I spent way too much time on the Internet in the last twenty four hours. I kept finding interesting articles, commentary and some fascinating points of view about McCain, Obama, Palin, even a few about Biden. One was the Blog of an African American Republican, but I will get to him in a moment. I had one reoccurring thought: American citizens are becoming mentally affected by this particular political race. More than once I noted comments from various people, diverse in race and gender, who feel that people are getting into an out of control frenzy. A round about way of saying folks are going a little insane over the Presidential race. Personally, I think we all need to take a breath, stop reacting and start responding. Because there are less than two months until we finally have this election. And I am tired. Aren't you tired?
Now, even more trash talk, innuendo and nonsense is coming out of people who are in positions that should command respect, yet they are acting disrespectful. Clearly, the GOP, seemingly short on real issue-related counterpoints, has taken to the strategy defined in the philosophy of Mao Tse-Tung: "He who controls images, controls minds; and he who controls minds has little, if anything, to worry about from bodies." To counteract this thinking, this strategy, again I say, we must stop reacting and start responding.
We still have the ongoing attempts to affix labels to Barack Obama, even when those labels are proven to be lies; there are those who continue to label Senator Obama as an elitist, which is the new covert definition for " you don't know your place ." a pre-civil rights point of view defining a subservient plantation mentality; our racial glass ceiling if you will. Suggesting that Barack Obama is an angry Black man, when in fact a new story just broke this weekend about McCain, his well documented temper and the pushing of a POW's relative, who was in a wheelchair, in the corridor of the Senator's office in 1996 ( http://www.huffingtonpost. com/2008/09/07/report-mccain-pushed-w oma_n_124615.html). Why the need to label? Because they are banking on our never directly addressing the elephant in the room: Roland Martin on his radio talk show last week, had a call from an Anglo female who did not want to vote for McCain/Palin, yet could not vote for Barack Obama. Martin asked her to define her position on the issues. Her positions were the direct opposite of McCain's. When asked what was holding her back, she could not articulate why she could not vote for Obama; Martin finally said, "Say it, just say it." But she could not say it, she could not acknowledge the elephant that is in the national room. Race. We have been silenced by the pundits, by the Republicans, by anyone who is afraid to look in the mirror of this reality, who chide us about the notion of playing the race card, when they've had the full deck on the table all along. We dance about it, afraid to look it in the eye and see it for what it is. Fear of offending, fear of acknowledging, fear of needing to change our paradigms. The strategy is to feed that fear.
McCain effectively silenced the media by creating a perception, fueled by Laura Bush's warning to Democrats concerning sexist comments
(www.news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080901/pl_politico/20378 ). Suddenly every question asked about Palin became sexist and offensive. By using reverse psychology, McCain successful kept all legitimate questions at bay ,including the smokescreen raised with his cancellation of the Larry King Live interview -- purportedly because Campbell Brown asked a Republican surrogate a question he couldn't answer -- while attempting to minimize the swirl of drama and potentially damaging effects as more information about who the real Sarah Palin is continues to bubble up. As I write, MSNBC has shaken up its evening line of commentators as a direct result of a formal complaint from the McCain camp -- because MSNBC announced the Palin selection before it was official: The McCain campaign has filed letters of complaint to the news division about its coverage and openly tied MSNBC to it. Tension between the network and the campaign hit an apex the day Mr. McCain announced Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. MSNBC had reported Friday morning that Ms. Palin’s plane was enroute to the announcement and she was likely the pick. But McCain campaign officials warned the network off, with one official going so far as to say that all of the candidates on the short list were on their way — which MSNBC then reported. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/business/media/08msnbc.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1)
Because, the McCain campaign complained that Matthews and Olbermann were pro-Democrat, both have been removed from their anchor seats and will serve as a psychological cautionary tale for every news anchor or pundit who wants to keep his or her job. ). Character, in and of itself is not easily changed at any age. John McCain is seventy two years old. One important point that people seem to forget is that it is virtually impossible for a leopard to change his spots once he or she get past a certain point in life. McCain is who he is, and change is an empty promise from him. He has made, what may soon be determined, a potentially dangerous choice in Palin as his running mate. Yes, the matters of her daughter's pregnancy, even the alleged extra-marital affair are family matters and non-issues in direct context. But the exploitation of Palin's family to create the desired perception is not. You, see I don't care about the family issues, except as it goes to uncovering her character. Character is as important to know, http://www.andrys.com/palin-k ilkenny.html, as is the rest of the resume she brings to the table. What if you where hiring someone to fill a top positionWhat if you where hiring someone to fill a top position. In the interview, you asked them numerous questions and were told that those questions were non-issues, even though they defined the candidate's ability to do the job. Suppose you asked a question that you already knew the answer to -- because you did your homework -- and the response was a lie by omission. A lie by omission is deceit. Would you then hire that person for the job? McCain has repeatedly spoken of his having been in Vietnam as a OW. This experience has been his excuse for his less- than-stellar behaviors and his explanation of his experience in military affairs. In reflection on this experience I have wondered what he learned during that period of time, about how to manipulate people into doing his bidding. Combined with his erratic temper and penchant for a fight, some GOP members are concerned. The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine," Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), also a senior member of the Appropriations panel, told the Boston Globe recently. "He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me." I am hard pressed to be convinced that some of the strategy he has used within and outside of his Republican party is not laced, at best, with some of the psychological tactics used on OWs in Vietnam. Create confusion, then offer to rescue us from the confusion by offering the solution of his choosing: Him.
So, returning to the original discussion of the elephant in the room, those who have bought into the covert fear-mongering -- not knowing why you can't trust Barack Obama, not knowing why you don't "know him" when in reality there is more information available telling you who Obama is, than there has been about McCain or likely ever will be about alin. And as long as doubts, labels continued to be repeated over and over, in spite of evidence to the contrary, you will be confused....unless you face your fears and begin to seek the truth at all cost.
