Urban Thought Collective

I knew that this presidential campaign would be full of subplots and hairy twists and turns. I knew that it would be a battle of youth vs. old school, vigor vs. Viagra and plain truth vs. BS.

However, somehow I’ve been naïve enough to find myself stunned by the latest rallying cry of the McCain camp: “Who is Barack Obama?”

Seriously?

I mean, he’s been vetted within an inch of his life. The only thing we don’t know is the frequency of his bathroom trips for heaven’s sake! Every since his electrifying keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention, info on Obama has been flowing like a stream. He’s also written books ALL ABOUT himself, from birth to present day. His beliefs, faith, family, upbringing, education, policies, taxes, debts and conduct, all laid bare for anyone to see. Oh, and he has been running for president for over two years. In the spotlight 23 of 24 hours a day. The fact that the GOP can fix their mouths to ask who is he is strikes a peculiar cord indeed.

Conversely, Sarah Palin has been on the stage for just a couple of months. She’s the unknown! She wasn’t even vetted when she was offered the damn VP spot for the love of Pete. Yet, someone asking her important questions is “tricky” and “gotcha journalism.” Give me a break.

So, this question of “who is Barack Obama” can only mean one thing. It has to be code for “what is this black guy really up to?” I actually heard a story recently about a freelance reporter just walking around asking general questions about Obama and McCain. Many of the non-black participants said they “felt like they knew” Sarah Palin, and that she was so much like “one of them.” Somehow, this plain white woman has instant appeal because she’s a mother with a knocked up teen daughter and a suspect past. Somehow, this woman who doesn’t know foreign policy from the return policy at The Gap is more experienced and able to step in to the role of second in command of the free world. No wonder the international community thinks America is two cards shy of a full deck. Sheesh.

But, this mystery surrounding African-Americans is just another age old misconception. This idea that we must be sneaky and not forthright is par for the course, a course that I believe Obama is handling well, if the polls are any indication.

Speaking of polls, I try not to put too much real heart and soul into them. I am solemnly reminded of the “Bradley Affect,” and it keeps me skeptical.

I was just a kid, but I remember the feeling when the first black mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, lost the election to be Governor of California. All throughout his historic campaign, those that were polled were emphatic that in fact, they would be voting for Mayor Bradley. There were even some (premature) celebrations in various LA communities. Come election night, good ole Tom lost by more than 60,000 votes! It was rough, and race was thrown around to explain the sudden turn of events.

See, when somebody sticks a mic or a pen in a white person’s face and asks if they are voting for Mr. Black Guy, and you’re clearly a member of his party, of course, they are going to say yes. Its old fashioned white guilt. But, when one is alone, in the (supposed) privacy of the voting booth, one can choose whomever they want. People vote their fears, their biases, their prejudices and misconceptions. They vote white because frankly, even though it hasn’t been working lately, it’s all they know. It makes them feel (gulp) safe.

When we say “the first black this” and “the first black that,” it’s a way of acknowledging the deep seated discrimination that this country was founded on. We immediately place on a pedestal those that somehow overcome the systemic racism that is a part of every fiber of our lives. This is the world that we know.

So, this is my ‘round the way girl way of saying PLEASE VOTE YA’LL. Show this country our power. Show our ancestors that their bloodshed, pain and loss were not in vain. Show them that we can come out in record numbers.

After all, we’re all Americans, right? We boast the most diverse landscape in the world. All religions, cultures, ethnicities and shades call this place home. As Maya Angelou says, we are more alike than we are unalike. We all want to be safe, healthy, happy and for our children to thrive in education and life. We want paved roads and a sound economy. It’s not about bashing each other’s head in with the ideological differences that do not matter at the end of the day. The divisiveness that is politics will most likely never end. But we can control a lot. We can choose to respect each other’s opinions. We can decide that disagreeing is not cause for riot or wishing each other harm. Republican or Democrat means nothing if we’re all standing in a bread line hoping for a slice of government cheese on our ten day old sandwich. We’ve got business to take care of people!

Let’s make sure that despite all efforts to the contrary, Obama does not meet the fate of Tom Bradley. This country deserves better.

Ellene V. Miles is the managing editor of www.urbanthoughtcollective.com and has worked as an entertainment publicist for many years. Her collection of rants is featured exclusively on UTC for the good of the people.