This might just be the last blog I write about politics in America. I have written about Obama being the American Mandela, the burden of the hope he brings, and the man he is in his own right. But I don’t know anymore. I still believe in Obama, but I just don’t believe in American politics anymore. If this is how they want to play politics in America then I don’t want to play anymore. This is too sick. This is nothing to be proud of. My fleeting experience has made me question this thing they call American politics in an American democracy. Yes, they won - the cynics and morally corrupt. All of them - left, right and centre. This isn’t fun anymore. I don’t mind the comments on my blog. I have a thick skin. But if this election is what politics is all about in the US, then I don’t know if I have the stomach for it. This is just not right guys. This is not what people fought for and died for.
This is not the America I got to know and love over the last 18 months. This is not the people I have met. And I hope to God that this isn’t a reflection of how people outside the US see America. But they do. Because it goes out to everyone out there. You might not care. But I do. And so should you. Because when your President says he wants to bring democracy to people everywhere… this is what they see. And I can assure you. This is not something you want to export.
I just can’t believe that this is what politics has come to. What democracy has come to. I don’t agree with President Clinton and other politicians on the left, right and centre when they say, “That’s just politics“. No. That’s how you made politics. That’s the direction you have taken politics. You are the leaders of this great nation. And you should be ashamed of yourself. You should be ashamed in turning this great democracy into the laughing stock of the world. And you should be ashamed of not inspiring people to participate anymore. You are the reason for democracy failing in the US.
But it is not just the politicians. It’s the media. Slurping up everything that the politicians say. Or trying to spew hatred about every politician they don’t agree with. They don’t question policies. They don’t look into the future these political promises. No. They spew hatred about the mis(character) of potential leaders whether it is true or not. Or whether it is relevant or not. You should be ashamed of yourself. I thought you were here to inform people and be the guardians of this great democracy. But no. You don’t. You spew hatred and take no responsibility. You just sit back and laugh at the people - all the way to the bank.
It is no wonder people don’t want to vote. It is no wonder that young people feel that it is not worth it. They are still young enough to believe that politics should be about leadership, honor and truth. But they look up at “their” political leaders and all they smell is the foul smell of corrupt souls. People with vested interests. A city of sin where lobbyist outnumber politicians. And the lies they tell and the stories they spin. You should be ashamed of yourself for lying to the people of America. And especially for making the young people lose hope even before they truly start off in life. You cynics and liers are making cynics of those with hope in their hearts. You make the young people old before they should. You make them lose their hope and love for America. You kill the American Dream little bit bit little lie. You should be ashamed.
I can’t believe the character assassination taking place. Whether it is an attack on Hillary because she is married to Bill and stuck with him because of his sleeping around. Or McCain because he changes his opinion on issues the way we all do all of the time. Or Obama because a black man spoke from the heart about race and you attack him as racist. Look in the mirror and ask yourself who would be a leader that you can respect and look up to. Can you live with any of these three if you kill their character like this? When you show no respect - can you expect any back? You should be ashamed of yourself.
And to Hillary and Mac and Obama. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I know you try to be honorable. But you are not trying hard enough. You should act like the leader people need and not just the leaders they want. You should be clear and direct with any of your supporters or those who work for you when they attack the character of the other. Whether it is a twitter message (McCain), or racist (Hillary), or monsters (Obama). Be the leader people need. Because it has never been more important than now. People are losing hope. Losing hope in American politics. And you are not helping.
And to the Republicans and Democrats. To the left and the right. Be ashamed of yourself. You talk more about how you are different. Why you hate the other side - because they are gay, pro or anti abortion, because they are for or against immigration, because they are godless or too godly, because they are pro or anti big business, because they are pro or anti war. But you never talk about what makes this country great. You never talk about what makes you American. What makes you one. You just try and carve your little niche of hatred. And you know what? It just gives your enemies more reasons to hate you - because you are telling them everything that is wrong about America. Instead of telling them what is great about America. You should be ashamed of yourself.
I have seen corrupt leaders. Morally corrupt leaders. I come from South Africa and lived under Apartheid. And I have seen the hatred that politicians and their followers can create. And you are walking a fine line here. I see so many PW Botha’s walking around parading as politicians here in America. And I see the Dutch Reformed Church in many places of worship. And Die Burger in so many newspapers and televisions. But I have also seen great leaders. I have seen Mandela who we all know well. But I have seen leaders I don’t agree with who brought greatness to themselves. FW De Klerk. I didn’t like him, but he showed his greatness as a leader by making the difficult choices “his people” didn’t want to take. I don’t like McCain or Hillary - but they can show greatness without my support. It is up to them. They make the choice.
