theroot--2020-05-22--To Navigate Your Mental Wellbeing, You Need to Use Your Body

During a pandemic , your body is the biggest thing there is .
I live in New York , a city where , under pre-pandemic circumstances , you can feel everything and nothing at once .
But since the first coronavirus case was confirmed here , my life , like the lives of many others , has been contained , no longer ping-ponging from one address to the next ( a last-minute happy hour , the train station , my boyfriend ’ s place , my workplace ) , but stationary .
Each day is stunningly , sometimes achingly similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burn brighter than ever .
This is a collective struggle .
We are all , in some way , deeply aware of our bodies and the bodies of others—their health , their value , their proximity to harm .
The crisis has put a spotlight on our bodies : right now , there is no more important landscape to maneuver , to understand .
This is true not only with regard to physical health , but mental health—though many are either unaware of , or don ’ t know how to apply , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my mental health feels disorienting and overwhelming : I feel mostly fine , then feel inexplicable flashes of rage , numbness , or brain fog .
The morning brings anxiety , while the afternoon may lead me into a mild , depressive funk .
Like many people , I will diminish or brush past the worst of my moods , eager to move on from them .
When people inquire how I ’ m doing , I say I ’ m taking it “ day by day , ” which is another way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and anxious about what each day might bring .
Sometimes , it brings nothing .
Other times , I feel so heavy with despair I can ’ t get myself out of bed .
I say this knowing I ’ m one of the lucky ones .
I feel impossibly lucky to still be working , even if the stories I cover often leave me feeling depleted and hopeless .
I still laugh and share memes .
Still find so many little joys : the sizzle of longganisa sausage in a pan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from an old gelato container on the window .
I tell myself everything is okay until my body says otherwise : the indigestion that ’ s lingered for weeks ( despite no changes to my diet ) ; the nights where my body just gives out at 6 pm , my body overwhelmed in a way my mind refuses to acknowledge .
The quickened breath and shivering that accompanies an anxiety attack .
I can lie all day about how fine I feel ; my body can ’ t .
The reality of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is following it , means that we will collectively cycle through these feelings of anxiety and depression for months to come .
Even if there were a vaccine available tomorrow , people would still need time to recover from the massive disruption that the coronavirus has wrought .
With so many people simultaneously working through the same feelings , it ’ s more important than ever to not only develop a vocabulary for what we ’ re experiencing , but to apply that language to our bodies ; to listen to what our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel , and what we need .
Anxiety and depression are ubiquitous feelings right now because we are in the middle of a major global disruption , the scale of which we still don ’ t fully comprehend .
But that ubiquity can also mean a lack of clarity : Is it anxiety that ’ s gripping you today ?
Or burnout ?
Or depression ?
I spoke to a longtime friend , mental wellness advocate and therapist Jor-El Caraballo about the difference between chronic stress , anxiety and depression to gain a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a difference between experiencing anxiety , experiencing depression , and having a clinical condition , ” he told me .
“ We can cycle through tiers of anxiety throughout the day , and depression throughout the day .
Whereas when you talk about it from a clinical standpoint , it ’ s actually a sort of ongoing disruptive experience .
It just gets in the way of functioning over a certain period of time.
” He and other therapists typically draw that line at a minimum of two weeks , but the degree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he says .
Stress , on the other hand , is more neutral in nature and concerns your body ’ s response to external stimuli .
But the key to understanding anxiety and depression is knowing that they ’ re not binary options .
They are conditions that exist on a continuum : depression , for instance , could manifest as an overwhelming , inescapable sense of sadness , or as numbness ( the intensity , in either case , can vary ) .
The latter , by its very nature , can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why recognizing how these conditions show up in your body is key .
The relationship between the mind and body has been well documented across cultures and time periods , but there is particular interest lately in the body ’ s relationship to chronic stress and trauma .
An array of recent pop psychology books have pushed this research to the fore , including Bessel van der Kolk ’ s book , The Body Keeps the Score : Brain , Mind , and Body in the Healing of Trauma .
The New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kolk ’ s extensive research into how trauma shapes the body and mind to argue that trauma is a public health issue .
With his clients , Caraballo prioritizes developing a language for what they ’ re feeling but also calls them to pay attention to where they ’ re feeling these emotions in order to help them establish a connection between their mental health and physical wellness .
“ These things are inextricably linked , ” Caraballo said .
“ Generally , we don ’ t know our bodies well enough , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connect them , connect sensations or internal physical feelings to emotion is a real special skill that we ’ re rarely ever taught.
” One exercise he takes them through is body mapping—identifying where certain emotions live in the body .
When you feel distressed or anxious , do you start picking at your hands or biting your nails ?
Do you develop tension headaches ?
Where would you map shame in your body , or loneliness ?
He uses his patient ’ s answers to help them connect the dots between physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them identify cues for when they ’ re feeling unhappy , worried , secure , or comfortable .
I know how easy it is to overlook these cues .
Near the start of the pandemic , I had an anxiety attack triggered by a tense exchange at work .
I didn ’ t realize what was happening at first because it was a feeling that had become relatively familiar over the previous six months .
I read the same sentence on my laptop over and over for hours , my heart racing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The frustration spiraled into panic .
It wasn ’ t until I felt myself shivering that I finally understood what was happening .
I wasn ’ t just frustrated or upset : this was an anxiety attack .
In hindsight , my body had been warning me that I was burnt out for a long time .
For months , I endured these attacks , as well as waves of fatigue that would hit me at random times during the day ; brain fog that made it hard to concentrate for even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; erratic sleep ; a once-strong stomach that would be irritable for days on end .
I somehow didn ’ t connect any of this to what I was going through for the bulk of 2019—easily one of the most challenging years I ’ d ever experienced .
In the spring , I had one final confrontation with a stalker who had been showing up at my apartment for months .
Weeks later , I would learn that I had the BRCA gene—a mutation that greatly increases the risk of developing breast , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only did my body feel like a time bomb , but I would have to start planning interventions—preventative mastectomies , the removal of my ovaries—I never imagined I would have to undergo .
Uncertainty and tension at my workplace loomed large , a fact that is unfortunately not unique among digital media companies but has been both intense and prolonged .
Then , in the fall , a legal fight with a delinquent roommate over my apartment left me out of my home for several months , accruing debt as my family and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rent in a three-bedroom apartment I didn ’ t feel safe enough to enter .
How could I not notice how wearing all these disruptions were , or the toll they were taking on me ?
There was so much to manage , so much to solve day-to-day , that I often didn ’ t recognize the fog as it came and went .
Then , as now , I still knew to feel grateful : I was lucky to have friends offering up places to stay , lucky to have a supportive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who could help support me financially for a brief period , even as I simultaneously felt shame for having to ask for it in the first place .
I had the resources to fight these battles , and I was desperate to prove I could fight them and still be a reliable , productive writer .
I also felt eerily normal a lot of the time .
Some of this is my hardwired response to crises—I don ’ t lash out or get worked up , but instead think in terms of lists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the issue , and how do we fix it ?
This gave me the deceptive veneer of competence .
I could hold my own in meetings , conduct interviews , discuss story angles and talk through problems .
And I had been through periods of depression before , bouts that felt intense and undeniable .
This was different—more shadowy and erratic .
Surges of adrenaline that would give way to oppressive , all-encompassing exhaustion .
More than once during the fall of 2019 , I would stand on the subway platform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into its path .
These were deeply abstract fantasies : I knew I didn ’ t want to die , but I just wanted to have a moment where I could stop worrying .
I wanted to , just for a second , feel the relief of feeling nothing at all .
The thought would pass , and I would get on the train , same as normal , the gravity of my to-do list pulling me through the day .
During that time , I lived so fully in my own head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disappeared .
It took me until very recently to come to terms with how bad things had gotten for me .
Those weren ’ t idle fantasies , those were suicidal fantasies .
I was in deep trouble , but through the busy-ness of my days , I didn ’ t even recognize it .
When I told Caraballo about this , he was gentle and measured in his response .
“ Suicidal thoughts and fantasies are far more common than people think , ” he said .
“ The function of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of people , they don ’ t like to think of themselves as someone who would consider suicide or think of it.
” He pointed out that the stakes for this were also higher for marginalized groups , particularly for black people , in a way that discourages them from being honest about their mental health .
“ There are very real implications of identifying yourself as a suicidal person or a person who ’ s thought about suicide , both in terms of career and socially , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a step further , you think about how black and brown bodies are treated by the medical system .
There ’ s so much mistreatment in our hospital system.
” He adds that people of color can also internalize the message that as long as you ’ re being perceived as strong as capable—as long as you have a job , for instance , or you ’ re functioning day-to-day—that you can ’ t be depressed and therefore , don ’ t need help .
Having these experiences before the pandemic and coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manage my mental health more effectively through weeks of quarantine .
I ’ ve accepted that I can be an unreliable evaluator when it comes to my emotional wellbeing : I will always want to say that I ’ m okay , I will always want to deflect worry .
But paying attention to my body and its responses have provided valuable signposts , particularly in my breathing and sleeping patterns .
When I find myself completely tapped out as soon as the workday ends ; when I ’ m continuously slammed with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 or more hours , I know that means my body is demanding I slow down and recuperate .
And not in a few weeks—but now .
All of this is important to managing mental health , and again , it ’ s important to acknowledge we don ’ t all have equal opportunity or access to do so .
But we also have to separate management from healing—particularly in the case of trauma , burnout , or accumulated stress .
Often , Caraballo told me , we can confuse moving past an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he says , is usually the result of having processed your experience—and that can not happen in isolation .
It will require assessing the impact of an event honestly , integrating the experience , and making a conscious decision to move forward .
“ This is , I think , a collective depression that we ’ re all experiencing , ” he said , noting that there will “ definitely ” be more people now at risk of developing clinical depression because of the pandemic .
He ’ s unsure of what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S.—there is a great urgency to understand mental health issues , as well as a need for greater access to care and workplace policies , like paid time off , that let employees prioritize mental health .
But on an individual level , awareness is one of the best tools a person can have in managing their wellbeing day-to-day .
Caraballo suggests taking small steps to be more conscious about your body throughout the day , like using bathroom breaks to check in and notice how your body is feeling , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming up .
Tracking those nuances and differences as they arise throughout the day can allow you to give a more honest assessment of your wellness , he says , but you have to be willing to be vulnerable .
“ I just go back to this pressure to be seen as this pulled together , strong , unwavering kind of person , ” he said .
“ And I think if we can allow ourselves the freedom to be more than that , then we can really do what we need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Focusing on my body has allowed me to be softer and gentler towards myself , especially when sickness and death dominate the news cycle .
It allows me to feel gratitude for its relative health .
It allows me to listen , rather than berate myself .
It allows me to be flexible : today was a good day , tomorrow may not be .
Even with isolation protocols , my freest moments are still available to me : the moments I get to close my eyes , scan myself from the edges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my head , and let my anxieties lift for a moment , like a balloon rising off into the sky .
The moment I allow myself to just be a body : whole , complex , worthy of my care , worthy of rest .
If you or someone you know is in a crisis , call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline ( Lifeline ) at 1-800-273-TALK ( 8255 ) , or text the Crisis Text Line ( text HELLO to 741741 ) .
Both services are free and available 24 hours a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For more information on mental health conditions , visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness .

