YOUR PAL, "AL"

There have been many stories commenting on the crowd reaction at the latest rallies of VP candidate, Governor Sarah Palin. She has gone on the offensive against Sen. Obama in an extremely personal way. The attacks have been very inspiring to the crowds. There have been numerous reports of people yelling "terrorist" and at least one man has screamed "kill him" at yesterday's rally.


The anger of the crowd has also been directed towards the media. At least one African-American technician was called a "racial ephitaph" and then was told by another crowd member to "Sit down, BOY!".

Most people just see personal attacks as a sign that the McCain campaign is desperate and would rather talk about anything than the economy. And that is probably true! But to work a crowd up to the point where there are cries to KILL the opposing candidate takes this election into a very scary place. This is not the type of discourse that our founding fathers had in mind when they dreamed up this exotic scheme called "Democracy".

Because of Sen. Obama's unusual background he is very open to character attacks. His father is foreign born. Less than 8 years after the attacks of 9/11, his years in Muslim Indonesia give us even more to fear because we don't "know him" that well. His college teachings make him seem elitist and not "one of us". Many on the left would have you believe that these fears of Americans are nothing but blatant racism. But they are wrong. It is more than that and it is less than that. More because there are a great many Americans with legitimate objections to Sen. Obama's policies. Less because it is not just "rascism" like we think of during the Civil Rights Movement. There are no dogs & fire hoses or burning crosses. It's a kinder, gentler form of bias. But it is still a bias against that which we are not familiar with.

I think it is the combination of all of these things that make some of us wonder about Sen. Obama. He's not like other candidates we grew up with. But it is too simple to pin the problem on any one thing like racism. And lucky for John McCain because it gives him plenty of ammunition to attack with.

I think our fears have more to do with our buddy, Al! Who is Al, you ask? I don't know him...you do. We all know an Al in our life. "Al" is the person we see to be the exception to the stereotype.

We may not like immigrants because they are lazy and steal jobs and don't pay taxes...they're not like my pal Al, who I work with. He's ok. (Cause you know him.)

We like working for Al, he's not like most white people who try to keep a "brother" down. He's always got your back!

"AL" plays on my school's baseball team, his family eats funny food but he's a great pitcher!

"AL" just moved here from New York City, but he's pretty smart for a "city slicker"

I go to church with Al's wife and she's so sweet, not angry like a lot of "those" women!

You know Al. Maybe he's the gay man who's not like the "rest". Maybe he's the Hindu who waits on you at your favorite restaurant. But Al is the great hero in the battle against racism & predjudice in this country. He's the ONE you KNOW that helps you realize that all ethnic & cultural groups are composed of people. Some good and some bad. All you had to do to realize this is to get to know AL. He's basicly like you and me. Loves his wife and kids, wants to provide for them, wants to see his children grow up in the greatest nation on earth. It's hard to continue believing something about a culture, race, gender or whatever when you actually KNOW someone who is a part of that group. The "idealized" group becomes a little less real than the PERSON you know.

As Sen. Obama has become better known to more and more of the electorate, his favorability ratings have also increased. He's not so strange and foreign anymore to a larger portion of the electorate. He's becoming a political "AL".

This is natural. What is not natural is to try to stir up hatred and fear for a fellow American. It's wrong. Debate the issues. Discuss the failings of Obama's policies, but remember that he is still one of us. He may be wrong in his judgment but he is NOT a terrorist infiltrator. That's just silliness that gets promoted when someone gets behind in the polls.

So in the hopes of reminding everyone that Sen. Obama is an American, a father & a husband: here are some photos from his past. They look a lot like photos all of us have. They are part of America's Story. They should not influence you to vote for or against him because there is nothing special about them. They are a part of "Al's Story" and not the photos of a terrorist or traitor.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/03/the-obama
s-anniversary-al_n_131721.html?page=12&show_comment_id=

16417017#comment_16417017

We must focus not on the personal for this election but on the issues. We must vote for who we think will promise the best future for our children & grandchildren.