| With an advertising flourish that would grandly and | | | | advertise this image. Of course, election laws are |
| profitably project any new industrial product into the | | | | contained within the U.S. Code, but are hardly enforced. |
| public limelight, the media has latched onto the first | | | | According to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the |
| term Illinois senator, Barack Obama, labeling him a tasty | | | | U.S. election process is in such an illicit mess that the |
| political commodity much like a bottle of Paul Masson | | | | Carter Center would not even attempt to monitor a |
| wine. It was Paul Masson who had first introduced his | | | | federal election in order to guarantee its fairness and |
| wine to the world in the 1980s with the aphorism, "we | | | | equity. Moreover, a greater percentage of the |
| will sell no wine until its time." In much the same way, | | | | American voters are ignorant of the current |
| the media is pushing the Obama presidential image as | | | | status-quo, and fail to realize the sad fact that the |
| one whose time has come, whose charisma will sell | | | | average candidate for federal office is groomed by |
| well in the 2008 election. | | | | the powers-that-be and begins planning his re-election |
| Perhaps converting a new unfamiliar face in American | | | | campaign, and his political career, almost immediately |
| politics into an icon, through the use of mass electronic | | | | after being sworn-in. |
| media, is too much like pushing an untried and untested | | | | I tend to believe that Barack Obama presently shows |
| product onto center national stage, proclaiming its | | | | all of the tell-tale signs of potential political manipulation. |
| superiority over existing products. At any given time, | | | | Someone in this country wants him to be a leading |
| you will probably find close to a million capricious | | | | Democratic candidate in the upcoming 2008 |
| people in the United States who are unfailing, undying | | | | Presidential Election, despite the fact that his election |
| binge lovers. These people are the type who will try | | | | could do much more harm than good to the republic. |
| anything at least once, just for the thrill of saying, "I've | | | | Why? |
| been there and have done that," regardless of how | | | | Presently, within a U.S. population of approximately 300 |
| detrimental the thing has been to them and the other | | | | million, there are still quite a few whites, numbering |
| people negatively affected by it. Much like the | | | | probably in hundreds of thousands, who have a high |
| distribution of second-hand cigarette smoke into the | | | | disregard, if not hatred, for black people, who would |
| lungs of non-smokers by non-caring people who have | | | | consider Obama's election a perturbing social and racial |
| experimented with smoking and became addicted, | | | | affront to their perverse beliefs. Conversely, there are |
| most American binge lovers don't care about the | | | | still quite a few black people who intensely dislike |
| results of their actions until laws suddenly appear | | | | whites and only associate with them socially out of a |
| proscribing their behaviors. Even then, a good many of | | | | requirement to show a façade of courtesy in |
| those million people throw fits of rage insisting that they | | | | employment settings. |
| should have the freedom to do what they want. | | | | In other words, there are probably millions of people in |
| Who really knows, or will come to know, Barack | | | | America who are still waging the Civil War with their |
| Obama? The television camera lens and the people | | | | attitudes and behaviors over race-mixing. For an |
| behind it are thoroughly capable of turning, anyone, the | | | | example, it has been nearly 142 years since |
| good, bad, and the ugly, into a celebrity overnight. All | | | | Appomattox and 45 years since Brown v. The Board |
| that is required in the process are extensive and | | | | of Education, and many, many people still loath seeing |
| consistent media exposure to insure name and picture | | | | black children and white children attend public schools |
| recognition. You might ask, before he was elected as | | | | together. Segregation and integration are still hot social |
| U.S. Senator, what had Obama done to distinguish | | | | and political topics in most of the nation's largest cities, |
| himself publicly? He has been recently compared to | | | | and there are still petulant and hotheaded people who |
| the great Lincoln as a man of the people, honest, | | | | are violent enough to resort to bloodshed in order to |
| upright, imbued with integrity. Yet, if Lincoln had been | | | | express their prejudice and discrimination. If this country |
| born in 1961, and had had the technological benefits of | | | | is not yet ready to accept the simple and profound |
| the Twentieth Century to assist his rise into public | | | | truth that all people, of every race, are created equal |
