FACEOFF: Obama vs. McCain
By
Glenn Minnis
(Originally published
on cover of October issue of The Source Magazine)
FACEOFF: Obama vs. McCain
His expressions, deliberately crafted and artfully articulated as they are , resonate as
an ode of sorts to the growing mass of disciples that have come to view him as new age deliverer of all things inspirational.
Barack Obama will be the first to tell you he's no messiah, but he readily embraces his
role as a vessel of hope that extends far beyond all the modern day trials and tribulations we all ultimately come to bear.
That hope clearly springs eternal amid the swelling crowds of thousands that turn out on the
regular in search of upliftment and enlightenment from his powerfully radiant reflections. But if nothing else, the last eight
years have convinced us that sustained hope for the masses and politics can indeed make for strange bedfellows.
Even for the likes of Barack
Obama, the most practical of questions becomes what an administration under his stewardship would mean for a nation that now
so perilously teeters on the brink? For some of Hip-Hop nation it may also mean a higher measure of accountability.
“Obama is the beginning of Black people not having excuses no more,”
says David Banner. “We can't blame it on the man because the man is about to be a Black man. So this is our opportunity
to squash all the excuses and stand up and work harder. If this man gets in office, it's time for us to stand up and work
harder because now the opportunity and spotlight is on us.”
Diddy agrees: “Not
just as a Black man but as an American, Senator Obama becoming the Democratic nominee for president is history in the making
and proof that we do live in the greatest country in the world.”
Indeed, Obama's
platform is firmly constructed around a reinvestment in people. It seeks a restoration in the human spirit in the form of
new opportunities and chances to fulfill life dreams for the hard working and industrious. It thrives on strength derived
from a system that genuinely seeks to educate all of its young and earnestly care for each of its seniors.
If it's true that President George W. Bush's eight tortuous years in office have effectively earned him the legacy
of the “War-time President,” Obama's vision seems destined to cast him in the historical role of new age agent
of change armed with the noblest of causes.
L.A. Clippers star Baron Davis realizes that
bucking the trends of the last eight years won't come without huge sacrifice. But the man who just spent his summer inking
a five-year, “65 million deal to hoop for his hometown team thinks it's a mission well worth any investment.
“I know he said he's gonna raise the taxes on the top income bracket, but his ideas
about recharging our education system by investing in early education and raising teacher's salaries are seriously inspiring,”
says Davis. “It's what I try to provide with my non-profit, teaching kids leadership skills that show them the right
way out of the cycle of poverty and violence. I wouldn't be where I am today without the teachers and mentors who showed
me a positive definition of success, and Barack is planning to do it across the whole country.”
We can only hope that the Illinois senator will experience that same level of crossover appeal and cooperation if and
when he inherits the Oval Office. But being the first African-American so poised means his challenge beyond doing just that
will far exceed simply partisan politics. And the fact that it's all primed to play out at perhaps the most volatile time
this country has ever witnessed merely adds to all the drama.
Yet societal conventionalism
and prejudicial biases aside, it's just as clear Obama stands to inherit a set of problems as unique to any president
that's come before him as his appearance will be to longtime spectators around the grounds of the White House.
Besides the proposed $700 billion Wall Street bailout plan now afloat, there's the matter of
the recession to deal with, not to mention the reality that this year will end with a budget deficit (pegged at around $410
billion) more than twice what it was just 12 months prior. And one's left with the distinct impression all the red ink
is far from subsiding.
In the final analysis, it would be keen of any Obama presidency
to begin its term by re-regulating a system that's long run amok. But then who better in tune for such a spirited task
than the man who's built his very platform preaching the gospel of change?
No matter
who you support, John McCain is a war hero and longtime seasoned senator who's truly battle tested. And it's the soldier
in him that just won't let him walk away from a presidential race that more and more pundits are increasingly forecasting
he can't win.
As it relates to the latter point, McCain's saving grace might be
that despite all of his George W. Bush ties, his plan offers somewhat of a diversion from a president that has waddled through
some of the lowest approval ratings of any two-term commander-in-chief.
Where Bush has
shown a propensity for ruling with an iron fist, McCain prides himself on his “bipartisan nature.”
Indeed, he has been part of certain political achievement s involving both Republicans and Democrats. It is his independence
that has led to certain problems within his own party. Not even Bush himself has escaped his wrath, the Arizona senator is
quick to point out, often alluding to how over the years he's repeatedly clashed with the president over matters like
tax cuts, judicial appointments, campaign finance reform and the conduct of the military in the handling of the Iraq War.