I have been here for 18 months. And I got to love this country called America. It was nothing like I expected. The people are great, great people. Warm, open and friendly. And hardworking. More than you can imagine. I see them behind the tills and at the gas stations. Those are the people who make you great. Those people who will fight your wars not because they believe in the war, but because that is what America does when one is hurt - they all stand up. These people who sweat blood and tears every single day to pay the mortgage and give their kids a chance in life. These are the people you lie to every day. It has not been the America I read about in books or seen in the movies. I have seen why this country is so great. Why you can be proud to be American. And you should be ashamed for not liking them and for lying to them.
But when it comes to politics I am not so sure. There is just too much hatred. This is the worse case of democracy I have seen anywhere. This is not how you convince the world that democracy works. This is the ugly underbelly of America. The moral corruption of democracy but the sick and twisted who wants to win above anything else. And the people I speak to in the streets and the shops don’t like what they see or what they hear. And the lies create so much white noise that they don’t know what to believe in anymore. They thought they saw greatness and then it was taken away from them by hate-speech and lies. You should be ashamed of yourself.
You set the example for all Americans. You want to know why they take drugs in baseball and football? Ask youself what kind of message you send when you tell people that everything goes as long as you win. You can lie and you can steal. As long as you win. What are you telling those who grow up? And those who should entertain us with pride in sport? You should be ashamed of yourself. You are corrupting America every single day.
But most of all, you should hang your head in shame for what you have done to the Founding Fathers of this great nation. They have sacrificed and fought for your freedom. They were not perfect. But they were honest. And they fought an honest fight. They gave you everything. And you spit in their face with your lies and twisted speech. Look in the mirror and ask yourself what they would think of you. What would they say if they saw what you do and what you say? And what you think. You should be ashamed for belittling what they fought for and died for. Thank God that you were never asked to sign the Declaration of Independence. Thank God you were not one of those Founding Fathers. Because America would not be if it was for you. Hang your head in shame. Your founding father and everyone who have died for America and lived for America will be ashamed of you. You do not “hold up”. You should be ashamed for even calling yourself American. You put this country to shame. Shame on you. You don’t deserve greatness because you don’t know what it means.
———————————-
I won’t be writing about American politics anymore. I will write about my life and my experiences. And I will write about what bugs me. I will write about anything and everything that comes to mind. But not about American politics anymore. You know I support Obama. But I don’t think America is ready for Obama. And sadly, I don’t think America deserves Obama. Not those Americans who play these games. They will drag him down the way they have dragged me down. And the America I know is greater than that. Should be better than that.
I am busy reading The Audacity of Hope. And sorry. I just don’t have that audacity… or that hope. He is a better and a bigger man than me. I just hope to God I am wrong and he is right. But I don’t know. I just don’t know.
Tomorrow is another day. And I will still be proud of living in this country. When I see those people working behind the counters and in the factories. Those good to honest hard-working Americans who have shown me their love and affection. Those Americans I have come to love. I just don’t want anything to do with American politics anymore. That is just not American anymore.
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19 responses so far ↓
Keven Bennett (53_2) // March 23, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Day 6:
Morning, AA.
I am truly sorry that this has come to pass. I will respect your wishes by no longer posting on the political scene unless it is VERY important.
I will say this though:
America has failed.
And with America, I have failed.
Self delusion:
Within Amreica’s boundaries, the failure of the Katrina response was laid at the feet of the locals. The world saw it differently.
Within America’s boundaries, the hypocracy of the most recent political lynching of what was probably America’s greatest political asset was laid at the feet of Obama himself. The world sees it differnetly.
We are like flies in a jar, separated from reality by our self imposed arrogance.
rationalpsychic // March 23, 2008 at 4:05 pm
I agree with your bleak assessment. I also feel that the wheel turns. There may be possibilities we haven’t seen that will come to pass.
Born here, live here, thinking that it can only get better.
Vanessa // March 23, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Dear Angry African on the Loose,
I am an angry white person also on the loose. I am am dismayed and sickened by American politics.
I agree that American politics is sick, but the people who are hijacking democracy (the media, Fox News) - these people want you to give up. They want you to stop caring. If you give up, they win.
I am an Obama supporter and I will continue to fight for him and for honest and open political dialog.
Peace.
Obama ‘08
Sean D. Martin // March 23, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Took about 4-5 paragraphs in before I could even begin to tell what “this” was that had gotten you so disillusioned.
I’ve only recently found your site, but from what I have read I take it you’ve a significant admiration for Nelson Mandela. I wonder if he ever looked around at what was happening in his country and it’s politics and said “OK, that’s enough. I’m so disgusted I give up.” Or was he more of a “It always seems impossible until its done. ” kind of guy?
Layla Elizabeth N Gonzalez // March 23, 2008 at 6:32 pm
America is politics. You would do well to accept that. If there are differing views and opinions about politics, politicians, et al, that is the crux of it - diversity.
