Fmr. Sen. John Edwards almost seemed kind of left out until he said he'd reinstate the Assault Weapons Ban.
What struck me was that for the first time what happens to black men in this country was worth discussion at a debate between the major presidential candidates. When it was all white males sitting at the table, trust and believe, the thought had never crossed their minds.
Then I thought about a question that had been posed to me earlier in the day, about African Americans clinging to Clinton. But I had disagreed. In fact, because of Obama, Clinton is now forced to campaign for the black vote just as much as anyone else. To her credit last night, she did. Without prodding, she brought up how the subprime lending debacle has disproportionately affected minorities and seemed brave enough to do it.
Could Obama have done the same without it seeming like so-called "race-baiting?" Who knows, but the two did make an effort to stem the cloud of unneccessary racial discussion that media seems to be sucking down to the marrow.
Here's the thing: because of her husband's popularity with black folk (which I've always felt wasn't so richly deserved due to his foreign policy), Clinton would normally have the black vote sewn up. But Obama actually IS black and is also credible, which naturally sways the attention of the black body politic.
Poor education and the homicide rate were issues specific to the black community. In fact, if you had to pick what affects us most, those two along with health care would be at the top of the list. But at the same time, you've still got to balance that with the economy, the war in Iraq, immigration, the environment, energy policy, trade, and technology. Not to mention nationwide infrastructure, the interior and use of domestic waterways. And don't even get me started on transportation and national security.
Yeah, black people, while you were watching Paula, Randy and Simon, these things continued to affect you directly.
On Jan. 21, a couple days after the crucial South Carolina Primary, the Congressional Black Caucus is sponsoring a debate between the candidates. If you're smart, you'll listen for not just a few, but all of the things that have been mentioned above as you formulate your opinions.
American Idol isn't going anywhere, and really is nowhere near as important.
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nathan forrest at 3:37PM on Jan 16th 2008