Friday, February 22, 2008
Barack, Barack, he's our man. If he can't do it, some white guy can!
Barack Obama has my vote, but that may not mean much in the end. Assuming he manages to win out over Hillary in the Democratic primary race, he still faces a steep, if not impossible, uphill battle. To my mind, he seems to be the more compelling and appealing candidate for everyone. His message of hope, opportunity, and optimism certainly seems more genuine, given his background. How electable he will be ultimately depends on whether America is ready to elect a minority President. My guess is that he will ultimately win the primary and lose the election, as I just can't see white, protestant America will allow a black man to be President of their country. So I am mentally preparing myself for more of the same old bullshit: an aging, out of touch, white male with questionable special interest connections, fluctuating values, and a we'll-stay-in-Iraq-for-100-years-if-we-have-to mentality. Four more years of anti-middle class politics disguised by "party of values" propaganda. Four more years of tax cuts that will someday, somehow (just trust us) bring a windfall of relief to middle class America. Four more years of another geriatric Republican pandering to his corporate sponsorship and a "conservative" base made up of people who are largely full of dogmatic shit (see Ted Haggard and various other evangelical/right wing celebrities). Four more years of mediocrity, arrogance, and hubris. I can't wait.
The America I was taught to dream of as a kid proved to be an utter fabrication, much like a Santa Claus myth we could live within. Whereas people eventually accept that Santa Claus was a lie (all in fun, of course), they refuse to accept that America the Great as laid out by Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, et al was then, and to some degree still is, a falsehood. After all, it is more fun to believe a magic man delivers presents to all the good boys and girls than it is to accept that mom and dad put all of that stuff on their credit cards. Similarly, it is more pleasing to believe that all Men are created equal and that rights are self-evident (bestowed upon us by our Creator), than it is to recognize that 50 years after the official end of segregation America is still almost certainly not going to elect a black man to be President of the United States. Hell, there's little or no chance this country would elect a woman, for that matter. This comes as no great surprise in a country that took 100 years to abolish slavery after a group of white males (some of them slave owners), had the audacity to write "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
When your country's alleged values are based on a hypocritical premise and established without addressing what was obviously a catastrophic case of cognitive dissonance, you are in for some serious, even tragic, shit. The Civil War was fought to maintain that cognitive dissonance in the name of money and power. Women's suffrage and the Civil Rights fights both had to be fought as a direct result of that disconnect between reality and supposed ideology. The truth is, the Civil War, suffrage, and civil rights happened because America was historically a racist, sexist nation. Has some of that come right in the past 50-75 years? To a large degree, I think you would have to say that it has, but our roots are still firmly entrenched in blacks as property/inferiors, women as baby makers/inferiors, so I just can't see a reason to be optimistic that we might finally be ready to take that leap forward as a people. Obama will be attacked for his inexperience (even though he has been in public service for 20 years), despite the fact that Repubs willingly elected an incompetent governor from Texas who had less than 10 years experience as a functioning politician, none of which was at the Federal level, but he did have daddy Bush to lean on, so I that made all the difference in 2000. Republicans will attack Hillary because she is supposedly a Socialist, though how Socialist a woman with as many ties to special interest groups and corporate America as Hillary Clinton could possibly be is highly debatable. Clearly, anyone that threatens Republican interests in the insurance and pharmaceutical sectors will be feverishly attacked as a would-be communist. Same old, predictable bullshit with what I'm worried will be the same old, predictably disappointing results.
I've said it before and I'm sure I will say it again, the greatest tragedy in America isn't where we are, it's where we are in relation to where we could be. A smarter leader here, a more authentic set of values there, and we might have actually done more than made a small percentage of the population obscenely rich and built the world's mightiest military machine. People think that money and power signify success, but these things should not be our measures for success, they should be the foundation on which we build success. As it stands, much of our money(the most recent universal tax refund, for example) is borrowed from the civil rights violation specialists in China and much of our power is based solely on having the mightiest military. Where we could have been a nation unified by a vision, working toward something like a utopia, we are instead little more than a modernized, mechanized Rome, working toward ego-fueled, global dominance. Ironically, even Egypt had a few matriarchs take the helm during its long history, yet modern, "enlightened" America has not ever even seriously considered putting a woman in the highest, elected office in the land until this year.
