McCain Volunteer's "Black Guy Did It!" Tale A Hoax

Hey, 99 percent of the time blaming an anonymous black guy works, but if you're going to whip out "the black guy did it" card you better hope the cops don't ask any follow up questions. Follow up questions really unraveled this farcical story of a John McCain volunteer who claimed she was assaulted physically and sexually by the "big scary black buck" stereotype because of her support for John McCain.

Never mind the guy who allegedly attacked Texas A&M student Ashley Todd sounds like a composite character out of a Donald Goines novel with a hard-on for some "hope" with a side of "change." (Whoreson? Is that you?) She said he carved a "B" onto her face ... backwards, oddly enough. To think, it was malarkey like this that got thousands of people killed and their homes burnt to the ground in places like Rosewood, Fla. almost 75 years ago.

From MSNBC:

PITTSBURGH - A John McCain volunteer in Pittsburgh who said she was robbed and sexually assaulted because of her political views has admitted to fabricating the story, police sources told a TV station.

KDKA TV added that one source said Ashley Todd would face charges.

Police have not formally announced the fabrication, acknowledging only that detectives in the case were meeting with the force's public information officers.

Todd, of College Station, Texas, earlier agreed to take a polygraph test due to inconsistencies.

Among other things, police said photos and bank card information from an automated teller machine where the college student claimed she was robbed do not show her using the machine at the time, police said.

Police said the Todd, who is white, told them she was attacked by a 6-foot-4 black man Wednesday night.

Other differences in her accounts are whether she lost consciousness, whether she remembers handing over money and how the man assaulted her, police said.

In her initial account, Richard said, Todd attempted to use the ATM when the man approached her from behind, put a knife with a 4- to 5-inch blade to her throat and demanded money. She told police she handed the assailant $60 and walked away.

Todd told investigators that she suspected the man then noticed a John McCain sticker on her car, became angry and punched her in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground and telling her "you are going to be a Barack supporter," police said in a statement.

She said he continued to punch and kick her while threatening "to teach her a lesson for being a McCain supporter," police said. She said he then sat on her chest, pinned her hands down with his knees and scratched a backward letter "B" into her face using what she believed to be a dull knife.

The woman told police she didn't seek medical attention, but instead went to a friend's apartment nearby and called police about 45 minutes later.

Gawker, which has also been keeping up with the story has dubbed Todd the "Poor dumb idiot racist kid."

It's Official: The Election Is Freaking Me Out

Image from reader Tammy

I'm a little nervous.

And not because I think my sweet Hopey McChangey is going to lose. Au contraire, mon amie! Many Democrats keep uttering things like "landslide." America has been a 51-49 nation since the Culture Wars began and commonfolk could be divided along class and tribal lines. Such as, by nature of their needs, you'd think poor white people and poor black people would band together to fight their circumstances, but the teachings of Tim Wise would prove otherwise.

Culture Wars, re: ignorance and racism, trump common sense every time.

Or does it. And that's what freaks me out. Since the economy discombobulated all over us, the Obama Campaign has been on fire. Smoother than smooth. Calmer than calm and quicker than quick in recognizing and dealing with problems that most Democrats don't fight until after the fact.

Like poor and minority voters having their rights disenfranchised. Launching a team of lawyers to fight voter suppression in lieu of the looming election. The Colin Powell endorsement, huge no matter how hard some right wingers must trash a man they thought was their "pet Negro," but, as I've said before, if they'd ever actually listened to him talk about his reality they would have figured out long ago, Powell is no one's pet.

And the South shall rise again ... but for Obama? In Virginia? Once the seat of the Confederacy, it's residents are so dissatisfied that they're considering to go the way of The Great Black Hopemongerer? North Carolina? Talks of Obama using this "I'm rich, bitch!" donation stash to start making inroads in Georgia?

Georgia? The one Sherman burnt to the ground?

The state polls show he's more than closing in, he is beating down. He's neck-and-neck in Ohio and Missouri. He's leading in Florida where the Sarah Palin pick has gone over like a lead balloon with the fiscally conservative (but not too keen on the cultural conservatives) Jewish voters. Plus, her church participated in hosting a "Jews for Jesus" group. If you want to creep out a Jew who loves being a Jew, start hanging out with Jews for Jesus, which many Jews believe is a "peaceful" extenuation of the Holocaust.

Yeah. The shit is that deep.

