Unfiltered Opinion

Black Support For Obama - It's A Matter Of Pride

While reading Political Punch, I was led to an interesting, entertaining and thought provoking blog written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. While I don't agree with some of the content of his postings, I appreciate and respect the fact that he makes intelligent arguments.  For example, I liked his post regarding the myth of the black racist voter.

There are some whites who believe that the overwhelming support of blacks for Obama is a racist act.  I strongly disagree with that.  Coates writes:

"Whereas we have several anecdotal reports of folks categorically voting against Obama because he's black, I've yet to hear a black voter say she couldn't vote for Hillary--under any circumstance--because she's white."

I agree with Coates on this issue.  I have never during my lifetime heard a black person say they would never vote for a candidate because they are white.  Now I am sure there are blacks out there who do harbor racist feelings and do feel that way regarding white candidates.  I'm just saying that I have never encountered any.  That's probably because I have an aversion to being around racists of any color. 

However, as a result of being born and raised in St. Louis, I have had a front row seat to the hardcore racist sentiments some whites have towards black candidates.  I remember when Freeman Bosley Jr. ran for mayor of St. Louis.  You would have been hard pressed to find a white person who would have admitted that they voted for him.  I think it's a fear that some whites have that if a black person is elected to a position of power that they will invoke some form of apartheid that will in turn have whites living as second class citizens. 

Obama is getting approximately ninety percent of the black vote for a couple of reasons.  There are many blacks who are voting for Obama because of his political platform.  However, in my opinion, the majority of blacks are supporting Obama for reasons of pride and wanting to see history made by seeing a man of color as President of the United States.  For example, I have been called an "Uncle Tom", traitor, and other names by blacks because I am a registered independent voter who has not jumped on the Obama bandwagon.  Some of these people are my family members who do not like to hear that I believe Obama and Clinton are both flawed candidates who are promising a lot of things that they will not be able to deliver if they were to become president. 

As I have said before, I am torn by the Obama candidacy.  I would love to see a member of a minority group elected to the highest office in the land.  I am just not convinced yet that Obama is the right person to break that glass ceiling.  Unlike Clinton, he still has time to convince me otherwise - I am listening.

Clinton Has Only Herself To Blame

When the presidential inauguration is held in January, I am sure that Hillary Clinton will have another episode of "what if" on her mind.

- What if Clinton had been aggressive in attacking Barack Obama from the beginning of the campaign?

- What would have happened if the Clinton campaign team had not acted as clinching the nomination was just a formality?

- What would have happened if the Clinton campaign had given the caucus states the same respect they had given to primary states?

- What would have happened if the Clinton campaign team had not completely mismanaged their campaign contributions to the point that Clinton has had to loan her campaign approximately 11 million dollars?

I cannot wait for the day when Clinton will sit down and answer questions like those mentioned above.  It has to drive her crazy to think that the Democratic nomination was hers to lose and that is exactly what she proceeded to do.  Don't get me wrong, Obama and his campaign team deserve much of the credit for Clinton losing the nomination.  Obama's game plan was organized, strategically better and well executed.  Obama campaigned to win while Clinton campaigned not to lose.  Obama has soundly beaten Clinton in every phase of the game.  I know everyone wants to blame her loss on statements made by Bill Clinton.  Some of the pundits are also saying that the country is tired of a Bush or Clinton being in the White House.  I will admit there are some people who hold those sentiments, but the fact is that Clinton just got her butt kicked.

Does that make Obama the best candidate for the Democratic Party? Not exactly.  However, Obama's performance for the past year says that he competed well enough to win the nomination and that is all that counts in politics.

Jim Clyburn - The Reason Term Limits Are Needed

I am so glad that Representative Jim Clyburn (D-SC) has not "officially" endorsed Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.  He's so influential with the black community that his endorsement will sway the support of many black voters especially those who are undecided.  Because the first thing that most blacks do when they wake up in the morning is they look in the mirror and wonder aloud, "I hope Rep. Clyburn has made up his mind today because I don't know who to support for the nomination."  Yeah - right.

Clyburn has again blasted Bill Clinton's rhetoric in support of his wife's campaign. This time he did it in a interview with the New York Times.  He went as far as calling the former president's behavior "bizarre" and said that "black people are incensed over all of this".  Clyburn may not say it, but I will.  Clyburn and other so called "black leaders" are upset that the Clinton's are being so tough on the campaign trail with Obama that he may be damaged for the campaign against John McCain. 

