Calling H. Rap Brown

Say what you will about H. Jackson (Rap) Brown, the Black Power advocate had a way with words. Among a lot of other bon mots, Brown said:

"A racehorse that consistently runs just a second faster than another horse is worth millions of dollars more. Be willing to give that extra effort that separates the winner from the one in second place."

"Luck marches with those who give their very best"

"Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity."

"Opportunity dances with those who are ready on the dance floor."

"Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you."

"I never expect to lose. Even when I'm the underdog, I still prepare a victory speech."

Obviously, The Hopester cannot quote H. Rap, now known as Jamil Al-Amin, who currently is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the murder of a Georgia law enforcement officer in 2000. However, the ability of Brown/Al-Amin to utter pithy aphorisms is without question. The Hopester needs to drill The Geezer. The Hopester needs to channel H. Rap and give The Geezer what Patty gave the drum. If this is (fair & balanced) plain speaking, so be it.

[x NY Fishwrap]
McCain’s Drill Appeal
By Charles M. Blow

Mr. Obama, I’m stunned.

You’ve allowed John McCain to use the energy issue to steal your momentum and erase your lead in the polls. McCain told America that we needed to explore all our options to solve the energy crisis, including drilling offshore. He said that you disagreed. He summed up his argument in a powerful little phrase: “Drill here and drill now.” Brilliant!

Yes, I know. It’s a gimmick. The relatively small amount of oil that we may find by punching more holes in the floor of the Gulf wouldn’t be seen for years.

Furthermore, we have to come to terms with the fact that we are running out of oil anyway. We may be able to push back our day of reckoning, but it’s coming. According to the Energy Information Administration, our domestic production has fallen 40 percent since 1985, and not for lack of drilling. Since 2000, the number of exploratory and developmental wells has nearly doubled, while crude production has continued to slip.

We have to slake our thirst for crude and invest immediately and aggressively in alternative energy sources.

In spite of all this, people still took the drilling bait. Why? Because it was concise, catchy and positive. That’s the formula. I thought that you understood this, you of the “Yes We Can!” slogan and all. But, apparently not.

Lately, you’ve demonstrated an unsettling penchant for overly nuanced statements that meander into the cerebral. Earth to Barack: to Main Street America, nuance equals confusion. You don’t have to dumb it down, but you do have to sum it up.

For example, your performance at Rick Warren’s faith forum came across as professorial and pensive, not presidential. McCain was direct and compelling. Your initial response to the crisis in Georgia was tepid and swishy. McCain was muscular and straightforward.

Put the intellectualism on hold and get smart. Concise, catchy and positive: that’s the meat you feed the masses.

McCain recently slipped up, joking that it takes $5 million to make someone rich. A few days later, he couldn’t remember how many houses he owns. Jackpot for you, right? Wrong. This is how you played it: “I guess if you think that being rich means that you got to make $5 million, and if you don’t know how many houses you have, then it’s not surprising that you might think the economy was fundamentally strong.”

Really? Is that the best you can do? Maybe it is.

And that would be the problem.

[Charles M. Blow is The New York Times's visual Op-Ed columnist. His column appears every other Saturday. Blow joined The New York Times in 1994 as a graphics editor and quickly became the paper's graphics director, a position he held for nine years. In that role, he led The Times to a best of show award from the Society of News Design for the Times's information graphics coverage of 9/11, the first time the award had been given for graphics coverage. He also led the paper to its first two best in show awards from the Malofiej International Infographics Summit for work that included coverage of the Iraq war. Charles Blow went on to become the paper's Design Director for News before leaving in 2006 to become the Art Director of National Geographic Magazine. Before coming to The Times, Mr. Blow had been a graphic artist at The Detroit News. Blow graduated magna cum laude from Grambling State University in Louisiana, where he received a B.A. in mass communications.]

Copyright © 2008 The New York Times Company

Get an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Reader at no cost from Google. Another free Reader is available at RSS Reader.