How Come the Rules Change When It Seems As Though A Black Man Will Win?

Can I just say that I, like many, have had enough of Hilary Clinton?! Someone please explain to me what internal or external factors of gianormous proportion could allow her to call for a recount at the Democratic National Convention and just how such an effort would bring the party together? Didn’t she step down? So, what’s the point of this catharsis she’s calling for?

Last week on the Today Show (Aug.4), Howard Fineman, senior political correspondent for Newsweek, compared dealing with the Clintons to competing in the decathlon—the most difficult sport in the Olympics. He also posed two questions: “Will the Clintons help Obama?”, and “Does Obama really need them?”

Throughout the whole political mess, Obama has given new meaning to grace under pressure. He may be taking the adage—keep your friends close and your enemies closer—a little too far. Allowing Hilary to speak at the DNC in a couple of weeks could be an ugly situation for the Senator from Illinois. It’s impossible to muzzle her, as we saw in clips from the Unity Tour, which Fineman described as anything but unifying. And former President Clinton’s statement regarding Obama being ready to lead wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy:

One could argue that no one is ever ready to be president. I certainly learned a lot my first year . . .

One could argue that a president should exercise more discretion.

This plea from Hilary Clinton reminds me of the second season finale of The Apprentice, Donald Trump’s show on NBC. He had two top finalists, one a black male, the other a white female. Randall Pinkett was clearly the winner; he outperformed all other candidates from day one of the show. When it came to the final announcement, Trump told Pinkett he was hired. But what should have been Randall Pinkett’s moment in the spotlight resulted in a dimming of lights. Trump cut the celebration short by posing the question: What about a co-apprentice? Now, why was that necessary? And if it was so important, given that the show was Trump’s why couldn’t he just announce that there were two winners instead of one? Instead, Pinkett was put in the awkward position to reiterate the rules. And he stated, "the show is not called the apprenti, but the apprentice." And the title was his, secured in a sea of boos and reduced applause.

Somehow the rules always change when it appears a black man is about to win the game. Why is that?

No one wants to about talk race, but escaping the race issue is never possible. In an interview several years ago with Barbara Walters, Novelist Alice Walker stated, “the color of one’s skin is the first thing you see when you look at a person—there’s no way around it. [It’s absurd for anyone to say they don’t see color.]” While Senator Obama is not the first African American to run for president, he is definitely the first to make it this far and with this level of support. Had Hilary lost to some one who looked more like her, would we be bracing ourselves for her comments at the DNC?

Until the “real” Hilary was unveiled during the campaign, I was a fan. The first woman president was going to do great things for the country and the world. Now I wish she would just bow out—not gracefully—way too late for that, but let it go, hell it’s gone. She stepped down, now sit down! This Greek drama Hilary’s talking about is her doing. Why do Democrats need to hear anything else about Hilary’s bid for office before they, we, can rally behind Senator Obama? Enough already!

I once thought that Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama would have been a great combination in the White House. But not any longer. Way too much of a power struggle would exist—no unity whatsoever—just constant one-ups—not a good look for international or national affairs. History has shown that a divided party does not win presidential elections. Clinton claims that she wants to give the people a chance to be heard by calling for a recount at the convention. So what did she hear when she withdrew from the race and when did that message change?

Sources: The Today Show, August 4, 2008; Interview with Matt Lauer and Howard Fineman
The Apprentice, Season 2
My memory of the Barbara Walters interview with Alice Walker, 20/20, years ago on the property that inspired The Color Purple