How to satirize a black president

Just a sampling.

• The first president to not be able to hail a cab.
• The first president to die first in an action film.
• The first Huxtable president.
• The first president whose black children weren’t a tightly held secret.
• The first president whose head can be Photoshopped onto NBA slam dunk contest winners.
• The first president who’s deft at employing the suffix “izzle.”

Credit, yo.

Exercising my civic muscles

I voted today. Early. I went to the Jackson County courthouse. Had to wait in line if you can believe that. I purposely chose the courthouse because I knew they didn't have electronic voting machines. I am still a bit suspicious. I feel better now because I had a paper ballot. Paper ballots leave....a paper trail. In case of any recount, there will be no question about for whom I intended to vote.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Damn. =)

Ok, I was reading Samhita's post on the role of race in this election over at Feministing and I think I have a last few things to say about this before I await the big count.

First. I did not vote FOR Obama because he is black. Just because: A) I find black men attractive, B) have spoken out on the importance of electing a black American president, and C) have been droning on and on here like a schoolgirl with a crush on the captain of the football team does not mean I voted for him because he is black.

I will tell you exactly what it is that led me, on February 11, 2007, to join the movement to elect Barack Obama. I didn't know about Barack in the Illinois State Senate. I wasn't in his district so he eluded my radar. By 1996, I lived in the western suburbs and never returned to live in the City. My first exposure to Obama came, like almost everyone else, when he gave the keynote speech at the Democratic Convention in 2004. Wow is all I can tell you.

I remember the first time I ever saw Bill Clinton. I was watching C-Span. A freak occurrence back in those days, and they were doing a live feed from the national governors association meeting (I think). Bill was on a panel discussing education reform in Arkansas. I was captivated. I didn't think anything about it for a long time until he announced his candidacy for president and I knew I was voting for him immediately. I knew, from that first little snippet I heard that this man had the right stuff. That night at the 2004 Democratic Convention, I felt that same electricity about Obama. I was all in.

He ran for US Senate against Jack Ryan, a longtime Chicago name in politics. However, a sex scandal which saw Ryan's apparent *cough* sexual fetishes *cough* to come to light as the result of a bitter divorce battle, led him to withdraw from the race. The Republicans brought forward none other than Alan Keyes to challenge Obama, which is to say that there was no challenge mounted at all. Illinois may be an odd place and racial influences have a heavy hand in Chicago politics, but in the city that revered Harold Washington, Alan Keyes was a laughable puppet. It made me feel good to be able to vote for Obama. I was proud of our junior senator if not a little perplexed by all the attention he was receiving. Before he was even sworn into the Senate, reporters were asking about his presidential ambitions.

In any event, as the 2008 election season approached, there seemed to be renewed talk of his candidacy. I couldn't imagine that he would throw his hat in. When he did, I knew that his greatest competition was going to be Hillary. I have read Hillary's autobiography. I was not impressed. In fact, I was incredibly underwhelmed. Let's just say, she's no Madelein Albright. Despite having roots in Illinois, she never really impressed me. I know. I know. I'm a hard one. I'm trying like hell to think of a woman that HAS impressed me. Albright does. Ok. I promise to write a post on women who impress me. Back to the task at hand. February 11, 2007. He announced. That was it for me. I was in. All in.

But I never answered my own question. Why was I all in? Why did I have every confidence in this candidate who, admittedly, lacked the experience that the rest of the field possessed?

1. Intelligence. I have no doubt of Obama's intellectual prowess. I am someone who wants someone infinitely smarter than me in the Oval Office. Bush didn't make the grade. Cheney? Smart but in an evil genius sort of way. McCain doesn't make the grade. Hillary does. But of all these people, Obama is heads and shoulders above the competition.

2. World Vision. By this, I mean, he has a firm grasp on how others receive and perceive the United States. I think too many politicians are blinded by their own "patriotism" and love of country to ever put themselves in the other guy's shoes. And this is one area in which I think race plays a role. In the same way that black people understand that whites fail to grasp their own privilege, Obama's background and yes, his heritage, give him perspective that the rest of the field lacked. They flat out lack it. They can't buy it. They can't see past the tip of their noses.

3. Diplomacy. Diplomacy first. Diplomacy last. Diplomacy always. I am sick to freakin' death of this cowboy mentality that we ride in with our guns blazing and spread democracy by making the other guy stare down the barrel of a gun. See point 2.

4. Economic policy. In fact, virtually any Democratic candidate's economic policy is preferable to me to trickle-down economics.

5. Communication. Read any of Obama's books. Both will impress you with the clarity of his thinking, the soundness of his reasoning, and the sincerity of his emotions. I came away from reading Dreams of My Father with the sense that this is a brilliant man who struggled through a difficult childhood and was smart enough to see that a new world awaited. He is smart, rational and emotionally healthy. He thinks and communicates in ways that most of us wish we could on our best days. He's the real deal.

6. An inspiring leader. Hillary fell flat here. Flat. Prostrate. I'm talking steam roller. Who in recent memory has been a more inspiring speaker than Obama? He inspires not only Americans. He is inspiring the world.

So while I believe that this election offers an unparalleled opportunity for America to grow as a nation--to begin to seriously address our racist past--and to look forward to a post-racial future, I'm not naive enough to think we are there already, despite the campaign that Obama has run. I have discussed many times before why I think it is more appropriate for America to elect a black president at this time than a woman president. I have spoken about why I think that McCain is not the man for this time, while Obama is. I have spoken about my party, my prejudices, and my aspirations.

