While driving home from work today I tuned into MSNBC on my satellite radio (sometimes I just can’t help myself) and listened as the commentators continue their endless discussion of the presidential race for the democratic and republican nominations for the 2016 election. Apparently, that’s the only thing that’s “newsworthy” anymore – except, of course, once an hour they will refer to something else evidently in an attempt to keep people like me thinking they are “reporting” news. As I listen to this “stuff” I can’t help but think that someone somewhere is picturing in their minds how they can “mold” the listeners (or viewers, in this case – because, I believe, on XM radio you get the audio of the MSNBC video) to a “secret” outcome. We, as listeners (viewers) are left to either wonder what the “real” intent of the “outlet” is (in this case – MSNBC) or to BLINDLY allow ourselves to be “guided” to a place that accommodates the “needs” of the “outlet.” (again, in this case – MSNBC)

With that being said, today’s topic – pretty much the entire trip home (about 30 minutes) – was about the effect of race in the upcoming primary in South Carolina and, to a lessor extent, beyond. The focus of the MSNBC moderator (apologies, I can only say it was a female and it wasn’t Rachel Maddow) was on the contest between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. She (the moderator) was referencing the different “endorsements” recently received by both the Sanders and Clinton campaigns – for example: Sanders received the endorsement of Harry Belefonte and Clinton, this morning, received the endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC. As I was listening to all this – and, the moderator said something like they were discussing the effect of race on this upcoming election – I couldn’t help but think that the only way the African American community in America can lose would be if either one of the two – Clinton or Sanders – does not prevail in November.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because we probably won’t get much of a dialogue on how race will affect the republican primary – presumably because the assumption is that very few African Americans will be voting republican. To me, when we’re discussing the effect of race on the upcoming election cycle, the focus should be MORE on the republicans than on the democrats. For example, earlier today I heard an “expert” analyst point out that a significant percentage of South Carolina republicans are in an “anti-establishment” mood because of the removal of the Confederate Flag from the State Capital. When we’re discussing the issue of race in this election, instead of focusing on who’s endorsing Clinton or Sanders, I believe we should be talking about why it is a “given” that African American voters vote democratic.

Should Sanders or Clinton be the next President, I believe the present make-up of our Congress will continue to make it EXTREMELY difficult if not IMPOSSIBLE to enact legislation that is actually designed to address the deplorable circumstances so MANY African Americans face in today’s “reality.” When you have a leading candidate (Donald Trump) who’s very casual about spewing racist dialogue and you have exit polls in New Hampshire (a mostly “white” state) suggesting 2/3’s of the republican voters favor not allowing Muslims to enter this country, and – in South Carolina – a “significant number of republicans” want that Confederate flag flying on the Capitol flag pole then that, to me, identifies where the discussion should be when we’re talking about how “race” will affect this next election.

I’ve been writing about this since President Obama took the oath of office, but our “liberal media” seemingly doesn’t REALLY want to talk about the issue of race – at least in an HONEST way that actually looks at reality. The verbal ABUSE leveled on our president which is laced with everything from subliminal racist innuendo to outright overt racism has been disappointing, discouraging, shocking, – I’m trying to think of the right word – to me. The reality of my own situation is that I’m so embedded with what Thom Hartman (and others who are much more aware and knowledgeable than me) refers to as “White Privilege” that I was totally naive to the reality of the level of racism in America when President Obama was elected. I still remember thinking: “I didn’t think I would live long enough to see an African American elected president” – in a way that implied my thought process was along the lines of “we’ve come a long way, baby.”

However, President Obama’s election simply brought those with racist leanings (there are many degrees, as I see it – from those who are totally unaware of their own issue to the people who are overtly racist) RACING out from under the “rocks.” And, our “liberal media” is either part of the problem or they simply don’t have the intellectual capacity to HONESTLY evaluate their own cognitive thinking. To me, that’s why the focus of MSNBC in talking about how race is affecting the primary election process, they focus on the contest between Sanders and Clinton questioning whether or not Bernie Sanders can make inroads into African American community in a way that translates into votes. Yes, I believe if Sanders is to prevail, he’ll need to do that – BUT the FOCUS of how “race” will affect this coming election should be, in my mind, on the republican party and WHY African Americans, Latino’s, and other “minority” groups predominantly vote democratic. And, I would suggest that it’s because they’re voting AGAINST republicans as much as they are voting for democrats. In my lifetime, while democrats clearly better represent the needs of the African American community, the TRUTH is (at least as I see it) that those living in our large “inner cities” aren’t much better off today than they were in days when people like me were participating in the Civil Rights movement back in the 60’s.

And, I’m saying that as an indictment on myself and others like me – white, “baby boomers” who have a tendency to vote for President and then go back to focusing on our own situation and not giving the person we voted for the support needed to actually “make a difference.” I say that because, whether it’s Clinton or Sanders in the White House starting in 2017, not much will happen if “we the people” can’t PURGE the Congress of all the OBSTRUCTIONISTS who put their own power and the POWER of their moneyed benefactors before the good of the country. “We the people” allowed the so-called “Tea Party” to take over the House of Representatives and their racist tendencies have not been very well “cloaked in secrecy” – if you’re paying attention at all. Presently, I’m re-reading “Sons of Wichita” a book about the now infamous “Koch Brothers” and, after reading this book, you can see the “fingerprints” of two of these brothers (Charles and David) all over some of the absolutely WORST parts of the last 35 years of American politics.

