Who's Afraid of Barack Obama?

Disclaimer: before I get accused of saying something I didn't, I don't believe everyone has to support Barack Obama. I also don't believe anyone who disagrees with or doesn't vote for Obama is racist. Now on with the blog...

Every once in a while, something happens that I literally can't believe and I start looking around for the hidden camera. One of those was when I learned of the whole birther bit. I knew as a presidential candidate, Barack Obama would have to deal with some misconceptions. I figured people would think he was a Muslim, but I figured after enough times of him stating that he was a Christian, people would believe him. (Personally, had he been Muslim, or Catholic, or Buddhist, or--gasp--a non-believer, I would have been just as strong of a supporter. From the moment, I saw him take the stage in 2004, I realized that he had the potential to be an incredibly powerful leader.)

I knew there would be other criticism. The Socialist claim, for instance, hits a lot of liberals who want to provide services to all Americans. (Anyone else love the part of the London Olympics Opening Ceremonies that was a tribute to national health care?) "Tax and spend" accusations always go with that. Being anti-war is always argued as soft on defense. (Tell that to Osama Bin Laden.)

Most of all, I've never believed this idea that Americans--then or now--are color-blind. I knew that the fact that he was African-American would be a factor. (Really, I think of him as biracial because I like to claim him. I mean, I have family from Nebraska, he has family from Kansas, we could be cousins. But he identifies himself as African-American and I respect that.) But I also believed that as America got to know him, they would become comfortable with him, whether they voted for him or not. 

I believed they would see that he was a good person; someone raised by a single mother and his grandparents, who went to great schools on scholarships and student loans, and spent years and traveled thousands of miles to understand his absent father. This was an eloquent, introspective man who loved both sides of his complicated and global family. He married an amazing woman and treated her well. He went out of his way to be a devoted father to his daughters--the kind of father he hadn't had. This was someone who took a thankless and poorly-funded job to help build his community, then went on to teach Constitutional law--as in the founding law of this country.

I knew he would have to prove he could carry white rural American votes, and, man, did he prove that by winning the Iowa caucuses. I mean, John Edwards had practically lived in Iowa for years, and Obama still won it. Throughout the campaign--which was not all victories--I watched Barack Obama surmount one obstacle after another. I watched him win and I laughed and wept with joy. Seriously, joy.

Of all the challenges, I thought he'd face, I never thought anyone would question the legitimacy of his birth certificate. Or keep their kids home from school to prevent them from hearing his message. Or accuse him of being a pawn in some elaborate conspiracy to bring Islamic law to America.

Today, I had two of those hidden camera moments, one when I learned the idea that he'd turn the country over to the United Nations, and even more when I saw a commercial for a movie based on a book about Barack Obama's rage and I almost fell out of my chair. Barack Obama's rage? Um, there are a lot of Americans full of rage. Sometimes I'm even one of them. But rage is not an emotion I have ever seen close to being in Barack Obama's writing, speeches, or being. Even when he has led the nation in mourning, including a massacre intended to assassinate a member of Congress, I didn't see rage in him.

Maybe it's me, but when I hear "Barack Obama's rage" that means one thing: watch out for the angry black man. There might as well be a picture of him in a Black Panther get-up carrying an Uzi. And that makes me both angry and deeply disappointed.

Tonight I will say the same prayer I've said every night since I heard he was considering a run in 2004: "God bless Barack Obama and his family. Keep them safe. Give them strength. And let him win."