That's been the question that has rattled my mind for about a year now . I thought that people had the right to have the freedom of opinion . Especially without having someone look at you funny or think your stupid for how you feel. But I guess thats not the case when I stated that Obama wasn't ready for the White House or this country isn't ready for a African American President .
It all started when I was waiting in line for something at a store. I was surrounded by people of different colors and backgrounds. I dont know how the conversation came up about the Presidential race but it did. Some customer asked me about who I was voting for this year. I guess you can't go no where in this country with out someone asking you for your affiliation or who your voting for. It's everywhere whether you like it or not , either your voting or die! It's in the papers, news , radio ,everywhere you turn its asking you about your vote. So I stated that I was voting for Hillary Clinton and that I thought that Barack Obama wasn't ready for the White House yet . That's my opinion , or so I thought .
So a elderly black woman looked at me as if her looks could kill. She gave me the stare as if I set back African Americans 400 years with my comments. How dare a man like me not vote for Obama? Who did I think I was to say that Obama wasn't ready or this country wasn't ready for a Black man in the White House. So as a man I stood my ground and repeated the statement . I stood with what I believed, to the best of my knowledge. I was voting for Clinton no matter what other Black people thought . She made it seem like I was less Black if I voted for a White woman for President. Just because I'm African American doesn't mean I HAVE TO VOTE FOR OBAMA!!!! I still as a American have the right to vote for whoever I want to vote for . At least that's what I thought , will they kick me out the group if I don't vote Black in this election. Maybe i should have shut my mouth and didn't answer the question . But I don't have any regrets about my decision, never have ! Now this woman might not have like my pick but I didn't give her a funny look when she made her decision. That the beauty of this country , I thought. We can have a difference of opinion, shake hands , and go our separate ways without anyone getting hurt. Just cause we think different doesnt mean that we can't get along and live peacefully. You like Obama and I like Clinton, who cares! This isn't a Michigan /Ohio State rivalry. Two people can have different opinion. I was wondering if the Black society all thought like that . Will I not be able to yell out my preference to the masses without being assaulted or be called something less Black? What year is this any way?
I choose Clinton because thats who I choose, and I don't have to go into details either !!!
Party like Obama the ROCKSTAR!!!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/cartoonsandvideos/telnaes/...
Junior Williams
juniorwililams007@earthlink.net
http://mycityscapephily.eponym.com/blog
Vote For The Candidate of Your Choice
As a white Obama delegate candidate (Lever 23, top of the second column) in the First Congressional District, I think you should feel free to vote for Hillary Clinton if that is your preference. As Barack Obama likes to say, there is not a black America and a white America, there's America.
A race of people is neither a political party nor a social club. It's not something you can be kicked out of.
Obama would would be taking office at a about the same age as Bill Clinton did. He certainly will be taking office at an older age than did Teddy Roosevelt or John Kennedy--two of our better Presidents.
Obama is now in his fourth year in the U.S. Senate. Abraham Lincoln, perhaps our best President, served all of two years in the U.S. House, and was repeatedly defeated in his various attempts to become a U.S. Senator. George H.W. Bush lost his only race for the U.S. Senate, and Richard Nixon served only two years in the Senate. Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, both President Bushes, and Bill Clinton never served in the U.S. Senate.
There is no likelihood that waiting increases the chances of becoming a Democratic President. Hubert Humphrey, Frank Church, Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden, and Chris Dodd are all examples of nationally prominent young senators who waited for more seasoning, and then found out they had lost their support as they got older.
And Obama's family history shows that time can be fleeting: his father died in his 40's, his mother died at 52.
I am for Obama pre-eminently because I believe he has the judgment and the communication skills to make an extraordinarily good President. But I am not unmindful of the message of hope an Obama Presidency will send to the traditionally excluded people around the world.
As you know, slavery was a key part of the United States--and the colonies that preceded the United States-- until the issuing and implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation and the freeing of other slaves not covered by it. Then African-Americans had to live with state enforced discriminatory practices for nearly another century.
A Barack Obama Presidency will send a new message about America. It will provide a new chapter in the generally inspiring story about the rise from slavery and official discrimination. It may well begin an entirely new era in American politics. So I can understand why so many black people are so enthusiastic about Obama.
The choice is yours. I think that the choice, taken as a whole, is much more about America's readiness than Obama's readiness.