The Politics of Lil' Wayne

Guess I'm old at 40. Never heard of him or the song. And I have a 13 yr old son. 'Course he hates hip-hop & rap and is more into British punk.

Michael,

Does Obama have to denonce Lil' Wayne now?

I hear Lil' Wayne was a frequent guest pastor at Obama's former church, so…

Seriously, I hope by all that's holy that Michael isn't trying to drum up another b***s*** issue falsely relating Obama's views to those of anyone whose name he has ever mentioned. That would surpass by an order of magnitude any other professional irresponsibility Michael has committed to date… and that's saying something.

Can somebody clear something up for me? If Obama is responsible-by-proxy for every possibly objectionable thing that any minority has ever said in the history of this country, why does the corollary not hold true for McCain?

Am I stupid or blind? Where does KT mention Lil' Wayne in the post that Michael links to? Is there something I'm missing?

Michael Scherer either A) Suddenly developed a journalist urge to investigate everything Lil' Wayne in hopes of tripping up Obama or B) Is regurgitating some spoon fed GOP oppo response BS to the same effect. Either choice is wankerific.

Stay classy, Michael...

GySgt213:Where does KT mention Lil' Wayne in the post that Michael links to? Is there something I'm missing?
---------------------------

"Maybe you are the next Lil' Wayne, but probably not, in which case you need to stay in school," Obama, D-Ill., told a cheering crowd, brought to a standing ovation at a town hall meeting in Powder Springs, Georgia.

Huh?

Ummmm - I think Obama's point was about this part - "the most acclaimed rapper of 2008 and one of the biggest pop culture figures", not about the guys lyrics but thanks for trying to turn an impromptu message to kids to stay in school into something nasty.

Geez, and then reporters complain that politicians are too scripted.

Reminds me of the flip out over Obama's use of the word "refine" which some of the press seems to think means the same thing as "redefine" but no they are two very different words with different meanings.

REFINE: polish: improve or perfect by pruning or polishing; - complicate: make more complex, intricate, or richer; - make more precise or increase the discriminatory powers of;

REDEFINE: give a new or different definition to;

Well, that was off topic but still has to do with twisting crap so perhaps it was not too off topic.

Michael Scherer - FYI: Lil'Wayne most certainly did NOT just enter the political maw. But if you really want it to be the take-home message of Barack Obama's then you can continue to post this bizarre tangent of a narrative. In fact, could you clear up exactly what it was that you were trying to communicate with this post?

Any thoughts on the straight talk from Obama to those young kids?

I fear Michael may have been knocked unconscious due to cognitive dissonance brought on by the use of the phrase "straight talk" to describe anybody other than St. John.

Michael becomes less relevant or useful by the day.

Classic Scherer Bullshi^

Obama happens to know an artists name, so now all of the sudden he's responsible for the lyrical content of every trash mysogistic rap song that happens to chart.

I can already write Rusty's post for him.

So why does Scherer see fit to expand on this?

"Maybe you are the next Lil' Wayne, but probably not, in which case you need to stay in school," Obama, D-Ill., told a cheering crowd, brought to a standing ovation at a town hall meeting in Powder Springs, Georgia.

Okay again. KT linked to a post from ABC she didn't say squat about Lil' Wayne. Michael starts the post as KT notes below and then immediately launches into Lil' Wayne.

Lil' Wayne even has a line about arugula, which your teenage children have undoubtedly heard:

Ain't no thing / I eat like a king
My caviar's Beluga / my greens they're arugula

All the more reason for Obama to denounce and reject him of course.

You are probably not that good a rapper. Maybe you are the next Lil' Wayne, but probably not,

equals

praising Lil' Wayne's rhyming ability

Is there more that Obama said that didn't make it into the Political Radar post or did Michael just pull that stright out of his ass?

No need to answer.....

TomT, when would you say it's appropriate to have the "arugula" talk with your kids? Mine is less than a year old, so clearly not ready yet, but I don't want her getting into her teenage years without knowing that there are dangerous fancy-pants elitist salad greens out there. On the other hand, I don't want to have the talk too early and risk turning her into an escarole-head before she even gets to high school. Parenting was so much easier when the only lettuce you could by was iceberg. If I would have known what I know about salads now back when I was 13, I probably would have wound up in a halfway house or juvie.

Paul,

Is okay if I withdraw with honor. That seems to have the most meaning anyway.

TomT, when would you say it's appropriate to have the "arugula" talk with your kids?

A better question is: do you want your kids to hear about arugula from you or from gangsta rap lyrics?

Man, what Paul Dirks said. I agree with Dirks that Obama certainly wasn't praising the rapper, just referencing him.

Actually, thanks to Scherer for explaining this pop culture thing to me because as a middle-aged white mom, I am so out of the loop.

What amazes me is how culturally hip Obama is. Maybe he listens himself, but I think his body guy (Reggie Love) keeps him in the loop.

If Time had any business sense, they'd fire Scherer and replace him with one of McCain's press flacks. The results would be the same, and the flack would probably work for free. Everyone wins.

Wow, so I guess tomorrow's McCain campaign message is be afraid of the scary black guy?

Actually, sometimes MS just likes to post something to prove that he's all hip and current. He's a lot like MoDo in that way, well that and the journalistic credibility.

he's all hip and current...

I followed the link to the full lyrics.

If that's hip then I can be proud of my ignorance.

I'm all for free speech but that doesn't mean I have to listen to it or like it.....

he's all hip and current...

I followed the link to the full lyrics.

If that's hip then I can be proud of my ignorance.

I'm all for free speech but that doesn't mean I have to listen to it or like it.....

I had the same reaction when I read the pdf of McCain's "plan" to balance the budget in three years.

Florida,

It is possible to be less useful than useless?

Seriously, Michael? Are we really talking about this?

"Now, I don't have data on radio play, but I am willing to bet that more Americans have heard this homage to Clinton more times in the last month, on the radio, in their iPods, in dance halls, on television (MTV and BET play the video in heavy rotation), than any segment of a speech by Barack Obama or John McCain. These pop stars have some serious messaging power."

