Vote for Obama because he's Black...it's OK

Write this down and remember who said it first. This election will play out like a more civilized OJ Trial saga. Barack will be OJ, and the Republican brand will be Furman. My analogy is flawed but my point is this election will be the same thinly veiled referendum on US race relations that the OJ trial was.

Closeted racists will use this as a way to come out.
Black Nationals will wear their defense of Obama on their sleeve.
Progressive non Blacks will use his bumper sticker to declare their enlightenment.
Bourgie Blacks still looking for acceptance will criticize Obama to prove their commitment

I started this post last week and since then some of the sickness I saw coming has arrived. Charles Rangel and Bob Johnson have recently come out against Obama and the MLK comments.

Charlie Rangel has been mortgaged, bought and sold so many times over the years I take what he says with a big grain of salt. His issue is about power. Obama is on a stage that Rangel, Al, Jesse, Dinkins, and Young always dreamed of. And Obama has his own machine and his own cronies. He will not kiss the ring. To put it simply – ‘haters in the house.’

Hilary on the other hand realized long ago that buying the Rangel machine would make the Clinton name an urban myth in the Black community. Thing is, that works for my pop's generation, not for mine. That old guard are revered but have produced little tangible results. Except for Jesse and Al. They put in work.

I support Obama. He represents me. I like his commitment to health care. I like his dove-ish but realistic stance on Iraq. After the damage George Bush did to the American brand I think Obama is what we need. Is he perfect? No.

Hilary is not terrible. I just don't trust her. She is too embedded in the system.

I also support Obama because he is Black. Yeah I said it. And there is nothing wrong with that. The idea of a Black man being president would do so much for the psyche of our young boys and girls that yes, it is a major factor. Just as Huckabee would mean a lot to Evangelicals or Hilary to women or Giuliani to Italians. It is a part of the discussion no matter how you cut it. Sometimes you have to stand up for a cause, for a moment in time.

If a woman used this argument in support of Hillary I would not argue. In fact, I think Hilary’s best strategy is to make all women ask this question.

This is how the game works, so let’s stop dancing around it. It is all about carving your niche and hoping it’s big enough.

Scared of more crazy Muslims smashing into buildings vote for the bigot – Giuliani. He shares your distaste for people of color.

Traditional conservative – Romney

Maverick do-gooder – McCain

The ones who lose are the ones with no identity. Edwards’ rhetoric about being the champion of the little guy falls on deaf ears

Richardson is in my opinion the most qualified but he has failed at distinguishing himself from the white noise.

The dude from Law & Order, Thompson, is just that – the dude from Law & Order.

Ron Paul, Kucinich and the like just can’t catch a buzz.

The bottom line Obama is the first viable Black candidate in our history. He represents a post Civil Rights America where a bi-racial kid who went to Harvard is no big deal. We are far removed from the fire hoses and the segregated water fountains. That fact is tremendous. It goes a long way in healing this country’s violent history. And I am with that. And there is no problem if you are with that too.