Home > Political Insider > Archives > 2008 > May > 21 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USBloggers of the ‘afrosphere’ think they’ve been shut out of the Democratic National Convention
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last week, bloggers found out which of them have been awarded credentials to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
About one blog per state was permitted — a total of 55. In Georgia, that means Jon Flack’s Tondee’s Tavern can book its plane tickets. And other blogs may have to resign themselves to cable TV.
Flack says advocacy for Democratic causes was a factor in the DNC selection process.
Tondee’s Tavern is a community blog, operated by several “bartenders.” Flack is a candidate for the Forsyth County commission. Going with him to Denver, under the blog auspices, will be contributor Amy Morton of Macon, who has her own site, Georgia Women Vote. Morton, too, is active in Democratic politics.
Both are white. And many of the objections about the blog selection process are coming from web sites operated by African-Americans.
Says the Dallas Morning News:
[S]ome members of the self-titled “afrosphere” — blogs written or published by African Americans — are angry that the “State Blogger Corps” appears to be mostly white, particularly since the party appears poise to nominate a black candidate, Barack Obama, for president.
“OK, folks, black bloggers to the back of the bus,” read the headline on the African American Political Pundit blog.
Party leaders said the factors in determining state bloggers were readership, Internet ratings and focus on local and state politics, not race…
A second round of blog credentials will be announced before the end of the month, party leaders said, and minority bloggers will be purposely included in that selection.
Andre Walker at Georgia Politics Unfiltered has a posting entitled “Jim Crow raises his ugly head…at the Democratic Convention?”
Says Walker, whose site is a one-man operation:
It wouldn’t surprise me if some state blogs more critical of the Democratic Party were passed over for other blogs who portray Democrats in a more favorable light, but I’m not going to dispute that one way or the other because I don’t know if it’s true or not.
However, there is a bigger issue here that minority bloggers from across the nation are beginning to pick up on. It seems, at first glance, that there is a significant absence of color among the DNCC’s State Blogger Corps.
Several blogs who received credentials expressed concern to Democratic National chairman Howard Dean about the lack of transparency in the selection process.
In the letter, dated May 19, the bloggers wrote:
As long-time progressive state bloggers, we have now witnessed many of our well-respected colleagues from crucial states be passed over. In many states, it appears that parochial politics and hurt egos played a role in these decisions. These concerns run counter to our shared goals of using programs like the state blogger pool to “tear down the walls” in Denver — and better connect the American people with the events on the ground.
The Democratic Party endangers its own long-term viability when it makes fealty a criterion for inclusion. Instead, the Party should act to ensure that it includes its ideological media allies, even if those allies are occasional tactical or strategic critics.
We, the undersigned, have been included in the state credentials pool, despite our own history of criticism of local Democratic actors. This speaks well to the character of our own local parties. But while our peers in other states are being excluded, we’d be remiss in staying silent.
Jon Flack of Tondee’s Tavern is among the signers.
Comments
By Jeff
May 21, 2008 9:28 AM | Link to this
Jim:
Why don’t you call this what it is? BLACK ON WHITE RACISM.
Bunch of black folks are upset that a majority white group is getting credentials, but you KNOW that if it was a majority black group, not a PEEP would be said. At MOST you would get ‘Whitey owes us for slavery’ or some other such nonsense.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it now: Blacks are the most racist group in this country, even more so than groups such as the KKK and Aryan Brotherhood. (At least normal white folk denounce the KKK and Aryan Brotherhood. Black folk CELEBRATE racists such as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama, and the Nation of Islam.)
By JD
May 21, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this
I seriously doubt this has anything to do with race. Georgia Politics Unfiltered is a sorry blog. There are rarely any comments made…which indicates a lack of interest in that particular blog.
Jeff, wow…all of them are racists? I had no idea,…let me know when that is quantified.
This is not a black/white issue. It is a issue concerning pragmatism. Who would you rather be endorsed by, or seat at the convention: Successful people or failures at life?
By DaninMacon
May 21, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this
Blacks and Democrats cannot be racist. Only conservative whites are racist.
By Will Jones
May 21, 2008 1:10 PM | Link to this
America’s Mottoes teach all the Truth: Patriots’ Vision for all to see and know.
Righteous and good without exception, each must now cull all deception.
All nations foretold to flow as one, mark this land the Promised One.
Who denies Annuit Coeptis rule proves to all his “god” is Satan,
and sees a citizen’s color wrong despite E Pluribus Unum.
Racism is not just un-American. It is a violation of the shibboleth/motto, hence anti-American. The faction whose treason uses it to divide and conquer Our Nation must be identified and extirpated…for they are against the Dream of America and G-d.
www.theamericanfundament.blogspot.com
By Yobachi
May 21, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this
The primary issue that needs to be understood here about the Black Bloggers position, is that the State Corps bloggers get a special privilege that other blogs in the general pool will not receive; they get access to the convention floor.
