubric” to determine if the policy fits into the Dream of Gipper. To the Right, Reagan is a figure on par with the most towering figures of American history and deserves nothing less than enshrinement upon Mount Rushmore and a National Monument. This Reagan Fetish has resulted in the twisting and bastardization of Reagan’s true legacy.
There is a reason that Reagan is held as such a shining beacon of conservative values. That is because he is the only decent conservative President in U.S. History. Think about it, both Presidents Bush were national embarrassments, Ford was shunned by his own party, Nixon was forced to resign and Eisenhower was so liberal that Martin Luther King, Jr. and many other Civil Rights activist supported him because of his social policies. Hoover, Coolidge and Harding sank the World into the Great Depression. Taft was incompetent. Teddy Roosevelt was a social and economic Liberal. McKinley died from being stubborn. And the rest, stretching back to Lincoln were incompetent, ineffective, corrupt or simply lost to history. Even Lincoln himself would not be a member of the modern political Right (do you really think the Confederate flag waving, anti-government factions of the Tea Party would embrace the “Great Emancipator?”).
So Reagan is all that the Right has in the entirety of American history. Thus you cannot really blame them for attempting to turn lemons into lemonade, or in this case lemon jelly beans, with Reagan. In truth, Reagan was the first in a now long line of intellectually dank politicians on the Right. Similar to the “Know Nothing” Party of the Mid-19th century, the modern Right prides itself on nativism, conservative core-values, a lack of compromise and pedantic political machinations with no foresight as to any long term impact. The Right lauds Reagan’s record of cutting taxes and “winning” the Cold War and criticizes the current President for the massive deficits that the country currently faces. However, they do not seem able to make the casual connection that decreasing revenue while massively increasing spending will leave you in debt. And further that if you continue this policy for several decades you will be in a lot of debt. And that the guy that shows up at the end to clean up after your 30 year spending rager cannot really be blamed for excesses of the past.
These conservative Know Nothings have fundamentally distorted Reagan’s record. In truth, Reagan ran massive Federal deficits, almost bankrupted American with the “Star Wars” program, propped up brutal dictators, ran one of the most corrupt administrations since Ulysses S. Grant, failed to address AIDS, failed to address Crack and the American drug problem, locked up and entire generation to appear tough on crime, his laissez faire economic policy caused massive future debt and he was more than likely fully senile during the latter stages of his term in office.
That is all to say that this current Reagan fetish is not unlike other fetishes. It is based upon living out a fantasy. In this case, the fantasy that things were somehow better way back when.
Robert Patillo is an Attorney and commentator at The Patillo Law Group, LLC in Atlanta, Ga. He can be reached at 706-464-9839 or via email: rpatillo@robertpatillo.com. www.robertpatillo.com
I was invited to to hang out with the bloggers at CNN headquarters for the third installment of Black In America. This was a town hall meeting that was taped as part the program. The topic: Almighty Debt.
Host Soledad O’Brien, Bishop T.D. Jakes, clinical social worker and public relations executive Terrie Williams, syndicated columnist Michelle Singletary, FBCLG senior pastor Rev. Dr. DeForest Soaries, pollster Cornell Belcher and others were part of the discussion.
ph: E. M. Pio Roda / CNN
CNN just shared a preview copy of the special with me, so I’ll have more once I digest the content.
6:50p.m. Soledad O’Brien enters the bloggers lounge and answers a few questions (on crutches).
6:55p.m. Soledad enters studio.
7:00p.m. Soledad introduces the town hall meeting. She explains the taping format. Conversation will start soon. She says it’s okay use cell phones during the discussion.
7:01p.m. Twitter hashtag is #blackinamerica
7:05p.m. Soledad tapes show intro. She does it in one take.
7:10p.m. After taping a series of show breaks, O’Brien interviews Bishop T.D. Jakes and Rev. Dr. DeForest Soaries about debt, the church, and Black America.
7:28p.m Taping continues. Hurry up and pause. Start recording.
7:36p.m. Conversation continues. You’ll have to watch the finished product on Oct. 21 at 9p.m.
They are leaders of change, innovators in their respective fields and influencers among their peers. Amani Channel, Community Manager at Public Broadcasting Atlanta and Founder of Visual Eye Media, and Doug Shipman, Executive Director of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, have been selected by the New Leaders Council (NLC) to represent Atlanta during the annual 40 Under 40 Awards.
The NLC’s Atlanta chapter will host a reception to honor Channel and Shipman on Wednesday, July 14, at 6:30pm at Studio Clout, 144 Walker St, Atlanta, Georgia 30308. Food provided by The Real Chow Baby. Tickets are $20 dollars. The event will also feature Atlanta City Council President Caesar Mitchell and Georgia State Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan.
If I told you how busy I am, that still might be an understatement. On top of being a dad, husband, grad student, full-time employee, and business owner, I’m also involved with a nonprofit called the New Leaders Council.
The NLC launched a chapter in Atlanta this year, becoming the first in the Southeast.
I could go into the story of how one of my colleagues contacted me about a year ago to share the idea; everything that was involved with getting it off the ground; the guerilla social media marketing tactics I used to spread the word; hours of meetings, conference calls, coordinating… yadda yadda yadda.
The long and short of it is that the idea became reality this past weekend. The New Leaders Council Atlanta Institute launched with 17 Fellows who will spend five months learning the ins and outs of progressive political entrepreneurship.
The organization is non-partisan, and is quickly expanding. There are a total of ten chapters nationwide which include: NY, LA, DC, SF, Boston, Chicago, Louisiana, Sacramento, San Diego and Boston.
The weekend was amazing. The two-day session focused on life entrepreneurship.
NLC Atlanta’s Honorary Advisory Board Member Kwanza Hall took time out of his busy schedule to share some of his trials and achievements in Atlanta politics.
Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall Speaks
The retreat ended with Milano Harden from The Genius Group speaking to the class about progressive entrepreneurship.
C. Milano Harden (The Genius Group)
Of course I was all over the social media. I posted about 250 photos to Flickr; was using my iPhone to instantly publish videos to the net, and my Twitter stream was on fire (I manage the @NLC_Atlanta account as well).
This is an organization to keep an eye on. There is great leadership, it’s recruiting top young progressives, and there isn’t a program like it.
Congrats to the inaugural class of NLC Fellows: Fana Abay, Matthew Arnold, Kyle Bailey, Shemariah Butts, Carlissa Carson, Stacey Chavis, Howard Franklin, Kevin Grimes, Lauren B. Jarvis, Casey Lamb, Dwayne Marshall, Daniel Moskowitz, Darius Pattillo, J.Shakir Ramsey, Menyuan Smith, Jahnisa Tate and Travis Townsend.
Mark your calendars for Wednesday October 14th, and join the New Leaders Council Atlanta chapter, business leaders, and special guests to celebrate the launch of its N. Georgia Institute.
The mission of the New Leaders Council (NLC) is to train and support the next generation of progressive political entrepreneurs – those who are leading industries, setting trends, and building institutions that support robust civic and political life in a global America.
The program puts these highly selective college seniors and young professionals through a rigorous 5-month training program that focuses on campaign work, advocacy, and leadership training to mold what NLC has termed progressive “political entrepreneurs.”
Air America Founder and NLC Chairman Mark Walsh will deliver the keynote speech at the event. Walsh will be joined Atlanta City Councilperson C.T. Martin, and other special invited guests.
Where: Manuel’s Tavern
When: Wed. Oct. 14
Time: 7-9pm
$25 general
$10 students
