I'm a black woman. This is my dream.

[goldcanyonaz]

The two Democrat candidates have gone through fire to get this far; now they deserve to go further

Patricia Williams
Sunday January 13, 2008
The Observer

<snip>

In the coming months, I expect to see much confusion as the importance of gender, the visibility of race and the commitment to pretend none of it matters is sorted out. The American public is reeling with images of Hillary, our first viable female candidate for President, floating on the endorsements of a raft of black religious leaders, and Obama, our first viable black candidate for President, flanked by a pride of Oprah-watching, white 'soccer moms'. Add a sprinkling of Bill Clinton, popularly caricatured as our 'first black President'. Fold in Michelle Obama, popularly caricatured as an outspoken career woman who doesn't like to stay home and bake cookies any more than Hillary. Turn the pressure cooker to high.

As the right's Rovean spinmeisters kick into action, wrapping both Obama and Clinton in sticky webs of hybridised stereotypes, she will be cast as too 'mannish', he too 'boyish'. She'll be too familiar, he too foreign.

Yet I pray that we Americans can resist the vicious, vacuous, mudslinging mire of malapropisms from which the Bush presidency loped to power. This is an extraordinary moment in American history: we have our first serious black and female presidential candidates and they are, indeed, twice as good as their nearest contenders. I hope that the two of them, in whatever order, will become running mates by November. They must not fall prey to those who would love to see them played against each other in the scramble to be top dog.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2240139,00.html

[MethuenProgressive]

1. Nice post, thanks for sharing!

:kick:

[Critters2]

2. JEDNE nt

[sufrommich]

3. What does that mean? nt

[goldcanyonaz]

6. John Edwards does not exist.

[sufrommich]

7. Oh my God.

Well,I don't blame them.
Nice OP!

[catnhatnh]

8. John Edwards Does Not Exist.....

To help DUers realize how large a percentage of posts ignore a viable third candidate.

[sufrommich]

10. I got it. That's very clever..

:thumbsup:

[cali]

17. SPAM

DUers are hardly going to be influenced by this. And they aren't the MSM and don't have any obligation to write about or include Edwards.

[Anouka]

18. I keep getting an image of Jedis..........

But I haven't decided who gets to be Obi Wan, Anakin, Palpatine, Mace, Qui-Gon, Yoda, Sifo, Maul, ..... and that's just the pre-trilogy.

[Snotcicles]

4. JEDNE. nt

[catnhatnh]

5. JEDNE......N/T

[spooky3]

9. I like most of her sentiments, but they aren't twice as good as Edwards

The three of them are infinitely better than any Republican.

[Cameron27]

11. Thank you

K&R

:-)

[emilyg]

12. Nice post.

[JohnnyLib2]

13. Thanks; it's helpful to hear from a black woman at this point.

I wish that she had mentioned John Edwards, too, but her piece IS personal and aptly titled.

[goldcanyonaz]

14. kick.

[1corona4u]

15. Thanks!! It's nice to see a lucid

opinion on such an important issue!!

[OwnedByFerrets]

16. Damn, I could have sworn there were more than two candidates

in this race. Silly me huh?

[ejbr]

19. I am a black man. This is my dream