My mom, the racist (and Democrat)

You ever have a sudden inspiration about something that you wished you had said in a conversation hours, days, or years before? Of course you have, we all do that. A few hours ago, I was talking to my mom on the phone, and the conversation somehow drifted into politics for a few minutes. She said she was going to vote for Hillary, which was a bit of a surprise to me. The last election that I think I know how she voted was the 1984 election, and I'm pretty sure she voted for Reagan. So I always assumed she was a former Democrat who went Republican during Reagan's first term, like my dad, who's been a Rush Limbaugh fan for over a decade.

I dismissively said momma, you're not a democrat, to which she said, oh yeah, I'm all about Hillary. Huh, I thought. And said, well what if Obama gets the nomination, you're going to vote for him, right? Or at least, that's what I would've said, if she hadn't cut me off. He's too arrogant, she said. If he gets the nomination, she's just not going to vote at all.

So we discussed it back and forth for a few minutes, she said she wasn't racist but she wouldn't vote for him. She also said all of them (and if you grew up like I did, any time you heard the word "them" used in a certain way, you know that meant black people. And I don't necessarily mean my family, I mean anybody. All my life, I've been in conversations like that, where someone lowers their voice just a little, maybe even leans in, and talks confidentially to you about "them" like we were all in an exclusive club or something) would be voting for him anyway. Oh, she said, they always turn out to vote if it was one of them running. And then she talked something about how they elected the black mayor of her town, the black superintendent, etc. etc. We bickered a little more about politics then started talking about other things.

Later, I related some of this to my wife, who immediately said that was code for "uppity" when I got to the part about Obama being arrogant. Yeah, I shoulda said that. Damn! Now, a few hours later than that, I thought of something else I should have said. You know what? Yeah they should turn out when one of their "own" is running. Actually, they should turn out for every election, something that drives me nuts. I believe Mississippi would always be in play politically every election cycle if the black folks would just turn out and vote. But they don't, and we get stuck with good ol' boy chumps like Hayley Barbour as governor. Getting back to my point though, yeah they should turn out when someone who looks like them is running for an office like president, and with a credible chance no less. It's just my opinion of course, but I think one major reason why black people don't vote like they should is because they just don't see the point. They feel like nothing will change no matter who is in there. And you know what, for the most part they are right. Certainly not when a Republican was president, and rarely when a Dem was president, have they really been able to say "he cares about us and our issues."

But this year could be different. Two different "minorities" have very credible chances to become POTUS. Women should be falling over themselves to vote for Hillary Clinton, their first real chance to claim the highest office in the land. Black people should be turning out in droves to vote for Obama for the same reason. And whoever ultimately receives the nomination, both of those groups should overwhelmingly support the Democratic candidate. For all the history of this nation, only one group has ever held the office, white males. White Christian males. What is today a true minority has had a veritable stranglehold on our country for all our lives. I think it's important for the health of the nation that black kids, little girls, Latinos, Asians and every other "minority" you can think of can have a dream that one day they might be president-- and have it not be a pipe dream. Until we elect an Obama or a Hillary, that's all it will ever be.

I didn't tell my mom any of that, and I don't think it would matter if I had. And honestly, I still plan to cast my vote for Edwards in the primary. But whoever does win the nomination, that's who I'm voting for. And hopefully, after this election, a lot more people will dare to dream.