Pulling the Rug

“We create an environment where it is alright to hate, to steal, to cheat, and to lie if we dress it up with symbols of respectability, dignity and love.”

-Whitney Moore, Jr.



Are the rules different for black politicians and their families in America? One is tempted to think so. In my conversations on the subject of race in the past, I’ve always tried to make one significant point. It is that any abhorrent subtle racist behaviors you notice in any institution within the society, is merely a reflection of the underlying problem that exists throughout the country as a whole. It is the bogeyman that we refused to address since the end of the official end of slavery and the Civil War, but which refuse to go away anytime soon. It can be seen everyday within the job market, judiciary, law enforcement activities, politics, sports, or most importantly the media. ‘Obama opted out of public campaign financing,’ is a recent headline that is getting a big play by our present Republican Presidential nominee Senator John Mc Cain and his cohorts in the media.

The implications of these reactions are to indicate that the Democratic nominee is a liar for reneging on a promise to forgo public financing on future Presidential campaign that he made in 2007. In his defense Senator Obama claimed that 1.5 million grassroots members of the general public helped finance his primary campaign via small donations on the Internet, thus setting a new trend and record amounts of money for his campaign. He was not prepared to removeany possible advantage he possessed and give up the vast money chest. In the Mc Cain case he had talked a lot about campaign reform, but did very little to change it through the years. He is the beneficiary of the old Republican money machine and has enjoyed it for decades. Do not forget that like former Democrat nominee John Kerry, he has married well, and his wife Cindy like Teresa is a multimillionaire. This was however been completely ignored by the media at large. It is the public that might be the losers on the score unfortunately.

Another issue that has me somewhat perplexed is the almost silent role of the feminist movement that was so vicarious in trying to make a case of sexism by the media against Hilary Clinton each time she had a negative comment or portrayal made against her. Today Michelle Obama is fair game for all, even the gentile Philanthropist and beer heiress Cindy Mc Cain. One can remember the exuberant and unscripted Michelle indicating that she was very happy after a recent State’s victory for her husband, and “for the first time really proud of her country.” This was interpreted by a few sleazy politicians, and the media talking heads, that she was unpatriotic. It is unfortunate that political ambition has overtaken the wife of Senator Mc Cain for she too has jumped on the bandwagon to declare that unlike the Ivy League graduate Michelle, she loves her country. I guess that the cat fight will commence, as the millionaire and Ivy League try and decide who loves their country more. Remember there was also a veil attack by a certain Admiral’s son, as to who more deserved to be President because he wore a uniform, and served in Vietnam? O what a difference eight years can bring, now the victims of smear campaigns and attacks by Republican political enemies are the aggressors. O what a great Republic indeed!