John Edwards: Taking a closer Look

I just finished reading a post (below) by the blogger, The Thought Merchant. Wow, did the Thought Merchant make me think differently about the upcoming Presidential Primaries and the Race for the Presidency. I've now decided to take a second look at John Edwards. Maybe a whole lot of black folks should too.

AAPP

John Edwards: Shouldn’t Black America Take a Closer Look?

By Thought Merchant

John Edwards has the boldest platform addressing issues that are crucial to African Americans. Yet in the smoke screen of “The Great Black Hype”, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton’s perceived “Black Husband”, Bill Clinton, John Edwards is getting little traction in the polls as well as in fund-raising. Why is this the case? Unfortunately, because African Americans are being pushed in the political direction of two candidates whose main concerns are not primary to the sensibilities of the Black Community.

Hillary Clinton as a candidate must foster the image of strength and security when it comes to foreign policy. Because of her gender, and Bill Clinton’s record of cutting the military budget, Hillary must seem more hawkish than the normal Democratic candidate. Hence, the domestic issues that are of main concern to African Americans cannot afford to be her priority.

The naivete of Blacks in supporting Hillary Clinton due to Bill Clinton’s perceived sympathy to their cause has been shown on this blog to be misplaced. Nonetheless, Hillary will still garner great support among African Americans because of this erroneous perception.

Barack Obama as a candidate lives in constant fear of alienating white supporters by seeming too aggressive on the core “Black” issues. Obama is paying lip service to the normal domestic agenda Democrats eagerly toss about, but his campaign lacks any passion in its attempt to tailor policy that inspires the masses of the Black electorate.

Barack Obama is White America’s feel good candidate. He’s like that one Black friend a White person may have that allows him to feel that he’s not a racist. Obama’s candidacy is a fantasy for Whites in that it deludes them into believing that somehow his popularity proves America is beyond race. Obama’s candidacy is a curse for Blacks because he has to keep a healthy distance from the African American political agenda so as to not offend White liberal sensibilities. Read More HERE