Yesterday Sen. John McCain was forced, for the second day in a row to try to calm his supporters at a town hall meeting. During this past week we have heard shouts at McCain rallies calling out to “kill” Sen. Obama, that he is a terrorist, a criminal, a traitor. Finally, there was the lady who even attempted to ask Sen. McCain a question during which she called Sen. Obama an “Arab.” By now there should be little doubt in anyone’s mind that the negative attacks on Sen. Obama have triggered some significant hidden racism and allowed it to be expressed in the more “acceptable” way of these other epithets.
Sen. McCain never expected to reap the consequences of negative campaigning. He thought that, like in prior presidential campaigns, the only consequences would be to the other candidate. But, this is an unusual election. We are both in one of the worst economic times in decades, and are also involved in wars which are draining much needed resources, both human and financial, from us. The volatility in the stock market reflects the fear that is running through America. The many emails to congressmen regarding the bailout show the anger that is rippling through this country.
But, Sen. McCain and his staff “forgot” what every Latino knows. There is a rich vein of racism that runs through this country. They did not realize that it is one thing to vilify a white man and another thing to vilify a black man. After all, both parties have played the “vilification” game. When President Bush was running against Sen. Kerry, he was vilified as being stupid, having avoided Viet Nam through political influence, etc. And, we can sure all remember the “swift boating” of Sen. Kerry. But, the results of that vilification was only a disdain for the candidate who was attacked, so that Republicans came to disdain Kerry and Democrats came to disdain Bush. But, everyone realized that these were just attitudes that would find no other expression than that you would vote for the other candidate. So, the parties realized that by vilifying the other candidate they could reap a harvest of votes.
But, Obama is black. And in this country, when a minority is vilified, the result is not simply disdain, but also violence. This is the hidden dirty secret that is also behind much of the incredible anger that erupts when the subject of immigration reform comes up. Undocumented immigrants have also been vilified and the result has been anger, not simply against those without visa but even against those of us who are here legally and have become citizens. When we have tried to point out the racism underlying the anger, we have been told that we were ever so wrong.
So, this week the dirty little secret has shown its head. Obama is actually both black and white, as he, himself, points out. But, he is perceived as black. And, when a minority is vilified, it is not disdain that spills out, but violence. And, so, suddenly the Republican party is having to tamp down a fire that they clearly did not expect. They expected a disdain that would drive voters in their direction. But, in a climate of tremendous anger against an amorphous greed that has driven us into economic shock, and with a minority person running for President, they are, instead, reaping an anger that could easily head towards violence, directed against a serving Senator. And that is something that, to Sen. McCain’s great credit, he realizes must be stopped immediately, lest a truly horrible thing happen.
And, so, a very honorable man, but one who made a terrible mistake, is doing the honorable thing and trying to tamp down the fire, lest it spread into something horrible. May God grant him success in tamping down this fire. May God protect Sen. Obama and his family.
However, should John McCain have had in his political career an Ayers or a Rezcko who helped launch him to political power he would never have received either the Democrat or Republican nomination. However, it is precisely because of Obama’s race that these relationships have been ignored. And yet because of ignorance people read what they want and make assumptions (e.g. Obama is an Arab) and somehow this gets attributed to McCain. He is as much a victim as Obama is but no one will call him honorable or forgive him. I am so sick of ‘our’ dirty little secret. We look at ourselves as if we are the only country that is racist and yet here we can have a black man running for president being defied whilst a woman running for vice president is vilified. In Europe the English National Soccer team has to reschedule a match in Madrid because of fears that their players will be taunted or hurt because of their race. Can you imagine ANYWHERE in the United States where black athletes are vilified because of their race? We have grown past that and yet Europe, the elitists, cannot have black athletes play in their stadiums because of their backward ways. Unbelievable!
Be prepared for an American Socialist State. The conservatives have lost ground whilst the liberals are climbing toward the mountain top. With a liberal Senate and Congress (lowest approval ratings of all time) and finally a liberal President we will indeed reap what we sow. Look to France and England with all the Arab immigrants (albeit inherent French racism) the riots and the sharia law being accepted in England. Dang! we get to put in foot baths for Muslims in public places but we can’t have a Menorah or a Nativity scene because it will offend someone. Nonetheless it will be Change and may God Bless it anyway. But will it be the Judeo/Christian God?