John McCain is on defense, offense, the fence, fighting a trench war he only recently prepared for. The Obama campaign has been on the ground in ever state mobilizing for more than a year. Two years in some cases. Johnny Mac is a Johnny-Come-Lately, as he fights for Pennsylvania despite an 11 point Obama lead.

What the hell is going on? There are rumors that Obama plans to take his fight right to McCain's front door of Arizona, where the senator is up by 11. There are rumors that McCain, with his shrinkage -- re: funding shrinkage -- may abandon Colorado, where Obama is up by 5 points.

Next to falling off a stage a la Bob Dole, McCain is doing almost every thing he can to help Obama overcome the Bradley Effect and get into the White House and I salute the flyboys efforts, but I'm freaked out all the same.

The Democrats are "winning," people. The Democrats haven't done winning in decades. Save that brief respite called the Clinton Years (which were full of prosperity and filthy oral copulation), it's been a Democratic drought. Now we're facing the possibility of ANOTHER political monopoly, this time -- Donkey Kong style.

I'm interested if they'll go mad with power like the Republicans did, or if they'll maintain some semblance of common sense? Who am I kidding? Those sons (and daughters) of bitches want revenge. Even I want a taste. If they get the majority, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will morph into "The Punisher," black skull T-shirt at all.

But what scares me, with all the success looming, with everything going the Left's way, but we've seen this movie before.

How will the Democratic Party fuck up this time? They've botched so many elections. What possible scenarios are the DNC and the Obama Campaign over looking that they need to check their list twice on? November 4th could be a dream OR a nightmare. If the Dems mess up this time what is the most likely scenario (other than Mad Dog Joe Biden saying crazy things) to come to pass and how can we prevent it from becoming "deja vu all over again?"

Extreme Obama: Celebrity Edition

From Perez Hilton:

Rapper Eve has got this election under her thumb.

Or, rather, on her thumb.

At the oh-so-fancy opening party for Mobile Art: Chanel Contemporary Art Container in Central Park last night, everyone was dressed to the nines, sporting stylish accessories.

But, the best probably had to be Eve's thumbnail, decorated with a portrait of Barack Obama.

She obviously gives him a thumbs up!

Dear original pitbull in a skirt,

Stop, please stop. Though not as bad as the many haircuts brothers have sheared into their skulls adorning the likeness of Obama and his rising sun logo, getting some Koreans to hook up that acrylic is killing me softly with is ridiculousness!

Thanks to Snob reader, Greer, for the tip!

The Obamas In Florida

Barack and Michelle hit the stump together in Florida Tuesday. A new NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll has Team Obama up by ten points from the opposition. Who doesn't feel the love? I feel it. Of course, we'll have to go without it a few days, rightfully so, as Obama will be taking a break from the campaign trail to see to his ailing grandmother in Hawaii. She's apparently taken a turn for the worst, so let's hope and pray she gets better.

In the mean time ... get yer fix of Obama-on-Obama snuggle time! Who's the best political spouse on the stump? You are! Yes, you are, Hopey and the Glamazonian!

Photos by The Associated Press and Reuters.

Powell endorsing Obama = Something Unexpected from McCain

In one weekend, Barack Obama received crowds of 100,000 and 75, 000 respectively in Missouri, his campaign announced raising more than $150 million in September, he's up in Virginia and North Carolina and Gen. Colin Powell endorsed him Meet the Press.

This is a lot, A LOT, of good news going into Monday and if we've learned anything from the last few go 'rounds the McCain Campaign cannot allow all this to become the news story du jour. None of this is helpful to the Republican candidate. This is so much "rah rah rah Obama" news that it will completely block out Gov. Sarah Palin's tethered performance on Saturday Night Live.

I don't think the appearance hurt her in any capacity, but it further solidified the point that she's limited in her scope. The best bit was in seeing her sway side-to-side while Amy Poehler performed a hip hop number in her honor.

But seeing her and Tina Fey quickly cross each paths like a pair of voodoo black cats isn't enough to silence Powell's statements that the narrowing scope of the campaign and McCain's judgment in selecting Palin as veep sent him running to Team Obama.

So what stunt will be pulled Monday? Where will the juggling bears and the dancing girls come from this time? Just how many trick ponies does John McCain own? I prepared for the Republicans to do their best to explain why Colin Powell is no longer relevant. That pretty much started the minute the interview was over with.

On Face the Nation, Missouri Gov. Matt "Little Boy" Blunt told Bob Schieffer the endorsement didn't matter, then dug into the crates with the "Obama = celebrity" meme when explaining how The Great Hopemongerer pulled 175,000 folks in Missouri rallies. Did I mention Matt Blunt is a highly unpopular governor who chose not to run for re-election rather than face certain doom to the Democrats this year? He took one for the team and got out of the Missouri Republican Party's way so they could at least have a shot at the retaining Jefferson City.

