This is just a notice of full disclosure. I'm a virulent Obama supporter. I haven't been here that long but I can assure you I'm no troll. I just have the sense to realize when the Obama campaign is really screwing up. They're on thin ice with me right now. He needs to stop running away from things. If his is the new politics, if his is the dawning of a new era, he needs to let his words reflect his actions.
First: He didn't go to Memphis to honor Dr. King. I know what everyone will undoubtedly say. "It's not where he says it, but what he says." But it does matter, it does. Dr. King should be honored, not just because of the strides he made for the African American community, but for his opposition to the war, for his desire for civil rights for all, for everything that he did. For standing up and preaching nonviolence.
The act of going to Memphis is a symbolic tribute, as is the act of not going. Don't tell me that wasn't a meaningless move. Don't tell me that his campaign wasn't trying to have their own miniature Sister Souljah moment. It's a sad day when Barack Obama can't be seen embracing his roots in the African American community, but if he preaches change, he should live change. He should tell doubters that he won't skip out on paying tribute for political gain. Cornel West, an Obama supporter, agrees with me.
Then: His campaign tries to cash in on it. I mean, he's got a ton of cash on hand, he outraises Hillary every month by about DOUBLE. Does the campaign really need to exploit the death of one of our heroes? It's a little unseemly. It's a little gauche.
And to have the e-mail from Michelle Obama? Is Michelle basically Barack's black surrogate? Because she can be fully black, but he can't? I'm sure these comments are going to cause serious uproar but she has consistently been the only one who can fully embrace their ties to the African American community. When Barack turned down an invitation to the State of the Black Union, he offered to send Michelle instead.
It's just unseemly, that's all. Don't try to make money off of the death of one of my heroes. Don't send your wife out there to do it for you.
This ends my diatribe of disappointment in the Obama campaign. I'm still going to vote for him. I'd never vote for someone whose chief strategist was going to Colombia to stir up support for a free-trade deal with a country that consistently uses violence against their labor unions. I'd never vote for Bomb Bomb McCain. I'm just starting to have doubts. He isn't perfect. But he's better than most.
UPDATE: I feel better now about the gay magazine thing. I was informed, via Boiseblue, that the magazine is owned by a high-profile Clinton backer. And txdreamer showed me http://www.mediainfo.com/...
and this one, and then I'm reminded that Obama took out an ad in a gay newspaper. So I stand corrected about my anger on that one. Apologies. I still stand by my other comments.
Alright, Good to get that out! Now let's talk about more Hillary lies which she clearly had to know about--it's ILLEGAL to deny service to a woman who is in labor. Whether or not she has insurance. And she DID have insurance.
And let's talk about the reports that say Rove was the one organizing McCain's biography trip. Remember when he got booed? And he had a black guy holding his umbrella? Is there anything more Rovian than that? Think of how many racists (the right-wing base) creamed their pants with anger when they saw that.