Monday, September 26, 2011

President Obama’s 2012 Re-Election is More Important than His 2008 Election





When Barack Obama ran for President in 2008, it was an historic election. The prospect of voting for America's first African-American president brought black folks to the polls who had never voted before. People voted early, stood in long lines, some were in wheelchairs or on walkers -- but the passion and enthusiasm were palpable in black communities across America.

The rights and opportunities that our ancestors marched for finally came to fruition on election night, November 4, 2008, when the votes were cast and the T.V. networks announced that Barack Obama had been elected the 44th President of the United States. Tears of joy were shed across America by young and old.

Some of us mistakenly thought that, with President Obama's election, we had finally arrived. We could take it easy and not have to press so hard for our rights to be affirmed.

We underestimated the backlash from the opposition. Those who did not vote for Obama and who thought a black man would never occupy the White House -- either through prejudice, ignorance or defiance of authority -- quickly rose up in anger and indignation. The Tea Party was formed and we've seen their influence on politics in general and the Republican Party, in particular.

In his September 24, 2011, speech to the Congressional Black Caucus, President Obama was speaking for me and to me when he said, “Throughout our history, change has often come slowly. Progress often takes time. I never promised easy. Easy has never been promised to us. But we’ve had faith. We have had faith. We’ve had that good kind of crazy that says you can’t stop matching.”

“Even when folks were hitting you over the head you can’t stop matching. Even when they’re turning the hoses on you, you can’t stop. Even when somebody fires you for speaking out, you can’t stop. Even when it looks like there’s no way, you find a way—you can’t stop. Through the mud and muck and the driving rain, we don’t stop. Because we know the rightness of our cause-widening the circle of opportunities, increasing each other’s prosperity. We know our cause is just. It’s a righteous cause.”

It will be difficult to duplicate the magic of the 2008 campaign, but we can't afford to sit down -- you have to put on your marching shoes once again and work to re-elect President Obama in 2012! You need to not only vote, but work in the trenches to put President Obama back in the White House for four more years.

Don't be fooled. With Republican legislatures around the country attempting to make voting more difficult in poor and minority communities, the election in 2012 matters more than ever!

Here's why President Obama's re-election is important:

1. He cares about ordinary people -- the poor, middle class and those hardest hit by the recession.

2. He can keep the right-wing forces from enacting discriminatory policies and enacting more voter suppression legistration accross America.

3. He can appoint more federal and Supreme Court justices who are sensitive to the needs of blacks and other minorities.

4. The presence of the Obama First Family in the White House is an important positive symbol for our young people and others around the world.

5. America needs President Obama's continued outstanding foreign policy experience during an unstable international environment.

President Obama has instituted "Operation Vote" to make it easier for African-American communities to organize for 2012. What are you willing to do?

Here are some things you can do to help with President Obama's re-election:

1. Make sure you have the proper documents to vote by securing a state-issued driver's license or photo I.D., if you don't already have one.

2. Sign up as a voting registrar and register people to vote in your neighborhood.

3. Host a fundraiser for President Obama in your home or through one of your community organizations; and/or send a personal contribution to his re-election campaign online.

4. Post information via social media like Facebook and Twitter encouraging your friends to vote for President Obama's re-election.

5. Encourage your church or pastor to host voter registration drives.

6. Stay informed about the presidential election campaign by watching news broadcasts each day.

7. Voice you support for President Obama’s agenda and vision for this country on popular blog sites, radio and television websites, youtube, and CNN.com I-Reports.

8. Write letters to the editor or commentaries in support of President Obama and submit them to your local daily newspaper.

It will take a concerted effort from all of us to get President Obama re-elected. Put on your marching shoes and let's get to work!

Vera Richardson
Author of Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer





Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Oh really? A Hostile Work Environment for Females Working for President Obama





On September 20, 2011, author Ron Suskind appeared on the Morning Joe Show to discuss his new book “Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington and the Education of a President.” One of the allegations discussed was that  the Obama’s White House is a hostile environment for females.  I  don’t believe that President Obama would allowed anyone on his staff to violated civil rights laws as they related to women.  
For three years  I was a victim of a continued hostile work environment. I believe that Suskind’s book and the current media pundits that appear to accept his White House hostile work  environment claims are doing a disservice to true victims of employment discrimination in general and hostile work environment in particular.


