I felt the pull of it myself, so do not mistake me. November of 2008 I sat in my living room and could not say a word for a long while, watching folks down in Grant Park cry like the levee broke. My uncle Sonny would have loved it. He put in his years in the mills up in Birmingham, spending most of them being told where a Black man was allowed to stand and where he wasn’t. By the time Obama won the White House, Sonny was gone. That night was real. The mistake is what people built on top of it, and it has cost the party plenty: you do not get to reverse engineer a miracle.

Go back and look at the actual circumstances. In 2004, Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator barely anybody outside Illinois could pick out of a lineup. At that year’s Democratic National Convention, he spoke about one America rather than a nation divided into red states and blue states. The speech knocked the room flat. Then 2008 arrived with the house on fire. Banks were going under, two wars dragged on with the body counts still climbing, and the country was plain worn out after eight years of Bush. People were scared and bone tired, hungry for anybody who sounded like the morning after. That was the ground he landed on. Obama gifts were real, I will never argue different, but the timing did half the work, and most folks would rather forget that part.

That second half is what nobody wants to hear. Charisma is not some free floating thing you can carry from one year to the next like a good suit. It only works if the weather around it cooperates. You can study the man’s cadence, copy that easy walk, even practice his jump shot in the driveway. None of it lands if the country is in a different frame of mind by the time you show up. Lightning wants the right sky, and you do not get to schedule the storm.

Here is the part that ought to make everybody laugh. The fellow they keep trying to photocopy has been standing up in public begging them to stop. Out at the University of Illinois back in 2018 he told a room of students to quit sitting around waiting on a savior, cracked that it was politics, not Coachella. Then in July 2025, at a big money dinner in New Jersey, he made the point even clearer. Obama message was simple: quit chasing a messiah and get behind the good candidates already on the ballot. The man drew the blueprint and keeps hollering that the blueprint is not the house. Hardly anybody wants to hear it.

And why would they? Sitting tight and waiting on a rescue beats rolling up your sleeves any day of the week. The savior does the heavy lifting while you sit on your porch and clap. Trouble is, that story is a fairy tale, and Black folks of all people got taught the fairy tale version of our own history, so we ought to recognize it. They hand the children one preacher on one balcony in Memphis and call that the whole movement. Anybody who was there, or whose people were there, knows better.

Ella Baker had it figured out long before most of the big names did. Strong people do not need strong leaders, she liked to say, and she spent the better part of her life on the ground proving she meant it. The lunch counters and the long voter drives down in Mississippi, those ran on regular people whose names never made it onto a single postage stamp. Church mothers. College kids. Sharecroppers like Fannie Lou Hamer, who never got near a polling model but could flat out organize a county. That kind of leading is not a stage act. It is a weight, and a whole lot of shoulders carry it together.

Look at what the party managed last year with nobody anointed out front leading any parade. Abigail Spanberger, who used to run intelligence work for the CIA, took the governor’s office in Virginia. Over in New Jersey it was Mikie Sherrill, who flew helicopters in the Navy before any of this. And in New York City a young democratic socialist named Zohran Mamdani rattled the whole establishment by just pounding away, week after week, on the rent and the grocery bill. Put those three side by side and nothing lines up. They do not come off like the 2008 senator, and if you are honest they barely come off like each other. Spanberger pitched the suburbs. Sherrill went after the commuter towns. And Mamdani ran straight at the cost of living in one of the priciest cities in the country. Affordability mattered to all three, but each approached that problem in a different way, speaking to voters whose daily troubles did not look quite the same. Three different political styles, three different electorates, and three victories earned on their own terms.

The bench behind them goes deeper too. Wes Moore is running Maryland like the soldier he was, and folks already have 2028 stars in their eyes about him. AOC took a stretch of the Bronx and turned it into a national microphone. Andy Beshear keeps getting himself reelected in a red state like Kentucky by sounding like the guy who would help you move a couch. None of these three is some Obama tribute act, thank God. Each speaks to a different slice of the country. The party ought to put those strengths to work, not hold auditions for another Obama.

None of this is complicated once you sit with it. A coalition that stays out there waiting on a messiah quits seeing the ones who already walked through the door. Everybody gets held up against the memory, and the memory always comes out ahead. Of course it does. A memory never has to govern. It never loses a vote or sits through a rough news week. So you put some real candidate next to how we all remember 2008 and the real one comes up short, every time. That is not the candidate’s fault. We are the ones holding the crooked ruler.

Now somebody is going to read all this as me taking shots at the former president. Wrong. The brother was a blessing, and his spot in the history books is nailed down whether the party apes him or not. My quarrel is with the aping. When admiration sours into pure nostalgia it turns into a kind of stuck, and a movement cannot afford to be stuck on its heels while the other side is swinging with both fists.

The America that put Obama in office in 2008 is gone, same as every yesterday is gone. Wars have changed, fears have shifted, and everybody carries a whole world in their pocket. The youngest voters getting fired up this year were still in diapers or barely starting school when Obama raised his right hand. They are not sitting around waiting on his echo. What they are doing is listening for whoever can say their trouble out loud and actually mean it. Whoever that turns out to be will not show up dressed like the past. She will arrive on her own terms, built for a season none of us has lived through yet.

So the next time one of the old heads at the shop asks me where the next one is hiding, I have started answering a question they did not ask. Nobody is riding in to save us. If Democrats get wise enough to bury the ghost and do the grunt work, the next one turns out to be a whole lot of ones. That is not some runner up prize. It is the entire point, and it always was.

