Unfiltered Opinion

One Man's Advice On How Obama Can Get The "White" Vote

Jack White is a black male who is an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. He also writes columns for the The Root web site. His latest column was entitled, "Barack, Here's How To Get The White People".  White describes this column as a "unsolicited nine-point plan to Obama for winning over white voters and victory in the fall campaign".  White suggests that Obama should do the following nine things:

1. Remind us who you are.

2. Keep it simple and funny.

3. Go to church every Sunday.

4. Re-channel RFK.

5. Be nice to McCain.

6. Show off your team.

7. Avoid Washington insiders.

8. Talk tough to your supporters, including blacks liberals.

9. Go to the front lines.

The author, White, believes that the issue of race is going to play a major part in this campaign.  He also believes it is the reason that Obama is not out distancing McCain in the polls.  White writes, "If Obama were a generic white, male Democrat of similar eloquence, youthful grace and energy, he would be a guaranteed easy landslide victor over the standard bearer for a party as deeply unpopular as the Republicans have become."

Hello Mr. White - please come back to Earth.  Your aforementioned scenario already played out in the Democratic primaries - the candidates name was John Edwards and he lost. Obama beat Hillary Clinton because he picked the right message and her campaign did not know how to handle a biracial male in a primary campaign battle. Obama's campaign handlers sensed the Democratic primary voters wanted change.  Obama gave them change with his soaring rhetoric and his skin color.

I agree with White that race will play a role in the general election.  I just don't think it will play the decisive role that he and Obama's campaign wants the public to think it will play.  If Obama can't beat McCain this fall, it won't be because Obama is black.  It will be because Obama is too liberal for the majority of this country.  The majority of the people in the United States are not liberal or conservative; they are moderates who believe in governing from the middle.  This is why Obama and McCain are tripping over themselves to get back to the middle before the election takes place in November. 

After reading his nine point plan, it's obvious that White is an Obama supporter who has been blinded by Obama's message and refuses to look deeper into the policies being espoused by his campaign.  I am not critical of White for supporting Obama.  However, I do take issue with some of the statements made in his nine points. For example, Point No. 7 said to "avoid Washington insiders".  That's what Obama's campaign is made up of - Washington insiders.  There is nothing wrong with that - it is what it is.  A lot of Obama's advisors use to work in the Clinton administration - if that's not a "Washington insider", I don't know what is.

The rest of White's nine point plan is basically suggesting to Obama to use smoke and mirrors with the white voters in order to get elected.  Well, Obama is already doing that like a typical politician. Obama will say or do whatever it takes to get elected.  He's so bad that even Ralph Nader accused Obama of trying to "talk white". 

Contrary to what White and many Obama supporters believe, this election will not answer if America is ready to elect a minority president. However, I do believe this election will answer if America is ready to elect another liberal president who happens to be white and black.

Goodbye Jesse Helms And Good Riddance

Jesse Helms, the former Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina passed away today. This man was one of the most bigoted people ever elected to national office in my lifetime.  I know people are going to have their prepared statements calling him a fine statesman or a solid representative for North Carolina, but that's a bunch of hogwash. The truth needs to be said about this man - he was a racist.  That's the truth and everybody knows it - they may not want to say it publicly, but they know it's the truth.

I have never shed a tear when a member of the Ku Klux Klan or any other racist group died and I am not going to start crying now.  The world became a better place when he left Congress and the future is still looking bright now that he is going to hell.

Helms would have been happy if blacks had been kept in their place by segregation. If any person, especially a black one, were to say any thing positive about Helms, I would immediately consider that person to be suspect. If you want proof of this man's ignorance, please check out this site. 

The only thing I respected about Helms is that you always knew where he stood, unlike most of the politicians in office.  I knew every time I saw Helms on television, he wanted to use the first racial slur that came to his mind.  I would have paid anything to see Helms serve in the Senate with Barack Obama.  I could see Obama extending his hand in a collegial manner to Helms.  Without hesitation, Helms would look at Obama's hand and tell him that his hands were only good for picking cotton. 

