By Will Cade

When I first came to Europe, the Presidential Election in the states was just beginning. I have always been skeptical of politics in general, and after Bush was reelected for his 2^nd term, I just about cried. Since that day, I haven’t wanted to have much to do with American politics, but as an American in Europe, a lot of people have asked me what I think.

I’ve had loads of conversations on the topic, but my favorite took place in Murcia this fall. I lived on a main street by the Ayuntamiento, and a group of African immigrants always hung out in front of my apartment building. For the first few months, I watched them with suspicion, because I assumed they were in the country illegally (although technically I never knew). They never really bothered me all that much, but at night they could get rather loud. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep, and other times I was just annoyed when I was smoking my last cigarette out on my balcony before bed.

One night when I was finishing my routine, they were particularly boisterous. I thought about calling the police for once, because I had class early the next morning, and I doubted they would stop anytime soon. I was still smoking my cigarette, so all I could think to do was glare down at them, hoping they would see I meant business.

I looked down and saw a skinny Caucasian guy with red hair right in the middle of them. After a second more, I realized that this was my Scottish friend Ron. What the hell is he doing down there, I thought, and yelled down to say hello. Ron, not knowing where this voice was coming from, looked to his left and to his right, swinging his beer in one hand and his cigarette in the other. Eventually one of the Africans saw me and pointed Ron up my way.

“Will, man, what are you doing up there?” he asked.

“I live here, dude.”

“Come on down then, join the party.” he said, and off I went.

I didn’t have much time to party, but I did want to say hello. When I came outside, Ron started introducing me to the different guys in the group, but he did all this in English, which surprised me. I had been in Murcia for a few months, and let’s just say trying to find an English speaker in the street had been like trying to find a store open during the siesta, yet here was this group of “illegal” immigrants speaking the best English I had heard outside of my university friends. They ended up being a pretty cool group of guys, but I had to go back up and get some sleep.

From that day on, I always said what’s up to them and chatted for a minute before going up to my apartment. During one such what’s up, one of them asked me what I thought about the elections.

“The Spanish elections?” I replied.

“No, the American ones.” he said.

I had learned by this point that if the topic of American politics came up, I needed to make it clear from the get go that I didn’t like George Bush. This statement usually disarmed people from hating me right off the bat, as it did in this case.

“So you like Obama or Hillary?” he asked.

“Obama” I said.

“It’s great, man. The United States will have a black man or a woman for the president.” he said, and I just chuckled to myself.

Now it looks like the U.S. might have a black man for president and a woman for vice president. To make things worse (for conservatives) this black man has a Muslim sounding name, and this woman’s husband spilt his seed in the oval office. Although I’m petrified of another Republican in the White House, I want to at least try to imagine how conservatives must feel.

I grew up in Nashville, TN, south of the Mason Dickson Line, and right within the border of the Bible belt. To give you an idea of the demographic, Tennessee is Al Gore’s home state, and he even lost it in the election to George Bush. Suffice it to say I know about racism, sexism, and religious extremism. I would love to be David right now with my trusty sling shot and do battle against the Republican Goliath. But it’s probably best if I let he who is free from sin cast the first stone, which sure as hell isn’t me (if I even believed in sin) because I’m no perfect angel when it comes to racism.

I always thought racism meant using racial slurs and telling racist jokes. I never thought it meant unconsciously judging people because of their ethnicity, without having a clue who they are or where they come from, as I did with my African immigrant friends. I’m learning, though, that I have these pre-conceptions, in large part because of where I grew up, but it still is my responsibility to recognize them and try to be open-minded. Of course, the old bugaboos will always reappear, sometimes momentarily in my head, and sometimes in the words that slip out of my mouth.

But I am not the only American who has to watch what slips out. Michelle Obama, Barack Obama’s wife, is currently receiving media attention for an alleged tape of her repeatedly referring to white people as “whitey.” Whether this tape exists or not is yet to be proven, but what interests me the most about this is how her husband is trying to remedy the situation.

Yesterday Obama launched the website www.fightthesmears.com, which will unite and empower his supporters in rebuking any unsubstantiated personal attacks against him, his family, or his campaign. He will post information on this website, allowing an unprecedented level of visibility into a politician’s personal life. The website currently has a picture of Obama’s birth certificate, stating he was in fact born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to refute allegations that he was not born in the U.S.[1]

Up until now, Obama has pledged to refrain from smear campaigns and instead has attempted to unify the country through hope and workable solutions. This is something I have never seen a presidential candidate attempt in the past. I can only remember rhetoric of one form or another, never having to do with something as intangible and powerful and hope.

For whatever reason, I believe him. This could be part of his plan, some type an anti-rhetoric rhetoric. But when I look at Obama, I see someone who carries with him an intuitive sense of hope. I cannot argue the validity of this before a court of law - but when I imagine what the U.S. will face in the next four years as it deals with the unstable international climate it has created for itself, I believe it needs hope more than anything else.