Urban Thought Collective

I expected Michelle Obama’s speech Monday night at the Democratic National Convention to be an eloquent, inspiring and down to earth celebration of her husband’s ideals and goals as a presidential candidate, an American, a man, and a husband and father. Her brilliant and deeply moving address was all that and more. What caught me off guard was how Mrs. Obama’s words challenged me, personally.

As a formerly married dad standing at a personal and professional crossroads I was touched, way down deep, when Michelle Obama talked about her father – a loving man whose physical capacity was gradually stripped away by Multiple Sclerosis. It got the point where simply buttoning his shirt was a challenge. Mrs. Obama said that her dad responded to this challenge not with bitterness or self-pity but by “getting up a little earlier and working a little harder.” She talked about how he never lost his smile, his love or the joy he shared with his family. She spoke of watching him struggle across the room on two canes so that he could plant a kiss on his wife’s face.

I couldn’t stop the tears when I heard all of that. Indeed, my throat is tightening up even now as I type. If Michelle Obama’s dad could endure the pain and frustration of a debilitating ailment like MS, if he could work around his limitations and inconveniences by getting up earlier and work harder, if he could do all of that and still be the man he had always been and still raise two kids to become sterling adults then certainly I can respond to the very real challenges of my life and be at my best for myself and, more importantly, the two young daughters God has given me the privilege of parenting.

One more observation about Michelle Obama’s speech…

ABC political analyst George Stephanopoulos said Mrs. Obama’s address was designed to answer a lingering question that has troubled working class voters about Barack Obama: “Is he one of us?” Well, Michelle did a beautiful job of explaining how she and Barack come from humble beginnings and how they were raised by hard-working parents who sacrificed and set them on a path toward success and service. Of course, this is not new information. Barack and Michelle Obama have been telling us about this stuff throughout the presidential campaign and even before that. But, apparently, some folks need to be told again and again and again.

It’s misleading and deceptive for pundits keep saying that “working class” Americans are unsure about Barack. It would be more honest to say “working class white” Americans. Working class blacks and Latinos aren’t sitting around wondering if Barack is “one of us.” They heard him the first hundred times he talked (in his books, in speeches, newspaper and magazine profiles and network TV interviews) about being raised by a single mom, working as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, etc. So, anyone who doesn’t know who Barack Obama is at this stage of the game has simply not been paying attention. Or perhaps they’ve allowed their prejudices and loyalty to another candidate blind them to Mr. Obama’s obvious salt of the earth credentials.

I blame Hillary Clinton for much of this.

She created the rift that has fractured the Democratic Party along race and class lines by deliberately and repeatedly misinterpreting Obama’s comment about blue collar whites feeling “bitter.” She actually called him an “elitist” (which made no sense) and started reaching out to blue collar whites on the basis of class and, by inference, race. On top of that, Sen. Clinton has been acting like a sore loser ever since Obama sealed the nomination. She’s given occasional lip service to supporting her former opponent and unifying the party but she hasn’t made that a crusade. Her backing of Obama seems obligatory and her petulance is forever close to the surface.

I’m glad Sen. Clinton is using the convention to promote healing, but she’s on the late freight. If she had used the last few months to stump enthusiastically for Obama the Democratic Party wouldn’t be in the mess it is in now. There would have been a lot less talk of division going into the convention and Barack would have a stronger lead over John McCain in the polls. Hillary should have put her bruised ego and misplaced anger aside a long time ago for the good of the Party and the nation.

And the Clinton camp needs to drop its supposed anger at Hillary being passed over as Obama’s running mate. Besides, after the way she acted during the campaign did she honestly expect Obama to choose her as his veep? Please.

Thanks for listening. I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.

THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET!

Cameron Turner is a Los Angeles-area native whose editorials, entertainment news features and audio documentaries have appeared on national radio networks, online and in print for over 20 years.