Cheris Hodges's Blog, page 38

Post DNC musings. . .

Labor Day: 



One thing I realized, Democrats whine a lot. When you step on to a crowded Charlotte Area Transit Light Rail train, you can't expect to be comfortable. But one whiny witch complained so loudly and vehemently about my purse touching her precious arm, while my face was nearly pressed into the chest (moobs and all) of a strange man --who thank the LORD smelled good -- that people started shifting to make this heffa comfortable. Glad this witch is gone!

All of NC's HBCUs have been ignored in the DNC
talk of higher education. It's not in the program how student from NC
A&T got the sit in movement rolling, nothing about NCCU, JCSU, WSSU.
. .I'm not feeling that. North Carolina is more than UNC, Duke and NC
State. I mean, really, NC State?!

A quick note, the rest of North Carolina is really going to hate Charlotte forever. Hopefully enough to keep Pat McCrory out of the governor's mansion. Outsider my ass.




 Question of the week, though: What the hell was BET doing in Charlotte?
Day One: 

I woke up wondering if people can say with a straight face that Charlotte's favorite Christian, Billy Graham isn't racist. No one has heard from of seen him during the DNC, but Visit Charlotte wants to send folks to his library. Give me a break.

Michelle Obama was awesome. The visiting journalists, not so much. Social media has turned people into assholes. And if you give an asshole an audience and a web site, you get stories about "Charlotte's Crack Hotels" and whatever the hell this trick Cindy Adams wrote in the New York Post . Ma'am, your hotel is in Rock Hill, you're not hitting on shit down here. And the local media actually covered this crap. There was so much more going on. But this is the easy thing. And while these visiting journalists were complaining.



That ain't Corey Booker.

THIS WAS HAPPENING ON THEIR SITES:



Day Two:



I found out today that I won't get to see President Obama's speech live because the DNC moved his speech from Bank of America stadium to Time Warner Cable Arena. I wanted to cry. However, I'm ready for the DNC to be over because the visitors are getting a little out of pocket. Take this witch in the convention center: I walked into the little store in the center, she was already in there. I purchased a Diet Pepsi and I was using my debit card. The cashier--who should've just been happy that I decided to pay $2.50 for a 20-ounce soda--asked if I had cash. Nope. Take the card and shut up. This cow behind me says, "$2.50 on a card?" Actually, witch it was $2.68. I say back, "I don't carry cash. You can get robbed out here. Mind your business." I don't know why she thought I gave a fat baby's ass about her opinion. You want me to carry cash, hand yours over--heffa. I don't understand how the anti-abortion folk made it down to the Convention Center. No one wants to see aborted fetuses before lunch. Those pictures are disturbing, but they don't make me want to tell another woman that she shouldn't have an abortion. It's funny because the men--who will never get pregnant--were holding the most heinous signs. S-O-BS! Also disturbing, the Coalition of African American Pastors. These "men of God" are like Grandpa from the Boondocks, taking credit for the civil rights movement and probably didn't do shit. Amen.



I'm not the best at math, but one pastor said he'd been married for 20 years, has four kids --ages 20, 24,26--there was some premarital sex going on and last I checked, that's a sin too.

Speaking of lunch, my good friend and former editor went to lunch at what used to be one of my favorite restaurants in South End. He asked me if something was crawling on him. I didn't see anything. Then he jumped and a big ass ROACH fell off him. Welcome to Charlotte. Damn.  I tried to talk to some Republicans today, they ignored me. This song is for the GOP:

Last thing, former President Bill Clinton's nose looks like a toy you'd find at The RedDoor.



Last Day of the DNC: 



You know when I was done with the DNC, when the fucker who gets arrested for threatening to murder the president does it on Twitter. 

This 21-year old fool has just written his life off in 140 characters. You're not going to county jail, dumb ass, you're going to federal prison.

Investigators told WBTV that Donte Jarmar Sims, 21, was arrested on
Wednesday, charged in a felony criminal complaint accusing him of
threatening the president's life.

The threats were done via Sims' Twitter account on Monday morning.

The first tweet was sent out at 10:06 a.m. on Monday when Sims
tweeted, "Well Ima Assassinate president Obama this evening !... Gotta
get this monkey off my chest while he's in town."

"Ima hit president Obama with that Lee Harvey Oswald swagg," he tweeted just two minutes later.

WBTV took at look at Sims' Twitter account, which is still active,
and saw that he sent out five threatening messages within a 14-minute
span.

"The Secret Service is gonna be defenseless once I aim the Assault Rifle at Barack's Forehead ... F* the #DNC," he continued.

Sims is being held at a federal detention center and has a hearing scheduled for next Tuesday.

Investigators say that Sims was interviewed by Secret Service agents at his home where he admitted that he hated the President.

WBTV has learned that Sims' tweets were discovered by a Secret Service intelligence specialist.

What an ass clown.

Well, that's a wrap. DNC visitors, you don't have to go home, but you got to get the hell out of here. Bye, y'all. 

