I have a Bachelor's Degree in Race and Gender studies.  I've met with the Civil Rights Leaders that brought voting rights to millions of people in America, met with men and women who marched on Bloody Sunday and the following March to Selma and talked with the recently passed Johnnie Carr - the civil rights champion that she was.

I've studied the beginning of race - in America, in the 1700s.  To find a way to keep more worker for less money, legislatures along the East Coast began to separate poor whites from poor Africans.

I've written about the 3/5ths clause, one-drop rule AND the 1/4, 1/2, 1/16 blood quantum rules that most American Indians nations grapple with.

I've lived in the projects - both when the projects were almost solely Black and when they became almost solely first-generation Latino.  My grandfather was Chickasaw Indian, my grandmother was White.  After their divorce, my grandfather married a Vietnamese woman.  There are bi/multiracial children dotted throughout my family.

I know race.

I can't imagine what the United States (or any other) Civil War was like.  I can't imagine what it was like growing up in the segregated South and wanting to end segregation.  I can't imagine being so strongly behind one position while everyone else was strongly for another.  All I can do - all I can do - is speak what is happening now.

It started earlier this week with Ferraro.  Her words were painful to the bone - that Barack Obama wouldn't be where he was if he were a white man or a woman of any color.  That's true - if he were a white man, he'd likely have the nomination sown up.  If he were a woman - it's doubtful he'd be here because let's face it - this is the first time a woman has been in this position and she had a pretty strong headstart.  Any other woman would have been left in the dust.

But to say that he was only where he was - that somehow being mixed/Black with a single parent in this country could help you become President.  Well, it gave me a laugh and I'll be honest - it also made me cry.

Turn me 'round, turn me 'round, turn me 'round.

Ain't gonna let nobody turn me 'round, turn me 'round, turn me 'round.

50 years ago, Black people in Mississippi - hell, all people in Mississippi, would have laughed if you said a Black man was running for President.  Those same people would never have believed you if you said he was winning the fight for the Democratic nomination and had a lot of money and power to win the White House.

And worst?  None of those Black folk would have been able to vote for him.  Few (if any) of the Whites would have voted for him.  And now?

In the 1990s, the Clintons dealt with a barrage of attacks from Republicans.  As has been pointed out, they really feed the fuel of the Republican Party, both fairly and unfairly.  Too many of the attacks were pointless and meant simply to hurt them (politically and personally).

Like the baby before King Solomon, it's time to just split it in half.  Last year, Michigan and Florida's democratic parties decided to break the rules set forth by the DNC and hold votes earlier than planned.

With all of the hand-wringing about how to seat the delegates, etc - how can we get around it?  How can we respect Democrats in those states and not encourage them to simply disregard the rules?

Reading comments in various diaries over the past few weeks, I keep seeing, "If he (Obama) can't deal with the attacks from Hillary, then how will he beat McCain?"  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Hillary hasn't said that herself.  It's a fair point - our nominee must be able to overcome personal attacks and prejudice to win. Rovian tactics, regardless of the user, will try to destroy our nominee and elevate McCain.

Nope - not the Giants-Bears.  Not even a low scoring basketball game or crazy scoring baseball game (although a decent record for a baseball team in mid-May).

We're on the verge of another primary day - OH, TX, VT and RI.  It looks like it'll be a wash - OH/RI for Clinton and VT for Obama with TX looking pretty close for both sides (plus it's primary/caucus system).

So here we are - 2 months after Iowa with the nomination in the air with Obama leading by about 150 delegates and only 10 or so states left to vote.

I'm starting my phonebanking party to be joined by a few of my colleagues and classmates (with pizza and soda to spare!).  I'll start with Ohio and the twenty numbers called - but this is where I need your help.

It's 1:40am CST and Barack Obama is 1639 individual donors away from 1,000,000.

Last night, Hillary said the American people are bankrolling her campaign.  Looks like they've hedged their bet because One Million of them will have donated to him.

I've emailed everyone in my contacts list (which I hadn't done before).  I've called folks.  I've made it clear.  We need less than 90,000 donors to get to ...

I'm a sports nut.  Nut.  I love college sports mostly but I'll deal with pro baseball.  College basketball is great, but I want to focus primarily on baseball at the moment.

Picture this: It's the top of the 7th inning and while it's been a tight game the whole time, the visiting team just went up scored 8 straight runs.  You kept the same pitcher but switched catchers.  I don't think that will work, but ok.  There are two runners on and the batter can either score 1, 2 or possibly none.

So the options are giving up 10 straight runs, 9 straight runs, or 8.  Either way, how does stopping one or two runs give you momentum?

I'm growing more and more frustrated by the Clinton campaign.  Say what you want about Obama, but the following lines are never used in relation to his campaign:

From the UK Times Online (Source):

"Oh it’s always the ad, never the message," Grunwald shot back. Insiders say the atmosphere is dark, even though the fight is not over yet. Loyalty to Clinton remains strong, but there have been too many chiefs and not enough Indians, they complain.

The friends of Bill or "white boys", as Penn and Terry McAu-liffe, the campaign chairman, are known, have long viewed "Hillaryland" – the closed circle of female friends – with suspicion.

A while back, I said it would be McCain/Huckabee.  People I work with still disagree, as we talk about politics, and that's fine.  But I think Huckabee won the VP slot with his performance Tuesday.

On the other side, we have a Democratic nomination heading to the floor.

And all I can think about is the sixth season of The West Wing.

Last week, on The OC: Election edition...

We were waiting on votes between Hillary and Obama.  And when they came in, the conservative area went for...

Hillary!  Yay!  The area known as an affluent and conservative stronghold voted for Hillary by a margin of 56-38 (Scroll down for Orange County).

2004, he blew the DNC away on a speech that wasn't televised (how is the keynote speaker NOT televised) on major channels.

His speech against the Iraq war was huge, his Iowa victory speech and all of the others.  Some inspire less than others...and yet.

Many of us here were the first ones in line to disapprove of President Bush's policies and way of governing the country.  We were the original 24%ers - 24% disapprove.  At the end of his two terms (two!?), one of the worst things he's done, if we can qualify it, is lead us into a stupid war with no plan or reasoning.

Walter Scheib is ready to lead from day one.  He had been part of the White House for 11 years before being kicked out by the Bush Administration.  As such - he has plenty of experience both IN the White House and having to deal with attacks from Republicans.

He had the support of Hillary Clinton way before anyone heard of Barack Obama and while he hasn't come out against the war, he hasn't voted for it either.