As you know, Secretary of State Rice is the first African American woman to be Sec. of State...With that being said, why isn't the media treating her nomination and approval as a step forward for the African American community? Or, if you believe they are, what makes you say that?
CP

Dr. Rice has only been Secretary of State for little more than a week. During that time we have had two huge news stories--the election in Iraq and last night's State of the Union.

I honestly think your thread is somewhat premature. Maybe a month or two from now, after she's visited a few countries and met with some world leaders, we can begin to answer this question.

This is like asking what happened to John Kerry's news coverage during the the four Florida hurricanes.

That is a valid point BOF. And maybe I opened this thread in the wrong category, but it's amazed me that the NAACP, and groups it have said nothing about such a historic event. That and I do think that the media could have at least squeezed one little special on that in...Two nights ago 60 Minutes ran a show about the Amazon Rainforest, maybe they could have shifted that until next week and talked about how Dr. Rice emerged from humble beginnings to become the most powerful black woman in US history...Just a suggestion

CP

Why isn't the media treating her nomination and approval as a step forward for the African American community?

Well, the reason the media isn't treating as such is because she's a Republican. Both she and Colin Powell seem to receive more media attention when they are being reviled by people like Harry Belafonte and Julian Bond as some sort of "traitors" to their race because of their political viewpoints. The NAACP and BCC are more about being a liberal than they are about being black.

Having said that, I don't think it's any big deal really. Dr. Rice's accomplishments in her life stand for themselves whether she's black, blue, green, purple or white. I don't frankly care, she's one brilliant person and we are fortunate as a nation that she has chosen to serve in government, regardless of her race and gender.

I do understand though the origin of the question posed, and I'll leave it to Senator Lieberman to put it into context with his remarks on the floor of the US Senate today during the debate over Alberto Gongalez. I'll quote those remarks when they become available on THOMAS, but for now, I'll paraphrase them. Basically what he said was that anytime an individual of a minority group rises to a high level in their chosen profession, it can serve as an inspiration to other members of various minority groups that the opportunities are there for them. When a person excels in that postion, as has Dr. Rice, General Powell, and indeed Senator Lieberman, they can serve as role models for future generations. This is a good message I think and if the media were to cover anything about Dr. Rice's race and gender, that might indeed be the proper perspective to place on it.

I wondered how long it would be before someone brought this up. How "stupid" of me to have "missed" it. Pity the poor majority party Republicans. Anytime the media doesn't play hopscotch within the predefined squares, it has to be "liberal" media bias. Let's see. They have the Presidency, both houses of Congress, the federal courts and a majority of state governorships. I guess it's only natural to want to eradicate all opposition including that they think they see in the media.

Will the liberal treachery never end?

Maybe the African American Community doesn't agree with her stance and her misguiding statements prior to the Iraq invasion. Maybe the African American would as soon forget about her if possible. Maybe the African American community doesn't like her HUSBAND.

Why would the "African American community" have any pride about Rice? How many "African American communities" have diametrically opposed positions, on about everything?

This is totally anecdotal, but the majority of the folks I work with are black. Of course, conversations go into this very subject. The consensus in every conversation is that she represents the "black poeple that love being rich so much that they are totally turned off to the concept of the poor black person".

I think popeye nailed it on the head- they have a person here paid to lie for the president- what is to be proud of that?

Hey Hey now!...

Rice is a Birmingham native and the African-American community here is very proud of her. I don't think its a matter of the African-American community disliking Rice anymore than they disliked Powell, who was well respected as a voice of reason in the administration.

Most simply don't know much of anything about her yet, so the negative voices (whose minds were made up when they say the "R" in front of her name) are heard more.

She will be given a chance to make her mark like Powell made his. Bof is more on target...

give it some time.

I don't know about liberal "treachery", but I'm pretty sure we'll never hear the end of liberal whining and foot-stamping temper trantrums when the American people reject their agenda.



What in the hell does this mean, Popeye47?

Not to mention this topic has nothing to do with the "African American community". It has to do with the media.

With Republicans controlling both houses of Congress and the Presidency it seems to me that the agenda is squarely in their court. Who's agenda was being laid out at the pep rally last night? As with much else, if the right can say the same thing over and over again, then it takes on the "tone" of truth. Labeling liberal opposition as "whining" is not only getting old, it's not very creative and bespeaks a party set on blunting any and all criticism with whatever lies are necessary. It also indicates we are dealing with a bunch of sore "winners" who will never be satisfied with anything short of total annihilation of the opposition. One party rule is a dangerous animal.

I'll bet you weren't quite so concerned back when the Democrats controlled the Senate, House and Presidency. Fact of the matter is the first Republican President in my lifetime to have Republican majorities in both houses of Congress is the current one. Now the State of the Union speech is called a "pep rally"..... And you call us "sore winners"? While calling it whining may not be "very creative", if it fits......

why isn't the media treating her nomination and approval as a step forward for the African American community? Or, if you believe they are, what makes you say that?

I don't really know, but I suppose it has something to do with the fact that she is following in the foot steps of Colin Powell, but perhaps even more so, that she herself has already been seen at the pinnacle of power for the last four years.

Being made secretary of state after having stood at GW Bush's side for the last four years seems like something less of an accomplishment than if she'd been assigned the post from obscurity.

As it is, we all know who she is, what she stands for, and most importantly, where she stands with relationship to GW Bush.
Where as Powell was seen as a man needed for the job during the first four years, Rice is widely held to be a 'yes man' who will do what ever GW Bush requires of her. As such, and as a consequence of her track record on international politics thus far, her political credibility is very low with a good many people.

That she is a woman, of African heritage, makes no difference what so ever to any of that.

