What We Don't Need

You know what we don't need? We don't need anymore defeatist cynicism in the black community. It used to onstensibly be a defense mechanism; hundreds of years of seeing any progress by our community broken down and destroyed will do that. But while the vestiges of those times still live with us, the truth is that there has never been a better time of opportunity for black people. We're moving beyond the physical and social barriers that have long limited our advancement, only to be held up by mental barriers that defeat us before we've even started. Defeatism is what makes us say that we don't need to bother with college, or that we're not getting anywhere because we're black, or that "they ain't never letting a black man be president". This shit has got to stop, and it's got to stop with the boomer generation most of all. Our parents have instilled (or tried to) that same cynicism in us and wonder why we're not acting like we expect to succeed.

This weekend I had a talk with my mother-in-law about the Democratic field for president and found out, to my chagrin, that she is for Clinton. My wife pointed out to me that black women have it doubly hard trying to decide who to back, so I'll give my MIL a bit of leeway. However, our argument pretty much came down to cynicism vs. optimism. It was unbelievably depressing to hear her say that she doesn't think white people will let Obama be president, either because he'll get killed or because they will say they'll vote for him but won't when they get into the booth. Then, to justify her position, she rattled off the Clinton campaign talking points against Obama. And that's where I took exception. Are we afraid of success here? He isn't just electable, he's smart and savvy and has a track record of consensus building with the other side. Yes, he's young and doesn't have as much time in Washington as Clinton, but that's not as big a strike against him as it's made out to be. He's got the vision and the plans, and with the right cabinet and advisors he'd be just fine.

On the upside, my best friend, an Army staff sergeant, informed me that, should Obama get the nomination, he'll vote for him. This is evidence to me that Obama is the real deal, because the military votes almost en masse for Republicans, and my friend is no exception. When we were in high school, he'd never have dreamed of such a thing, but he (and other military guys I've talked to) believes that the Republicans look out for the military, so he's voting his wallet. Another friend who is an ex-Marine and voted Republican last election has even shown strong interest in Obama. The interest lies Obama being a real uniter and being for change. He's giving people on both sides of the aisle a reason to believe that things can change and get better for our nation.

Lastly, I present two links that demonstrate what I find terrible about the Clinton campaign. These are just the most recent in a string of attacks on Obama since just before the New Hampshire primaries. This is the sort of crap that we've come to expect from politics and the exact same style that Obama has committed to not using to get elected. This is exactly why we need an Obama candidacy, to prove that smear campaigns and backhanded attacks won't be tolerated anymore. Negativity, saying anything to win, and partisan hackery are things we don't need.

BET Founder Slams Obama in South Carolina
Hillary Clinton Defends 2002 Iraq War Vote On Meet The Press