I seriously doubt that. I admit that I'm not an expert on music, but I think there are a lot of women in their mid-twenties who never listen to Lil' Wayne. Pop culture is skewed very young - often below voting age - and I think it's easy to lose sight of the fact that there are many more middle-aged people than teenagers. And they make up a much larger proportion of the electorate. In this particular case, over 25 and female may equal "middle-aged."

And I agree with Paul Dirks that there is absolutely no evidence that Obama is praising him.

if anyone is surprised that scherer would write something so transparently designed to taint obama with the most ridiculously tangential association with lil' wayne, then you have not been paying attention to what he's been writing since the campaign began. or at least since he started writing about it.
so, any ridiculous and, yes, trivial, name-drop and scherer cannot wait to do his mccain-stroking duty, but a woman gets arrested for carrying a sign as she waits to get into a mccain town meeting and not a peep from michael about it.
the implications of that type of gestopo thuggery are certainly not trivial and certainly much more important than the mention of a rapper's name, but i doubt if michael or any other swamplander will ever see fit to write about it.
that omission should tell you all you need to know.

Relax Paul Dirks, granted it's a little rough around the edges and bluntly sexual, but pop music has always been like that, it's just a matter of how much the current era will allow in how descriptive you can be. Let's go back a few years:

CINDY
RICK NELSON (Rio Bravo Soundtrack)

I wish I was a apple hangin' in a tree
And everytime my sweetheart passed
She'd take a bite off me
(clearly a reference to fellatio w/ a reference to B&D)
She told me that she loved me
She called me sugar plum
She threw her arms around me
I thought my time had come
(obviously a reference to climaxing)

Get along home, Cindy-Cindy
Get along home, Cindy-Cindy
Get along home, Cindy-Cindy
(we all know what home base means right boys?)
I'll marry you sometime
(a promise of marriage later for sex today)

I wish I had a needle
(drug reference?)
As fine as I could sew
I'd sew her in my pocket
And down the road I go
(clearly a reference to on-the-road fellatio)
Cindy hugged and kissed me
She wrung her hands and cried
Swore I was the prettiest thing
That ever lived or died
(a reference to a live fast, die young lifestyle and a recognition that in this milieu, sexual gratification is the only 'real' thing these people will ever know.)

I'm writing a song right now, it's called 'Michael Scherer is an Incorrigible Moron'.

MS, god forbid that you should even drop a hint about McCain's Hagee or Parsley or Keating or Renzi or ..

Now that we have firmly attached Rev Wright to Sen Obama - and denied him the Appalachia for now and in the general elections, let us attach all the rap and the 1960s irreverence on him too.

While at it, let us pin the labels "flipflop" on him (not McFlipFlop) and dishonesty (not on McNasty) and
It is often more difficult to build than to destroy.
MS, aren't you supposed to be blogging about your McNasty - or is tough to find anything uplifting about him?

'Michael Scherer is an Incorrigible Moron'
There's no lie about McCain that he won't pour on.
If you ask him if there's no point he'll go lower on.
He'll just ask you "Don't you know that there's a war on!?"

Rachel Maddow was subbing for Olbermann today. The weekend MSM (GOP) talking point that Obama had changed his position on Iraq was first up. Howard Fineman of Newsweek agreed that the "flip-flop" charge on Iraq was false.

However, Fineman also said that Obama had finally managed to "right himself" on the issue. MSM was fed and then regurgitated a falsehood about Obama and his approach to Iraq, but Obama had to correct course for the proper message to come out.

Fineman is an elder statesman of MSM. We cannot blame Scherer for his actions. Look at his role models.

Scherer is just not capable of understanding why people feel much of his reporting is worthless. Obama tries to send a message to youth that there are a plethora of oppurtunities available in the world. Scherer contorts himself to focus on the worst aspects of the story. Obama tells youth rap music is not the answer. Scherer locks in on the rap artist mentioned like a heat seeking rocket.

I have issues with the lyrics in hardcore rap. However, my anger tends to go to those who see crimes committed and refuse to cooperate with law enforcement. "No snitching" has been a dagger in the heart of society. Crimes go unpunished and vicious criminals remain on the streets.

"No snitching" has no place in civilized society. If Scherer is upset by rap lyrics, perhaps he should go after the thugs who break laws under the influence of rap music. I suggest starting with those criminals who participated in the cover up of outing a CIA agent. Libby, Rove and Cheney were obviously influenced by DMX, Snoop Dogg, and L'il Wayne

Meanwhile, McCain has no answer to the Maliki's call for a timetable, he's not sure if he's gonna balance the budget in 4 years or 8 years (and isn't giving any numbers to judge the plan by anyway), he's making more jokes about killing Iranians, and he's flubbing questions from veterans on his voting record. That's just from the last couple of days. Too bad Time doesn't have a reporter assigned to pay attention to such things.

rmrd--You've reminded me of how, during the early days of the Libby investigation, Steve Gilliard used to post pictures of Rove et al. photoshopped with backwards baseball caps, big chains, and big t-shirts that said "No Snitching."

But they're all rich and powerful Villagers, so, to paraphrase Emerson, what is criminality in others is merely experiment for them.

Sometimes I think the comment section takes itself a little too seriously. The blog post didn't come off to me as some narcissist plot to undermine Obama or tie him to what some rapper has said.

It was sort of like a funny ha-ha to the campaign. Maybe that is because I am just 25 and know something about pop culture. Michael obviously has somewhat of a touch on it, as I take from the tongue and cheek tone of the post.

Dear Michael Scherer,

I'm sorry you're an idiot. Go suck a million dicks.

@Will C

You need to read more posts to realize that Scherer is not capable of that type of insight.