I don't know why anyone should be rushing to write features about Dr. Rice when all she has done is change the gender of the Secretary of State, not the race. It may be that one of the best indicators of racial equality is when "the first" black person to become the _________________ (fill in the blank) is no longer such a big deal.

And why exactly is Dr. Condoleezza Rice becoming the Secretary of State such a step forward for the African-American community specifically? Isn't it a step forward for all Americans? If we're trying to move to a colorblind society then Dr. Rice should be an American success story, not a black American success story.

While her promotion from National Security Adviser to Secretary of State is very impressive for her personally and has some historical significance, there are other African-Americans whom are just as qualified, if not moreso than Dr. Rice. Her personal triumph is to be lauded, but I don't see it as a sign that blacks have arrived. The mixed emotions Dr. Rice's ascendancy provokes is illustrated here:


"If it's nice to see a black face in high places," wrote Williams, who identified with Rice's exacting black middle-class striving, "that pleasure is more than outweighed by Rice's deployment as spokeswoman for an unprecedented policy of pre-emptive war -- the public face of an undisciplined, frightened, chaotically managed yet supposedly liberatory force that thoughtlessly bombs mosques with unarmed civilians inside."

Still, she wrote, "Nobody 'hates' Condoleezza Rice."

"One of the things I've thought about a lot is why I feel differently about her than I would about some black conservatives," said Clayborne Carson, the historian chosen by Coretta Scott King to direct the King Papers Project at Stanford University, where Rice served as provost before joining the Bush administration. "I think the heart of the difference is that she was always part of the black community."

But Roger Wilkins, who in 1968, as chief of the Justice Department's Community Relations Service, was sent by President Johnson the day after King's assassination to talk to his widow, believes Rice owes a debt to King, one best paid to those he cared most about at his life's end: the poor. King, Wilkins believes, would want Rice to understand that "there's a lot more to being black in America than just succeeding."

http://www.nola.com/national/t-p/index.ssf...60359107000.xml



Can't pass up a chance to take a cheap shot at the NAACP, eh Aquilla? I guess if Dr. Rice listened to you she would have to return the President's Award she received during the 2002 NAACP Image Awards.

Awards were presented in 41 categories and included three special recognitions: the Chairman’s Award to "The Boondocks" comic strip creator Aaron McGruder, the President’s Award to National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and the Hall of Fame Award to performing artist and rock ‘n roll legend Little Richard.

http://www.blackflix.com/articles/2002.image.winners.html

But don't let the fact the NAACP has already paid homage to Dr. Rice interrupt your bashing of them, Aquilla. As regards the Congressional Black Caucus, the best way to change their "liberal" stances is to elect more...errr..a few...oh okay---ONE black Republican to the House and take it over.

At the present rate that supposedly conservative America is electing black Republicans that should only take another 50 or 60 years, give or take a year.

Aren't these contradictory Nighttimer? The first paragraph downplays Rice's accomplishment, and the second says that it's an accomplishment for for America. Second, if we're trying to move to a color blind society, don't you think that consecutive black Secretary of States [including one woman] is a major accomplishment for that?

CP

It's simple. Mainly because no one cares. Also, she's not a very good diplomat. She's way too far to the right, agreeing with everything Bush says. I'm not being racist against African-Americans, but I just don't like her, and I believe that our diplomatic relations will become even worse by the time the Bush administration is out of office.

I don't see the contradiciton ConservPat. Condoleeza isn't the first black person to be Secretary of State. She isn't the first woman. She's the first black woman. While Rice is a "first" both "firsts" have already been covered.

Plus, who is really surprised that Bush promoted a loyalist from one position to another? It's not that big of a deal.

This Sunday, Donovan McNabb will become only the third black quarterback to start in the 39 year history of the Super Bowl. Who cares? Last week the Academy Awards nominated five blacks in three major acting categories. And guess what? Nobody made a big deal about that either.

If Condi wants better media coverage she should go get a makeover, drop her school principal look, get her wig twisted with some braids, and just work it, girl!

Aaaaaaah...maybe not.

I agree....this is probably newsworthy for its lack of newsworthiness. We'll see..perhaps she can go through her entire term without this becoming much of an issue, and her performance discussed solely in terms of the issues and how she handles them....that would be a great sign of progress.

Hobbes, I agree as well, with one caveat. the blade cuts both ways.

Because there will certainly be differences in opinion about her performance in terms of the issues. What would really be a great sign of progress, in my opinion, is when we do criticize Dr. Rice for her positions, statements or actions, is to not have those on the right pull the race/gender/political party card.

It really gets old criticizing someone's position or policies in this administration, only to be told that the only reason we are criticizing, is that we just can't believe that a black/hispanic/woman/etc, would choose to be a conservative/Republican. Umm, no, I criticize the position or policy. I could care less who it comes from.

That said, I agree that she hasn't been in this particular job long enough to evaluate her, even on a preliminary basis. The only thing that worries me at all, is that, I don't think in her previous position, she had to worry much at all about being "diplomatic". Can she turn the corner, and show a more nuanced, balanced picture of the United States, and it's foreign policy? Only time will tell that one.

Well, she's been a Bush loyalist from the beginning. She has ridden his coattails and been the proverbial yes (wo)man all along. In fact, I have noticed a trend in the media to take it easy on her, in fact, to cater to her. Her part in the 9/11 commission was interesting, and got glossed over. She sure did squirm on the hotseat. She hasn't taken much of a stand for either African Americans, or women. I've seen scathing articles from educated black women who resent her partisan politics with no stand for her heritage, race or gender.

I guess if she had taken a stand somewhere for either women, or her race, she would have those acclaims, but I haven't seen that.