The Kochs funded the “Tea Party” movement and I still remember former South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, now the head of the Koch’s Heritage Foundation, giving an anti-Obama speech (you know, one of the republicans who were openly claiming their number one goal was Obama’s “failure”) in front of a Tea Party audience. As the camera perused the members of the audience there was one disgusting RACIST sign after another depicting our President in a plethora of demeaning ways that implied he was a ……. (well, I’ll let you fill in the blanks – two words). Of course, DeMint not only didn’t discourage the sign carriers, he encouraged them – ginned them up. Honestly, it made me sick to my stomach and gave me even more compassion on what my Black friends have endured during their lifetimes. These people were claiming allegiance to the Bible and the Constitution while spewing their racial hatred. I still get angry just writing about it.

Of course, the derogatory comments – again both subliminal and outright overt – have continued since the day President Obama won the election back in 2008. Now we’ve got a bunch of republican candidates who, one after the other, are throwing out the “code” to make sure their “base” knows they can be depended on to make sure we never have a non-white person in the “White House” again. I don’t know why this is so hard for anyone who’s a legit “investigative reporter” to figure out. Have any of them even given thought to what the republican candidates mean when they ALL say “we’re going to take our country back.” If that’s not sinking in, just give it a bit more thought. I mean, seriously, they’re going to take it back from what?

Or, they also say, “I’m going to make America great again.” When I hear that one I often times want to scream at my TV set (if I’m actually watching them “debate”) “Do you mean make it great like it was under GW Bush/Dick Cheney?” Barack Obama inherited a MESS that any sane person would have chosen to leave for someone else to clean up. And, working with a Congress that has been, for the most part, led by those whose number one goal is the president’s FAILURE, it is remarkable what has happened with the deficit, for example, since President Obama took office. While republicans were quick to blame (Bush/Cheney’s) deficits on President Obama you certainly now don’t see them pointing out that our president has presided over an economy that’s reduced the annual deficit by in excess of $1 TRILLION. So, if being “Great Again” doesn’t mean going back to the deficit spending and militarism of the Bush/Cheney regime, what does it mean? (I’ll let you figure that one out)

The middle class in America came into the “cross-hairs” of the republican party in 1980 when Ronald Reagan was elected president. They’ve been “cutting taxes and (NOT) balancing the budgets” ever since. They’ve convinced the American public (through their propaganda scheme via Fox “news,” Rush Limbaugh et al, and control of the “fourth estate”) that it’s the democrats, for example, who’ve caused the issue with budget deficits. Just like Bill Clinton took the ridiculously HIGH deficits of the Reagan/Bush I era down to ZERO and then left office with a SURPLUS of $250 BILLION per year – that, had Bush/Cheney continued the policy they [us] would have virtually paid off the national debt in 10 – 15 years – Instead, Bush/Cheney turned that SURPLUS into a MASSIVE deficit of over a TRILLION dollars/year by the time they left office. Since Obama took office republicans have been CLAMORING that the high deficits are going to ruin the country, but the REALITY is that during President Obama’s administration the deficit, as stated above, has been reduced over a TRILLION dollars and is presently below the “pre Great Recession” levels. Republicans are STILL claiming they will “cut taxes and balance the budget!” I can’t believe the American people will fall for this absurd “line” AGAIN! Don’t believe me, click HERE.

I’ll end this rant be saying I’m hoping that Donald Trump is incorrect when he states, “The American voting public is ‘stupid.'”  If you’re at all concerned about the condition of race in today’s America I believe the focus should be on the republican party and why very few “people of color” vote for them.  Yes, I hope that Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have a vigorous debate that includes the well being of those who would be referred to as (In Jesus’ words) “The least of these” (and, yes, this group includes people of all “colors”) and I hope that when elected one of them will change the direction of this nation in regard to those “at the bottom.”  I believe Bernie Sanders is ABSOLUTELY correct when he calls out those “at the top” for their GREED and their unwillingness to address the terrible income inequality in today’s America.  And, I think it’s disgusting that one of our major parties can’t field a single candidate with the courage to tell it like it is in regards to all the racial “coding” that seems to dominate their “debates.”  So, the sad reality is that the only way for Sanders or Clinton to succeed is if we vote republicans in Congress OUT of office!

Final Note: Antonin Scalia, the most conservative (and racist) jurist on the Supreme Court died today, presumably leaving the court with 8 jurists and with a lot of 4 – 4 deadlocks until next year.  I’ll have more to say on Scalia (after all the “mourning” of those in Washington DC who will fail to HONESTLY look at his record) later – but, this makes the 2016 election even MORE IMPORTANT.  As I’ve stated many times on this site, the next president could be appointing several Supreme Court justices, and any one of the republican candidates will only further decisions like Citizens United (or Bush v Gore), and the others that have pushed this nation closer and closer to a fascist state.  If you think like I do, tell your friends to get registered and to make sure they plan to vote in 2016.  The ONLY way republicans win is if the American people choose to stay away from the polls!