John Edwards I am not—not even a super delegate, but I think it's high time that I announced my support for Barrack Obama as he seeks to become the 44th President of the United States. Surely anyone who knows me is not all that surprised. Nevertheless, I think the Democratic party is approaching critical mass and I just want to do my part to bring us all together before we go by the way of Darth Vader's Death Star.
And isn't Hillary starting to resemble Rocky Balboa in the those final rounds when he's too stubborn to go down for his own good?
I reckon there is George Bush to thank regarding my decision to back Obama as things can't get any worse—a quagmired war, a sinking economy and out-of-sight gas prices. Undoubtedly the three remaining candidates still in the running (and even those that have withdrawn) would improve things in Washington, across our country and around the world when juxtaposed with George and his low-brow administration. For the most part I should feel pretty good when I awaken on November 5 and learn of the election results. And there we have it folks, the legacy of George Bush—the guy who managed to run the country so far into the ground that the next guy/gal can't help but look good when they step into the Oval Office on Day One.
But Obama personifies that old adage that goes something like, "desperate times call for desperate measures." Basically, we can't afford not to pull out all of the stops, allowing this shipwreck to turn itself around and prevent it from going over the falls. And Obama is the only one who is really talking about giving Washington and the country a true "makeover" that it so desperately needs.
Perhaps he's not strong in foreign policy, but I know he's smart enough to get the right people on his staff to make up for any deficiency. The same goes for any other areas of inexperience. Stop and think about it, everyone has a soft spot when it comes to running the country and providing any given President is intelligent enough, wouldn't they all surround themselves with the right people to shore up anything that's lacking... unless of course they were George W. Bush?
Further, I think a guy like Obama is more of a uniter; certainly not the divider that defines Dubya's reign. Nevertheless, I suppose the loyal White supremist around the country won't feel like joining the party, but they're freaks anyway based on their tainted education (or lack thereof). Who needs 'em?
Yet, as long as I'm here, it has been interesting over the past couple of weeks (since the West Virginia primary), to hear about Obama's "lack of appeal" when it comes to uneducated, White, working-class men and how "he needs to address this problem" and "retool his message" if he expects to get their votes. Hearing the media dance around this little issue, I just kept thinking to myself, "Obama doesn't have a problem appealing to uneducated, White, working class men, they have a problem with him being African American."
In my days of working with this particular demographic, I heard that n-word (containing the two "g's") used more prolifically than any other time in my life—by far. Disclaimer statement: Of course, this isn't to say that all of those whom fit this particular profile harbor such views. Far be it for me to stereotype my own kind!
Finally, this week, Kevin Merida, a reporter for the Washington Post, looked this demon straight in the eye that includes some not-so-surprising remarks from West Virginia's finest voters. Listen for yourself.
Should Obama get the nod from the Democrats, but lose the general election to tired-old-White-man McCain, I'll surely have my doubts that the better candidate won, but more troubling will be whether or not I believe America—in its heart—voted for the best candidate.
No comments:
Post a Comment