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.

Leave The Speed Limit To The States

I had to look at this article twice when I saw that a U.S. Senator is suggesting that Congress should reimpose a national speed limit to help save gas. I was surprised to see this proposal come from Sen. John Warner (R-VA). I expected a proposal like this to come from the Democratic side of the aisle. Regardless of what party wants to re-institute a national speed limit, I think it's a stupid idea. Every one knows that if they drive their cars slower they will save gas and it creates a safer environment. If idiots want to keep driving fast and paying a lot of money for then so be it. I don't feel sorry for them. The government needs to concentrate on more important issues like the economy and tackling the gang problem in this country.

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.

There Is More Than One Way To Vote

Roland Martin is a CNN contributor and a Barack Obama supporter (no surprise). I still have no idea how he is considered a political expert and why he has been able to get so much TV time, but that is besides the point. Nevertheless, Martin does make some good points every now and then. Currently, Martin is pushing for the idea of having Election Day held on a Saturday or Sunday instead of its usual Tuesday. For the most part, I don't see anything wrong with this idea. However Martin does not take into consideration the implications for voters who are members of religions that restrict activities on weekends. I'm no religious expert, but I believe members of the Seventh Day Adventist religion are restricted from doing things at certain times on Saturday.

Don't get me wrong, I understand Martin's goal of increasing voter turnout for the general election. However, he is making the assumption that people would get out of bed on a Saturday to go stand in a long line for a couple of hours and vote. I could have taken his idea a little more seriously if he had taken the time to point out that there are options for people who do not have the time to vote on Tuesday. Every voter can choose to complete an absentee ballot if they do not want to miss work or stand in line on election day.

The bottom line is this - if people want to exercise their right to vote then they will vote on Tuesday or by absentee ballot. If people do not vote then they lose the right to complain about the results of the election. I wonder how many people complaining about the current Bush administration actually took the time to vote for John Kerry? I'll admit he was not a good option, but my point is voter's had a choice and they chose Bush - again. This would have happened on any day of the week.

He Can't Do Any Worse Than Detroit's Mayor

This week a 19 year old college freshman was elected mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma.  John Tyler Hammonds, is a "self-admitted gamer" who attends the University of Oklahoma. Since this article did not mention sports, I am guessing a "gamer" is someone who likes to play video games. When I was growing up, we used to say stuff like, "that kid is a gamer". That basically meant that the kid was an athlete who maximized his talent and left everything on the field or court.  I guess times have changed. Nevertheless, I think it is good that a young person, who could be doing a million other things, decided to be a public servant. Unfortunately, for Hammons, the position does not pay, so he will still have to get a student loan or scholarship to help pay for his tuition. 

He Finally Gets The Message

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann finally resigned from his position.  Dann had been under pressure to resign from most members of the Ohio Democratic power structure since he admitted to having an extramarital affair with an employee.  There have also been charges of sexual harassment from other employees in his office. 

At least disgraced politicians like former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and Dann have the decency to resign their positions of power instead of hanging on like the petulant flop Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick.  I will celebrate the day he is kicked out of the mayor's mansion and I don't even live in Detroit.

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.