What About Our Daughters?: Michelle Obama Urges Black Women to Vote For Her Husband: Um, Why the Heck Should We?

I thought it was just Roland Martin that was obsessed with Black women voting for Barack Obama, but apparently Barack Obama has suddenly gotten interested in Black women too and he sent no less than Michelle, the Obama that ought to be running for President, to SC to basically say as much.

Seems Michelle Obama wants Black women to vote for Barack Obama instead of Billary Clinton ( come on y'all, Y'all know the love is all about Bill and not Hill. Who are we kidding.).:

Michelle Obama, 43, is especially challenging other black women, who'll be pivotal in the South Carolina primary, to consider whether they're torn between the two leading Democratic candidates because they identify with Clinton as a woman, admire her experience or loved Bill Clinton as president, or because racism has shaded their instincts. SOURCE

The truth is that the most powerful Black women on planet earth live in South Carolina right now. Michelle Obama wants their votes, my question is why should they give it to her husband other than he appears to be a nice guy?

Now on some things I have to agree completely with Michelle. Of all the reasons NOT to vote for her husband, one of them should not be because you fear that if he wins his life would be imperiled.

"I know it's also about love," she said. "I know people care about Barack and our family. I know people want to protect us and themselves from disappointment and failure. I know people are proud of us. SOURCE

Are y'all serious with that foolishness? The very nature of being the President of the United States carries great personal risk. That's why we got that whole section of the Department of Treasury dedicated to keeping the POTUS safe.

I mean under that reasoning, Harriet Tubman would have stayed a slave because the risk of running away was great. The risk of returning repeatedly was even greater. We are not a the descendants of a bunch of shrinking violets! Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth. Suck it up Black people! Y'all act like we ain't ever faced perilous times and survived. Middle Passage anybody? Foolishness! Somewhere our great-great grandmothers are just steaming at these folks in SC. You think they had security details protecting our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers in the Jim Crow South? Get a grip already. I know we're raised believing that it is our solemn duty to "protect" Black men, but seriously, he'll be fine. NEXT!

Regarding this “America will never elect a Black president” foolishness. You mean in the same way that a Black man would never win the heavy weight title of the world or the way a Black man could never win the 100 yard dash or the way a black man could never be the CEO of Time Warner or a Black man could never be a billionaire or the way a Black person could never win an gold medal at the winter Olympics? Anybody ever heard of Johnetta Flowers. Who knows what America will or won't do. There was a time when people thought that If you sailed too far to the West, you would fall off the Earth- those folks were wrong too.

"I'm asking you to believe in yourselves. I'm asking you to stop settling for the world as it is and to help us make the world as it should be." SOURCE

Michelle was a lot more diplomatic about it, but basically what she is saying is that y'all need to stop being a bunch of self defeating Black folks.

“I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” Harriet Tubman

Thank You Harriet! That slave mentality is so 20^th century. Our playing small does not serve the world. So what if you vote for him and he loses. Big deal. I vote for people who don't stand a rats chance in Hades all the time. Besides, I got ~~$20~~ $5 that says Billary faces just as much of a hurdle in the general election as any other Democratic candidate including Barack Obama. If you are going to NOT vote for someone because they might lose, then Billary Clinton would seem the logical choice for NOT getting your vote based on your reasoning. Let that mess go. Please.

So now that we've dealt with the foolishness, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

The core of her message in South Carolina is her argument that Obama, more than Clinton, former North Carolina senator John Edwards or any other presidential candidate, will do more for blacks because he understands them better.

Now see, about right here is where Michelle and I part ways. Sorry Michelle...I must take umbrage with that notion.

Will Black America be better off under an Obama administration than it will under a Billary Clinton, Edwards, Richardson, Gravel, Kucinich, Dodd, Biden, Gravel Administration? Hmmm Michelle, I have my doubts.

Just to be clear, I am not aware of any of these candidates making any principled stands on behalf of Black women . No, Hillary does not get credit for Bill's administration. Besides, have you ever heard of Lani Guinier? ( case closed).

Somebody, point to some legislation sponsored by Billary, Obama, Dodd, Edwards, Biden, or Kucinich on behalf of Black women. Really quick now! *crickets chirp*

So now that we have established that not a single Democratic or Republican candidate for President has drafted, enacted, or at least talked about any legislation, initiative, or catfish fry to benefit Black women, what are we left with? The superficial.

