Well? What did you think about the presidential debate?
It wasn't really a debate if you ask me..the candidates weren't engaged debating each other, they each just had to respond to questions by the moderator.
Questions? What kind of questions?
Most of the questions were geared toward the 9/11 attacks, homeland security and Iraq.
So who do you think won?
Kerry was definitely the most fluid and prepared for the questions..Bush came across as a bit befuddled at times.
So Kerry sounded smart and Bush sounded simple?
In some ways..but the thing about Bush that most people don't get, is that he's one of those Texas good ol boys and he's all about sticking to his guns.
'Sticking to his guns'??
Yeah..the majority of Bush's support is from conservatives..and when you listen to the things he says, Bush wants everybody to believe that he's all about what's best for the family and if that means making some hard decisions of pre-emptive strikes to defend our nation..he'll pull the trigger.
C'mon now..this is 2004, most people don't get caught up into all that John Wayne talk.
Actually, some of Bush's strongest support groups are the religious groups.
Huh?
Yeah..Bush is a 'born again' Christian and when you listen to a lot of the things he says, it's geared to prick the hearts of those who believe and abide by the Word of God.
I don't understand.
Well take one of the questions, 'Has the war been worth the loss of life?' Bush was waiting on this one and his response blended 1st hand contact and prayer:
You know, I think about Missy Johnson. She's a fantastic lady I met in Charlotte, North Carolina. She and her son Brian, they came to see me. Her husband, P.J., got killed. He'd been in Afghanistan, went to Iraq.
You know, it's hard work to try to love her as best as I can, knowing full well that the decision I made caused her loved one to be in harm's way.
I told her after we prayed and teared up and laughed some that I thought her husband's sacrifice was noble and worthy. Because I understand the stakes of this war on terror. I understand that we must find al Qaeda wherever they hide.
Oh I see what you mean..Bush is trying to present himself as a man of God..right?
Right! And there's still a very strong community of Americans who hold a candidates religious faith in high regard when they're deciding who to vote for.
So is Kerry one of those atheist dudes or something?
No..Kerry is Catholic.
That's religious too..right?
Yeah, but the thing about religion, is that it's one thing to say you have faith, but then there's another thing to demonstrate your faith through your actions. If the knock on Bush has been his good ol boy veneer, the knock on Kerry has been his readiness to waiver on the issues. Kerry was lambasting Bush about striking Iraq without the support of the global community, but back when the vote was put to the senate, Kerry voted in support of the pre-emptive strike.
So which one are you going to vote for the cowboy or the scarecrow?
I don't know yet, cuz I don't trust either one of them for their word. All I know is that we ALL need to pray for America mane..we have issues.
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Believe it or not, I've never been one to get real deep into political issues. I just wanted to do what I wanted to do and let the world deal with everything else. But as you get older, you realize you have to face politics in everything that you do. From school, to neighborhood groups, to work groups, there are political motives involved in almost every aspect of our society. Of course this means that when candidates put themselves out there to be judged by the voting public, they have to present themselves in a politically correct way. I'm sure a lot of the things they REALLY believe, they can't say all the time, because it will alienate too many people. You can't turn voters away, you've got to find a way to make them be on your side.
My realization of this 'political correctness' was first brought to light when I was in high school and I had to run for an 'office' of the student body. As I was going around the school with the other candidates, campaigning from classroom to classroom, I found myself being 'caught up' in the hype. Although I was only running for the position of Secretary in our Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS), I found myself caught up in the political machine.
Question: D. Washington, why do you want to be Secretary?
Great question! (always sound enthused and ready) I've been a student here at Booker T. Washington and the High School for Engineering Professions for 2 years, and I felt that this was my opportunity to give back, to a school and to a society which has played such a vital role in my development.
Don't that sound good? The masses were eating it up too! They liked it! But of course I could have been REAL and told them the whole truth:
Cuz my advisor says we have a better chance of getting into good universities if we have a lot of extracurricular activities on our application..especially the ones that show positions of leadership.
But somehow I knew that if I broke it all the way down to the real, it wouldn't help my chances of being elected. Of course, like all elections, it turned into a popularity contest, and since I had a reputation of being one of the 'smart' students who was still 'of the people', I won that election by a significant margin. My opponent was one of the 'smart' people too..but his personality came across a bit more..John Kerryish if you know what I mean..kinda bland. I had that Southside flavor ready for them, I hooped and played baseball with the fellas, I was pushing up on the girls like all the 'regular' guys and I was always ready to cap (verbal spats of derision) on whoever wanted some..so I won.
My next foray into the political arena was when I was an undergraduate student at Stanford University. Since I was an engineering major, it made sense to join the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). NSBE is a national student organization geared toward meeting the needs of Black collegiate scientist and engineers. My freshman year I campaigned and won the position of Secretary. My sophomore year I campaigned and won the position of President.
Once again, it comes down to how you present yourself to the voting group. My strength has always been my ability to relate to the common man. No airs, no fronting, just keeping it real. Now if everybody knew me to be some dude that was a big dummy and flunking most of my classes, then I wouldn't have had much political pull. But once again, people like candidates who take care of the business, but at the same time, candidates that can relate to Joe Six Pack have their own appeal. I was always a contributor to our long study sessions and I was also known for drinking a lot of six packs, so it was a smooth fit for me.
My last excursion into the political arena was when I ran for a regional office in NSBE. This was on a larger scale than just the chapter offices, regional offices meant all the student chapters throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon..all the schools in Region VI (GOO SIX!!) assembled at the regional conference once a year to vote for the various board positions that need to be filled. Being a black engineer from Stanford had it's own challenges, because a lot of folks who didn't go to Stanford assumed we were all stuck up and snobbish. Once they met me, they couldn't always figure me out, because I was kicking it with all these smart upper middle class black folks, but yet I acted like your average hood n'ga in a lot of ways.
Where the dranks? Who's throwing the party? Ya'll wanna get some fried chicken??
Each candidate had 7 minutes to get up to the podium in front of a ballroom with several hundred black engineering students in it and give our campaign speech, with the general assembly vote to follow. Since Stanford is pretty much an isolated campus, most of the people in the assembly were laying eyes on D. Washington for the first time, so I knew I had to make a good impression if I wanted to win the position of Vice-Chair. Forunately, I had my Bruhs supporting me, passing out, 'Vote for D. Washington' flyers and such and right there in my ear coaching me on before my speech was my brother Okon. Okon was an 'old school' bruh who had taken a lot of us younger bruhs under his wing and he showed us how to get things done.
No matter what you do D..always remember that you want them to vote for YOU.
When you have a political goal, there are a lot of personal things that you will put to the side out of display to maintain as large a group of voters as possible. I'm sure Kerry and Bush face these same struggles, but on a much more intense level on their campaign trails. Being true to themselves and their core beliefs, but at the same time demonstrating that they are the best candidate for the job. Some people won't vote for you if they find out you drink alchohol or had a lot of children out of wedlock or even if they find out you go to a church that doesn't worship God the same way they do.
Unlike a lot of Americans, I don't vote for candidates just because they're affiliated with a certain political party. Instead, I try to take the time and really focus in on the candidate and what really drives them..what they're all about. There's good and bad things to say about both Bush and Kerry, but when it comes down to the decision we're going to have to make this November, it's going to be about what's best for our country and even more specifically, what's best for our families. No matter WHO you think is best for the job, make sure you get out to that poll and exercise your right to vote. It DOES make a difference mane.
