Laudo Pro Dies

"I won’t vote for Obama. You go on the Internet and see him associated with that church, with the Koran. He won’t wear a flag pin. … After 9/11, there is absolutely no way I’d support someone who is associated with the Koran. I won’t support terrorism," - Clinton supporter Cheryl Chamberlain in South Dakota.

Words fail me. I'm well aware of the prejudices and hatred that run just below the polished, polite veneer of American society; you can't grow up in Texas for 25 years without hearing more than your fair share of nigger jokes. But to witness this level of willful ignorance to the realities of 21st century America, this willingness to embrace any and all negative narratives about one of the next, best hopes for this nation, makes me truly ashamed of large swathes of my country.

I used to be able to ignore and explain away such speech, saying that "they just don't know any better" and that "they were just raised in a different environment". But to hear someone justify such base racism and ignorance by citing their worldwide Internet "research" simply turns my insides to pitch. Every time I feel my heart swell as Obama speaks eloquently of hope and change, I feel a corresponding tightness in my stomach knowing that there are ignorant, deplorable people like Cheryl Chamberlain out there who have the right to help choose the next direction for America.

And Hillary Clinton must share some of the blame for this invective. By having waged a campaign of negative Rovian politics, by still refusing to concede the Democratic nomination even in the face of mathematical certainty and blunt reality, she has enabled her supporters by justifying and encouraging these kinds of remarks and attacks on their part. At a time when party unity should rightfully trump any personal political ambitions, she continues to think only of herself and care not at all for the good of this nation. Just as George W. Bush did after the attacks on 9/11, she has squandered the chance to rise above partisan politics and unite two sides of a divide that has existed for far too long. This primary has certainly shown us her true colors.