MS, the more I think about this post, the more I see it as inappropriate, not just irrelevant. I don't think that you are personally judging Obama for his Lil' Wayne reference - you're clearly much more familiar with his music than many of us here - but it's irresponsible for journalists to not carefully examine their work when they are (unintentionally or intentionally) reinforcing stereotypes. Obama is the first African-American nominee for President, and you are choosing to tie him to a controversial musician. Yes, he made the cultural reference, but McCain actually makes a lot of pop culture references also, and not all of them are from the 50s. He did wake his daughter up to let her know that Sean Combs and J.Lo split up (it's amazing the things you learn by reading the NY Times...). Yet I haven't seen any articles on McCain's cultural connection to rap musicians who are implicated in shooting incidents.

This post and the numerous stories about Obama's Jay Z reference are seemingly based on such an absurd premise - it's amazing that he knows who young celebrities are! - that it's hard not to think that in many cases their deeper intent is to highlight Obama's connection to the young, African-American pop culture that so many people are wary of. In contrast, McCain apparently watches The Office, but I haven't seen any stories on McCain's love of a show that features an out of touch, politically incorrect boss who is unable to understand modern technology and works in a dying industry.

Personally this is the longest post I have ever read on Swampland and I asked myself why I wasted my time reading it.I just dont know the point he is trying to make.That is if there is a point to be made from this.

This is the best post on Swampland since Mudcat sat in for a week or so. You guys/gals need an attitude adjustment. It's about relevancy and an exceptionally talented artist but mostly relevancy. Way to go Michael.

rose captures exactly what i'd intended to say.
thanks rose for nailing it.

if this was one isolated post, i might take it in another way, but, looked at in context, it reeks of a rancid pattern.

and once more...
what about the little grey-haired librarian who was denied entry to the mccain town hall today because she had a sign that read: "mccain=bush".
(or maybe it was "bush=mccain".)
now that is a story that merits further investigation and reporting. everything you would want in an interesting story.
but...the story is not a positive one for mccain, and it cannot be spun in a positive fashion for mccain, so i won't hold my breath waiting for scherer to report on it.

As Karen notes below, Barack Obama crossed the pop culture/politics divide today by praising Lil' Wayne's rhyming ability at a campaign event in Powder Springs, Georgia.

Before dismissing Michael's claim as the truth, let's review what Karen said about lil' Wayne in her post:

Per ABC:

THAT is the entirety of Karen's writing. There is a link with that quoting Obama himself. Karen offered no observations whatsoever in that post.

But even that's not what is so incorrigibly moronic about this post, is the quote from Obama and your deception in thinking you need to provide your audience with your interpretation of the direct quote, you are furthering your deep dishonesty in that interpretation.

The quote from Obama:

"You are probably not that good a rapper. Maybe you are the next Lil' Wayne, but probably not, in which case you need to stay in school," Obama, D-Ill., told a cheering crowd, brought to a standing ovation at a town hall meeting in Powder Springs, Georgia. The presumptive Democratic nominee was speaking about high school drop out rates and the need for people to be committed to working hard in school so they can get a job after school. Obama said he knows some young men think they can't find a job unless they are a really good basketball player. "Which most of you brothas are not," Obama, who played basketball in high school, a sport he continues to play to this day, said jokingly. "I know you think you are, but you're not. You are over-rated in your own mind. You will not play in the NBA."

Could it be anymoe obvious that Obama was telling the kid that he wasn't a good rapper, and that he wasn't going to go out and be the next big thing. Christ, he could have told them that they weren't going to be the next Kobe Bryant, but he said NBA. Are you now going to point out all of the criminal, let alone spokenwordoffenses they may have committed?

Michael, there was a much more illustrative story out there and ripe for blogging: (60 year old librarian thrown out of McCain event for holding a sign), and you know that it was the better choice for the blog because it had ton of things to make it perfect for a political blog post. Old lady, free speech, big FISA vote tomorrw (I could have tied them), and best of ALL there is video of the whole thing.

You could have posed the question of "Why should someone be thrown out of a Republican event for a sign that said "McCain = Bush"?

Why would you be thrown out for equaling your party's guy running for President with your party's guy who already is President?

But instead, you decided that this piece of crap story was important. You owe Karen an apology for misrepresenting her post.

Christ Michael, you aren't only a hack, you're a boring hack.

"You could have posed the question of "Why should someone be thrown out of a Republican event for a sign that said "McCain = Bush"?"

I second that. Last week we saw the widespread media freakout about Wes Clark supposedly questioning John McCain's integrity.

So is John McCain now questioning Bush's integrity? How do our masterful journalist talmudists interpret this mystifying performance art from the McCain campaign?

(I await the usual MS rationalization.)

binxweimer:
".. and once more...
what about the little grey-haired librarian who was denied entry to the mccain town hall today ..
now that is a story that merits further investigation and reporting. everything you would want in an interesting story.

It is not a negative for Obama, hence, it does not pass muster: It is not interesting to the owners of our MSM.
[Read "Racism in MSM coverage of the presidential campaigns"]
Do you remember the spectacle of how the media talking heads - of respectable, grown men and women - jumped on the recent "Obama, the kid and the 'terrorist fist jab'" story that never was?
It turned out to be a false story. But the seeds of doubt/resentment/"circle your wagon" were sown and the damage done. So, all is well and the mission of our "imperfect union" fostered.
All praise to the freest media of "the free and the brave".

Racism?
Do you remember the story of the two Muslim ladies who wouldn't be seated behind Sen Obama at a town hall meeting? The media was up in arms against THAT Sen Obama!
Why did THAT story receive such publicity but not this one of a little old lady refused her right of political participation that women fought so hard and long for? The MSM and Michael wouldn't be caught up in arms against OUR Sen McCain, would they?

Come to think of it, do Muslims ever attend McWhiteHotHatred's town hall meetings? Ever seen McNAsty in the same picture in proximity of a Muslim? [I wonder whether he has some sort of Muslim proximity warning device ...]

