Dear Save America:

I am a Black American

I have followed both campaigns, Republicans and Democrats since the beginning. I have watched Barack Obama, a complete unknown, come from nowhere and deliver a knock out punch to Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill, just like Joe Lewis or Muhammad Ali would have done if they were in the ring with them. What Barack Obama accomplished was unheard of in American Politics since the founding of our great Nation over 400 years ago. In fact you could, by all accounts, consider it a miracle.

After he won the Democratic nomination I was so proud of him and I was so proud of being an American, especially a Black American. I even found myself saying that I and millions of other Black Americans must vote for him just because he is Black. In fact I even sent out an email, which some of you may have received, saying that a Black vote for Obama was justified because White folks have arrested us for DWB (Driving While Black) in White neighborhoods. Because White folks wouldn’t let us eat at their restaurants. Because White folks wouldn’t let us drink from the same drinking fountains. Because White folks wouldn’t let us live where we wanted. Because White folks made us sit in the back of the bus. You all know what I’m saying.

Then I got to thinking. If I voted for a man, any man, just because he was Black, then I would be just as guilty as the White man who wouldn’t let me in his restaurants or made me sit in the back of his bus. Instead of helping to heal the rift between our people, Black & White, I would be perpetuating the division between Black Americans and White Americans. Is this what Doctor Martin Luther King taught? Is this what Doctor Martin Luther King wanted for America. No, absolutely no. One Hundred Percent no! Doctor King wanted one America. An Undivided America. No, it would not be right to vote for a man just because he was Black.

But wait I thought, what if the Black man, was the most qualified of all the candidates. Yes, that’s it. That’s the answer. I can vote for a man or a woman, Black, White, Brown or Yellow, if he or she is the most qualified. I will put America first. I will put My Country First. Not my Color first but my Country first! Finally I had the Answer I was searching for.

Wow, what a relief. A Great burden has been lifted from my shoulders. I now know who to vote for; or do I. Is Barack Obama the most qualified candidate for President?  What did I want in a President? What qualities and traits should my President have? I read the newspapers. I surfed the Web. I watched television. I listened to all the speeches from both sides. I even watched the Democratic and Republican Conventions. I am no dummy. I can make an informed decision based on everything I have seen and heard with my own eyes. OK, here I go.

Obama’ experience: Community organizer. Huh, what’s that? Did he ever run a business? No. Was he ever a mayor of a city? No. Was he ever a Governor of a State? No. Wait a minute, I know. He is a lawyer who graduated from Columbia and Harvard. He is smart. Yeh, but another lawyer in Washington, is that what we really need? Probably not a plus. Oh, I forgot he was an Illinois State Senator from 1997 to 2004. But I found out he couldn’t make a decision about a lot of things that came up for votes in the Illinois Senate. Usually there are only two sides of an issue, which require a Yes or No vote. But I found out that Barack Obama found a third type of vote he could use in the Illinois Senate. Instead of voting Yes or No, like every other politician should do if he is to represent his constituency, Barack Obama voted “Present”. Huh? Present. I found out that means he was there, in the room. Remember when you were in school your teacher would call the roll and you would answer “Present”. Schools out Obama. Obama was being paid to represent the People of Chicago and that meant being Present AND Voting, not answering Present when asked to vote. How many times did he do this. I wish I didn’t have to tell you, I wish I could answer “Present”, but it was 130 times. Yikes!

As if this wasn't bad enough, now fast forward to the Saddleback Church interview with Obama by Pastor Rick Warren, in August, 2008, a full 4 years after Obama left the Illinois Senate and was the presumptive Democratic nominee. When Pastor Warren asked Obama's opponent, John McCain, when does life begin, McCain did not hesitate. He answered immediately and forcefully and unequivocally  "at conception". What was Obama's answer to the exact same question "That's above my paygrade". Isn't that the same thing as answering "Present"!

