My old friend Randy Ridgel, local leader of the Republican Party, not only got it wrong, but did so by trumpeting the same scare tactics that in large part led to the defeat of his candidate a couple weeks back.
I never said Barack Obama was elected because he was black. I never said anyone should vote for him for that reason, or for that matter, against him. The fact that he was elected, I clearly stated, was without regard to his race. He is black, or half-so, and that”s a fact.
So mentioning the same, and the historic nature of electing the first so designated as President, is worth noting. Not once did I say anything about his policies or attitudes or anything else. It was about the electorate, more than about President-Elect Obama.
Meanwhile, Randy stands back, the leader of a defeated party, and repeats the “booga-booga” that we heard from John McCain and others: Obama”s scary, he”s untested, he might be a terrorist, a risky proposition and may not even be a citizen of the United States.
There”s only two possible reasons for this line of rhetoric: sour grapes and positioning to later parrot “I told you so.”
Randy, you”re a good American. I know that you are. You”ve served your country; you support your country, and you honor your country. Now it”s time to unite that country, and echoing that negative mantra about the bogeyman does you a disservice.
And for what it”s worth, I thought George W. Bush was a disaster, and frequently said so. That opinion, however, was not formed until he gave us plenty of reasons for it well into his first term.
Give Obama that chance. Only if he fails to measure up can you say “I told you so.”
Doug Rhoades
Kelseyville
