President-Elect Obama

(CNN) — Barack Obama told supporters that “change has come to America” as he claimed victory in a historic presidential election.

“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you — we as a people will get there,” Obama said in Chicago, Illinois, before an estimated crowd of up to 240,000 people.

With Obama’s projected win, he will become the first African-American to win the White House.

Obama had an overwhelming victory over Sen. John McCain, who pledged Tuesday night to help Obama lead.

“Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much, and tonight, I remain her servant,” McCain said.

McCain called Obama to congratulate him, and Obama told the Arizona senator he was eager to sit down and talk about how the two of them can work together.

President Bush also called Obama to offer his congratulations.

Bush told Obama he was about to begin one of the great journeys of his life, and invited him to visit the White House as soon as it could be arranged, according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

Obama will be working with a heavily Democratic Congress. Democrats picked up Senate seats in New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia, among others.

“While the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress,” Obama said.

Flanked by American flags, Obama told the roaring crowd, “This is your victory.”

“To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn — I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too,” he said.

Supporters in Chicago cheering, “Yes, we can” were met with cries of “Yes, we did.”

More than 1,000 people gathered outside of the White House, chanting “Obama, Obama!”

Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama’s former rival for the Democratic nomination, said in a statement that “we are celebrating an historic victory for the American people.”

“This was a long and hard fought campaign but the result was well worth the wait. Together, under the leadership of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and a Democratic Congress, we will chart a better course to build a new economy and rebuild our leadership in the world.”

Sen. Ted Kennedy said Americans “spoke loud and clear” in electing Obama.

“They understood his vision of a fairer and more just America and embraced it. They heard his call for a new generation of Americans to participate in government and were inspired. They believed that change is possible and voted to be part of America’s future,” the Massachusetts senator said in a statement.

As results came in Tuesday night, Obama picked up early wins in Pennsylvania and Ohio — states considered must-wins for McCain.

Obama also won Virginia, a state that has not voted for a Democratic president since 1964.

Going into the election, national polls showed Obama with an 8-point lead.

Voters expressed excitement and pride in their country after casting their ballots in the historic election. Poll workers reported high turnout across many parts of the country, and some voters waited hours to cast their ballots.

Tuesday marks the end of the longest presidential campaign season in U.S. history — 21 months.

Obama, 47, will now begin his transition to the White House. He will be sworn in at the 44th president on January 20, 2009.

(Source: Obama to be first African-American president)

Editorial:

He left them wanting more.

U.S. comedian, film and television star Bernie Mac died Saturday morning at Chicago “from complications due to pneumonia” according to his publicist, Danica Smith. Mac had long suffered from the ailment, sarcoidosis, and was admitted to the hospital days prior for pneumonia.

The 50-year-old actor passed away at the Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Smith had said Thursday that Mac’s condition was “stable.”

Mac had suffered from the immune disorder sarcoidosis, which can affect the organs, cause fatigue, skin lesions and a dry cough. The comedian said the disease went into remission in 2005.

Reports on Sunday say Mac was short of breath and had back pains when he entered the hospital.

Sarcoidosis had weakened the performer’s immune system, Mary Ann Grossett, sister of Mac’s wife Rhonda, told People.com.

Grossett says the star was put on a ventilator and sedated after being diagnosed with pneumonia. He then contracted a second strain of pneumonia while in the hospital.

Grosset says Mac was resuscitated twice before he died and described his last moments with Rhonda: “She smiled at him and told him, ‘Don’t leave me … ‘I’m waiting for you to come back.’

“He shrugged his shoulders, and she said that’s when she knew he was tired. He signaled to her that his body was tired.” (Source: CBC News)