During a pandemic, your body is the biggest thing there is.
I live in New York, a city where, under pre-pandemic circumstances, you can feel everything and nothing at once. But since the first coronavirus case was confirmed here, my life, like the lives of many others, has been contained, no longer ping-ponging from one address to the next (a last-minute happy hour, the train station, my boyfriend’s place, my workplace), but stationary.
Each day is stunningly, sometimes achingly similar, its dullness offsetting shifting moods that burn brighter than ever. This is a collective struggle. We are all, in some way, deeply aware of our bodies and the bodies of others—their health, their value, their proximity to harm. The crisis has put a spotlight on our bodies: right now, there is no more important landscape to maneuver, to understand.
Advertisement
This is true not only with regard to physical health, but mental health—though many are either unaware of, or don’t know how to apply, those connections. Speaking personally, assessing my mental health feels disorienting and overwhelming: I feel mostly fine, then feel inexplicable flashes of rage, numbness, or brain fog. The morning brings anxiety, while the afternoon may lead me into a mild, depressive funk. Like many people, I will diminish or brush past the worst of my moods, eager to move on from them. When people inquire how I’m doing, I say I’m taking it “day by day,” which is another way to say that I’m scared—uncertain and anxious about what each day might bring. Sometimes, it brings nothing. Other times, I feel so heavy with despair I can’t get myself out of bed.
I say this knowing I’m one of the lucky ones. I feel impossibly lucky to still be working, even if the stories I cover often leave me feeling depleted and hopeless. I still laugh and share memes. Still find so many little joys: the sizzle of longganisa sausage in a pan, the tall stalks of green onions growing from an old gelato container on the window. I tell myself everything is okay until my body says otherwise: the indigestion that’s lingered for weeks (despite no changes to my diet); the nights where my body just gives out at 6 pm, my body overwhelmed in a way my mind refuses to acknowledge . The quickened breath and shivering that accompanies an anxiety attack. I can lie all day about how fine I feel; my body can’t.
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The reality of the pandemic, and the recession that is following it, means that we will collectively cycle through these feelings of anxiety and depression for months to come. Even if there were a vaccine available tomorrow, people would still need time to recover from the massive disruption that the coronavirus has wrought.
With so many people simultaneously working through the same feelings, it’s more important than ever to not only develop a vocabulary for what we’re experiencing, but to apply that language to our bodies; to listen to what our bodies have to say about how we feel, and what we need.
Advertisement
Anxiety and depression are ubiquitous feelings right now because we are in the middle of a major global disruption, the scale of which we still don’t fully comprehend. But that ubiquity can also mean a lack of clarity: Is it anxiety that’s gripping you today? Or burnout? Or depression?
I spoke to a longtime friend, mental wellness advocate and therapist Jor-El Caraballo about the difference between chronic stress, anxiety and depression to gain a little clarity.
Advertisement
“There’s a difference between experiencing anxiety, experiencing depression, and having a clinical condition,” he told me. “We can cycle through tiers of anxiety throughout the day, and depression throughout the day. Whereas when you talk about it from a clinical standpoint, it’s actually a sort of ongoing disruptive experience. It just gets in the way of functioning over a certain period of time.”
He and other therapists typically draw that line at a minimum of two weeks, but the degree of the disruption is also key, he says. Stress, on the other hand, is more neutral in nature and concerns your body’s response to external stimuli.
Advertisement
But the key to understanding anxiety and depression is knowing that they’re not binary options. They are conditions that exist on a continuum: depression, for instance, could manifest as an overwhelming, inescapable sense of sadness, or as numbness (the intensity, in either case, can vary). The latter, by its very nature, can be harder to monitor, which is why recognizing how these conditions show up in your body is key.
The relationship between the mind and body has been well documented across cultures and time periods, but there is particular interest lately in the body’s relationship to chronic stress and trauma. An array of recent pop psychology books have pushed this research to the fore, including Bessel van der Kolk’s book, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. The New York Times bestseller draws upon Dr. Van der Kolk’s extensive research into how trauma shapes the body and mind to argue that trauma is a public health issue.
Advertisement
With his clients, Caraballo prioritizes developing a language for what they’re feeling but also calls them to pay attention to where they’re feeling these emotions in order to help them establish a connection between their mental health and physical wellness.
“These things are inextricably linked,” Caraballo said. “Generally, we don’t know our bodies well enough, just period. And being able to connect them, connect sensations or internal physical feelings to emotion is a real special skill that we’re rarely ever taught.”
Advertisement
One exercise he takes them through is body mapping—identifying where certain emotions live in the body. When you feel distressed or anxious, do you start picking at your hands or biting your nails? Do you develop tension headaches? Where would you map shame in your body, or loneliness?
He uses his patient’s answers to help them connect the dots between physical sensations and more cerebral feelings, helping them identify cues for when they’re feeling unhappy, worried, secure, or comfortable.
Advertisement
I know how easy it is to overlook these cues.
Near the start of the pandemic, I had an anxiety attack triggered by a tense exchange at work. I didn’t realize what was happening at first because it was a feeling that had become relatively familiar over the previous six months. I read the same sentence on my laptop over and over for hours, my heart racing, fighting back tears and waves of anger. The frustration spiraled into panic. It wasn’t until I felt myself shivering that I finally understood what was happening. I wasn’t just frustrated or upset: this was an anxiety attack.
Advertisement
In hindsight, my body had been warning me that I was burnt out for a long time. For months, I endured these attacks, as well as waves of fatigue that would hit me at random times during the day; brain fog that made it hard to concentrate for even short periods of time; weight gains; erratic sleep; a once-strong stomach that would be irritable for days on end. I somehow didn’t connect any of this to what I was going through for the bulk of 2019—easily one of the most challenging years I’d ever experienced.
In the spring, I had one final confrontation with a stalker who had been showing up at my apartment for months. Weeks later, I would learn that I had the BRCA gene—a mutation that greatly increases the risk of developing breast, skin, and ovarian cancers. Not only did my body feel like a time bomb, but I would have to start planning interventions—preventative mastectomies, the removal of my ovaries—I never imagined I would have to undergo. Uncertainty and tension at my workplace loomed large, a fact that is unfortunately not unique among digital media companies but has been both intense and prolonged. Then, in the fall, a legal fight with a delinquent roommate over my apartment left me out of my home for several months, accruing debt as my family and I were forced to pay all the rent in a three-bedroom apartment I didn’t feel safe enough to enter.
Advertisement
How could I not notice how wearing all these disruptions were, or the toll they were taking on me? There was so much to manage, so much to solve day-to-day, that I often didn’t recognize the fog as it came and went. Then, as now, I still knew to feel grateful: I was lucky to have friends offering up places to stay, lucky to have a supportive boss, lucky to have a family who could help support me financially for a brief period, even as I simultaneously felt shame for having to ask for it in the first place. I had the resources to fight these battles, and I was desperate to prove I could fight them and still be a reliable, productive writer.
I also felt eerily normal a lot of the time. Some of this is my hardwired response to crises—I don’t lash out or get worked up, but instead think in terms of lists, next steps and assignments: What’s the issue, and how do we fix it? This gave me the deceptive veneer of competence. I could hold my own in meetings, conduct interviews, discuss story angles and talk through problems. And I had been through periods of depression before, bouts that felt intense and undeniable. This was different—more shadowy and erratic. Surges of adrenaline that would give way to oppressive, all-encompassing exhaustion.
Advertisement
More than once during the fall of 2019, I would stand on the subway platform as a train approached and imagine walking into its path. These were deeply abstract fantasies: I knew I didn’t want to die, but I just wanted to have a moment where I could stop worrying. I wanted to, just for a second, feel the relief of feeling nothing at all.
The thought would pass, and I would get on the train, same as normal, the gravity of my to-do list pulling me through the day. During that time, I lived so fully in my own head, my body might as well have disappeared. It took me until very recently to come to terms with how bad things had gotten for me. Those weren’t idle fantasies, those were suicidal fantasies. I was in deep trouble, but through the busy-ness of my days, I didn’t even recognize it.
Advertisement
When I told Caraballo about this, he was gentle and measured in his response.
“Suicidal thoughts and fantasies are far more common than people think,” he said. “The function of the ego is protection. And for a lot of people, they don’t like to think of themselves as someone who would consider suicide or think of it.”
Advertisement
He pointed out that the stakes for this were also higher for marginalized groups, particularly for black people, in a way that discourages them from being honest about their mental health.
“There are very real implications of identifying yourself as a suicidal person or a person who’s thought about suicide, both in terms of career and socially,” he said. “If you want to take that a step further, you think about how black and brown bodies are treated by the medical system. There’s so much mistreatment in our hospital system.”
Advertisement
He adds that people of color can also internalize the message that as long as you’re being perceived as strong as capable—as long as you have a job, for instance, or you’re functioning day-to-day—that you can’t be depressed and therefore, don’t need help.
“I just go back to this pressure to be seen as this pulled together, strong, unwavering kind of person. And I think if we can allow ourselves the freedom to be more than that, then we can really do what we need to to take better care of ourselves.”
Advertisement
Having these experiences before the pandemic and coming to terms with them have helped me manage my mental health more effectively through weeks of quarantine. I’ve accepted that I can be an unreliable evaluator when it comes to my emotional wellbeing: I will always want to say that I’m okay, I will always want to deflect worry. But paying attention to my body and its responses have provided valuable signposts, particularly in my breathing and sleeping patterns. When I find myself completely tapped out as soon as the workday ends; when I’m continuously slammed with an overwhelming urge to sleep that lasts 12 or more hours, I know that means my body is demanding I slow down and recuperate. And not in a few weeks—but now.
All of this is important to managing mental health, and again, it’s important to acknowledge we don’t all have equal opportunity or access to do so. But we also have to separate management from healing—particularly in the case of trauma, burnout, or accumulated stress.
Advertisement
Often, Caraballo told me, we can confuse moving past an event with recovery; but healing, he says, is usually the result of having processed your experience—and that cannot happen in isolation. It will require assessing the impact of an event honestly, integrating the experience, and making a conscious decision to move forward.
“This is, I think, a collective depression that we’re all experiencing,” he said, noting that there will “definitely” be more people now at risk of developing clinical depression because of the pandemic.
Advertisement
He’s unsure of what the path forward will actually look like for the U.S.—there is a great urgency to understand mental health issues, as well as a need for greater access to care and workplace policies, like paid time off, that let employees prioritize mental health. But on an individual level, awareness is one of the best tools a person can have in managing their wellbeing day-to-day. Caraballo suggests taking small steps to be more conscious about your body throughout the day, like using bathroom breaks to check in and notice how your body is feeling, as well as what emotions or thoughts are coming up. Tracking those nuances and differences as they arise throughout the day can allow you to give a more honest assessment of your wellness, he says, but you have to be willing to be vulnerable.
“I just go back to this pressure to be seen as this pulled together, strong, unwavering kind of person,” he said. “And I think if we can allow ourselves the freedom to be more than that, then we can really do what we need to to take better care of ourselves.”
Advertisement
Focusing on my body has allowed me to be softer and gentler towards myself, especially when sickness and death dominate the news cycle. It allows me to feel gratitude for its relative health. It allows me to listen, rather than berate myself. It allows me to be flexible: today was a good day, tomorrow may not be. Even with isolation protocols, my freest moments are still available to me: the moments I get to close my eyes, scan myself from the edges of my feet to the curve of my head, and let my anxieties lift for a moment, like a balloon rising off into the sky. The moment I allow myself to just be a body: whole, complex, worthy of my care, worthy of rest.
If you or someone you know is in a crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information on mental health conditions, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness.


