The degradation of the Presidential race may have finally bottomed out. While the media, eager to prove that it’s being “tough†on Obama, pounced on some remarks Obama’s pastor Rev. Wright made recently, the clever and daring politician fired back with a speech as daring as John F. Kennedy’s famous speech on religion in 1960, and, much to the surprise of many, he succeeded.
While Hillary Clinton managed to avoid addressing the fiery and naïve remarks made by campaign aide and former Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, Obama attacked this issue head on. While it seems fairly irrelevant to me that Obama’s Pastor got angry at White America nearly 20 years ago, it was wise of the Illinois Senator to take swift and decisive action, as opposed to the slow and divisive tactic Hillary Clinton choose on her gender/race issue.
The decision to make a speech however, is only half the battle. Who could forget Romney’s speech on religion earlier this year that failed to energize his campaign? Romney could not reconcile his Mormon faith to the millions of evangelical voters and his momentum stalled, clearing the way for Huckabee to divide his chances in half, just enough to allow McCain to slip through. Obama on the other hand is getting high marks for his attempt, which by most media accounts is being portrayed as a successful dialog with the American people about race in this country.
As Jon Stewart mentioned last night, he attempted to talk to Americans about race as if they were adults.
Clearly a brave move, since Americans have not been acting like adults these days. However is it so much the American people, or is it the increasingly sensational Media, who gloss over important stories for childish mud slinging about race, gender and sexual scandal while John McCain and Dick Cheney’s recent trip to Iraq was marred by bomb attacks.
This was the entire point of Obama’s message, that race in this country is used primarily as distraction, a tool to divide us and keep our eyes of the prizes of liberty and equality. He turned the issue on it’s head speaking of stereotypical remarks made about African-Americans by his own White grandmother and yet did not defend remarks made by his pastor, while still defending the man as a member of his family. This really puts the issue in a new prospective. I’m sure we all have family members that make racial remarks, do we cut these people out of our lives? Of course we do not, yet when we disagree with such remarks and believe in our minds that such views are antiquated, we contribute to the destruction of racism.
Racism is an ugly and complicated thing. With guys like Sean Hannity jumping all over Rev. Wright’s 20 year old controversial sermons, we have to question how deep this problem actually is. I have spoken before, with complete hope that I was wrong, that I did not think our nation was ready for an African-American or a woman President because I believed the great American middle is still suffering susceptible to racial distraction. Bring up Affirmative Action to the average unenlightened White person to see the ugliness permeate to the surface. The forces on the Right will do anything to cling to power, they have, in the past used slavery and Jim Crow to maintain domination over the lower classes, will they do it again? Seems to me like they already are! If you speak to a fence hugger and this issue comes up, challenge this person to actually hear the real sermons of the Reverend and contrast it to some of the hate-filled nonsense that leaks out of even the White mainstream churches. Fear of race, gender and sexual orientation is about as common as the clouds in the sky. You certainly don’t have to go back 20 years to find it.
A recent NPR article addresses this issue quite well.
The media plays right into this distraction. Will they now look at the scrutiny of angry White churches on the right? Will McCain have to deal with speeches made by his affiliates that denounce homosexuals, woman, minorities (like the primarily racial immigration issue) and other divisive rhetoric? I hope so, although I’m not holding my breath. McCain’s endorsement of anti-Catholic Reverend Hagee was quickly defused.
Here we are Five years into Iraq with very little to show for it and we’re sitting here talking about remarks made by a Presidential candidate’s pastor 20 years ago. Let’s get back to what this election is all about. Hillary Clinton voted to authorize the war, a move we on the Left knew was not only morally reprehensible, it was destined to become a mistake. Obama did not have the opportunity to vote for the war, however he came out, in a widely publicized Illinois Senate election that he was opposed to the measure and would not vote to authorize Bush to use unquestionable force. This is not the exact same thing, yet it carried the same consequences: losing a political race. Obama was right and Hillary was wrong.
All this talk about experience and I simply don’t buy it. First off, experience does not substitute for common sense or intelligence. If it did, than our fearless leader Bush would not be on track to becoming the biggest failure in American history, he would have gotten a clue at some point. Secondly another politician comes to mind with very little national experience, who went on to become a notably good President: William Jefferson Clinton. What about old Abe Lincoln, JFK, Harry Truman and Teddy Roosevelt for that matter? Experience was not their primary electable quality and they made fine Presidents. Lastly, there is the matter of Hillary’s experience. After health care, Bill isolated her away from chief issues, not just publicly, behind the scenes as well. If she was such a good politician, then what has she achieved? I’m honestly drawing a blank on her fine achievements. I can recall her contribution to the Republican takeover in 1994 however.
Obama has put together a coalition behind the scenes that took on the Clinton’s for god sakes. He has survived the attacks from a desperate Clinton machine and now, as we bottom out of this, we can begin to look forward to taking on the Republicans with a well vetted candidate. The fact is, this bloody fight is not entirely unhealthy for the Democratic party, it’s made both our candidates strong, yet a long protracted battle leading into the convention would be costly. With Hillary clearly in second place, it’s time for her to begin thinking about the future of her party. If she cannot win more delegates in Pennsylvania, than she should go back to New York. Her winning behind the scenes will be extremely demoralizing and besides, the people have spoken. If the Democrats are the people’s party, they’d better listen to the people.
McCain is weak, let’s come together and strike hard. The fate of our nation depends on it.