election 2008 from the eyes of an ebony mom

One of the wonderful things about being an American is freedom of choice. We get to choose where we live, where we go to school, church, who we associate with and also who we don’t associate with. It is a beautiful thing to live in a land full of choices. One of the most important choices we have is who we will vote for this year for president. It is our choice. This year the super delegates (especially the African-American ones)  have an important choice to make, and it is disturbing to hear that some of them are being threatened and bullied. Some of them are being told that they will face opposition the next time they run for office. What’s most disturbing is these are black folks intimidating black elected officials. This brings back bad memories of people being threatened and bullied back in the day when they simply wanted to vote. That was wrong then, and it is wrong now. Every one has the freedom to choose, but keep in mind that all choices come with consequences. So my advice to the super delegates is make your own choice, but just be prepared to deal with the consequences.

Yesterday, Congressman John Lewis, who is a Democratic super delegate said he would be casting his vote for Sen. Barack Obama. He had previously pledged his allegiance to Sen. Clinton. He said he agonized over this decision. he said the Clintons are like a 2nd family to him. When he was announcing this decision he looked like he was still in agony. When someone gives me a gift I want them to look happy. I want them to show enthusiasm. An old episode of the Cosby show comes to mind. One of the Cosby kids had not told him about a very important decision. In this case one of the daughters was secretly engaged. By the time she shared the news with the family many others already knew. Cosby asked the suitor what was his favorite meal. The suitor replied steak, baked potatoe and salad. Cosby said well what if I made that meal for you and served it on a garbage can top would you like it? The suitor replied no. Cosby said exactly because of how it was presented to you. I thought about it as I watched the honorable Congressman announce his decision. If this is a source of pain and not a source of joy perhaps he needs to stay with your first choice.  We want people fired up and ready to go and judging from yesterday it looks like John Lewis’ fire is almost out.

When you lose once people say you lost. When you lose 10 times you are officially a loser. Most of the time a lose is discounted, but not in this primary season. If Barack Obama had lost 10 primaries in a row we would now be saying Barack Who? In the case of Hillary Clinton the 10 time loser she is still called a contender.  She is still treated with deference and she is still complaining. The showdown in Ohio was a true yawner. They have debated 20 times and they spent 16 minutes talking about their health care plan differences. The sad thing about this exchange is they spent all this time debating something that is totally non-existant at this time. Last night we learned nothing new. After next week we should have a clearer picture and hopefully if Clinton loses again she might finally determine this is over. Right now I see a sore loser who refuses to quit.

Today a photo of Sen. Obama appeared with him dressed in traditional Kenyan attire. He has a turban like headpiece and material draped on his body in the country’s tradition. There is really nothing wrong with this custom. Many heads of state have been photographed wearing traditional clothing of countries they visit. So what makes the picture newsworthy? As we all know the Senator has an unusal last name in the sense that it is not Anglo-Saxon in origin, and his middle name is Hussein. Every since this campaign began people have taken shots at him becuase of these facts. It is the kind of thing I expected to see if he were the official nominee. The thing that makes this painful is it is coming from the “family.” The Democratic family. We are witnessing the ultimate meltdown. the end of a dream. Hillary and her team are officially “off the chain.” Nothing, absolutely nothing is too low. She dreamed of being the nominee and right now this looks like a dream deferred. She is fresh out of ways to slay this “hopemonger” and now she is going for the kill at any cost. I used to say I would vote for the ultimate Democratic nominee, but now I can’t say that. If Hillary manages to get the nomination by hook or crook I can’t vote for her. Her team is concentrating on the battle and not looking at the war. The statements and actions of the past few days make it impossible for me to vote for her. If she is the nominee then I know I have got to take a long, hard look at Senator McCain.

This is crunch time for the Democrats. Hillary Clinton is in a do or die situation, and Barack Obama is on the cusp of history. Yesterday, I watched the news and Hillary Clinton was ranting about the dirty tricks that the Obama people are pulling. Specifically, she says some of the statements in their direct mail pieces are untrue. Barack Obama responded by saying the piece reflects her record. Today, I see Hillary is mocking the Obama rallies. Her premise is he is giving us a feel good message and the problems we face are a lot harder than he leads us to think. Well, she is really walking a thin, precarious line. Her rhetoric has gone from just insulting her opponent to insulting all the people who voted for him. She is insinuating that we have been bamboozled, hoodwinked and led astray. Well, I am not an idol worshipper. I am a college educated, professional and I made up my own mind about Sen. Barack Obama. We need someone willing to try something different. We need a fresh perspective. We have 3 branches of government and this ensures that no one branch becomes too powerful or goes in a direction contrary to the Constitution. Sen. Obama is not a wild-eyed radical calling for the destruction of this country. He is a true visionary that sees the potential in our great country, and he will lead us in a new direction that truly reflects the change that the people desire. The people who voted for Sen. Obama are rational people who do not want more of the same. We are not delusional, and we are far from being crazy. We know what we want and we know who we want to represent us. I have heard the definition of insanity is doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different result. That is also a definition of the politics of yesterday. Pure insanity. We are sane and we seek change, and Barack Obama is the candidate that most embodies what we seek this election year–Change.