theroot--2020-05-22--We Need to Talk About Joe Biden’s The Breakfast Club Interview

This year ’ s election is going to be tough and it shouldn ’ t be , but now I ’ m fully accepting that America is either voting for a Russian-loving , sun-beaten orange Skittle or a soggy white sock with a black stripe and a Southern old white man blaccent .
Let me start this by saying I ’ m voting for Joe Biden .
Full stop .
Let me also add that you should vote for Joe Biden .
Let me also add that if a hat were found in the woods and that hat was running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sign outside my house that read : “ Homeless Hat in 2020 !
” See , my biggest problem with Joe Biden is well , Joe Biden .
He ’ s the old white guy at the job who always wants to talk with you about basketball or hip-hop to prove that he ’ s not like the other white guys who mistake you for the valet .
The problem is that all of his conversations about Jay-Z and whether Bradley Beal is getting traded are supposed to make him endearing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that right .
Maybe it ’ s because Biden still believes in democracy .
He still believes he ’ s fighting a fair fight .
Biden still believes that he can rally up the votes to beat President Bane in an election he ’ s trying to steal !
Currently , the president of people who enjoy videotaping themselves being thrown out of stores for not wearing masks , is rallying his base to believe that mail-in voting is akin to voter fraud .
And Joe Biden is supposed to save all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t Batman ; he ’ s more like an overly aggressive Alfred .
This could all be so easy .
All Biden has to do is announce that his running mate is a black woman and then get out of her way .
We know who Joe is and nothing he ’ s doing is making it better ; in fact , he ’ s only making things worse .
On Friday , Biden made a virtual appearance on The Breakfast Club in which he was interviewed by Charlamagne Tha God , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cringe-inducing shit I ’ ve seen in some time .
First , he keeps calling Charlamagne , “ man.
” This is Biden ’ s version of a blaccent .
This is the thing he ’ s doing to make himself cool and hip to the young black community .
Imagine a white guy calling you his main man ; that ’ s the way Biden says it .
Except , he doesn ’ t realize he ’ s playing himself and the community he ’ s supposed to be reaching out to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this .
This is a thing that out-of-touch white politicians do all the time .
I call it the Love Don ’ t Co $ t a Thing move .
It goes like this : Can ’ t Buy Me Love is a teen romantic comedy that premiered in 1987 .
It ’ s an underrated classic that centers around a geeky kid using his savings to pay a cheerleader to help him be cool .
When Hollywood wanted to re-create the success of Can ’ t Buy Me Love , they went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ star in a remake called Love Don ’ t Co $ t a Thing .
Two things are wrong with this idea : The first is that black audiences didn ’ t like the original movie .
The second is that in order to get black audiences to come out , the studio had to hip-hop the title up a bit with that dollar sign for an “ s. ” What the studio didn ’ t realize and what Biden doesn ’ t realize is doing that is degrading and shows just how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community they ’ re trying to reach .
You don ’ t endear yourself to black people by trying to talk the way you believe they do .
You endear yourself to black people—hell , all people—by being genuine .
Imagine if Obama went on Ryan Seacrest ’ s show and started calling him “ dude ” after every sentence .
What the fuck is Biden even talking about ?
When talking about something—hell , even I forget now because Biden went off on a goddamn tangent—he noted that Trump is like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ con .
He claimed that the work is to figure out that you ’ re being conned and then there is no illusion .
“ Let me tell you something , my community figured it out a while ago , ” Biden said .
I don ’ t know who Biden ’ s community is .
Is he talking about the community of old , white rich men ?
Is he talking about Democrats ?
Is he talking about his neighbors in Scranton , Pa. ?
Who is this community he speaks of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden noted that had Trump listened to him and others and responded sooner to the COVID -19 warnings , there wouldn ’ t have been 36,000 people “ Dead .
Dead .
Dead .
And you guys are wondering what he ’ s doing ?
Come on , man .
Get a life .
Get a life.
” Umm , huh ?
Again , who are “ you guys ” ?
Seriously , who are the “ you guys that are wondering what he ’ s doing ” ?
Is anyone wondering what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wondering WTF Joe Biden is doing .
I don ’ t know how I feel about a white man and a manifesto , but Biden has one and it sounds promising , I guess .
Biden mentioned said manifesto after Charlamagne pressed him on his reluctance to admit to his role in locking black folks up .
Biden started rambling but nothing he said sounded like , “ I ’ m sorry.
” The New York Times did a whole piece on how Biden ’ s been trying to downplay his role in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
Biden ’ s history of working with segregationists on major crime bills is extensive , but no matter what he says now , just remember that this was his boast on the Senate floor : You can read the whole piece here .
So what about Amy “ I once ate a salad with a comb ” Klobuchar being vetted for VP ?
“ I ’ m not acknowledging anybody who is being considered , but I guarantee you , there are multiple black women being considered .
Multiple , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Listen , you ’ ve got to come see us when you come to New York , VP Biden , ” Charlamagne said .
“ It ’ s a long way until November .
We ’ ve got more questions.
” “ You ’ ve got more questions ?
” Biden replied .
“ Well , I tell you what , if you have a problem figuring out whether you ’ re for me or Trump , then you ain ’ t black.
” I can ’ t with this nigga .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more I try , the more he just does this .
He even made Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham stand up for black people .
It might be time for Symone Sanders to take Biden behind the bleachers and fuck him up .
Still , I say : Vote soggy sweat sock in 2020 .
That ’ s about the best I can do .

