More sadness about the election.

Before I talk about my riding, something I love. I want to talk about something I loathe. Last week, CNN ran a story about a California Republican group whose president sent out a newsletter depicting Barack Obama on a food stamp with fried chicken, watermelon, and Kool-Aid. She found the image on the internet. If you go to the link below, you will see she plans to apologize to her own group and she says that it was supposed to be a parody about a statement Senator Obama made about not looking like the presidents on US dollar bills. I like the fact that she stepped up and apologized. When this initially broke, her and her family denied both that the statement was racist and the images were associated with African-American stereotypes.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/newsandviews/2008/10gop_mailing_is_mouth_watering.html?ft=1

1) Where has her family been for the last 100 years?

2) Her daughter, who is an adult, said that her mother could not be a racist because her father is Mexican. Unfortunately, people still think that minorities (now underrepresented populations) can be as racist as everyone and anyone. Please see my consternation with the response to the Black McCain supporter.

3) Why would she even go there? If her group did not contain African-Americans this may not have come to light. I am perplexed how at this point anyone could think that would be cool. Why not just argue on the issues or make fun of his ears or something? This is offensive to Republicans, Democrats, Independents, etc. I have wasted a blog post on this.

One thing this is showing us is that racial, ideological, and sexual (more gender than sexuality, prejudices about sexuality are not news) prejudices and divisions still exists. I think the country will take a while to recover from this.

For the record, I actually think John McCain really abhors this. If you look, you can see it in his eyes and face. He knows how much this hurt because the Bush campaign used similar tactics against him in 2000 regarding his wife and his adopted Bangladeshi child.

I wonder if when people see themselves on television or go to work after their co-workers have seen them on television they feel remorse for what they say or if they even own and acknowledge what they say.

This reminds me of something I said in high school in a history or politics class. I said the biggest difference between the North and the South is that Southerners let you know, not rudely actually very politely, that you are not welcome. As said as that is, it is refreshing to know what you are dealing with as opposed to veiled prejudices or prejudices explained by some unrelated fact.