Staff Writer; L.L. McKenna

Politics explained through the lens of justice and equity. Offering perspective that informs, challenges, and empowers.

One can contact this brother at; LLMcKenna@ThyBlackMan.com.

She is also denying any wrongdoing in this case. She maintains that she has conducted herself honorably and that this investigation is only intended to bully and intimidate her. This type of misconduct regarding immigration matters has been previously investigated by federal authorities and was dropped by the Department of Homeland Security some years ago after an investigation into the allegations. It was determined by the Department not to pursue an investigation of these claims when they were first raised.

The Timing Raises a Fair Question

On October 12, Federal Investigators searched the home of Ilhan Omar, seeking evidence of possible false statements or immigration fraud relating to documents from her childhood that she used as part of her naturalization process. Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000. She immigrated with her family as a refugee from Somalia when she was a child.

Regardless of whether or not you support Ilhan Omar, the investigation into potential misconduct by her must be taken seriously and followed to the appropriate conclusion, as we would expect to be the case for any U.S. citizen.

But the timing is difficult to ignore.

Omar’s house was searched 22 days before the election in which she is running for re-election. The Justice Department has in the past tried to avoid investigating candidates for office in the 60 days prior to said election. This has been referred to as the “60-day rule”. It is not a law and is not always followed but it has often been the practice of the Justice Department to refrain from public investigations of candidates for office in order to avoid the appearance of violating the constitutional rights of all citizens by politicizing their investigations.

Evidence Should Come Before Judgment

One thing that really troubles me about this story is that the allegations are traveling way faster than the facts are.

For years, conservative media has been writing about the claims of Omar’s past as an immigrant. So far, the public has seen very little solid evidence to back up the more serious of the claims. Reuters reported that investigations currently under way concern old immigration documents and similar claims have already been reported by other media in the past.

That does not mean Omar should receive special treatment. It means she should receive equal treatment. If investigators have evidence, let them present it. Are the documents even real to prove such alleged fraud? And if they do, let the legal system be able to review them. If there is no evidence of fraud then we need to be told that too.

That is how justice is supposed to work. We cannot judge based on political affiliation, race, religion, where he or she is from, etc. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and fairness. We should be better than that.

Why the Bigger Political Message Matters

A possibly more disquieting comparison to the current American politics is to be found in an attempt to revive an obsolete ideology, which irrationally considers the losing side of the American Civil War as the “right” side for Americans to support. This comparison should disturb every American.

In many ways the Civil War was fought to save the freedom of all Americans, be they black or white. The Union victory brought an end to slavery with the 13th Amendment and no matter what problems that exist with today’s politics, there is nothing whatsoever to desire in returning to a time when it was lawful to own fellow human beings as property.

Omar represents more than a seat in Congress. She is a Black, Muslim, Somali-born American, an immigrant refugee to this country. She is a challenge to old stereotypes of who should be in the US Capitol, leading America, and what an American looks like.

That does not mean that she is above the law. Nor does it mean that she is below the law either.

America Should Not Make Citizenship a Political Weapon

For one reason or another, I am going to be particularly sensitive here.

The granting of citizenship is one of the most sacred acts of this great country. Once someone becomes a citizen, removing that status is an extraordinarily serious matter. They must have proof to back up their allegations and act within the bounds of the law.

A Washington Post report looks at the current Omar investigation, and what it could mean for her citizenship. Omar has rejected the allegations and says she is confident that she did nothing wrong.

My concern is to see facts, not political theater. I do not wish to see Rep. Omar exonerated simply because she is a Democrat. I wish her to be found free of any charge should there be no evidence of any wrong doing. And I wish the full rigor of law to be brought to bear were there evidence of wrongdoing, regardless of her status as a Member of Congress, as a Democrat, or as an immigrant.

The Silence Is Deafening

So many people are staying silent and this is one of the most disturbing aspects of this scandal.

Journalist Roland Martin and others are asking a question on his Roland Martin Unfiltered platform – Why are prominent Black Republicans silent while a Black congresswoman is under a legally dubious, politically motivated federal investigation?

Those who make their living fighting for due process and equal protection under the law have gone silent. They have had little to say about a Black Muslim congresswoman having her home raided three weeks before an election — with no charges filed.

Their silence in this matter does not go unnoticed. So do their so-called “principles” even reflect their values or are those just a bunch of canned talking points that can be employed or jettisoned at will depending on the circumstances and the party in question?

Martin correctly stated that the measure of political integrity is what you say when it costs you something to say it.

Let Ilhan Omar Fight Back With the Facts

Omar has said she is prepared for the legal fight ahead. She went through every detail of the raid on her home in a recent interview and according to her, there was no wrongdoing on her part. She has also been talking about the threats being made to her and her family since her home address was posted.

I find that especially disturbing. As always, disagreement with her policies, her votes and her stance on various issues are fair topics of discussion and even critique. Threats of harm to her and her family are not. That is democracy. But intimidation is something else.

Instead of piling more insults on her head during the time of the investigation, why not respond respectfully and constructively with transparency? Let the evidence come forward. Let Omar’s lawyers challenge it. Let an independent court decide what matters. Then let the American people judge her political record for themselves.

Due Process Is Bigger Than One Politician

I have no idea what the end of this investigation will be. Neither does anyone else who does not have access to the full evidence. Until we have more clarity on the issue at hand I want her cleared of any wrongdoing as she is sure that she has done nothing wrong.

