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In the past few days I’ve heard and read from many Obama supporters.
“Oh, they’re gonna steal this election (the Republicans).”

Courtesy of JMKnapp

The 2008 political season has been like few others in history. Never has a political race encompassed all the cultural conflicts of race, gender and age all at the same time. The Democratic Party, with the first black man to be nominated to run for president and the first female presidential candidate to be a real contender for the presidential nomination has set the tone of change for this election. Even the Green Party took notice by being the first party to nominate an African American woman, a former Democratic congress official, and her young, intelligent hip hop scholar running mate. The GOP is not willing to be labeled resistant to change by letting the other parties claim all the historic political firsts of this year’s U.S Presidential Election. As a result, Republican Presidential nominee John McCain has selected the Republican Party’s first female presidential running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

No stranger to being first, Palin made political history in Alaska as the first woman to claim the governor’s chair when she reported to work as the 11th governor of Alaska in December of 2006. Prior to being elected governor, Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and two terms as the mayor of Wasilla.

Governor Palin, the youngest member of the two teams vying for the White House, has shot up the ladder to be positioned as a potential second-in-command at the Oval Office. Despite her short political resume, McCain and his GOP constituents hope that she will represent the tide of change Americans are looking for without a changing of the guard.

The vice presidential selection is very strategic in the fact that if something happens to the president the next in line must be prepared to take over. Choosing Palin, regardless of being twenty-eight years younger than her running mate and lacking long-term national political experience, John McCain is making a clear statement that despite his age, he plans to last the entire presidential run if elected.

This selection has several ramifications. First it negates the GOP argument that Obama is too green to be president. While Palin isn’t running for the top job that could be the result if the Republican ticket is selected and McCain fails to outlast his term. Regardless of age or health, it is foolish not to prepare for that scenario when selecting the presidential running mate. Second, if that scenario were to play out, it would be an interesting turn of events considering Hillary Clinton’s feminine campaign platform. Next, Palin represents the GOP’s attempt to capture the female voters who are still unhappy about Hillary’s loss and not willing to throw support behind Obama. Lastly, McCain’s selection shows his true maverick style and desire to prove that he too can be a change agent instead of a symbol of the same old political message.

The purpose of this article, while not the usual multicultural analysis shared here, does reveal the intricacies of multiculturalism. Many would view the differences between men and women to be as culturally dissimilar as the differences between races and religions. As a result, it is necessary to explore all the political events that impact every aspect of multicultural society, not just those that impact race.

       Earlier this year marked the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The recognition of this dark event in history is remembered amidst a series of potential political firsts. Both sides speak to the transformation King’s fight has created which brings us to this juncture. Only Rev. King had the foresight to believe that Blacks, Whites, men, women, young and old would be working toward a common good. In today’s political climate each category previously mentioned is represented in three candidates: Barrack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain.

      Each of these candidates speaks to the influences of MLK and Ronald Reagan. Although political and social activism was marked by the assassinations of JFK, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers, not until MLK was gunned down and much later when The Gipper lost his senses, have we looked to resurrect a leader to carry on those values. Undeniably, every legacy is sustained in how it is remembered.

      Reagan is remembered for his tough stance on drugs and his conservative political theory. While MLK is remembered for his utopian view of society’s future where we as a people would be respected for our differences and united by our longer list of similarities.

      Getting there requires the honest education of society and all of its members, not a candy-coated education that makes history easier to swallow, but an unbiased history reflecting every participant’s strengths and weaknesses.

      I can recall the uneasiness in the eyes of my Caucasian high school social studies teacher when he spotted the Autobiography of Malcolm X on my desk. Or later, the curiosity of my Caucasian coworkers during a lunch break when I pulled out a book entitled Martin, Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare which compared and contrasted the doctrines of Dr. King and Malcolm X. Education is so powerful, that a search to educate oneself about his or her own culture and the contributions from members of that culture raises the eyebrow of the collective majority. Shouldn’t the minority just accept what is said about them and their culture by the white majority?

     If so, what this amounts to is a lot of rosy colored reflections about history and about some of our most respected leaders. It is easier to remember MLK for his eloquent speeches and his nonviolent protests. It’s interesting how the most referenced words of Dr. King come from his “I Have Dream” and his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speeches. Little reference is made about the disappointment MLK felt toward America for its involvement in the Vietnam War as expressed in his “Beyond Vietnam” speech. King’s nonviolent stance was not restricted to the black community’s response to racial oppression. King recognized the hypocrisy of fighting oppression and violence with more oppression and violence. No disappointment could exist where there was not once pride.

      King’s legacy, much like history, should not be picked apart and misquoted to suit the purpose for the moment. To carry on the vision is to understand the whole man behind that vision. Not doing so is to leave very little hope in sustaining a successor for the cause. Who would dare take the charge of the demigod we have created. One that is selfless and without flaws. No one could succeed by that standard. The history of one and his contributions must be remembered in its entirety in order to do the most good.

In an election season, I reflect on how politics is conditioned to consider what is placed front and center.

About a month or so ago, I came across some exciting news. Not only is Barrack Obama soon to be the first African American selected as a Presidential nominee, but this season has also witnessed the first selection of an African American woman to be selected as a Presidential nominee for the Green Party. As a former Democratic Congresswoman and single-mother, Cynthia McKinney caught my attention. I not only became captivated by this news story because of the lack of press it received, but also because of her former Democratic roots. With many people tired of the shrinking list of differences between the to primary parties, I became more interested in a party that would consider nominating an African American women to represent their interests in the race for the White House.

Many suggest that third party politics is inconsequential. But several political second runners-up like Al Gore may beg to differ thanks to the likes of folks like Ralph Nadar. When researching the third party’s place in politics of today, several share the same sentiment. Why throw your vote away on a third party candidate? It is such narrow thinking that keeps many doing what they have always done and therefore getting the same results they’ve always got. If enough people demand that the media and political leaders provide more diversity of opinions that truly represent all of us, casting a vote may return to being the most cherished right we have in this country.

It really disgusts me that the only political news coverage we see is focused on the same old fogies operating from behind the scenes while McCain and Obama swing and sway to win the country’s biggest popularity contest. The media claims to only bring the news that interests their audiences but often they get it wrong. We’ve seen it in politics, in CNN’s Black in America series and in the media’s overkill of tributes to Tim Russert. I watched TV all weekend and didn’t see one news bulletin about the deaths of Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes. I found out when I went on the web Monday morning.

Instead of complaining, I am going to assist in providing that broader coverage of political media. This is not to dissuade current political positions but to provide all the options for consideration. I hope you’ll join me in seeking out all that the media, political or otherwise, is not telling you.