We need a change in direction and we need someone capable of encouraging people to hope for something new. What could be more new and different than a black President? If nothing else, Barack Obama is giving voice to an alternative to the status quo, which appeals directly to my sensibilities. Obviously, his ability to back those words up with action are what's most important, especially at this particular juncture in American history. Constantly walking around patting each other on the back and declaring "we're the best" doesn't make it so. Being the most powerful does not necessarily make us the most righteous. We have to constantly seek ways to improve our collective condition or risk collapsing under the weight of stagnation, apathy, and greed. The whole point was to put the power in the hands of the people, but the people haven't ever been willing to take that power and do something with it. Maybe this time we will. That's not to say Obama is necessarily the answer, but electing a black man President of the United States would certainly serve as a strong indication that we might finally be ready to start breaking free from of the stranglehold white (Anglo-Saxon-Protestant) males have had on the White House throughout this country's history. In my mind, that has to be a good thing.
Labels: politics
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I'll be honest... I didn't even get past the second line in your post. It turned my stomach a little. But, hey that's what makes the world go round... people having different beliefs. I feel like people are jumping on his band- wagon and I just don't feel like he is the right guy. Not that anyone is in this race... but I don't like him! This country does need a change, but nobody that is running is the right man for the job.
Pulling out of Iraq as quickly as he says he will only make us look weak and will encourage people to attack us! Not to mention we will just have to go back to finish what we started anyway. With Scott joining the reserves we are scared to death of him being the commander and chief.
His connections to Rev. Jeremiah Wright disgust me. The way he votes on security measures for this country... there are no words to describe how I feel about that.
I could go on and on about why I don't like him but it won't change anything and after packing all week and moving all day I'm too exhausted and it will fall on deaf ears anyway=)
Since it seems like he will be the winner, I hope you're right but I'm not hopeful... I think he is all wrong.
Call me a racist, I don’t care, but it’s not that I’m not ready for a black president… I’m just not ready for this one.
One more thing on what I mentioned about Rev. Jeremiah Wright...
Until the black people in America stop referring to themselves as African-American things will never change. If you weren't born in Africa... I'm sorry to say, you are American just like me. If you don't want to be, go to Africa and you'll see just how good America really is then. Most of Africa still treats their blacks like slaves.
I don't go around calling myself a German-Irish American. Just as you don't call yourself a French-Norwegian American.
If this country is ever going to be free of racism, get rid of BET, Ebony Magazine, the awards shows just for black and Hispanic/Latino performers, etc, etc. If there were a channel on TV called White Entertainment everyone would cry racism... why isn't it the same when the tables are turned? I could go on and on with more of these examples. I'm not saying this country is perfect, far from it... and yes there are still way too many racists out there, but it won't get better until the blacks stop separating themselves from the rest of America. Obama is one of these people and it’s so sad that someone with his education level can’t figure this out.
Differences in opinion make the world go round! :) In my opinion, George W. Bush is one of the worst Presidents this country has ever seen, period, but people still seem to support him and his policies. A man with obvious intellectual deficiencies has allowed his cabinet to make elective war, enact questionable economic policies, and the country is weaker on all fronts because of it, so I'm not worried about Obama making things any worse. It's not as if he will be able to turn the US into a nation of anti-whties/pro-black activists, so I'm not concerned about his affiliations with Wright. The only reason Wright's words are an issue is because he is a black man saying the same things many white Christians have been saying for centuries. Look at the writings of Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwell (may he rot in Hades), both of whom were connected to George W. Bush's taking and retaining of the White House. As far as I know, Wright has not ever declared that all whites will (must!) burn in Hell, as Robertson and Fallwell have of gays, lesbians, and other "sinners".
