Obama tells the truth inartfully concerning the "bitterness" of small-town America and gets crucified.
Ed Rendell, governor of Pennsylvania, actually says that many of his constituents in Pennsylvania will not vote for Barack because he is black! Nothing happens to him! Why is he not the reverend Wright of the Hillary campaign? I just don't get this -- uh, I just got it: Racism remains acceptable in this country.
People, THINK about this! The fricking GOVERNOR of a big state says that many people will not vote for a brilliant, sincere man simply because he is HALF black ... [Uh, er, what about his white half?!]. That is disgusting.
OK, how about my own personal poll, directed to registered Democrat, Joe Six Pack in Penn:
Question 1: Barack Obama has said {insert "bitter" comment by Barack}. Will this comment cause you to not support Obama?
Question 2: Your Governor, Ed Rendell, says that a significant number of his constituents will not vote for Obama because he is African-American. Are you among those constituents?
My predictions:
Question 1: Yes: 50%; no: 50% (And that is giving Joe Six Packs the credit they deserve; I've heard a lot of them on talk shows, and in blogs saying "I'm bitter and Hillary is full of shit for trying to say that "I'm proud" of being a loser in this f***ed up system." )
Question 2: Yes: 1%; no 99%.
The point here is that if my poll results are correct, Rendell should be pounded far more than Obama. After all, the "voters" should be up in arms and INSULTED by Rendell characterizing them as racists. Why does Rendell get a ride? See the following...
But of course we all know that the answers of the people polled to Question 2 will probably be mostly lies. (See anything about the "Tom Bradley effect" in the California governor's election in the 80's. The polls said Tom would win by double digits and he lost. The post-election autopsy revealed that a huge number of the people polled lied when they said they would vote for Tom. They were inherently racist and did not want to admit it directly or in their own minds).
What this all means to me is that Obama is the only politician in my lifetime who has the courage and conviction to actually raise honest, troublesome issues, give his own views, and then genuinely request and respect the views of America as to what they believe.
T.
3 comments:
Thank you Tom! 'nuff said
rendell? - to know him is to love him, at least from the way i see this state run - if there's a photo 'op' or way to advance his image of beneficence, he's there - but the trickle-down evaporates pretty quickly in our desperate political/economic environment...
besides, there's plenty to be squandered in a state this size before anyone notices ...
always viewed him with the same skepticism that i see in nyc street hustlers shifting coins under cups
[at least there's no pretense there - it's entertainment] ...
'fast eddie' seems to be bucking for a cabinet position, or at least an open line to anyone who can return favors ...
mr. obama isn't about race any more than clinton is about gender or mccain about age - he's about hope and the courage and clarity to speak honestly to the issues - to foster debate about ideas that have long been suppressed in favor of sensationalized/side-step topics ...
and he's not above reproach - he has a lot of clarifying to do regarding health care, iraq, education, etc - to gain my full support - but he, more than others, seems to be adjusting rather than resorting to pre-packaged sound bytes ...
he is a politician/humanitarian that is finally beginning to open a dialogue with america that i haven't seen since jfk ...
hope is was built this country ...
last line should have read -
'hope is what built this country...'
had a momentary brain/finger disconnect ...
as an addendum Tom, seems like you're a 'jazz head' - google me to see a few of my newport posters ...
one is part of the set for the new series 'canterbury's law'...
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