That's the Helms I knew and that's the Helms that I am glad is gone.

Good Idea - But ...........

Barack Obama has promised to give students a $4000 tax credit in exchange for 100 hours of public service. Students will be able to use this credit to pay tuition and other fees. I think this is a great idea if it is implemented in a way that helps all students of all income levels. However, my life experience has shown me that this tax credit will not be available for a lot of students.

Obama and John McCain are making a lot of promises to the American people on what they will do if they are elected president. I just wonder where they are going to get the money to pay for all of these "great" ideas? For example, I know Obama likes to say that a lot of his programs will be paid for with the money that is now being used for the war in Iraq. That may be true - one day. However, people are naive if they think that the war is going to end and the troops are going to come home as soon as Obama becomes president. Obama may want to bring the troops home immediately, but the reality is that he is going to need the help of Congress. Obama also knows that whether he wants to or not, the U.S. is going to maintain a prescence in Iraq until the end of time. There is no way the U.S. is going to give up this strategic staging ground in the Middle East.

For once, I just wish there would be one presidential candidate that would be completely honest with the American public. Obama has come close to being that candidate. For example, he has consistently ridiculed the gas tax holiday idea for what it is - a gimmick. However, I need Obama or someone to tell me the truth all of the time.

Don't Forget The White Fathers

I was glad to see Barack Obama take black men to task who are not taking an active part in the lives of their children. This has been a problem for a long time that many people unfortunately accept as a fact of life. However, there are plenty of black fathers who do it the right way, but the media does not like to focus on those good men. The media would rather focus on the ignorant fools walking around with their pants half way down their ass who are committed to living a reckless life. Nevertheless, I believe Obama focused on black men because he was speaking at a predominantly black church. I would also like to see him repeat this message at some of the predominantly white churches. There are plenty of white men who decline to be fathers to their children.

I wonder if Obama would be comfortable lecturing a white audience about the importance of fatherhood? That's a message I bet his campaign team will not let him deliver in some parts of the country. The Secret Service can only do so much.

If It's In GQ Then It Has Got To Be True

One of the things I always like about competition is the reaction of the losing team in the days and months after the game or in this case, the campaign. One of the architects of Hillary Clinton's losing campaign was strategist Mark Penn. In an interview with GQ, he gave his opinion on what went wrong with Clinton's campaign and why she lost to Barack Obama. I found it interesting that he never once said that Clinton lost because he gave her some bad advice. However, Penn was able to point the finger at the failings of other people involved in Clinton's campaign, namely former campaign manager Patti Doyle.  Penn may be right about in criticizing the roles and decisions of others in the campaign, but before he starts chirping he needs to take a really long look in the mirror.

So Much For Party Unity

It's no secret that many moderate and conservative Democrats are not crazy about a possible Barack Obama presidency. Nevertheless, the fact is that the majority of them would rather have Obama as President than John McCain. However, Obama is too liberal for these people and they fear that if he is elected President then the Republicans will surely return to the White House in four years.

There are idiots in each party, but not too many of them have made ignorant comments in public like those made by Tennessee Democratic Party executive Fred Hobbs. This fool said, "he (Obama) may be terrorist connected for all I can tell." You can see more of the statement in the following video.



This is the kind of crap Obama is going to have to fight on a daily basis. I'm not an Obama supporter, but some of these anti-Obama people are not too intelligent. It's one thing for them to fear an Obama presidency because of his expected policies. However, it's another thing to fear the man to the extent that they are just making stuff up about him that have no basis in reality.

My Exile Is Over

I have returned to the blogging world from my self-imposed exile with a new focus and renewed energy.  I am still relatively new to blogging, but I am disappointed with the attitudes of a lot of people in the blogosphere.  I have found it to be a place where people can hide and say anything that they want.  Their commentary can be full of lies and misleading statements. Some readers leave comments that make you wonder how they graduated from high school and found any kind of employment.

