The Race Has Begun!

Well, the election season has officially started. Both campaigns have officially started their attacks on each other. The McCain campaign had negative supporters from the start, but the campaign went dirty very quickly. The Obama ad “attacking” McCain was, I have to say, very bland. I wouldn’t even call it an attack ad, but it has been dubbed so by the talking heads on both sides. I hope they start debating soon and all of the campaign ad coverage stops. I am getting sick of watching news shows about an ad that runs during the commercial. It is even more stomach churning listening to some of the McCain apologists trying to say that McCain doesn’t speak for the McCain campaign when he makes a gaff or flip-flops. The term flip-flopping needs to be officially removed from the political vocabulary of America before people are afraid to give any opinion for fear of changing their minds eight or more years later. That’s one of the things I have noticed some McCain supporters are annoyed by with Obama. He is very good at not giving an opinion or straddling the fence but making it seem like he’s being specific and answering whatever he is charged with or asked. This annoys me too, but it is a brilliant campaign move when the flip-flops are flying (alliteration rocks).

I was not surprised that McCain claimed Obama was playing the race card. I don’t think it applied in the way he was using it and that the term race card should go the way of the flip-flop. Obama was not using his or his opponent’s race as an issue or a way of getting votes. He was pointing out, at least in the clips I have seen, that this is an expected attack from the McCain campaign. This makes it even more ironic that he used it for this statement, especially after the third time he said the same thing. I don’t know if the race argument is going to work for or against either candidate in a significant way.

I might just be immune to it living in Memphis where there is a huge move to change our local Representative because he is white and the area he represents is mostly black. The campaign against him is trying to find everything they can to say that he is racist, even thought he has the support of many black politicians from around here and has done an excellent job, especially on the Judiciary Committee. He has the voting record of a black woman and has served Memphis well. He put forth the bill where Congress denounced the slave trade and officially apologized. I was really mad when NPR interviewed a black journalist from Chicago who made fun of him. It makes a difference here in Memphis and in the south and does not need ridicule from others. The school board hasn’t funded our schools when the teachers have already headed back and there was a serious debate about the city removing all funding from its schools. It is not needed when the last mayoral election was divided around race and economic lines and the man who won held his office hostage unless they made him superintendant of the school board. We don’t need other people ragging on one of the few very good politicians we have as more of those who abused their power are brought to justice.

That side-rant aside (tee-hee), the campaigns are heating up faster than the inside of my car in the parking lot at the airport. Through the blather, it is nearly possible to piece-meal the candidates’ platforms together. I think I support Obama. (I loath to say that because I hate being lumped into a group and people misinterpreting my motives and intentions.) I will be surer of that once they have a debate or two and have better laid out their positions. I am never going to vote for McCain. At first I took it easy on him, but he has made way too many mistakes and has terrible positions when it comes to women’s rights and constitutional matters. It irks me that this election cycle has gone so Christian, but I understand it since Obama is being called a Muslim, which I don’t see as being particularly evil, and McCain needs to win the religious right to help rally the base of his party. If Obama goes through with his “Faith Based Initiative” plan, I will probably work against him in the next election if he is anything other than an excellent president. So I guess I am an Obama supporter, but just as an anti-McCain voter.