And Iraq has to end some time, we simply can't afford to occupy the place indefinitely. I believe Hillary wants to extract troops even quicker than Barack, and McCain is talking about leaving them there forever. Honestly, I think the greatest danger of Scott being redeployed arises with McCain in office. Obama and Clinton will pull out and I seriously doubt anyone will support a return, once US troops are out of that mess. The American public certainly won't want that and the international community would object as well. That region has not known peace in well over a thousand years. We are not and will not ever install it there through hubris and the force of our own will. The war is costing this country lives and money we really can't afford to lose any longer. We could keep 140,000 troops on the ground in Iraq for the next 100 years, bankrupt the US, and ultimately, the end result will likely be the same. At this juncture, the greatest threat to our national security is not terrorism, it is incompetent and corrupted leadership, which we have in droves all over Washington these days.
When the government is borrowing money from China and the dollar has descended to sub-Canadian levels, fighting elective wars becomes much less feasible. The economy is stalling, we are very likely in a Recession already. Dubya put the country's collective foot into a pile of dung in 2003, and the only way to start cleaning up the mess is to first extract said boot. Leaving it in the mess does nothing but prolong the inevitable. We'll see how it shakes out, but I think McCain wins this thing and we get 4 more years of the same old shit. Should be fun for all of us!
Yes, there have been and always will be racist people of both colors, but like Mommy always said... "Two wrongs don't make a right". We will never be able to move forward if we continue to separate.
Let's put it this way, I'm part German, never has a Jewish person reminded me of the past or hated me for what other people had done to their ancestors, etc.
My point is... slavery, racism, etc, is a horrible part of history and should never be forgotten BUT we can't keep beating a dead horse either. If this country is going to move forward then we need to stop separating, and having a double standard. In this day in age it's okay have magazines, award shows etc strictly for blacks but its racism if it were only for whites. Why is that? Does having an all black award show fix the problems of the past? Does it take the hurt away from the people who were treated badly? The answer is NOPE, all it does is continue to separate and divide. I’m sick of the double standards; it’s time to treat everyone as an equal. Racism will never be gone, but we can at least try.
As far as the war... right or wrong it happened and we need to see it through. But, I do find it funny that everyone in Hollywood and everyone else who wouldn't dare put their life on the line for this country without question will stand and protest and say bring the troops home. But the guys that are over there now, the guys who have been there before, and the guys who have seen what we have accomplished... they're the ones who say we need to see it through, they're the ones who have a sense of pride because of it. Scott would go back without question if he were asked to, because he saw firsthand how much we have helped that country. Funny how nobody will ask a soldier? Yes, there are some who don't want to be there, that will always be the way, but 90% do. I don’t want Scott to go back because I love him, he’s the father of my children and I want him safe, but I know how proud he is of what he’s done and how sad he is to give up the uniform… To pull out now will just be a slap in the face to all of these soldiers who have done so much.
The problem I have with the "we can't leave" argument is that Americans are dying while fighting someone else's revolution, and what they are dying for has little or nothing to do with the war on terrorism. No one declared war on Saudi Arabia or Libya or Pakistan, all states that have, or continue to support terrorist organizations. On the contrary, we have formed alliances with all of those countries...even fucking LIBYA (Google PanAm Flight 103 to get an idea of how friendly Libya can be).
What kind of government does such things? I understand Scott is proud of his service, as he should be, and I have nothing but love and respect for my little brother, but people like Scott SHOULD NOT be dying in the name of corrupt and dishonorable governments. Governments like this one expend lives in the name of their own hubris and arrogance. I have no problem with the idea of killing or dying in the name of a cause, but what is the cause here? American freedom? National security? A "free" Iraq? I was not ever an "oil conspiracy" believer, I always believed this was about Wolfowitz's (neo-Reaganite) doctrine calling for the "projection of power" into the Middle East. Wolkowitz argued for this war in 1993, he finally got it 10 years later, under extremely questionable circumstances.