Yes tomorrow is another day and I hope your outlook will be less bleak and one that we Americans hold dear - NEVER give up.
bob // March 23, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Obama maybe like Mandela, the first and the best. To use your analogy next comes Mbeki followed by Zuma. How many in Zimbabwe if given a choice would now choose Mugabe over Ian Smith? One day America will elect a black and a woman president, but they will be Republicans. Not stick figure socialists masquerading as racial or gender totems.
Arun // March 23, 2008 at 8:47 pm
You give up and we’ve all lost. Be the change that you want to see.
Jen // March 23, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I read with tears in my eyes. I, too, felt the surge of hope and promise but have been feeling beleagered and battered. Your words are eloquent and honest. Maybe it was audacity afterall. I still see a glimmer of possibility and will make my efforts to keep that flickering flame lit. Thank you for all you write . all you express and all you feel. It makes walking this earth with you a bit easier.
a broad // March 23, 2008 at 9:44 pm
My…my…a defeatist attitude I have never seen before. Snap out of it and get writing. Gives us lots to talk about!
Winston // March 24, 2008 at 5:56 am
I fully agree with you that our founding fathers would be ashamed. Many of us are as disgusted and ashamed as you are of what politics has become. It is often tempting for us to walk away and ignore it, flee from the noise. But that is not our way and never has been. We fight, we argue, we yell and shout. Somehow it always seems to work out.
As Arun said in a comment above, “Be the change that you want to see.” I believe that is adapted from Ghandi. If you wish to not write about politics, that is OK. You have much more to say on other topics. Your views are undoubtedly colored by the degenerate Bush administration. In 8 years he has almost destroyed this great country. This is not America. He will be seen by history as the worst and most corrupt President this country has ever seen. It will take time, but we will recover. Do not give up on America or American politics, my friend. Not yet.
Valerie // March 24, 2008 at 9:35 am
You have more friends than you think, and they are in places that you wouldn’t expect.
“What we need instead are sober, results-oriented debates about economics, social mobility, education, family policy and the like — focused especially on how to help those who are struggling. Such policy debates can lead to real change — even “change we can believe in.” “National conversations” tend to be pointless and result-less.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/opinion/24kristol.html
Keven Bennett (53_2) // March 24, 2008 at 11:17 am
Day 7:
Morning here in Seattle, bright, cool, spring weather, new buds, blue skies and all the other thing that promise of a regeneration after a long stretch of dark, cold and sometimes, mystical stillness.
That same doesn’t apply to our politics. No. And, no, it’s not just because I like what Obama stands for. But regardless, he was a fresh, new approach, outside the box when all others worship the false gods of hardball and racial hatred, sometimes buried so deeply that it never comes out till the psyche gets scratched.
Those rightous self-serving individuals gave Hillary / Ferraro and McCain / Hagee a pass on guilt by association. But NO. NOT Obama. And Wright, whatever his faults, as at LEAST no worse than any of the others. Even if I spot them this argument, THIS observation, posted yesterday, on Easter Sunday, still stands:
“Snarling, snapping, howling. Fur flies. Claws raked and wounds bled. The unfortunate suffered more serious wounds, and left the scene, entrails dragging in the dust. The more fortunate escaped with rather badly dented egos and puncture wounds across the sides of their psyches. Howling, rabid mayhem. The carnage diminished as the tide turned against the intruders. Small animals scattered, probably the trolls from the Lords of Hate living on that hill above the scene.
But they will be back, and probably are now, eyeing the horizon nervously for approaching danger while they take tentative nips at the freshly killed carcass. Up on the hill, the Lords of hate continue to live, and these nervous scavangers, their minds are small..
THAT is YOUR politics.
Be proud…”
Even the moderate and left of the American political spectrum is infected with the same hideous, fallacious hypocracy that represented the right for so many years. It became buried in their psyche.
It might have been in poor taste to do this on an Easter Sunday, but maybe not…
I apologized to Karen Tumulty, who posted the blog for Time, because I really don’t want to spoil such a day of connection between man, Jesus, and God. But it had to be done. The chickens in this political day of infamy had to be called by their names.
I am one individual, and, I maight add, I stayed, and perhaps overstayed my welcome there to defend my commentary against all comers. I was successful and uncompromising, because THIS, my freinds, was the worst display of foulness, and sychophatic hypocracy I have EVER seen in my 40+ years as an adult capable of rational thought.
And the atmoshpere behind such an abject display?
WHILE these self-rightous Democrats were frying a man who is both Black AND White on the pillory of racial hatred, they had the utter, cast iron, idiotic, bullheaded, empty skulled gall to ignore the constant stream of TRUE racial hatred coming from political operatives in the Republican party.
Do you know what they had to say when confronted?
“It wasn’t me”.