Does he know that the Middle East that he talks about is teeming with Muslims? Does he intend to have a direct dialogue with them - or will Lieberman be assigned to do all the talking, threatening and sending the bombs and cigarettes?
---
"I will hate (Asians) as long as I live." - John McCain, the unabashed hater.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/02/18/MN32194.DTL

New McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt on the US Attorney firings scandal: It was "mostly a combination of nonsense and politics and provides us no concern at all."

Schmidt hired key firing scandal figure Tim Griffin after his resignation.

The only thing I have a problem with is the idea that Sen. Obama praised Lil Wayne's rhymes, it seems to me he was just saying the guy's making boku money and you won't: stay in school.

Saying he praised a dude who's lyrics are offensive isn't going to do anything but lose him political points so Mr. Scherer should have been more sensitive to that fact.

But the main point of this post IS important to recognize. There is a huge generational divide in this country and when Sen. Obama calls out Lil Wayne by name that says something to the millions of fans the guy has. It connects him to a generation of his supporters vicerally. And I think the point Mr. Scherer makes stands.

It's like Sinatra, for all his problematic mob ties, being so tight with JFK. That was huge to a whole generation of voters. Or Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, and dozens of stars of the golden era who campaigned for FDR. That was the first time Hollywood went out on the stump and that gave FDR a huge push and a large part of why Hollywood and Cali is such a democratic bastion.

These ties matter on a deep cultural level.

I get why a lot of people are angry because rap is a cultural divide in many ways. But it's also mainstream now, people. Young white suburban males actually account for a huge base of sales. And the reaction to this post I think is from the idea that rap has become unacceptable and taboo, the idea that it's not mainstream.

While offensive on a lot of levels and filled with misogyny that Sen. Obama has spoken of, it is mainstream and Micheal's right to point out the fact that this is in effect a dog whistle to millenials.

Chris Rock probably explains the situation NOW with rap best for a lot of people who love/loved the genre.

Is there any chance at all that this wasn't spoon fed to Michael?

Sorry! I tried to embed the youtube clip, but it apparently doesn't allow that here or I did it wrong.

But here's the clip I was talking about at the end of my post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9A2I-X7b-w

Wow, I am impressed. Obama is able to reference and cite examples of life from Abraham Lincoln to 'Lil Wayne. Takes great intelligence to be able to take the words of 1860+ and 2008, and combine them into a speech for all the voters to decide and vote.

Yea right, if you have 10 bucks send it in now, and we will give you a chance to be part of the great charade in Denver, we might even let you have a guest spot with Obama himself! Haha.

Does ANYTHING Obama says make any sense?

Hey, Michael got himself a two-fer here, lamely trying to link Obama to Lil' Wayne AND a gratuitous and completely irrelevant mention of Al Sharpton in the same post.

Michael, why is it that no one can figure out what this post is about?

Is it maybe because it has no point other than to put Obama's name into print with SCARY black people?

Ooga booga!

the point was scary black people donut

"New McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt on the US Attorney firings scandal."

Wonder when Mr. Schmidt will get around to reviewing the campaign ads before they are released?

A Spanish-language McCain radio ad gets nearly all its facts wrong.

Summary

McCain's new radio ad, in Spanish, aims to show Florida would benefit from the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which he supports. But every number in the ad is wrong, except one, a prediction of job gains taken from a group favoring the trade deal. And even that number is rounded upward so generously as to flunk third-grade arithmetic.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/145031

"Dance halls", Mike? Are you ninety years old, longing for the good old post war days?

The frustrating thing is that Mike is supposed to be covering McCain here. And he is! Mike obediently waits for his talking points every day and then writes whatever he's told.

"Sometimes I think the comment section takes itself a little too seriously. The blog post didn't come off to me as some narcissist plot to undermine Obama or tie him to what some rapper has said.

It was sort of like a funny ha-ha to the campaign. Maybe that is because I am just 25 and know something about pop culture. Michael obviously has somewhat of a touch on it, as I take from the tongue and cheek tone of the post.
" - Will C.

Also, Mike has discovered sockpuppets! Yay!!

Here's the lede from the AP's latest McCain fluffer, this time from Nedra Pickler ...

Barack Obama says John McCain's plan to balance the budget doesn't add up. Easy for him to say: It's not a goal he's even trying to reach.

Well, easy for McCain too, since he doesn't either.

Pickler doesn't mention that McCain doesn't even say how he'll do it; he just says he'll do it. No numbers -- No nothing. Every sentient being who's looked at his spending and tax cut proposals knows he won't come close to balancing the budget in four years. And within a few hours of making the claim his own economic advisor decided that he was actually going to do it in eight years not four.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

"Schmidt hired key firing scandal figure Tim Griffin after his resignation."

In other news, there is buzz about "Paulie Walnuts" taking on some kind of fund raising role.

Really, this is pretty remarkable. Obama just referenced a guy who is a big selling artists, and now he's somehow responsible for the guy's lyric content? WTF? Plus, Obama was repudiating lil wayne as a model--if he flies on an airplane, is he responsible for every plane that ever crashed?

"Obama crossed the culture/politics divide today when he boarded a boeing 707. The 707 is hugely popular, but looking closer we can see it has been involved in many accidents, including accidents in muslim countries. When will Obama repudiate etc etc."

Really, I want a job like Scherer's.

It's astounding:

For months Scherer has been excusing McCain's direct outreach to evangelicals calling for the outright destruction of Iran...followed by jokes by McCain himself about "killing Iranians" -- Scherer doesn't comment.

Yet in the most tangential and dubious way he associates Obama with a rapper and dissects the lyrics in an attempt to associate them with the former.

This is the kind of blatent bullsh*t reporting we've had in elections in 2000 ("Al Gore invented the internets") and 2004 ("Swiftboat" etc) only with an added degree of reporter effort that is beyond the pale.

And the most depressing part, Scherer himself either has no cognizance or recognition of this whatsoever or is happily swimming in the tank of McCain love.

It's disgusting, and this type of a-hole reporting is a crime against journalism.

