Commentary by Black Kos Editor JoanMar
I must admit that I wasn’t totally sold on Michelle Obama’s famous call to action, “When they go low, we go high.” While I love the idea of restoring decency to our politics, I have also felt that, especially given the character of the malignant orange traitor on the other side of the partisan divide, when he goes low we go even lower and kick him even harder — particularly when our counterattack is rooted in truth.
“His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black.”
In fairness to our former FLOTUS, I know that the Obamas didn’t just talk the talk; they actually practiced what they preached. I remember Democrats begging nominee Obama to hit back in kind and go even harder at his opponents as they flung the worst their fetid imagination could conjure up at him. Remember his, “Don’t boo, vote!” admonition? We couldn’t even gotdamn boo, for goodness sake!
Because the vast majority of us do not want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to be better. And the joy and the excitement that we’re seeing around this campaign tells us we’re not alone …
But constantly going low is exhausting work. It saps the energy and alters the character of those who aren’t natural born deplorables. Worst of all, it remakes us in their image, leaving us soulless, hateful and devoid of joy.
Watching as Madam Vice President Kamala Harris command the political stage in recent weeks, I had an epiphany: The convict’s camp lacks even a basic understanding of joy — let alone decency. They have no earthly idea how to deal with warriors who, despite grappling with serious national and international challenges, remain exuberant and full of joy. Kamala isn’t descending into the gutter to wrestle with bottom dwellers; instead, she’s chosen to fly high above the mess and her approach is working brilliantly.
Doug Emhoff: “Joyful warriors are still warriors, and Kamala is as tough as it comes.”
So when enthusiastic attendees at her full to capacity and overflowing rally broke out the “lock him up” chant, I’d have been right there with them: “Lock that mofo up and throw away the key!” The Vice President responded with, “The courts gonna take care of that … We’ll beat him in November!” Brilliant. Yes, Michelle Obama was right — going high is a very powerful weapon. It confounds the enemy and renders them impotent. It also shows the chasm between a true leader and a two-bit conman from Queens who doubled down on his right to hurl personal attacks at his opponents — because that’s all he’s got. Going high, when combined with authentic joy, is is an unbeatable combination.
In the words of Kandi Burruss, MVP flies high above the haters:
I fly above all the drama, I I fly above, I I fly above
I I fly above, it's beneath me, it's beneath me, it's beneath me
So I fly above all the haters, I I fly above, I I fly above
I I fly above, it's beneath me, it's beneath me, it's beneath me
They have nothing to offer but hate, division, and chaos. They cannot compete in the marketplace of ideas, and they for damn sure cannot compete with her joy. They cannot compete with Black Joy:
“Black Joy affirms that I am not a victim. I am an agent of change. It rejects the idea that violence, injustice, discrimination, prejudice, and dominance over others are normal and acceptable actions.”
Barack Obama: “We don’t need four more years of bluster and chaos. We’ve seen that movie — and we all know that the sequel’s usually worse,” he said. “America is ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.”
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News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
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No Intro needed, Kamala Harris gets personal—and presidential—in powerful acceptance speech
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Barack and Michelle Obama, Chicago’s favorite power couple, declared “hope is making a comeback” with Vice President Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket
The former president and first lady headlined the second night of the Democratic National Convention, delivering a message of exhilaration at the possibility of electing the first woman in history to the White House – and the critical importance, they added, of preventing former President Donald Trump from securing a second term.
“We want something better. We want to be better,” Obama said. “And the joy and excitement we’re seeing around this campaign tells us we’re not alone.”
They also warned, from firsthand experience, of the battle ahead to elect Harris – a path marred by what the former president called the “bluster, bumbling and chaos” of Trump on the campaign trail.
“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,” Michelle Obama said of Trump’s campaign in 2016. “His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?” the former first lady quipped to raucous applause.
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Oprah Winfrey, who became a billionaire and a household name from her Chicago-based “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” opened her remarks with: “Who says you can't go home again?”
She drew deafening applause from Democrats gathered in the United Center as she stepped onstage. She urged the audience to shun the dark vision of America as “a nation of us against them” and one that raises unrealistic fears where people “believe that books are dangerous and assault rifles are safe.”
After namechecking several states she’s called home over her career, including Mississippi, Tennessee and California, she said she’s seen some of the worst that America has to offer, from sexism to racism to income inequality and division.
“I have not only seen it, at times,” Winfrey said, “I have been on the receiving end of it.”
But she also said the people she has met across the country “will help you in a heartbeat if you are in trouble” — and they make her proud to be American.
“We are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is on fire, we do not ask about the homeowner's race or religion,” She said. “We do not wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No. We just try to do the best we can to save them.”
She then quipped, “And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady — we try to get the cat out, too,” in reference to vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s comments disparaging women without children.
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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore walked up to the podium at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Wednesday and declared that he believes "Kamala Harris is the right one to lead us in this moment."
Moore said Vice President Kamala Harris was behind Maryland "every step of the way" after the collapse of Baltimore's iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge.
He recalled one of the first phone calls he received when the Dali cargo ship, the size of three football fields, crashed into the Key Bridge on March 26, killing six construction workers.
"'Gov, it's Kamala,'" Moore recounted. "She said, 'I know you spoke to the president. And I want you to know we are here with you every step of the way.'"
Referencing former President Donald Trump's slogan, Moore told Democrats in the United Center that making America great "doesn't mean telling people you're not wanted. Making America great means saying the ambitions of this country would be incomplete without your help."
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Six African cities will have more than 10 million people by 2035, with the continent’s booming young population making it the world’s fastest urbanizing region, according to a report.
Angola’s capital, Luanda, and Tanzania’s commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, will join the metropolises of Cairo, Kinshasa, Lagos and Greater Johannesburg with populations of more than 10 million, the Economist Intelligence Unit said in a report on African cities.
Africa’s youthful, growing cities are seen as a boundless source of creativity and innovation, but many have also been the focus of waves of protests this year amid corruption, tax rises, a lack of jobs and political classes that are more often than not regarded as out of touch.
This fast-paced urbanization, which will result in more than half of Africans living in towns and cities by 2035, is expected to create wealth, dynamism and business opportunities, the report says.
But, it adds: “Overcrowding, informal settlements, high unemployment, poor public services, stretched utility services and exposure to climate change are just some of the major challenges that city planners will have to grapple with.”
By 2035, on top of the six megacities, the continent will have 17 urban areas with more than 5 million people and about another 100 with more than 1 million.
Of the 100 largest cities by 2035, Addis Ababa is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 10.6%, followed by Kampala, Dar Es Salaam and Abidjan at above or near 9%.
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