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Because I am Black, I MUST vote for Barack Obama.
Note: I originally typed most of this up last night (Wednesday, March 5, 2008), but didn’t have a chance to double check or post it today. So, “last night” in this entry actually refers to Tuesday, March 4, 2008.
________________
At least that is what the media and the atmosphere of my local voting location insisted when I went in to vote last night. Not only was this sentiment a recurring theme of the day amongst the buttons, tee shirts, and stickers adorning the Obama supporters at my voting location, the candidate advertising signs lined along a narrow strip of grass that separates my former elementary school from the street screamed this absolute for all the world to see.
Of course, this is not taking into account the lone older woman I saw holding a heavily damaged Hilary Clinton sign and information handouts, who looked close to spitting venom at having been given the least favorable assignment of the day. She pretended not to hear me when I asked for one of her handouts, so I asked again. She looked me over, passed me a glossy advert, and tossed a tired ‘We appreciate your vote’ in my general direction. Other than her, there wasn’t a single Hilary Clinton sign present among the temporary forest of support for Barack Obama and Bruce Mosier.
It all amounted to this: I, Danielle, am a Black American. Therefore, I need not look elsewhere for another candidate, but instead should blindly step into line behind the first African-American male that presents the best chance that my people have ever had at reaching the White House's Oval Office. I should forget about any other candidate and what they have to bring to the presidency.
Right?
Wrong.
Oh, so wrong.
True, I do believe that we should support one another as a people, because unbelievable strength does grow within the community, but is that the only choice I should be offered?
It seemed apparent to me last night that my traitorous vote for Hilary Clinton morphed me into someone who was not fit to attend the much-anticipated Texas caucuses. Or, rather, our limited knowledge of the caucusing process was shamelessly exploited by Obama's supporters.
From the moment the caucus' written voting process began, the event was treated as a rally solely to support for Mr. Obama with little regard for the Hilary Clinton supporters that might have been present amongst the gathered crowd of over 300 people. After the votes were taken up, most of the crowd was dismissed if they did not wish to become a delegate or an alternate. Those of us who were left, about half of the original crowd, were instructed to separate onto either side of the room depending on which candidate we preferred.
Mr. Obama had the lion's share of those voters still present. However, there were eight of us who sat together supporting Mrs. Clinton.
Eight.
That was it.
Sure, there were a few others who lingered on our side of the room, but they turned out to either be confused, not capable of moving, or from a visiting district.
And so we turned to the Obama supporter who spent most of the evening directing our caucus. He informed everyone that we were going to have a prize of $100 given away to those people who stayed. The Obama supporter had the would-be delegates on Mr. Obama’s side of the cafeteria participate in a head count and then awarded number 77 $100 without so much as looking at our small group of Clinton supporters.
Naturally, there were complaints from our side. This resulted in the men and women who were directing the night's events rushing over to quiet the comments with excuses of the Obama supporter providing the money himself and that Hilary Clinton did not stand a chance for receiving any delegates from our area. Our area had 30 spots to its name, and not one of them was going to be given to us, not even one.
Of course, this sparked more complaints about the fact that we were not even given the opportunity to count off or participate in a giveaway, as the Obama supporter had turned his back to us and ignored our table while he directed the 164 people that readily flocked to Mr. Obama's side. In an attempt to mollify our group, the Obama supporter reluctantly dug into his pocket and pulled out another $100 bill. He humored us in a count off and awarded number 3, one of the most outspoken of Mrs. Clinton's supporters, $100 in hopes that we would merely be quiet and leave.
After that was finished, they moved on to a visiting district that was holding their caucus at our location. The proceedings got as far as the five visiting Hilary Clinton supporters' count off and subsequent award of $100 before we were asked to leave.
That, was my very first caucus. It was filled with taunts and finger-pointing and being ignored.
And here I foolishly thought that a caucus vote would ultimately count for something, since it occurred among a smaller group of people. In the end, my vote counted for nothing in my eyes. We were condescendingly informed that Hilary Clinton did not have enough people in her court, and that we either had to join Obama's side or leave the building.
Still ringing in my ears is the way that Obama’s supporters urged us to join them and them letting the retreating Clinton supporters know that ‘It’s not too late to change your minds’ as we left. I can still see in my mind the way that one Obama supporter would make a snide comment to the group, only to be hushed for fear that the evil Clinton supporters would complain once more. Is that really what caucuses are really supposed to be about? Is one candidate's group of supporters intended to have the run of things and show everyone else to the door?