Congrats on putting that degree and your profession into such high application Mr. Scherer.

chokora fukara made an excellent point. A librarian was escorted away from a McCain rally merely because she held up a sign saying "McCain = Bush". She was given a ticket by police for trespassing on City property.

Is anyone at Time covering the McCain campaign in a manner equal to the coverage given to Obama? No!

Once again we see that Obama's opponents are the GOP and MSM working in lockstep. Who are the reporters who have accepted seats in the "good" section on McCain's aircraft? The public should have this information.

Phil Gramm!

mrd0000:

An excellent observation about the "good" section. I think it's a matter of journalistic integrity to identify the reporters who get the McCain seating upgrades. Self-reporting would be the ideal course, but I doubt our species will be around long enough to witness that level of responsibility in media.

I have learned that it is a hopeless task to try to dissuade the Swampland comment diviners from interpreting anything I do as a secret defense of McCain or subliminal attack on Obama. But I have not had my coffee yet. So I will make a mistake I have made before, and try to explain myself: This post is NOT criticizing Obama. I am a fan of Lil' Wayne. That is not a reason to criticize me. TIME magazine calls him the best rapper alive. That is not a reason to criticize TIME magazine. All Obama did was mention the artist, as an example of musical excellence, which he objectively is according to the entire pop music world, so I wrote a post about Lil' Wayne's political mentions. I thought it was funny and interesting. I think the idea that the RNC or McCain oppo shops scour Lil' Wayne songs to create attacks on Obama is hilarious. But not true, as far as I know. I bought the record myself, as a way to escape politics. But alas, it didn't work.

Weird.

I don't get the negative reaction to this post. It's not like hip-hop is terribly new. I thought it kinda interesting that Obama is sufficiently aware of rap to be able to make a meaningful reference in that context. And I don't get why this particular brand of satire is any more offensive than the stylings of widely praised George Carlin.

Michael,

Why don't you ever explain what you really mean in your original posts? Is there some rule against that?

I'm not trying to be snarky with you, because I really don't know why you can't do that on a blog. But overall there seems to be a style going on with you, KT, AMC and JNS where you guys don't at least to me make it clear what your overall point is and have an inability to call something for what it is.

Funny. Cross-post.

Yes, Michael, I, at least, took it as you apparently intended.

GySgt--

Now I wanna repeat something Paul D said when I (and others) were confused by KT's headline. Sometimes we inject our expectations into the posts, it seems.

jayackroyd,

I agree. But I guess my response would be, there may be a reason why so much written here is misinterperted by so many different people.

Michael:

Call it negligence instead of malfeasance if you like, but your post increases the likelihood of more irrational, irresponsible attacks on Obama. Just as you copy other stories, yours is likely to be quoted selectively by those without even a pretense of objectivity. Soon the theme ("Obama endorses scary black rapper") will make its way back across the echo chamber and fill the space otherwise available to report genuine campaign issues. If you don't recognize that – if you truly think your paradiddle has no effect on the collective media drum circle – you should be selling used cars or painting houses instead of purporting to cover a national election.

It wasn't funny, it shouldn't be "interesting" to the exclusion of substantive reporting, and it's astounding you think the McCain smear merchants won't try to benefit from your "work."

Please tell us who's sitting in the good seats on the plane, Mike.

Seriously. Is it a secret? Is there some reason we shouldn't know, and if so, will you tell us what the reason is?

I'm not trying to be snarky with you, because I really don't know why you can't do that on a blog. But overall there seems to be a style going on with you, KT, AMC and JNS where you guys don't at least to me make it clear what your overall point is and have an inability to call something for what it is.

It is called clarity. It is what a professional writer is expected to be able to do at a minimum...as opposed to we amateurs.

Yet this basic tenet seems to be ignored.

Again, the guy Scherer has constantly apologized for or for whom he has repeatedly explained away his errors; once again makes a bad joke in incredibly poor taste about "killing Iranians" and the same guy then writes some asinine post about Obama knowing who L'il Wayne is in telling kids to value education first.

You tell me which reference is less tendentious and more consequential...especially since McCain and his allies constantly harp on translations of Ahmadinejad's statements as reason to "bomb" Iran.

The whole post is laced with unintended and irritating irony.

But I guess my response would be, there may be a reason why so much written here is misinterperted by so many different people.

Yep.

Soon the theme ("Obama endorses scary black rapper") will make its way back across the echo chamber and fill the space otherwise available to report genuine campaign issues.

I really don't get this. If rap isn't mainstream by now, what is it? I mean, Public Enemy released their first album more than 20 years ago. Ice Tea is a star on a major network television show. TomTom Club's rap parody, Wordy Rappinghood is from 1981.

Is there any confusion anyone's mind what this blogger is about to tell you?

McCain's Croc of Hooey
By Sara Robinson

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/mccains-croc-hooey

Jay Z is co-owner of an NBA franchise. Sean Combs hosts parties in the Hamptons. I really don't get this. Yes, the lyrics are vulgar. So were Jim Morrison's, while the Airplane profanely advocated revolution. "Up against the wall, m-----f------". I don't see how that is any less vulgar, or politically charged, than F--- Tha Police.

Rap is a whole lot tamer these days.

All Obama did was mention the artist, as an example of musical excellence

No, he mentioned him as an example of a recording artist who has been successful, not excellent. There is a difference - Britney Spears has been successful, but she is not excellent.

Of course, Michael, if you are just trying to get into the VIP section of the McCain campaign plane - reserved for obedient journalists - you might have gotten another frequent lap dog point or whatever it takes.

Why don't you discuss the lyrics to "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran," by John McCain, who is actually running for office this November? Or the impact of someone who so casually and jovially would reference military action in the most unstable/oil-laden part of the world.

I guess if Obama would have mentioned the Beastie Boys the idea would have been floated that he is trying to solve his "Jewish problem."