And RIGHT AFTER, two of these jackals, right after odd and twisted rationalizations coupled with the plea above, CONTINUED to feed at the trough of utter hypocracy. What were they dicsussing?
The similarities between Wright and Dworzak.
How intellectual!
How HYPOCRATIC!
Keven Bennett (53_2) // March 24, 2008 at 11:22 am
By the way, after posting this here, I posted this ENTIRE commentary without alteration, to the same Swampland blog on which I stood my ground yesterday.
I did, however, reassure them that I wasn’t going to stay, and my only purpose was to rub their noses in the filth…
EnergyEngineer // March 24, 2008 at 5:55 pm
“Whether it is a twitter message (McCain), or racist (Hillary), or monsters (Obama).”
Cool post just a question?
Whats a twitter, never heard the term before?
I not sure of the sentence meaning, are you saying hillary is giveing a racist message, for example, or people are giveing that message for and behalf of hillary against obama , or are the citizens saying this, against hillary ?
Keven Bennett (53_2) // March 24, 2008 at 6:27 pm
EnergyEngineer:
I was commenting on the reactions of fellow Swamplanders. But I do feel that Hillary took advantage of the horrible 2-prong attack from Fox and McCain even though she hasn’t said he was a racist. She did, however, by inaction as well as co-participation (NOT cooperation!) in these attacks greatly enhance the perception that she doesn’t consider the motivations of Fox and McCain important. In the Black community, that is a political death sentance.
In one of posts on Easter Sunday, I said this on about post #20 or so, but I ask you to please read very, VERY carefully:
“… I understand your concerns on sexism, and I beleive that Hillary’s campaign is less likely to practice it than Obama’s simply because of differnt perspectives (a man vs that of a woman), sexism is not a good enough reason to ignore the racial hatred that HAS been tacitly accepted by Hillary.
I don’t think Obama hates women any more than Hillary hates Blacks. After all of this, I just cannot say that she does hate Blacks, and I remain convinced she doesn’t.
My brother-in-law has pointed out that there is a difference between one who is a racist and one who takes advantage of racial hatred for their own ambitions.
Hillary belongs in the latter, not the former, category, and has been percieved so by the Black community in general. It is clearly within my purview to categorically state that this is the most common perception in the Black community (keep in mind my exceedingly harsh response to Jim on getting feedback from Black Americans on Where’s Hillary?).
Hillary is percieved as yet another politician who has given into the temptation using “White fears” to futher her own ambitions.
There IS no escaping the end result:
In “winning” this horrid episode, she has lost.
She has NO CHANCE of being able to mend fences with the Black community. ..”
Individual Swamplanders were hypocratical because they refuse to give Obama / Wright a pass they gave to both Hillary / Ferraro and McCain / Hage. The “/” represent only shorthand, NOT any true associatin.
They have positively screamed (some of them) about how Obama is racist (note he’s both White and Black!) and have villified him in a way that Hillary and McCain were never even in remote danger.
The ultimate hypocracy was that all the while, these individuals relentlessly ignored real racial hatred spouting from real racists in the Republican party.
It is worthy to know that my commentary was post number 100 and 101.
The thread has died at 104 now, for most of the day.
I will NOT go back to see the effect of my handiwork, and I told them so, but I’m hoping I can get at least a few to exhibit some thoughtfulness about what they have participated in.
Keven Bennett (53_2) // March 25, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Day 8:
Hillary is at it again. Wright is worse than Don Imus.
Oh, well…
AA, I’m on Swampland, my sense of humor rejuvinated, and there’s been a lot of much higher quality exchanges. Today, humor is my weapon.
mrpinkeyes // March 25, 2008 at 8:14 pm
You have been here 18 months, so this is your first experience with American presidential voting firsthand, presiedential campaigns are always dirty, negative and nasty. I am not saying this is right, but bad news sells. Candidates make more headlines and get more press when they bash the other candidates. It is sad, but it is true. I will give Obama credit for one thing, he did try to stay above it. But after his pastor’s videos came to light he was sucked down into it.
The saddest part to me is that with John McCain wining the Republican nomination, I don’t have a candidate that I like at all. I have nobody to vote for.
Ted Donlan // March 26, 2008 at 8:05 am
Most americans didn’t notice, but there are no longer any politics in the US. Our “country” is totally post-political.
Nothing to see here, folks. Step away from the body, please. Move along now.
poetik // March 27, 2008 at 9:27 am
@ Ted Dohlan
i concur. i would say yes, its post-political. there is nothing about the current America that could be called politics. real politics atleast. its not even cynical, its even cynical in its own cynicism if that makes sense.
i am not an American, i do not stay in America but i do follow the post-politics through whatever i can and its totally weird trying to get hold of the whole thing…well labelled Ted
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