This year’s election is going to be tough and it shouldn’t be, but now I’m fully accepting that America is either voting for a Russian-loving, sun-beaten orange Skittle or a soggy white sock with a black stripe and a Southern old white man blaccent.
Let me start this by saying I’m voting for Joe Biden. Full stop.
Let me also add that you should vote for Joe Biden.
Let me also add that if a hat were found in the woods and that hat was running against President Trump, I would have a sign outside my house that read: “Homeless Hat in 2020!”
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See, my biggest problem with Joe Biden is well, Joe Biden. He’s the old white guy at the job who always wants to talk with you about basketball or hip-hop to prove that he’s not like the other white guys who mistake you for the valet. The problem is that all of his conversations about Jay-Z and whether Bradley Beal is getting traded are supposed to make him endearing, but he can’t even do that right.
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Maybe it’s because Biden still believes in democracy. He still believes he’s fighting a fair fight. Biden still believes that he can rally up the votes to beat President Bane in an election he’s trying to steal! Currently, the president of people who enjoy videotaping themselves being thrown out of stores for not wearing masks, is rallying his base to believe that mail-in voting is akin to voter fraud.
And Joe Biden is supposed to save all of Gotham, except Joe Biden isn’t Batman; he’s more like an overly aggressive Alfred.
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This could all be so easy. All Biden has to do is announce that his running mate is a black woman and then get out of her way. We know who Joe is and nothing he’s doing is making it better; in fact, he’s only making things worse.
On Friday, Biden made a virtual appearance on The Breakfast Club in which he was interviewed by Charlamagne Tha God, and it might’ve been the most cringe-inducing shit I’ve seen in some time.
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First, he keeps calling Charlamagne, “man.”
“I’m following the rules, man.”
“Totally different, man.”
This is Biden’s version of a blaccent. This is the thing he’s doing to make himself cool and hip to the young black community. Imagine a white guy calling you his main man; that’s the way Biden says it. Except, he doesn’t realize he’s playing himself and the community he’s supposed to be reaching out to. Biden isn’t alone in this.
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This is a thing that out-of-touch white politicians do all the time. I call it the Love Don’t Co$t a Thing move. It goes like this: Can’t Buy Me Love is a teen romantic comedy that premiered in 1987. It’s an underrated classic that centers around a geeky kid using his savings to pay a cheerleader to help him be cool. When Hollywood wanted to re-create the success of Can’t Buy Me Love, they went and grabbed a young Nick Cannon to star in a remake called Love Don’t Co$t a Thing. Two things are wrong with this idea: The first is that black audiences didn’t like the original movie. The second is that in order to get black audiences to come out, the studio had to hip-hop the title up a bit with that dollar sign for an “s.” What the studio didn’t realize and what Biden doesn’t realize is doing that is degrading and shows just how out of touch they are with the community they’re trying to reach.
You don’t endear yourself to black people by trying to talk the way you believe they do. You endear yourself to black people—hell, all people—by being genuine. Imagine if Obama went on Ryan Seacrest’s show and started calling him “dude” after every sentence.
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“See how fucking stupid that sounds, dude?”
What the fuck is Biden even talking about?
When talking about something—hell, even I forget now because Biden went off on a goddamn tangent—he noted that Trump is like a carnival act who’s running a con. He claimed that the work is to figure out that you’re being conned and then there is no illusion.
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“Let me tell you something, my community figured it out a while ago,” Biden said.
I don’t know who Biden’s community is. Is he talking about the community of old, white rich men? Is he talking about Democrats? Is he talking about his neighbors in Scranton, Pa.? Who is this community he speaks of?
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In the same rambling sequence, Biden noted that had Trump listened to him and others and responded sooner to the COVID -19 warnings, there wouldn’t have been 36,000 people “Dead. Dead. Dead. And you guys are wondering what he’s doing? Come on, man. Get a life. Get a life.”
Umm, huh? Again, who are “you guys”? Seriously, who are the “you guys that are wondering what he’s doing”? Is anyone wondering what Trump is doing? I’m wondering WTF Joe Biden is doing.
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Biden has a manifesto for black America.
I don’t know how I feel about a white man and a manifesto, but Biden has one and it sounds promising, I guess. Biden mentioned said manifesto after Charlamagne pressed him on his reluctance to admit to his role in locking black folks up. Biden started rambling but nothing he said sounded like, “I’m sorry.”
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The New York Times did a whole piece on how Biden’s been trying to downplay his role in the mass incarceration of black and brown people. Biden’s history of working with segregationists on major crime bills is extensive, but no matter what he says now, just remember that this was his boast on the Senate floor:
“The truth is, every major crime bill since 1976 that’s come out of this Congress, every minor crime bill, has had the name of the Democratic senator from the State of Delaware: Joe Biden.”
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You can read the whole piece here.
So what about Amy “I once ate a salad with a comb” Klobuchar being vetted for VP?
“I’m not acknowledging anybody who is being considered, but I guarantee you, there are multiple black women being considered. Multiple,” Biden said, Politico reports.
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Also this:
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The Pièce de Résistance
“Listen, you’ve got to come see us when you come to New York, VP Biden,” Charlamagne said. “It’s a long way until November. We’ve got more questions.”
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“You’ve got more questions?” Biden replied. “Well, I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
I can’t with this nigga. I can’t. I mean the more I try, the more he just does this. He even made Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham stand up for black people.
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It might be time for Symone Sanders to take Biden behind the bleachers and fuck him up.
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Still, I say: Vote soggy sweat sock in 2020. That’s about the best I can do.


theroot--2020-05-22--NBA Expected to Announce Details on Its Return on June 1

With each passing day , it ’ s looking more and more likely that NBA basketball is imminent .
As to when teams would be allowed to expand upon the individual workouts that in-market players are already participating in , an answer is expected around the same time .
Life hasn ’ t been the same since the NBA season was put on pause in March , but should the league resume , players could be subjected to a brief period of quarantine at a “ bubble location ” , followed by individual workouts at team facilities and a formal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the season resumes .
As we ’ ve recently reported , Orlando ’ s massive Walt Disney World Resort has emerged as the “ clear frontrunner ” for the NBA ’ s big comeback , due to its multiple basketball courts on-site , assortment of hotels , proximity to the Orlando Magic ’ s training facilities and “ immediate readiness for broadcasting.
” With safety a primary concern , it ’ s assumed that players and team staff wouldn ’ t be allowed to interact with the outside world until the season is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has dismissed that as a “ misconception.
” “ You will be allowed to leave , ” he told reporters Wednesday during a video conference call .
“ If you come back with corona , you can ’ t play .
[ ... ] There would be added pressure not to potentially leave so you don ’ t get the COVID-19.
” He continued , “ [ LeBron ] , [ Anthony Davis ] and all the top guys we have , we ’ ll be wrapping them in a bubble and not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll have that be a team rule .
Now , it won ’ t be a league , an NBA rule , but you ’ d want to say , ‘ Listen , guys , we ’ ve come too far .
We ’ re going to put our family on hold.
’ ” It ’ s a difficult position to be in as a player , but to Dudley , the sacrifice is part of being a professional athlete .
“ That ’ s where the responsibility comes for us , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s out of our realm , in the sense of , ‘ Hey , we got to stay within the bubble .
Let ’ s do this .
We got to stay isolated .
It ’ s going to be hard for two months , but it ’ s something we have to sacrifice.
’ ” Let me go circle June 1 on my calendar right now and keep my fingers crossed that we ’ ll finally get an answer on the NBA ’ s return .

With each passing day, it’s looking more and more likely that NBA basketball is imminent.
From ESPN:
NBA teams are expecting the league office will issue guidelines around June 1 that will allow franchises to start recalling players who’ve left their markets as a first step toward a formal ramp-up for the season’s resumption, sources told ESPN.
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As to when teams would be allowed to expand upon the individual workouts that in-market players are already participating in, an answer is expected around the same time.
Life hasn’t been the same since the NBA season was put on pause in March, but should the league resume, players could be subjected to a brief period of quarantine at a “bubble location”, followed by individual workouts at team facilities and a formal two to three-week week training camp before the season resumes.
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As we’ve recently reported, Orlando’s massive Walt Disney World Resort has emerged as the “clear frontrunner” for the NBA’s big comeback, due to its multiple basketball courts on-site, assortment of hotels, proximity to the Orlando Magic’s training facilities and “immediate readiness for broadcasting.”
Advertisement
With safety a primary concern, it’s assumed that players and team staff wouldn’t be allowed to interact with the outside world until the season is over, but Lakers forward Jared Dudley has dismissed that as a “misconception.”
“You will be allowed to leave,” he told reporters Wednesday during a video conference call. “If you come back with corona, you can’t play. [...] There would be added pressure not to potentially leave so you don’t get the COVID-19.”
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He continued, “[LeBron], [Anthony Davis] and all the top guys we have, we’ll be wrapping them in a bubble and not letting them go anywhere. You’ll have that be a team rule. Now, it won’t be a league, an NBA rule, but you’d want to say, ‘Listen, guys, we’ve come too far. We’re going to put our family on hold.’”
It’s a difficult position to be in as a player, but to Dudley, the sacrifice is part of being a professional athlete.
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“That’s where the responsibility comes for us,” he said. “Sometimes it’s out of our realm, in the sense of, ‘Hey, we got to stay within the bubble. Let’s do this. We got to stay isolated. It’s going to be hard for two months, but it’s something we have to sacrifice.’”
Let me go circle June 1 on my calendar right now and keep my fingers crossed that we’ll finally get an answer on the NBA’s return.


