It's funny because I remember reading Powell's essays and being surprised at his violations against women, yet I believe that part of him is history. I'm not saying that he doesn't have those same tendencies, yet his current character and demeanor provide us with a glimpshot that although he WAS physically abusive, I'm not sure the same is true now. I rather much use this argument in defense of him rather than pointing out the wrongdoing that THEY do, because we know things aren't equal and even so as a self-described hip-hop self-taught feminist, I wouldn't openly champion any man that was physically oppressive to women.

I have so many issues with this issue that its hard to keep my thoughts organized, so if this comes out jumbled, i apologize in advance...

People are such hypocrites. As much as folks complain about how politicians lie and you can't trust them, they fake etc, here you have a man who's laying it all out bare and he can't get a break. He's saying "i'm flawed but i've made progress in my self-development and imma keep on"...he wants to help others and seems to have dedicated his life to some degree to 'giving back'. But that ain't good enough for folks. But the same folks that are complaining and dissing him ain't tryin to do what he's doin...

fukkouttaherewiththatbullshit, as the kids say...

Doesn't that happen in politics all the time?

People were on G-Dub for his military record, his drunken ways in the 70's... and that was 30 some years ago.

If you're running for public office, prepare for your dirty laundry to be aired.

And, some people just don't like Kevin Powell. jimi izrael is one of them cats. It's not about black folks airing another person's laundry... there's a lot of people who just don't like dude.

My concerns about Kevin are in no way personal---I think I have said it very publicly, Q: I got alot of love for him. We've had our beefs and I'm not buying what he's selling, but I would never prevent him from selling it. Kevin and I have issues that are more about our world veiws than personal. I have a low tolerance for people selling easy answers. I have a low tolerance for people macking off a Mea Culpa. And let's face it--using reality television as a springboard into politics is a bad look. He lacks qualifications. Any qualifications whatsoever. That's my beef

The other thing is that--c'mon---it's one thing to have a drinking problem (Bush) or like getting your Duck Sick (Clinton). When your anger problems cause you to act out in public and physically attack people, we can argue that a life in politics may not be your bag. This ain't Inochina, where there duke it out on the floor of Senate. You attack another congressman here, and it'll get real hot where you are, real quick. It would be oe thing if dude was some kind of political wunderkind. But he's not. it feels more like another hustle than anything. Square biz.

people are allowed to change themselves, improve themselves. i've had issues with mr. powell for years. however, a large number of african americans seemingly are more willing to give their approval to white leaders (Bill Clinton) and offer more scrutiny to their own kind.

on the flip side... kevin still comes off as 'angry black man' to me. even in his attempts to reform. i dunno...

i agree, i'm not buying what kevin's selling either. i read the memoir of former vibe editor miles marshall lewis, where he talked about kevin attacking him and knox robinson from the fader. a lot of dudes just don't like him, yet for pretty solid reasons. it seems like touré jacked the hip hop baldwin spot he was after, and politics is his next hustle. but i thought he was starting a record label too? whatever works, right?