The Day After: Can’t We Just Get Over It?

I’m sure every one has watched Hillary suspend her campaign.  Her speech was one of the most well-written and delivered of her campaigns with few exceptions.  Her ‘endorsement’ of Obama rang somewhat hollow.  Oh, we know she had to do what she had to do.  After all, even when you’re wealthy and have book deals, $30 million in a campaign debt is a big deal.  It is also a big deal when your pledged delegates unpledge themselves.  

Saturday, June 7, 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“State Rep. Calvin Smyre of Columbus, the most stalwart African-American supporter of the Clintons in Georgia and a pledged delegate to Hillary Clinton, announced Saturday evening that he would vote for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

I haven’t talked to Smyre, but this sounds like a reaction to Senator Clinton’s decision — despite her concession today — not to release her delegates to vote for Obama in the first round of convention voting. This could be his way of advising her otherwise.”

It has been difficult to be an African American supporter of Hillary.  There were some really horrible rumors out there for many months.  Tavis Smiley is a man highly admired down here in New Orleans.  He brought his Black State of the Union convention to us and believe me, we really need the business.  The only candidate to show up was Hillary Clinton.  Senator Obama offered up his wife as a replacement.  Smiley said no.  It’s important you show up.  Obama passed.  Smiley criticized him.  The hate mail was so bad that Smiley quit a radio gig. He joined the ranks of many being called race traitors simply because he praised Hillary for showing up and criticized Obama for offering us Michelle.

I’m sure that I would not want to be called a race traitor by the KKK for dating black men and having multiracial children (their father is of Japanese descent).  However, this is because I fear retaliation and know the violence of which they are capable.  I’m sure that AA supporters fear any kind of retaliation too. The history of AA dissent is also a history of dissent suppressed by violence.  However, being called a race traitor by folks like the KKK wouldn’t bother me much otherwise.  I really don’t consider myself to part of anything but the human race.  I try to see every one by the content of their character.  I believe this exact sentiment was voiced by Martin Luther King in his “I have a Dream” speech.  

Now, I know there are many black folks who say that you cannot know racism when you are white.  This is because you are swimming in an ocean of privilege.  If I would ever accept the world as a simple black and white pallet, I’m sure this would be the case.  But unfortunately, reality and colors are much more nuanced.

I have a friend named Patsy who is a soldier and an African American.  She is experiencing such hatred for supporting HIllary Clinton that it makes it hard for me to come to terms with many things.  For she is not, and has never been, swimming in the ocean of white privilege.  Yet she, and my friend known as Dee4hill (you may recognize him as the young black man with the big red boxing gloves frequently standing behind Hillary at rallies) have experienced untold hatred.  Folks are not judging them by the content of the character but by a choice they have made. A choice that is their duty, right, and privilege as a U.S. citizen.

As americans, it is our supreme duty to dissent when our elected officials and our political process do us wrong.  This has been the case since the first case of tea was dropped into Boston Harbor.  It was also the case when many folks built hideaways in their homes to help runaway slaves reach freedom.  It should continue to be the case today.  

I suggest we leave the suppression of dissent to the Chinas and North Koreas of the world and embrace the diversity of opinion that is America.  After all, what binds us together as Americans is not our skin color or religion as some would argue. It is not our ethnic heritage or even our language as some nativists would like.  It is our constitution. This is the document which lays out American values.  I remember memorizing the Preamble as a kid and being very proud that I had a grand something or rather that had signed it.  (Charles Pinckney from South Carolina)

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more Perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.”

There are 25 amendments that we argue over ever so often and the courts decide meaning and intent.  However, we can determine that most of them have to do with rights that the US government cannot take away. The First Amendment is of course the granddaddy of them all.

When we disrespect each other, when we expect every one to vote according to party, according to race, according to whatever thing we put out there, we forget the thing that binds us together.  That is the promise that the first US government made to us and that ALL elected officials (yes, even YOU DICK CHENEY) are expected to hold above all us, and that is the very principles outlined in that very constitution.

If you surrender to identity politics, you surrender your identity as a citizen of the United States of America.