How can the DNC, whether by intent or by unintentional practice; have a policy that excludes Black Blogs and other POC blogs from the convention floor, and makes it almost exclusive to white operated blogs, and say that that is not a problem?
Offers for a resolution have been extended; which doesn’t include taking away credentials from any bloggers who have already been awarded them to give to anyone else.
We await the DNC’s and DNCC’s response.
Yobachi www.Blackperspective.net
By Yobachi
May 21, 2008 1:51 PM | Link to this
The primary issue that needs to be understood here about the Black Bloggers position, is that the State Corps bloggers get a special privilege that other blogs in the general pool will not receive; they get access to the convention floor.
How can the DNC, whether by intent or by unintentional practice; have a policy that excludes Black Blogs and other POC blogs from the convention floor, and makes it almost exclusive to white operated blogs, and say that that is not a problem?
Offers for a resolution have been extended; which doesn’t include taking away credentials from any bloggers who have already been awarded them to give to anyone else.
We await the DNC’s and DNCC’s response.
Yobachi http://www.Blackperspective.net
By credo
May 21, 2008 2:23 PM | Link to this
The fact that the DNC did not consider the large pool of AFrican-Americans bloggers that are part of the Afrosphere should not come as a surprise to the blogging community.
This is the same party that has not demanded that Senator Hillary Clinton step aside for the good of the party. The only reason is because Howard Dean is more concerned about building up the Democratic Party rather than supporting the chance for an African-American male to become the President of the United States.
Many of the supporters of Hillary are stated that they will not support Obama runs for President and Hillary staying in the race is enabling this type of behavior.
At this point Hillary should exit and suggest that if these supporters are true supporter of her they will support her party’s choice if that candidate does not conflict with their values.
And the Afrosphere members should demand that it is affront to the African-American community to not have more than one African-American blogger on the floor of the convention.
I question the DNC limitation on bloggers and wonder if this was intentional to create more rife to undermine Obama’s influence on the African-American community.
By Jeff
May 21, 2008 2:34 PM | Link to this
credo:
You are a case in point as far as blacks being the most racist group of people in this country.
By Liberal White Chick
May 21, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this
Credo (at 2:23), Please get a grip! I have seen maybe 3 people blog tht they’re Hillary supporters who wouldn’t vote for Obama (and I chastized them for that stance). I know LOTS and LOTS of people who voted for Hillary in the primary but are fully prepared to support Obama as the nominee. For most Democrats, supporting the nominee, whomever it is, was never in question. The media wants to divide us by hyping division. (The Republicans are enjoying listening to your ramblings about racism, by the way. Nice job.) As to the primary, WHY SHOULD ANYONE QUIT? Are you suggesting we “enable QUITTING behavior?” Why?
Could our system of choosing a nominee BE more messed up? Let everyone vote, for cryin out loud! Would YOU appreciate living in a state where your vote doesn’t count at all? They why ask someone else to do it? If your guy has more votes at the end, he gets it. If not, you support the one who gets it. Don’t like the system? Let’s try to change it. Get over yourself; this isn’t helping anyone, let alone the subgroup identity to which you cling.
By Exodus Mentality
May 21, 2008 2:59 PM | Link to this
It’s always very amusing to see the racists in the room try to use reverse psychology. For example, Jim said “Bunch of black folks are upset that a majority white group is getting credentials, but you KNOW that if it was a majority black group, not a PEEP would be said”
Jim of course would have a hard time finding even one example of anything positive, that white folks wanted to do, where that fantasy situation has ever actually occurred.
Jim is further demonstrating his unabashed supremacists attitudes by pretending that Black bloggers wish to replace white bloggers as the majority at the convention. Nothing, dear friend Jim, could be further from the truth. The Afrosphere bloggers would be more than happy with simply proportional representation from a Democratic party that has taken advantage of an overwhelmingly Democratic Black vote for decades.
In other words, Jim and people who think like Jim, your racist and supremacists thought processes are motivated my misinformation and misrepresentation, and the truth is far less divisive. We want you to have your piece of the pie. Do you mind if we ask for ours too?
By african american political pundit
May 21, 2008 3:03 PM | Link to this
The DNC should be ashamed of itself. Black bloggers should be represented on the floor at the convention like any of the other bloggers. The “get to the back of the bus” policy of the DNC is so bigoted it makes me sick. Yobachi and Credo are right.
Candidly I also must begin to wonder if this was intentional to create more rife to undermine Obama’s influence on the African-American community.
