During the Democratic National Convention, I was amazed at the diversity I saw. People of all colors, cultures and religions came together for one purpose: The hope of making our country better, of making a difference in the world. I flew home on a hope haze comforted that we were headed in the right direction.
Oh, how I wish I could get that feeling back.
During last night's debate, McCain, jabbed his finger across his chest and referred to Senator Barack Obama as "that one."
My immediate reaction was to think "How disrespectful!" I assumed John McCain was attempting to dehumanize the more human candidate by referring to him as a nameless "it." My mind didn't jump to race until I was driving home from my debate watch party.
Race is a touchy subject for me. I'm about as white as a white girl can get. (I don't think I get any ethnic points for having a nice tan.) I'm from the south, Louisiana originally, where my family has lived for several hundred years. We all know the baggage that accompanies that heritage.
Now I live in Southeastern Virginia, about 30 miles north of the North Carolina border. I like to pretend that race is no longer an issue here. That no one would dream of calling Barack Obama that hateful N word that I refuse to type, or call him "boy", or one of "those people", or "that one".... But while my surrounding neighborhood is pretty brown, a nice mixture of black and white, I can still drive down certain streets and see a Confederate flag flying in one yard while black children play in the yard next door.
Still, I often say and think that people who spew and display hate are an aberration soon to die out. And then I hear about an incident like one that happened recently in Buchanan County in Virginia. Apparently the treasurer of the Buchanan County Republican party, Bobby May, who is also a local newspaper columnist, thought that joking about Obama raising taxes to pay for drugs for his inner city voting base and putting Oprah and Ludacris on our currency would be funny.
I guess I missed the joke.
Perhaps this incident alone wouldn't bother me so much if it weren't for so many other things that have happened recently. There were the racial slurs defacing an Obama campaign office in Virginia in May and those Obama waffles that I refuse to link to. We've all heard the disturbing reports about participants at McCain and Palin rallies shouting out things like "kill him" about Obama and shouting at a black press member in attendance to "sit down boy."
Palin says the "heels are on and the gloves are off." Is race baiting what she meant? Sure, she didn't make the remarks and may not have even heard them, but so many racially tinged incidents have been reported now that I'm curious as to why the Republican candidates haven't issued a statement condemning the use of race (or religion) as an issue in this election. Could it be because race baiting helps them gain votes? Are they so willing and determined to win that they'll use votes garnered through hate and fear to get what they want?
On top of that we have John McCain who won't look at Barack Obama or shake his hand. Then McCain referred to Obama as "that one." McCain might as well have called him "boy" for all the respect he offered his fellow Senator.
This is not the country I know. These are not the people I know. Even in my blue collar extended family, I can't recall ever hearing comments like the ones I've heard lately. That's not to say that they didn't happen, but they didn't happen in front of me. I've lived in my little racially harmonious bubble for the last 35 years and someone just popped it with a big stick.
I don't like what I'm seeing and hearing from the people in my state.
I have requested press credentials for a McCain/Palin rally happening here in Virginia Beach on Monday, October 13th. I'm hoping that the local campaign will let me in, despite my political leanings, so that I can see for myself what happens. I don't want to see McCain or Palin redeem themselves on the race issue. They never had my vote in the first place. (Hell, I've already voted.) I would, however, like to see how the people of my community comport themselves.
I'd like the people of Virginia to restore my faith in them.
Stephanie Himel-Nelson likes to pretend that she also writes on her personal blog, Lawyer Mama, even though crickets have been chirping there since the DNC in August. In reality, Steph spends all of her spare time trying to turn Virginia blue and acting as the Deputy Director for Outreach for Blue Star Families for Obama. Her normal life will resume on November 5th.