First Amendment for Obama?
posted by gdoud 03/05/2008 09:11:09 AM EST
So, what the fuck happened to the First Amendment in this country?
Or is that a stupid question in the Age of Bush? “It went right along with the Fourth and Eighth Amendments, dumbass!”
I’d just hoped that in the Democratic primary, we could preserve it.
But no. Hillary busted out the Obama in Africa photo, and furthered the right wing rumor that Obama is Muslim. He has had to appear in front of reporters in Ohio and deny his adherence to Islam. He said it was “offensive” to be called Muslim.
Apparently, we have a religious test to become president in this country. Please, show me where in the Constitution it states that the President must not be Muslim. Show me where in the Constitution it says that the President has to even state a religious preference.
Or have a religion at all!
Oh, that’s right…BOTH parties have wiped their asses with the Constitution. Democrats have rolled over on the prohibition of torture under the Eighth Amendment. They totally caved on protecting the Fourth Amendment rights of Americans – just this week in fact. AGAIN! In fact, Hillary has tried to ban flag burning, and prohibit the speech of video game designers and manufacturers. She has shown that she has little sympathy for the First Amendment rights of Americans who choose other than Republican-approved speech.
And Republicans? Please! They have been trying to rid us of the Constitution since the Wilson Administration. And McCain’s religious test? He was judged on just how crazy he could go. And he passed! He said he was “proud” to accept the endorsement of the absolutely insane Pastor Hagee, a crazed Texas minister who hates Muslims, gay people, and who wants to nuke Iran to bring about the Rapture.
Is the press asking McCain: “are you sure you are not a crazed, racist, revival-tent preacher who wants to destroy the world?” Fuck no! But Obama must continually explain his religious affiliation, only to have it questioned again.
The sad, sad part is, Americans, including Democrats, have bought into this racist, intolerant framing. We Americans have an image of a Muslim, and it ain’t white. The Clintons, and the McCain campaign are now a team, unwitting or not, to frame Obama as the "other." The question that middle-America is supposed to ask, and seems to be asking is:
“You mean, that nigger’s an A-Rab Islamo-facist?”
Hillary’s victories tonight in Ohio and Texas have shown that the ugliest tactics in politics have worked. The “change” we long for can be beaten back by dredging up the long-standing culture of white Christian dominance. By making white Americans fear loss of power or status at the hands of the “other.” The problem for Hillary is that her gambit will fail. Because, at heart, America is a sexist nation too. Since she played the race, security and religion cards, she has shown her hand. McCain can beat that hand. He is whiter (more racist), more Christian (at least, more rabidly, insane fundamentalist Christian), stronger on defense (at least, has pretty much the same Iraq voting record as Hillary), and a man.
And that will be enough, because they are the most institutional members of their respective parties. They each have the most consultants and lobbyists surrounding them. That “change” thing is out the window with a Hillary/McCain race. It will be depressing, boring, will depress turnout, and McCain will edge her by cheating in Florida. And all because we care more about a guy’s non-existant religious affiliation, than his freedom (and consequently our freedom) to belong to any fucking religion he chooses.
Man, I would dearly love to have the Constitution be an issue in this campaign. We know that neither party has fought for it this year. Hopefully, it is merely because they don’t give a shit, not because we Americans no longer give a shit. Hopefully, but not much hope.
