Mr. Boehner, Mr. McConnell, you should have been there.

It was nice to see all those folks going back to Selma to relive that bloody and horrible day in America's history some fifty years ago. 

I watched the activities on MSNBC today, and seeing all those people coming together to say never again was a beautiful thing.

I saw all those people, but there were some very important people who unfortunately I did not see.

"Another day, another political leader (or two) failing to grasp the very simple concept of optics and symbolism.

Today’s what-the-hell-were-you-thinking winners are Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as it pertains to their respective no-shows to the 50th anniversary of the march on Selma. Did House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) attend? Yes. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus? Yes. Former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush? Yes. Do all of these GOPers being in attendance mean Boehner and McConnell are excused for not taking a day to show unity around a truly historic event in our nation’s tumultuous history on race relations?

Absolutely not. Nor does it excuse Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid for not attending, nor the second and third ranking Senate Democrats (Dick Durbin of Illinois and Chuck Schumer of New York) from blowing it off, either. But Boehner and McConnell are the focus here, and here’s why:

Optics is a topic that has been discussed before on this space, particularly as it pertains to President Obama and ill-advised tee times.

Note: As a fellow southpaw on the links and one who can appreciate the stress relief golf can provide regardless of score (I shot 62 this morning…on the front nine), nobody is begrudging someone with as stressful a job as Mr. Obama owns from getting away from it all for a few hours. It’s not exactly a new thing either: Democratic President Woodrow Wilson reportedly played 1200 rounds of golf.

Republican President Dwight Eisenhower racked up around 800. Nixon loved it. So did Clinton. Party is irrelevant. With Mr. Obama (who has played over 200 rounds, which suddenly looks relatively small), the issue around optics is not around playing golf, but the timing of certain outings…particularly last summer when he was on the first tee less than 20 minutes after a statement on American Jim Foley’s beheading by ISIS, and especially for not going to Paris following terror attacks there when many other world leaders found the time.

In Boehner’s and McConnell’s case, each appears to at least be wise enough to leave the clubs in the garage this weekend (especially Boehner–a scratch golfer). But that doesn’t make the optic of two-thirds of government leadership not being in Selma yesterday any less embarrassing for the Grand Old Party..." [Source]

I disagree with the writer. This is much more than just "optics". This is personal to us black folks.

The two leaders of the republican party not being in Selma is a personal affront to every person of color in this country.

Republicans say that they want to reach out to minorities, but this is not how you do it. Talk is cheap.
Show us that you are sincere by showing up in places like Selma.  

I have a lot of issues with George W. Bush, but I give him credit for showing up in Selma.

Unfortunately, the current leaders in his party are causing folks like Colin Powell to say the following:

“I still see it in the Republican Party,” Powell said. “And I still see it in other parts of our country. You don’t have to be Republican to be touched by this dark vein.”

“America is still going through this transformation from where we were 50, 60 years ago,” Powell said.

“You have to remember it was just 60 or 70 years ago that we still had poll taxes, that we still had literacy tests in order to vote, that voting places were only open two days a week for African Americans. So we’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.”

I don't think that people like John Boehner and  Mitch McConnell share the sentiments of Colin Powell.

To them, we have already arrived.

"Niggergate", and Sununu "backs away".

I used to see "Screaming A. Smith" around town from time to time when he worked for our local paper, The Inquirer. All that I remember about fam is that he wore some ugly Steve Harvey type -five button- suits, and that he had a messed up hair cut.

Now my man has blown up. ESPN, NBC, books; you name it. Hell he is even being parodied on SNL. (It doesn't get any bigger than that.) Sadly, however, it seems that Stephen A. Smith (his real name) has gotten himself into some hot water. It's what one of my twitter mates is calling, "niggergate".

"Stephen A. Smith's mouth seems to have gotten him into trouble again on ESPN's "First Take" on Thursday morning. This time it wasn't any inane point that he was trying to make or illogical argument that he was staging with Skip Bayless. Rather, it sounds a lot like Smith let fly with some inappropriate language.   
 
While discussing Kobe Bryant's foot injury, Smith scoffed at the notion that the five-time NBA champion would sit out for the season opener and may have accidentally dropped a racial slur.

Here's what it sounds like Smith said:
"Opening night. Kobe Bryant is going to miss it because, 'my foot is sprained?' Are you crazy, nigga please," Smith may have said.

The Big Lead wrote "may have said" it in its headline for a post about the video clip. BuzzFeed Sports believes Smith "definitely" used that phrase.
Perhaps the most ridiculous part about this incident is that it would mark the second time in less than a year that Smith "may have" said the n-word live on ESPN. In December 2011, a frustrated Smith "may have" used it while talking about how LeBron James should be more like Kobe.
Smith denied saying it then on Twitter. He hasn't denied Thursday morning's incident yet. [Source]

I honestly don't know what to say about this one. I mean, unlike some folks, I can take the word when it is used in its proper context, or when used to express some form of artistic expression. I loved, for instance, when Touré used the word to describe how Mitt Romney and some of his surrogates wanted to paint the president. (BTW, dude was right. Have you seen how John Sununu has been acting lately? More on him later) But if Smith did use the word in that context with his white co-host sitting across the table from him, he was definitely out of line. (Double standard alert!) Had his co-host been black he might have gotten a pass from the kid. But "nigger please" isn't cutting it with me when you are in a heated discussion with your white co-host about sports.

Stephen, I know that you are denying it, but if you did use that word, you might want to check yourself. Save the word for when you are in the comfort of your home throwing some back with your boys from Winston-Salem State.

Finally, I am glad that John Shamu is backing off his comments about Colin Powell. Maybe, at last, he has reached his lunatic tipping point.

"A top adviser to Mitt Romney is backing away from his suggestion that fellow Republican Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama because both men are black.
Former New Hampshire governor John Sununu issued a statement late Thursday night saying Powell is a friend and he respects the endorsement. He said he doesn’t doubt that Powell’s backing of Obama is based on “anything but his support of the president’s policies.”

Appearing on CNN earlier Thursday, Sununu said he wondered whether Powell had “a slightly different reason for preferring President Obama.”

Host Piers Morgan asked what reason that would be.
Sununu said, “Well, I think when you have somebody of your own race that you’re proud of being president of the United States, I applaud Colin for standing with him.”'
 
Mitt and company must realize that this is not the time to play the race card. That was for the primary. Time to put away those dog whistles. You already have the single digit IQ vote. You don't want to piss off moderate Americans by throwing race into the mix. (Again)