To all my readers in the blogosphere, excuse the lapse in opinionated postings. Most of you already know that I was a village boy, by way of Gambia…a tiny sliver of a nation on the west coast of Africa. Yup that Gambia…with the maniacal head of state who claimed he can cure the deadly HIV/AIDS afflicted patients.
I have lived in the USA for the past twelve years. I became a naturalized US citizen five years ago and the first thing I did after the swearing in ceremony was to register to vote. I have only voted once in my life prior to arriving on the shores of this United States of Amnesia (as professor Dyson calls it). Needless to say, I have not missed any election date since. I observe them religiously, be them presidential or school board elections.
Generally, I tend to vote for democrats because they are a lesser of two evils. I know that is a lame excuse, but give the brother a pass will ya? However don’t try to use this bit of information to make assumptions about my political leanings, because I don’t care for political labels. I am a shocker for issues and where individual candidates stood on them relative to my own stance. I will venture to describe myself as moderate on most issues.
This might sound crazy and early in the cycle, but I will refrain from voting for any Clinton or Bush (Do you hear me Jeb?). I refuse to let a dynasty take root in this here the united states of amnesia (thank you professor Dyson). And that is exactly what a Bush_Clinton_Bush_Clinton will entail in my myopic mind. Self deprecation aside, ain’t we all tired of the mess these families took us through: from Monica to Mesopotamia? To think of another Clinton presidency? Gimme a break, will ya?
If you are paying any attention to the news lately, you would known that Barack Obama has thrown his hat into the ring. Granted, I am late getting on the Obama bandwagon and I must also confess that if Al Gore should throw his hat into the ring, this nomination will be his race to lose and I will be voting for him to wit. I believe that he is the democrat’s best chance at a presidential victory…yes pun intended. However with Gore on the sidelines, I will be rooting for Obama all the way.
Will Barack Obama make it to the white house? I dunno. However the fact that despite the odds he is trying to make it there embodies the American ideals so eloquently spelt out in the declaration of independence thus: “that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with inalienable rights”. It is true that for most of its history America hasn’t live up to this creed and white men have been more equal than all others. Having said that I still believe Obama’s candidacy embodies the ideals behind the American dream: that regardless of race, color, creed, gender or class), anyone can aspire to, and become anything they want to be provided they are willing to work hard for it. That is the appeal of Obama’s candidacy to most of us.
Since announcing his candidature, Obama has met a lot nasty little smears: from digs made at him for the sins of his father to the meme that he is not black enough because guess what his ancestors didn’t pass through the middle passage. Ho-hum if you ask me, but Obama is a big boy and he knew this is coming and it could get nastier still. You might be wondering why so many blacks are having a field day over Obama’s so called blackness. It boils down to the absurdities of race and race relations in this country. Many US born citizens (black or white) retreats to their cocoon when a discussion relating to race is initiated. Many white folks are in denial about the existence of racism in almost an annoying way. On the other hand many black people will throw the charge of racism as a counter weight for the years of pain and suffering even when it is not warranted. Foreign born citizens are not immune to this malady either, but we seem to have a dispassionate view when it comes to race and racism. And this attitude or outlook tends to make our US born brethren question our commitment to black issues.
The funny thing is that so many self proclaimed “Pan-Africanist” talk the talk but will disparage foreign born blacks. They seem to think they have a lock on blackness and black experience because of their ancestral journey through that horrible middle passage. This would be comical if the issues at hand are not so serious. Africans and people of African descent all over the world have had to deal with issues ranging from slavery to colonialism to imperialism. They are different experiences, but experiences of our peoples all the same. Demagoguery of their experience because it didn’t happen on the shores of the United States is absurd to say the least.
Can Obama win over a sizable amount of Black primary voters? I believe he could. The alternative is to vote for the wife of the so called first black president who hasn’t done much to address the issues that affect our communities during his presidency. Black people still drool over the Clintons like they are some sort of messiahs. They couldn’t name any initiatives Bill Clinton implemented to improve our communities, but will be quick to point out that he was on Arsenio Hall’s show blowing the trumpet or the folksy way he wow them in their churches. This is the same man who aided in the assault on affirmative action (the holy grail of black politics) when he succumbs to white pressure by saying: we need to amend it not end it. If that is not an assault on the program I don’t know what it is. But nobody seems to care much about that. Bill Clinton is anointed as the first black president and when his wife comes calling with Bill tucked at her apron, black folk will just go with the flow. Barack Obama is not black enough for them, how in the world did Bill Clinton conned the believers?
As for Obama, this is the first time in the history of Black people that some Blacks have ever had a problem with another Black person who calls themselves Black. This is White Conservative bullshit that is being propelled by a few Black Conservatives. Black Conservatives only make up 10% of the Black population. The majority of Black people, love and accept all Black people. We are the most inclusive group I know.
We have many notable African Americans from immigrants’ parents that are recognized. Take a look below at some of them. You will be surprised.
Black America welcomed leaders who were immigrants themselves or whose parents where immigrants, such as W.E.B. DuBois, whose father was Haitian; Jamaican Marcus Garvey, one of the most influential black leaders of the early 20th century; or others, such as Malcolm X, Shirley Chisholm, Stokely Carmichael, Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier, all of whom were either immigrants or whose parents were immigrants.
As for me, I'm not sure if you were kidding about Gore, I would never vote and that fool again. He had his chance and pissed it off. Like you, I don't want a Bush-Bush or Clinton-Clinton Dynasty.
I'm getting ready to join Obama's campaign.