Racists for Obama

This entry is exactly the opposite structure of the last - poor sportsmanship first, thoughtful(ish) personal observations second.

I realize that some of you may have found the sour-grapes portion of my last entry a bit distasteful. Unfortunately, that's the nature of sour-grapes, they taste bad. Trust me, no one is more upset about it than I am. I hate being a sore loser. But it's not just me, and it's not just sour-grapes. The problem with being cheated is that you not only get cheated, you also have to either swallow it or whine about it. I think we all know which route I've taken. As it happens, the campaign has now filed a formal complaint with the Nevada Democratic Party. For those who are interested, the important line gleaned from the book I mentioned in my last post reads, "It's not illegal unless they [the temporary caucus chairs] tell you so." For those interested in reading the formal complaint, go here: http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/NV001.PDF

I'll stress again that I'm not questioning the win. Although the totals may have been slightly different if things were run smoothly and overseen correctly, it seems likely that HRC would have come out ahead regardless. But we'll never know, will we? What I'm questioning is not the results but the "whatever it takes to win" mentality that has the Clinton campaign instructing their staff, volunteers and supporters that it's only illegal if you get caught (knowing full well that most temporary caucus chairs would have only a cursory understanding of the full rules and regulations), while providing them with clear instructions to act in ways that clearly violate both the spirit and the letter of the law.

I've received several tsk-tsking emails lately asking why Barack is "going negative," or telling me that "this kind of fighting is bad for the party." My response is that slash and burn politics of this nature hurt the party far worse, because they're not just bad for the party, they're bad for democracy. And, in 2004, we all saw what happens when you try to rise above the fray, or refuse to dignify false accusations with a response. I have two words for you: Swift. Boat. Sure, it sucks to get sucked into the mud, but it sucks a lot more to get covered in it without trying to wash yourself off, no matter how cold the water may be.

Would I prefer that my candidate avoid soiling his hands by picking up the trash being hurled at him? Yes. Would I prefer that he not be drawn into a messy "he said, she said" with Billary? Yes. But most of all, I would prefer that the First Couple of the Democratic Party behave more like the elder Statescouple they are and less like a couple of hatchet-wielding Gilloolys intent on kneecapping the most graceful politician we've seen take the ice in a generation or more (I hate to mix metaphors). If you can't win on your own merits and insist on using subversive tactics, thinly veiled racial rhetoric or outright misinformation, please go where you belong and join the GOP.

And now, on to the inspirational part of our program.

As I am no longer inside the campaign, and therefore lack firsthand information to present, I will soon be forced to turn this into just another diary. But before I do, let me explain why America is a fuckin' fantastic country.

There are a lot of stripes of racism. There's the subconscious racism that manifests itself (in my experience with the campaign) in those who question BO's "lack of experience" and call him a "nice boy." There's the attempt (conscious or subconscious) to explain away unacceptable racism against blacks by replacing it with the acceptable kind against Muslims (I know, not a race, but...), this being exhibited primarily by those who eagerly embrace the (chain email) claims that BO is a Muslim Manchurian Candidate. Then there's the overt, unabashed kind of racism, where people say things like, "who would vote for that dark sonuvabitch," or "I don't vote for no goddamn nigger." For those of you who are wincing right now, sorry, but it's important not to redact or edit things in an attempt to soften the genuine bigotry my candidate and many others face. It's still pretty ugly out there.

So there're three ways, although there are certainly more. But more interesting is the kind of racism that shows just how wonderful this country is, and just how spectacularly we often underestimate people. Although I have proudly touted stories of lifelong Repubs, the professionally apathetic, and other strange bedfellows who are gung-ho for Obama, I never thought genuine racists would embrace a black candidate. Often in phone conversations, people would express some version of "but people in the South (read white people everywhere) will never vote for a black man for President." I generally countered with some variation of "My guess is that people who won't vote for him because he's black probably won't vote for a democrat, much less a woman." As it turns out, more than a few people who WON'T vote for him because he's black WILL vote for him because they like him. A few short anecdotes:

At one caucus site here in Nevada, one of my coworkers approached a man she described as "mildly crazy looking. Big gray coat, dirty hair." She asked if she could help him.
"Yeah, I'm here to vote for Osama bin Laden."
"You mean Barack Obama?"
"Yeah, that's the one. Whatever that black fellas name is. That nice kid."
She showed him into his caucus, and he sat quietly to cast his vote for Osama bin Laden, or whatever that black fella's name is. Ok, not necessarily racist, but indicative of something that could turn ugly.


On an ID call in Iowa:
"I'm calling tonight to make sure you know about the caucus on January 3rd, and to see if you've made up your mind who you'll be supporting?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna vote for that nice colored boy."
"Obama?"
"Yeah, that's the one. The colored kid from Chicago."

From my friend's Bayou born and bred, Southern conservative grandfather who, according to her, has never voted for a democrat:
"I'm gonna vote for that negro fella."

Now, lest some of you are inclined to protest and say that, especially of the last two, they were simply using the now outdated terminology of our segregated past, let me assure you that their words were not used accidentally. The first, who became a volunteer in rural Iowa, joked regularly with the Field Organizer who shared the story about starting a constituency group "Racists for Obama." I'm told he professed ideas that would make most of us cringe, and yet, somehow, saw in Barack something worth putting aside his hate to support. In the case of the swamp Cajun, I'm assured that Grandpa has no fond feelings towards black people. Born and raised on the Bayou in the days before segregation, it wasn't so much hatred of blacks as a simple understanding that they were an inferior race. And yet, somehow, he decided that this "Obamer," of all the candidates, best represented what he saw as the proper course for America.

I realize these are but a few bizarre stories, and that the majority of those like these do not turn out in our favor. But the simple truth is hard to escape: somehow, Barack reaches even some of those whom many of us would give up as unreachable. Somehow, he appeals to those who see skin color not as skin deep, but as a real, true means by which to judge another human being. And yet he manages to convince some of these people that if they're not altogether wrong, they're at least wrong about him. I find it difficult to reconcile judging a man by the color of his skin AND the content of his character. But that's the beauty of this whole thing. Barack manages, at least in some cases, to get people to look past their first reaction, to see something deeper in either him or themselves. I'd say that's worth thinking about.

I talked to three of my friends from the campaign today. One is (literally) organizing the Navajo Nation. Another is organizing New Agers, (legal) Mexican immigrants and wealthy housewives in Tucson and Sedona. The third is on her way to Memphis. There're ads on the air in 22 states. Kansans are getting mailers. In Idaho, the State Democratic Party is apparently taking large precautions to avoid the kind of chaos that we experienced here, despite the fact that one caucus site in Boise is a football stadium, and is hosting so many different precincts that they expect 6k people to caucus there. Never fear. There will in fact be hot dog and peanut vendors on site, although no word yet about beer or cotton candy.

It's getting crazy out there, and I'm jealous as hell. I miss the action of the campaign, and the comfort in knowing that however tired we were, however much pizza we were eating, however many cups of coffee it took to stay awake, however little sleep we were getting or how much stress we were under that we were in it together, that our fight was the right one, and that we were doing something all of us could be proud of. I miss being part of something bigger than myself and my individual circumstance.

But sometimes we have to face this funny little thing called reality. Other people kept the fort safe while I was out there fighting. Now it's my turn.

Over and out...