I don’t believe that Obama's White House is a hostile environment for females. Even if  Anita Dunn said "This place would be in court for a hostile workplace" that doesn't make it true or factual. The duration of the unlawful behavior (discrimination and retaliation) frequency of the behavior and an employer refusal to take corrective action to end the unlawful behavior are factors that would be used to evaluate if a hostile wk environment existed at the White House.

Vera Richardson

Thursday, September 15, 2011

African-Americans Support President Obama and Save Yourself and Your Children!


Many African-Americans who voted in 2008 didn’t vote during the 2010 midterm elections. Our failure to vote in 2010 has made it very difficult for President Obama to lead and govern after the Republican gained control of the House of Representatives.


President Obama is currently working very hard to improve the economy including the unemployment crisis in African-American communities. In order to achieve his objective of reducing the unemployment rate he needs to have Congress approve “The American Job Act Bill.”

Once again Congressional Republicans don’t appear to be interested in putting the economic welfare of this nation and millions of it citizens before their political party. Instead of passing "The American Job Act"  they are voicing political talking points. According to the Party of NO "the job bill" is Obama's way of getting another stimulus package passed.  Many of them will not even refer to the bill as "The American Job Act Bill."

In order to work around the dysfunctional political process President Obama has reminded us that we are the change that we seek. In order to change and correct the toxic political climate he has requested that voters contact their congressional representatives and tell them to pass “The American Job Act Bill.”

Find your Senators and House Representative Congressman  and telephone, email, and/or use available internet sources to answer President Obama’s call to action.

The CNN.com's I-Report platform is an excellent tool to use to tell congressional leaders and your own representatives to pass "The American Job Act Bill." Posting I-Reports will allowed you to join in the political discourse, silence the Republicans opposition, and support President Obama.

Citizen journalists are allowed to post pictures, stories, and videos on CNN.com. Please join me and become a CNN I-Reporter. Your work will be reviewed and if selected and vetted it will appear on CNN’s platform including CNN network programs.

Fifteen of my I-Reports have been vetted and featured on CNN including one posted on July 29, 2011, titled “Urgent Message to Congressional Democrats”.

African-Americans like other races can’t control what other people say or their actions but we can do our part to determine our own fate and destiny. We can make this country a better place for us,our children, and our grand children. Starting today we can make a commitment to work tirelessly to reelect President Barack Obama in 2012.

On November 6, 2012, we can change the political landscape again by voting in record numbers for President Obama and democratic congressional candidates. By voting for democratic congressional candidates (excluding Blue Dogs Democrats) we can regain a majority in the House of Representatives and gain a larger majority in the Senate. Increasing a democratic presence in Congress will help us and help President Obama fulfill his vision of equality and justice for all Americans.

Vera Richardson Author of  Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Tavis Smiley Is an Unapologetic Critic of President Obama




In a recent video interview on the Grio Tavis Smiley stated” that he is wrongly called a "critic" of the president, saying that holding the president accountable is his "job." "My job has always been to hold presidents accountable to the best interest of all Americans but specifically and unapologetically for [African-Americans].”

Every time I read or hear Tavis Smiley profess his unapologetically concerns for African-Americans it blows my mind. I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that he believes that it is his duty and right to hold President Obama accountable to us when many of us have voiced our opinion that we don’t want or need his help.

What is his true motivation for being one of the most vocal “debaters” of President Obama and his presidency? Could the sentiments expressed in my February 25, 2010, youtube video titled is Tavis Smiley Conspiracy – One Term for President Obama be true?

I believe that if Tavis Smiley truly has unapologetically concerns for African-Americans he would have used his platform(s), including his publishing company Smiley Books, to highlight a tangible and undeniable example of one form of racism – employment discrimination.


In 2006 and 2007 I mailed copies proposed chapters of my manuscript at Smley's request to him. One day while in the Los Angeles area, I hand delivered additional chapters of  now published book titled“Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer” to Smiley’s office.

Tavis Smiley had the ability to publish any book or  books at his descretion. He didn't publish my book. He also didn't use any of his media platforms to give the book or my Title VII Civil Rights of 1964 pro-se employment discrimination case and experience a national voice.

A voice that was needed then and even more today.I believe that 99 out of 100 Americans who reads this book with agreed with the direct evidence in it that my employment and judiciary RACISM was real.

Although I have a personal reason to distrust Smiley’s motives it is not about me entirely. Employment discrimination filings with the Equal Employment Commission have increased sufficiently since 2009. One recent victim of employment discrimination is Brenda Chaney, who is a black certified nursing assistant case was highlighted in an article titled “Is Discrimination Running Rampant in Our Long-Term Care Facilities?”

