Today in cruising the Los Angeles Times site I ran across Michael Meyers’ column, “Obama Blew It.” If you are an Obama supporter, I urge you to read it.
The crux of Meyers’ thesis can be found here: “He [Obama in his Philadelphia speech] should have presented us a pathway out of our racial boxes and a road map for new thinking about race. He should have depicted his minister, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., as a symbol of the dysfunctional angry men who are stuck in the past and who must yield to a new generation of color-blind, hopeful Americans and to a new global economy in which we will look on our neighbors’ skin color no differently than how we look on their eye color.”
I am a passionate supporter of Barack Obama who has dreaded finding any critique of the Philadelphia speech that had merit. Well, the dread is over, and I found it. In Meyers’ piece. I have not ceased to champion Obama and to find significant merit in his speech. But Meyers’ is right: the only generation today who takes race, sexual orientation, and other supposed anomalies of the human race seriously is mine—the over 60 folk.
Meyers continues to argue that it is fair and reasonable to judge a person by the people he/she endorses. And reading this column I remembered my outrage when McCain so gratefully and toadily celebrated the endorsement of the Rev. Hagge—the good Christian who claimed Katrina was god’s judgment on homosexuals. I had already finished with McCain when he went whimpering around the toes of Jerry Falwell, and this latest endorsement solidified my contempt for the Repub candidate. But I am suddenly forced to at least consider my own illogic: why is it ok for Obama to claim an affection for a man who is clearly a Black racist but it is not ok for McCain to accept the support of a homophobe.
Damn, it is painful to see one’s own illogic. My fallback position is that Hagge almost certainly lacks the metaphor-capable mind of Obama’s former pastor and, should he espy a painting would probably look for the Catholic fag who painted it.
But thanks to Meyers for scrambling my brain. And thanks to Obama for causing a spark that calls forth some interest in the brain. Hasn’t happened in about sixteen years.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Laura // Mar 24, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Too tired for anything prolific tonight…
After reading this post, all I could think about is the bottom line–we’re all human and each of us is going to make mistakes. We’ll misjudge situations, events and people in our lives. If we’re fortunate, then we learn from those moments and move on. It’s unfortunate for McClain, Obama and others who are considered “public figures” that they can’t simply learn (or in some cases hide) their mistakes–we all must witness these milestones on the 6 o’clock news.
2 admin // Mar 25, 2008 at 4:30 pm
What a humane and wise comment, Laura. And, among other things, you surely have set forth at least one reason most of us would not run for office. Thanks for visiting and posting!
3 Tex // Apr 18, 2008 at 7:54 am
BO has yet to be fully vetted by those that oppose his run for the Oval Office.
When he wins the ‘golden ring’ in Denver and the DNC offers him up for the campaign against McCain, he will continue to be a target of his past indescretions to be sure..that is politics.
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