I know it's been too long since we've talked and I do hope you are well. And I know I promised to comment on the McCain VP selection several weeks ago and have not yet done so. And there has been a reason for this.
I have been just dumbfounded by the swirl of activity, media, coverage, email traffic, focus on this Republican VP choice...However, to God be the glory, apartment repairs resulting in no cable has spared me much of the spectacle---though dear friends have kept my in-box filled with articles swirling about the nation...sigh...
The interesting thing is that I did here her speech at the Republican convention. And in my own assessment, her remarks reflected an individual that was so partisan and narrow and inaccessible to folks like me. I was willing to hear her out, but clearly she wasn't trying to holler at your girl.
Rather than being compelling, her remarks felt so dated, so old school in all the wrong ways, so isolationist. The remarks felt like a plea to her base--- instead of reaching out to the ENTIRE nation that she would be helping to govern as VP. Her focus on war, fear, insults and foreign threats communicated a desire to keep Americans in conflict with each other and the rest of the world---instead of creating a climate of cooperation between Americans themselves and the global community.
My questions remain: Does patriotism only exist outside of the city limits? Can people of color love this country and live in an urban environment? Where is it written that love of country is only possible for folks in small towns or who are working class? Can't educated middle class, upper middle class city dwellers love this country, too? Or is it mandatory that I shoot something (or someone) in war or sport to be deemed an American patriot? And why is it that the most valued brand patriotism so often defined in terms of shipping our folks off to war to fight, kill, die or be maimed abroad---as opposed to giving them something to live for and work for in this country?
Furthermore, it is more profound to watch the Obama campaign defend itself against these old school Republicans masquerading as "mavericks". There was little "new" about their remarks...it felt (wearily) like the political priorities that have informed the last eight years. But, it has been fascinating to observe people's willingness to believe that something "different" is being presented to them--- when it's just the same old message just delivered in a shiny, more provocative package.
As I have been traveling from Florida to Illinois and find myself in and out of airports, restaurants and other public venues, and I always happen to overhear groups of gentlemen of varying ages (most often white men) discussing the election. And their final assessment are often that Barack Obama was nothing more than "a good speech" as they took comfort in their resistance to Obama. Now, it seems to me that all the candidates are making speeches and promises at this juncture so I haven't understood why they don't describe McCain's offerings in a similar fashion? And then recently, it struck me: The McCain/Palin ticket is a source of comfort for them.
With the emergence of the McCain/Palin ticket, its as if the nation was waiting for SOMETHING, ANYTHING to eclipse the coverage of the Obama campaign. And I understand---with the exception of the Cosby show and subsequent well-to-do Black comedian-centered sitcoms---we are a nation accustomed to African American families "stretchin' and suh-vi-vin" and entertaining the nation while we war against each other on court TV, reality shows, dramadies and Tyler Perry offerings. Thus, many of our fellow Americans are accustomed to African Americans as a source of entertainment, humor, curiosity or disdain. So, they reject outright the idea of accomplished, talented, educated, thoughtful, loving, African American family at the helm of the political, intellectual and economic life of the nation. It's just too much to bear for some. So, instead, they would rather vilify them as aloof, elitist and out of touch while celebrating those who claim to champion working class and small town values.
And yet it is a reminder that the bar for African American acceptability is a narrow tightrope that is ALWAYS shifting despite our best efforts---and even when you thought education, grooming, political savvy, connections, coalition building, innovative campaign strategies that harness the best of human and technological talent might just be enough to finally bridge the racial divide...sigh...
Folks, we have a few more days until election 2008 will end---and God knows I'm ready for it to be over. What will Americans do on election day? It is PROFOUNDLY unclear to me. However, if you can be convinced that the election is a close one, the return of the ghosts of elections 2000 and 2004 are likely.
So, I ask you the following?
---Are YOU registered to vote?
---Do you know where your local polling location is? Has it changed? If so, why exactly?
---Are folks that you encounter---your new neighbors, new church members, new co-workers, new clients and college students away from home---registered locally or voting absentee in the home communities they left?
---What are the voting methods being used at your polling site?
---If you do make an error in voting, receive the wrong ballot, spoil your ballot etc.,. what will YOU do? Who do you talk to at your polling place if such an error occurs?
---Once all the ballots are cast and the polls close, what happens at your polling place? What happens to the ballots and related documentation? Where are the ballots taken? What then happens to them?
---Will your candidate of choice make sure every vote is counted? Will they prolong the proceedings, spend the money, go to court, call for recounts when and where ever necessary to protect the votes they are working so hard to make sure are cast in their favor?
For more information on voter protection, check out The Advancement project at:
http://www.justvote08.org/readytovote.php
Be well, y'all, keep the faith---but get ready!
---Nicole
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