Patchwork America

Photo Credit: American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a blog.  Life has gotten in the way. A huge, unexpected summer project snatched all of my attention.  Until now, the The Socialite Design has been reserved for articles that lean toward entertainment.  I’ve shied away from politics; after all there are other platforms for that.  I didn’t want to be bogged down with insidious comments from banal trolls and insipid arguments that have no resolution.  But if I’m being honest, this country is at a very critical point and bystander apathy is no longer an option. In this instance, saying nothing is worst than saying something that ruffles feathers.  I’m not a professional political analyst or pundit or presidential historian.  I can’t quote statics or espouse a foreign policy position off the cuff.  But I pay enough attention to know…enough.  Again, America is at a critical juncture in our history. And I realize that many things are nagging me. Be warned, this blog post will undoubtedly take many turns and seem erratic at times. But it all points to one place – be accountable, don’t be fooled by foolishness, and embrace the American dream.

It’s disconcerting to think that Black Americans and Liberals of all colors thought that President Obama would be the savior who swooped down and solved every problem with the touch of his magic wand or sprinkling of Obama “Holy” water.  WTFuzz?!  It really ticks me off to hear Black people say “I’m not voting for him because he didn’t do anything for me.”  Really now?

Vote for the candidate you prefer regardless of skin color or gender or the brightness of his teeth. But I’m wondering if these same folks expected Prez Obama to personally visit their homes and hand out million dollar checks or a redeemable Win For Life lottery ticket.  This President, just like many presidents before him, is not infallible.   Yes, there are more things left unaccomplished than he would like.  But one thing he has fought for is job creation and allocating funds for training. Many of the jobs lost over the past 4-6 years are NOT returning.  What this means is we must receive training in other industries.  A lot of this training is free. If you’ve been receiving Unemployment Benefits or Public Assistance, FREE training is available.  If you desire higher education, this administration has made college more accessible.  Come on people WAKE UP and be accountable!  If you think for one moment, these same programs will be available should MR take office or that Mitt will come to your door and hand over a winning Win For Life ticket THINK AGAIN. Or if you think that by NOT voting for either candidate you are making some sort of profound statement, think 20 more times, slap yourself, then think again!

What ticks me off even further is low-income white Americans who allow themselves to be bamboozled by the Repubs and Mitt Romney’leon. Romney is about preserving the pockets of his constituency. He’s already stated that he does not care about 47% of this country; retracting those statements two weeks later is a tired ploy.  It’s no secret that many members of the GOP and right-wing extremists like to have everyone think that only Black people receive government assistance.  Black people only make up 13% of this country so sheer numbers along prove that that is far from the case. What this means is under Romney’s leadership people of ALL RACES will suffer.

I can name a few presidents who really cared and had compassion for the American people. MR, should he in some unfortunate circumstance win, will not belong to this club; he has about as much compassion and sincerity as the Chicago Cubs organization has World Series titles.

Mitt Romney failed to realize that many of the ancestors and forefathers of the 47% helped to build this nation, helped to abolish slavery & shelter holocaust survivors; they helped to build railroads, canals, & intricate mass transit systems; they hold important patents and are the creators of incredible inventions.  We ALL come from dynamic family trees.   Somewhere along the line everyone needs a little help, even Mitt’s rich friends.  That’s one of the roles of government – taking care of the people. Mitt Romney didn’t exactly need government assistance because he inherited good pocket change from his Papa.  To borrow a phrase from urban colloquialism “I ain’t mad at that,” but not everyone has that option.

What we tend to forget in this great “racial-dential” debate is that not only Black people or Latino people will suffer under Mr. Romney’s policies, but hardworking white Americans will suffer too.  Unions will suffer. Elderly people will suffer.  Women will suffer.

President Obama is a person with compassion and will fight for you whether you hate him or love him; whether you’ve called him lazy or accused him of being Muslim, socialist, or pro-Black. He has demonstrated that he will go to bat for you whether you are a low-income white Mississippian living in a trailer park or a disenfranchised Black person living in a housing project or a Latino -American who has been denied citizenship because of unfair legislation. BTW has anyone ever questioned why “illegals” only refers to people with brown skin?  Just wondering.

America is a strong nation because its like my Great Grandma Ella’s custom quilts – patched together with diverse scraps to create something unified and beautiful.  Let’s embrace this idea.

The truth is if Mitt Romney was a Black or Spanish or Indian man talking about disregarding 47% of the country or blatantly telling lies or being slicker than an oil spill his run for office would be stomped out sooner than Kim Kardashian’s 5-minute marriage.

I just ask that you exercise your right to vote; get involved; accept responsibility for your future; seek the truth; and remain “radically fabulous!”