I just can't see hanging on to that indefinitely. More fathers, brothers, sons, mothers, sisters, and daughters die in the name of someone else's cause, put in harm's way by people of low character and questionable motives.
Do you trust the government? I sure as Hell don't. So there is nothing that will make me feel good about allowing such a corrupt, diseased organization put anyone I care about in danger, particularly when that same organization largely consists of people who have never willingly risked their lives in the name of anything more honorable than a night of drug binging or unprotected sex. These men are the antithesis of the honorable soldier, yet soldiers are forced to follow their indirect commands every day. That is just unacceptable to me.
As much as I don't like him, I had hoped you were right about him because it looks like he will be the democratic nominee (thanks to Oprah)… but now I see that he is no different than any other politician. He's showed his true politician ways this weekend. Change, ha, he’s just like the rest of ‘em.
Everyone knew his affiliations with Rev. Wright, as you know I posted my concerns abnout it on this very post. He should haven maned up and said, that yes he knew about the things he has said, and although he didn’t agree with them he chose to stay with the church due to the good that has come out of it… etc, etc. BUT- to come out and say that he had never heard Rev Wright talk like that when he was in the pews makes me so angry. This is the man that married him, baptized his daughters, he considered him and uncle… but he had know idea he spoke like this during many, many sermons??? How is possible that I knew, but not Obama?
If Obama wanted to show America he was truly about change, he would have taken this pefect opportunity to be honest. I would have given him a lot more respect and it might have made me take a step back and say, “Wow, that was a first for a politician, maybe he really is about change and can be good for this country.” But now, he just proved to me what I thought all along about him. Don’t stand there and lie, we’re not stupid!!!
Will it hurt him, probably not because they all do it, they are all crooked! But, I do think it gives the people blinded by the word ‘change’ a little more insight into his world, his beliefs and I hope it makes them at least think a little more before they cast their vote.
As I’ve said before, the part of the black population that continues to separate themselves and won’t let this country heal and unify are such a big part of the problem. Not the only part, but still a part of the problem. The things Wright say are very racist, and very wrong. How will the things he says bring this country together, which is what I would think he wants??? Have worse things been said by a white man, of course… but we’re supposed to be moving forward, learning from our mistakes not repeating them.
Which brings me to Obama. No, I don’t think he will… as you said, “Turn the US into a nation of anti-whties/pro-black activists” but if someone so close to his family is such a moron, and so racist and just outright crude, I think it speaks a lot to his moral carachter. And yes, I know every politician has someone in their backroud if not them themselves as beig just as big of an idiot… we should question all of their characters!!! The point of this is… I want Obama to be knocked down a notch or two, and for people in America to realize he’s not all about change, he’s just like the rest of them. Will he be the lesser of three evils, who knows, only time will tell but for now he showed some of his true colors and proved to me this weekend he’s just as crooked as the rest.
You really don't like Obama! lol It's all in how you read it. Do I think he heard some of the language coming from the good Pastor? Sure, I'm almost 100% positive he did. Do I care? Nope, because what this man says does not necessarily represent what Obama says. When Obama starts babbling about 9/11 conspiracies and race baiting language, or exhibits similar beliefs in his actions, I'll start trumpeting a call for his political destruction. What he is doing is the same thing white politicians do when Jerry Fallwell or Pat Roberts blame 9/11 on homosexuality and call for the deaths of abortion clinic physicians. He's distancing himself, and I can't blame him. If people like Sean Hannity or Bill O'Reilly can make the label of back racist stick to Obama, he's done in this race.
I just think if he's running on the platform of change... "we need to change the politics in America etc, etc..." then he needs to be honest. Yes he's distancing himself, but lying about it. I'd laugh if someone found footage of him in the pews in one of these tapes. I just want him to be honest and say he knew but didn't agree with the comments.
Like I said, they are ALL crooked!