All Obama did was mention the artist, as an example of musical excellence

No, he mentioned him as an example of a recording artist who has been successful, not excellent. There is a difference - Britney Spears has been successful, but she is not excellent.

Of course, Michael, if you are just trying to get into the VIP section of the McCain campaign plane - reserved for obedient journalists - you might have gotten another frequent lap dog point or whatever it takes.

Why don't you discuss the lyrics to "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran," by John McCain, who is actually running for office this November? Or the impact of someone who so casually and jovially would reference military action in the most unstable/oil-laden part of the world.

I guess if Obama would have mentioned the Beastie Boys the idea would have been floated that he is trying to solve his "Jewish problem."

Jayackroyd:

Three words… Low Information Voter.

It may well be mainstream (one can argue that Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" predated your examples by decades), but there are millions who accept neither the form nor much of its content. Certainly there are many susceptible to a false association of Obama with the more antagonistic examples of the genre.

The Scherer post re-raises the issue of news judgment and an embarrassing disregard of substantive issues. Once upon a time journalism included judgment about what would inform, rather than merely amuse, the public. This fails on both counts.

Here's an example of a SUBSTANTIVE ISSUE a guy like Michael Scherer could report on:

McCain told a townhall in Denver on Sunday, "Americans have got to understand that. Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace and it's got to be fixed."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/203287.php

This, of course, is EXACTLY how the Social Security System was DESIGNED TO OPERATE. The fact that McCain is out there saying it's a disgrace, is plainly John McCain saying "Social Security" is a disgrace.

No Candidate has said such a thing since about 1936.

You'd think a reporter would ask about such an incredible statement, but that would mean somebody gets kicked back to "coach class".

But no, we have to hear about Obama knowing who a rapper is.

Again, YOUR MODERN PRESS CORPS. It's not just that they appeal to the lowest common denominator, they are pretty much the lowest commmon denominator.

Michael Scherer:

Are you f*cking kidding?

VAR--

Sure he is saying that he's talented.

You are probably not that good a rapper. Maybe you are the next Lil' Wayne, but probably not, in which case you need to stay in school

I'm starting to sense a rejection of the entire genre. Have you listened to some of the more accessible artists, like Eminem, or even the intentionally suburban Will Smith as the Fresh Prince?

A match made in heaven.

Former Clinton strategist Mark Penn, chairman and CEO of public-relations firm Burson-Marsteller, is hiring former Bush adviser Karen Hughes as a vice chairman, the principals say. The political combatants, known for their partisan efforts, decided to combine forces to offer a one-stop crisis-communication and public-affairs shop to corporations caught in front-page headlines or faced with a changing Washington.

No word yet when Brownie and Gonzales come on board.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121556919458138073.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

flownover--

I, of course, agree with you and attaturk that I'd rather read an analysis of the tissue paper economic plan, or an excoriation of the idiocy of the SS comment. But I don't see how this is negative. If by "low information voter" you mean white male racists, he's already lost those votes.

This is way too subtle an association to use on such voters in any case. And, as eminem pointed out in Without Me all their kids listen to rap.

If only poor Hillary knew she had a friend in the rap community.

Oh well.

OBAMA HAPPENS.

Sen. John McCain, Monday:

Five years ago, the outdoor footwear company, Crocs, was started by a couple of entrepreneurs with a great idea, ingenuity and drive. This former small business now employs 600 people in Colorado alone, and sells over 50 percent of its products in 90 countries around the world. Building barriers to Crocs or any American company's access to foreign markets will have a devastating effect on our economy and jobs, and the prosperity of American families.
Once again, they either have incompetent fact-checkers, or they're lazy, or they're just plain lying.

Truth be told: Crocs weren't invented by "a couple of entreprenuers" in Colorado, let alone by Duke Hansen.They weren't even invented in America. They were invented in that Great Frozen Socialist Paradise to the north. You read that right: Ugly neon-hued foam shoes are another diabolical innovation for which we can Blame Canada.

The company that invented them was subsequently bought by Hansen and two other aforementioned Colorado entrepreneurs, who added the cute name and the marketing gloss. But the shoes are still made abroad, in the original factory in Quebec, where the employees come pre-equipped with their own health insurance. Or at least, they will be for a few more weeks: in April, the company announced that they will close down the Quebec City plant in July, sending the 670 jobs there to plants in Mexico, Brazil, and beyond.

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/mccains-croc-hooey

Russ Feingold is on C-Span2 right now fighting for our fourth amendment rights. No biggie.

http://www.c-span.org/watch/cs_cspan2_wm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS2

Mmmm, BBQ....

Well you know, when freshmen tell me "but that's what I meant" I have to say "that's not clear, it's not what you said." I mean, you're a professional writer and a professional journalist, supposedly, so no whining "that's not what I meant."

YOU started with Obama as the subject, and Obama "crossing the politics/culture divide." So your post was set up from the git to be about the meanign of Obama's act. Don't You made Obama the subject of the thing. Why not just talk about rappers and politics, if that's the subject? You're supposed to be a pro.

That you like Lil Wayne is nice but irrelevant--Lee Atwater loved R+B, and crafted the Willie Horton ad.

Let's just see, in the next week, how many places pick this up as "Obama endorses radical black rapper."

At some point, we have to address this. An African-American or Hispanic reporter with Scherer's poor skills would have been fired.

Reading Scherer is as painful as watching Glenn Beck try to form a thought, Tucker Carlson attempting to do political analysis, or President Bush trying not to look like Alfred E Neuman.

Michael,

While I took this post largely as you intended it (according to your explanation in the comments), the negative response is the natural outcome of the image that you have cultivated over the past four to six months.

While you may bemoan that "it is a hopeless task to try to dissuade the Swampland comment diviners from interpreting anything I do as a secret defense of McCain or subliminal attack on Obama", the fact is that this task has become "hopeless" as a result of the numerous times in which that description has fit your posts. With a striking lack of submissions which counter that image, it's not too difficult to understand why people see things you may not have originally intended in posts like these.

