Saturday, March 01, 2008
Allow Me To Enjoy Their Pain!!!!
Allow me to enjoy their pain! Yes, please! For eight long years I looked forward to the day when Bill and Hillary Clinton would step off the political stage. Then the Republicans screwed the pooch and ran a weak candidate against Hillary for the senate and the agony persisted. For another eight years, now, I have had to watch Ms. Inevitable as she massed her forces to take the Democrat Party nomination. But hold on. Along came Mr. Clean-And-Pure to foul up the Clinton coronation. Yippy!!
Except, the radio pundits refuse to allow me the victory dance. Obama, they claim, will be far worse as president than Hillary Clinton ever could be. First of all, that is just an opinion and as meaningful as these pre-primary polls we have been subjected to for just about an eternity. Remember that Clinton was considered Ms. Inevitable? How is that working out for her? Secondly, I do not see a lick of difference between them. They are both liberals of the extreme kind and are showing their ability at political doublespeak. Telling me that I might regret Obama in the White House instead of Clinton is like telling me I am going to regret dying a slow death by poison as opposed to cancer. They are both terrible choices.
We have been told that, in the general election, Hillary’s personal negatives would be so bad that she has an uphill climb just to convince people in her own party to vote for her. That was supposed to be the Republican edge. Except, Hillary’s negatives in RWBlack World are so horrendous that I do not want to take the chance that she might somehow catch that perfect storm and ride it into the presidency. And the logic fails to capture the non-personal negative of Barak Obama.
At this point I pose a delicate question. Will non-black America willingly allow an African-American to become president? I know, it sounds racist, sounds bigoted but it is the reality. Groups of people have, since they started banding together, protected the interests of their particular group. Is that suddenly going to change this election cycle? Team Obama opened the doors by playing the race card early in the campaign. Having opened Pandora’s Box, they can hardly shut it again for the general election. Race will be on people’s minds as they vote and they will be asking the question, who will best help my group? A black man who seems to be relying on his blackness as an election tool will have a difficult time convincing people that he can be relied upon to deal with all people groups fairly. We will see.
In the mean time, I watch and enjoy the decline of Ms. Inevitable. I have waited a long time but I am still not convinced it is over until I see Obama standing on the podium making his acceptance speech. So, hey, lighten up and allow me my joy. It could be short lived.
Except, the radio pundits refuse to allow me the victory dance. Obama, they claim, will be far worse as president than Hillary Clinton ever could be. First of all, that is just an opinion and as meaningful as these pre-primary polls we have been subjected to for just about an eternity. Remember that Clinton was considered Ms. Inevitable? How is that working out for her? Secondly, I do not see a lick of difference between them. They are both liberals of the extreme kind and are showing their ability at political doublespeak. Telling me that I might regret Obama in the White House instead of Clinton is like telling me I am going to regret dying a slow death by poison as opposed to cancer. They are both terrible choices.
We have been told that, in the general election, Hillary’s personal negatives would be so bad that she has an uphill climb just to convince people in her own party to vote for her. That was supposed to be the Republican edge. Except, Hillary’s negatives in RWBlack World are so horrendous that I do not want to take the chance that she might somehow catch that perfect storm and ride it into the presidency. And the logic fails to capture the non-personal negative of Barak Obama.
At this point I pose a delicate question. Will non-black America willingly allow an African-American to become president? I know, it sounds racist, sounds bigoted but it is the reality. Groups of people have, since they started banding together, protected the interests of their particular group. Is that suddenly going to change this election cycle? Team Obama opened the doors by playing the race card early in the campaign. Having opened Pandora’s Box, they can hardly shut it again for the general election. Race will be on people’s minds as they vote and they will be asking the question, who will best help my group? A black man who seems to be relying on his blackness as an election tool will have a difficult time convincing people that he can be relied upon to deal with all people groups fairly. We will see.
In the mean time, I watch and enjoy the decline of Ms. Inevitable. I have waited a long time but I am still not convinced it is over until I see Obama standing on the podium making his acceptance speech. So, hey, lighten up and allow me my joy. It could be short lived.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Youth Where Is Your Hope?
Age is not the advancement of years but the draining of life. Who would have known? When I was younger, I looked at the world and I saw all the possibilities. Now that I am older and the possibilities seem to be quickly dwindling, I find myself drifting into old age. Not by choice but by forces seemingly outside of my control.
The young do not know the walls of resistance they shall meet in their futures. They have dreams not yet crushed by events, movements, groups or persons with whom they will one day battle for the very possession of their souls. Age is the understanding that those walls exist. Perhaps not understanding. Age is the acceptance that barriers will knock back the aspirations of a spirit seeking to be more than those around him/her believe he/she can be.
There is a platitude; youth is a state of mind. So how does the human spirit endure against the constant bombardment of the walls of impossibility that tear at the mind? How does an aged soul combat that which propels the individual forward? And how does one who has placed his/her entire worldview in the basket of a Higher Authority who governs the universe confront the reality of a life lived in frustration?
I wish I knew the answer. I crave anyone who can, with concrete substance, demonstrate how I continue to live with the perceptions of failure measured against a God who holds all of Creation in his hands. Who can help me suppress the doubts of age and birth anew a spirit that is young?
Hope, that is the only anchor to the future. Where do I find hope?
The young do not know the walls of resistance they shall meet in their futures. They have dreams not yet crushed by events, movements, groups or persons with whom they will one day battle for the very possession of their souls. Age is the understanding that those walls exist. Perhaps not understanding. Age is the acceptance that barriers will knock back the aspirations of a spirit seeking to be more than those around him/her believe he/she can be.
There is a platitude; youth is a state of mind. So how does the human spirit endure against the constant bombardment of the walls of impossibility that tear at the mind? How does an aged soul combat that which propels the individual forward? And how does one who has placed his/her entire worldview in the basket of a Higher Authority who governs the universe confront the reality of a life lived in frustration?
I wish I knew the answer. I crave anyone who can, with concrete substance, demonstrate how I continue to live with the perceptions of failure measured against a God who holds all of Creation in his hands. Who can help me suppress the doubts of age and birth anew a spirit that is young?
Hope, that is the only anchor to the future. Where do I find hope?
