Elections

The battle for the white house is on. The democrats have just finished their convetion and have started on a 21-state tour. The republicans are moving also-- getting ready for their convention August 30 through September 2 in NYC.

The DNC was a success. There were many great speeches including dems like rising-star Barack Obama, Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Rev. Al sharpton, John Edwards, and John Kerry.



I really liked Obama's speech. He kept on the theme of a unified America. He also mentioned issues of race. One line in particular that got much applause was, "...They know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white." Being black and having been on the receiving end of that exact slander, I agree whole-heartedly.


The rabble-rouser of them all was the Reverend Al Sharpton. Now I read the speech transcript that he handed in, and boy did he ad-lib. He addressed President Bush directly saying, "Last Friday, I had the experience in Detroit of hearing President George Bush make a speech. And in the speech, he asked certain questions. I hope he's watching tonight. I would like to answer your questions, Mr. President." He went on to criticize Bush and the war in Iraq.

But what impressed me the most were the quotables: The issue of government is not to determine who may sleep together in the bedroom, it's to help those that might not be eating in the kitchen.; and: If I told you tonight, "Let's leave the FleetCenter, we're in danger," and when you get outside, you ask me, Reverend Al, "What is the danger?" and I say, "It don't matter. We just needed some fresh air," I have misled you and we were misled.

And the big one:

Mr. President, as I close, Mr. President, I heard you say Friday that you had questions for voters, particularly African- American voters. And you asked the question: Did the Democratic Party take us for granted? Well, I have raised questions. But let me answer your question.

You said the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule.

That's where the argument, to this day, of reparations starts. We never got the 40 acres. We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres.We didn't get the mule. So we decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us.

It was a good one.