There are probably few people more ecstatic over Senator Barack Obama's victory over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination than former president Bill Clinton. With his wife's defeat, he will no longer have to constantly respond to the "I stuck by you during the Lewinski mess; now you have to stick by me in my campaign for the presidency" refrain.
He will now be free to take advantage of personal and public opportunities that are available. Even if Senator Clinton decided to run again, he can explain that most everyone charged that his presence played a significant role in her defeat, so surely he won't be an asset in any of her future political endeavors. Speaking of that, it is fascinating that a highly skilled politician who, in two successful campaigns for presidency, never made a verbal blunder, made several during his wife's campaign that, if not lethal, were at least distracting and energy consuming. Strange. Strange. Strange.
Black and Conservative
Juan Williams of National Public Radio is essentially the so-called mainstream press' Black Journalist of Choice when it is looking for commentary on political issues. The first thing that comes to mind when reading his op-ed pieces or listening to his pontifications on television or radio is a very revealing observation made by George Schuyler in his book, "Black and Conservative." Wrote Schuyler, "A Black person learns very early that his color is a disadvantage in a world of White folks. This being an unalterable circumstance, one also learns very early to make the best of it. So the lifetime endeavor of the intelligent Negro is how to be reasonably happy, though colored." There is no one more fearful to those who share Schuyler's belief than a Black person who gets Whites riled up. It should be noted, considering the history of race in this country, that their fear is not unjustified. This is the explanation for the relentless, ranting and raving attacks by Juan and several other Black pundits on Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and others who have an Afro-centric perspective on race relations in this country. They totally ignore that under Rev. Wright's leadership, his church did more to help more Black people than anything done by fearful pundits including Juan, Star Parker, Clarence Page, Larry Elder and Amy Tucker, who went after Rev. Wright with such fervor. Apparently, they just want to be reasonably happy though colored.
Remember Medgar Evers
Lest we forget, June 12, 2008, was the 45th Anniversary of the assassination of civil and human rights warrior Medgar Evers by a Mississippi racist/terrorist. One question is whether we, as a group of people, have proven to be worthy of the supreme sacrifice paid by Brother Medgar and others who were slain by racist terrorists during the fight for equal rights, equal opportunity and equal justice in this country. The answer is a resounding, "No, we haven't!" The least we can do to begin making amends for the neglect and apathy is, in the future, to open every Black convention, conference and other such gatherings with the calling out of names of our heroic ancestors (and those few White warriors) whose lives were cut short by racist terrorists.
Journalist/Lecturer A. Peter Bailey is the former editor of Ebony and Malcolm X's publication for the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He can be reached at apeterb@verizon.net
