Competing Interests

Okay, so I'm going to weigh in on the whole upcoming presidential election thing.

This morning as I listened to the news, I thought how untrue the statement is that anybody can become president. As I heard newscasters rattle off just how much money various presidential hopefuls have raised for their campaigns ($24 mil I think was the tops), I thought about how unlikely it is that someone born poor has making it to the Executive Seat. I don't want to sound negative and I don't want to discourage progress, but it takes a great deal of money and connections to reach that position. The candidate I would vote for in a heartbeat, Dennis Kucinich, probably won't even be in the running because I doubt he could raise a fraction of what Edwards, McCain, and others have managed to amass for their runs.

And this whole Obama thing has me tripping. On one hand, I am so proud of this candidate of color, and I am infuriated by racist comments like Sen. Biden's. On the other hand, I am frustrated with Al Sharpton and others who allude to the fact that Obama is not 'Black enough', that his journey has not been that of other Black presidential hopefuls, and that he does not defer enough to Black America. Yes, I respect the fact that Sharpton and others don't want Obama to assume he has the Black vote, and that they want Obama to really represent the interests of African-Americans. However, there's something in Sharpton's tone and comments that smack of the whole 'crabs in a barrel' metaphor...

And one more thing: Should I vote for Obama or Hillary? Both, along with Edwards, represent my interests more than any Republican candidate (and I just can't stand Guiliani). But, even in preliminary discussions over who I should vote for, it seems my people of color expect me to show racial allegiance and to ignore the fact that though I am Black, I am a woman, also. Hillary has more political experience than Obama, but I know there are a lot of very experienced congressmen/women for whom I wouldn't cast my ballot. I dunno. I think this political campaign will be a very interesting one....