Running Scared

It is absolutely a sure bet that the vast majority of Black folks would have voted for Senator Hillary Clinton if Senator Barack Obama was not in the race for the Democratic nomination. At first I was basically supporting Obama because he is Black, but now after hearing his speeches and observing him in a pressure cooker of a campaign, I am convinced that he is the best person for the job. Sure he doesn’t have the name recognition or the national experience as a Clinton or a Bu$h, but this is a new era. We live in a technological age when information is gained so much faster and better. In the past you had to go out and meet and greet every high ranking leader in your field if you wanted to get ahead. Now you can talk to thousands at the same time via conference calls or web conferences, etc.

All of Senator Obama rivals basically speak the same language; the language of Washington, D. C. This is the language of political back-biting and infighting; the language of promising one thing while doing something totally opposite. I thought Senator Clinton would be different, but when the pressure is turned up and her political goals seem to be slipping away she has turned into the typical Washington insider.

Number (1): When the Michigan and Florida moved dates of their Democratic primaries up, against the wishes of Democratic National Committee (DNC), the DNC said it was taking away the delegates from both states for the DNC convention. All the Democratic candidates then decided not to campaign or place their names on the ballot in those states. And they all kept their word, with the exception of one; Hillary Clinton went to both states and also placed her name of the ballot. Now that the race in which she was so confident of winning has turned to the point that she might lose, she is trying to get the DNC to include the Michigan and Florida delegates. This is an outright defiance of the party says it is the party of the people and the kind of underhanded tactic that we can expect from a Washington insider.

Number (2): Texas has a two-step process in its voting; first you vote in the primary and second you can come back and vote in what is called the local convention (basically a caucus). The Clinton campaign is now trying to sue the state of Texas trying to stop the caucus portion of the two-step process. She was fine with this process two weeks ago when she had a 20 point lead in the state. This is the kind of underhanded tactic that is business as usual in Washington, D.C.

Number (3): Now she is running ads straight out of the Republican play book which relies on scare tactics. At any sign that things are going bad, the experienced politician will bring up some sort of terrorist threat (at the news that gas prices may hit $4 a gallon, toxic materials are found in Las Vegas).

They all continue to criticize Senator Obama for not having enough experience. Does this mean that he doesn’t know how to cheat and change the rules if the rules do not benefit him? I support Barack Obama because he has managed his campaign exceptionally well. He has run a campaign on change for the better; a campaign on hope for tomorrow. Most politicians are hoping too. They are hoping that things stay the same. I myself am hoping for a change for the better.