Last night we witnessed another debate. The pundits said that Sen. Clinton needed a knockout punch. Well, it did not happen. To continue the boxing vernacular  she never laid a glove on the Senator Obama. She did try to hit below the belt when she again accused Obama of plagiarizing in his speeches, but when she landed that punch the audience felt the blow and they responded by booing her. Sen. Obama called this “silly season” and that summarizes it. We have got some big issues facing the country and plagiarism does not even make the top million. Its an untrue allegation and an unimportant non-issue. She will need more than this trivia to derail this movement. America is fired up and ready to go in a new direction and if Obama supporters have their way she will not be the one giving the directions.

As an adult you know we are experiencing some bad times. The cost of a gallon of milk is $4, the cost of a gallon of gas is almost $4, the only thing staying the same is your paycheck. So you really don’t need anybody to point out the obvious to you. Times are bad. So Sen. Obama comes along with a message of hope. Not false hope that is predicated on whimsy, but real hope that is predicated on reality. He also makes you believe that things can be better. You walk away feeling a little better. Well, you would think this was pure heresy. On the other side you get the times are bad message, and I’ve got the solution, but it feels like you are being forced to take castor oil. I want the feel good message. I want to be inspired. I want to be motivated. I know all of this will take work, but works goes so much better when you feel good.

I am an unabashed Obama supporter. I don’t go door to door, but I tout him to my own circle of friends and relatives. When I am talking to some of my elderly relatives I feel like I am a runaway slave trying to get them to go North with me. The sad thing is there is real fear in their voices when I talk about Obama. He is the enemy and Clinton is the Great White Hope. They say the Clintons have been so good to us. It borders on the kind of loyalty given to ole massa in days gone by. When I try to talk to them what I say is dismissed as the rantings of an agitator. I don’t know if the Senator will win, but I am giddy at the possibility and I wish they shared my enthusiasm. I realize this is not going to happen so I go on talking to those who will listen and allow themselves to believe that this is something we can do.

When the Clinton machine gets you in the crosshairs look out. On Saturday night Sen. Obama delivered a speech in which he quoted portions of a speech previously given by Deval Patrick. Patrick is the governor of Massachusetts and he is also an Obama supporter. The Clinton’s contend he plagarized. This is ridiculous. It is not uncommon to use others words when giving as speech. Sen. Clinton has borrowed from her husband. She has even used Sen. Obama’s catch phrase “we’re fired up and ready to go.” This is a case of those who live in glass houses should never throw stones. The bigger issue is this is trivial. We have kids dying in Iraq everyday, people losing their homes due to foreclosure, kids who want to go to college, but lack funding, people with no health insurance and record unemployment. These are the issues of this campaign. Let’s concentrate on Solutions. Oh forgive me I think I heard Sen. Clinton use this word I better give attribution or that Clinton machine will be coming after me.

I read all the news magazines and I watch the cable talking heads and they all seem to be saying the same thing. We are witnessing and incredible moment. The Obama campaign is something this country has not seen, but there are still people who can’t believe it. I was talking to my elderly uncle the other day, and he believes it is a plot of the Republican  party. He says they are the ones pumping money into his coffers, and their ultimate plan is to make him the nominee. He says they believe he will be an easy target for the Republicans. My uncle still believes American will not elect a black man to the highest office in the land. This he finds easy to believe, but he can’t transfer that same belief into something positive. I can’t dismiss his concerns because he is a product of his own experiences. He lived through Jim Crow south, he witnessed his father being called a boy and he worked his entire life in the steel mills. So for him this is an impossibility. As I talk to him I refuse to believe in his theory. I have to believe in the possiblity. I have to have hope not just for me but for my children. This is not a cult, clique or flash in the pan this is a special time in our country’s history and I believe it is possible.