Being There
Being here in Denver to witness and participate in the 2008 Democratic Convention hits me at a lot of levels, mainly because I’ve spent a lot of time in Denver over the years. I have history here. And I never, in my wildest dreams, anticipated living to see the day when a black presidential candidate would give a speech in Denver to accept the nomination for a major political party.
I arrived in Denver from New York some weeks ago, with the purpose of writing a blog to cover the convention and the events leading up to it.
Why? Because, among other reasons: 1) being unemployed freed up some time; and 2) the media coverage to-date of the candidates and their respective campaigns is lacking and in many ways reminds me of the fact that it is business as usual. Regardless who is orchestrating it, a good part of the media coverage, thus far, has focused on the many ways one can tell a black man that we don’t want to give you the job, while at the same time stoking the divisive gender issue that many anticipate will play itself out at the Democratic Convention.
I am not one to shrink from peeling back the veneer and taking a hard look at the issues of race and gender. What I am annoyed with, however, is that the discussion—particularly, the discussion on race—has been nuanced and couched in terms of not-so-benign, back-handed compliments, e.g., Senator Obama is “very bright,” “clean,” “articulate,” “well-spoken,” etc. (See 101 Ways to Tell a Black Man You Won’t Get the Job.) All of which—to me, at least– points to a still underlying racism in the country. Yeah, okay, I said it: The “R”- word.
It is not as if the issue of race hasn’t raised its head before in either the primary campaign, or thus far in the national campaign. However, the issue is no sooner raised than it is summarily and neatly tucked away and dispatched. Only to revisit us on another occasion, in a subtler manner. Perhaps Senator Obama’s speech on race some months ago, candid and illuminating as it was, didn’t take us far enough into the discussion. A lot more “vetting” could have been done on that one; but I doubt we had the stomach for it then, and I question whether we have the stomach for it now. But let me take a stab at revisiting the topic….
…Any way you look at it, the so-called “race-card” has been on the table from the moment Senator Obama announced his candidacy and became a viable contender for the presidency. How could it not have been on the table: the U.S. is poised to nominate its first serious black presidential candidate (sorry, Jesse). And make no mistake; we want no buyer’s remorse on this one.
Say what they will in public, many Americans are quietly and privately uneasy with the prospect of a black President of the U.S.—a reality, which I think, factors prominently into the recent slippage in Senator Obama’s poll numbers against those of Senator McCain’s, and which ultimately might play itself out behind the curtain in November. This ain’t Kansas, anymore; and I think, despite what people say, we would all do well to pay close attention to the man/woman behind the curtain this fall.
Today the 2008 Democratic Convention kicks off here in Denver. And your guess is as good as mine in terms of how it and the run up to November will work themselves out. For now I can only hope that we keep our eyes on the prize and learn, not only to live, but also to embrace that which we can’t rise above. I think that’s what vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden meant when he said, “This is our last chance to restore America’s soul…. It’s our time…. It’s America’s time.”
Stay tuned.
