AN OPEN LETTER:
Say It (Out) Loud!!
With all due respect to the legacy of Dr. King, I make this statement bearing no animousity, but as a simple statement of fact. A simple warning to White Democrats (and Americans at large) unable to bring themselves to support Barrack Obama's bid for the Presidency soley because of the color of his skin. I think it only fair to advise you clearly of the gravity of the situation as you contemplate your vote on November 4th.

I say the following out loud seeking to negate predictable post-election claims of misunderstanding of my sentiments, lack of apprehension of my seriousness, or surprise at my response should analysis of an Obama loss reveal large-scale desertion of the Obama-Biden ticket by White Democratic Party regulars.

I am on the verge of waking up from "The Dream". I will not be had, took, hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, or run amok by the Democratic (or Republican) Party any longer.

My people, Black Americans, have been the most reliable voting bloc of the Democratic Party in Presidential elections for the past half century ... at least.

When Protestant Democrats voted against John F. Kennedy because he was Catholic, we believed in "The Dream" and remained faithful to the party.

When the Democratic Party descended into chaos over the war in Viet Nam, we believed in "The Dream" and remained faithful to the party.

When moderate and conservative Democrats failed the party following the taking of the American Embassy in Iran, we believed in "The Dream" and remained faithful to the party.

When Southern Democrats overwhelmingly fled the Democratic Party converting the formerly "Solid South" into a Republican stronghold, we believed in "The Dream" and remained faithful to the party.

When sufficient numbers of Latino voters succumbed to the siren song of "Compassionate Conservatism" resulting in George W. Bush's first Presidential election victory, we believed in "The Dream" and remained faithful to the party.

When "Swift Boat" attack ads influenced many Democratic regulars to vote against the party, we believed in "The Dream" and remained faithful to the party.

At this moment in time, White Democrats stand at a crossroads in the party's future. The choice of direction is yours. Rest assured, however, that this time, there will be accountability for the choice you make. Accountability that will, in the future, trickle all the way down to the lowest level of local politics. Lest you forget. Black voters have not always been firmly rooted in the Democratic Party. Just as there was a "Great Migration" to the North by Blacks in the early 20th century, there was a migration from the "Party of Lincoln" to the Democratic Party in the mid-20th century.

Is this a threat?

You may chose to view it as such if you wish. "It really doesn't matter to me now". Barrack has taken me to the mountaintop. On November 5th, I will peer over and see the current state of "the other side". We, Blacks Americans, will still get to the "Promised Land". We will get there as a people. It just will not be with you as a trusted ally.

I assume you will react to this letter as you deem in your own best interest. Therfore, like you, I recognize no obligation to explain or justify my posture to anyone other than my higher power.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not hostile. You will observe little, if any, outward change in my demeanor. In my daily comings and goings, I will continue to be cordial and respect the dignity and rights of all. In my fairly intergrated neighborhood, I will forgive the repeated uprooting and eventual theft of my, and my neighbors', Obama yard signs (in the case of one of my neighbors, occuring directly beneath an American flag recognizing her husband's current service in Iraq). I will not forget, however.

I will continue to judge all I encounter upon their treatment of me. The change will occur in my normal perception of White Democrats as compatriots. It can be summed up by this simple phrase, "I will see clearly now".

To White, female Democrats whose intellectual and political compass has been skewed by your disappointment over Hillary Clinton's failure to win the party's Presidential nomination, I offer the same advice after this loss that is often uttered to Blacks regarding centuries of state-supported oppression. "Get over it". Sen. Clinton played the game well, but she lost ... "fair and square". Do you honestly believe that Gov. Sarah Palin's selection as running mate for Sen. McCain represents any measure of philosophical enlightenment by the Republican Party? It was a political tactic and nothing more ... "Pat Robertson in pearls".

My caution in this vein is to pose a simple question. Sen. Clinton, in all likelihood, will run for President again. Given the probable political realities that will then exist, do you believe she has any chance for ultimate success without strong Black support? Can you not hear how she is still regarded by the vast majority of Republicans? As mothers have advised upset children for many years, "don't cut off your nose to spite your face".

To whites in the Democratic Party wholeheartedly supporting the party's ticket, I suggest you confer with your brothers and sisters who are openly stating they will vote otherwise. Talk to those who are closing their doors in the faces of Obama supporters currrently canvassing registered Democratic voters across the nation. This is only a suggestion, though. Who knows, possibly Democratic candidates can win future elections with little to no Black support.

To Democratic Black officeholders who are unable to wean themselves from the power and privilege they have accrued within the Democratic Party, make no pleas for patience and understanding on my part. I have none. Like the rest of America, "I want mine now".

To Republicans, Black and White, take no comfort or encouragement in anything I have said above. The divergence between the alleged principles of your party and the realities of your platforms and practices is far too great for me to consider you a viable alternative for realization of my goals.

My mindset is going "old school", back to my youthful days of the "raised fist" and quest for "Black Power". White America's decades long monopoly on political manipulation of "fear and frustration" will have ended. I will swear off the "kool-aid" of pursuing equality and inclusiveness and accept as gospel what you have been practicing all along. In this country, the exercise of power is guided exclusively by one's perceived reality and self-interest, whether such assessments are accurate or not.

In closing, to the leadership of the Democratic Party, please take the foregoing in the spirit intended. I have sought only to, as they say in Black churches all over America, "make it plain". Your worry should be how widely are my views shared? I have moved past being "an angry Black man" and become something far more dangerous to the status quo, "a fully aware Black man".

Oh, I almost forgot. To the Green and Libertarian Parties if Barrack loses, call me. We can talk about 2010.