11-30-2003, 04:06 PM
Here's the problem I have when people say "yay! a black president!" Isn't that a step backward? I want race to stop being such an issue. I was annoyed as hell at Halle Barry and the media making such a big deal about her and Denzel winning Oscars, making it seem like they were being held back and finally a black woman won the best actress. She won it because it was a great performance, not because she is black! And if it is because of her race, then she shouldn't have won it.
If the best man for the job is black, hell yes he should be president. But why be quick to get a black president in office? What does it matter? Al Sharpton would not be the best choice to represent his party in the presidential election. The fact that he is not white should not have ANYTHING to do with it. I know it's inherent in our current sociological condition to think about it, but can we please not make race an issue when it comes to a political candidate? Can we at least attempt to stop thinking about it? I do not think it is right to want someone in office just because some think that it will advance the status of his race.
That being said, I'll probably end up having a clothespin vote for Bush. If you asked me a year ago, I'd say definitely Bush. But with all the recent crap, particularly the abortion thing, I'm starting to view him as giving the Republican party a bad reputation. I really hope the Supreme Court shoots that bullshit down. However, I personally like how he has handled many things. And I don't see a good candidate from the Democrats.
One last note about race/ethnicity/nationality. Some people view Democrats as more tolerant or more for the minorities, that kind of thing. I'll say that from the recent election of our new governer in California, the Democrats make a big deal about a minority too. They made fun of his accent, claimed that he must be anti-semitic because he's Austrian, and all in all used his nationality as an angle to go against him. Support the politics, not a candidate's family background. Incidentally, people have tried to use the relatives-appeared-anti-semitic-so-he-must-be-too angle against Bush too. Brilliant. Especially when his father was in the United States military. Brilliant.
If the best man for the job is black, hell yes he should be president. But why be quick to get a black president in office? What does it matter? Al Sharpton would not be the best choice to represent his party in the presidential election. The fact that he is not white should not have ANYTHING to do with it. I know it's inherent in our current sociological condition to think about it, but can we please not make race an issue when it comes to a political candidate? Can we at least attempt to stop thinking about it? I do not think it is right to want someone in office just because some think that it will advance the status of his race.
That being said, I'll probably end up having a clothespin vote for Bush. If you asked me a year ago, I'd say definitely Bush. But with all the recent crap, particularly the abortion thing, I'm starting to view him as giving the Republican party a bad reputation. I really hope the Supreme Court shoots that bullshit down. However, I personally like how he has handled many things. And I don't see a good candidate from the Democrats.
One last note about race/ethnicity/nationality. Some people view Democrats as more tolerant or more for the minorities, that kind of thing. I'll say that from the recent election of our new governer in California, the Democrats make a big deal about a minority too. They made fun of his accent, claimed that he must be anti-semitic because he's Austrian, and all in all used his nationality as an angle to go against him. Support the politics, not a candidate's family background. Incidentally, people have tried to use the relatives-appeared-anti-semitic-so-he-must-be-too angle against Bush too. Brilliant. Especially when his father was in the United States military. Brilliant.