BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

Tavis Smiley, one of my nightly television views, has criticized Barack Obama for not attending the State of the Black Union event in New Orleans.  It seems that the backlash hasn’t hit Obama as hard as it has hit Smiley.

So, what’ up with Tavis?  Smiley is the organizer of the event and wisely selected New Orleans as the venue.  We definitely need to bring the eyes of the nation back to the Katrina stricken area.  With our national McDonald’s mentality, we have become accustomed to rallying behind a cause and forgetting it in less time than it takes to order a Big Mac.  So, kudos to Tavis for his choice of location.

That said, give Barack a break.  Not only is he fighting the campaign of his life, but he is fighting the campaign for our national livelihood.  And, while I feel sure that Senator Obama would have liked to attend the event, it was perhaps a wise choice for him to remain on the campaign trail.  At this point in time, the senator is not only representing black Amercia, but he is representing all of us, black, white, yellow, brown, whatever. 

While it is useful for Senator Clinton to show her support of the event, she comes across as a white candidate reaching out to another ethnicity for support.  Unfortunately, in the eyes of some Americans if Obama had attended the meeting, he would have been portrayed as a black man segregating himself from America in general to support black Americans in particular and it could have potentially become a more devisive action than not attending.  I don’t support that position, but I do have ears.

I fully appreciate what Tavis Smiley is doing.  I appreciate the need for unity among persons of color or among women or among gays or pick your favorite group.  But, what we can’t forget is that race is still an issue in this presidential election year.  It has been exploited by the Clintons in South Carolina, the media almost nightly, by supporters and those on the other side.

Please let us not forget that Barack Obama transcends race and gender.  We are not electing a black president or a white president, a male president or a female president.  We are electing the best person to lead our united country out of the quagmire of the past eight years and into an era of real change.  Personally, I have no interest in whether the person is black, white, green, pink, male, female, or neuter.  We need a leader who has a brain, who can make the decisions that must be made for our country, and who can stand up under the pressures of the office.

Tavis has a right to his opinions without threats to his life or his family.  While we may disagree with him, we don’t have the right to threaten the man for using his voice.

Perhaps, it’s time we put our personal agendas on hold and look toward the greater good for everyone.  Let what is common among us bring us together.  While it is historical to have a black person and a female person running in a serious race for the presidency, history should reflect what that person does for our country, not the color of the skin or the gender. 

So, let’s back off Tavis Smiley for having an opinion.  And, let’s back off Barack Obama for being black… and Hillary for being female.  We need to move on, not get caught up in a scenario of hurt feelings and allegations or threats.  Let’s stand together to get the job done.  Simply put, let’s get one of our candidates elected to the office of President… of all the people.