Gan
10-13-2008, 01:28 PM
I can always tell when my best friend needs to talk ASAP.
I was in the shower when I heard my cell phone ring. Then my work cell phone. Then my home phone. I hopped out of the shower and phoned her right back.
She was livid. "Girrrl..." she growled, "Who is that black fool up there in Wisconsin? Is that brother crazy??"
The "fool" she was talking about is a colleague of mine. Newsradio 620 WTMJ radio host James T. Harris. He's actually not a fool at all. He's a very nice --- albeit highly opinionated --- man.
But James found himself on the national hotseat this week. Smack dab in the middle of the presidential campaign.
Remember that McCain rally in Waukesha last week? Remember that black guy who stood up and begged --- begged --- McCain to ramp up the personal attacks on Barack Obama? That was James. And his "begging" soundbite was played ad nauseum on CNN, Fox News, NBC, etc. all day Friday.
And African Americans across the country were furious. Not just because a black man was speaking out so openly against Barack Obama. But because of the symbolism of what James did.
There he was just off stage, literally standing at McCain's feet, begging "the man" to take a black man to task. As you can imagine, that kind of falls under the category of taboo.
And, for some, bugaboo.
James received thousands of emails. People accused him of being an "Uncle Tom". A sellout. Questioned his manhood.
Threatened his life.
I interviewed James about the whole controversy.
Here's the link to that interview: http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/30825819.html
A couple of the things James told me were very thought provoking.
First off, James and his wife had arrived late at the McCain rally. Yet ushers escorted him right to the front of the stage. A location where television cameras could capture them sitting right behind McCain. Interesting, considering that he was one of only a handful of black people in the room.
And during our interview I asked James about the idea of having a black president. "Black folks want to know," I asked, "Don't you want your children to know that they can grow up and be president one day? As a black man, wouldn't you like to see that?"
The essence of James' answer was this: He supports ideology, not symbolism. As a conservative, he said, he does not support many Democratic policies. Period. For him, this election is not about Barack Obama. It's about abortion, the economy, etc.
Well, whatever you may think of James, his politics, or what happened at that Waukesha rally, one thing is clear:
This is a very emotional time in America. And the historic nature of this election has thrust us all into unchartered territory.
But once again this election has sparked a discussion on race, at a time when Americans are trying to decide the country's future... while grappling with its past.
http://www.todaystmj4.com/bloggers/walcottthoughts/30850714.html
I was in the shower when I heard my cell phone ring. Then my work cell phone. Then my home phone. I hopped out of the shower and phoned her right back.
She was livid. "Girrrl..." she growled, "Who is that black fool up there in Wisconsin? Is that brother crazy??"
The "fool" she was talking about is a colleague of mine. Newsradio 620 WTMJ radio host James T. Harris. He's actually not a fool at all. He's a very nice --- albeit highly opinionated --- man.
But James found himself on the national hotseat this week. Smack dab in the middle of the presidential campaign.
Remember that McCain rally in Waukesha last week? Remember that black guy who stood up and begged --- begged --- McCain to ramp up the personal attacks on Barack Obama? That was James. And his "begging" soundbite was played ad nauseum on CNN, Fox News, NBC, etc. all day Friday.
And African Americans across the country were furious. Not just because a black man was speaking out so openly against Barack Obama. But because of the symbolism of what James did.
There he was just off stage, literally standing at McCain's feet, begging "the man" to take a black man to task. As you can imagine, that kind of falls under the category of taboo.
And, for some, bugaboo.
James received thousands of emails. People accused him of being an "Uncle Tom". A sellout. Questioned his manhood.
Threatened his life.
I interviewed James about the whole controversy.
Here's the link to that interview: http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/30825819.html
A couple of the things James told me were very thought provoking.
First off, James and his wife had arrived late at the McCain rally. Yet ushers escorted him right to the front of the stage. A location where television cameras could capture them sitting right behind McCain. Interesting, considering that he was one of only a handful of black people in the room.
And during our interview I asked James about the idea of having a black president. "Black folks want to know," I asked, "Don't you want your children to know that they can grow up and be president one day? As a black man, wouldn't you like to see that?"
The essence of James' answer was this: He supports ideology, not symbolism. As a conservative, he said, he does not support many Democratic policies. Period. For him, this election is not about Barack Obama. It's about abortion, the economy, etc.
Well, whatever you may think of James, his politics, or what happened at that Waukesha rally, one thing is clear:
This is a very emotional time in America. And the historic nature of this election has thrust us all into unchartered territory.
But once again this election has sparked a discussion on race, at a time when Americans are trying to decide the country's future... while grappling with its past.
http://www.todaystmj4.com/bloggers/walcottthoughts/30850714.html