"I Does Not Care, I Does Not Care"

Photo of Herman Cain from BlackChristianNews.com

Herman Cain is running for President. Just in case you haven’t seen him or heard about him, he’s the black one and yes, he is Republican.  Cain has repeatedly put his foot in his mouth on multiple occasions and is quickly on track to replace former RNC chairman Michael Steele as my favorite black Republican.

Cain quickly distanced himself from that other black man in White House, President Barack Obama by asking people not to "condemn him because the first black President was bad". Now Herman did not have to go there. It really wasn’t even necessary for him to disparage President Obama but he’s a Republican and he couldn’t help himself. Maligning our sitting President is a favorite pastime for Republicans and Cain is certainly no exception.

In typical, black Republican fashion, he’s out to prove to the electorate that he’s just as suspicious of President Obama as they are. I mean after all, he was raised in Kenya. Cain, a former CEO with a Masters Degree from Purdue University, certainly knows better but for him it’s much more interesting to play up fears about the President not being American. I'm not even going to touch some of the ridiculous things he's said about Muslims.

Like other Republicans, Cain wants to “take America back” but he doesn’t want to be labeled as a black candidate. He’s American first and Republican second. To distance himself from the rest of us, he made it very clear that he has not bought into the term ‘African American’, he prefers to call himself black and I wouldn't doubt that he really, really likes the term 'negro'. That’s the problem with Republicans who happen to be black.

Black Republicans like Cain always have to go overboard by disassociating themselves with other Americans who happen to be black. They somehow think they are, by virtue of their political beliefs, exceptional and that they have managed to get to where they are by sheer will and determination and overlook the role affirmative action has played in their success.  Exhibit A: 'Uncle' Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court Justice. Of course Cain will tell you he doesn't want his race to be an issue but he was quick to play the race card when Jon Stewart mocked him on the 'The Daily Show" a few days ago.

That's the problem with people like Cain and Thomas, their blackness is never an issue until they are being criticized or accused of something. With Clarence Thomas, it was a "high tech lynching" when he was accused of sexually harassing Anita Hill, with Cain it's racism because Stewart used his own words against him. As much as Cain has distanced himself from race, he shows he isn't above using it for political gain or press.

No one cares if Cain is Republican, conservative or black but crying racism because you are criticized is lame and makes it difficult for us to take anyone who yells "racism" seriously, particularly if they are conservative, Republican and black. 

Finding My Voice

Breathing a sigh of relief, I can hardly believe that Oprah is now officially in reruns and that Osama bin Laden is dead. While these two events bear no relation to each other, it's easy to mark time by them. Oprah's farewell seemed like it lasted FOREVER. I'm proud to say I didn't see any of her farewell shows nor do I watch anything on OWN. Goodbye and good riddance, Oprah.

I could say the same about Osama bin Laden who was allegedly killed on May 1st and given an unceremonial burial at sea. While I wasn't surprised that he was hiding in plain sight of the Pakistani  military in Abbottabad, I was more surprised by reports that his wives tried to defend him. I mean they were serious "ride or die" women, following their man from the caves of Tora Bora to their sprawling compound in Abbottabad. What makes a woman love a mass murderer with a $25 million bounty on his head?

Bin Laden must have been much more charming than he appeared on those Al-Qaeda videotapes. In death, we find he was reportedly obsessed with pornography, himself and popular culture. Sadly though, his death won't do much to stop the tide of terrorism around the world. Terrorists are like roaches, you kill one but you know there are plenty more lurking around in the shadows. The war on terror is never ending.

Despite President Obama's declaration that he will withdraw 30,000 troops by the end of 2012, we are still waging war in Afghanistan for reasons that no longer make sense. We officially pulled out of Iraq last year but  we still have a military footprint there and offer invaluable assistance to the Iraqi government. The not-so-secret proxy war in Libya and the covert bombing in Yemen are costing us millions of dollars too.

We are busy waging war around the world while stateside, we are waging a war against this country's most vulnerable: the jobless, the sick, the poor and the elderly. Millions of dollars are being squandered on futile attempts at nation building and supporting our interests abroad. Seems to me we have much more pressing issues in this country that need to be addressed. And no, it has nothing to do with some politician on a bus tour or posting pictures on Twitter.