Most blacks are so happy that there is finally a candidate of color that is making a serious run at the White House. I will admit it is hard for me to be anti-Obama because I would love to finally see a minority be elected president, whether it be a woman, black, Hispanic, etc.  However, unlike many blacks, I have not ever voted for a candidate because of the color of their skin.  Nevertheless, this is why Clyburn and other blacks are so upset with the Clinton's.  They feel like since they have always supported the Clinton's through the good and bad times, it is only fair that the Clinton's finally support the wishes of many blacks - the election of Obama to the Oval Office.  Clyburn offers this quote as evidence,

“When he was going through his impeachment problems, it was the black community that bellied up to the bar,” Mr. Clyburn said. “I think black folks feel strongly that this is a strange way for President Clinton to show his appreciation.”

This is such an unintelligent argument and unbecoming of a member of the Democratic leadership.  It is sad that Clyburn continues to use the same old script that many blacks continue to use - if you do not agree with us, you must be racist.   Clyburn's comments insinuate that blacks were the only people to support Clinton during his impeachment.  Someone should ask Clyburn how Clinton should repay the white and Hispanic people that supported Clinton during the impeachment crisis.  My response to Clyburn is this - yes, the majority of blacks supported Clinton during his impeachment period, but a lot of blacks also supported O.J. Simpson during his murder trial.  It seems to me that the majority of blacks were wrong on both accounts.  Bill Clinton lied and suffered the consequences and ensuing embarrassment.  Simpson murdered two innocent people and got away with it because of a inept prosecution of the case.

In his Political Punch column, Jake Tapper of ABC News writes that Clyburn is also speculating that Hillary Clinton is continuing to run, not to win the nomination, but to damage Obama so that he cannot beat McCain in the general election.  While adding to the long list of conspiracy theories embraced by many blacks, Clyburn also said,

"I heard something, the first time yesterday (in South Carolina), and I heard it on the (House) floor today, which is telling me there are African Americans who have reached the decision that the Clintons know that she can’t win this," Clyburn said. "But they're hell-bound to make it impossible for Obama to win."

Clyburn and other Democrats have only themselves to blame if Clinton has made it "impossible" to win.  He and the other superdelegates should stop cowering behind their desks and throw their support behind Obama.  Then Clinton would have no choice but to leave the race because it would remove her only viable path to victory.  Instead Clyburn and other superdelegates have allowed the race for the Democratic nomination to become drawn out and nasty. 

Thanks for the leadership Rep. Clyburn.  Now I know why South Carolina elected you in 1993.  Now show some real leadership and resign or stop making wild accusations in the media.  By the way, who and where are these black people that Clyburn has talked to about the campaign?  I'm black and I still have not heard nobody say the things that Clyburn alluded to in the article.  Never mind - I forgot - people know not to bring that conspiracy B.S. to my face.

 

Is Bob Johnson Jealous Of Obama?

Bob Johnson is a rich man, but that does not necessarily mean that Johnson is an intelligent man.  Johnson made millions when he found Black Entertainment Television (BET) and sold it years later to Viacom for 3 billion dollars.  He is currently the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA.  Johnson is also friends (translation - campaign contributor) with Bill and Hillary Clinton.  Naturally since he is a Clinton supporter, he is upset that Barack Obama is on the verge of becoming the Democratic nominee for president.

I don't have a problem with Johnson supporting Clinton - that's his choice.  My problem with Johnson is that for a man who is going around the Charlotte area and whining about how much money he is losing with the Bobcats franchise, he sure has a strange way of trying to attract fans to support the team.  Most owners keep their politics out of public view because they do not want to offend members of their ticket buying public.  Some owners will donate money to various political causes and candidates, but none of them make the front page of the newspaper every time they open their mouth.

Every time Johnson talks about Obama, something stupid comes out of his mouth.  A few months ago, he made dumb comments about Obama and his use of drugs.  Now Johnson feels like he needs to expound on the comments Geraldine Ferraro made a few weeks ago about Obama.

"What I believe Geraldine Ferraro meant is that if you take a freshman senator from Illinois called `Jerry Smith' and he says I'm going to run for president, would he start off with 90 percent of the black vote?" Johnson said. "And the answer is, probably not... ."

"Geraldine Ferraro said it right. The problem is, Geraldine Ferraro is white. This campaign has such a hair-trigger on anything racial ... it is almost impossible for anybody to say anything."

