A Lovely Fairy Tale

Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm the racist. Because I'm not excited about the results of the Iowa caucus. Yes, he beat Hillary, he beat Edwards, Edwards beat Hillary, Obama won a state that is 91.7% white according to their Wikipedia entry. Obviously race won't be or isn't an issue in the campaign, so he's electable, right? It's obvious. Iowa proves it.

Well, I still don't buy it. And I think Republicans more than Democrats want me to.

2004 frightened me. Here we had two intelligent, well-spoken men running against an unpopular idiot running an unpopular war. We had to win, right? Well, we didn't. Kerry was swiftboated right out of the White House. The Republican war machine is vicious, be that war in Iraq or on the campaign trail. They like to win.

So, call me crazy, but how many Southern Baptist, or good, God-fearing white Americans in the fly-over states are going to get a campaign ad that has Barrack Hussein Obama written on it every time, perhaps a quote taken out of context from his church that says he must have a non-negotiable commitment to Africa, or the fact that his father was an atheist, his past drug use, his middle name Hussein, his black skin, lack of real foreign policy experience...maybe it's just me but the yet-to-be-discovered Karl Rove of 2008 will have a FIELD DAY with that kind of material. And even though people know they SHOULDN'T vote against him because he's black, or his middle name is Hussein, or he lived in the same city as a madrassa once, or he was honest about growing up or, or, or...well, Obama gives them too many outs to channel their racism as something else. Oh, it's not that he's black, it's that we don't like (insert phrase here). But under it all, to many, it's still that he's black.

Face it, our, White America's, relationship with Black America is tenuous at best. Police do profile them, as do many of you, they often don't make the same amount for the same job, it's been proven their very names may prevent them from getting jobs. So many more of their youth than their white counterparts are put in jail, poverty has a darker face in most areas, on and on I could go. We haven't gotten that quite right yet. And until we do, until equality is commonplace, I'm just not sure that when it comes down to the privacy of a voting booth a majority of Americans will vote for Barrack Hussein Obama. And given the scare of 2004, well, I don't want to shut my ears and mouth and wake up with the Pastor in Chief, the Mighty Reverend Huckabee. A man that doesn't believe in evolution and on and on. Hillary on her worst day is better than that.

So wake up Democrats and smell the real America. And don't give me Iowa is the real America. It isn't. Poke your head out of politically correct white America and see your country and its people for what it is and who they are. They are not color blind, not yet, not enough, not enough to risk losing the White House in the most important election in decades.

Yes, Barack should be able to win or lose based on his record, his qualifications, his morals. But those have little to do with elections. And in a national election, they'll rip him apart with the easiest of things, the race card. Then, the religion card. Then the drug card. Then ...well, you get it.

So, if you want a break from the Washington dynasties, support John Edwards (with Obama as VP?) If you want someone that will be able to trample the Republicans back with their own artillery, vote for Hillary. And if you want to live in a world where the only thing that matters is the quality of a man or woman and not their color, religious beliefs, hell, even their name, then vote for Barack Hussein Obama. You'll feel better, but you'll be run by Republicans for another four to eight years.

After which point, elections may be irrelevant, or outlawed all together in the name of national security, who can say.

Follow Charles Karel Bouley on Twitter: www.twitter.com/talkradiolive

Comments

[Rescisco]

Elections are already "irrelevant." There is no evil conspiracy to blame, just a dumb as dirt electorate that is ill informed by a criminally ignroant and unprofessional media. The candidates all live down to our expectations as we have evolved in reverse to become a primitive people. We do have all the latest inventions and of course, with the help of modern technology, can waste incredible amounts of time avoiding anything that really matters.

[duboisist]

There is no real way to know how many people will vote for or against Sen. Obama because of his dark skin, but my guess is that both sides will just about cancel each other out.
I would hope that many people won’t vote based on race but I also hope people wouldn’t vote based on what I call race(squared) or race to the second power. That when people act based upon how racist they predict other people will act.
There are many reasons to vote for Barak Obama and there are many reasons not to vote for him. Racism, whether it belongs to us or someone else, should not be one of them.

[Myrrhis]

I will not let the Republicans use fear AGAIN to force me into something I cannot agree with.

They are the masters of fear, the 'Pubs. They used it to start wars on at least 2 fronts. They used it to erode our personal freedom. Now they are trying to use fear to keep us from making a choice of conscience. Unelectability only exists in the minds of the fearful.

We have nothing to fear . . .

[itsnotmyfault]

It is absolutely evident that the Republicans have identified Obama as the one to beat. David Brooks, George Wills, Peggy Noonan, and Karl Rove didn't suddenly experience a crisis of conscience that led them to editorially support the best candidate, regardless of race, creed, and particularly ethnic origin. No it wasn't conscience. You better believe they want their Republican to win in '08.

For a very different set of reasons Obama has been given a free pass by the press and the voters. Obama is the feel good story. His success and every victory he experiences is saturated with symbolic meaning, or we would like to believe it is. We have suffered from being defined for seven years by the nefarious deeds of the Devils, George and Dick, and their many horned henchmen. America stands for torture, rendition, illegal spying, nuclear weapons, f*ck the environment, kill all the muslims and to prove it we elected these boys again and we haven't pursued our constitutional remedy of impeachment. A vote for Obama proves that we are not a racist nation. It proves that we are good after all because we can transcend that race issue thing. And it is all symbolic because everyone has given Obama a free pass. Nobody has challenged him to real world substantiate, based on record and experience, the ethereal claims of his campaign.

If he is nominated that pass will end and no one knows what the outcome will be, once the press actually vets his record. Thus far, every legitimate challenge against his record and his deeds has been met with Obama's failure to respond to the issue or with unjustified accusations of smear tactics.

