It's Ironic It's Called a "Race", Isn't It?

A hundred years ago when this campaign started, I stated that based on where I came from I had little hopes of a black man being elected president anytime soon, no matter how great a candidate. I've lived in NYC for ten years, but I do not let that cloud my knowledge of the people I grew up with and the fact that there are WAY more people like that in this country than not. I stated my doubts that when the curtains closed behind them they'd pull the lever for "a colored boy."

Now here we are months and months later. Obama is running against a woman, which means his opponent is handicapped as well. Not only is she a woman, but she is the most divisive woman who could've possibly dreamed of running for president - Obama is running against the one woman in the country that women in droves run out in the streets to tell you they hate. He has run a great campaign; she has run a sloppy one. He raises a million dollars n the length of time it takes to toast an english muffin; she's out of money and is cutting checks to herself. Her purging of staff has become a weekly ritual. And if she's not putting her foot in her mouth or getting caught lying, her husband is. And yet here we are, this deep, and he still has not broken away from her. Yes he's winning, but how is it possible she's still in it? Every week or so I'm like alright, he's killing her!...and then here she comes, not only hanging in there but winning primaries. Pundits on tv and other politicians are bleating that she needs to drop out, she's embarrassing her party et al, but guess what? The voters aren't.

All this, and then you see the Obama vs. McCain polls, where there's always a mere 2-5 point spread. Even if Obama defeats Clinton, after all the dust has settled, he basically starts tied with a 300 year-old man who has pretty much declared to keep doing what Bush has been doing. Bush right now has a 69% disapproval rating, and yet 50% of voters are looking to vote for his successor over Obama. It's like in 1983 after Houston beat Louisville in the Final Four, then faced NC State in the Final. Prolly surprised they should even had to play. And yet they somehow lost.

I know it's probably my own racist guilt tendencies; my assuming the worst in people when it comes to race. I'm not a parser of language like some others, but I'm starting to get rankled a bit. It started with the whole " Obama is a transcendent speaker" nonsense, and now I'm starting to think that for some people, calling Obama an "elitest" is code for "uppity n---er." A coupla months back I was visiting the home of a friend of mine in my hometown, and his dad came by. Here's a guy (the dad) that's very smart, very successful etc etc. He's from the school of "the good ol boy, just cut as much of my taxes as semi-legally possible" school. Lifelong Republican for that reason. And he starts going on and on about "Obama scares the shit out of me!" over and over. Really? I asked, why? "Oh, he's gonna get in there and just started fucking shit up, running around doing shit. He scares the shit out of me!" I'm like you know what, why not just come out and call him a "crazy n---er"?

And now, IF Obama finally breaks the tape first in this race, he faces McCain. And as the race goes on, I will be more and more flummoxed as to why it's even close. Until it dawns on me that this is the PERFECT setup for voters that are calling Obama an "elitist;" now they can hide behind McCain being a "war hero." They'll say "we have to vote for the war hero, we're in a war!" That is to be perpetuated, of course...by that same war hero. All of this is of course more code - "war hero" = "white guy." Much like my moaning about the middle class giving away their houses so dudes can't kiss, here we go throwing away peace so a black man can't be President. What a bum fucking deal for all of us.

Obama may win the presidency; lord I fucking hope so. But it's gonna be tooth and nail and blood and claws all the way to the finish line.