That may be the case, as we were told that those were the rules of the caucus. However, in all of his adamant insistence of that particular rule, the Obama supporter with the pockets lined in $100 bills conveniently forgot to tell us that we could temporarily stay in the Obama camp if we wanted to attend the caucus, and could change our support toward Hilary Clinton as a later date.
Why weren’t we given that information? The Obama supporters were all too eager to tell us that our numbers counted for nothing and to show us the door, but why didn’t they also tell us that there was still a way to make something happen for the candidate of our choice? It wouldn’t have helped their candidate, that’s why. The entire night was as fixed as a carnival game.
So much for coming together in the Black community.
If I had known that there was even a chance that I could have effected some change in a democracy that I have long seen as a dysfunctional waste of time, I would have stayed and fought it out. I would have readily used the vacation time and my laptop computer fund that I have been dutifully saving to travel wherever need be to support Mrs. Clinton in her run for the White House. But I wasn't given the chance.
This situation was not entire the Obama supporters' fault, even if they were willing to manipulate a situation to their advantage and outright bribe register voters. No, I am partially to blame here. I could have researched the caucuses better, because not knowing should not be an excuse. In this case, I didn't even know that our caucuses existed up until last Friday.
I have been voting since I was 18-years-old and I never knew. I've even voted in a previous presidential primary before, and not one word was mentioned on the news or elsewhere back then that I could attend a caucus to submit a second, legal vote for my candidate. I'm 22 now and I don’t feel like ever bothering to vote for anything again. For what is the point in playing a game that's rigged? What is the point of voting for anything other than the status quo, if you're merely going to be steamrolled in the end?
To be perfectly honest, I have only been participating in the voting process to more or less honor those that sacrificed their own well being so that I would have the right vote just like white males. Twice my kind, both women and African-Americans, were shut out, but we made it there in the end. Quite frankly, I don't see a point in voting for anyone or anything, but then that's the way politics are supposed to operate. Aren't they?
Danielle
9:19 P.M. - 10:06 P.M.
aggravatedAt least that is what the media and the atmosphere of my local voting location insisted when I went in to vote last night. Not only was this sentiment a recurring theme of the day amongst the buttons, tee shirts, and stickers adorning the Obama supporters at my voting location, the candidate advertising signs lined along a narrow strip of grass that separates my former elementary school from the street screamed this absolute for all the world to see.
Of course, this is not taking into account the lone older woman I saw holding a heavily damaged Hilary Clinton sign and information handouts, who looked close to spitting venom at having been given the least favorable assignment of the day. She pretended not to hear me when I asked for one of her handouts, so I asked again. She looked me over, passed me a glossy advert, and tossed a tired ‘We appreciate your vote’ in my general direction. Other than her, there wasn’t a single Hilary Clinton sign present among the temporary forest of support for Barack Obama and Bruce Mosier.
It all amounted to this: I, Danielle, am a Black American. Therefore, I need not look elsewhere for another candidate, but instead should blindly step into line behind the first African-American male that presents the best chance that my people have ever had at reaching the White House's Oval Office. I should forget about any other candidate and what they have to bring to the presidency.
Right?
Wrong.
Oh, so wrong.
True, I do believe that we should support one another as a people, because unbelievable strength does grow within the community, but is that the only choice I should be offered?
It seemed apparent to me last night that my traitorous vote for Hilary Clinton morphed me into someone who was not fit to attend the much-anticipated Texas caucuses. Or, rather, our limited knowledge of the caucusing process was shamelessly exploited by Obama's supporters.
From the moment the caucus' written voting process began, the event was treated as a rally solely to support for Mr. Obama with little regard for the Hilary Clinton supporters that might have been present amongst the gathered crowd of over 300 people. After the votes were taken up, most of the crowd was dismissed if they did not wish to become a delegate or an alternate. Those of us who were left, about half of the original crowd, were instructed to separate onto either side of the room depending on which candidate we preferred.
Mr. Obama had the lion's share of those voters still present. However, there were eight of us who sat together supporting Mrs. Clinton.
Eight.
That was it.
Sure, there were a few others who lingered on our side of the room, but they turned out to either be confused, not capable of moving, or from a visiting district.
