I had this big post planned, where I would touch on a variety of political topics including some thoughts on independent voters, how I feel about our economic downturn, how Obama’s tax plan is incorrectly viewed by most conservatives and how Sarah Palin has just gotten worse since I first heard about her. And I also wanted to talk about how all the relentless politicking has just worn me down to a cynical nub. Again.
But.
Then the whole race issue started rearing it’s ugly head in the last week. I’ve long been concerned about this becoming a major part of the race. It could be one of the reasons I initially supported Hillary Clinton, because I was afraid of racial backlash. I wish I could believe that some of my fellow Americans are beyond the backward thinking our country experienced as recently as the 1960’s. But, apparently, we’re not.
We’ve all seen the soundbites on television where supporters at McCain rallys have shouted out racial slurs and disturbing calls to violence. That’s frightening enough. Because, as we all know, it only takes ONE person to pick up a gun. It only takes one person to set the world on it’s ear. And, whether you support him or not, you have to admit that if anything were to happen to Obama at this stage in the game it would be catastophic for this nation. People. Would. Flip. OUT. I don’t want that for my country. I want to see us start to heal our wounds and move forward with a plan for the future. But I am starting to wonder if that will even be possible. Because the hate that some people hold in their hearts frightens me.
Take Gayle Quinnell, the McCain supporter who at a recent rally in Minnesota told McCain that she was afraid of Obama because he was an “Arab”. To McCain’s credit, he quickly and simply told her that she was wrong and that Obama was a decent family man, etc and so forth. But is it too little, too late? Because Ms. Quinnell proved to us in an interview after the rally that she still believes Obama is dangerous simply because his father was a Muslim. Even when the interviewers tried to correct her, to tell her that Obama was indeed a Christian and was never a Muslim, she responded, “Yeah, but he’s still got Muslim in him. So that’s still part of him.”
This makes my heart hurt, people. It’s “the sins of the father” all over again. And this is even assuming that simply being a Muslim is a crime (which is definitely is not). It’s “in him”?? Hiding latent underneath the layers, only to rear it’s ugly head once he steps foot in the Oval Office, causing him to rain destruction and mayhem on our fair country? DOES SHE REALLY BELIEVE THIS? And if she believes it, how many others do as well? I’m afraid to ask.
The thing is, I’m sure you could sit down with someone like Gayle Quinnell and explain to her the facts about Obama and it won’t make one bit of different. Because calling him an “Arab” is an excuse. For whatever reason, she doesn’t want to come right out and say that she is afraid of him and won’t support him because he’s black. So she clings to this other excuse, flimsy as it is. And there are SO MANY other people who are doing the exact same thing.
In Gayle’s case, she’s 75 years old and it was just how she was raised. My mother is nearly the same age and grew up in a similar part of the country. Though she is voting for Obama in this election, she understands why so many of her generation cannot get past the color of his skin. They were raised to view African Americans as wholly different from themselves. And not different in a good way. At “best”, they see them as mentally insufficient. At worst, they see them as dangerous.
It makes my heart sick to think of it. It causes me pain to realize that we still have such blind bigotry alive and well in our country. I guess it doesn’t surprise me much, seeing all the things that have happened in the last eight years, but it does disappoint me.
You know, vote for McCain because you agree with his policies and his ideals. Don’t vote for him because you have ignorant, racist assumptions about people. I can respect someone voting for McCain because of his stance on the issues. I cannot respect someone who comes up with some bullshit notion about Obama being an “Arab” or trying to link him to terrorists simply because they cannot stomach him being a black man.
These next few weeks are going to be brutal. And I can only hope that once November 4th rolls around, that we use our heads in the voting booths across the country and make a choice that ISN’T based on hate.
Similar Posts
3 Responses to “Breaking the Political Silence”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
You go girl! I heartily agree.
right on sister!! I look around sometimes and wonder how our country got to this point. Anyways, love this post…
You may be interested to know that the majority of Canadians are rooting for Obama.