If Johnson is truly supports Clinton then he needs to keep his thoughts on Obama to himself.  Why on earth would you want to remind any undecided voter about the comments that Ferraro made.  Don't get me wrong, Johnson is not entirely wrong with what he said.  It's just that when Johnson comments on Obama he always sounds like he's jealous of Obama's success. 

However this jealous or resentful behavior is something that Johnson has common with many older and successful blacks in regards to Obama.  They don't think he has paid his dues yet to be in the position that he is in.  They believe his road to success has been easier than theirs.  I believe Obama has traveled a different road than most blacks, but that does not make his road traveled any easier.  It may have been more difficult.  You would be hard pressed to find a black person who can talk about being discriminated against by black and white people.  This is what some biracial people have to experience during the course of their lives. 

Sorry Johnson - this is 2008.  Obama has paid his dues - he  just had to do it in a different way.

No Surprise - The Clinton's Are Rich

The Clinton's finally released their tax returns last Friday.  Now everyone who was making a big deal about their release can breathe and relax.  As I have written before, the Clinton's political opponents knew there was not going to be any smoking gun in the documents.  Everyone knew the Clinton's had made a lot of money since leaving the White House.  I think everyone was just curious to know how much money they made.  Well, the Clinton's did not disappoint because they have made over $109 million dollars since 2000. 

TaxProf has a nice breakdown of the Clinton's taxes by year.  They also include for comparison their previous chart on Obama's taxes.  I still don't believe politician's should have to disclose their tax returns to the public unless there is a law that mandates it.  The only thing that Obama, Clinton and soon McCain will have proved by releasing their financial information is that none of them are worried about saving for retirement. 

I know Obama supporters are going to say that Clinton is so rich how can she possibly relate to the blue-collar workers she supposedly fights for.  My reply to that is this - what politician can?  Obama, Clinton and McCain cannot relate to the millions of Americans who are living check to check.  The only thing that these politicians can do is offer the same old campaign promises that solve nothing.  It will take real courage and vision to make effective change in our nation.  Unfortunately, none of the remaining candidates have what it takes to get the job done.

Bill Clinton Needs To Take His Medicine

Bill Clinton has lost his legendary temper once again.  This time the witnesses were some of the California superdelegates he was trying to convince to support his wife's bid for the Democratic nomination. It seems like one of the delegates mentioned Bill Richardson's name and that is all it took for Clinton to flip his lid.  Commenting on Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama, Clinton said, "Five times to my face (Richardson) said that he would never do that."

Richardson says he never promised anyone anything.  Who knows who's telling the truth and who cares.  Clinton needs to control his childish temper tantrums and start acting like the respected statesman that he is supposed to be.

The Only Difference Is Obama's Skin Color

I always get a kick out of how Obama talks about the "change" he will bring to Washington.  He's going to change the way the game is played. His message to lobbyists is that they better find another line of work because they are no longer wanted in our nation's capitol.  I find it more amusing that he has found many people to buy the B.S. that he's selling.  Is Obama about change or is he just going to repackage his politics in a different wrapper.

If Obama is so much about bringing change to Washington, why are so many of his advisor's former senior officials in President Clinton's administration.  I found an old article in Newsweek that talked about his campaign advisor's.  Here is a sample:

1) Richard Clarke - Counter-terrorism Czar from the Clinton and Bush Administration

2) Jeffrey Bader - Former Director for Asian Affairs on Clinton's National Security Council and an assistant U.S. Trade Representative

3) Rob Malley - former Mideast envoy

4) Dennis Ross - former Mideast envoy

5) Bruce Riedel - former C.I.A. official and National Security Council expert on South Asia

This is just to name a few.  Obama's advisor's also include Mona Sutphen, Roger Cressey, Mark Brzezinski, Sarah Sewell and Philip Gordon.  All of these people were junior or mid-level Clinton officials.

I don't have a problem with any of these people working for Obama. I only have a problem with Obama lying about changing the way politics are done in Washington.  How can you can change the game when you are using the same players? 

The only thing that is different between Obama and any other candidate running for president is that he is a biracial male whose skin color is fair enough that some people will actually listen to him.

Clinton Should Quit The Race

Senator Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race for the Democratic nomination for President.  I am not saying this because I believe Senator Barack Obama is the better candidate.  I believe Clinton should stop running for the nomination if she is going to continue to run a campaign that is afraid to address the problems with Obama's candidacy. 

