I am a black conservative and therefore unlikely to vote for either Barak Obama or Hillary Clinton in the November election. I say unlikely because there is a part of me that desperately wants to see a black president, even if it is a Democrat. The changes to America would be far reaching and permanent. I was recently reminded of this while getting my hair cut at a black barbershop. While discussing politics I was told by the barber, along with a chorus of "amens brother", that Senator Obama would be assassinated if he got too close to winning the presidency.
I am a black conservative and therefore unlikely to vote for either Barak Obama or Hillary Clinton in the November election. I say unlikely because there is a part of me that desperately wants to see a black president, even if it is a Democrat. The changes to America would be far reaching and permanent. I was recently reminded of this while getting my hair cut at a black barbershop. While discussing politics I was told by the barber, along with a chorus of "amens brother", that Senator Obama would be assassinated if he got too close to winning the presidency.
The impeachable belief by so many of America’s blacks in our country’s inability to elect or even stomach a serious black contender to the presidency is reason enough for a part of me to cheer Obama onward. What better cure for the pessimism and often unfounded fixation on racism in much of the black community than to elect a black president? Should Senator Obama achieve this great triumph, it would certainly inspire millions while doing serious damage to the mantra that the "man" will always keep black people down. Proud for my race I too would cheer Senator’s Obama’s achievement, while mocking those that still maintain racism is the greatest barrier to black progress.
In the wake of the Iowa caucuses and the pre-New Hampshire polling, it appeared that Senator Obama was perhaps beginning an inevitable march towards redefining what it means to be the leader of the free world. While Senator Obama may still be the ultimate victor for the prize of Democratic nominee for president, we were all reminded by the New Hampshire and Michigan primary results that Hillary Clinton is still a formidable opponent and in many senses the front-runner for not only the democratic nomination, but the presidency as well. Going forward, her efforts to derail Obama will be fierce, calculated and assisted by no less than our previous president.
According to Bill Clinton, the Obama campaign is at least in part a "fairytale". He also claims the media has "sanitized" coverage of the candidate. The view from the conservative bleachers is that he is right to some extent about the coverage of Senator Obama. I and many Americans have wondered when and if the media would choose to hammer away at his lack of political leadership experience and often disconcerting lack of policy specifics. The recent statement by NBC reporter Lee Cowan that it was "almost hard to remain objective" while covering the Obama campaign certainly lends credence to Bill Clinton’s argument. This dose of reality from the Clinton political machine may in fact bring and end to the Obama "fairytale". However, as a conservative I wonder what exactly Hillary’s democratic and independent supporters are expecting should she be elected to the presidency?
Political pundits, exit polls, analysts and a legion of others constantly tell us that the country is indeed ready for "change" after 7 years of President Bush. They also tell us that there is a growing clamor among voters in both parties for a candidate that will unite, not divide, the country. For those of us who know we will not be voting for Hillary Clinton under any circumstances, it is safe to say that we are watching with keen interest to see if Democrats will choose a standard bearer that makes a mockery of this conventional wisdom. Sure, Hillary Clinton would bring change to the political process by becoming America’s first female President. Echoing the accomplishments of Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi, her breaking of the political glass ceiling would usher in a new era of political possibility for women in America. The second President Clinton could even choose a female vice-president who would, along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s likely reelection, make the first two successors to the presidency women as well.
Of course, along with anything new that accompanies her election, Hillary Clinton would also bring back the old as well. This one-step-forward one-step-back "change" would include former President Clinton’s reoccupation of the White House. One must wonder what role he would play as First Gentlemen. Would he weigh in on political appointees including potential Supreme Court Justices? Would he be the deciding factor in some or her most difficult decisions during a national emergency or war? While these prospects turn the stomachs of conservatives who feel Bill Clinton already had his eight years, it is far more troubling that Hillary’s supporters, and to a large extent the media, are not enlightened enough to understand that Hillary Clinton is an anathema to so many Americans. Her election would clearly make a mockery of the idea that America is ready to elect a politician that could unite us. It would also stand in stark contrast to an Obama Presidency that would at least begin its administration with a blank slate and a support structure that far exceeds just the democratic base.
President Obama would also embody a fresh start for American politics that could perhaps fuel renewed optimism and cooperation between Democrats and Republicans. Is there any doubt that a President Hillary Clinton would do the exact opposite? From the day of her inauguration, she would be faced with the vitriol of millions of voters that rivals or even exceeds the way many liberals currently feel about President Bush. In short, she is the only candidate that conservatives have repeatedly stated they will campaign against, even if they don’t like or support the Republican standard bearer. Hillary Clinton’s supporters must not believe that the mistrust and anger generated towards their candidate over the last 15 years has created a bridge-too-far when it comes to cooperating with Republicans in Congress. They must truly believe that she can indeed change and unite America, despite substantial evidence to the contrary. Perhaps they are right, or perhaps the pundits, polls, analysts, etc. are just plain wrong and Democrat voters are not ready to avoid an American nightmare of partisan gridlock that would inevitably accompany a Hillary Clinton administration.
I’m only watching Hillary and Obama campaign and not voting for either, but I’ll take the fairytale over the nightmare anytime.