Blunt had his talking points. Endorsements don't matter. Even when they're from the guy behind the "Powell Doctrine," who is generally liked by both parties, is an iconic military figure and has played ball with the Republicans for the last few decades.

And Powell and John McCain are "friends."

But saying that alone isn't going to make it go away. It'll take something crazy and unexpected. Perhaps something clever involving Donald Trump and Heidi Montag, or Sarah Palin suspending her campaign to go hunt Osama bin Laden. Or McCain naming Joe Lieberman and "Joe the Plumber" as Palin's co-veeps. Or McCain calling for some random person within government to "step down."

Maybe he'll challenge Obama to a duel. Anything to keep the Irate Talk Express rolling and straight jacking for news cycles. Whatever it takes!

Obama + St. Louis = 100,000

I realize that Missouri is a "red state." Because of this some folks were surprised that Barack Obama pulled down his largest stateside lookie-loo turnout in my hometown Saturday, but in all fairness -- St. Louis is the New York City of Missouri. The Democratic Party has run the city for decades now under the threat of no one, nearly all the self-identified Liberals are from here and a solid majority of city dwellers are African American. Also good chunk of St. Louis County (namely North County) is African American. And it was St. Louis and Kansas City who helped Obama win Missouri during the Democratic primaries.

So, if Barack Obama was going to haul 100,000 supporters out of the middle of the country we were the place to be. That doesn't mean St. Louis is some black, Liberal Mecca. (God, no! If anything it's so horribly the opposite.) And it doesn't mean this feat isn't impressive, because it's obviously impressive. I'm just saying ...

Missouri is complicated.

That said ... stand in awe of the Gateway Arch, the Jefferson Expansion Memorial and more 100,000 people. (Photos by The Associated Press and AFP)

Colin Powell May Endorse Hopey McChange Sunday

Gen. Colin Powell, seen here getting his swerve on at the Africa Rising music and fashion festival in London, is going on "Meet the Press" Sunday. Washington is a-buzz that the former Bush Secy. of State and leader of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (under the Poppy Bush) will throw himself onto Team Obama.

Earlier in the campaign, Powell was offering some foreign policy advice to Barack Obama, but had spoken favorably about both candidates throughout the election. Conventional wisdom is that it will be shocking if Powell doesn't endorse Obama, considering that backing McCain would be a non-starter (and not-really-earth shattering,considering Powell is a military man who worked for two Republican Administrations. Granted, the last one shut him down once they'd used up all his credibility, but it was within the same political family).

FOX News has hilariously tied this potential endorsement with a news clip from Powell's visit to London where he got up and did a little dancing with a musical act from Nigeria.

His address at the "Africa Rising" celebration inside London's Royal Albert Hall fueled speculation that an endorsement of Barack Obama is imminent.

Powell -- who has yet to back a candidate -- told the audience: "I stand before you as an African-American. Many people have said to me you became secretary of state of the USA, is it still necessary to say that you are an African American or that you are black? And I say yes, so that we can remind our children."

"It took a lot of people struggling to bring me to this point in history," Powell told the audience. "I didn't just drop out of the sky. People came from my continent in chains."

I don't know. Maybe this is part of some revealing "Oh my God! Colin Powell is some common Negro" journalism. Maybe seeing him with other black people, dancing of all things, then giving a speech where he acknowledged that African Americans have roots in ... gasp ... Africa, disturbed their sensibilities. I wonder if they remember his speech to the RNC a few years back and the large gaps of silence when Powell spoke about the reality of race in America. Just because you don't agree on the role of government in American life or you have an actual foreign policy/war "doctrine" named for you, doesn't make you magically stop caring about issues that effect black people. I swear.

Thanks reader Nichelle for the link!

Some Quick Observations About Wednesday Night's Debate

John McCainiac gave his all. He huff and he puffed and he got really "eye-blinky," but Barack "Hopey McChangey" Obama's house refused to blow down. While the pundits considered whether or not the "angry," Ayers-obsessed McCain would come off better than the slightly less peeved, but cowed McCain, early polls by CNN and CBS showed, once again, an overwhelming tilt towards Obama winning the debate.

This last debate was McCain's last big chance to tell America what his vision for the country is. Instead I got a lot fussing, eye rolling and grunting, compounding with tons of wasted minutes on what will ultimately go down as the "Joe the Plumber" debate.