Obama's campaign, its supporters and the media have put Clinton on the defensive.  They have her and husband, afraid to say any thing bad about Obama.  The Clinton's seem like they are afraid of being labeled racists.  It is not racist to state the facts for what they are if it is the truth.  What is the Clinton campaign afraid of? 

I will be the first to admit that I am not a campaign strategist and I do not know what is being discussed in the various campaign war rooms.  However, I do know this - Clinton will not get the vote of the majority of Blacks as long as Obama is still in the race.  Therefore, she should stop campaigning as if she does not want to offend Black voters.  Every one knows that the majority of Black's vote for the Democratic party without fail. They are fully vested in the myth that the Democratic Party is the best option for them.  In doing so, Blacks have put themselves in a box.  This is why Clinton should stop worrying about offending them and attack Obama's candidacy like she has done in her past races against White candidates. 

I know the majority of Obama's supporters, Black and White, are sensitive to his candidacy and any criticism of it.  They get mad if you ask him about his church and their giving a Lifetime Achievement Award Louis Farrakan, leader of the Nation of Islam.  Obama supporters also get mad if you say that he has not offered any specific details on how he is going to implement any of the policies he has mentioned in speeches.  Many Obama supporters believe that any one who opposes Obama is racist because that is the only reason a person could have not to support his campaign.

Clinton cannot be worried about offending the Black supporters of Obama.  If she were to win the nomination, they would either vote for her or sit at home.  The majority of Blacks are not going to vote for the Republican nominee. 

Therefore, my message to Clinton is this - play to win.  If you are not going to compete to the best of your ability and be true to yourself, do yourself a favor and drop out of the race.   

Where Is Thou Spouse?

I saw something yesterday that I had never seen before during a presidential campaign.  Throughout the night, the candidates gave speeches to their supporters.  As usual, the spouse and children of the candidate are usually on the stage behind the candidate listening to the same speech for the hundredth time.  The network cameras always show them nodding their heads and clapping at the applause lines.  However, Tuesday night was different.

I saw John McCain give his speech with his wife behind him.  I saw Mitt Romney give his speech with his wife and family behind him for support.  Mike Huckabee gave a entertaining speech to his supporters with his wife at his side.  That leaves Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton - so what did they do?

Clinton chose to give her speech earlier than Obama.  She approached the podium with husband, Bill and daughter, Chelsea.  However, when it was time to give her speech, they assumed positions off to the side and out of the camera's site.  I assume this was done because of the media driven "negative perception" of former President Clinton because of his "attacks" on Obama.  It is a fact that some people's blood pressure rises at just the sight of any Clinton.  Therefore, it could be argued that it was a good strategic move to keep him out of sight. 

On the other hand, Obama does not have the same spousal problem like Clinton or does he?  I wonder why his wife, Michelle was not behind him like the other candidate's wives?  Did she not want to stand there?  Doubt it - she's stood on stage with him before.  It is my opinion that this was a decision made by Obama's campaign team.  They knew that after his successful string of wins on Tuesday, the eyes of many voters were going to be watching Obama to hear his speech.  Obama's campaign team is not stupid.  They know that there are still people in this country who cannot fathom the idea of having a President who is not White.  I will say what is not being said - Obama's wife makes him look blacker than what he is. 

Personally, I don't thing Obama's campaign team wanted the image of this Black woman being projected onto the television screens across this country.  I think they were worried that she might remind some people that Obama is considered by many people to be African-American.  Michelle Obama is an intelligent woman with a law degree who would probably make a good First Lady, but the television cameras cannot lighten her skin to look like that of her husband's.  There is nothing wrong with talking about race if it is the truth.  It is what it is.  There is no other reason she was not standing behind her husband on the biggest night of his political life thus far.

What concerns me more is that Obama would allow his wife to be treated like that.  Maybe she signed off on the idea.  Well, at least I know Obama is playing to win.   

Bill Takes A Nap

Why is every one trying to make a big deal about Bill Clinton falling asleep at the church service celebrating the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday?  Have you ever been to a service at a predominantly black church?  I have and they are too long.  Most of the times, you have to sit there for 3 - 4 hours.  Then you have to listen to some long winded minister preaching to you how you should live your life the "right way".  The worst part is when you find out that the minister is not even living his life the "right way".  It's enough to put any body to sleep.