theroot--2020-05-22--Donald Trump Is the Most Effective President Ever

When they retired from the slave trade , Isaac Franklin and John Armfield had amassed a fortune worth billions in today ’ s dollars by building a business that was essentially the Amazon of slave-selling .
They didn ’ t grow anything , nor did they participate in the t ransa tlantic slave trade .
The tycoons had a series of huge concentration camp-like pens and literal dungeons where they kept their human chattel , similar to Amazon warehouses .
They had “ headhunters ” who purchased their “ product ” from other slave owners and distributed the enslaved Africans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They maximized their profit by packing their human cargo onto ships like sardines for short journeys from Virginia to ports in the Deep South .
They made their property walk hundreds of miles in caravans .
They herded them into cages .
Because Franklin and Armfield were only temporary owners of what they called their “ merchandise , ” they were even crueler than men who were known as the evilest of slave masters .
They beat the men and joked about raping the women .
By the end of their careers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two of the richest men in the entire nation .
Perhaps no organization in history made more money selling slaves than the Franklin & Armfield firm .
They were diabolically depraved human beings who were known for their cruelty , their callous nature and their cold-heartedness .
But goddamned were they effective .
Donald Trump is a bumbling idiot who has failed at everything he has ever tried to do .
While he is known for his business acumen , he has filed for bankruptcy more times than Wesley Snipes , Blockbuster Video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Shake Weight , combined .
His presidency has been a dumpster fire fueled by extortion , ineptitude , racism and outright lies .
He has emboldened white supremacists , shredded the Constitution , subverted democracy , endangered the media , undermined congressional checks and balances and destroyed many American ’ s faith in the presidency .
But goddamned is he effective .
If someone invented a Terminator Robot with the express purpose of dismantling the foundation of the Constitution while safeguarding white supremacy ’ s 400-year championship streak , there would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first .
He is just the most blatant and the latest iteration in the evolution of presidential malfeasance .
Perhaps Richard Nixon would be the first-generation prototype that combined all the disparate racist and anti-democratic tactics employed by previous presidential administrations .
After all , it was Nixon who coalesced America ’ s discriminatory , underhanded strategies into a cohesive plan .
He wasn ’ t the first to weaponize the criminal justice system to use against black people .
Bu t , in 1971 , Nixon gave it a name that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : the “ war on drugs.
” He wasn ’ t the first to capitalize off of white Southerners ’ longing for slavery and Jim Crow , but he gave it a name : the “ Southern Strategy.
” He wasn ’ t the first to use racism as a dog whistle , but he perfected it for future Republicans by creating a policy-driven marketing strategy , as Lee Atwater described in 1980 : “ Reaganomics ” advanced that strategy by introducing trickle-down , supply-side economics as a political platform .
But even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people as “ welfare queens ” and cutting social programs as a way to reduce spending , he didn ’ t make his white supremacist agenda explicit .
He still distanced himself from the plot to trade weapons in exchange for crack cocaine to sprinkle through black communities .
Reagan was corrupt and evil but he kept it on the down-low for the sake of plausible deniability .
Even when Reagan ’ s successor , George H.W .
Bush , framed a black man so the president could display a bag of crack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems in “ the ghetto , ” Bush was careful to keep his anti-blackness to a high-pitched shriek that only white folks could hear .
Same thing with Bill Clinton ’ s mass incarceration and his approval of heavy-handed prison sentences for the crimes that black people commit .
George W. Bush ’ s Supreme Court-aided coup was a Constitutional travesty , but at least he used America ’ s highest court instead of Russian hackers .
Barack Obama wasn ’ t immune .
He also deported undocumented immigrants , appointed drug czars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with corporate oligarchs .
But there is one category where the Obama administration ranks as the worst of all time : Unlike every president since Richard Nixon , the Obama presidency was relatively free of an all-encompassing scandal .
( Unless you count conservatives ’ unproven wet-dream conspiracy theories about Hillary ’ s emails , Benghazi , tan suits or Barack and Michelle ’ s “ terrorist fist jab .
” ) And , although we might portray Donald Trump ’ s egregious disregard for truth , decorum and laws as a bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration is fulfilling the dreams of Republicans , ex-presidents and politicians who have long-wished someone would say “ to hell with America ” and go Rambo on the Constitution , protocol and their people who use washcloths on their legs .
Trump is just better at it .
When Trump jump started his presidential campaign by demonizing Mexicans , he was honoring the longstanding tradition of his party .
He simply tapped into a xenophobic ethos that allowed George W. Bush to start two wars , demonize Muslims and ramp up the drug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been bandied about by Republicans for years ; Trump just made it the center of his campaign strategy .
When Dick Cheney sees Trump using taxpayer dollars to bolster his resort businesses , I bet he is kicking himself for not just ignoring the emoluments clause and openly funneling business to Halliburton .
Remember all that time Mitt Romney spent hiding his tax returns ?
I bet he is somewhere screaming at his advisers : “ I could have just said ‘ no ’ ?
” When George W. Bush refused to speak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no idea he could have just told the nation ’ s oldest black civil rights organization that he thought there were some “ very good ” white supremacists .
Instead of creating the Willie Horton ad , the senior Bush could have just said that black people were broke , homeless criminals and asked America “ W hat do you have to lose ?
” Nixon could have avoided Watergate by defying Congress and hiding those infamous tapes .
Reagan could have declared executive privilege and stopped Oliver North from testifying about Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid off Monica Lewinsky and declared that special prosecutor Kenneth Star was perpetrating a hoax .
Obama could have saved a lot of money by doing nothing to fight Ebola .
Instead of acting quickly , helping the CDC create a test , closing schools and following the advice of scientists , Obama could have eliminated H1N1 by simply spreading misinformation .
Previous Republican efforts at voter suppression pale in comparison to Trump ’ s public threat to halt funding if governors didn ’ t do their best to stop people from voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kemp wishes he could get all that time back that he spent time rigging his race against Stacey Abrams .
Joe Brown , Greg Mathis , Mablean Ephriam and even Gabrielle Union could have all been federal court judges had Barack Obama known he could just appoint all the homies to the federal bench , even if they were unqualified ( to be fair , Gabrielle Union ’ s judicial verdict , Cute Puppy v. Homeless Lady With Decent Voice was a landmark decision for the America ’ s Got Talent court ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the press .
All those bipartisan negotiations .
All those campaign speeches appealing to voters ’ better angels .
All the steps spent crossing the aisle may have produced some governance , but that Constitution-adhering , truth-telling , coequal branch governing bullshit was very time-consuming .
Just as Isaac Franklin and John Armfield realized more than a century ago , Trump has shown us that evil is a much more economical approach to presidenting .
Lying is a better tactic than the truth .
Unapologetic hate is much more productive than empathy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And , apparently , for a lot of white people , it is attractive .
Some Trump supporters are too dumb to find out the truth but many of them don ’ t give a damn as long as they get what they want .
Who cares if people die as long as their businesses survive ?
They might be racist assholes but at least they don ’ t have to worry about that compassion , truth and equality stuff derailing their gravy train .
For these people , Trump is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s evil in the same way that white people who didn ’ t own slaves profited from an economy buttressed by free labor .
Who cares about the children in cages as long as whiteness prevails ?
Andrew Jackson might beat out Trump as the most racist president ever .
Ronald Reagan may have been dumber and Nixon may certainly have been more evil .
But those chief executives hid their conspicuous candles of wickedness under bushels of genteel decorum and etiquette that arguably made them more respectable .
America ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , impenitent , lying , hate-filled turd of an almost human being… But goddamn , is he effective .

