At an Obama rally in Detroit, Michigan last week two Muslim women wearing traditional religious head coverings were asked to sit elsewhere so that they would not appear in the background of any photographs taken by the media. Shimaa Abdelfadeel and Hebba Aref, like many other Arab-Americans, may be getting the cold shoulder from a campaign that talks about unity and bringing together people from all walks of life. The Obama campaign has visited many temples and churches reaching out to all types of religious constituencies. He has even visited small Cuban Jewish communities in South Florida. So where’s the fist pound or the Obama horizon for Arab-Americans who are looking for the same types of political reforms as most Americans today?
It was a great public relations move by the Obama campaign to have Mr. Barack Obama personally call and apologize to these women, but wouldn’t we expect that type of apology from anyone with a publicist. How about a presidential candidate? It is the right move of course. In the end, the Obama campaign volunteers who refused to allow these women to sit behind the stage during Obama’s speech were likely just following the tone and orders set by Mr. Obama or his senior advisers. There is obviously some caution with the Obama campaign affiliating themselves too closely with the Muslim and Arab community.
As a Democrat and a former Hillary supporter, I continuously wonder if a two year senator from Illinois has the experience to lead this great country. Is this campaign of change for real or just a slogan created by the great David Axelrod? I for one will vote for substance over style everyday of the week, thus I remain undecided until November.
I think all presidential candidates are politicians. If we’re lucky, they are good public servants that happen to be good politicians as well. And what exactly does it mean to be a politician? Well first I think it means to have a consciousness’s of Public opinion and the ways this can be manipulated for or against you. Hillary certainly understood this when she tried to gain public sympathy with her story of dodging bullets in Bosnia.
There is a saying that most likely originated in politics. Only the paranoid survive. A photo opp with at an Obama event with women wearing traditional garb behind the candidate would be candy to the opposition who would jump at this opportunity to slam Obama as anti-jew with a secret pro Muslim agenda.
To not understand this is indeed naive. To not appreciate the vision and sound judgment the senator has demonstrated, and the working machine the Jr. senator as built winning him victory against the sophisticated Clinton operation is just plain stubbornness.
JFK was 43 when he was elected, 3 years younger than Obama. Theodore Roosevelt was 42. Experience did not get in the way of these two.
Hillary supporters need to come to Jesus with the fact that the woman still has a powerful career and a lot to do. Loosing to Obama did not undermine her, or make her less of a public servant (or a politician!) It just made it clear that democrats wanted a new vision for the party. Its seems the Republicans felt the same way.
Hillary certainly gets that as she has thrown her full support behind Obama and will most likely be key to enacting the “Change” that he has in mind.
Comment by G.Smith — June 28, 2008 @ 6:24 pm