It would be tragic for our democracy if the weapons of law enforcement were being used for political purposes, and the constitutional rights of citizens being granted or denied at whim. Though I may disagree with much that Ilhan Omar says on the various issues of the day, I shall be defending her right to due process, her right to answer charges that are serious enough to merit an investigation by law enforcement. I shall be defending the evidence against her as opposed to the anger of her political opponents.

This matter is far greater than Ilhan Omar. This is way beyond that, this is about the kind of country we wish to be. I want an America that treats everyone equally under the law, regardless of political ideology, skin color, religion or where one is from.

That is the America that we must defend.

Associate Editor; Stanley G. Buford

Feel free to connect with this brother via Twitter; Stanley G. and also facebook; http://www.facebook.com/sgbuford.

Also his email addy is; StanleyG@ThyBlackMan.com.

There was good cause for his worry and the admonition. Every one of the four hundred thirty-five congressional seats were up for grabs. In addition, there were thirty-six gubernatorial seats being contested as well as thousands of state and local offices. Many of them were very much in play for Democratic candidates.

Trump and the GOP well understood that if there was anything that even remotely resembled a Blue Wave in the midterms, it would blow to smithereens the notion of a unified government and more critically governance of the country. Trump would have to spend the final two years of his administration warding off Democratic challenges at every level of government to his policies.

The start to understand Trump’s possible dilemma is the numbers. The number of Democrat and GOP House members up for reelection are almost dead even. A handful of retirements, defections, election changes, court challenges, or even deaths or serious illness can easily tilt a keenly contested GOP filled House seat to a Democrat.

That possibility alone eliminates the need for a massive Democratic Blue Wave. A gain of two or three seats might well be enough to provide Democrats with the all-important majority in the House, and thus control.

Meanwhile, there is some talk and even nervousness among GOP strategists about retaining control of the Senate. That is a far steeper uphill climb for Democrats. They will need to capture four seats while not losing one Democratic seat to regain Senate control. It is possible. But again, it will be a much harder hurdle to leap than the House.

Here’s the major summary of what is at stake in the 2026 midterms. At the federal level, whichever party controls one or both houses, that party will set the template for legislative initiatives in the House, and the all-important Senate confirmations. And for both houses crucial funding and committee control is at stake. With the nation in a seeming iron clad political polarization split almost evenly down the middle, there is little hope of either side giving ground in either chamber.

Trump continually blusters about how supposedly good the economy was under his stewardship. Yet he can’t get around the blunt fact that the cost of virtually every consumer good, from gas to food, has soared. The greatest jump that affects millions and is literally a life and death concern for legions is the cost and accessibility of quality medical care. That combined with a visible slowing down of economic growth and creeping up joblessness cannot be blustered away by Trump.

The prospect of a divided government with the House and possibly the Senate again in Democratic hands will hurt Trump the most. There are two other Trump concerns about a congressional loss in the midterms. The first is one that he constantly alludes to in talks to GOP boosters in the months before the elections. That is the threat of having his legislative agenda picked to pieces and stymied. It is the threat of impeachment –again.

The other is the effect a strong Democratic midterm showing will have on the 2028 presidential election. He will not be on the ballot again. But a GOP candidate will. If the Democrats continue to gain momentum from the 2026 midterm, that will not bode well for the party’s bid to keep the White House.

The key to victory for Democrats and Republicans in a sharply polarized nation and an even more sharply divided electorate between are the independents. Both parties expend much time, effort, and resources to message their stance on the issues in the most appealing way to independents. Both understand that even a small uptick in the independent vote in key swing states can play a huge role in the outcome of congressional and state races.

A divided government, though, will complicate matters for both parties. That’s what looms if the predictions hold true and the Democrats win the House and the Republicans hold the Senate. The House Democrats can conduct endless investigations, and committee hearings and shape the first version of spending bills. The GOP controlling the Senate can say who gets confirmed and blow off any Democratic boosted House legislation it doesn’t like.

In the run-up to the 2026 midterms, the Democrats spent a great deal of time and effort into constructing a winning game plan. The party mounted a deft fundraising campaign, picked a core of credible, electable candidates for state and House offices, eliminated much of the factional in-fighting within the party, and laser focused on the issues that voters soured on the most. They are Trump’s Iran war folly, and the soaring cost of living. That is more than enough to make Trump, and the GOP sweat the 2026 midterms.

Written By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

One can find more info about Mr. Hutchinson over at the following site; TheHutchinson Report.

Also feel free to connect with him through twitter; http://twitter.com/earlhutchins

He is also an associate editor of New America Media. His forthcoming book is From King to Obama: Witness to a Turbulent History (Middle Passage Press).

I’m ready to hear in detail what candidates are ready to do to win the upcoming elections and give help to the people in need—and there are a lot of things from which to choose!

My prayer is that candidates will stop bickering and just tell us what they’re planning to do to help to bring us out of this abysmal situation we’re in now. Instead of spending so much time being shocked by what the highest elected man in the land is saying and doing, let’s concentrate on how to put up guard rails for him when we vote We already know more than enough about what he has said and done. Let’s pledge to elect leaders who’ve shown they care about the people they campaign to represent.  There are a lot of good candidates out there who are being overshadowed by the bickering

Let’s not leave everything to elected leaders.  As community activists, Get Out the Vote workers, religious leaders and all the good people around us. Show the way to a better nation to all around us. Let’s concentrate on what we are going to do to help people in need.  Let’s work on plans to make their lives better. Let’s pledge to get along with our neighbors at home, and our neighbors in Canada, our friends in Ukraine and stop being led by someone who hangs out with those set on disrupting our system of democracy. Ignore the wrecking balls who are more interested in tearing down monuments and praising themselves, supporting evil with lies and unbelievable positions on good people, those who are destroying our military and using government and our taxes on evil things.