Effective: (adj. ) successful or achieving the results that you want.
When they retired from the slave trade, Isaac Franklin and John Armfield had amassed a fortune worth billions in today’s dollars by building a business that was essentially the Amazon of slave-selling.
Advertisement
They didn’t grow anything, nor did they participate in the t ransa tlantic slave trade. The tycoons had a series of huge concentration camp-like pens and literal dungeons where they kept their human chattel, similar to Amazon warehouses. They had “headhunters” who purchased their “product” from other slave owners and distributed the enslaved Africans throughout the Deep South for a profit.
They maximized their profit by packing their human cargo onto ships like sardines for short journeys from Virginia to ports in the Deep South. They made their property walk hundreds of miles in caravans. They herded them into cages. Because Franklin and Armfield were only temporary owners of what they called their “merchandise,” they were even crueler than men who were known as the evilest of slave masters. They beat the men and joked about raping the women.
Advertisement Advertisement
By the end of their careers, Isaac Franklin and John Armfield were two of the richest men in the entire nation. Perhaps no organization in history made more money selling slaves than the Franklin & Armfield firm. They were diabolically depraved human beings who were known for their cruelty, their callous nature and their cold-heartedness.
But goddamned were they effective.
Donald Trump is a bumbling idiot who has failed at everything he has ever tried to do. While he is known for his business acumen, he has filed for bankruptcy more times than Wesley Snipes, Blockbuster Video, Tom from MySpace and the creator of the Shake Weight, combined.
Advertisement
His presidency has been a dumpster fire fueled by extortion, ineptitude, racism and outright lies. He has emboldened white supremacists, shredded the Constitution, subverted democracy, endangered the media, undermined congressional checks and balances and destroyed many American’s faith in the presidency.
But goddamned is he effective.
If someone invented a Terminator Robot with the express purpose of dismantling the foundation of the Constitution while safeguarding white supremacy’s 400-year championship streak, there would be many contenders. Trump is not the first. He is just the most blatant and the latest iteration in the evolution of presidential malfeasance.
Advertisement
Perhaps Richard Nixon would be the first-generation prototype that combined all the disparate racist and anti-democratic tactics employed by previous presidential administrations. After all, it was Nixon who coalesced America’s discriminatory, underhanded strategies into a cohesive plan. He wasn’t the first to weaponize the criminal justice system to use against black people. Bu t, in 1971, Nixon gave it a name that would be used by all future presidents: the “war on drugs.” He wasn’t the first to capitalize off of white Southerners’ longing for slavery and Jim Crow, but he gave it a name: the “Southern Strategy.” He wasn’t the first to use racism as a dog whistle, but he perfected it for future Republicans by creating a policy-driven marketing strategy, as Lee Atwater described in 1980:
You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.”
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“Reaganomics” advanced that strategy by introducing trickle-down, supply-side economics as a political platform. But even when Ronald Reagan was demonizing poor black people as “welfare queens” and cutting social programs as a way to reduce spending, he didn’t make his white supremacist agenda explicit. He still distanced himself from the plot to trade weapons in exchange for crack cocaine to sprinkle through black communities.
Reagan was corrupt and evil but he kept it on the down-low for the sake of plausible deniability. Even when Reagan’s successor, George H.W. Bush, framed a black man so the president could display a bag of crack rock during a presidential address about the problems in “the ghetto,” Bush was careful to keep his anti-blackness to a high-pitched shriek that only white folks could hear.
Advertisement
Same thing with Bill Clinton’s mass incarceration and his approval of heavy-handed prison sentences for the crimes that black people commit.
George W. Bush’s Supreme Court-aided coup was a Constitutional travesty, but at least he used America’s highest court instead of Russian hackers.
Advertisement
Barack Obama wasn’t immune. He also deported undocumented immigrants, appointed drug czars who supported marijuana prohibition and buddied up with corporate oligarchs. But there is one category where the Obama administration ranks as the worst of all time: Unlike every president since Richard Nixon, the Obama presidency was relatively free of an all-encompassing scandal. (Unless you count conservatives’ unproven wet-dream conspiracy theories about Hillary’s emails, Benghazi, tan suits or Barack and Michelle’s “terrorist fist jab. ”)
And, although we might portray Donald Trump’s egregious disregard for truth, decorum and laws as a bad thing, the truth is, this administration is fulfilling the dreams of Republicans, ex-presidents and politicians who have long-wished someone would say “to hell with America” and go Rambo on the Constitution, protocol and their people who use washcloths on their legs.
Advertisement
Trump is just better at it.
When Trump jump started his presidential campaign by demonizing Mexicans, he was honoring the longstanding tradition of his party. He simply tapped into a xenophobic ethos that allowed George W. Bush to start two wars, demonize Muslims and ramp up the drug war. The infamous border wall had been bandied about by Republicans for years; Trump just made it the center of his campaign strategy.
Advertisement
When Dick Cheney sees Trump using taxpayer dollars to bolster his resort businesses, I bet he is kicking himself for not just ignoring the emoluments clause and openly funneling business to Halliburton. Remember all that time Mitt Romney spent hiding his tax returns? I bet he is somewhere screaming at his advisers: “I could have just said ‘no’?”
When George W. Bush refused to speak to the NAACP, he probably had no idea he could have just told the nation’s oldest black civil rights organization that he thought there were some “very good” white supremacists. Instead of creating the Willie Horton ad, the senior Bush could have just said that black people were broke, homeless criminals and asked America “W hat do you have to lose?”
Advertisement
Nixon could have avoided Watergate by defying Congress and hiding those infamous tapes. Reagan could have declared executive privilege and stopped Oliver North from testifying about Iran Contra. Bill Clinton should have just paid off Monica Lewinsky and declared that special prosecutor Kenneth Star was perpetrating a hoax. Obama could have saved a lot of money by doing nothing to fight Ebola. Instead of acting quickly, helping the CDC create a test, closing schools and following the advice of scientists, Obama could have eliminated H1N1 by simply spreading misinformation.
Who knew?
Previous Republican efforts at voter suppression pale in comparison to Trump’s public threat to halt funding if governors didn’t do their best to stop people from voting. You know Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wishes he could get all that time back that he spent time rigging his race against Stacey Abrams. Joe Brown, Greg Mathis, Mablean Ephriam and even Gabrielle Union could have all been federal court judges had Barack Obama known he could just appoint all the homies to the federal bench, even if they were unqualified (to be fair, Gabrielle Union’s judicial verdict, Cute Puppy v. Homeless Lady With Decent Voice was a landmark decision for the America’s Got Talent court).
Advertisement
All those presidential briefings and fighting with the press. All those bipartisan negotiations. All those campaign speeches appealing to voters’ better angels. All the steps spent crossing the aisle may have produced some governance, but that Constitution-adhering, truth-telling, coequal branch governing bullshit was very time-consuming.
Just as Isaac Franklin and John Armfield realized more than a century ago, Trump has shown us that evil is a much more economical approach to presidenting. Lying is a better tactic than the truth. Unapologetic hate is much more productive than empathy. Divisiveness is easier than coalition building.
Advertisement
And, apparently, for a lot of white people, it is attractive. Some Trump supporters are too dumb to find out the truth but many of them don’t give a damn as long as they get what they want. Who cares if people die as long as their businesses survive? They might be racist assholes but at least they don’t have to worry about that compassion, truth and equality stuff derailing their gravy train. For these people, Trump is a hero.
These people profit from Trump’s evil in the same way that white people who didn’t own slaves profited from an economy buttressed by free labor. Who cares about the children in cages as long as whiteness prevails?
Advertisement
Andrew Jackson might beat out Trump as the most racist president ever. Ronald Reagan may have been dumber and Nixon may certainly have been more evil. But those chief executives hid their conspicuous candles of wickedness under bushels of genteel decorum and etiquette that arguably made them more respectable.
Not Donald Trump.
America’s latest model of Terminator-in-Chief is a dimwitted, impenitent, lying, hate-filled turd of an almost human being…
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But goddamn, is he effective.


theroot--2020-05-23--Louisville Prosecutors Reverse Charges Against Boyfriend in Breonna Taylor Police Shooting

Prosecutors in Louisville , Kentucky say they will drop charges against Kenneth Walker , the boyfriend of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor , who shot at police when they entered Taylor ’ s home on a “ no warning ” warrant to search for narcotics at 1 a.m. on March 13 .
Police shot and killed Taylor in the incident which is now under FBI investigation .
On Friday , local prosecutors announced that they would wait for the federal investigation to conclude before moving forward with attempted murder charges against Walker for shooting an officer in the leg on the night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Walker , 27 , has contended that he did not know that it was police officers who had been knocking at the door and feared for his life when he grabbed his gun and fired .
“ We ’ re happy that the case is dismissed , ” said Mr. Walker ’ s lawyer , Rob Eggert .
“ He always said that he didn ’ t know these were police officers , and they found no drugs in the apartment .
None .
He was scared for his life and her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Louisville , Thomas B .
Wine , said he would not rule out the possibility of filing charges against Walker again after the federal investigations are concluded .
Wine did however manage to acknowledge that Walker may not have been viewed fairly by the grand jury that indicted him , since they were not provided with evidence that the defendant acted in self-defense : “ I ’ ve allowed that for police officers in shooting cases , ” Mr. Wine said , “ and it should be allowed for civilians .
”

Prosecutors in Louisville, Kentucky say they will drop charges against Kenneth Walker, the boyfriend of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, who shot at police when they entered Taylor’s home on a “no warning” warrant to search for narcotics at 1 a.m. on March 13.
Police shot and killed Taylor in the incident which is now under FBI investigation.
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On Friday, local prosecutors announced that they would wait for the federal investigation to conclude before moving forward with attempted murder charges against Walker for shooting an officer in the leg on the night, reported the New York Times.
From NYT:
Mr. Walker, 27, has contended that he did not know that it was police officers who had been knocking at the door and feared for his life when he grabbed his gun and fired. “We’re happy that the case is dismissed,” said Mr. Walker’s lawyer, Rob Eggert. “He always said that he didn’t know these were police officers, and they found no drugs in the apartment. None. He was scared for his life and her life.”
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The county prosecutor in Louisville, Thomas B. Wine, said he would not rule out the possibility of filing charges against Walker again after the federal investigations are concluded.
Wine did however manage to acknowledge that Walker may not have been viewed fairly by the grand jury that indicted him, since they were not provided with evidence that the defendant acted in self-defense:
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“I’ve allowed that for police officers in shooting cases,” Mr. Wine said, “and it should be allowed for civilians.”
You don’t say, Mr. Wine.


theroot--2020-05-23--Over 20,000 Black People Have Died From COVID-19 Nationwide

New figures released by an independent research organization reveal that more than 20,000 black Americans have died from the COVID-19 disease , confirming indications that African Americans have been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus .
The non-partisan APM Research Lab published the findings earlier this week in a report that breaks down coronavirus deaths in the U.S. up to May 19 by race and ethnicity .
According to the report , black people are dying at a higher rate than any other demographic from the disease that has killed more than 90,000 people across the country : The widest racial disparity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found black residents are 7 times more likely to die from coronavirus than white residents .
The researchers behind the new report say they were surprised it was left up to them to put to break down the nationwide mortality rate by race .
Gathering data on the racial gulf in deaths has itself been hampered by an absence of federal action , compounded by slow and in some cases non-existent reporting by many states .
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) only produced its first set of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite mounting calls for basic information .
In the absence of government data , APM Research Lab has stepped into the breach .
It now gathers statistics from 40 states , covering almost 90 % of the total of 92,128 deaths in the US recorded by Johns Hopkins .
Andi Egbert , senior researcher at APM Research Lab , said she was astonished that it was left to an independent organization to produce nationwide statistics that should be coming from the federal government .
“ I won ’ t speculate about motive , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a modern economy that we don ’ t have a mandated , uniform way of reporting the data across states .
We are in the midst of this tremendous crisis , and data is the best way of knowing who is suffering and how.
” Given that black people are dying from coronavirus more than any other race , the new figures raise the question : why is the federal government holding back data that would illustrate the ongoing decimation of America ’ s black population from COVID-19 via structural racism , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with opening up the country ?

