election 2008 from the eyes of an ebony mom

Hillary’s final campaign ad for Pennsylvania is a litany of gloom and doom. She has captured almost 80 years of catastrophes in one 30 second spot. This has to be a record. The ad features the Stock Market Crash of 1929, FDR, JFK missile crisis, Osama Bin Laden, Hurricane Katrina and skyrocketing oil prices are all featured. The goal is clear–it is time to scare the voters. She is saying these are tough, scary times and you need a leader ready for the challenge. As the ad says it is the “toughest job in the world.” This is truth is it is a tough job, but you don’t have to try to scare people anytime they go to the gas pump or the grocery store they know times are bad. This is the kitchen sink strategy in its purest form. The voters of Pennsylvania should be afraid, very afraid of Hillary.

Over the past few weeks we have been witness to bitter exchanges between both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama. Last night they both spoke of unity.They both vowed to support whoever is the Democratic nominee. I believe they will be out on the campaign trail but what credibility wil they have? We have heard their surrogates say some vile things that will not be forgotten by November. How can Clinton question Obama’s judgment in both foreign and domestic policy and then go out on the stump and say he is the best candidate for the job. Likewise, how can Obama speak of Hillary’s integrity when his surrogates have branded her a liar. The bigger issue is how do you get the supporters of Obama to support Hillary? Or vice versa. This campaign has become increasingly personal and nasty and unfortunately the supporters of the candidates have become increasingly polarized. When all is said and done somebody is going to be unhappy. The question is how will that unhappiness translated? Will supporters stay away from the polls or will they vote for McCain? Either way the Democrats lose. We all know the old saying,”united we stand” and divided…you know the rest.

The Clintons believe they can do whatever they want and things will turn out in the end. That will not be the case. If she manages to get the super-delegates to support her I hope she enjoys the moment, because that will be the only taste of victory she will experience this election year. I can not vote for Hillary Clinton under any set of circumstances. Seeing her stand at the podium and blatantly lie about her Bosnia trip was bad enough, but using the Wright situation as a diversion is a new low even for her. She seemingly labors under the misconception that black people are such loyal Democrats that they will vote for her no matter what tactics she and her husband employ. She is sadly mistaken; I have talked to so many people who say they will not vote for her. There is simply too much bad blood under the bridge and it can not be forgiven. I would hate to see black people stay away from the polls in November, but if she is the nominee it is a very real possibility. I for one will not stay away from the polls. We fought too hard for the right to vote, and I will be there to reluctantly cast my vote for John McCain.

Today I read a number of stories that questioned Sen. Obama’s tenacity. Was he up for the challenge? Was the Clinton machine more than he could handle? The fact is in our society to be a successful you have got to know how to fight. You still have to do twice as much as your white counterpart to get the same recognition he gets for simply doing his job. You have to be a political animal to simply survive in corporate America. You have to learn how to control your anger so that you are labelled as the disagreeable one. You have to learn to be confident, but you can never appear arrogant. You have know when to pursue an issue and when to gracefully retreat. Sen. Obama was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had to fight to get where he is today. You don’t have to be a street fighter, but you must know the tactics of the street. He is tougher than he appears and after yesterday he know he will have to throw a punch not just be prepared to take a punch.

Growing up my parents always told us you can be anything that you want to be. The key to doing this was to work hard. This was truly a statement of hope. Growing up I saw people of color achieve a lot of things, but I have not yet seen a black president of the United States. That is what makes this election year so exhilerating…the possibility. To see a viable candidate embraced by people of all color gives me hope. Hope for the future, hope for this country and especially hope for my children. I was discussing this with a co-worker this morning and we both are so inspired by what we see happening. Even if Senator Obama does not win the nomination he has restored my faith in the system. He is the living example of hard work and staying true to your principles, and others will also see the great possibilities in you. I have not been this excited about a candidate in years. I will continue to tell my children what my parents told me–you can be anything you want to be, but I will add this statement-including the President of the United States.

It is 2008 and race still matters in politics. Over the past few weeks all we have heard about is race. Hillary Clinton started it with her statement to Fox news regarding Martin Luther King Jr. In short she said he had a dream, but it took white politicians to make the dream a reality. Once the sound bite was out there it changed the dialogue of the campaign. Now everyday we hear about race. Is BarackObama just a black candidate or is he an American candidate. We are losing sight of the real message. It is a new day and it is time for a change. We know race still matters, but we can not allow it to color our judgment. We have a unique opportunity and we can not afford to squander it.