At the National Association of Black Journalists convention held in Las Vegas, Democratic Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama finally took the time out to address African American journalists about issues that plague the community now and explain some resolutions as to how they can right the wrongs of the Bush Administration.
On Thursday, Hillary Clinton spoke first to the thousands in attendance at Bally’s Hotel & Casino. She first addressed the murder of journalist Chauncey Bailey, who was gunned down by a 19 year old male in Oakland CA. Bailey was the primary journalist covering the Your Black Muslim Bakery investigation which was seized by its rightful heirs through fraud and forgery and was investigated for its part in criminal activity. Clinton addressed the violence in the black communities and said that she would provide hope for those who the nation has called “failures” and will call for a national response to the youth crisis. Clinton maintained that she would reinvest back into the future through education and acknowledged that “70% of jobs in this country are made by connections” rather than expertise.
Clinton also called for an end to discrimination in the workplace (of which she says many assume does not exist)and gave a startling statistic stating that a “white applicant with a criminal record is more likely to be hired than a qualified black without a criminal record.”Clinton continued to address the crowd with her plans to provide better rehabilitation programs for prisoners as well as specialty courts for non violent offenders (i.e. Drug Court).
Clinton offered to advocate a “no fly” zone in Dafur to assist in cutting down the Genocide in Africa. She said she would institute the shooting down of planes who choose to bomb the helpless civilians of Dafur. Clinton also addressed the “Natural Disaster, National Disgrace and International Embarassment” known as Hurricane Katrina by stating that she will make strides in helping those displaced by the disaster. For those currently in office who choose to challenge Clinton, she asks one question “What have YOU done.”
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“Words matter. If they didn’t why would you do the work you do?”Clinton noted when speaking about Don Imus. She applauded the NAACP’s burial of the “N” word and continued by saying “It’s time to say ‘enough’…not through censorship but with personal responsibility.”
In a eye opening moment, when asked why she supports socialized medicine by NABJ member Kiara Ashani (noted to be a Republican blogger), Clinton reeled off a tirade about being misrepresented in the media and galvanized the audience with her approach. She maintained that she supports Medicare and addressed the many Americans still without health care. As Ashani began to outline the proposed “failures” of other country’s health care systems, Clinton cut Ashani off and stated “I’ll gladly arrange for you to meet with my staff if you are interested in being educated instead of being rhetorical.”
When asked if she was “Black” enough to win the vote from Black America, Clinton said that she had to earn the vote instead of inherit it (She would later pull a few laughs at a meeting with other journalists by saying she’s in a interracial marriage – a reference to husband BillClinton being the closest thing to a Black president).
She pulled a few laughs out of the crowd by Clinton was asked about considering Obama as a running mate of which Clinton said she would consider but would not commit to publicly this early.
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Hillary Clinton took great strides in looking “more Presidential than Obama” according to those in attendance. Would Obama be able to follow up such a fantastic dialog the next day?
