Michelle's Love & Pride

Back in April of this year Michelle Obama told a highly partisan crown that, "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country..." That comment brought a huge ovation from the crowd and an even larger cry from Republicans, conservatives and patriots denouncing her comment.

The Barack Obama presidential campaign went into high gear claiming the mantra of “out of context,” “misunderstood,” and the usual panoply of whitewash, excuses and spin. I’ve read this statement over and over. It was NOT taken out of context. She said it, she meant it, and her audience loved it.

Fast forward to the 2008 Democratic National Convention a mere four months later. Again Michelle Obama is speaking to a highly partisan crown and states "I love this country." I’ve read this statement over and over, too. It was NOT taken out of context either. She said it, she meant it, and her audience loved it.

And I’m sure that BOTH statements are true.

We all love where we’re from. No doubt about. Our homes emote a certain passion from us no matter where we are from. Germans who were born and raised in Nazi Germany, even victims of the government then in power, love their country. It’s only natural. They are certainly not PROUD of Nazi Germany, though. Make no mistake.

And I’m positive that Michelle Obama loves America. It’s her home. America, Illinois, Chicago’s South Side. She loves them all, as I’m pretty sure she loves Princeton and Harvard. But, I’m also sure that out of all those, she isn’t proud of America until April. There is a difference between love and pride.

It’s just a shame to me that a woman, ANY woman, from a working-class family can excel, graduate high school, and graduate from two of America’s elite universities, and not be proud of the nation that allowed her to do that. There are many nations where a Christian, a minority, or a woman would never be allowed the chance to even go to school, no less practice as a lawyer.

I’ve not accomplished any of those things. I’m white and male. And I’m still proud of this nation.

I wonder if she’d be proud to be First Lady?

Could Obama Hurt Race Relations?

So, Barack Obama is the candidate of choice of the Democratic Party. All during the Democratic primary season, all I could think of was that the choices that the party had were unequivocated Evil (Hillary Clinton) and complete, total Naiveté (Obama). It’s a scary scenario, but what can you expect of a party that foisted the new Narcissus on America sixteen years ago?

Now a note on how I was raised. My father and mother were both Southerners born and bred. They came from a generation that still believed in the dignity, courage and righteousness of the Confederacy, and that believed blacks were a severe problem. Incredibly, though, my parents raised their three offspring that ALL people should be judged by nothing except their actions and character. I never heard them utter a single racist profanity during the time I was in their home, and was frankly surprised (maybe I was just naïve) at some of the actions I saw fellow Whites perform when I went to college.

It excited me to see General Colin Powell, a black man, become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, because it showed me that Mom & Dad were right. And it distresses me to no end when we are continually bombarded today when such “firsts” as the recently-installed Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court being a black woman is considered newsworthy by the media. Why should it be? This is America, and the best person for the job should be placed in that job. Why should race be an issue today?

But, that is what has me worried. Barack Obama could very well become President of the United States. Yes, he is half-black (though in our Liberal nation that means he is “really” fully black), and he is considered by the Democrats to be the best person for the position. And that is part and parcel of what I find frightening. Why? you may ask.

Barack Obama is completely unprepared to perform the job. Except for less than one six-year term in the Senate, all his political background is local and populist. He has no military, foreign policy, administrative, or commercial experience of which to speak, except for “bringing home” the troops in Iraq. This does not bode well for a nation that leads the World in all those categories. Like President Jimmy Carter in 1980, he is running on nothing but rhetoric and sound bites. He has yet to elucidate a single sound policy on any issue, except to say that he will change America.

So, the problem? Every politician today touts “change.” And that is quite alright, though I’m pretty sure that “change” really means more of the same. What worries me is that a naïve populist, having not a single solid policy, being a “minority,” could be just as bad as President Carter and truly set back race relations in America twenty-to-thirty years.

A poor presidency by this man and you could have every racist kook and nutcase, egged on by a media who truly cares less about integrity than winning awards that they bestow upon themselves, gain some legitimacy and point to race as a factor. Can you see the next presidential race with a black candidate, regardless of party, being boiled down to what Obama did? That is not what America needs. It's not a good thing for our nation. What America needs is a capable, effective leader, regardless of race, who has vision, policies, moral integrity and the knowledge to do what the nation requires.

And I’m afraid Obama can’t do that today.