Big News: DNC, Trinity Church
Sorry for the light posting lately, but I've been swamped with other projects that have kept me away from the blog. Two huge, noteworthy events this weekend demand attention:
The DNC's decision to seat Michigan and Florida delegates with half a vote at the convention seems to do more to fragment the party than it does to unify it, in the long run at least. Nobody really seems to win anything here. The new votes really make no real impact in the results of the race. The decision sacrifices what little credibility and authority the DNC ever had, basically rewarding Florida and Michigan (albeit with half votes) for disobeying the structure of the party. Even with half votes, FL and MI now have a greater voice at the convention than dozens of smaller states that played by the rules. That's bullshit.
Easily the worst effect of this decision is that HRC will now go on an appeal rampage, dragging the nomination process through the court system instead of leaving it in the hands of voters, where it belongs.
Secondly, concerning Barack Obama's decision to leave the Trinity United Church of Christ--what can I say, but wow. Wow. Frustrating to think that Obama has to leave his church to have a legitimate shot at the White House when other candidates' spiritual lives do not receive such scrutiny. Yes, Rev. Wright's discourse was inflammatory, hyperbolic, and probably frightening to white folks around the country, but let's face it, if his message gained a broad but temporary audience in the country, that's probably a good thing. Too many white folks have been able to conveniently hide in suburbs and rural areas, shielding themselves from race issues in this country, and I for one am glad that Rev. Wright had an opportunity to chime in and remind everyone that just because Barack Obama might become the next president, that doesn't mean that Uncle Sam just waves a magic wand and makes racism in this country disappear.
Wright brought racial injustice to the front pages, in hyperbolic fashion, yes, but that's a good thing. It's unfortunate that Barack Obama has to homogenize himself in order to have a shot in the general election, but if they alternative was to have his entire congregation under a microscope for the next decade, well, then I suppose it was the right choice.
Thoughts?
(By the way, I keep anonymous posting open on this blog to make it convenient for readers to participate in the discussion without a Blogger account, but some people are using that anonymity to make what amounts to racist hate speech. I'm not going to start censoring comments, so let's just put it this way--if your ideas are better suited to a white supremacy forum, then for the love of God, stop visiting my blog.)