From the south side to the west coast…

Born October 5, 1957 as Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, Mac grew up with his mother and grandparents on the south side of Chicago. He was raised by his grandmother after his parents passed in his teens. Mac started gigging in Chicago clubs by 1977 sharpening his comic wit. And after winning the Miller Lite comedy search in 1992, made routine appearances on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam. He parlayed success there into movie roles and eventually The Bernie Mac Show in 2001. The show earned Mac two Emmy nominations as well as Golden Globe nods and the prestigious Peabody Award in 2002. Though stating he was retiring from stand-up and wanted to wind down his work schedule, Mac was still very busy including a major role in “Old Dogs” set for release in 2009. Bernie Mac is survived by wife, Rhonda, daughter, Je’niece, and a granddaughter.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama reiterated his stance of opposition to offering reparations to the descendants of slaves arguing that the government should ‘combat the legacy of slavery by improving schools, health care and the economy for all.’ Meanwhile, two dozen members of Congress recently co-sponsored legislation to form a committee to study reparations (meaning ‘payments and programs to make up for the damage done by slavery’.) Additionally, organizations such as the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), cities such as Obama’s home of Chicago, and major unions such as American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have endorsed the idea if not already supporting the legislation. But for a presidential campaign, supporting reparations is divisive and could be seen as an attempt to pander to Black voters, two things Obama’s campaign has tried to avoid by stressing his work bringing people together to make change.

There’s enough flexibility in the term “reparations” that Obama can oppose them and still have plenty of common ground with supporters.

The NAACP says reparations could take the form of government programs to help struggling people of all races. Efforts to improve schools in the inner city could also aid students in the mountains of West Virginia, said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington bureau.

“The solution could be broad and sweeping,” Shelton said.

The National Urban League — a group Obama addressed Saturday without mentioning the issue in his speech — avoids the word “reparations” as too vague and highly charged. But the group advocates government action to close the gaps between white America and black America.

Urban League President Marc Morial said he expects his members to press Obama on how he intends to close those gaps and what action he would take in the first 100 days of his presidency.

“Let’s not be naive. Sen. Obama is running for president of the United States, and so he is in a constant battle to save his political life,” remarked the co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, Kibibi Tyehimba, during an Associated Press interview. “In light of the demographics of this country, I don’t think it’s realistic to expect him to do anything other than what he’s done.” (AP)

Also this week, the House voted to apologize for slavery. Though past opponents of an apology say it would bolster support for more concrete action, the resolution -approved by voice vote- did not mention anything of reparations. When questioned about the apology, Senator Obama said an apology is ‘appropriate but not particularly helpful in terms of improving the lives of Black Americans.’ The presidential candidate stated that he would be wary of reparations becoming a distraction. “I fear that reparations would be an excuse for some to say, ‘We’ve paid our debt,’ and to avoid the much harder work,” he told the NAACP in a 2004 questionnaire. As well, fielding questions Sunday at a minority journalists conference, Obama expressed that he would be interested in talking with American Indian leaders about making an apology for the nation’s treatment of their people.

Pressed for his position on apologizing to blacks or offering reparations, Obama said he was more interested in taking action to help people struggling to get by. Because many of them are minorities, he said, that would help the same people who would stand to benefit from reparations.

“If we have a program, for example, of universal health care, that will disproportionately affect people of color, because they’re disproportionately uninsured,” Obama said. “If we’ve got an agenda that says every child in America should get — should be able to go to college, regardless of income, that will disproportionately affect people of color, because it’s oftentimes our children who can’t afford to go to college.” (AP)

(Source: Christopher Wills/Associated Press)

Editorial:

Not gon’ lie, it’s a brilliant political move. He can oppose “reparations” keeping him in the graces of the majority of America, while actually selling them on the idea of… essentially reparations. Plus gets to voice the side of Black America opposing a “well, we paid you off so be quiet” racial consequence AND he gets to promote a platform including the intended benefits that should come from reparations (better quality of life, opportunity for advancement, further step toward equality). This is what I miss, a politician wise enough to know the public and savvy enough to get good things done using the flawed system with maybe minor PR damage. Additionally, he establishes consistency since he held the same stance in 2004 when he ran for Senate. Props on the political tip.

