Politics by Wheat & Chaff

It's the eve of the presidential election here. I've kept politics away from the blog but following the election coverage over the last few weeks has stirred me up. The boys would say I'm bit 'moshy' (emotional). Good. It's time to unplug the W&C again.

Whoever takes office, it's going to be an historical election; this country is going to end up with either a black president or a female vice president. A lot of commentators are saying that the election is not about race. They're naive. They may not like it to be about race, but it is.

Where I am at the moment I've come across a lot of animosity toward Barrack Obama. Certainly, South Dakota is traditionally a Republican state, but sadly some opposition is racially charged. It is for this reason that I am pleased that this election is about race. As far as I'm concerned, Obama could be the second worst president in US history; his election would achieve something that is so much bigger than the political responsibility of the President of the United States. For a start it would represent some exposure therapy for those so scared about the prospect of a black guy in office.

Many who are racist base their anger and fear on some valid concerns, even if these concerns surround a small proportion of a particular community. There are some major problems within the African American community in the US and a lot of these problems, especially crime, do adversely effect others. Yet those who put these problems down to the colour of a person's skin fail to acknowledge the source of the problem, that is, the anger and self-depreciation felt by a community that has been downtrodden for centuries. You can claim equality all you like - sure, slavery may have been abolished centuries ago, but prejudice exists. Whether it is culturally induced or just a nasty facet of human nature, it exists; I have felt it and participated in it.

The way I see it, racism in this country is a self perpetuating cycle: the more problems within any minority group, the more prejudice, the more anger, the more problems. Barrack Obama can be the stick in the spokes. If he is elected he will not only be a very public example of an African American who has broken that cycle, but he will have obtained the highest office in the world's most powerful nation.

It's easy for me to take cheap shots a George W here. Truth is, I think he's the kind of guy that I'd love to hang out with on the ranch (there's a great Harold and Kumar scene that explores this scenario - click here to see the clip); he's the kind of crazy cowboy that I've come here to meet. But he's not the kind of guy that you want running this country, simply because he does not understand and represent a large enough proportion of his constituency. Many of his biggest stuff-ups I think stem from this. The fact that Barrack Obama is black does not mean that he is going to serve only black Americans, but he will certainly be much better equipped to represent those (not only African Americans) that I think have been misrepresented for such a long time. In doing this, I think the US will take some huge steps forward (bigger than killing all of the 'terrorisers'!).