Let's state the obvious: Barack Obama is Black *GASP* I never knew that! Shocked. Absolutely shocked! [sic]

But IF (Huge “IF”)I vote for Obama, it won't be because HE is Black, it will most likely be because he's married to a Black woman and is the father of little Black girls and hopefully THAT will make him slightly, remotely, tangentially interested in the future for Black women. Although based on his campaign so far, we can't be too sure can we.

From our dealings with his STAFF, they appear to be rude OR outright frightened of Black women (check for yourself- you have to get past the initial volunteer for the foolishness to start flying Obama For America number, 866-675-2008) and THAT does not bode well for Black women in an Obama administration, but I don't think we'd fare any better in a Clinton administration either. I mean at least Barack Obama didn't act as if he was possessed by the ghost of Hattie McDaniel when he got up to speak in Selma, unlike some other candidate (look at this foolishness here):

Patronizing much? Bill, seriously, get 'ya wife please and cease the fake southern accent. Double boo!

So VOTE FOR OBAMA..... Because He's married to Michelle.

Not because he has drafted any legislation providing for a comprehensive clean up of the wreckage of Katrina still lying strewn around New Orleans. HE HASN'T

Not because he is leading to the fight to provide federal grant money to research about heart disease, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, prostate cancer, AIDs, hypertension or any other diseases afflicting Black women at alarming rates. HE ISN'T!

Not because he has spoken about forcefully about violence against Black women. HE WON'T! We can't even get him to have an intern type up a two line statement about the Dysfunction that has beset West Palm Beach, FL in the aftermath of the Dunbar Village crime. He won't even pick up a phone and call Alphonso Jackson/Johnson of HUD and light a fire under him.

Not because he raised any alarms or put pressure on regulators regarding sub prime mortgages BEFORE Black women basically sold their souls for trillions of dollars in ARMS. HE DIDN'T!

Not because he has vowed to include African American women at the highest levels of his administration. Have y'all heard such a pledge? *crickets chirping* HE HASN'T!

Does Barack Obama care about Black women and children on a POLICY or LEGISLATIVE LEVEL? Sadly, my answer is... MAYBE...NOT!

It isn't necessarily his fault. Black women share the blame. Because unlike other groups, we don't come up with our own agenda. How the heck do they know how to pander to us if they have no clue what we want. Right now, pandering to Black women consists of going to a bunch of Black churches, throwing gospel concerts and getting endorsements from a bunch of random famous Black folks.

Why do we sell our votes so cheap? YEAH IS SAID SELL! The labor unions don't want a gospel concert. The corporate donors won't settle for a couple of visits to church. The government contractors won't be satisfied by an endorsement by some preacher? Their support has a price. They expect something in return other than a candidate's good intentions. Black women, we give away our support for FREE.

The Black women of South Carolina have the greatest political capital on the face of the planet, until January, and then these candidates, like locusts, will move on to feast elsewhere. If Black women don't extract concessions and promises out of them, but instead settle for a bunch of gospel infused theater, then whose fault is that? We set the price for our support, and you will NEVER get more than what you ask for.

All you Obama maniacs, spare me your comments to the contrary. You might want to spend your time asking him about Dunbar Village. Until he does what his STAFF said he would do related to Dunbar Village, I really ain't trying to hear about how Obama is going to do more for Black women than any of these other folks running for president. Stick with the superficial arguments, they are much stronger.

So the best I can manage is “Vote for Obama Because He's Married to Michelle!” I wish I could say more, but Barack hasn't given me much to work with.

Just to be clear. I ain't a fan of any of them other than Mike Gravel, and that has nothing to do with whether or not Gravel would make a decent president, but because quite frankly, he's entertaining to watch. Check out Gravel doing his own “ alternative “ debate after the Chicken Noodle Network kept him from participating in a recent Democratic debate. I love it! "She's IGNORANT! She's IGNORANT!" - Train wrecky goodness.

For those of you interested in going on a road trip to SC for the MLK holiday and the CBC Debate in Myrtle Beach to raise awareness about Dunbar Village, join the WAOD Action Center.