When you started here, most people were very impressed with your analysis on various topics. That respect has eroded over time. If you want that to change, I suggest that you consider the critiques that you have gotten rather than sweep them under the rug and write your future entries accordingly.

Thanks, VAR, for saying what immediately struck me about the defense: success doesn't equal excellence, and Obama referenced success, not excellence.

Jayackroyd:

Not to belabor the point, but–

There are plenty of voters, many older and many not consciously racist, who haven't made the effort to figure out just who they believe this Obama guy really is. Scherer's post introduces a greater likelihood that when they do, part of the equation (aided, abetted and further twisted by McCain mouthpieces) will be "Obama's the guy who endorses all those filthy-talking scary rappers." These voters haven't exactly spent time chronicling the history of hip-hop, nor will they make fine distinctions between "mainstream" and "threat to my comfort zone."

"They were invented in that Great Frozen Socialist Paradise to the north. You read that right: Ugly neon-hued foam shoes are another diabolical innovation for which we can Blame Canada."

I'm a Canadian, and I'm sorry. I shall immediately punish myself by banging my head against a wall. And then I will take myself off to the hospital to enjoy my excellent free health care. Oh, yeeeeah.

Obama talked about the artist. I really don't think he fears this attack. If McCain surrogates were gonna make this attack, they'd have done it without the MS post. But they have many better ways of labeling him a scary black guy than associating him with a rap artist. Personally, I think they'll try to use Michelle.

If anything, these comments coming out after yet another hippy/Vietnam commercial just makes McCain look old, and out of touch.

Which he is. It is true, though, that I am very tired of democrats trying to tailor their message to "Reagan Democrats." That's what this sounds like to me.

Red Snapper--

Do the tops of your heads really pop off and teeter when you talk?

Hee hee hee.

Joyful Success--

Did you read the Time article? It's about excellence, as was Obama's comment.

Anybody want to discuss the Iranian missle test? McCain and Obama responded. They really did. I don't know if it tells us as much about the candidates as their taste in musical friends, but it might be fun to discuss.

Oh, and is Madonna getting divorced or what? Gee, maybe that should've been the lead team coverage hot off the wire breaking news even on MSNBC. That's right, it was.

My favorite couplets from Lil Wayne:

There's a boy called Scherer/
Just a jerky little jeerer/
Kisses up to McCain/
For financial gain....

"This, of course, is EXACTLY how the Social Security System was DESIGNED TO OPERATE. The fact that McCain is out there saying it's a disgrace, is plainly John McCain saying "Social Security" is a disgrace."

Keep in mind, that McCain made his “total disgrace” comment in a town-hall meeting, with a phalanx of reporters in tow, and not one of them reported on his comments in any way. Big Zero.

"Do the tops of your heads really pop off and teeter when you talk?"

I sense your gently teasing tone here, Gy, but I'm not sure I get it. Bobbleheads, maybe? Canada is the greatest country in the world, and I am serious. It's wonderfully, gloriously BORING! Which is why I'm such an American politics junkie.

What Centfan said and doubly so!

Let's forget all this silly-season fluff and get to something REALLY important!

After all, the thirty extra cents EVERYONE has been paying the last two months for gas is just a hint of the impact this issue has!

Red,

Its a South Park reference. You can tell the Canadian characters because they are drawn different.

"Keep in mind, that McCain made his “total disgrace” comment in a town-hall meeting, with a phalanx of reporters in tow, and not one of them reported on his comments in any way. Big Zero."

Big negative with the babay boomers, GySgt213.

A lot of us will be depending on that money, which, just for the record, ISN'T an entitlement, BTW. We've paid for YEARS into that fund...

What's McCain gonna offer? Privitization in the middle of a bear market?

Yeah, right, if I wanted to LOSE money!

I get it now. You're just jealous!!

What's with SWAMPLAND posters today? Iran's firing test missles, FISA is up for a vote in the Senate and we're looking at posts about Mike Murphy and Rap music.

Hello out there? Are there any journalists here?

Chris Dodd is about to lose his sh*t on CSpan2. Watch: http://www.c-span.org/watch/cs_cspan2_wm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS2

Sure he is saying that he's talented.

You are probably not that good a rapper. Maybe you are the next Lil' Wayne, but probably not, in which case you need to stay in school

I'm starting to sense a rejection of the entire genre. Have you listened to some of the more accessible artists, like Eminem, or even the intentionally suburban Will Smith as the Fresh Prince?

Funny, it struck me as a statement about monetary success rather than quality (hence, stay in school), but I would agree that it is subject to your interpretation as well.

"Sense a rejection of the entire genre..." by whom? Obama? A solid portion of the genre is based on misogyny, which is why it is subject to much criticism on that front. Not that other popular music forms lack misogyny (I can think of a Nickelback song for one), but the imagery of some of the more popular rap out there is a bit more visceral/detailed.

In any case, it should always remembered that the majority of the rap genre sales are to white males, who apparently demand such things and are perhaps drawn to the apparent "authenticity" of rap lyrics...having not an inclination to go to the inner city and gain the true (and much less glorious) lifestyle of youth there.

For what it's worth, the youth vote is also a worthwhile demographic to aim for.

Obama already has more than a leg up on the competition (McCain) and this is another example of reaching out to those voters.

Sure, they are a bit fickle and flakey when it comes to elections, but it's far far better than flatlining with them...

"But I don't see how this is negative. If by "low information voter" you mean white male racists, he's already lost those votes.

This is way too subtle an association to use on such voters in any case. And, as eminem pointed out in Without Me all their kids listen to rap."

jayackroyd, there is a long history of widespread acceptance of white people listening to and copying black music, while at the same time there was unease about black music being listened to by black people. Rap is just the latest example of this pattern. People may feel very differently about young white teenagers listening to rap music than an older African-American man. And let's not forget the reference to HRC; this may alienate women far more than men. Anyway, I don't think MS was intending to damage Obama by linking him to a controversial musician, but I think that's just what he did.