This was a lively exchange than the previous two debates, no doubt. Mostly because McCain's body language and attitude were a raw, exposed nerve on a confused and irritated body. I once joked during the primaries that it seemed like Hillary Clinton was moaning R&B singer Deborah Cox's 1998 hit "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here." Now McCain has taken that ballad and turned it into a torch song to his misfortunes.

How did this Obama guy get here?
He's not supposed to be here.
It's bad enough I got beat by Bush last time.
My Purple heart says no, no.
He's not supposed to be here.
Then Obama came along making me lose my mind.

This debate was largely the best debate though because of the format and the moderator, CBS long-time political reporter and host of "Face the Nation," the pithy Bob Schieffer. Unlike Tom Brokaw, who came off petulant and prissy during the last debate, Schieffer breezed through, asking interesting questions that sparked lively debate while keep the training running on time.

Obama largely stuck to the "West Side Story" play book by humming "boy, boy, crazy boy, stay cool boy" in his head for 90 minutes no matter what flapdoodle came out of McCain's mouth. That is an amazing talent of his. Plus, McCain heartily took the negative campaigning bait and did what the Republican base wanted him to do, but once again forgot all about the voters in the middle. The one's who may have taken offense to him using "air quotes" when saying the word "health" in reference to abortion rights. Claiming health was an over used argument when the whole abortion debate is about health -- health of the mother and health of the fetus.

Seriously. What was he talking about? Did he really go there? But I guess if you're going to blow through the last debate, knowing that in all likelihood no matter what you say it won't move the needle, why not act a damn fool? Sure, it's about two debates too late. McCain does everything two or three moves to late. If he were boxing his own shadow (which he does at times), his shadow kicks his ass somedays.

Obama had opportunities to open up on McCain and probably would have if he weren't sitting on a lead he didn't want to blow. Obama didn't have to do anything but keep from uttering a major gaff, or stuttering too much (which he did do at times). Other than that, if we're grading the debate based on who accomplished their mission, the obvious winner is Obama. McCain threw everything, including the William Ayers sink at Obama and he just shined on through.

It's "Groundhog Day" for John McCain. Every debate was "Grondhog Day." It's deja vu all over again.

Side note: More on Michelle and her dress later (and me getting um ... a little tired of the pins). More pictures. Updates will be late today!

The Battle of New York

Hempstead, NY here we go!

Wednesday night is the last night for the presidential debates. This is it. No mas. Decision time!

Of course, I made my decision during the primaries, but for some reason there are people who still don't know who to vote for. (Really? The campaign's been going on for almost two years and they agree on almost NOTHING!) And I hope those people don't expect tons of substance at a debate. A debate is theater. It's about posturing, body language and communicating your message. It's about not looking inept or ignorant or mean or unseemly.

Neither Barack Obama or John McCain are good debaters. Mad Dog Joe Biden could eat them both alive with his quick loquaciousness. But Obama has improved vastly since last summer and is obviously the better of the two top candidates when it comes to:

A) Not looking angry
B) Not coming off like a douche
C) Not getting off message

He's still "no drama, Obama." McCain is still the McManiac, McManiac on the debate floor! And his rambling like he's never rambled before! McCain, behind in the polls with pretty much nothing to lose, claims he's going to bring the fight to Obama.

Really? Is this debate going to be like Pickett's Last Charge? What is he going to do that he didn't do blandly in the first two debates? The William Ayers stuff isn't working because, as Jon Stewart so aptly put it Tuesday night, the monster of fear and anger McCain has created became a public relations nightmare with Civil Rights activist and House Rep. John Lewis accusing him of reaching back into the archives and remixing Gov. George Wallace's greatest hits. (Segregation now! Segregation today! Segregation forever!)

That was a low blow, but not really far off. McCain-Palin was really pushing the Rice Krispies end of the conservative continuum and they were ready to snap, crackle and pop all over his campaign.

Things will likely go smoothly and unless McCain goes feral (which he can't do because going feral didn't help on the stump). Despite his declarations to "fight" it should be another tepid debate with a slightly more congenial and lively moderator (Bob Schieffer of CBS). There will be some verbal sparring, but I don't see McCain landing the heavy blow he's looking for. How do you box a shadow? Obama somehow has mastered the art of debating zen -- I am rubber, you are glue. Whatever you say to me bounces off and sticks to you.

That said, Black and Married With Kids is throwing other black bloggers live blogging debate night! To join in the fun click here.