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Most of the folks I grew up with didn’t give a rat’s ass about politics. I remember my mother once saying that “John F. Kennedy tried to do a good job”. I don’t recall my stepfather endorsing or dissing any politician. Being to work on time is all the politics my stepfather is concerned with. The politics of getting your butt up and going to work!

I’m pretty sure neither of my parents has ever voted. My parents probably feel like many other Black Americans, simply put - what difference does it make?'’ I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but I’ve always felt that I’d be better off focusing on surviving the system rather than changing it. As I’ve matured, I’ve come to the conclusion that voting is an exercise, not in democracy, but an actual exercise; something you do to burn calories, to fit in, to say you did it so you can go back to eating more McDonald’s burgers -especially Big Macs. I like Big Macs.

I’ll admit, I voted for Gore the Bore and for Kerry-Never-Had-A-Shot.

Kerry always said the wrong thing; Gore never had anything to say.

I felt like a hypocrite when I voted for Gore, because he was as interesting as a thick hunk of sawed off overcooked left over Thanksgiving turkey breast shoved between two thick pieces of four-week-old wheat bread. The only saving grace for Gore voters was that he was vice president to Clinton. Black folks loved Clinton. Black folks still love Clinton.

Ahh, the Clinton years….

Clinton played the sax, ate Big Macs like they were going out of style and he was a smooth talker. I read somewhere that Clinton really “gets in there” and connects with you. It takes skills to connect with people. Nowadays it’s hard connecting with people unless you have a nice Myspace page. Clinton was Myspace. Gore needed a Myspace page.

I’m not going to say much about George Bush. Seriously, what could I possibly say about Bush that hasn’t been said 219382929832 times or more? I will say this: It amazes me that so many Americans voted for Bush. Maybe it’s because they thought he was a good ole regular Texas guy. It’s true Bush had the humungous cowboy buckle, the 10 gallon cowboy hat, the smirk only a daddy could love and then there’s his natural ability to ice pick the English language at every turn. Heck, Bush doesn’t waste time horsing around trying to pretty up his command of the English language, he has more WMD’s not to find.

Too many folks actually thought President Bush was a regular guy. George Bush isn’t a regular guy. He’s a privileged brat who’s spent his whole life ducking responsibility and living off his daddy. Bush isn’t a maverick he’s a spoiled rich kid with an attitude. That’s right he’s a SRKWA. For the politically correct you can call him a SRKVS. A Spoiled Rich Kid With a Violent Streak. The difference between a Maverick and a Spoiled Rich Kid with a Violent Streak is wider than three football fields. I’m just sorry it took so long and so many kids dead in Iraq for folks to figure that out.

…which brings me to Obama.

Black folks haven’t made their minds up about Obama yet. Obama looks black, his name sounds Middle Eastern, he speaks eloquently, he writes exceedingly well, and doggone it he just might have a shot at getting the Democratic nomination. The only problem is Obama’s going up against a Clinton. Hillary isn’t Bill and she’s a woman, but she’s still a Clinton. The Clinton’s have this thing. I’ll call it the “Clinton Mojo”. Will the “Clinton Mojo” make Hillary the first woman in American history with the nomination or will Obama become the first black man to do the same? Either way, it sets America up for a cliffhanger. Will America make history on the grounds of gender or race? This political race could galvanize the black community. Some of us who haven’t voted since Kennedy was in office might return to the polls and pull the lever, eehh, sign the ballot..errr…touch the screen for Barack Obama. I mean it’s going to be hard not giving a rat’s ass about politics during this election. If the possibility of a female or a black president doesn’t interest us enough to hit the polls what will it take, a Dead Kennedy?

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