Bizarrely, the comments below are in reply to a German man who responded to my Kijiji personal ad. Golly, I wish all of online dating went like this. Ok, maybe not, but at least it wasn’t “U hot? I am! Call me. 26/M/hot4u”
Ok, I have to find out how progressive you are politically. Then I can compare it with my sexiness? The questions:
What are the biggest problems of the black communities in USA?
Are the problems, which Barack has, because of his skin color?
Is this election an examination for American people relating to work off the past?
Is Rev. Wright a neurotic, mentally sick man who has found out the opportunity to center himself in the middle of political process, no matter at whose cost and no matter how Obama is being damaged?
To make it clear, I am a German citizen but I am very interested in this election. I have been in the USA for 3 times and I like the country.
The biggest problem for the black community is simply racism and its impact across the socio-economic and political opportunities of people of color generally. While one could question whether the ascendency of an African American political candidate for the presidential post challenges this, the exception does not negate the rule. Indeed, one could argue that Hillary Clinton has successfully challenged Barack Obama for the Democratic Party nomination by bolstering and extending the “normal” race fears of the white electorate, especially in those U.S. states where race has already played a significant factor in local politics.
Is this a problem of Barack Obama’s skin color? No, it is a problem of Hillary Clinton’s. As you know, despite significant populations of blacks, Latinos and Asians, the Democratic and Republican political machines have not articulated an anti-racist position for the nation. Indeed, one could argue that the usual hot-button issues such as immigration reform, the Drug War (and related relationships witth the U.S. southern neighbors) and the so-called War on Terror are part and parcel of an ideological grounding of U.S. politics in xenophobia and racism.
Is Reverend Wright crazy, destructive and mentally sick? No. Like many of his peers, Rev. Wright was reeling from the violence of September 11th and looking to understand the reasons. George Bush said, “it is because they hate our freedom” or something like that. Some others claimed it was God’s message that the U.S. has gone too far in accepting homosexuality. Etc. Frankly, I find them all irrelevant to the core concerns of the current campaign.
Indeed, the idea that the dated comments of Obama’s preacher could be used against him while a range of issues (including the nation’s baseless aggression against a sovereign — albeit dictatorial — nation) go undiscussed makes me sick. I seriously question, too, how the Clinton campaign expects to unite the Democratic Party — whether she loses or wins the nomination — after this absolutely nasty campaigning.
I will add that every election is an opportunity for voters to examine the past and look forward with an eye to positive social change. It is a shame that this campaign is squandering that opportunity.
