The GOP will have to work to hold onto some of their seats. Great news! More funds will be spent on down-ticket races than in helping McCain. There's nothing like forcing your opponent to spend themselves into a weaker position. McCain needs support in the tight races and can little afford to fight for other states as well.

Roll down the stats. Poverty rates, out of wedlock births, incarceration, graduation from high school and college. Death by guns, drugs, etc.. The black community is hurting and we are partly responsible. The answers have to come from us as well.

incarceration rates: 43%

poverty rate: 24%

black children in single parent homes: 46%

black children with NEITHER parent 12%

Homicide rate is approx. 7 times greater than that for whites in America.

graduation rate from high school: just over 50% nationally

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Gramm#Post-Senate_career

"He has been an economic adviser to John McCain's presidential campaign since summer 2007.[1]

While advising the McCain campaign, Gramm was being paid by a UBS to lobby Congress about the U.S. mortgage crisis. During this time, "the mortgage industry pressed Congress to roll back strong state rules that sought to stem the rise of predatory tactics used by lenders and brokers to place homeowners in high-cost mortgages."[5] According to Politico.com, Gramm had input on McCain's March 26, 2008 policy speech on the mortgage crisis.[6] He was deregistered as a lobbyist for UBS on April 18th, 2008."

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I'm amazed that McCain still retains Gramm but perhaps that's just a reflection of how little he understands the economy....and the role the Bush administration & Gramm had in exposing homeowners to predatory lending tactics.

Gramm is a GOP shill and a power broker in Washington. He's also a longtime friend and economic advisor for McCain's campaign for president. The fact that this individual claims that our economic woes are "mental" rather than actual should give every american pause but it isn't surprising. Gramm is up to his neck in the mortgage scandal and was deeply mired in the Enron scandal as well.

Would you take advice on the economy from Phil Gramm? It says a lot that McCain is willing to do so.

I love it. No you aren't losing your home or your job. It's all in your mind. What a moron. I'm sure McCain will try to pass it off as a joke.

Admit it. Just be honest. You don't know what the heck you are talking about. You don't live in the community, don't work there and you never have. That's why you go on about historical biases and lack of opportunity.

This is not 1968, it's 2008. If you want to go to college, it might be hard but you can. I did it. I might complain about my student loans and the expense of grad school but I still did it. It's called sacrifice.

As I said before, opportunity isn't equal (this is America) but it's certainly there. Hard work and endeavor can overcome most obstacles. This is the message that is both lacking in poor urban communities and is simply not filtering through the "street" lies that derail so many of our young people.

Obama gets it. Deep down, Jesse Jackson gets it. My fear is that the Jacksons and the Sharptons of this world have made such a career out of profiting off of black victimhood (real and imagined) that they will fight tooth and nail to preserve their stature as "voices of the people."

You're incorrect. Obama has frequently endorsed creating government programs to revitalize neighborhoods, employment opportunities and better our schools. In fact, he can speak to this very competently thanks to his experience as a community organizer. What's your background in helping poor people transform their lives?

It's very obvious that it's not personal knowledge because anyone who has lived or worked in poor communities knows that the problems are far more complex than a government program can fix.

I, unlike you, know first-hand what it takes to rise in our society. Despite the color of my skin and the few disadvantages I've had, I know that America really does provide opportity. Not equally, but it's very much there. However, we also must make choices in order to realize that opportunity. That's what Obama spoke about and I agree with him. I find it very disappointing that another prominent black figure would find ground to attack him on something all of us knows is a deep and persistent problem in the community. Hiding or denying a problem doesn't change anything. Naming the problem can be an important first step to change.

Any chance that Fox News has to get a black person to "attack" Obama, they will take. Fox and the GOP, the organization they really work for, are terrified of being painted as racists. Right now Jackson, as simple as he can be at times, is kicking himself. He knows what he's done. Again, great work Jesse!

Oh really? Whose responsibility is it that the vast majority of black children are born out of wedlock (and into poverty)? That's a choice and bad one at that. But the values are all wrong and women think they can/should have babies regardless of either ability to support the child or suitability of the man for fatherhood.

I teach in Philly and the graduation rate for black males is about 38%. I know that the schools aren't as glorious as the ones in Lower Merion but really, why do so many just not seem to care? Let's see: a culture defined by "street", parents that lead chaotic lives, parents that don't support the educational system.

What really gets me though is that it wasn't always this way. I grew up in West Philly, attended public schools and whenever I drive by there (very rarely) I think, "wow, things have changed." It's not the community it used to be. The answer is simply not going to be handouts. Education is key, job training is key, different priorities and values will be key as well.