About two months ago LA producer Daedelus and his crew laced up a short one minute pro-Barack Obama jingle in support of their favorite Democratic presidential runner.  Since then, Daedelus and Taz Arnold -- with the help of numerous other folks in LA -- have extended the short bit into a full length song and made an accompanying video for it that features many familiar faces and places around Los Angeles.  The creators of the video say it is a "dedication to LA, the mobilization of youth, and of course Obama."  Check it out!

In direct humorous response to the Will I Am orchestrated Barack Obama New Hampshire speech inspired, celebrity heavy, music video titled "Yes We Can" that surfaced recently,  a funny spoof music video response featuring John McCain titled "john. he. is"  got posted earlier today on YouTube by Election08.  Check it out above. And if, by chance, you never saw the original, by the Black Eyed Peas member, that inspired it - check it out  below.

Obama’s biggest downfall in his campaign was that he underestimated Latinos. This cost him big time in California. There was so much he could have done to get our vote and he didn't.

For instance, He never really spoke out on immigration issues, which Hilary openly did. For example, Hillary came out in support of AB 540 (The Dream Act), which would allow illegal immigrants to attend college as long as they follow certain provisions. Hillary also started early, rounding up support from Latino heavyweights such as L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilwomen Gloria Molina, Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers. In fact, Villaraigosa pledged his support  for Hilary back in 2006. It also didn’t help Obama cause that many Latinos prospered during the Clinton years and are looking for a return to that prosperity.

Then there is the unfortunate reality that African-Americans and Latinos are socialized in this country to hate each other. We are taught this in the public school system, where neither of us are taught our true history. We are made into street soldiers to fight each other in our ever-increasing incarceration in prisons. We are taught to blame each other by politicians for the lack of jobs, lower wages and increasing cost of living. Truth is that some of us are so messed up that we find it easier to fight each other rather than to come together and fight the true source of our problems.

Obama knows this and has addressed this, quite elegantly, in fact. My thoughts that I have written are not much different from what he has said in interviews and in his speeches. Problem is that he didn't tell this to Latinos. People like my mother, who became a citizen back in 1994 yet still gets her information through the Spanish speaking media. Obama did very little with the Spanish speaking media until just before the election. He chose rather to court Hollywood insiders during his time in Los Angeles. The Chicago Tribune reported that the Obama campaign office in East L.A. was opened mere days before the election. Even with a huge rally at East L.A. College with Sen. Kennedy and Maria Elena Durazo as his co-chairperson for his campaign, Latino voters knew very little about Obama and as a result lost the Latino vote to Clinton by a 2-1 margin, the worst defeat of his campaign.

One thing that sure sets this upcoming presidential election apart from all previous ones in my memory is the unprecedented amount of active input and interest from hip-hop artists and fans alike - most of whom seem to be endorsing Obama - with a smaller percentage in support of Hillary.  And all seem to share a strong distaste of anything related to Bush's regime and most things Republican.

Of all the mailings (printed, audio, video) I have received in recent weeks from hip-hop artists or organizations the following email, that I received today (Super Tuesday), from NY emcee Talib Kweli (see video above of his Amoeba Hollywood instore last August) is the most convincing and articulately presented. Hence I thought I would reprint it here.  Note that this is not an endorsement of Barack Obama by this Amoeblogger  or by Amoeba Music.

This is what Talib Kweli wrote:

                                                     "It is the last year of the Bush administration and thank God. I usually rail against being described as simply "political rapper", and I haven't voted since Bill Clinton first ran for President. I was following the tradition that Black Americans have had of voting for democrats since we got the right in 1964 (temporarily). Then, Clinton, as president's go, seemed better than Bush Sr., but I did not like his policies in Sudan or the constant bombing of Iraq. I also did not like the way our government dragged us thru the Lewinsky scandal. I felt betrayed by the system, and I stopped voting, no longer accepting of the lesser of two evils.

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While Hillary Rodham Clinton's popularity among Hispanic voters currently leads the Democratic pack by a long shot the "Amigos de Obama" are slowly gaining ground and gradually growing in numbers thanks to such showing of grassroots support for Barack Obama as the recently recorded "Obama Reggaeton" which can be heard here with lyrics printed below (scroll down) - a catchy song that calls upon Mexican and other Hispanic voters to support Obama with a call to "Listen to  gente, es tiempo para algo diferente.. What we need is un nuevo presidente*… Como Se Dice…Como Se llama? OBAMA! OBAMA!"   As clearly outlined in the map (below) posted on the website supporting Obama, 13 million eligible Hispanic voters live in ten states (including California, Florida, and New York) with all but one hosting primaries on or before February 5th. Note that Texas' primary isn't until March. Roughly two thirds of the nation's Hispanic residents live in nine of the states that will hold Democratic primaries or caucuses on or before early February, 2008.


Obama is way behind Hillary in popularity with Hispanic voting Democrats, as recently reported by the New York Times which cited polls (including the paper's own and ones carried out by CBS News) from the past few months which show that about 60 percent of registered Hispanic voters who identify themselves as Democrats have a favorable view of Hillary while a quarter do not. Meanwhile Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois, according to the Times "remains a blank slate to many Hispanic voters, polls show, with 40% having no opinion of him. But his aspirational biography could prove a draw as more Hispanic voters get to know him." No doubt "Obama Reggaeton" can only help in this effort.