Empathy vs Sympathy

Having watched the progression of the campaigns in the last few weeks, it's clear to me that Barack will edge out a narrow victory in the election. Will have it protested, recounted and disputed by every conservative attorney with the time and money to donate to the cause and then, when the smoke clears, McCain ( a gracious loser ) will bow out " for the sake of our country."

I find myself more and more drawn into conversations regarding my personal feelings on the vote and most importantly how I'll cast having been Republican for most of my adult life. The true answer is that I can't, by any stretch of the imagination, vote against Barack Obama. I have trouble seeing how any person of color could. Yes, the elephant in the room is race, and yes I say, unabashedly that race is one of my primary decisive issues. How can any one of Caucasian decent even begin to understand this issue as seen my millions of Afro-American voters. How do you explain to them the feeling that finally there may be a president in office that has a very real and tangible experience to draw from in relation to civil rights issues, job fairness, and discriminatory policies often overlooked by past presidents. That isn't to say any of our past presidents haven't had the country as a whole in their best interest but the human being is a being of self centric interest by nature. We can only understand this world from the perspective given to us at birth. How can any Caucasian understand the depth of degradation felt your child is called a "Nigga" by another child at school because of backwards parenting and a closed mind home environment. The answer is that they can't! They can empathize with the matter but not sympathize with it. There is no way to pass that feeling of rage and sadness on sufficiently for them to have the necessary understanding. Therefor the only real choice for us is a vote cast for a candidate most like ourselves. A man made in the image of us all, White and Black.

Vested with understanding of both cultures in a way that only our children are beginning to understand as more and more mixed culture families become the norm.

Many will read this and find themselves baffled at the notion that one would vote solely on this fact but I ask you, How many will vote against Obama solely based on the same fact. I suspect there will be more than one would think. You see, in the privacy of the voting booth anyone can indulge the prejudices they hold secretly in their hearts. After all, who will know when they arrive at work chipper and unaffected. while still wearing the "Vote Obama" pin they bought online the week before...

It's that reason alone lending credence to my assertion that although won, the race will be closer than most think, and at this point closer than I would hope.