It’s not about race. Or is it? Early voting in a couple of counties in the Atlanta area has been a real challenge. Long lines winding through chilly parking lots, sometimes as long as six to eight hours. I am delighted that people are getting involved in the election process and are exercising their right/privilege/responsibility to vote. What I have noticed, though, is the proportion of black to white voters waiting in these long lines. (At least when the news cameras were on hand, there were very few white faces seen among a sea of black faces.) I have recently been educated to the fact that black voters, for the most part, have a history of voting a democratic ticket. That’s fine. Whatever. What I can’t help but question, though, in my mind is this: Would those same black voters be willing to wait six to eight hours to vote for Hillary if she had been the democratic nominee? I’m not so sure they would. If Obama were white and McCain black, would they be voting republican instead? I’m thinking yes on that one. I think the vast number of white voters who are supporting Obama lends credence to the observation that race doesn’t factor into the white vote as much as it does the black vote. For a large number of us, it isn’t about race or even party lines. It is about choosing which of these two (dare I say sometimes-morons???) is the better candidate. The black folks who scream the loudest (and granted, not all of them do)just need to stop with all the "racist" accusations in every other aspect of life in this country, if they are not willing to admit that racism is alive and well in their own hearts as well. If that statement confuses you, please read the paragraph again.
My friend Mac forwarded a link to a video of an amazing young black man, Alphonso Rachel. It's a great video. Absolutely not what you expect. In this video he explains, with humor and candor, why he is voting McCain/Palin. But there is a much bigger picture within the message of this video. It’s about 9 minutes long, so I'll also add the link directly to the site in case you don’t have time to watch it while visiting my blog. I invite you to watch the video, even if you are an O supporter- even if you have already voted for him. I think I have been fair in lending an equal ear to the sales pitches of both parties, and am willing to concede that some of the things O says sound pretty good, and some of the things Mc says are pretty crappy. But the opposite is also true, and, in my opinion, far outweighs the former. Obviously you'll be cheering this video if you're a Mc supporter, and not so much if you're an O supporter- but put on your big girl/boy britches and watch it anyway. I think even an O supporter would have to agree with some of what this guy says. Okay- here ya go:
Hmmmm... how about Alphonso Rachel for President 2012???
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