Let’s call out corruption, but don’t participate in it. Let us ignore lies about good candidates at all levels.  Let’s support the left out. Jamie Davis, a Black man in Louisiana, is a leading candidate for the U.S. Senate. We don’t have to live in Louisiana or be a Democrat or a farmer to support him when you see how much trouble the person running against him is dealing with something people don’t want.

We can vote across party lines when that candidate has expressed the good things she/he will work for when elected. Never mind that in this case she has an R after her name. I know Monique Appeaning in Louisiana who worked in my campaign for Congress when she was a very young woman. I missed winning by a few votes to become the first Black woman to represent my home state in Congress.  Forty years later, there has still been no Black woman in the Louisiana delegation. Monique has chosen to pick up the challenge and give my hope life so that other young Black women can have hope in refusing to allow any good thing to be beyond their reach.

You know right from wrong, so don’t be afraid to vote for what’s right in a few days. Always promote good.  Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Amy Acton deserve your vote if you are in Ohio or Michigan.  Yes, you know right from wrong, so do what’s right wherever you are.

Written By Dr. E. Faye Williams

Official website; http://www.efayewilliams.com/

If there is no war, no hostilities, no terror and you go hungry and can’t have a good night’s sleep, then you do not have true peace.

When the fighting has ceased, and the guns stop barking, and you are afraid for tomorrow, and the lives of your loved ones are uncertain, and hazardous, then true peace you do not enjoy.

The warmongers might have long ceased their murderous campaign, they might have evacuated their killing fields but if your mind is disturbed with the unsavoury activities all around you then your life is bereft of true peace.

True peace is powerful and mightily impacts our total self; body, soul and spirit, and reaches beyond our physical, mental and spiritual limitations to leverage heavenly assistance to enable it to be efficacious.

Because true peace has this ineffable character, this divine association, it makes it impossible that those who persist in activities contrary to God’s will, can possess it to any extent.

With this in mind the Bible makes a powerful assertion, “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21), and to counteract that it says, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” (Psalm 119:165)

True peace, when seen in this light, when accurately evaluated as a gift from above, is manifested in the total well-being of the whole person.

The Jews of the Old Testament used to greet each other with the Hebrew word “Shalom” meaning peace.

The ONLY blessing that God taught Moses, word for word, to teach the priests to bestow on the Jewish assemblies was:

“The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

And Jesus Christ himself highlighted and endorsed the beneficence of this divine peace when he said to his disciples:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

And the Apostle Paul, whose understanding of this peace is second to none, wrote, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

There are some important things that just happen to you as you proceed in life, and others you can only acquire by diligent searching. Jesus reminded us of this when he said, “Seek and ye shall find…” (Matthew 7:7)

Important questions, that have a bearing on this matter of true peace, must be faced, and until we know the answers, and make right decisions, this true peace will remain forever a vague concept out of our reach.

Important Question number 1: Why am I here?

When you wake up every morning the first person you see is you; the person you are most concerned with is you; the ONLY person impacting your consciousness is you. No silly arguments about your existence, no philosophical rambling about reality and perception, you are shockingly real with all your foibles and idiosyncrasies.

And the pertinent question is, why am I here?

At this juncture philosophy muddies the water and gets lost in abstractions. Science tells us that your existence is a big fluke, an accident, a meaningless occurrence that will soon be corrected when, after a few years you are gone, finished, and that is the end of that. Science even asserts that just as there was a big bang that brought the universe into existence (their best guess that is) there might well be a collapse back to nothing, or as science calls it, a singularity.

Depending on your worldview you may align yourself with one of an assortment of conflicting opinions.

The God-haters and deniers will say that there is no God, no rationale or meaning to anything and as soon as we are gone that is our lot. We come from nothing with no value and thus we shall return. People of this persuasion are usually the bane of humanity. If it is true that we have no value, no worth, then who cares if a few thousands, or millions even, are zapped off the face of the earth. This is cynicism and hopelessness par excellence.

On the other hand they are those who believe that all around us are evidence of systematic design and purpose, and so they should, for man was beautifully and ingeniously crafted. Even an ancient, like David, recognised this, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” (Psalm 139:14)

Man was made in the image of God and put on the face of the earth so that a blessed, responsible people can emerge who can choose freely to serve him, glorify his name and communicate with him on a level unique to humans.

The writer of the Hebrews was pedantically accurate when he wrote:

“You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands.” (Hebrews 2:7)

Important Question number 2: Can I know the truth?

Many people in the world do not have a clear understanding of the number of religions there are and the huge amount of contradictions and errors in their beliefs. If you check carefully you will find that there are over 10,000 religions, all teaching different things and each adamant of the truthfulness of their theology.

Simple logic will dictate that they are not all correct and truthful. So how can the truthful ones be known?

True religion cannot be subjective, relying on how you feel or view the religion on a person basis. Like science there is the litmus test that anyone can use, and by praying to Almighty God for guidance the religion will stand or fall when tested.

True religion must be transforming; it must transform the believer towards godliness (Titus 2:11-12), true religion must be universally caring; drawing no distinction between Jew or gentile, nationality or race (James 1:27), true religion must meet the criteria set out by Micah, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8), and true religion must prepare believers for eternity (1 Corinthians 15:19)

God has made it possible for us to know the truth, all we have to do is seek it earnestly.

Important Question number 3: Who art thou Lord?

