The Huffington Post triumphantly announced Obama's victory over Hillary Clinton and the symbolic end of her campaign on Wednesday with an article entitled "Obama Vs McCain." While I was thrilled that the primary race is finally winding down and that it appears that our candidate Barack Obama will be the nominee, I also understood that we are going to be fighting a battle on two fronts - one versus the Republican John McCain, and the other against the powerful forces of ignorance in this country.
You know that feeling of frustration you have when you watch Obama speak, and you simply can't understand how so many people don't realize that he's so OBVIOUSLY the best presidential candidate? Compared to his opponents (one of whom is a pathological liar and the other who is an older, more senile version of our current president), you would think that Obama would be absolutely crushing either one in the polls.
Instead, he is constantly having to defend himself against media-contrived rumors and character distortions that have no basis in reality, and are, in fact, spawned from the hate and ignorance that still lies dormant in the minds of millions of Americans.
Let's begin with the obvious: Barack Obama is a black man. Well, technically, he is half white and half black, but America is all too eager to label him as "black". Right off the bat, we have a considerable percentage of voters who will simply not vote for a black man, no matter how brilliant and capable he is. I'd like to think that most of these voters would probably go Republican in the fall anyway, but any kind of irrational hatred towards a candidate for no reason besides the color of his skin is frightening and disappointing in this day and age, and is going to be the basis for attack. The Clinton campaign has been trying to draw lines of division on the basis of race subtly, but now that their campaign is all but through, they're not even trying to hide it anymore.
Clinton cited an Associated Press article "that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."
I'm glad Clinton is finally saying out loud what she and many of her supporters have been thinking all along: ignorant white people won't vote for a black man, simply because he's black.
Did it occur to anyone that having the overwhelming support of college-educated people might be a GOOD thing?
And yet, the politicians must continue pandering to the ignorant masses. They play into their racist fears and hatreds. Does anyone think that the controversy over Reverend Wright was simply an issue over some "controversial comments"? The double standard the media holds towards Reverend Wright versus McCain's own Reverend Hagee is staggering. The man has repeatedly stated that the Catholic church is the "Great Whore", and that the tragedy of hurricane Katrina was God's wrath because of New Orlean's tolerance towards gays! To suggest that the thousands that suffered and died and lost their homes and families through a natural disaster had it coming is tremendously more offensive than suggesting that 9/11 was a result of America's interventionalist foreign policies (the clip of Wright stating the "chickens are coming home to roost" was actually him quoting a U.S. ambassador - and that argument is grounded in reason, not religious fanatacism).
Instead, we are treated to 24 hour coverage of an angry black man that Barack Obama used to know condemning America. Do we as reasonable people demand some sort of context for these statements? Do they, as responsible journalists, provide any examination into the lives or actions of either the reverend himself or the man who is supposedly influenced by him? Of course not - such intellectual discourse is not welcome on television, where soundbites reign supreme. But that is a reflection of the intellectual laziness that plagues so many Americans. Thank God for people like Bill Moyers.
Flag pins. The pledge of allegience. "Hussein." Elitism. Guilt by association. None of these arguments appeal to a rational mind. They are targeted at those who are looking for an excuse to hate this man. It's fine if you don't agree with Barack's policies; if you think that the Republican way of doing things is better, by all means, vote for McBush - it's worked out just swell for us the last 8 years, right?
Yet, McCain's still dead-even with Obama nationally. How can this be?
Maybe it's because 15% of Americans still believe Barack is a Muslim, 'cuz his last name rhymes with "Osama". Maybe it's because people don't think he's patriotic enough. Maybe it's because his reverend is too bombastic. Despite Barack's eloquence as a speaker, his inspirational qualities as a leader, and his cool-headed, rational approach to domestic and foreign policy, he has had to fend off attacks based on issues that have no bearing on anything that would actually affect the lives of voters, yet somehow damage his poll numbers and place doubt into the minds of Americans. We are at risk of voting in a vastly inferior candidate because of these prejudices.
I hope America is better than that. It means that as his supporters, our job is going to be a lot harder than it's been for any candidate before Barack. Our job will not just be to campaign, but to educate. We have to tackle age-old prejudices and old-fashioned ignorance. The task will be difficult, but the reward will be great.
P.S. This is my first diary, and any feedback would be great. Thanks!