{"id":12759,"date":"2008-10-03T10:18:29","date_gmt":"2008-10-03T17:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/2008\/10\/03\/the-black-elephant-in-the-room.html"},"modified":"2008-10-03T10:18:29","modified_gmt":"2008-10-03T17:18:29","slug":"the_black_elephant_in_the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2008\/10\/03\/the_black_elephant_in_the.html","title":{"rendered":"The (Black) Elephant in the Room"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pro-labor or anti-labor, it’s worth watching this speech by AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, who tackles the topic that a lot of people aren’t willing to discuss or acknowledge, let alone admit to: the specter of racism in this presidential campaign.<\/p>\n

<\/object> <\/p>\n

I can understand — not agree, but understand — if you choose to vote against Obama because of his policies, or his resume, or his philosophy, or the way he’s conducted his campaign, or his party, or whatever. Those are all legitimate and ethical and moral reasons to vote against him, if you so judge.<\/p>\n

But if it’s about race, that’s just dead wrong. To decide you are voting against Barack Obama because his is black is, to my thinking, evil — <\/em>not a word I bandy about lightly. But at the very least, if it is about race, be honest enough with yourself<\/u> to admit it<\/em> — and then, if that’s the case, examine that motivation, and decide for yourself if that’s the way you want to make this decision. You may still reach the same conclusion about how you will vote, but let it be based on something that you can look someone else in the eye and explain with a loud, clear voice, and a clear conscience as well.<\/p>\n

(I don’t doubt there are in fact people who would be willing to make such a racist statement with a clear voice and conscience. But I think there are still more who feel that way but aren’t willing to face it in themselves. If they can examine themselves in that fashion, maybe it can make a difference in their own lives, and in the election.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(via Kos<\/a> and Doyce)<\/p>\n

<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pro-labor or anti-labor, it’s worth watching this speech by AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, who tackles the topic that a lot of people aren’t willing to discuss or acknowledge, let alone admit to:…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[54,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-elections-2008","category-zt-pc"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":30071,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/09\/03\/happy-labor-day.html","url_meta":{"origin":12759,"position":0},"title":"Happy Labor Day","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 3-Sep-12 10:45am","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Labor is the United States. The men and women who, with their minds, their hearts and hands, create the wealth that is shared in this country \u2014 they are America.\"-- Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969), Speech, Dedication of the AFL-CIO Building, Washington, DC (4 Jun 1956)\"Labor is prior to, and independent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15731,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2009\/09\/07\/unblogged-bits-for-monday-07-september-2009.html","url_meta":{"origin":12759,"position":1},"title":"Unblogged Bits for Monday, 07 September 2009","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 7-Sep-09 6:01pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries .... Fox to Skip Obama's Prime-Time Address - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com - Well, as long as they're broadcasting something that can AFFECT EVERY U.S. CITIZEN'S LIFE FOR DECADES TO COME, I guess\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Big Business"","block_context":{"text":"Big Business","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/big-business"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22518,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/09\/05\/labor-day.html","url_meta":{"origin":12759,"position":2},"title":"Labor Day","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 5-Sep-11 10:58am","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, in the United States, we commemorate (with a holiday and everything!) and celebrate the economic and social contributions of workers in the US. Sure, that's kind of considered passe these days, as the GOP fights to dismember the remnants of organized Labor in the US, and the Democrats make\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Holidays"","block_context":{"text":"Holidays","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/holidays"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/labor-day.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":132187,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2016\/12\/08\/soon-to-be-renamed-the-department-of-management.html","url_meta":{"origin":12759,"position":3},"title":"Soon to be renamed the "Department of Management"","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 8-Dec-16 1:32pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Trump's ability to pick people whose life goal seems to be to roll everything back that's happened in the last eight years (if not the last eighty) is certainly fascinating to watch, if only in an \"avalanche slowly rumbling down the mountain toward a bus full of nuns\" fashion.After having\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28304,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/06\/15\/mitch-mcconnell-is-a-dolt-expensive-free-speech-edition.html","url_meta":{"origin":12759,"position":4},"title":"Mitch McConnell Is a Dolt (Expensive Free Speech Edition)","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 15-Jun-12 11:32pm","format":false,"excerpt":"So let's be clear -- this particular article came up in Newsmax, which is one of the zanier right-wing \"news\" sites out there. \u00a0It's sort of like WorldNetDaily, only less pervasively religious. So here's the headline: \u00a0McConnell to Newsmax: Obama Poses Greatest Threat to Free Speech in \u2018Modern Times\u2019 Wow!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Big Business"","block_context":{"text":"Big Business","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/big-business"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/corporate-speech.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":30788,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/10\/23\/colorado-ballot-propositions-2012-amendment-65.html","url_meta":{"origin":12759,"position":5},"title":"Colorado Ballot Propositions 2012: Amendment 65","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 23-Oct-12 9:02pm","format":false,"excerpt":"So far we've had Civil Service reform (weakening) in Amendment S, and Marijuana Legalization in Amendment 64. \u00a0Tonight, the last statewide initiative on the ballot: Amendment 65, the (kinda-sorta) Campaign Finance Reform initiative. So here's the problem: A lot of people agree that excess money from individuals and organizations distorts\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Big Business"","block_context":{"text":"Big Business","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/big-business"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/citizens-united_checks-balances-300x237.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12759\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}