Community ticket holders talk about canceled speech . . .DNC

People waited in long lines to get community tickets to see President Barack Obama last month. Today, the day Obama will accept the Democratic Party's nomination for president, those tickets are useless.

Obama's speech was moved from Bank of America Stadium to Time Warner Cable Arena. BofA Stadium holds nearly 70,000 people, TWC holds about 20,000.



Delegates, of course, get prime seating in the arena. Community ticket holders get turned around. But not all holders of these tickets are angry.





Portia Rice

Portia Rice, a Charlotte resident, had one of those tickets but she won't be allowed entry into the arena. However, she did take part in a conference call with the President.

Some of you earned your tickets through the 9-3-1 program -- nine hours
of volunteer work over three days for a community credential ticket.
You've registered to vote. You've talked to your neighbors. You're doing
unbelievable work that's making a difference in this close race. And
you've also shown that there's plenty of enthusiasm out there. The issue
in this election is not going to be enthusiasm, because I think about
you all on buses and in carpools and airplanes traveling here to
Charlotte. I know it’s not just to see me, but it’s also to see each
other and to share common stories and hopes for this country, which is
ultimately what this convention is really about. (Remarks from President Obama)

So, what was Rice's reaction to the call?










           When
you found out the president’s speech was being moved, how did you feel?











Rice: I initially was a little disappointed, but then I
realized that there must have been a breach in security that caused the
change.  I understand that you take a chance with the weather, but I
believe the move was because of a much bigger reason.



 





How long did you wait to get your ticket to the Bank
of America speech?





I
had a short wait of about 3 hours.






What did you take away from the President’s
conference call? 









I really believe that President Obama was deeply
disappointed that he was not able to speak to the community credential holders
that had taken time to stand in line and travelled to be a part of
history.  He also seemed very concerned about the safety of everyone in
attendance.  I guess it’s better safe than sorry.
 






When you heard he was reaching out to people who
couldn’t make the speech, how did that make you feel?









I felt that it was a very kind gesture to reach out
to those of us who would not be able to see him speak live.  It shows that
he cares and is still in touch with the American people and how small things
like this can change a person’s perspective.




 




How long was the call? 

10 minutes flat.




What has your Charlotte DNC experience been like? 









I have enjoyed the DNC experience in Charlotte since
the kickoff on Monday the Labor Day parade, then service at Friendship Baptist
Church.  I am thankful for the level of security and professionalism of
everyone involved in the convention.  You can feel the positive vibes
flowing throughout the city and excitement of the upcoming election.  I
have been re-charged and even more motivated to make sure that everyone is
registered to vote and understands the platforms of both candidates running in
the election. 
 





 

Black Pastors against Obama . . .DNC

The Coalition of African American Pastors held a poorly attended press conference at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday to basically tell black people to vote against President Barack Obama.

To be fair, they never OUTRIGHT said that, but Pastor William Owens, founder of CAAP did compare the president to Jim Jones. You know, don't drink the Kool Aid Jim Jones.



Why is this group standing up against the president? Because Obama supports same sex marriage. (Or as a NC delegate says, same gender marriage. More on that later.)



Here's a clip of the press conference:








But as they spoke, all I could think about was this:

Chatting with Latanya Frett, vice president global Planned Parenthood Fund Action Center

The funding of Planned Parenthood has become a key sticking point in the 2012 election. GOP nominee Mitt Romney has gone on record saying the he'd get rid of it to save money. But Planned Parenthood is important to low income women who count on the services of the organization for health screenings.

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund has thrown its support behind President Barack Obama and at the Democratic National Convention, the group rallied women. 

The Planned Parenthood® Action Fund, the host of www.plannedparenthoodaction.org,
is a national not-for-profit organization with its main offices in New
York City and Washington, DC. The Action Fund is the nonpartisan
advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including
legislative advocacy, voter education, and grassroots organizing to
promote the Planned Parenthood mission.

At the event outside of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, PPFA global vice president, Latanya Frett, spoke about why the group supports Obama.





Latanya Frett, vice president global, PPFA


"We are watching," Frett said. "We're concerned about what the policies are going to be. We are about it for ourselves, we care about it for our children and we want to make sure that we have the best representation available."



That's not the GOP. When GOP senate candidate Todd Akin said:  “legitimate rape” rarely causes pregnancy, Frett was in Costa Rica and the statement didn't play any better there than it did in the states.

"The most disturbing thing was our colleagues and our friends in other countries and what they're thinking. I knew it was an ignorant remark, but have people from other countries ask, 'why is he saying that?' 'what does that mean for us?' It was really hurtful. We have to be really careful with the messages that we send --not just to America -- but to the rest of the world as well."



What makes her support President Obama?

Frett said the bills he's signed into law shows that he's for equality.

"He's supported equality for women, for races. He's shown that he cares about every one in every class."

Want to learn more? Log on to www.womenarewatching.org.