New figures released by an independent research organization reveal that more than 20,000 black Americans have died from the COVID-19 disease, confirming indications that African Americans have been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus.
The non-partisan APM Research Lab published the findings earlier this week in a report that breaks down coronavirus deaths in the U.S. up to May 19 by race and ethnicity.
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According to the report, black people are dying at a higher rate than any other demographic from the disease that has killed more than 90,000 people across the country:
The latest overall COVID-19 mortality rate for Black Americans is 2.4 times as high as the rate for Whites and 2.2 times as high as the rate for Asians and Latinos; 1 in 2,000 Black Americans has died (or 50.3 per 100,000)
(or 50.3 per 100,000) 1 in 4,300 Asian and Latino Americans has died (or 22.7 and 22.9, respectively, per 100,000)
(or 22.7 and 22.9, respectively, per 100,000) 1 in 4,700 White Americans has died (or 20.7 per 100,000)
The widest racial disparity is in Kansas, where the report found black residents are 7 times more likely to die from coronavirus than white residents.
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The researchers behind the new report say they were surprised it was left up to them to put to break down the nationwide mortality rate by race.
From The Guardian:
Gathering data on the racial gulf in deaths has itself been hampered by an absence of federal action, compounded by slow and in some cases non-existent reporting by many states. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only produced its first set of death statistics by race this week, despite mounting calls for basic information. In the absence of government data, APM Research Lab has stepped into the breach. It now gathers statistics from 40 states, covering almost 90% of the total of 92,128 deaths in the US recorded by Johns Hopkins. Andi Egbert, senior researcher at APM Research Lab, said she was astonished that it was left to an independent organization to produce nationwide statistics that should be coming from the federal government. “I won’t speculate about motive, but I can’t believe in a modern economy that we don’t have a mandated, uniform way of reporting the data across states. We are in the midst of this tremendous crisis, and data is the best way of knowing who is suffering and how.”
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Given that black people are dying from coronavirus more than any other race, the new figures raise the question: why is the federal government holding back data that would illustrate the ongoing decimation of America’s black population from COVID-19 via structural racism, while at the same time eagerly moving forward with opening up the country?


theroot--2020-05-22--The Five Best Pet Hair Removers, According to Our Readers

Much like a dirty house , a HAIRY house certainly doesn ’ t make for a clean mind .
If you ’ re anything like me , your pets are driving you up the wall these days , and the rampant shedding can obstruct your breathing , especially if you ’ re allergic .
Not to mention that , no one wants black denim jeans covered in kitty fur .
No matter how adorable it is when they jump up on your lap , you ’ ll save time and money with a specialized tool designed to expedite the process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at work , no one wants to spend their time obsessively vacuuming and wiping down furniture—believe me , there was a point where I was doing exactly that every day .
Having already endured an hour-long commute , I ’ d come home and vacuum , then wipe down the furniture with Clorox Triple Action dust wipes ( more on those later ) before going to the gym , eating dinner , and inevitably passing out on the couch .
Since then , I ’ ve adopted healthier coping mechanisms which have kept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question still remains : What ’ s the best pet hair remover and when will the horror end ?
While I ’ m still investigating the latter , our readers have helped me narrow my next purchase down five compelling options , starting with a widely acclaimed favorite .
It is cheap , small , and effective .
I ’ ve used it often and ( needlessly ) vigorously and it is still in great shape years later , though I ’ d buy a new one every month if I had to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tools—something rubbery to “ grab ” the hair , something velvet-y to make it “ stick ” , a receptacle for the hair to be collected .
- fleetwoodmasc Really cuts down on the shedding I ’ ve found with cats you need to go to the source ( the cat ) .
A few sessions with this really cut down the shedding .
A number of companies make this type of brush .
It has long teeth on one side that is good for massaging and pulling out loose undercoat .
Follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tooth comb to collect all the loose hair .
The short side is good for cleaning up clothing , carpet , and furniture .
- Scott M An odd sponge that works pretty well This is a classic physics question : if the shortest distance between two points is no distance at all , then the best pet hair remover is not having a pet at all .
But since time travel is still not “ officially ” invented yet , and because I ’ d follow my cat into rush hour traffic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lose her , I use a Furminator on her to keep her shedding down .
- VESATI Although I lament the constant mowing of hair from my furniture , I ’ ll admit the adhesive structure of the Clorox Hair Pickup wipes is the most effective I ’ ve seen without leaving a footprint of their own .
Virtually identical to the aforementioned Clorox Triple Dust Wipes , these pet hair-specific ones claim to be safe around pets , “ trapping ” and “ locking ” 99 % of pet allergens .
Over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve been using them around my various apartments to much success .
The one downside is that , unlike a pet brush or comb , these wipes won ’ t reduce the cadence or amount of shedding , they ’ ll just grapple with the fact thereafter .
- Gabe Carey

Gabe Carey on Co-op, shared by Elizabeth Henges to The Root

Much like a dirty house, a HAIRY house certainly doesn’t make for a clean mind. If you’re anything like me, your pets are driving you up the wall these days, and the rampant shedding can obstruct your breathing, especially if you’re allergic. Not to mention that, no one wants black denim jeans covered in kitty fur. No matter how adorable it is when they jump up on your lap, you’ll save time and money with a specialized tool designed to expedite the process.
Because, after a long day at work, no one wants to spend their time obsessively vacuuming and wiping down furniture—believe me, there was a point where I was doing exactly that every day. Having already endured an hour-long commute, I’d come home and vacuum, then wipe down the furniture with Clorox Triple Action dust wipes (more on those later) before going to the gym, eating dinner, and inevitably passing out on the couch.
Since then, I’ve adopted healthier coping mechanisms which have kept me from aggressive cleaning. But the question still remains: What’s the best pet hair remover and when will the horror end? While I’m still investigating the latter, our readers have helped me narrow my next purchase down five compelling options, starting with a widely acclaimed favorite.
Reader’s Choice
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It is cheap, small, and effective. I’ve used it often and (needlessly) vigorously and it is still in great shape years later, though I’d buy a new one every month if I had to. It combines the elements of other tools—something rubbery to “grab” the hair, something velvet-y to make it “stick”, a receptacle for the hair to be collected. - fleetwoodmasc
Yup, I’ve tried all sorts of handheld vacs, regular vacuum attachments, mitts, etc, and the Chom Chom is far superior to them all. It’s cheap, durable, and it just works. - Jarrod Holland
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Best Cat Brush
I’ve found with cats you need to go to the source (the cat). A few sessions with this really cut down the shedding. A number of companies make this type of brush. It has long teeth on one side that is good for massaging and pulling out loose undercoat. Follow up with a slicker brush or fine tooth comb to collect all the loose hair. The short side is good for cleaning up clothing, carpet, and furniture. - Scott M
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The Best Hair Lifter
Your damp palm. Not THAT damp.I have rollers with removable tape, a Dyson Animal, clothes de-linters (like fancy tailors use), and an odd sponge my bestie got me that works pretty well and it’s on sale. - sybann
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The Best Deshedding Tool
This is a classic physics question: if the shortest distance between two points is no distance at all, then the best pet hair remover is not having a pet at all. But since time travel is still not “officially” invented yet, and because I’d follow my cat into rush hour traffic anyway and couldn’t bear to lose her, I use a Furminator on her to keep her shedding down. - VESATI
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Editor’s Choice
Although I lament the constant mowing of hair from my furniture, I’ll admit the adhesive structure of the Clorox Hair Pickup wipes is the most effective I’ve seen without leaving a footprint of their own. Virtually identical to the aforementioned Clorox Triple Dust Wipes, these pet hair-specific ones claim to be safe around pets, “trapping” and “locking” 99% of pet allergens. Over the last four years, I’ve been using them around my various apartments to much success. The one downside is that, unlike a pet brush or comb, these wipes won’t reduce the cadence or amount of shedding, they’ll just grapple with the fact thereafter. - Gabe Carey


theroot--2020-05-23--Despite Spike in COVID-19 Cases in Churches, Trump Says Governors Must Allow Them to Open

Though two churches in Georgia and Texas recently had to re-close their doors after their congregations predictably began being razed by coronavirus , President Trump says governors across the country must allow places of worship to open this weekend .
“ Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics essential , but have left out churches and houses of worship .
It ’ s not right .
So I ’ m correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential , ” Trump said during a press conference at the White House on Friday , CNN reported .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ allow churches and places of worship to open right now.
” “ If there ’ s any question , they ’ re going to have to call me , but they ’ re not going to be successful in that call , ” Trump added .
“ The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now , this weekend .
If they don ’ t do it , I will override the governors , ” he continued .
Just days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC had published a report highlighting a church in Arkansas where 92 congregants got infected with the deadly COVID-19 disease and spread it to an additional 26 people in the surrounding community .
The outbreak left 4 people dead .
The CDC report , published on May 19 , recommended that faith-based organizations work with local officials to modify activities so as to prevent COVID-19 transmission to their congregations and communities .
But the President ’ s announcement on Friday was accompanied by new CDC guidance on church gatherings that basically gives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want in the name of faith .
We ’ re sure the change in tone from the CDC is just a coincidence .
White evangelical leaders , including those from the Southern Baptist Convention and the First Liberty Institute have welcomed Trump ’ s announcement according to CNN , but representatives from the Interfaith Alliance and the Muslim and Jewish faiths have said they will keep their doors closed and their congregations safe this weekend .
In a statement to HuffPost , faith leader and head of the Poor People ’ s Campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenged the religiosity of the President ’ s announcement .
“ It ’ s a violation of loving your neighbor as yourself to do something that you know could put your neighbor in harm ’ s way , ” Rev .
Barber said .
“ That ’ s a fundamental violation .
”

Though two churches in Georgia and Texas recently had to re-close their doors after their congregations predictably began being razed by coronavirus, President Trump says governors across the country must allow places of worship to open this weekend.
“Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics essential, but have left out churches and houses of worship. It’s not right. So I’m correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential,” Trump said during a press conference at the White House on Friday, CNN reported.
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From CNN:
Trump said he was calling upon governors to “allow churches and places of worship to open right now.” “If there’s any question, they’re going to have to call me, but they’re not going to be successful in that call,” Trump added. “The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now, this weekend. If they don’t do it, I will override the governors,” he continued.
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Just days before the President’s declaration, the CDC had published a report highlighting a church in Arkansas where 92 congregants got infected with the deadly COVID-19 disease and spread it to an additional 26 people in the surrounding community. The outbreak left 4 people dead.
The CDC report, published on May 19, recommended that faith-based organizations work with local officials to modify activities so as to prevent COVID-19 transmission to their congregations and communities.
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But the President’s announcement on Friday was accompanied by new CDC guidance on church gatherings that basically gives permission for people to do whatever they want in the name of faith.
We’re sure the change in tone from the CDC is just a coincidence.
White evangelical leaders, including those from the Southern Baptist Convention and the First Liberty Institute have welcomed Trump’s announcement according to CNN, but representatives from the Interfaith Alliance and the Muslim and Jewish faiths have said they will keep their doors closed and their congregations safe this weekend.
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In a statement to HuffPost, faith leader and head of the Poor People’s Campaign Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II challenged the religiosity of the President’s announcement.
“It’s a violation of loving your neighbor as yourself to do something that you know could put your neighbor in harm’s way,” Rev. Barber said. “That’s a fundamental violation.”


