These days were borne from the Civil Rights movement. In an American-as-pie, history-making display of e pluribus unum, the Democratic debate in New Hampshire last week featured Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards. It was as inspiring as watching Armstrong walk on the moon. We have traveled far. It is an exciting time, but it is bittersweet. Clinton, Obama and Richardson are each capable of being a great president, but because of their respective gender, race and ethnicity, the White House is a mirage.
The fact remains that this country, at this time, will not elect a president whose color goes toward light coffee or darker, nor anyone whose ethnicity is anything but Anglo, nor an Anglo woman for that matter. If this were a country where race and gender didn’t matter, the immigration debate would have been civilized. Arabs wouldn’t be scared to be named Muhammad. Women would earn as much as men.
If this were a country where race didn’t matter, Springfield -- this region’s capital city -- with a population that is two-thirds people of color, wouldn’t be abandoned by its neighboring wealthy and predominantly Anglo communities.
Democrats and some independents are passionate about Clinton, Obama and Richardson, but if any of these win the nomination, the Republican machine that installed George W. Bush twice in the White House will once again rise to destroy the opponent.
Sen. John Kerry was successfully cast as a Vietnam War coward and liar, remember. What can we expect if either a woman, a black man or Latino gets the nomination?
By voters, these candidates are judged by the content of their character, their ideas and the implied trust that comes with the familiarity of shared experiences as women and people of color. They embody the dreams of our elders. But to corporate America and vapid journalists, whose influence sways the electorate, these candidates are nothing more than fascinating products that the media couches between washing machines and deodorant commercials.
Obama’s surge in polls is yet another mirage, projected in large measure by a voting bloc of white voters, some of whom bow to white guilt. And his fall is guaranteed by another white voting bloc who cannot abide a man of color in the White House. He is the Ralph Nader of the primaries.
If he were an Anglo, he would not be this popular. But if he were, maybe he could beat any GOP contender -- unless his name were still Barack Hussein Obama.
Richardson’s credentials include service as energy secretary, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, international crisis negotiator, a master of three languages. But, as with Obama, if he were to win the primaries, middle America would find problems with his Mexican-American heritage.
Hillary Clinton is exceptionally smart and prepared for the world stage, and yet, she, too, is continually portrayed a cold-hearted bitch. She has endured character assassinations since Barbara Bush first attacked her in the 1991 campaign.
Ably led into the henhouse of political assassination by Fox – regrettably, the most popular source of news in the U.S., although NBC and CNN are no better – these candidates would be incessantly attacked by the right-wing, the most organized, well-financed but uninformed segment of the electorate. And their numbers are growing.
Massachusetts stands to lose a congressional seat in 2010, along with New York and Ohio, while southern and western states with strong Republican roots may gain congressional seats.
But some of us still dream. These three candidates are among the nation’s greatest patriots. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., whom we celebrate this month, led a movement that brings us to this day when we have a strong and diverse field of contenders to choose from. It is a good day.
But it is hard to imagine that this nation, where equal opportunity and affirmative action remain more vision than real, would elect any of them as president. Doesn’t mean we should vote anything other than our conscience. But numbers decide the outcome. There are not enough of us registered to vote.
That doesn’t mean that MLK’s dream is dead. There will come a time when the president will be a woman or man who is black or Hispanic. Clinton, Obama and Richardson are leading the way to that day.
To bring that day closer, some would say that the first step is to remove the Republicans from power so we can set about restoring this country to its promise.