| service, most Americans would have undoubtedly | | | | before nature's God and the law, it is not yet ready to |
| heard from him well before his 40th year. In a manner | | | | accept a black man as chief executive. Even though |
| of speaking, Lincoln managed his own rise into | | | | television and motion pictures have, over the years, |
| American government. He wrote his own speeches, | | | | shown prominent black actors in roles placing them in |
| determined his own agenda, and financed his own | | | | high political office, even as President, there are too |
| campaigns. He was not politically indebted to anyone in | | | | many closet and openly declarative bigots who would |
| such a way to compromise his own basic principles. | | | | react violently to the real election of Barack Obama to |
| Can we say the say about Obama. In a nutshell, the | | | | the nation's highest office. |
| political Obama has been managed by wealthy | | | | History speaks sadly of more than a few black people |
| power-brokers who determined, at least a year | | | | during the military Reconstruction in the South, some of |
| before his election, that the Harvard educated lawyer | | | | whom were freed slaves, who were placed by the |
| had the looks and demeanor to be politically popular. | | | | military government into positions of executive and |
| Obama probably hadn't even considered entering the | | | | judicial leadership. Many of these very capable people |
| senatorial race before he was contacted and courted | | | | were clandestinely assassinated, lynched, and beaten |
| by these power-brokers. He had lacked the mother's | | | | by activists of the Klu Klux Klan and other militant |
| milk of American politics, the factor most essential in | | | | organizations built upon hate and revenge. Now, |
| getting elected, that is, money. | | | | especially, there is a pervading atmosphere of |
| Of course, Harry Truman entered politics the same | | | | resentment, or perhaps fear, in our country against |
| way, under the auspices of a boss system in | | | | people of color. People of color, the brown, the black, |
| Independence, Missouri. He essentially became a | | | | the deeply tanned, are being racially profiled by law |
| senator by undermining the will of a wealthy boss who | | | | enforcement, employers, and by the average white |
| had wanted him to be in his political puppet, proving, | | | | person through a deeply felt fear of potential terrorism |
| after the election, that he was no man's dummy. | | | | and the unknown. This is tragically Machiavellian, but |
| Nonetheless, I'm not assured that Obama will do the | | | | nonetheless true. If anything, Obama's run for the |
| same thing when faced with a decision of whether to | | | | Presidency will again divide the nation's Democratic |
| obey the will of the people of Illinois or that of his | | | | voters into several different camps, allowing a |
| political mentors. | | | | cohesive Republican base, and its neo-conervative |
| The classical art of government and of determining | | | | agenda to again prevail in the White House. |
| proper local, state, and federal leadership has | | | | I don't know Barack Obama personally, but he's |
| undergone a substantial change during the last eighty | | | | probably a good and decent public servant whose |
| years in the U.S., from that of civics to politics. And, | | | | heart is in the right place. But for whatever reason he |
| unfortunately, senators, representatives, and presidents | | | | is being courted to run for the Office of the President, I |
| are now popularly called politicians instead of | | | | sincerely hope that he realizes that he is being politically |
| statesmen and stateswomen. Before the advent of | | | | packaged and maneuvered, and that it is hardly the |
| radio, a candidate for federal office had to meet the | | | | right time in our nation's history for a black man to |
| public face-to-face in order to be popular with the | | | | seek the Presidency. It is going to be difficult enough to |
| press and the people. Now, less than 3 out of a | | | | persuade a nation that it's time for a woman to be |
| thousand eligible American voters get to meet, talk | | | | President. I hope that Obama's ego is not larger than |
| with, and personally listen to a candidate before an | | | | his capacity to grasp the gravity of the currently |
| election. What most of the U.S. voting age population | | | | steamy social, political, and economic climate in the |
| presently see on a television screen is the image of | | | | United States, and the subtle message ominously |
| the candidate the power-brokers want them to see | | | | blowing in the wind that whispers, "Be very careful of |
| and appreciate. These almost invisible, yet influential, | | | | your aspirations and where they will take you. |
| people pay millions of dollars during a single election to | | | | |