Cross-Eyed and Painless
the flip side of the republican no-show
2007-10-09
By VeTalle Fusilier

The island of doubt
is like a taste of medicine-Talking Heads

Recently, Morgan State University, a Historically Black College whose departments all have mission statements and receives United States federal and state of Maryland educational funding, sought to be the site of a prestigious and singularly distinctive event: a gathering of Republican presidential aspirants, set to debate in front of an African American audience.

Not a set up, not a twisted contrived attempt to corral the “opposition”, but rather a public broadcasting television production to exhibit inclusive fairness, the debate ran afoul when the leading Republican candidates declined to appear at the State University of Maryland’s campus.

So one dude is caught at IHOP in the northwest, stumping for votes among the thirty or so patrons eating breakfast, and the other dude, the one who is leading all the polls, the frontrunner…he deadpans that priorities dictate he raise money rather than participate in a debate designed to be a forum for idea sharing.  And if the notion that there is no bad publicity holds true, then their absence generated as much airtime as their presence would have.

I know Public Broadcasting was serious, they had the set, Tavis was there, this was BIG. And the audience was there, although more of us were content to hear about it later, and many of us, more concerned with earning a living or Jena 6, simply didn’t care to give their valuable and finite attention to obvious pandering.

As African Americans, we are not a monolithic political voice.  I remember my lifelong friend, Glenn being the first black I knew to claim an interest in Republican politics.  When the Maoist, fatigue-wearing students of dialectics challenged this inclination, he painfully recounted that in his home state, Alabama, George Wallace was the Democratic Party Governor.  I, like many cowered in the spectre of the polls showing the Republican male leading both the black man, and woman Democratic candidates.  I heard the morning prayer circle asked for divine light to keep the party from simply going with a man, conceding that this country was not ready for a black or woman president.  

Which brings up the question: are we just more comfortable when the show is familiar and re-enforces our viewpoint?  And do you really know anyone personally who has ever been surveyed in a political polling process? Which leaves the only two things we know for sure in this race: that Obama girl is Fine, and almost no one cared about the snub.

www.ifilm.com/episode/23058?startsWith=2899691

And truth be told, feelings only get hurt if you invest them in an expectation to begin with.  Fact is, most of us didn’t wake up the next day calling to report the no-shows to each other because it just didn’t matter, and we perceive ourselves to have no stake in politics. So many of us have abandoned the vote, content to tithe a path to heaven.  And what has recent history shown us: stolen elections, the currency of deceit, and privilege granting choice over strategic thinking.  Now more than ever, to quote the Pretenders -“ Everything touched is my political choice, The life you take is your political voice”. 

And every vote should be counted, which makes each one of value, and worthy of courtship from both sides of the aisle.

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VeTalle Fusilier is a producer and writer based in Washington, DC.  It's  pronounced VEE-tal few-suh-LEER.