As I coasted around the Internet this weekend, I came across a Blog from an African American Republican, who I personally thought was fairly self-absorbed in his importance in the political landscape. He felt that he had been "outed" by the disclosure of his political choice, though I found that to be an oxymoron, since it was him writing the Blog. So I decided to respond in kind:
Being a conservative democrat, I always take issue with these kinds of articles, especially on a corporate media-owned website such as AOL/Time Warner, where I find their bias toward Obama to be palpable. I think that Black Republicans, as well as Black Democrats have the right to their point of view. I also believe that this new bent of Republicans whether they be Black or Women, to take any push back on their points of view as persecution, is ridiculous. I don't really see a reason to feel sorry for you. I do recognize the financial benefit that comes with being a Black Republican, so if that is what you are about, more power to you. But don't behave as though it's something you are secretly proud of (because you believe you are right), but we poor ignorant Democrats just are too ignorant to understand what's good for us and so you have to be, as you put it, on the "down-low". That is dismissive and insulting. I look at character first and foremost. I don't see any character in lying by omission -- which is deceit, overspending a small city's budget leaving it $20 million in the red, and taking pork barrel dollars and distributing it among the Alaska citizens to promote your popularity instead of giving it back to the government that provided it. Issues and drama follow Palin where ever she goes. She has yet to be allowed an interviewed by anyone, heck, her nickname in high school was "Barracuda". I have worked in corporate with the Palin personality types, so I understand exactly what the strategy is for selecting her. We shall see what the future brings, but please, if you have facts. bring it, but I have no sympathy for you or your political decisions. Your truth is not necessarily the truth.
Then on various articles, message boards there was a plethora of conversation about Sarah Palin, and the points of view were dramatically diverse, from the avid fans to the skeptical foes, both men and women. I do find it interesting that the Republican surrogates do not seem to have any problem with the ongoing sexist comments about Palin's looks. But that, was indeed a part of the strategy. Anyway, hopefully the various comments have some relevance:
How about the matter of quality. Like African Americans, we women should not want a woman in such an important role just because she is a woman, ( um, wasn't that called just being emotional) we should want her there because she has vision, integrity, and puts the American people before personal interests. Palin likes power, she likes how it feels. She was willing to lie by omission to get it. This is nothing more than The Same crap we have gotten the last eight years. What are her views on the issues again? Oh, that's right, she has yet to be interviewed. And to ask questions, why that's just sexist. Oh wait, isn't there a video of her saying that HRC was a whiner about sexism and the media? Yet she got McCain and party surrogates to whine for her instead.
About the Palin speech: Sarah Palin reads very well. No, I mean she READS very well. Her speech written to focus on so-called experience should backfire soon. Not only do the facts state that she mismanaged and manipulated during her terms as mayor and governor, the reality is that McCain has no more EXPERIENCE than Obama or Biden. McCain is running for president, not alin. But just like Bush, more smoke and mirrors to get you focused on anything except the issues. The notion that "she's hot" may get the non-thinking male vote, but will do little to help you as she continues to support big business and pork barrels. Hasn't anyone found it strange that she has yet to be interviewed? Oh, that's right, to ask her questions is just sexist and offensive When I was in corporate, I worked with women who fit the Palin profile. When I say her profile, I am speaking of the character, personality traits, Prefacing this with the fact that I am a long-time observer of who people are versus what they say. Folks say I have an uncanny knack. Palin is a woman who discovered that her looks and willingness to be one of the boys when it suited her needs. She understands her role in the McCain presidential race is to act as the Trojan horse. She has been allowed, this far, to say what McCain cannot get away with saying. She has demonstrated her willingness to drop whatever she is responsible for in order to pursue something with greater benefit, thus trading in Alaska which she promised never to leave behind. Who do I see a beautiful woman who is manipulative, deceitful and charming. By the time people figure out they've been fooled, she will have accomplished her goal and those who see her for who she really is will be dismissed as bitter and envious. She has already shown that she comes with a consistent amount of drama, which is purposed to distract from the real issues, Her views on creationism, lobbyists, pork barrel spending, the right of Alaska to become a sovereign territory, and her belief that the Iraq war was God-led is troublesome. Her educational resume is questionable and her track record as both mayor and governor leaves much to be desired. But I am certain that the strategy is to keep Americans focused on the Palin soap opera, and away from focusing on the facts and the issues; keep the competition off balance and the media in control. Stay tuned.
When I started writing this piece, my intent was, and still is, to suggest that each person reading this do a bit of introspection. Each of us has to consider whether our position is about what is right, OR is about being right OR is just about being on the winning side. We cannot count on the pundits or the polls to direct us to the truth. In case you did not realize it, there is a psychology behind all of these polls. The covert intent of the so-called political polling is to push the undecided toward a decision. Most people want to be on the winning side, no matter the game, becoming a vicarious winner in the process is what really counts. There is not a single survey that does not have a bias built into it, so that it ultimately achieves the desired answer to the questions asked. What I most want to encourage is a healthy and constructive dialogue about the elephant in the room. So ask yourself, ask each other if the amount of melanin in his skin is your personal roadblock: If Barack Obama was an Anglo, a WASP, was white as far as you knew, would you trust him? Would you vote for him? If your answer is honest and race is the issue, then the problem isn't Barack Obama and you are the one who must figure out why. It's not a cliche; your future really does depend on it.
Hey Webmasters! New Photo Album Service Launched - Check it out!
Bravenet Blog 
Blog Community
Get a Free Blog
Manage your Blog
bravenet.com