Oh, what do I mean “know the public?” Aside from the overt opposition, undecided-but-eventual disapproval, and Pandora’s box of complications facing out-right reparations, there is also our (the original B in BET’s) current conditioned love-affair with f*ckin’ up. Have you seen the “Reparations 2003″ skit from Chappelle’s Show? That’s pretty much exactly how things would go down (which is why it’s so [sadly] funny, because it’s true). A percentage of us would use the money to create sustainable wealth amongst our families while a majority of us would give the money right back to “the man” bolstering their economy and furthering inequities. We have been needing to work on that – again, what happened to “buy Black”? It reminds me of the adage that ‘a dollar doesn’t turn over once before it leaves our community’. I’m all for reparations, I just don’t think we are ready for them. And though I joke about it, I’m not really for any type of financial literacy test because that would just hinder those who it’s meant for from accessing it. [Even if you just coupled reparations with financial literacy courses]. Nor do I want to create an assumption that everything is “all good” since we paid off the Black folk – I like to believe we have more integrity than that. Nor do I really think the government would spend $150,000 per descendant of slavery (the current estimated value of 40 acres, a mule and 250 years of lost wages) if they could even find us. You saw how long FEMA checks took. [Sidenote: $4 billion to approximately 843,000 hurricane victims equals $4745 per individual, yet they expect reparations to come to $8 billion. There's your "fuzzy math".]

Now some like University of Dayton law professor, Vernellia Randall, think Obama is “dead wrong” and that helping all of the lowest rung would not close the gaps and that assistance is best aimed at those feeling the after-effects of slavery and Jim Crow laws. I don’t disagree with that aim, but I think that’s for us to press toward not the one brother with a serious opportunity to become president. Thus leading some to ask “Is America ready for a Black President?” I’d respond “Are Black folks ready for reparations?” I know it sure wouldn’t hurt to have someone in office who might actually sign reparations legislation were it to cross his desk. Let that marinate.

“Thank you, Jesus!”

Yes, those were the words repeated over and over by R. Kelly (aka Kels) as the final few counts were delivered by the official Friday according to one of his attorneys, Sam Adam Jr. Originally indicted on June 6, 2002 on 21 counts of sexual intercourse with a minor these were eroded over six years to 14 counts soliciting a minor for child pornography. If convicted, 41-year old R. Kelly faced up to 15 years. (Yes, Public Announcement was a long time ago.)

After seven hours of deliberation, the jury of nine men and three women acquitted Kelly on all counts. Apparently the jury (four black, eight white) remained as divided throughout deliberation as they began – seven voting not guilty, five voting guilty. The “burden of proof” was on the prosecution. Jurors cited the ambiguity as to the identities of those on the tape. Notably, whether or not the 23-year old on the stand was the same individual as the minor in the video.

“You want to be 100 percent sure it’s Kelly and (the alleged victim),” one juror said. “What we had wasn’t enough.”

Another juror said prosecutors left too many questions unanswered.

“All of us felt very much the grayness of this case,” he said.

Several jurors said one weakness in the prosecution’s case was that neither the alleged victim nor her parents testified.

The alleged victim’s family also presented a puzzle for the jury; three relatives testified they did not recognize her as the female on the tape, while other relatives said she was on the tape. (AP/M. Tarm)

The defense also painted the alleged victim as an extortionist stating that in exchange for her silence she allegedly requested hundreds of thousands of dollars from Kelly. Also claiming she at one point stole a $20,000 watch from the famed South Side Chicago native. Kelly was visibly emotional wiping tears as the verdict was read. Also, holding hands with his flanking body guards as he exited the court.

Editorial:

Kels better pray. All of this is over for now. As we all know, the next thing to happen is Kels will do something strangely confessional such as … i don’t know… calling yourself the Pied-Piper of R&B. And just like that, Kels goes on that list of people you would not leave yo’ kids around. Mike (Michael Jackson), as much as I love Off The Wall you are on that list too. Now i’m not saying you (Mike) did anything, but i could believe it if you did.

Kels,.. ::sigh:: …I seen that there tape, mayn. Now I’ma put it like Ed Gordon did (back when BET had News anchors): “Unless you got a real twin, it would be hard for anyone not to believe it was you on that video.” That said, you need to do two things… never utter the word “girl” again in reference to anything or anybody and sing yo ass off. Sing for your life. Like Kobe played better after that case than he ever did. Pray that album in July is the jam. You may be claiming the “King” title now, but if you hit that “legendary” status… folks will forget. (Ok, maybe not forget… but let it sli-i-i-ide. Best make that live tour the jam too.)