New Black Woman

>
U.S. Rep Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), a Hungarian immigrant and holocaust survivor, has died at the age of 80.

Lantos, who referred to himself as ”an American by choice,” was born to Jewish parents in Budapest, Hungary, and was 16 when Adolf Hitler occupied Hungary in 1944. He survived by escaping twice from a forced labor camp and coming under the protection of Raoul Wallenberg ,the Swedish diplomat who used his official status and visa-issuing powers to save thousands of Hungarian Jews.

>President Bush referred to Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain a “true conservative” in this New York Times article.

However, the president said, McCain has some “convincing” to do.

“I think that if John’s the nominee, he’s got some convincing to do to convince people that he is a solid conservative,” Mr. Bush told the Fox host, Chris Wallace. “And I’ll be glad to help him if he’s the nominee, because he is a conservative.”

Thoughts? Can President Bush’s remarks help McCain win over skeptical conservatives?

>As a reporter, I’ve gotten a dose of political coverage (on the local scale, of course). Candidates like to make themselves distinguishable to their opponents. The common catch phrase: change, hope, fresh start, open, etc.

However, as we always find out, nothing ever changes.

The same can be said on a national level. As I watch presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama repeatedly pound his message of change and hope into the pavement, I’m left feeling more curious than satisfied from his message.

My question to Sen. Obama is this: what is it about you that would bring “change” to the White House? How will things change?

Considering that Obama is apart of the political establishment (yes, folks, he is apart of the establishment), I’m pessimistic that his presidency will bring change. Sure, if elected, he will be the first African-American to hold the presidency and his wife will be the first African-American first lady. However, I’m inclined to believe that those two aspects will be the only significant changes that will occur.

Why? Well, first let me point out some factors why. First, Obama is apart of the establishment. He’s an insider. Whether we like to admit it or not, Sen. Obama is a politician. He’s no different than the people he’s running against. Translation: he knows what to say to make himself look good. He knows how to say whatever he needs to say to make himself feel “distinguishable.” Any effective politician is a master of this skill.

Second, if Obama is elected, he will succumb to the same fate that meets other candidates of change once they enter the beltway: a servant to his special interests. In order for a president to be successful, he will have to cater to the “people” who helped him get elected. And I’m not talking about the mass public.

On the foreign policy front, since Obama is apart of the establishment, I’m inclined to believe that he will not bring much change in this area. In order to keep the Unites States as the world’s lone superpower (and to keep the conservative hawks moderately tamed), Obama will have to maintain the status quo: talk tough on rogue states, maintain America’s military industrial complex, maintain the American policy of hipocracy in the Middle East and to back Israel at all costs.

Since Obama is “different,” he will have to prove to the bureaucrats that he will keep American foreign policy intact. Margaret Thatcher faced the same dilemma when she became Britain’s Prime Minister. She earned the “Iron Lady” title after being accepted into the good ol’ boys club: she proved that, despite her gender (read: biologically inferior), she was able to stand tough in the face of international “pressures.”

Maybe this is just my cynical nature, but I’ve become skeptical when I hear candidates talk about change and hope. Maybe you guys can enlighten me and pull me into the Obama fanfare.

My question to you is: what change can Obama bring to our political, social and economic system? What do you think are specific changes an Obama presidency will bring?

>Can you imagine being stripped search at work–just because your boss says he or she has the right?

Thoughts?

>
I was listening to the radio yesterday and I heard a few people point out why they were supporting Sen. Obama. Among the reasons, some of the callers said they felt the need to support him because he’s black.

Several proclaimed (white) feminists have voiced their support for Sen. Clinton because, foremost, she’s a woman.

For the Obama supporters: Do you feel an “obligation” (conscious or subconscious) to support Obama because he’s black?

For the Clinton supporters: Do you feel an “obligation” (conscious or subconscious) to support Clinton because she’s a woman?

Why has this race-gender divide become so prominent in media coverage and in our political discourse? Does it make for a good story (and ratings)? Or is the focus a reflection of what voters are feeling?

Are you feeling the pressure to choose a “side?” Have you experience scolding from fellow (white or black) women or blacks (men or women) because you aren’t choosing the “right” side?