The is my first diary.
My sense is that the Clinton campaign has decided to make this campaign about race. I’ve already seen Howard Fineman and others indicate that these tactics could be helpful in Pennsylvania in April. There are six weeks between tonight’s win and this next contest. And, the Obama campaign has to decide how to respond to this heinous strategy.
For all intents and purposes, this is a game of chicken. The Clintons are making a bet. They know that Obama has tried to present himself in a way that is not threatening. He has gone out of his way to avoid this confrontation whenever possible, bringing up only after repeated comments by people in Hillary’s campaign in the week of the South Carolina primary. He sought to the diffuse the tension at the debate in Ohio. The Clintons’ are gambling on the idea that Barack’s campaign will remain in limbo, caught between replying forcefully and trying to pacifying the situation. Today, once more race has arisen, more powerfully now, and a more worrying way.
After tonight’s results, there will be larger questions about the role of race in this contest. The early headlines bear this out. And so, it seems to me, that the campaign has to make a decision. Is it best to run out the clock. The mathematics work in Barack’s favor. He can probably do well enough to make it to the convention with a lead in the popular vote, and the pledged delegates race is, barring some unforeseen occurrence, already won. But is this the best strategy, specifically in relation to catering to the super-delegates that will ultimately decide who will be the party’s nominee?
The other option, of course, is to confront this issue. Notice, that I’m not suggesting that he should delve deeper into this disgusting tit-for-tat that has manifested itself within the last twenty-four hours. Rather, I’m saying that Barack, at this point in the campaign, is in a unique position to talk about race. Many of us are moved by Obama’s oratory, his rhetorical skills. And for good reason. But, my sense is that another, more lasting strength is his ability to reflect on the state of our country. He is most powerful when he is able to provide us with an objective view of ourselves, where we are, where we have been, and where we must go.
I believe that Barack needs to speak, plainly and openly about race, about where we have been, how far we have come, and where we need to go. His campaign, an analogy from which to draw parallels with our collective history. He must demand that each of us ask ourselves a simple question. Are we regressing as a nation? The electorate needs to be challenged. Is this who we want to be? Most of all, Barack needs to follow through, to have faith in the American people, and to believe that those that are on the fence will take heed, turn away from the divisive politics of yesterday, and choose hope.
There’s a unique and symbolic time and place for this speech to be given. April 9, 2008 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. On the anniversary of the end of the Civil War, in the place where the Civil War ended. A somber stop at Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania, on they way home would be appropriate. People need to reminded of this countries ugly history with regard to race, they need to be reminded of how far we’ve come, and they need to be encouraged to ask themselves whether this Clinton campaign is on the right side of history, and more importantly, our future.
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fazel