I was shocked and very happy after investigating Chaney’s case to discover that on July 20, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed the district court’s summary judgment motion dismissal of her lawsuit.

I believe that my unsuccessful David and Goliath battle with Eliot Spitzer and his staff of 450 attorneys is part of my divine purpose. I was created by God to shed light on employment discrimination. That light will encourage either President Obama to use an executive order to amend Title VII of the Civil Right of 1964 again or Congress to pass a bill to amend it. The Act needs to be amended again to prevent one federal judge from having the absolute authority to dismiss Title VII (employment discrimination) cases with summary judgment motions.

I believe that employment discrimination will decrease sufficiently once more victims of employment discrimination and retaliation survive frivolous summary judgment motions. Discriminating employers and organizations will no longer be able to abuse and misuse Federal Rules of Civil Procedures number 56 Summary Judgment to unjustly deny victimized Americans their right to have a jury decide their Title VII of the Civil Right of 1964 as amended cases.

Vera Richardson
Author of Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer

Friday, September 9, 2011

Can Parts of American Job Act be Implemented with Use of Presidential Executive Order(s)?



Can Parts of American Job Act be Implemented with Use of Presidential Executive Order(s)?


America is facing an economic crisis that calls for immediate action by those in power in Washington. Some in the Republican Party are already voicing their disapproval of President Obama’s American Job Act speech by calling the same old speech. Therefore Senate Majority Leader Reid needs take the lead and introduce a version of the bill that requires congressional approval as soon as possible. The Republicans can either play politics and not let the measure reach the floor in the Senate or that they allow an up and down vote to pass the measures in the American Job Act.


In the event that the Senate and/or House of Representatives doesn’t pass the American Job Act with deliberate speed President Obama should use executive order(s) to implement portions of the Act to improve America’s economic health.

Vera Richardson

Author of  "Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer"

Saturday, September 3, 2011

President Obama Can and Will Win 2012 Presidential Election




 
 
President Obama can win the 2012 Presidential election if African and Hispanic Americans unite and form a voting bloc that is committed to his re-election.


Although I don’t share the network’s political viewpoints, I watch the Fox News channel. I tune in to be knowledgeable of the conservative political agenda. One of the shows that I watched was “The Glenn Beck Show.” According to Beck, African-Americans were denied the right to vote because many Whites feared that our votes would change the political landscape of this nation.

On November 4, 2008, Beck’s theory about the power of the African-American vote became a reality. A coalition of voters of all races, including African and Hispanic Americans changed the political landscape of America. History was made when the United States of America elected Barack Obama as its first African-American president.

In a December 23, 2008, article TheDefendersOnline, stated in part: “that Obama owes his victory both to a substantial increase in the number of minority voters, and their overwhelming support of his candidacy. A look at the racial breakdown of Obama’s winning coalition yields some interesting food for thought:

• Black voters constituted 13 percent of voters, an increase from 11% in 2004
• Hispanics made up 9 percent of the electorate, up from 8 percent in 2004
• 95 percent of blacks and 67 percent of Hispanics voted for Obama
• 3 million more blacks cast ballots than in 2004”

The 2012 presidential election will present this nation’s voters with a choice of electing a Republican president and Republicans congressional members. By voting for Republicans Americans will also be choosing the Republicans’ political vision that appears to favor corporate America and the very wealthy.

The 2012 presidential election will give Americans the opportunity to re-elect President Obama and his agenda that includes providing quality education opportunities, signing a comprehensive immigration reform bill, passing The Dream Act, providing equality, and justice for all of America’s citizens. His historic appointments of a Hispanic-American, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan to the United States Supreme Court; delivering on his promise to repel the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy; and providing affordable health care for millions of Americans who did not have health care insurance are examples of him make this a more just and perfect nation.

President Obama will win again if African and Hispanic Americans show support of his candidacy by registering to vote, getting state identification cards made if they don’t have a driver’s license (many states require state issued IDs), volunteering to work at their local polling place, signing up on the Organizing for America website, making phone calls, donating money in any amount to the Democratic Party, blogging, posting positive responses to election coverage online, attending campaign events sponsored by the Democratic Party, going to the polls in record numbers, and voting as a bloc for him and democratic congressional candidates on November 6, 2012. The political landscape will be changed again when President Obama is reelected and the Democrats regain a democratic majority in the House of Representatives and gain a larger majority in the Senate.

Vera Richardson
Author of " Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer "