Why I am Endorsing Barack Obama

I got a call a few months ago from the Hillary Clinton camp. One of her advisors, or perhaps it was an advisor of her advisor, felt the need to call and ask for my help with her Senatorial campaign in upstate New York. I am not big on unpaid labor, and I’m not a politician, but I will back something if I believe in it. So, I challenged the advisor’s advisor to make me into a believer.

The advisor’s advisor pitched me on an idea involving black men, particularly those who have served prison time. In New York, due to the RICO laws and other modern day versions of Jim Crow, it turns out that the population of black men in New York who have done at least a little prison time is as high as the number of Sean Hannity fans at the local KKK rally. The number of brothers in the area who have done time is only dwarfed by the number of brothers still doing their time.

The advisor’s advisor wanted me to reach out to these men to get them to vote. I guess my role as the local “angry black man” makes them feel that I can immediately identify with prison inmates. But then again, I don’t detach myself from ex-convicts, since I have some friends and relatives who have done time in prison. I also get a letter every month or so from brothers in prison asking for my help with their cases. If only I were Johnny Cochran.

I was not against the idea of getting these guys to vote, since New York is one of the few places to realize that by not allowing ex-convicts to vote, you are effectively implementing Jim Crow laws designed to take away the civil rights of African-Americans. The notion that serving a little time in prison implies that you should not be allowed to vote for the rest of your life is nothing short of ridiculous, racist and incredibly un-American.

My problem was not that they wanted me to encourage these men to vote. It was that they were encouraging me to get these men to vote for HILLARY.
Obviously, that led me to ask questions. I wanted to know what Senator Clinton planned to do for these men once they had given her their votes. Of course, the advisor’s advisor gave me all the “right” answers. But I couldn’t help but feel like a pretty girl on prom night when her boyfriend is trying to get her naked. They seemed willing to tell me anything I wanted to hear, as long as I gave them what they wanted. I got the sense that after the election was over, my calls would not be returned.

So, I looked at the record. I thought about Bill Clinton’s status as the “First Black President”, which I consider to be incredibly insulting. We have so relegated ourselves to second class status that we don’t even think we can have a real black man in the White House. Is it the case that we would settle for anyone who plays the saxophone and eats barbecue chicken?

I thought about Hillary’s neck-swinging, “you go girl” appearances at black churches all across America. She impresses us with flash and then caters to conservative interests. I thought about how she was spineless enough to support President Bush’s decision to go to war, even though everyone and their mother knew it was the wrong thing to do. I saw a woman and a family who will do whatever it takes, to whomever it takes, and follow every crowd of trendy sheep in order to get elected. I certainly did not see a person who was serving America, and I damn sure didn’t see a woman who was serving black people.

Seeing my life as a Clinton flash before my eyes, I then told the advisor’s advisor “no thank you”, and hung up the phone.

Oprah and I had our beef, but I agree with her decision to back Obama. This is a time for black people to come together to push a black man into power. Obama’s not exactly Malcolm X, but Malcolm could never get elected in Iowa. We once thought that Bill Clinton was the closest a black man could get to the White House. But Obama gives us the hope that perhaps we, as black people, can actually get a little bit closer.

I consider Barack my brother, and he is going to get my vote.