By Yobachi
May 21, 2008 3:12 PM | Link to this
Credo, the Afrosphere is not a party. It is only a descriptive term describing the world of activist, self-determination minded Black bloggers. There is no organization called Afrospehere. Afrosphere is like Netroots. We don’t all subscibe to anything (whether alligence, membership, ideology, positions on issues, or whaterve). No one, including us, could possibly know who we all are. There are thousands of blogs that fit into the catagory of Afrosphere.
Further, the question is not about Afrosphere bloggers, but about a repesentative equality of Black Blogs being allowed access to the convention floor the same as dozen of white operated blogs will be. Those Black Blogs do not have to simply be from the catagory of Aphrospere; but then again most Black, activist blogs that are not republican oriented, fit into this catagory.
You can read today’s post at http://www.blackperspective.net about what this issue is all about, rather than get caught up in these distortions.
By Shawn Williams
May 21, 2008 3:55 PM | Link to this
Yobachi has it right. This is not about trying to get anyones credentials revoked. But this shows a systemic flaw in the DNC’s selection process. The state bloggers will provide a view of the convention that general bloggers will not. I don’t care that I wasn’t selected, but the fact that there were no African-Americans selected is problematic.
By Jeff
May 21, 2008 4:16 PM | Link to this
Shawn:
And you are showing your racist attitudes as well!! That makes THREE blacks so far on this blog whose very comments show them to be racist.
If you weren’t racist, color truly would not matter and you would simply be happy that the DNC is allowing bloggers on the floor, you wouldn’t be pouting about only certain ones allowed.
By jimbo
May 21, 2008 4:34 PM | Link to this
White 73.9% Hispanic 14.8% Black 12.2%
Top three..
Do the number of bloggers who are black more or less reflect 10% of the number of bloggers who were issued credentials?
Also consider that they picked one from every state. On a state by state breakdown the black population does not represent a significant portion of the population in a lot of states. Georgia and states like it are more the exception than the rule. Then you have to consider the quality of the blogs in question and their readership. What are the statistics there? Those statistics can be pretty concrete thanks to traffic logs on websites.
What I’m saying is that this isn’t exactly surprising, what is surprising is the tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth that are coming out of it. I’m sorry people feel how they do and it frustrates me that people behave the way they do, regardless of color, but don’t p** more people off by making these knee jerk reactions. True equality comes from the expectation that you won’t see special treatment disproportionate to your demographic. The black demographic here is probably somewhere less than 5% when all is said and done.
By Michael Davis-Dallas Progress
May 21, 2008 11:48 PM | Link to this
Shawn and Yobachi are absolutely correct. What people that tried to shortshrift the issue didn’t expect was for us to have our own network and for the flaws to be exposed. When the response was that “no one applied,” do you think that we didn’t save all of the completed applications and confirmations.
This is not about getting anyone revoked; it’s about correcting a serious oversight.
We have pull at our local newspapers, and one of the largest in the country (Dallas Morning News) was the first to pick up the story. Now the AJC is on the trail.
It’s amusing in a way. The spokespeople used old media tactics and are being met with new media.
That’s why 25 of the already-selected bloggers submitted a letter to Howard Dean asking for clarification.
By marv albert
May 22, 2008 12:43 AM | Link to this
look to the black and white cookie at publix it has the answer for race unity.
By Yobachi
May 22, 2008 1:15 AM | Link to this
Jimbo, your math is bad; let me give you some better math:
Blacks are some 20 percent of the Democratic Party electorate; and out of all the state pool blogs we were only able to identify up to maybe 5 percent that might be Black operated blogs. We’re not even convinced the number is even that high, as we have been unable to confirm even those. With there being nearly 50 white bloggers to the contrary, I feel that no less than 15 Black operated blogs from the general pool should also be given floor access equivalent to that of all these white bloggers. With the Black to white differentiation in the democratic electorate being approximately 20 to 60; 15 Black operated blogs to the nearly 50 white operated ones already credentialed to the floor would maintain representative proportionality.
This is the proposal I referenced earlier, and made to DNCC and DNC officials.
http://www.Blackperspective.net
By jimbo
May 22, 2008 8:53 AM | Link to this
Then you have to consider readership, traffic, and the fact that they decided to go state by state.
It sounds to me like you guys would’ve been better or even more fairly represented if they hadn’t chose their state by state model.
That is if I’m reading correctly, please correct me if I’m wrong.
By Villager
May 24, 2008 12:40 PM | Link to this
Jimbo, The Democratic Party is better off if it recognizes the diversity of its membership in the 55-person State Bloggers Corp. Zero (0) of the 55 bloggers were of African descent. One blogger is a woman. One blogger is Latino. The other 53 bloggers are white males.
That is simply wrong. Especially when you consider that our two finalists are a Black man and a woman.
Howard Dean and his folks made a mistake. They are scrambling to fix the mistake.
peace, Villager