The Return of Every-Man

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s Every-man or wait it’s…..it’s Scott Brown. Scott Brown, he’d be that fella down (hey I’m in Maine and from where I live it is down) in Massachusetts who won the Senate seat that was open due to Ted Kennedy’s death. MA is a pretty damn liberal state, a nice blue state and no matter what the reason (yeah Brown’s opponent Coakley sounded like an idiot) if a no name Republican can win that seat well I don’t think its a sign of good things to come for the rest of us.

It would seem that exactly a year after President Obama’s historical inauguration that quite a few of his supporters (um, former supporters) are having a touch of buyer’s remorse. Now there are some who say hey give him time, he inherited a mess and its going to take time to clean it up. Yeah, that’s true but the current America we live in is one with a real short memory. If you think I am kidding then you need to go spend some time hanging out with every-man, the one who sees Obama as a guy who wants to take over the world by oh no making health care available to the masses, a guy who saw a neighbor (Haiti) in need and offered up resources. A guy who some see as being the cause of our economic crisis started under the Bush administration. No, it’s Obama’s fault in their minds and no amount of asking them to look back is going to change things.

Now I will admit I am not 100% happy with Obama for my own reasons, shit as I have said before he is not nearly as radical as I like…as a former community organizer I expect some real change then again I am willing to give him some time but that’s just me.

The thing is our short attention spans could end up resulting eventually in the return of every-man being in power. I read a piece this morning where Obama (feel free to correct me if I am wrong) made a comment about Scott Brown over the weekend stating anyone can drive around in a pick up truck. That’s true but at least in MA and  I suspect in other areas throughout this county for whatever reason we see guys like Brown as being like us…say what you will but the every-man persona complete with pick up truck makes folks feel comfortable. I can’t help thinking maybe the Dems need to start getting some attractive folks heading up their cause. No need for fancy words, but folks like pretty faces.  How else can you explain the rise of Sarah Palin? Dumb and cute yet folks love here and I no longer think the prospect of her winning in 2012 is a pipe dream should she consider a run for the White House. Hell, we don’t know where countries are on a map why the hell do we want our leaders to?

No, we long for every-man, that person who speaks to us in a down home cadence, and well seems a lot like us. Of course we aren’t all that way but I suspect a great deal of  us are.

So this morning if I were Obama and his crew I might start thinking of how we can change things up and recapture the energy that propelled him to the White House by listening to the needs of folks and sadly despite the fact health care is a good thing, it seems folks want jobs. So Mister President I think if you plan on being more than a one term president, you need to work on building your every-man persona…take up bowling, see about a presidential pick up truck too while you are at it. I hear Ford F-150’s are real popular with every-man…while you are at it maybe you and Joe can take up hunting but please don’t shoot anyone.  Oh and create some jobs too but really Americans are a tad slow as long as we see you as being just like us even if you don’t create any jobs or do anything positive we might re-elect you on the basis of being just like us. Of course you and your wife have that pesky permanent tan issue that some might see as a barrier but perhaps Sammy Sosa will share the secrets of his skin rejuvenation treatments with you. I see they got rid of Sammy’s brown issue.

On the other hand none of my advice might work since we are in the midst of the stupid tsunami here in America.

Coming down from my high

Just a drive-by, yesterday as much as I wanted to post while watching the inauguration, I just couldn’t….it really was emotional for me. Today, I am starting to come down from the high and the glow. For a moment I was reminded of my stoner days when I used to get as high as a kite. (no, as a grown-up, I no longer do such things) However the dust is settling and I am reminded that we have a lot of work to do, Obama may be in the White House and while I am glad to see someone who looks like me living in the big house for a change. The truth is real change starts with each and everyone of us.

I believe that Obama is the catalyst to inspire many of us to get off our collective asses, as someone who works in social services believe me we each have the power to help make a difference. Some folks think Obama is the savior and while I think he is one bad ass mothafucker, truth is he is a human who shits on the toilet just like me, so perfection is not expected.

That said, lets come on down off that Obama high and get ready to work to change this country. Yet lets also enjoy this moment…

More in the next day or two on reaction to Obama from up here in Maine, I have some tales to share but work is kicking a sistas’s ass at the moment.

Race card… whose really playing it?

Can I just saying I am starting to get really bored by the current election season, its like damn lets just get to November and vote already. Seriously, it seems like this shit has just being going on and on, so much that honestly I have lost a bit of my enthusiasm especially once my man Obama got the nomination and started acting a little strange. That said, I sure as hell ain’t voting for crazy ass McGrampy so unless some real nasty shit comes out about my man Obama, he’s got my vote.

That said, I woke up this morning as I do most mornings listening to NPR and heard the latest in this long crazy trip known as an election season, seems McGramps said Obama played the race card from the bottom of the deck… dayum, he played it from the bottom? For real? Thankfully being NPR, they then played a snippet of what Obama said and well in quick paraphrasing he essentially said that there are some who would tell you I am scary because I don’t look like the other cats who have ran for president, my name is funny, yada, yada.. Um, tell me something I don’t know… shit, how many emails have gone out this year basically saying because the man’s name is Barack Hussein Obama he is a Muslim and ya know them Muslims are scary. Come on, didn’t Hillary herself use coded racial language, like hard working folks aka white folks.

I must admit that after I heard the story, I laughed, shit was funny until I stopped to think about something that I went through last year where I was accused of playing the race card. Long story short, I was teaching at a school where I was only 1 of 2 teachers with an advanced degree, I was the only person of color and after being promised a ft gig with benefits after being worked like a Hebrew slave, I was let go, given some bullshit ass reason. Well turned out a sista was the lowest paid instructor at that joint despite having more education than only one other person, well as you can imagine, my Chicago side came out when I was being let go and I called bullshit. Anyway I was told I was playing the race card, former boss lady got all red in the face and huffy when I said basically I had been screwed and was pissed, of course by throwing in the ole race card, she threw me off my game for a minute. The end is not really relevant since I have been blessed since leaving that shit-hole ass job.

My point though is that incident coupled with many others have revealed to me that it seems when white folks get uncomfortable with Black folks especially us loud mouth ones who won’t back the fuck down, we are accused of using the ole race card. However it seems to me if anything its them using the race card, seems when you are white, you can tell a person of color especially a Black person they are using the race card and it will prevent said white person from taking a look at themselves and taking personal responsibility about a situation.

Call me crazy, but by the rules many whites seem to live under that is definitely playing the race card and playing it from the bottom. No, McCain is feeling bitter and clinging to outdated ideas, so its better to attack Obama on bullshit than to create his own real platform.

McGrampy, shame on you for playing the race card, by the way is that the Amex Black card you have?