I want Obama to win. I voted today. Please, please, please. Vote.

Together, we can. Oh yes we can.

The Legacy of Nixon?

I was re-reading my earlier post (thank you OCD), and found this:

Even within the Republican Party (can you say Chris Buckley, Colin Powell, Susan Eisenhower) there is a growing list of Obamacans. The reason is precisely because of the racist element within the GOP that represents the last sad gasps of the old South.

And it occurred to me that the Southern Strategy that worked so well in the 60s may be responsible for the failure of the Republican party some 50 years later. Seems plausible.

However, just as I'm saying that, I find this. It reinforces my gut feeling, expressed in other posts, that, given a choice between supporting their racial prejudices or their economic prosperity, people will vote their pocketbooks.

However, by labeling the Southern Strategy a "myth", I think this article misses the larger truth, which is that the GOP gave racist white Americans a safe haven and a continued legitimacy and that has had lasting and negative impact on our national growth.

What if?

There has been a lot of talk in the blogosphere lately about race in this political campaign. The recent buzz differs significantly from the detached, academic approach to race that J and I have been bandying about in recent posts. This is the real deal. Public, outward expressions of hate and fear of the black man.

I knew they were out there. I am convinced that their numbers aren't large. It is my experience that we have, generation by generation, family by family, community by community, made significant strides toward eradicating the notion of black inferiority and the unquestioned rightness of white privilege. Oh, we haven't finished the job. In fact, J has opened my eyes to the lasting effects of institutionalized racism...effects of which I had been ignorant. And if I can be ignorant of such effects, certainly the vast majority of people we are trying to educate/bring on board must also be ignorant.

So a hard-core racist element remains, albeit in fewer numbers and with less venom than in the '50s and '60s. And to be honest, I think they weren't willing to self-identify themselves (after all, it isn't really in their best interests to tell the world they are racist) until it became apparent that McCain was losing this race. Somehow, the mixture of hate, fear and panic over the prospect of the loss of absolute white power has those closet racists thinking that if they point out to you and me that we are actually thinking of turning over leadership of this country to a n***r that white folks will slap themselves in the head and come to their senses. Oh, how wrong they are. Even within the Republican Party (can you say Chris Buckley, Colin Powell, Susan Eisenhower) there is a growing list of Obamacans. The reason is precisely because of the racist element within the GOP that represents the last sad gasps of the old South. Funny thing is, it seems to be strongest in odd places like Ohio and Pennsylvania. I mean, when I think of Ohio, I think Oberlin College. I think Underground Railroad. I don't think remnant racist component. And for crying out loud, Pennsylvania?

I have a dream that the next person who stands up at a McCain rally and makes a racist remark about Barack Obama is met with McCain's now infamous mantra: "I will make them famous and you will know their names." Let's turn the spotlight on the racists and expose them for what they are. Oh wait. That's the job of You Tube.

I often wonder what my attitudes would be like if I hadn't made a conscious decision, not that long ago, that the only way to understand something foreign to you is to make it familiar. Oh, I don't mean to imply that I have ever been a racist, but I do think that it was easy for me to be all about the equality when I didn't have any friends of color. Let's just say I was talking the talk and not walking the walk. So, I did the only thing I could do. I made a conscious decision to meet and befriend people different than me.

I know that setting an objective to go out and meet black people sounds weird. But I'll tell you why I took this radical approach. I grew up surrounded by white people. And as I grew older, my world only got paler. I looked at my life one day and realized that the only people I knew were those I work with. That meant that the only diversity that I knew was what the university provided me. And let's face it, I'm not that close to that many of my colleagues. They are significantly younger than me and while they have been great about including me, there is a sense of my "otherness". As for real friends, there's Bek. White woman, also older than most of our colleagues. That's about it. I spend a lot of time alone. (Insert appropriate pitying comment here.)

And C-dale isn't exactly a bastion of black people. Well, there are plenty of black people, they are all just 18-22 year old college students. Not my demographic. So I used the tools at my disposal: the internet. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Michael, Clint, Jim, Guv, John, David, Juan, Mark, Alvin, and Charlie. Ok, so I wasn't very successful at meeting diverse women. Sue me. ;) But these gentlemen have all helped me to understand not just their culture, but mine and ours. Every one of them has been very honest and open and despite everything, I consider them all friends. Ok, maybe not Michael. Long story. They might not have known what an education they were providing. I wonder what I have provided them. Thoughts for another post, perhaps.

I remember back when I was a kid and thought that I would be rejected for reaching out. I remember that sense of unyielding distance I had when talking to someone of color. I remember being aware of the "otherness". It didn't help that all my teacher training emphasized a need to be on the lookout for personal bias. I remember feeling overly self-conscious when dealing with students of color about guarding against subtle or overt discrimination. Was I spending enough time with all my students regardless of any differences? Was I speaking to students differently? I mean, really, you can't believe how these thoughts were interferring with my ability to just teach.

I can honestly say that, no matter what you think of my methods, my efforts have been one of the most positive things I have done in my life and my career. That sense of otherness is gone. I don't feel that need to be self-conscious in my teaching. I know that I am treating everyone the same. And perhaps most importantly, I've gained valuable friendships. I've learned that I will be accepted for just what I bring. I have learned that growth is out there for the taking.