There has only been one person who walked this earth claiming to be God and demonstrating by humongous miracles his claim to that title. All of this is a matter of proven history.

His name is Jesus Christ; read of him in the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Until you know who Jesus Christ is, until you have met him and cemented with him a spiritual personal relationship, just as the Apostle Paul and millions of believers have done, you will never know true peace.

Important Question number 4: What must I do to be saved?

This is probably the crucial question; what must I do to be saved? Salvation brings with it a peace that passeth all understanding and is found in God through Jesus Christ. Millions have found this to be so and if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, soul and mind, and commit to him, you too will find this to be so.

Important Question number 5: Where will I spend eternity?

After you depart this world, eternity awaits. Two choices only; either to be with God in eternal bliss or to be with the devil and eternal damnation. As ever the choice is ours.

The undeniable conclusion is readily apparent and is this. To have this true peace of God is to have the true God of peace. Nothing else will do. Paul reminds us of this when he wrote: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Staff Writer; Henderson W.

You can contact this Christian brother at: HWard@ThyBlackMan.com.

He asked me to pass along a couple of messages to you.

In Proverbs 15:23 Solomon told me, “A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!”

And in Proverbs 17:28, Solomon told me to tell you, “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”

So, you may be asking what is the meaning of all this.  Let me explain.

A few months ago, I wrote a column titled, “Social Media’s Feminization of Black Men.”  Click on the link to read it.

In this column, I discussed how high-profile people like Smith, because of social media, have the insatiable need to respond to everything that is said about them on the internet; thus, they have begun to adopt feminine traits that are normally associated with women.

These men have become more emotional and too verbose.

King Solomon and I were arguing that we need to get back to the old school notion of letting the truth speak for itself!!!

Or as my boy Denzel Washington once told me, “The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.”

I have stated on many occasions that Smith is over exposed and doing way toooooooo much!!!  Sometimes the best and loudest response is silence.

Smith has yet to learn this lesson, despite being fifty-eight years old.  I do not understand why a man of his age and stature feels compelled to respond to every perceived slight thrown at him.

My latest evidence of this is Smith’s recent private dinner with President Donald Trump, along with comedian Bill Maher and musician Kid Rock.

Smith attended as a guest of Maher’s.

Smith received heavy criticism from the usual cast of rabid crazy extreme radical liberal Blacks like Jemele Hill, Cari Champion, Charlamagne, and comedian D.L. Hughley.

As mentioned in my previous column about Smith, he then felt the need to run to his YouTube channel and justify his actions, which only made matters worse.

Below I will dissect Smith’s own words from his YouTube video he posted after his dinner with Trump.  Click on the video link to see the unedited version that I am referring to.

One of my biggest criticisms of the Black community, especially those who “claim” to be part of the bourgeoisie and the “talented tenth;” is that most have little to no understanding of how to operate on the power level.

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) comprises the largest voting block in the U.S. Congress, but has nothing to show for it.  Africa has the largest voting block in the United Nations, but has nothing to show for it.

Both groups are quick to blame white folks and racism for all their respective group’s problems.  Name me one time that either group has shut down the U.S. Congress or the United Nations to extract something of particular importance to their group?

They have the power, authority, and the position, but not the understanding.

The same can be applied to Stephen Smith.

I was mortified by his comments about his dinner with Trump.  It was quite obvious that Smith’s understanding of politics and power is minimum.

Let us go to the video tape.

In the first fifteen minutes he rambled incoherently about a lot of nothing.  It was quite obvious to me watching the video that he was very nervous because he was on unfamiliar ground discussing the substance of the dinner; and his lack of knowledge and understanding of the issues were exposed.

He said many things that were simply not true.  He had so much bravado in his voice, then played himself.

At the 12:43 timestamp, Smith states, “But I’m going to tell you where, why I was there. My mission is always to look out for my community as best as I possibly can.”  I have no idea what this is supposed to mean.

At the 12:57 timestamp, Smith states, “…And when I see our national unemployment average at 4.2%.  At about 3.7% in the white community, but 7% in the black community…It’s always worse for us [Blacks]…”

Smith has absolutely no data to back up this asinine assertion.  You are having dinner with the president of the United States and you make a blanket statement like that.  Really?

Even if Smith’s statement were proven to be true, what was his ask of the president to address this issue?

Solomon told me in Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding!”

It is quite obvious Smith has little to no understanding of economic policies; so let me help him.

A better indicator of the economic health of the Black community is the labor force participation rate as opposed to the unemployment rate.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Black labor force participation exceeds the rate among white Americans and is near pre-pandemic levels.  The unemployment rate for Black workers is near record lows but is still persistently higher than for white workers.

Labor force participation reflects the share of the civilian population that is either employed or actively seeking work.

September 2026 participation rate for Blacks was 62.3%.  September 2026 unemployment rate for  Blacks was 6.8%.

These two measures describe different aspects of labor?market engagement: participation shows how many people are in the labor force, while unemployment shows how many of those in the labor force are not currently employed.

Smith went on to question Trump about DEI and the myth of the disappearing Black woman and again showed how he was unprepared and unqualified for the moment that could have been his finest hour.

At the 13:18 timestamp Smith stated, “…that in concert with DEI, even though that should have never been associated with black people because white women are the biggest beneficiaries of DEI.”

What Smith failed to mention is that affirmative action was meant only for Blacks in the late sixties.  But over the past fifty years members of the CBC continued to expand the list of those eligible for affirmative action and DEI—white women, Africans, Hispanics, homosexuals, etc.

