Yet Another Glass Ceiling With Many Cracks...
I write this blog post in a moment of bittersweet victory. Having campaigned my heart out for Barack Obama over the last 3 months, I am overjoyed at our victory and feel that real change is finally coming to Washington and Main Street.
On election night, I partied in the street on the West side of Fort Lauderdale - a gay white boy surrounded by black people, most of whom were probably heterosexual. It could not have made a difference at the time, because we were all so optimistic and excited. The following morning was a different experience entirely... My friends and I were informed that Amendment 2 had passed and that not only would gay marriage now be outlawed but also civil unions and commonlaw marriages would be denied legal status.
So drops the other shoe.
The most disappointing part of the experience was the media coverage. Every news station was telling us that Black People were to blame... That all of the blacks who came out in droves to vote for Barack Obama had not listened to his supportive speeches and had voted specifically and willfully against my rights... The media maintained that Black people had not returned the "favor" of equality.
I'm not buying it. Here's something that the media is not telling us:
According to the same exit polls from CNN which indicate that Blacks voted for Prop 8 & Amendment 2 at higher percentages than whites, there is a key bit of information that needs to be explored - The total number of black voters for the anti-gay amendments is still not even 1/3 the total number of white, Evangelical voters who voted for the Amendments in the rural areas of the state... In fact, most black voters did not vote on Amendment 2 at all...
It is unfair, unreasonable and devisive for the mainstream media to pit blacks and gays against eachother at a time when we should all be celebrating eachother's diversity... As a white, gay male who supported and voted for Barack Obama with all my energy, I can honestly say that I have not experienced the slightest amount of homophobia from anyone in the Campaign For Change. I have never really felt any exceptional homophobia from the Black community at large, either...
Furthermore, it was not black people who put this Amendment on the ballot in the first place. Once again, this hateful bit of legislation has been brought to you by those "true Americans" who live in the remote grassy knolls that you drive by on your way to better places.
I think it's time to stop blaming races and sexual orientations for problems which are largely brought to us by Republicans. That's the other missing statistic here... Those who voted for John McCain also voted 91% in favor of Amendment 2.
It's time for Black people and Gay people alike to stand up for ourselves and refuse to let Republicans and the mainstream media continue to assail us in the name of "divide and conquer"...
God Bless all of you who helped on this campaign and remember to keep your cool and love your neighbors... even the bigoted ones. We shall overcome.
Many Americans have become unsettled by the recent tactics of Right Wing Republicans to intimidate and manipulate voters and supporters. This video highlights some things that are clearly unamerican about today's Republican party:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrLG1vMoFKE
But if something cute and funny is more your style, please enjoy this clip that is making big waves on YouTube - It's called BarackRoll'd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TiQCJXpbKg
Sensitivity Training: How To Talk To Hillary's Voters
My name is Jarrett. I am a life-long Democrat who campaigned and voted for Hillary Clinton in the highly contested swing state of Florida. Once again, Florida will decide the Presidential Election for the year 2008/09.
I have now switched my support to Barack Obama because his policies and outlook are far closer to my ideals than those of John McCain. The decision was easier for me than it will be for many Hillary voters because I am more familiar with the cut-throat nature of politics.
What I've noticed, since joining the Campaign for Change, is that many long-time Obama supporters don't really know how to effectively communicate with Hillary's supporters. Without further delay, I will explain the "do's and dont's" concerning the way we should solicit support from a Hillary Clinton voter like myself:
Remember H.I.L. (Humility, Interest, Love)
Humility - Hillary voters don't want to hear about you are the best and you beat them... They don't agree. We know that Hillary Clinton actually won the popular vote in swing states that will matter later on... If Obama supporters seem unaware of this inconvenient fact, they will appear foolish and egotistical to a Hillary supporter. The best thing you can say to a Hillary voter is "We REALLY need your vote/help in this election... We can only do it with support from motivated and knowledgeable folks like yourself."
Interest - Take a moment to hear what Hillary voters have to say and brace yourself... They might want to talk about how Hillary was railroaded by the media, about how sexism prevented her from winning, or about how she had the right idea concerning Universal Healthcare. You must NOT take these statements as a threat to the Obama campaign, but rather assume that these statements are a SUPPORT for the Democrats as a whole. Show the supporter that you agree with their concerns and that is why we need to stick together... Just remember that letting a Hillary voter do the talking will satisfy them - they want to educate YOU, not the other way around. The only thing they want to hear from you is that you are against Bush/McCain.
Love - Hillary solicited votes from Women, Young People, Gays and Lesbians and African Americans by speaking gently and lovingly about how much she cherishes each and every supporter. She speaks at great length about how amazing and inspiring each and every supporter is. You probably missed this if you were watching the mainstream media - but her supporters got wonderful HTML emails expressing gratitude and gifts and warm wishes. At her rallies, Hillary spent hours waving and smiling and shaking hands, and LISTENING to others. Quite frankly, this seems missing from the Campaign For Change because we are approaching crunch time. We need to always keep in mind that these are our neighbors, grandmothers, best friends, classmates and teachers. We have waited our whole lives to see a Female President of the United States of America and we are VERY concerned about Healthcare for our loved ones. Hillary voters WANT to support Barack Obama, but any percieved insult or indifference to Hillary as a person will steer them FAR away from that goal. Do not distract us with old arguments from the past. This is the NOW and we are all friends again.A good thing to say regarding this might be, "Gosh, it's really unfortunate that they wound up running against eachother in the primary because they are both such wonderful candidates."
Hillary voters MUST be reassured of the following things:
Thank you for taking the time to read this and please forward it to only your friends who are active in the campaign so we can continue to Ba-Rock the Vote together.
- Jarrett For Obama/Biden '08
The Next meeting of SFD (Students For Democracy) at AIFL will be on Wednesday at 5:00 PM.
Location: Main Building, Room 407
See you there!
