This is my final full blog posting as Host of "Black Politics with Chris Owens." I hope you like it.

In Louisiana, America took another step forward while simultaneously taking one step backward.

A Vietnamese-American, Anh Cao, will succeed incumbent William Jefferson as the 2nd Congressional District's member of the U.S. House of Representatives. This is in New Orleans, people! Cao, a Republican, beat the long-time incumbent, in a run-off election marked by low voter turnout and a general lack of enthusiasm for an incumbent whose effectiveness had been nearly eliminated by indictments and investigations.

With Cao's ascension, America broke through another racial-ethnic barrier. Ironically, Louisiana has proven to be a Petrie (spelling?) dish for such change, having elected America's first Governor of Indian descent, Bobby Jindal -- also a Republican.

Unfortunately, Black America -- and yes, there still is a Black America -- suffered a defeat. The Congressional Black Caucus has been reduced in number by one -- the only African American seat in Louisiana. To the extent that African Americans are statistically underrepresented in the House of Representatives (as well as the Senate) and face uncertain representation due to coming demographic changes, the loss of the Louisiana seat is significant.

Yes, we have the Presidency. But all politics is local. And, remember, Barack Obama as President cannot be as partisan or as much of an advocate for "Black America" as he might like. He needs the CBC to be as strong as possible -- as well as the Hispanic and Asian Caucuses (Rep. Barbara Lee referred to the "Tri-Caucus" as a new intra-Congressional coalition.) Our public education system still leaves children of color behind, our prisons are still filled with a higher percentage of black and brown faces than could be thought possible while our board rooms and political bodies have too few of them. Yes, every face and voice of color makes a difference whether the person chooses to "wear the mantle" or not -- because the choice is not a voluntary one.

What brought this New Orleans defeat about? First and foremost, it was the failure of leadership and the triumph of selfishness. Jefferson, a smart man, simply refused to acknowledge that since 2005, in particular, his ability to serve as a leader for his needy community and constituents was fatally compromised. Twice Jefferson refused to step aside, allowing the dissatisfied voters to finally say "enough is enough" and rally behind an alternative. Progress will not come unless we put individual agendas behind collective ones.

Second, the CBC itself as well as the Democratic leadership of the House failed to assert itself and insist that Jefferson not seek re-election (forget resignation -- that would never be countenanced.) Had this happened, a qualified Democrat might have been able to succeed Jefferson -- and that qualified Democrat might well have been Black. Frankly, this is unforgivable and the Democratic Party must look long and hard at how it plans to remain the "party of the future" if such failures are allowed to continue. In electing Barack Obama, America clearly declared "we want change" AND "we want results." Corruption -- and even the whiff of it -- demoralizes mobilization and undermines the potential for success. (You hear that, Charlie Rangel?) In general, as Princeton Professor Melissa Harris Lacewell has pointed out on numerous occasions, it is time for the next generation of African American leaders to step forward and hold power. Hopefully, they will remain committed to the core values of social justice as they approach old problems in new ways. But we have to take some chances to get there. We did it with the biggest office in the land and we can do it in Congress.

Why do I say that a Democrat "might have been able to succeed Jefferson?" Because of the third factor in this defeat -- Hurricane Katrina. Those who pushed political conspiracy theories regarding the Republicans' desires to eliminate the last bastion of Democratic political power in Louisiana were a bit extreme -- but the effect was the same. Democratic power has been decimated by forces ostensibly beyond our control. Displacement has been devastating. The post-Katrina population change in New Orleans did not bode well for traditional Black politics -- and the Democrats could not rise to the occasion.

As things stand today, when the Congressional district lines are redrawn for the 2012 elections, the 2nd District as it exists today will be no more. The new district will be designed to maximize the likelihood of Republican succession for years to come.

So, congratulations America! My condolences, Democrats! My condolences, Black Power!

And, on that note, let me say that the last episode of "Black Politics with Chris Owens" will air next weekend. Our goal has been to provide an audience to a cross-section of African Americans on current events. In the process, we hoped to educate ourselves and our audience -- which is mostly white -- as to the challenges we all face. I myself come from a multi-racial background (I'm a few years older than Barack Obama) and have attempted to practice "post-racial" politics in my life. It's not always possible -- and that is what we all need to keep in mind. We can and must find a way to speak comfortably about those things that make us uncomfortable and we still have a long way to go when it comes to race.

It has been my privilege to have been on the air since this past February -- an incredible time in America if there ever was one! The economics of our situation did not work out and, to be fair, Air America Radio needs to stay solvent and needs its shows to pay their way (please note that I have been a "volunteer" host). AAR has been more than gracious during this period and I am very thankful for the support we received from the leadership and the staff.

Of course I am thankful to the many guests who graced the studio or our phone lines -- everyone from Nikki Giovanni and Herbie Hancock to Representatives Keith Ellison (MN), Diane Watson (CA), Rev. Jess Jackson, the Race Doctor - David Campt, and on and on, as well as my dad, retired Rep. Major R. Owens (D-NY).

I must, however, give special thanks to a very special person without whom the professionalism of BP would not be possible. The Executive Producer, Logan Nakyanzi Pollard, is a wonderful woman who was unafraid to challenge me regularly and helped me to grow as a host. Logan also has great ideas as to how a show should sound and flow -- and she's usually 100% right. Logan worked very hard to make a difficult time slot work for our guests and for me -- including many all-nighters on Fridays to ensure that a good show was ready for Saturday morning. Thank you, Logan, for everything!

So, unless someone out there has the ability to generate some bucks for us in these difficult times, we are saying goodbye as of our New York broadcast on Sunday morning, December 14th (most of you listen on Saturdays, however).

Let's wish our new President and his family all the best and, as we move forward, always remember that "a thinking people is a powerful people."