Is He BLACK Enough?

This question came up early in this election season and will undoubtedly come up again so I thought it about time I address it.

I first must state that I am a registered republican but my political views tend to lean towards moderate conservative.

This question seems to bother me and I hope it bothers many of us.

There should be a standard to which we elect our politicians into office and that standard should be...is he GOOD enough? I did say he but he could be a she just as effectively. But why should we use discrimination in this manner? Certainly when deciding who to support for president we use some form of discrimination. Does Denise really stand a chance? Most of us think not and probably don't give him a second though, if he got a first at all. That in itself is discriminatory. Hell, the guy might even have a decent idea or two.

What makes a person black enough for that matter? Let's look at his background.. ok, so he had what some would call a privileged upbringing and attending Columbia University. Being born in 1961 he unfortunately wasn't around for civil rights, never met MLK or marched with him why does this not make him Black enough.

I am lost here. Who is asking this question? Is it us crackers who say this because we don't think people of color feel he is one of them and therefore will not be pulling his lever.....or, is it the African Americans who feel this?

If you read the Time Magazine article about this you get the sense that he does not have slavery in his blood line and therefore not screaming reparations that he is not one of them.

If that's correct, that's a damn shame.

The fact that we (as a people) even pose such a question is rooted in sheer stupidity. Should we now question whether Hillary is woman enough or whether the next congressman from San Francisco is gay enough to represent his or her respective establishment? Although we prefer to befriend those with shared backgrounds or experiences is there any reason to detract those who are of the same qualities regardless of how they arrived at such qualities?

We don't have to live the life of those less fortunate to appreciate their struggle as most likely it is a struggle of a bigger picture, of all humanity. One can even embrace the struggle that is naturally foreign to himself as a struggle of his own. How else would a american born of upper middle class privelege in California give it all up and become a jihadist for Bin Laden? "Walk in someone else's shoes" is not meant to be taken literaly but rather embrace with compassion and empathy the travels of another.

Are the qualities one needs to become our president found exclusively within the ethnic, race and gender struggles one has been through in their lifetime?

I hope not and if the answer to that question is yes then it is a damn shame.