Open Letter to Barack Obama - Fight Back!

Dear Sen. Obama,

Over the last year you've enjoyed unprecedented support from a political base that was eager to see a neophyte face among the mire of dried up old Washington politicos. Through the tough primary season, you came up smelling like fresh cut roses and enjoyed more love from the media than any American black man ever has who wasn't performing on a field, court or stage.

But recently, if current polls indicate correctly, it's become clear that you're not really running for president against Sen. John McCain, but rather his vice presidential pick, Gov. Sarah Palin. Now, we're not writing you to prop her up at all. In fact, quite the contrary. She's an empty politician who lies about her record and has nothing fresh to offer and whose experience, which she constantly brags about, only proves what a screw up she's been while in public office. ...

With that said, her popularity has made what many initially thought was a stupid pick by McCain an absolutely brilliant one. It indicates that he's learned the FOX News lesson: appeal to the lowest common denominator, grunt your patriotism, and blather what a friend you have in Jesus.

Senator, this is a nation where fast food is actually a billion-dollar business, where shows like American Idol actually get top ratings, but where people can't find the country where we're fighting a war on a map. This is who the McCain campaign is depending on. These are the same people who elected George W. Bush. Twice.

With his selection, McCain has reduced the American body politic from a critically thinking populace of informed voters to a group of 'Wal-Mart moms' who really want a morning TV talk show host. And that's what he wanted because there are more of them than the people you wooed with your "hope" and "change" media buzzwords.

Actually, that strategy worked because, after all, you even inspired "ObamaGirl," for cryin' out loud. But with just a few weeks left to campaign, that modus operandi is old and tired. Your campaign needs a boost over your opponent's.

It's clear that you want to continue to take the high intellectual road, and that is commendable. You've steered away from personal attacks and given respect to your competitors. That is all honorable. But it's time, if you'll excuse me, to KICK 'EM IN THE NUTS, MAN!!!!!

Republicans are very good at using the fear factor to get what they want. Bush used it to get a costly, deadly war started; his father used fear of black men to beat Michael Dukakis in the 1988 election; the late Sen. Jesse Helms used it against his opponent Harvey Gantt to galvanize whites against "racial quotas." And now they are using the same Birth of a Nation psychology against you.

Your insistence that McCain being "four more years of Bush" is not enough. You need to point out one or more of several fear factors of your own:

1) That if McCain is elected, prolonged war in the Middle East, and possibly elsewhere is certain.

2) That under a McCain White House, public schools will continue to diminish into underfunded, overpopulated uncontrolled houses of chaos.

3) That urban crime will increase back to levels not seen since the height of the crack epidemic.

4) That wiretapping, monitoring and other erosions of civil rights that we should expect in a free republic will increase until we are living in an Orwellian police state. Can anyone say "Patriot Act?"

5) That if McCain is elected, and dies in office, then the stewardship of this country and the leadership of the free world will fall squarely into the hands of Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island.

Now I do not expect, at this point, for you to be able to win back the "Wal-Mart moms," that is, if you ever had them at all. They've been looking for one of their own and any black dude who isn't Wayne Brady (when he's not pimpin') just ain't it. But to win, you should look to the same voting base that put you on top in the first place: African Americans.

Black folk, from region to region made the difference, but historically we've shown that when we're neglected we become despondent and wind up not voting at all. You should absolutely pit our votes against theirs, combining them with the base already pledged to you.

To be real, your political roots are in the 'hood. That's someplace that McCain and Palin know nothing about, but are arrogant enough to belittle. Yeah, if you want to go there, we're talking about race (this is BlackVoices, after all). You have to get your supporters out to register people and get them to the polls. Just wearing T-shirts is not enough...black folk have to VOTE in order to get you into office.

All we're saying is toughen up, man up and fight back. People respect both intellect and strength -- kinda like Vito Corleone. And if you gotta be a little gangsta to get what you want, then nobody's going to stand in your way.

If you're not ready to consider these tactics, then consider the alternative: a country whose culture has devolved into a landscape of superstition where there had been reason; pseudoscience where there had been critical thought; fear mongering where there had been rationale; tightly censored media where there had been a (relatively) free press; and politically mandated allegiance where there had been a laissez -faire spirit.

If McCain wins, then we will wish for the days we joked about Bush's mispronunciations. If you lose, we all lose.

Grow a pair.

Signed,

An Aware Black Electorate

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