Why Michelle Obama has me in tears. . .DNC

Day one of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte and my objectivity went out the window.

It's First Lady Michelle Obama's fault.



The First Lady spoke of her father's struggle with MS and how he worked every day to make sure she and her brother had a better life. This is when I got misty.



My father had a heart transplant during my freshman year of college. I remember the day he called my mother and told her that he'd been diagnosed congestive heart failure. Being the nosy child that I was (now a nosy adult), I stayed on the phone listening to my father calmly tell my mother that's why he'd been coughing.

My dad, an Army sergeant, has always been like Superman to me. He fought in Vietnam, has two Purple Hearts, this wasn't supposed to happen.



His condition worsened and he needed a heart transplant. My mother told me while they were at Walter Reed Hospital in DC, that he asked her for his checkbook because he had to pay my tuition.



Like the First Lady's father, my Dad didn't let his health stop him from allowing me to have a better life. My Daddy is my biggest fan. He's the one who gave me the tools I needed to write. He's the one who set HIGH expectations for me. His warning to me when I headed off to Johnson C. Smith University, "Bring home anything less than a 3.0 and I'm pulling you out of school and you're going to work at McDonalds."

He wasn't playing. And when I had a mid-term average of 2.954, I cried. Thankfully, JCSU had just stopped sending mid-term grades home.



I graduated with honors and the smile on my Dad's face when we posed for pictures after the ceremony was over told me how proud of me he was.



Knowing a woman like Michelle Obama has a story similar to mine makes me admire her even more than I did before.

Standoff at The DNC

A group of diverse protesters had a two-hour stand off with police in Uptown Charlotte on Tuesday, the opening day of the Democratic National Convention.



Take a look at what happened:

Women are Watching. . .DNC

Every one wants the support of American women.

From Ann Romney yelling "I love you women" at the Republican National Convention to women having key roles with the Democratic National Convention.



The Planned Parenthood Action Fund has taken sides. Their pink shirts and signs say it all:







What does Mitt Romney think of Planned Parenthood?

In an outdoor interview with Ann Rubin of KSDK.com, Romney offered a few suggestions on how he would cut the deficit.

"Of course you get rid of Obamacare, that's the easy one, but there are others," he said. "Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that."

Planned Parenthood responded to Romney's comments on Tuesday,
characterizing them as dangerous and out of step with what Americans
want.

“When Mitt Romney says he wants to ‘get rid’ of Planned Parenthood,
he means getting rid of the preventive health care that three million
people a year rely on for cancer screenings, birth control, and other
preventive care," said Dawn Laguens, Vice President for Planned
Parenthood Action Fund, in a written statement. “Mitt Romney simply
can’t be trusted when it comes to women’s health."

Where the EpiCentre Crowd and Bankers will be this week. . . DNC

My former editor and current friend, Carlton Hargro (follow him on Twitter @carltonhargro) captures where the regular uptown Charlotte crowd will be in his Business Week article, Occupy Charlotte.



If you're a Charlotte resident, you know this is true!



Here's Mr. EpiCentre (certainly a stereotype, but not really).





The Uptown Charlotte crowd has a reputation of not wanting people to invade their turf. They're known to disappear during the CIAA, Speed Street and anytime when people who don't use hair gel or GTL come to town.



One word of caution, I'm sure President Obama is going to go to Amelie's, the highlight of NoDa, since he invited the owners to Washington to highlight how small businesses have succeeded.

Did you see the banner plane flying in Uptown this morning? . . .DNC

Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory wants to be the next governor of North Carolina.



But Progress North Carolina wants to know: Who Pays Pat McCrory?



The group, which says on its web site is not endorsed by any political candidate, says it matters "who pays a man."

Progress North Carolina Action is asking gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory to:


Release his tax returns,
Release his client list, and
Explain what he does for a living.

Current governor Beverly Perdue won't be running for re-election in November. She beat McCrory in 2008-- even in Charlotte -- where he was the city's longest running mayor.

McCrory faces Lt. Governor Walter Dalton in November. If you've seen McCrory's TV spots, he seems to be down playing his Charlotte connections and playing up his small town past. Maybe it's because of the "Charlotte Curse."



What's that? No former mayor of North Carolina's largest city has ever been elected governor. (Hi, Richard Vinroot.)

Charlotte Media tweets read like star struck fans. . .DNC

It's an exciting time in Charlotte on the eve of the Democratic National Convention. But if you're someone on Twitter following local media personalities in the Queen City, you're not getting the news. You're finding out who's excited about seeing Common this week, where the parties are and who's performing at Carolina Fest.



While national media personalities are talking about serious things like Charlotte weather and the possibility of moving President Obama's speech inside or how no one is able to answer "are you better off than you were four years ago?" (Or, as one respected journalist from the New York Times asked, is that the right question?)



Even Charlotte's local stations are missing a chance to show people what's going on. The local CBS and NBC stations are showing tennis and golf.



And people wonder why newspapers are still needed.