I have always lived by the adage that I would never say or write something about someone that I could not say to their face. I have never felt compelled to hide behind a letter or computer screen to voice my opinion. The blogging world is full of cowards who like to make comments that are sexist, racist, unintelligent, deceitful  and devoid of any truth. There are some people who actually take the time to see if they can be a bigger jerk than someone else on the site. These people are cowards in public and these people are cowards tapping away on their laptops.  The blogosphere has almost made it cool to be a jerk to other people. 

I have always had a problem with people who are ignorant or who do not have any common sense. I don't knowingly deal with these types of people nor do I coach them.  I make a conscious effort to weed these people out of my life.  This is why I am not accepting comments any more on this site.  For example, people know that I have not been a big fan of Barack Obama's political views or his old church membership.  However, I have more of a problem with the racist language people have used to criticize Obama and his family.  I have also hated the language Obama supporters have used towards John McCain and Hillary Clinton.

I know that people blog to express their feelings and expertise on various subjects. However, that does mean I have to provide a forum for shallow people to spew vile and hateful comments that do not have any place in this society.

Welcome To The America I Know - Part Two

There are idiots who will do anything to make a buck.  For example, check out this fool in Georgia who is selling shirts that depict the image of the monkey Curious George.  The monkey is supposed  to represent Barack Obama.  The owner of the shirt claims it is not intended to be racist.  Anyone with a brain knows that racist whites have always compared blacks to monkeys. 

I'm so glad I'm living in a new post-racial America.  The video below has more information on the controversy.

Welcome To The America I Know

The Washington Post ran an article yesterday that profiled some of the racist incidents that many supporters of Barack Obama's candidacy have encountered in some cities. I am sure that his supporters have had to deal with racist incidents since the beginning of his campaign, but Obama's campaign has made a conscious decision not to publicize it. 

Unfortunately, these racist acts of ignorance will allow Obama's white supporters to realize that racism is alive and well in America.  Hopefully, they will share their experiences with their friends and family members who believe that blacks are overstating the volume of racism in this country.  Sometimes you have to venture outside of your comfort zone to see what's really happening on the other side of town.

Black Support For Obama - It's A Matter Of Pride

While reading Political Punch, I was led to an interesting, entertaining and thought provoking blog written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. While I don't agree with some of the content of his postings, I appreciate and respect the fact that he makes intelligent arguments.  For example, I liked his post regarding the myth of the black racist voter.

There are some whites who believe that the overwhelming support of blacks for Obama is a racist act.  I strongly disagree with that.  Coates writes:

"Whereas we have several anecdotal reports of folks categorically voting against Obama because he's black, I've yet to hear a black voter say she couldn't vote for Hillary--under any circumstance--because she's white."

I agree with Coates on this issue.  I have never during my lifetime heard a black person say they would never vote for a candidate because they are white.  Now I am sure there are blacks out there who do harbor racist feelings and do feel that way regarding white candidates.  I'm just saying that I have never encountered any.  That's probably because I have an aversion to being around racists of any color. 

However, as a result of being born and raised in St. Louis, I have had a front row seat to the hardcore racist sentiments some whites have towards black candidates.  I remember when Freeman Bosley Jr. ran for mayor of St. Louis.  You would have been hard pressed to find a white person who would have admitted that they voted for him.  I think it's a fear that some whites have that if a black person is elected to a position of power that they will invoke some form of apartheid that will in turn have whites living as second class citizens. 

Obama is getting approximately ninety percent of the black vote for a couple of reasons.  There are many blacks who are voting for Obama because of his political platform.  However, in my opinion, the majority of blacks are supporting Obama for reasons of pride and wanting to see history made by seeing a man of color as President of the United States.  For example, I have been called an "Uncle Tom", traitor, and other names by blacks because I am a registered independent voter who has not jumped on the Obama bandwagon.  Some of these people are my family members who do not like to hear that I believe Obama and Clinton are both flawed candidates who are promising a lot of things that they will not be able to deliver if they were to become president. 

As I have said before, I am torn by the Obama candidacy.  I would love to see a member of a minority group elected to the highest office in the land.  I am just not convinced yet that Obama is the right person to break that glass ceiling.  Unlike Clinton, he still has time to convince me otherwise - I am listening.