And so we turned to the Obama supporter who spent most of the evening directing our caucus. He informed everyone that we were going to have a prize of $100 given away to those people who stayed. The Obama supporter had the would-be delegates on Mr. Obama’s side of the cafeteria participate in a head count and then awarded number 77 $100 without so much as looking at our small group of Clinton supporters.
Naturally, there were complaints from our side. This resulted in the men and women who were directing the night's events rushing over to quiet the comments with excuses of the Obama supporter providing the money himself and that Hilary Clinton did not stand a chance for receiving any delegates from our area. Our area had 30 spots to its name, and not one of them was going to be given to us, not even one.
Of course, this sparked more complaints about the fact that we were not even given the opportunity to count off or participate in a giveaway, as the Obama supporter had turned his back to us and ignored our table while he directed the 164 people that readily flocked to Mr. Obama's side. In an attempt to mollify our group, the Obama supporter reluctantly dug into his pocket and pulled out another $100 bill. He humored us in a count off and awarded number 3, one of the most outspoken of Mrs. Clinton's supporters, $100 in hopes that we would merely be quiet and leave.
After that was finished, they moved on to a visiting district that was holding their caucus at our location. The proceedings got as far as the five visiting Hilary Clinton supporters' count off and subsequent award of $100 before we were asked to leave.
That, was my very first caucus. It was filled with taunts and finger-pointing and being ignored.
And here I foolishly thought that a caucus vote would ultimately count for something, since it occurred among a smaller group of people. In the end, my vote counted for nothing in my eyes. We were condescendingly informed that Hilary Clinton did not have enough people in her court, and that we either had to join Obama's side or leave the building.
Still ringing in my ears is the way that Obama’s supporters urged us to join them and them letting the retreating Clinton supporters know that ‘It’s not too late to change your minds’ as we left. I can still see in my mind the way that one Obama supporter would make a snide comment to the group, only to be hushed for fear that the evil Clinton supporters would complain once more. Is that really what caucuses are really supposed to be about? Is one candidate's group of supporters intended to have the run of things and show everyone else to the door?
That may be the case, as we were told that those were the rules of the caucus. However, in all of his adamant insistence of that particular rule, the Obama supporter with the pockets lined in $100 bills conveniently forgot to tell us that we could temporarily stay in the Obama camp if we wanted to attend the caucus, and could change our support toward Hilary Clinton as a later date.
Why weren’t we given that information? The Obama supporters were all too eager to tell us that our numbers counted for nothing and to show us the door, but why didn’t they also tell us that there was still a way to make something happen for the candidate of our choice? It wouldn’t have helped their candidate, that’s why. The entire night was as fixed as a carnival game.
So much for coming together in the Black community.
If I had known that there was even a chance that I could have effected some change in a democracy that I have long seen as a dysfunctional waste of time, I would have stayed and fought it out. I would have readily used the vacation time and my laptop computer fund that I have been dutifully saving to travel wherever need be to support Mrs. Clinton in her run for the White House. But I wasn't given the chance.
This situation was not entire the Obama supporters' fault, even if they were willing to manipulate a situation to their advantage and outright bribe register voters. No, I am partially to blame here. I could have researched the caucuses better, because not knowing should not be an excuse. In this case, I didn't even know that our caucuses existed up until last Friday.
I have been voting since I was 18-years-old and I never knew. I've even voted in a previous presidential primary before, and not one word was mentioned on the news or elsewhere back then that I could attend a caucus to submit a second, legal vote for my candidate. I'm 22 now and I don’t feel like ever bothering to vote for anything again. For what is the point in playing a game that's rigged? What is the point of voting for anything other than the status quo, if you're merely going to be steamrolled in the end?
To be perfectly honest, I have only been participating in the voting process to more or less honor those that sacrificed their own well being so that I would have the right vote just like white males. Twice my kind, both women and African-Americans, were shut out, but we made it there in the end. Quite frankly, I don't see a point in voting for anyone or anything, but then that's the way politics are supposed to operate. Aren't they?
Danielle
9:19 P.M. - 10:06 P.M.
I do wonder if anyone could actually do anything about this, but I emailed Hilary Clinton's website and the local news channels. I don't foresee very much happening, but who knows?
Sympathies
Re: Sympathies
And thanks for the linking. I'm not familiar with that site, because everyone's free to swing by for a read. : )