Wait till he really gets smeared by the GOP. The GOP has no humanity, is not embarrassed by Bush or racial injustice, and they have no remorse, so they can operate in a campaign with no constraint on theIr conduct...and they will. I can just see Michael Richards, Imus and Trent Lott joining the GOP candidate on stage at the Republican convention. Maybe in black face.

[sparkandy]

the reasons i would never vote for obama are legion, but have nothing to do with race. and i suspect a lot of us ignorant, trailer trash, insignifigant flyover scum have other objections to obama. however, since we're too stupid to have opinions it MUST be racism.

[jsarets]

Look, if things go the way I think they're going, then this is election is going to be about a 47-year-old and a 72-year-old. It's going to be more about AGE than it is about race.

[mbaty]

You have to remember, though, Obama has been on Oprah many times.

[OtayPanky]

These are good reasons for dems not to nominate a black man or a white woman.

They're just not good enough.

[wmnorton]

I had a previous post and have given this more thought. Obama could get elected in November, but two things need to occur:
First- The Republicans will need to go with Huckabee,
And - the economy will need to be in a serious recession.
I don't really want either of these things to happen, but they might

[krissymax]

You have captured my sentiments exactly. This is what I have been saying. I like Obama, but the Democrats need to win this election. I also am blown away by the notion that because Obama got 38% in Iowa he is suddenly unbeatable. I guess that just leave 62% of the vote out. I am not convinced at all that he can go the distance.

[ChumbiChumbo]

"Oh, it's not that he's black, it's that we don't like (insert phrase * here)."

*: The fact that Republicans are going to try to chew him up and spit him out. Well, after the pro-Hillary Democrats take their turn.

[liveandlearn]

these are my own fears: that the republican attack and dirty tricks machine will chew up obama and spit him out. for someone who would govern well and has plans for our national problems and might stand up against the attack machine, john edwards is good.

in michigan due to a stupid fight over who gets to decide first, we cannot vote for obama, edwards or richardson. when the democratic party leaders get this fiasco sorted out, we will already have voted. i will vote for kucinich. a pure vote for any of the above three would be a vote for uncommitted.

[LizM]

Finally! Someone around here actually understands what the real deal is. You couldn't have said it better...except, of course, for the part about Edwards...well, no matter.

As a result of the Iowa caucuses, I am afraid that the ONLY Democratic candidate who was capable of not only beating any Republican nominee, including John McCain, but of winning a real governable mandate by overwhelming them on their own pet issues was just forced out of this race by an incompetent and inept national media and an unbelievably gullible and easily led electorate (from one end of the country to the next), unable or unwilling to think critically for themselves.

Hillary? Edwards? Obama? I really do wish that I could believe that any one of these featherweight pretenders stood a chance against even the weakest Republican nominee, much less John McCain. But, I’ve seen this movie before and I know how it ends.

[compelledto]

1. Iowa is 3% black - less diverse than the rest of the country.

2. Iowa is a Republican State. In 2000 There were 87k Republican voters in the caucuses and 60k for the Democrats. This year the Democrats had 225k to the Republicans' 125k

If this trend continues and the Democrats out vote republicans 1.75:1 then it doesn't really matter what type of racist ads that are run in the south because sheer numbers will win.

3. The Republican party is tearing itself apart currently.

Younger energized voters are excited about Ron Paul (who is being shunned by the party)

Evangelicals (60% of Iowa's Republican caucus vote)want Huckabee to win (who is also being shunned by the party).

Rudy - is on his 3rd marriage is for gay rights as well as abortion rights.

Romney is Mormon.

Mcain is not religious enough.

One thing GW did was successfully garner religious AND fear votes.

4. Barack is pulling independents who are fairly educated and will swing the vote.

5. I recognize that you are a "shock jock" but you could very well be racist as well.

You effectively made an argument as to why people should not vote for Barack - and it was heavily because of his race. That's pretty much discrimination, and is exactly what Barack is getting voters to rise above...you're still thinking within a very small box my friend.

[Butterstick]

Have hope.

Racism ends when individuals, one at a time, stand up and end it.

That's the point Obama's trying to make.

A vote for Obama is a tiny slice, some small fraction of the courage of Rosa Parks, of Dr. King. Even of the first Americans to stand up to the British.

If no one stands up, because we all are chained by one fear or another, then we remain a nation not only of fear, but also of the shame that comes from living in a nation born from a culture of fear.

It's a simple message, and it's not naive. It's not spin or snake oil. Standing up is a simple act, but it requires courage, and it requires real hope. The difficult kind.

Don't just acknowledge racism, and don't merely acknowledge the bitterness of our politics - we all know it's there. Acknowledge it, but precisely because it exists, stand up and change it.

If America, one voter by one voter, stands up and turns their backs on the Roves and Clintonistas who have poisoned our politics, it will, in fact, remake America.

Don't trade Obama for Hillary because you're afraid. Iowa had courage. We should too.

The colonists and civil rights marchers really did change the nation. This is a defining moment. It is a movement. If we pass it up now, it truly might not come again in our lifetimes.

Other candidates now all are trying to peddle a diluted message of change; they're like kazoos next to an orchestra. Obama is speaking about something far more fundamental.

Yes, an idiot president launched a misguided war. Yes, a slick president dragged our morals and politics through the mud. So fix it.

This is a chance to end the shame of racism, reject the politics of division begin the work of restoring our standing in the world. It's about dignity.

That's why Obama is winning.

No, I'm not with the campaign, and yes, obviously, I plan to vote for him. But how can you not?