Barbershop conversations on the Presidential Race - 2.8.2008.1

**to learn more about the voter registration and why your vote counts see I Love America That's Why I Vote!**

Wednesday I was out getting a haircut. And as often happens I was discussing some of my political writing while there. And I noticed a few very interesting things. Troubling and interesting to be exact.

While I was there, I came to realize that there is a huge portion of the Black community that still have not paid attention to any aspect of this Presidential race beyond the occasional 30 soundbites of polispeak that get reported on the local news broadcast. I say that because several people I spoke with knew nothing of the candidates.

Beyond the initial shock that I am considering Senator McCain or Senator Obama as the choice for President there was more. The initial thought was how could I pick a Republican? And I know many think that. My answer is why am I limited to one political party for my choice of whom I think is best for the nation?

Better is this question that a friend of mine asked. Why are so many African Americans Democrats? For my friend the reason is because their family was Democratic, and so they were raised with that thought. Not for any reason, just that this is what they were told they should do and it’s what “everyone” expects. I have to counter, if “everyone” said you can never make more than $15,000 or that you will always work 80 hours a week, or that you are not equal to a human being – would you accept it? Back in 1619 “everyone” thought Blacks were less important than cattle, and that thought continued until the 1960’s in one form or another. Perhaps it’s a bit “uppity” but I rather make my own decisions, because if I did not I could not have the life and experiences I have today.

But I do not mean to attack those in the barbershop, or anywhere, that are Democrats because that’s “how it is.” I just challenge them to learn what Democrats have ACTUALLY done, and determine if that was the best choice for their lives. For me, in this Presidential race, both Senators McCain and Obama have pro’s and con’s that make them most attractive. I am continuing to evaluate my choice.

Beyond this was the next question, why not pick Hillary? This was far more involved. As I have detailed before and in posts since 2005 I feel she has done nothing. When I asked everyone what she had done to deserve a vote, the only answer I received was that she tried to fix healthcare. That was back when her husband was President and it failed miserably. What has she done since?

They could not name a single item. But they still felt she was “good for Blacks” because she comes with former-President Bill Clinton. The point that the Presidency is a single person position and that sharing certain aspects of that power is both illegal and potentially dangerous for the nation had not been considered. And I had to ask,

“Wasn’t it Bill that was in South Carolina essentially stating that Americans shouldn’t vote for a Black man as the nominee and President? Didn’t he use race as the major reason to not pick Obama? Didn’t he and Hillary insult Dr. Martin Luther King days before turning around and honoring him on his birthday? Didn’t Bill make a comparison of Senator Obama to Jesse Jackson in winning South Carolina inferring that a win there was just a Black thing and had no importance for the nomination?”

Amazingly, not one in the barbershop had thought of these events in this manner. I was not twisting the facts, just asking the questions, and they had no counter answer. Mostly they had not paid enough attention to the facts to be sure. I requested they check the facts themselves, and not rely just on my word.

But the big thing is that they were prepared to elect Senator Clinton on the basis that she was a positive candidate and was doing things, as many newspapers and pundits allege. That she would help African Americans, and she was a Democrat. Yet they hadn’t put the pieces of what she has said, directly and via surrogates, and what is impossible to be done together with what actually may be best. Mind you my opinion does not mean they should change their position, but that they should make the decision themselves and not let 30 seconds on television do it.

How many Americans can say that right now they are familiar with the actual voting records of any of the candidates? How many can say they have listened to more than 1 entire debate that has occurred since 2007? How many will say that they have looked into the positions and policies of the opposing political party? And how many have a choice that has been made simply because of a television commercial they saw?

How bad the situation is can be summed up in this, when I was asked when some in the barbershop could vote they had no idea that the Primary was the day before. I’ve spoken to people that believe that if you don’t vote in a Primary you can’t vote in the election – which is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. I’ve spoken to people that don’t know where to go to vote. Many of these people are in their mid-30, and they are of every race and gender.

Politicians count on people not knowing facts. They count on people not paying attention, or doing the same thing that their parents and grand-parents did, without thought. They count on people not asking questions, or listening to more than 30 seconds of political conversation. And they take advantage of the American public in this manner – White, Black, Hispanic/Latino, man or woman, and so on.

We have a Constitutional Right to vote. People of every creed, race, and gender and so on have died to ensure this Right. We have the obligation that if we are going to vote, and we should, to at least have more of an idea about why and who we are voting for than 30 seconds of polispeak that caught our attention and the answer ‘that’s how my parent’s voted’.

When I left the barbershop, I feel, there was a sense that their votes mattered, and they do. That they can make a difference, and they can. That just because a television personality said this person is good, they might not be. No one had ever posed the facts and opinions of the 2008 election to some of those in the barbershop as I had, I was told. That is a sad fact, because there are many that take advantage of this fact. They want to buy your vote as cheaply as possible, with as little as possible. But they can only get it that way if you give it to them.

Don’t believe me at my word, check the facts. Ask questions. None were embarrassed to ask any and every question about politics Wednesday, nor should you be on any day. You deserve to know, you have a Right to know. And if every American finds out the facts, and voices their opinion via their vote I believe that the entire nation will be better. But you have to vote!

Oh, and just for those that may wonder, you can vote for Primaries and the election in November usually at any school, library and many other public buildings in your local area. You don’t need to vote in a Primary to vote for the President in November. You must register to vote before that time. You don’t have to pick a political party when you register, nor must you only vote for that party.

Check out I Love America That’s Why I Vote! for more about your Constitutional Right, and making your voice heard.