But I am getting ahead of myself a little. I wondered why Obama would not take a stand on 130 votes in the Illinois Senate. Why he answered "Present" instead of yes or no or yeah or nay, in legislative speak. After researching this a little I found out it was a trick used by ambitious politicians whose primary mission in life is to seek higher office. By answering "Present" Obama could avoid having a record that could be tracked and used against him in future elections. Wow, I thought, he really was smart. Instead of voting to try juvenile defenders in Illinois as adults, which would have upset the Black community, he answered "Present". So now the Black Community would not be upset with him and no one could say in the future Obama voted to try juveniles as adults. But then you might ask, why didn't Obama just vote No in order to appease the Black Community. Because a No vote would have looked as if he were soft on crime to White voters. So, by voting "Present" Obama has no track record. As the old saying goes, Obama had his cake and ate it too. Very clever. But you know what? Obama says he he not a politician. He is not a Washington insider. He is for changing the old ways. Then why did he use this old political trick of answering Present instead of taking a position on the issues.  This is not what I want in my President.

Something else started to bother me about Obama. From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working. After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World, and fill the shoes of Abraham Lincoln, FDR, JFK, Ronald Reagan and of course Bill Clinton. As I recollect though, Bill Clinton was Arkansas Attorney General once and Governor of Arkansas 5 times before he thought he had enough experience to run for President.

One hundred forty three days? Just doesn't seem right. I work at the Post Office, been there 9 years. I am still waiting to get that cushy  supervisors job at the front counter so I don't have to break my back lifting those heavy sacks of mail and delivering the mail in the snow. I waited my turn and I am at the top of the list now. I know I will get it for sure next year. That's OK though. I put in my time and I am learning all the other jobs at the Post Office first. So when that Supervisors job becomes available, I will be ready.

Same thing with my wife Betty. You know she is a school teacher over at the high school. Started her teaching career about 9 years ago, when she graduated from College, we got married and I started at the Post Office. Betty wants to become a High School Principal. First she says she needs to teach for about 10 years then apply for Vice Principal and then maybe 5 years after that she can apply for the position of Principal. With all the new schools being built Betty says that she has already been told that the next Vice Principals job that opens up his hers. Would have been nice if Betty and I could have just waited a total of 143 days to get our new jobs, but we know that is unrealistic, and I think Obama should realize that too.

Another thing that bothers me and Betty is this business of Obama attacking Governor Palin. You know saying all that stuff about her Down Syndrome Baby not really be her baby but her teenage daughters. And Obama saying that Governor Palin can't serve as Vice President because she needs to be home with her kids. That didn't sit to well with Betty, nor me either for that matter, because we have 3 kids and Betty is a career woman teaching school as I said, and we have been managing just fine. And when Obama attacked her for not having any experience, well let me tell you, Betty & I got a real kick out of that one. We figured as Mayor of Wasilla Sarah Pailin was in office a heck of a lot longer than 143 days. Just to make sure we looked it up on the Internet and found out she was a member of the Wasilla City Council for 6 years then served as Mayor for 6 more years. That's 12 years and if I have done my math right she has been serving Wasilla residents for more than 4300 days, and that doesn't even count another 600 or so days as the Governor of Alaska.

Betty just reminded me of one other thing. She attends all the PTA meetings at her school and she says when those mothers come in there to see you and talk about their kids or the school, you better be there and you better have the answers. There is no ducking out and hiding. In fact many of the Moms of kids in her classes over the years have talked to her at the Grocery Store or at the Walmart. She doesn't mind at all. In fact she appreciates the fact that her kids parents take an interest in her and the school. When you live in a small community, like we do, everybody looks to Betty or any other teacher too, for help with their kids.

We imagine it was like that for Mayor Palin too. After all when you are a Mayor of a small town you know everybody and they all know you. So they are going to find you either at the City Hall or at the Walmart. So you need to do your job. I reminded Betty of the time we took all our kids up to Washington DC to tour the Capital. Boy you should have seen us. Looked like a bunch of Hicks from the Sticks. We had a great time. The kids loved it. But there is still one thing about that trip that Betty and I will never forget. We went over to see our Congressman. Thought it would be nice to see his office and talk to the man who represented us in Congress. Well we got there OK, found his office and everything. Only thing is that his Secretary told us he didn't have time to see us. Isn't that something; too busy to see the folks that pay his salary.

Well I guess I will end this letter now. I said what I had to say and I hope that other folks, Black and White, might read this letter and that it might help them to figure out who to vote for come election day in November

Just your Average Joe American