Blacks and Black organizations continue to vote for legislation that is counter to their own stated goals and to the benefit of other groups.

Again, Blacks do not understand how to play the game of power.

For someone who “claims” to be an independent, he sure recites a lot of radical liberal Democrat talking points.

He accused Trump of firing 300,000 Black women from the federal government which is factually not true.  This made-up number does not take into account the number of people who quit, took a voluntary buy-out, or retired.

This is what I call the myth of the disappearing Black woman.  Click on the link to read that column.

Black women are vastly overrepresented in local, state and federal government jobs.

Furthermore, of all Blacks with college degrees, 60% work for local, state or federal government; of the remaining 40%, 25% percent work for corporate America, leaving 15% for entrepreneurship.

We have a massive brain drain in the Black community that no one is addressing.

Government at every level has become much too large and fiscal responsibility mandates that we reduce the size and scope of local, state, and federal government.

So, when governments issues reduction in force orders, the decisions will not be based on race; but rather the sheer size of bloated government.

The final reason Smith needs to stick to sports is because of this statement from him at the 18:23 timestamp, “but there’s additional funding that comes from the private sector that’s been compromised to some degree because of your administration’s fixation on making sure that there are no racial preferences.  So as a result, corporations in the private sector believing that the government may come after them if they were to be as charitable as they once were are hesitant to do so. Now, Mr. President, what you going to do about that?  To his credit, he says, “I got to look into that. That’s a good point.  I’m going to talk to my team next week and I’m going to get your number two because I might call you. Now, I’m not trying to get involved on that level.  I want him to do it.  I don’t want to create the kind of noise where we get distracted from the ultimate goal because the ultimate goal is to help one another as much as we possibly can.”

I have no idea what Smith is talking about.  No Fortune 500 company has shied away from giving money to HBCUs because of Trump’s DEI policies.  I talk with these CEOs on a regular basis and I know this not true.

The problem is most HBCUs have little to no relations with CEOs of major companies because they do not understand power.

If Smith understood power he would have said to Trump, if I organized ten presidents of HBCUs would you convene a meeting in the White House with a few of your corporate friends to discuss long term support for HBCUs?

Trump would have quickly said yes and the rest would be history.

That is how you play at the power level.  You present the problem and then you offer a solution.

So, Stephen, I have identified the problems as I see it with your dinner with Trump and am prepared to offer you some solutions on a way forward if you are so interested.

Staff Writer; Raynard Jackson

This talented brother is a Pulitzer Award nominated columnist and founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You can follow Raynard on Twitter; RealRaynardJ; on Gettr: RaynardJackson.

Can also drop him an email at; RaynardJ@ThyBlackMan.com.

Building Wealth While Strengthening Neighborhoods

Owning a home can provide greater control over living arrangements and the freedom to make improvements that suit a family’s needs. Over time, mortgage repayments may help build equity, although property values can fluctuate and ownership comes with ongoing expenses.

For African-American homeowners, these opportunities carry particular significance given the longstanding racial disparities in housing wealth. Investing in existing properties, supporting local contractors, and maintaining neighborhood homes can contribute to stronger communities.

However, meaningful investment doesn’t always involve expensive renovations. Keeping a property in good condition, addressing maintenance issues promptly, and making practical improvements can help preserve its usefulness and appearance. These smaller decisions matter, especially for families working within a limited budget.

Making Thoughtful Improvements That Last

When renovating, it’s tempting to focus on dramatic changes such as kitchen remodeling or new flooring. Yet smaller improvements can make everyday living more comfortable without requiring substantial investment.

Replacing worn door fittings, repairing damaged cabinets, and updating tired fixtures can improve how a home looks and functions. For homeowners restoring older properties, the Carlisle Brass hinges from Trade Door Handles provide an example of the specialist hardware available for practical renovation projects. Choosing appropriately sized, durable fittings can help doors operate smoothly while preserving existing features.

Before purchasing materials, homeowners should assess what genuinely needs replacing. Repairing serviceable features rather than removing them can reduce waste and leave more money available for essential maintenance.

Keeping Community Connections at the Heart of Homeownership

Home improvements can have an impact beyond individual households. Hiring skilled local tradespeople, including Black-owned contractors and renovation businesses, creates opportunities for money to circulate within the community.

Sharing reliable recommendations with neighbors can also help homeowners find trustworthy professionals and avoid unnecessary expenses. Community organizations may provide useful information about homebuyer education, financial planning, and property maintenance.

Just as importantly, established homeowners can share practical knowledge with younger relatives and first-time buyers. Conversations about budgeting, repairs and the responsibilities of ownership can make the process feel more approachable.

Homeownership alone cannot resolve the wider inequalities affecting African-American communities. Still, when combined with fair access to housing, responsible financial planning and local investment, it can contribute to greater stability. A well-maintained home becomes more than a personal achievement. It can represent continuity, opportunity, and a lasting connection to the neighborhood around it.

Staff Writer; Steve Love

An alarm works best as one part of a broader safety plan, alongside awareness, distance, and an escape route. The answer becomes clearer after examining how sound changes an attacker’s choices.

What Makes an Alarm Deterrent?

An attacker seeks privacy, control, and time. A piercing alarm disrupts those conditions by attracting attention. A person comparing a personal safety alarm for sale should check the activation method, carrying position, and sound pattern before choosing one. The device matters only if it remains accessible during a stressful moment, because a buried alarm cannot produce a useful signal quickly. That practical test gives deterrence a clearer meaning.

