Colin Powell today endorsed Obama. This may not be news to you. However, you may not have heard the endorsement. It was sensitive to his friendship with Senator McCain and, I my view, very objective. I attempted to add a link that will allow you to watch and listen to the endorsement. In case I did not establish the link correctly or should it not function, I encourage to google Meet the Press, go the the site and view the video itself. It is reflective, respectful, and I believe, insightful.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Colin Powell endorses Obama
Colin Powell today endorsed Obama. This may not be news to you. However, you may not have heard the endorsement. It was sensitive to his friendship with Senator McCain and, I my view, very objective. I attempted to add a link that will allow you to watch and listen to the endorsement. In case I did not establish the link correctly or should it not function, I encourage to google Meet the Press, go the the site and view the video itself. It is reflective, respectful, and I believe, insightful.
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I haven't seen the video yet. This is major endorsement for Obama, but I am not sure how many people it will sway. It won't change the African American vote as Obama already has them. Which brings up a nagging question that has always bothered me. Why is it deemed racist if whites vote as a block like African Americans do? Are not African Americans behaving in a racist manner if voting in a block is a criterion of racism?
BTW: Newspaper endorsements, magazine endorsements, celebrity endorsements, and other widely publicized endorsements don't have one iota of effect on me.
I was not surprised by the endorsement. Gen. Powell, whom I highly respect, has hinted for the past 8 months that he was leaning towards Obama. I think more than anything the selection of Palin was the key for his vote on the Dems side.
On Alan's point of the block voting I just have to say that it makes hyporcrits of a lot of those who have always leaned on and quoted MLK's "I have a dream" speech.
There are so many of the black community that will vote Obama just because he is black and not for his ideals or character. Was it not the famous speach that urges people to judge others "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character!" Yet they praise the speech and then say, "I will vote for Obama because I want to see a black man in the White House."
I can understand the black vote going to Obama.
I think that the point I will attempt to make is worthy of your consideration.
I think that it is reasonable to see the black vote going to Obama as part of a greater maturing of the American black population. This election is about much more that just a presidential election for them.
It is symbolic, it is a first, it is rooted in deep emotions that go back centuries, it signals a change, an acceptance, a belonging the emotions of which might beyond the grasp of those of us who have not experienced the brutal discrimination that
they have. Last night, I saw a beautiful film "The Secret Life of Bees" that I can recommend to you all.
It reminded me of just what the United States looked like 50 years ago in the south and in many other areas of the United States. This film, when contrasted with the political scenery today, helps me to understand the pride, the longing for belonging that this election must signify to them.
I say 'maturing of the black population' because I believe that one day they too will become more color blind, that they will not feel like they do today. This is cathartic, historic for them. They want to be a part of it! Who can blame them?
If Obama was actually a poor candidate, they might not support him, but he is good politician.
I remember the first time a gay candidate ran for the state house in SLC, we were all delighted even though she was not the best candidate we could imagine. We voted in a block, contributed money, and really rooted for her. Today there are three gay members of the Utah State House; one senator and two reps. It is no longer a novelty, not everyone feels like we must support a candidate just because he or she is gay. I have since refused to support some members in the gay community who wanted to run: they were not prepared and were not good candidates. There is a gay Republican running for the senate and he has limited support in our GLBT community, partly because he is a Republican.
Consider as well that a great many Mormons felt great pride in the notion that Mitt Romney might become the next president. The first Mormon president! I don't think that you can say that this fact was NOT a hefty consideration in the minds of Utah Republican voters when considering which Republican to support during the primaries. His fund raising in Utah and throughout the Mormon west bare that out. Would we not say that Mormons were going to vote for him in block and that one of the primary reasons was because he was a Mormon Republican? Which Mormon would vote for Mormon-baiting Huckabee over their own?
These three examples share something important: a first for a community that has been grossly misunderstood, historically repressed, and eager to be accepted and belong. In each case, the candidate represented a breakthrough, an event that felt like an achievement for the entire community!
I believe that the black community can be forgiven for voting en masse for Obama. It is more that just an election for them and certainly not an election like others.
Thank you for your thoughtful and well written response. I pretty much agree with what you have written. However, there have been many articles written that past few months that imply or outright state that if Obama is not elected it will be due to racism. I think that such suggestions are wholly unfounded and maybe even manipulative (shaming whites into voting for Obama, even when they might not agree with his policies). Let's say Obama wins by 1 or 2 electoral votes. We probably won't hear a peep about how racist America is. In fact, it will be proclaimed that America has overcome its racist past (Rev. Jackson, et al. might not be too happy about that - hence his offensive remark several weeks ago.) However, if a small state like NM or NH were to flip and McCain were to win, then the accusation of a racist America will drone on forever - all because a few votes. So what I am trying to say is that I grow very weary of the specter of race hanging over the election, and most of such preoccupation seems to be among the left. I am still trying to figure that one out.
When we lived in Kenya, we hired a driver/gardiner(a black Kenyan). His name was Henry. He was a very hard worker and a good man.
One day our conversation turned to slavery. So I asked Henry what he thought of the slavery issue in America that has sparked so much racism in our country.
He said..."well mommie" (he always called me mommie), "I don't understand why the blacks in America are so worked up over the slavery issue. We Africans have been dealing with the slavery issue for 2000 years now. America only had slavery for 200 years. Americans weren't the first ones to discover slavery. Europeans and other African's did that. I am grateful that Americans learned quickly that it is wrong and they put an end to it alot faster, showing the rest of the world a good example."
Although that doesn't really answer continuing racism question, his perscpective was very interesting to me. One that I had never even considered. I have pondered it a lot and have come to determine that I don't understand why we as a nation are beating ourselves up still about the slavery issue. That wasn't us and now, that was them and then. I personally am sorry that it happened, but why isn't the rest of the world being so hard on themselves over their thousands of years of abuses too? They don't seemed to be even remotely sorry for their slaverly abuses. Why are we stuck on this still?
I know I am not offering anything intelligent here, (we all know that I am not an intellectual,) I am more just thinking out loud. I guess what I am trying to say...is that I just don't get the racism issue. I don't understand why America is drowning in it and the rest of the world isn't phased by it, or if they are, I just am not hearing about it. Is it that we Americans have a sharp conscience and just can't move past it, and the rest of the world has no conscience thus its easy to move on? Or what is it?????
Alan, I agree with your weariness of the issue. Certainly to some extent the press delights in having something to propose. But also I think that it is a hump over which we are still hoisting ourselves. This is one of the steps, that's all. Someday we will have a female president and feminism will fade a bit, the same with race issues, someday we will have finally had enough examples to prove that we are done with racism to bed it to rest.
Teresa, I think that we cherish introspection in this country, our films, books, music and politics are full of reflective thought. Racism is a tiresome subject and we may well always be burdened with its history, that's what history does for and to us. Think of the Germany. The debate over the Holocaust is unending there. The French wring their hands still over the Vichy government. It would be worse to forget it, knowing how to remember difficult times and periods and the attendant lessons is always delicate!
Besides, it was blacks who sold their opposing tribe members into slavery. Sure the whites in America are at fault for buying slaves but who sold them? Other blacks in Africa.
None the less all the above statements have merit.
Back to the Colin Powell discussion - Although I am still very concerned about what Obama and a Dem House and Senate will do domestically, but I would be feel a bit better if Obama brought Powell into the White House as a National Security Adviser, assuming of course that he would take the job.
He said that he would listen to any president who came courting, but that he has no more desire to serve. I would certainly be happy to see him in Washington again.
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