theroot--2020-05-23--Joe Biden Just Proved Why He Must Have a Black Woman as VP

White people are proud of the genocide of the indigenous people they called “ savages ” because the Native American holocaust was their “ manifest destiny.
” They have no trouble calling themselves the “ founding fathers ” of an economic superpower fueled by the bloody brows and calloused hands of enslaved Africans who occupied this continent centuries before the arrival of the men who enshrined white supremacy into the American ethos .
In America , whiteness is bulletproof .
It is a birthright , a vaccine and a deflector shield that has historically shielded white people from self-awareness and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aside from their own .
This country convinces housewives that they should spit in the face of schoolgirls and turns laymen into lynch mobs .
That ’ s what simply living in the cool breeze of American history will do to white people .
Because of how America is set up , if we somehow found the kindest , most compassionate white infant who ever took a breath of American air , that child would need every ounce of strength , humility and consciousness it could muster from its baby muscles to simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fail .
Because it would still be a white baby in America .
White people are not taught to be racist .
America simply turns them into ... Well ... Americans .
To exist in America is to obey laws written by white supremacists that adhere to a constitution written by white supremacists that reinforce white supremacy .
And unlearning something that has been constantly confirmed by what is literally the most powerful institution in the world is a difficult—if not impossible task .
Perhaps no other group on earth has balanced this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wisdom like black women in America .
White people can not help themselves .
On Friday , Joe Biden told Charlamagne Tha God : “ If you have a problem figuring out whether you ’ re for me or Trump , then you ain ’ t black.
” Joe Biden has been making these kinds of gaffes for 40 years because he is a white man in America .
Whiteness supersedes his political position , his station and even his experience .
And if he is going to represent a party tasked with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , someone has to stop him from repeatedly doing this .
And it has to be a black woman .
For 400 years , black women have held down families and passed along our history .
Even though they are treated the worse , not only have they been required to withstand all of the pain , but they were required to smile through it while staying the hands and soothing the anger of those who were ready to grab machetes .
And they also grabbed machetes .
This unique time in American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the consequences and can swing a machete .
Kamala Harris and Val Demings go to work surrounded by dozens of mini-Trumps every day having to deal with racism and sexism while still passing legislation and proposing policy .
Their careers have basically been training camps for balancing policy and politics inside the institutions built to subjugate them .
And , have you ever seen Stacy Abrams frown ?
I ’ ve been waiting for 3 years to hear her call Brian Kemp a “ motherfucker ” but she ’ s apparently a better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting a hall-of-fame vote suppressor , she handled it with dignity and poise .
There will be a lot of voting shenanigans in this election cycle and she might be better at dealing with election interference than any politician in the country .
There are no white men , white women or “ people of color ” who are qualified and have the policy experience to be Biden ’ s running mate .
They may have the resume and the bona fides , but they are not black .
In this election , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that could attract voters .
Black people are more invested in the outcome of this election because we have given the most to the Democratic Party and have benefitted the least .
We can not ask America to fulfill its promise to the constitution while the Democratic party ignores its debt to us .
Joe Biden does not owe black women anything .
They voted for him freely in the primary .
The Democratic Party doesn ’ t owe black people anything , either .
But they need us .
If the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like they did in 2016 , they should expect the same results .
Remember the 53 percent ?
Gretchen Whitmer ain ’ t shit but a midwestern Tim Kaine , and if you want to know how viable Amy Klobuchar is , just remember that I ’ m only seven primary delegates away from being tied with Amy Klobuchar in the race to the Democratic nomination and she has a $ 16,999,998 million lead on me in fundraising ( I found $ 2 in the dryer yesterday ) .
Plus , do you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amy Klobuchar or Gretchen Whitmire would produce fewer gaffes like this or more of the same ?
Now , can you imagine even thinking some bullshit like what just happened with Biden knowing you were about to go meet with Kamala Harris or Val Demings ?
To deflect from the history of racism , we like to talk about theoretical colorblindness and equality but the truth is , we are different for a reason .
Our backgrounds and our lived experiences mean something .
And any white person who is eligible to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a country that has reaffirmed every prejudiced notion that dwells in their brain .
They have been bulletproof all those years .
And the need for a black woman running mate has nothing to do with the notion of “ diversity ” or paying back the electorate that propelled Biden to the nomination .
A white woman is simply not qualified to snatch the country back from the hands of the current white supremacist regime .
And if you think skin color should not be a prerequisite for a job , I wish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point 400 years ago .
But someone has to stop Donald Trump and Joe Biden .

Joe Biden is a white man in America.
White people are proud of the genocide of the indigenous people they called “savages” because the Native American holocaust was their “manifest destiny.” They have no trouble calling themselves the “founding fathers” of an economic superpower fueled by the bloody brows and calloused hands of enslaved Africans who occupied this continent centuries before the arrival of the men who enshrined white supremacy into the American ethos.
White people aren’t inherently racist but America is.
In America, whiteness is bulletproof. It is a birthright, a vaccine and a deflector shield that has historically shielded white people from self-awareness and the recognition of anyone’s humanity aside from their own. This country convinces housewives that they should spit in the face of schoolgirls and turns laymen into lynch mobs. That’s what simply living in the cool breeze of American history will do to white people.
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Because of how America is set up, if we somehow found the kindest, most compassionate white infant who ever took a breath of American air, that child would need every ounce of strength, humility and consciousness it could muster from its baby muscles to simply not be racist.
And it would fail.
Because it would still be a white baby in America.
White people are not taught to be racist. America simply turns them into...Well...Americans.
Advertisement Advertisement
To exist in America is to obey laws written by white supremacists that adhere to a C onstitution written by white supremacists that reinforce white supremacy. And unlearning something that has been constantly confirmed by what is literally the most powerful institution in the world is a difficult—if not impossible task. Perhaps no other group on earth has balanced this maddening realization with compassion, strength and wisdom like black women in America.
White people cannot help themselves.
Black women always have.
On Friday, Joe Biden told Charlamagne Tha God: “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
Advertisement
Joe Biden has been making these kinds of gaffes for 40 years because he is a white man in America.
Advertisement
Whiteness supersedes his political position, his station and even his experience. And if he is going to represent a party tasked with dethroning the reigning world champion of whiteness, someone has to stop him from repeatedly doing this.
And it has to be a black woman.
For 400 years, black women have held down families and passed along our history. Even though they are treated the worse, not only have they been required to withstand all of the pain, but they were required to smile through it while staying the hands and soothing the anger of those who were ready to grab machetes.
Advertisement
And they also grabbed machetes.
This unique time in American history requires someone who is familiar with the consequences and can swing a machete. Kamala Harris and Val Demings go to work surrounded by dozens of mini-Trumps every day having to deal with racism and sexism while still passing legislation and proposing policy. Their careers have basically been training camps for balancing policy and politics inside the institutions built to subjugate them.
Advertisement
And, have you ever seen Stace y Abrams frown? I’ve been waiting for three years to hear her call Brian Kemp a “motherfucker” but she’s apparently a better person than I am. Even while fighting a hall-of-fame vote suppressor, she handled it with dignity and poise. There will be a lot of voting shenanigans in this election cycle and she might be better at dealing with election interference than any politician in the country.
There are no white men, white women or “people of color” who are qualified and have the policy experience to be Biden’s running mate. They may have the resume and the bona fides, but they are not black. In this election, blackness is not just a symbolic attribute that could attract voters. Black people are more invested in the outcome of this election because we have given the most to the Democratic Party and have benefitted the least. We cannot ask America to fulfill its promise to the C onstitution while the Democratic P arty ignores its debt to us.
Advertisement
Joe Biden does not owe black women anything. They voted for him freely in the primary. The Democratic Party doesn’t owe black people anything, either.
But they need us.
If the Democratic Party decides to chase white female moderates like they did in 2016, they should expect the same results. Remember the 53 percent? Gretchen Whitmer ain’t shit but a Mi dwestern Tim Kaine, and if you want to know how viable Amy Klobuchar is, just remember that I’m only seven primary delegates away from being tied with Amy Klobuchar in the race to the Democratic nomination and she has a $16,999,998 million lead on me in fundraising (I found $2 in the dryer yesterday).
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Plus, do you think spending an entire campaign season with Amy Klobuchar or Gretchen Whitmer would produce fewer gaffes like this or more of the same?
Now, can you imagine even thinking some bullshit like what just happened with Biden knowing you were about to go meet with Kamala Harris or Val Demings?
Advertisement
To deflect from the history of racism, we like to talk about theoretical colorblindness and equality but the truth is, we are different for a reason. Our backgrounds and our lived experiences mean something. And any white person who is eligible to be vice president has been a resident in a country that has reaffirmed every prejudiced notion that dwells in their brain. They have been bulletproof all those years.
And the need for a black female running mate has nothing to do with the notion of “diversity” or paying back the electorate that propelled Biden to the nomination. A white woman is simply not qualified to snatch the country back from the hands of the current white supremacist regime. And if you think skin color should not be a prerequisite for a job, I wish you would’ve started making that point 400 years ago.
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But someone has to stop Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Only a black woman can.