An alarm creates uncertainty for an attacker. Those in the area could look toward the sound, call 911, or move closer to help. Muted intimidation is also more difficult to sustain in a noisy environment. 

Deterrence does not require an attacker to fear the device itself. The immediate concern is exposure, interruption, and the loss of control over the encounter.

Why Sound Changes the Situation

A loud alarm demands attention in a way that a silent defensive action does not. Its sound gives bystanders a clear reason to notice something unusual, even when they cannot see the entire event.

The signal also communicates distress when a person cannot safely speak or reach a phone. This matters in parking garages, outdoor paths, transit areas, and other places where a verbal call for help is difficult.

Sound alone does not resolve a confrontation. Its purpose is to interrupt the moment, create distance, and support movement toward people, lighting, or a safer location.

What an Alarm Cannot Do

A personal safety alarm does not physically restrain an attacker. It cannot replace an exit plan, situational awareness, or emergency assistance.

An attacker could ignore the sound, cover the device, or continue despite nearby attention. A person should never stay in place to test whether the alarm has worked.

The safest response is movement. After activation, the user should head toward a populated location, contact emergency services if possible, and provide a clear description of the location.

How to Use One Effectively

The alarm should stay where one hand can reach it without searching through a bag. A keychain attachment, coat pocket, or exterior bag loop keeps activation fast.

Practice matters because stress reduces fine motor control and slows decision-making. A person should learn the trigger, test the device according to its instructions, and rehearse moving toward an exit after activation.

An alarm should remain ready before a risky situation develops. Holding it while walking through a quiet area reduces the delay between recognizing danger and creating a signal.

Select for Access, Not Appearance

Personal style can affect whether a device gets carried consistently. The better choice is an alarm that fits the person’s daily routine and remains easy to locate.

The collection inspected for this article lists 12 results, including the Heart Safety Alarm and Soft Touch Mini Safety Alarm. Listed prices range from $22.00 to $132.00, with individual alarms and sets shown separately.

Check the Surroundings First

A person should scan for open businesses, staffed buildings, well-lit routes, and other people before trouble begins. That preparation gives the alarm a clear purpose within an escape plan.

The device should not create false confidence. A person who notices threatening behavior should increase distance early instead of waiting until physical contact occurs.

When Should Someone Activate It?

Activation should happen when a person faces an immediate threat, unwanted physical contact, or a situation that prevents safe movement. Waiting for absolute certainty can remove valuable time.

A person should activate the alarm and move toward safety rather than negotiate with an attacker. The sound can draw attention, but the user still needs to create distance.

If the alarm activates accidentally, the user can silence it according to the product instructions. Regular practice helps prevent hesitation during a genuine emergency.

Conclusion

Personal safety alarms deter some attacks by removing privacy and attracting immediate attention, but they do not guarantee compliance. Their practical value depends on quick access, reliable activation, and a clear route away from danger. 

The next step is simple: choose a device that fits the person’s routine, practice activating it with one hand, and identify nearby safe locations along regular routes. That preparation gives the alarm a defined role before an emergency occurs.

Staff Writer; Lou Jackson

One of those writing her share of biting dissents is former Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan. This week, she went public.

In a conversation with Catholic University Professor J. Joel Alicea, who served as a law clerk to archconservative Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., she unloaded on the Court. Pulling together court rulings on campaign finance, partisan gerrymandering and voting rights, Justice Kagan accused the Court of blinding itself to the effects of its decisions on our democracy. “In all these areas, the Court has kind of blinded itself to the very deleterious effects of its rulings on how the political system works” and has created “a democracy that does not work as well as it should.”

“The people of America look around this political system and think that all this money chasing all these political candidates is a nightmare,” she said. “And they’re right.” For the money race, we have the Supreme Court squarely to blame, either for its blind naivete or its outright corruption. Equating money with speech and limiting the ability to regulate political corruption has brought us the worst government money can buy. In the gerrymandering frenzy, “both political parties have been engaged in a race to the bottom” to draw voting maps that advantage either Democrats or Republicans in a way that “is very destructive of our democracy.”

If President Donald Trump and Elon Musk manage to salvage these midterms, it will be because the Supreme Court gave them the tools to do it.

The question is: What do you do about a Supreme Court that is strangling democracy?

The answer Democrats are already proposing is straightforward: you change it. Expand the size. There is nothing magical about the number nine. It is dictated by statute, not the Constitution. Impose term limits. That’s trickier. Life tenure for federal judicial officers is in the Constitution. But advocates of change point out that Justices could remain as federal judges, in senior status sitting in the circuits, just not on the Supreme Court. And that, they argue, could be done by statute.

The point is: something should be done. The Supreme Court, like Congress and the executive, is losing credibility in the eyes of Americans. Who are these nine people, with no accountability, no ethics code, whose word is final? While it is true that this Court said no to Trump on tariffs and birthright citizenship, it is also true that they gave him most of what he wanted, and people aren’t wrong in seeing this as a Trump Court.

I used to be a traditionalist. Why change what was working? But it isn’t working anymore. I’m no longer married to nine. I think there are advantages to set terms. Life tenure, we have seen, also has disadvantages. When the Court becomes a destructive rather than a protective force in our democracy, something must be done to change. When a sitting justice known for her ability, as law school dean, to get along with everyone and forge compromise, comes out and says it, we should all listen.

Written by Susan Estrich

Republicans seem doomed to lose their exceedingly narrow House majority, although redistricting by both parties over the past two years has reduced the number of competitive seats and will likely limit their losses.

