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*I have never been as engaged in politics as I am now.
When Bill Clinton ran for president, I was somewhat conscious.
With Obama running for president, I am fully awake and wired.
The interest, intrigue, excitement, and in some cases animus that this election has ignited is – for me – intoxicating and arresting.
Each day there is a new development; each day there is a new twist and turn as the primaries accelerate to the finish line.
I realized how totally absorbed I am in this race after I bolted straight up in my bed, from a deep sleep, and turned on the television because I had gone to bed after a dinner party without getting the results of the South Carolina Primary. My anxiety was assuaged when I learned Obama had won, and won decisively.
I can’t help myself. These are exciting times to be awake and wired and tuned into what will be a new chapter in our collective history.
And these are awe-inspiring times with Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, Senator Ted Kennedy and Congress member Patrick Kennedy pledging their allegiance to Senator Obama over Senator Clinton.
Senator Ted Kennedy said he endorsed Obama for President because he believes he is the one candidate who has the extraordinary gifts of leadership and character that are essential to meet the extraordinary demands of this moment in history.
Congress member Patrick Kennedy said he supports Obama because he believes he is the perfect antidote to George Bush in light of what he calls a mismanaged Iraq war and economy, a badly botched response to Hurricane Katrina and dismal reputation of the United States abroad.
And of the Camelot Coterie, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg had the most poignant reason for supporting Obama, eloquently penned in a recent opinion piece that appeared in the New York Times. She said, “I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.”
It was a coveted endorsement from the sacred trinity. Both Obama and Clinton ardently sought the blessings of the Kennedy’s’, which carry along with it a vast network of contacts and supporters.
Perhaps it was the rash of nastiness discharged by the Clinton camp, e.g. Bill Clinton, that sealed the deal. And Bill’s diminution of Obama’s stunning victory in South Carolina by inferring it had more to do with race than substance was beyond sour grapes. It was acerbic prejudice.
His comments and sentiments didn’t bode well for Hillary’s campaign and they made me question whether or not she can keep him in the role that she played when he was President – the supportive spouse. It’s her candidacy, not his. He had his day. And if doesn’t reflect her values or can’t support her vision then he needs to zip it up, literally and figuratively.
Perhaps dubbing Bill as the “first Black President” was less of a tribute and more of ruination to African Americas because it seems our affinity is taken as blind allegiance even in the face prejudicial comments.
Thank God author Toni Morrison, the architect of the “first Black President” comment, has also endorsed Obama. I guess she sees that there is a real possibility of electing a real Black president for the first time in our history, and not a proxy. (If you have comments about Veronica’s View, email them to vsview@yahoo.com.)
Veronica Hendrix is a syndicated journalist and columnist whose work has covered the span of the human continuum - from clinical trials of male contraceptives, to the gang violence. She is the producer of the highly acclaimed half hour talk show called "LA Woman," which airs on L.A. City View Channel 35, and is a Los Angeles Emmy nominated producer. Veronica's career as a journalist has included being a reporter for USA Today and a producer for a radio talk show in Los Angeles, which focused on issues impacting the African American Family. Veronica is a proud native of Southern California where she lives with her two sons.