Yes We Can…by Michael Davis

by Michael Davis on June 6th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Posted In: News

Yes We Can… unless we are stupid.

I’m always amazed at just how stupid, petty and small-minded some people can be. Remember the onslaught of bad press and savage criticism Barack Obama had to deal with because of Jeremiah Wright? The millions of TV news stories, the billions of You Tube hits, and the zillion chat room comments? Jeremiah Wright’s antics almost torpedoed Barack Obama’s shot at the Presidency. Rev. Wright’s sermons were broadcast recently but they were old sermons that someone found and put out for the entire world to see long after they were first spoken.

The furor had all but gone away making Rev. Wright’s recent TV news tour the worst possible moment for him to defend himself with regards to the Senator.

The title of Senator Obama’s book was The Audacity Of Hope. The Rev. Wright gave that title to the Senator. I hear that the Rev. Wright is writing a book; you think the title will be The Audacity Of A Dope?

Nah.

Rev. Wright has not made any other comments lately. I would like to think that he realized that there is something bigger out there than his attempt to get his side of the story out. I know a few people who know the man and from what I hear he’s a real decent and very smart guy. But we all have moments of bad judgment and I’m sure that was all it was, a bad judgment call. As I said we have all had those moments. I have had a few… thousand.

Bad judgment or not, Rev. Wright’s behavior was showcased the WORLD over.

It seems to me that there would be no way someone would make that type of mistake again. Who would be that stupid? What are the odds that another Obama supporter would take to the pulpit after the PLANET has seen Jeremiah Wright’s rhetoric and say anything as ridiculous? Pretty slim, I say. Now what would be the odds that some Obama supporter would go to the same church and say something as ridiculous? Damn near impossible, I would gather. Now what are the odds that a member of the Clergy would go to that very same church and talk smack about Hillary Clinton and raise the race card right before the last three primaries?

NEVER HAPPEN. I mean, who would be that stupid? I’ve done some really stupid things in my life, I mean REALLY stupid. In my defense most of my stupid acts consisted of me running my big mouth at the wrong time or making bad choices because I was young and easily influenced. That said, I have never been stupid enough to make comments in public pertaining to certain events in my life and/or career when I knew that the climate was such that the fallout would be dangerous to me or someone I cared about.

To the above point, I’m much more interested in protecting people I care about than me. I’ve ended manya conversation with I could give a damn or something just as obtuse when I’m the only one who will have to deal with the consequences. Look, I simply have no time in my life for pointless drama. So I will only take so much before I reach threshold. My philosophy in life and business is be prepared to walk away. But I tend to give a lot more thought to the situation when there are people I care about in the mix. I have let numerous things pass in life and in business when I’m not alone in a circumstance. I have dealt with way too much drama because what I say or do could affect someone else.

Michael Pfleger, a Catholic priest, while a guest speaker at Senator Obama’s Chicago church made some horrible (but really funny) statements against Hillary Clinton. The priest is a long time Obama “friend.”

With the eyes of the PLANET looking at EVERYBODY in the Senator’s life past and present, what would process him to do what he did?

Not realizing that the WORLD would see and hear him when he made those comments is like Superman handing Lex Luthor some Kryptonite and saying “This will kill me. Don’t use it.”

WHO IS THAT STUPID?

This behavior from a guy who gives spiritual advice?

JESUS!

So instead of basking in the sheer historic moment of Barack Obama becoming the nominee of the Democratic Party for the Presidency Of The United States. I sit here wondering if Hillary Clinton is going to be stupid in the coming days?

Right about now I’m sure you expect me to go on a rant about Clinton not conceding on the day Senator Obama went over the top in delegates or maybe you expect me to rage on those women who are Clinton supporters who said they would rater vote for McCain than Obama. Yeah that’s smart, especially if you consider that the next President will most likely appoint at least two Justices to the Supreme Court. Ladies, you can forget all about your right to choose if that’s the deal. So go ahead and cut off your nose to spike your face if you want to deal with that reality. Yeah, there is plenty of ammunition for a real good old fashion Davis rant…

But not today.

Today, I sit here close to tears as I realize that a black man is one election victory away from becoming the President Of The United States. I marvel at the fact that this is happening in my mother’s lifetime. My mother who had to sit in the back of the bus had to drink from colored water fountains and by every way imaginable was a second-class citizen growing up in the south.

That’s everyway imaginable to some racist people. My mother never saw herself as anything but a first class citizen. When I was a kid and asked her about the way she was treated she simply called those people who went along with that treatment… stupid.

Yeah, I’m going to let a perfectly good rant go. Instead I’m going to bask in the reality that this nation is no longer the nation of my mother’s past reality. No this nation is different than it was just decades ago. This nation is better. Sure we still have some major problems and racism still exists but there is a black man running for President with a real shot at winning.

DAMN! It boggles my mind. It really does. Last year my friend Gisele Fernandez insisted I meet with some of Obama’s people because they wanted to meet me. Look, if Gisele would invite me over to help stop the mass suicide of hogs I would have been there and you all know how much I like bacon.

At that meeting I was asked where I thought a good place was to reach young people. I told them San Diego Comic Con. The response was great and it still may happen but at the time I was still leaning towards Clinton for two reasons. The first is I liked Hillary and I loved Bill, the second is I never thought a Black man could never win the nomination. Why help the Obama campaign if I was leaning towards Clinton? Because Gisele is my friend and I was flattered to be asked and come on people how cool would it be to have a Presidential candidate at SDCC and be the guy who brought him there? Unlike some of those I have written about, I’m not stupid.

Some months later (as I wrote about in this column) I started to support Obama because Hillary really pissed me off and I liked what Obama was saying. But I still was not convinced he would win. The more I listened the less it was about Hillary pissing me off and the more it was about what Obama was saying.

So here I am, filled with pride and not ranting. This is one of the most important events in the history of black America. But even bigger than that it’s one of the most important events in the history of America.

I know that in the coming months the Republican machine will try and look for Obama’s Swift Boat moment. I know that they will try every single thing they know of to strike fear into voters and look for all sorts of dirt. I can rant when that happens. Right now it’s all about the moment.

I do have one thing I would like to say to Senator Clinton. You ran a great campaign and now the party needs you to do one thing and that one thing is: don’t be stupid. Don’t be so stupid as to repeat the actions of those whose conduct has resulted in a disastrous ordeal for a friend or in this case the party. Look. I’m still a fan of both you and Bill but come on now, do the right thing.

Here, this may help…

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…

There is no I in We, unless you are stupid.

Hollywood media mogul Michael Davis writes weekly for ComicMix, and our true friend. This is a good time to say thank you for everything… thus far!