More surprisingly, in view of the 2024 results, Republicans’ Senate majority seems in jeopardy, as Democrats have been leading in polls in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and Texas, states that Trump carried easily three times.

And Democratic leads in two Southern states that have been seriously contested in each presidential cycle, Georgia and North Carolina, are so solid that Republicans have written them off as irretrievably lost.

Two questions remain unanswered. The first will be settled by the election results, although that could take weeks given Alaska’s ranked choice voting system and California’s breathtakingly slow counting of ballots in contested House races. The second will shape election analysts’ forecasts for at least the next two years.

The first question is whether polls are understating Republican support, as they did in the presidential cycles of 2016, 2020 and 2024. The second is whether the move away from Republicans and toward Democrats will turn out to be a realignment away from the rough partisan parity that has prevailed for more than 30 years.

Starting with the presidential election of 1992 and the congressional election of 1994, Democrats have won the presidency five times and Republicans four, while Republicans have won House majorities 12 times and Democrats five.

Only one presidential nominee, Barack Obama in 2008, has won more than 51% of the popular vote, and neither party has held more than 257 of the House’s 435 seats. Democrats held the 60 Senate seats needed to overcome a filibuster for just seven months, from July 2009 to February 2010; Republicans never reached that threshold.

Democratic majorities of that magnitude are at the high end of, or even a bit beyond, what current polling suggests. The party would be winning over some who had been voting regularly for Trump and Republicans or benefiting from those individuals not voting at all.

And it would be winning just enough support to prevail in a solid majority of what look to be very close races. That is not so surprising, since Senate elections tend to be decided on national issues, and often all the close ones go one way.

But it’s also possible that polls are misleading. In past years, RealClearPolitics analyst Sean Trende has argued, polls have overstated Democrats’ chances in Republican states and vice versa. This year, the close races are on Republican turf, and if the polls prove to misfire that way again, Democratic gains may turn out to be minimal.

Republicans could hold on to a Senate majority in that case. That means Trump appointees to federal courts, including the Supreme Court, could be confirmed, and impeachment trials would likely go nowhere.

What about the consequences further out, specifically for 2028? Minimal losses for Republicans might lead to a presidential endorsement and nomination of Vice President JD Vance. The risks of damage from Trump’s personal preoccupations — from tariffs to the triumphal arch — may seem less serious than the risks of outright rebellion against a leader eager to punish anything less than full devotion.

But a “thumping” — George W. Bush’s term for his party’s repudiation in 2006 — could leave many Republicans wondering whether the party needs, after a decade of domination by Trump, to take a different course. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s erudite speeches in February in Munich and this month in Athens, combined with his careful defenses of administration foreign policy, provide an alternative approach that chastened Republicans might prefer.

Democrats can be counted on, however great or minimal their gains, to pepper Trump and those around him with investigations, to stage votes for impeachment, and — if they have a Senate majority — to block confirmation of a Supreme Court nominee or any federal judge at all.

But they also face their own sharp divisions. Their lack of any articulate domestic platform leaves them open to members of the Democratic Socialists of America pushing radical and potentially unpopular measures such as “Medicare for All” — under which workers who like their health insurance can’t keep it. On foreign policy, they will probably try to hobble military operations against Iran and, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) looking over his shoulder at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), may try to block military cooperation with Israel.

The result of one Senate contest in particular, the race in Michigan, may affect the course forward. There, Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed has led Republican Mike Rogers in every public poll since late September, but in only one of eight polls by more than 2 percentage points. A polling error would not be shocking in Michigan, and while El-Sayed went into the August primary with a 50%-to-40% polling lead, he beat the more centrist Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) by only 48.4% to 47.6% in actual votes.

Republican Mike Rogers has led in only three of 29 public polls conducted since the August primary, but El-Sayed’s average lead has narrowed from 48% to 44% in August and September to 47% to 46% in October. El-Sayed’s perhaps surprising refusal to repudiate the Muslim Brotherhood or to say whether he considers Iran or Israel the greatest threat to the United States has evidently not strengthened his appeal.

A victory for the articulate El-Sayed would make him a national leader of “progressive” Democrats. An El-Sayed defeat would give Republicans a seat held by Democrats since 1978 and might convince many Democrats and some in the press that “Medicare for All” at home and opposition to Israel abroad are not a formula for their party’s success.

And what of the prospects for realignment beyond 2028? You could argue that it seems to be on schedule, perhaps overdue. The 1992 presidential and 1994 congressional elections were propelled by Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, both baby boomers by the definitions in Strauss and Howe’s “Generations.”

The seven presidents in the previous 40 years, all with military service in World War II, were born between 1911 and 1924. The five presidents since, three of them born in 1946 and the other two in 1942 and 1961, had no military service except for George W. Bush’s in the Texas Air National Guard.

Starting in the 1990s, the South became the electoral heartland of the Republican Party, and the Northeast and Pacific coasts became the electoral heartlands of the Democratic Party. Starting in the 1990s and accelerating after Trump’s first run, Democrats have made gains among the affluent and college educated, and Republicans among blue-collar workers and non-college graduates.

Few predicted these trends, established politicians tried to buck them, and many thoughtful citizens haven’t absorbed them yet. I’d like to say I’ll describe what happens next, but having started writing for publication about these things in 1963, I’m not sure I’ll be in a position to do so. Perhaps answers will come from Marco Rubio, born in 1971; Vance and El-Sayed, both born in 1984; and Ocasio-Cortez, born in 1989.

Written by Michael Barone

Official website; https://x.com/MichaelBarone