I recently saw a study about people listening to rap music (not long-term listeners, just subjects brought in to listen to music), and then testing their perceptions of gender. The result was that people who listened to non-misogynistic rap were more likely to show sexist views, and the theory is that rap music is associated with sexism in their minds. Even though the particular examples were not sexist. And when they listened to misogynistic rap, the women showed less sexist responses (the theory is that it made them more aware of sexism), and the men showed more sexist responses. I'll try to find the link if anyone is interested. It doesn't seem like the best thing for Obama to be linked to in voter's minds. And it's important to remember that the world isn't neatly divided into racists and non-racists. There are people who will never vote for an African-American, there are others who will only vote for an African-American who is half-white, and there are others who will only vote for an African-American who isn't linked to the elements of African-American culture that they are uncomfortable with. So race and gender are both complex factors in this.

"But the main point of this post IS important to recognize. There is a huge generational divide in this country and when Sen. Obama calls out Lil Wayne by name that says something to the millions of fans the guy has. It connects him to a generation of his supporters vicerally. And I think the point Mr. Scherer makes stands.

It's like Sinatra, for all his problematic mob ties, being so tight with JFK. That was huge to a whole generation of voters. Or Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, and dozens of stars of the golden era who campaigned for FDR. That was the first time Hollywood went out on the stump and that gave FDR a huge push and a large part of why Hollywood and Cali is such a democratic bastion." - gator_fan, that's interesting. I guess the fact that I'm young and don't listen to Lil' Wayne may skew my perceptions of this. I tried to find more information about the demographics of rap listeners, and their total popularity, but I was unable to find anything. There's some interesting information about race, but none about gender or age. I think the difference in this case is that - as you mention - Lil' Wayne is controversial in a way that Rita Hayworth wasn't. And while you can definitely make an argument that Sinatra is the equivalent to artists like Lil' Wayne today, with their controversial personal lives, the big difference is that Sinatra and JFK were white. Obama faces a difficult double standard, and linking him to Lil' Wayne will not help him.

Also, I find some of the references to Obama's knowledge of pop culture and his popularity among young voters condescending, because they suggest a cause and effect relationship between the two. McCain is doing well with older voters, but I haven't heard anything about it being due to his references to Beach Boys music! I didn't support Obama in the primaries, but I know that the other people my age who did were not convinced by his Jay-Z references.

flownover--

This what they're gonna do.

by whom? Obama? A solid portion of the genre is based on misogyny, which is why it is subject to much criticism on that front.

By commenters here.

As you say later on, misogyny and worse has a long history in American pop music. I have a Blind Faith album, on vinyl, with a cover of a bare-breasted sixteen year old girl holding a very phallic silver jet. Could be I'm subject to arrest for owning that.

As for audience, maybe it's where I live, but I've long ago been inured to the sight of 20-something women singing joyously along to "Baby got Back" and worse. How this is different from "Fat Bottomed Girls" escapes me.

Here's an interesting bit of news.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/07/09/alharamain_lawsuit/

Federal judge says Bush's warrantless wiretapping illegal.

jayackroyd, you're right that there is a lot of misogyny across musical genres. But the perception is centered around rap music, and perceptions matter. If this election were about reality Obama would be up by 30.

This is by far the most ridiculous conversation I've read on Swampland. Points of special interest come from those who (blantantly) know little to nothing about hip hop culture or rap music, yet are very willing to explain what makes up large portions of it (re: mysogony) and how that will affect voters.

Thank you, Michael Scherer, for willfully missing the point of what Obama was saying and opening up this discussion. This is exactly what we needed (heavy sarcasm intended).

Apparently I can't spell today: should say "(re: misogyny)"

I don't think MS was intending to damage Obama by linking him to a controversial musician, but I think that's just what he did.

No no no no.

Lil' Wayne's NOT controversial. He's a pop star. He's not Public Enemy or, FTM, Jefferson Airplane.

That's my (and MS's, IMO) whole point. This is mainstream stuff, fodder for the culture/style pages of a stodgy magazine. This is an old genre, parodied in 1981 by Talking Heads band members.

Otherwise, yes, I think you're on target here. And that 53 is also right that Obama's core strategy is targeting new voters. I was talking to Ian Welsh on the phone a while ago. He'd said he'd looked at the Iowa caucus numbers, and that if the composition of the electorate had stayed the same, Edwards would have won. It was new voters that Obama brought in that made the difference.

This is, of course, great for the party, because political affiliation is like any other brand affiliation--sticky. The reason that marketers target the 18-34 age group is that brand decisions made then tend strongly to be retained.

The Fourth Amendment is being eviscerated on CSpan2 right now, if anyone is interested:

http://www.c-span.org/watch/cs_cspan2_wm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS2

scherer wrote:
"I think the idea that the RNC or McCain oppo shops scour Lil' Wayne songs to create attacks on Obama is hilarious."
is he kidding?
hasn't he been paying attention for the last 6 months?
what does he think that fox news is going to do with this little tidbit of information?
fox news and their buddies got months of material out of about 30 seconds of the outtakes of rev. wright. i'm sure they have a ton of outrageous and interesting video to run on your guy lil' wayne.
and who DOESN'T believe that the mccain camp has someone combing through each and every video and recording lil'wayne has ever made?
that is what they do!
their entire election strategy is predicated on the idea of making obama into a scary and mysterious black man who is really a covert muslim terrorist who secretly wants to kill all the white men and rape their women once he gains power.
the fact that scherer even questions whether they will go in that direction shows how clueless he truly is.
again, hasn't he been paying attention?

Obama has made any number of statements saying how he feels about the lyrics of rap music. He wishes they were more accessible.

My point about Michael's post was that it completely misrepresented KT's post. If you can't get a freakin' quote from another reporter correct in your writing, what the hell are you doing working for Time.

Michael made a statement about Karen's post that was simply false, as in non-existent false. That should be corrected.

He also made an editorial choice. I don't think it's