Now don't get it twisted here, that's not to say all would be well for Joe Hip-Hop
or the working or middle classes if the 72-year-old self-proclaimed “maverick.” For one, McCAin has consistently
expressed a dogged willingness to “seriously consider” reinstating the military draft if elected. This, coupled
with his somewhat ambivalent stance on the issues of military and police torture, could yet make for more troubling times
for many of the boys in the hood.
Yet, not much of that has put much of a dent in the level
of support McCain has garnered from Hollywood. High rollers like Robert Duvall (The Godfather), John Elway and Gary Sinise
(Lt. Dan from Forest Gump) have all come out stomping for McCain.
And is it really any
wonder? Much like his Republican predecessor Bush, the bulk of McCain's tax plans go the furthest in aiding the five percent
or so of Americans who constitute the affluent. That's music to the ears to the likes of Puerto-Rican born, now U.S. citizen
reggaeton star Daddy Yankee, who is on record as one of McCain's biggest celebrity endorsers.
“I don't care who I piss off,” boldly declares Daddy Yankee. “This about my ideals, not making
friends. Senator McCain is the kind of man whose promises you can actually believe in.”
Wonder if Yankee is aware of McCain's stance on immigration reform. how it seems to readily fluctuate, prompting
the question of if one is so easily swayed what can truly be expected in the way of conviction during these historically defining
times?
But know that John McCain won't just walk away. He is a skilled and formidable
opponent. One who believes in himself and his vision. The onus for sending him packing falls on us.
John Isaacs: He is legend
In this, the heart of the political
season,
John Isaacs simply won't campaign. Thus, it's up to us to get out the vote for him.
For far longer than any one should have
to remember, the 94-year-old Isaacs has proudly stood as a viable candidate for induction into the NBA Hall of Fame. For those of you with any lingering questions about his platform consider that the longtime Bronx native once toiled as
the star point guard for the legendary Harlem Rens. Know that over the course of their 25-year existence, the Rens compiled a staggering 83 percent (2,318-381) winning percentage.
In basketball parlance the late 1920s is a period known as the "Black Five Era," a time otherwise typified by Jim Crow laws when top-flight African-American teams like the Rens roamed the earth taking
on all comers. Rutgers football All-American Paul Robeson was even part of the mix, starring on a team from Newark, and Jackie Robinson, long before he would join the Dodgers, balled with a squad from Los Angeles.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the
Rens were the most dominant team on the hardwood. During the '32-33 season, they raced to a 112-8 record, including a
history-making 88-game winning streak. As they barnstormed the country, they formed some of the most intense and competitive
rivalries the game has ever known, including fabled histories with the likes of the Harlem Globetrotters and the Original Celtics.
“The way they handled and passed the basketball was just amazing,” legendary Hall of Fame coach John Wooden once said of the Rens, named after the famed Harlem Renaissance Casino they played their home games in and shared with such
big-ticket acts as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Fatha Hines and the Chick Webb Band. “To this day, I have never seen a team play better team basketball,” added
Wooden.
And much of that rhythm and precision started with John Isaacs, the Rens courageously fearless point guard who
signed a pro contract right out of Textile High in the Bronx at a rate of $150 a month plus $3 a day meal money. To this day,
Isaacs is clear about the dynamics that went into his decision.
"Coming out of high school, I didn't have a
lot of options," explains the only living member from the legendary team. "It was either the Rens or the standing
offer I had with NYU—New York Unemployment," recalls the 6-1, 190-pound Isaacs, who also later starred for the
Washington Bears.
Long an admirer of his game and exploits, I got to know “Mr. I” personally just over
a year ago when I was commissioned by Hoop Magazine, the official NBA publication, to pen a cover piece on the Rens for Black History Month. The interview and introduction were both arranged by Claude Johnson, an Isaacs confidante and nationally known hoops
historian who founded BlackFive.com, a vintage sports licensing company dedicated to researching, preserving, promoting, and teaching about the history of African
American basketball teams.
Johnson has long been vocal in his insistence that Isaacs deserves the same fate as
fellow “Black Fives”-era stars William “Pop” Gates and Charles “Tarzan” Cooper in being enshrined in the NBA Hall of Fame. Thus, I was genuinely touched this week when he reached out to ask that I join
a committee he was forming to have Isaacs take his rightful place in Springfield.
And it's a good thing, too,
for the man who earned the name 'The Boy Wonder' based on all his wizardry would never do so for himself. “I
look at the Hall of Fame the same way I played the game,” says Isaac. “You do what you're suppose to do and
hope that everything else takes care of itself.”
Thus, how could I say no when Johnson came calling, when
the time has more than come to take care of John Isaacs in a way he's come to deserve? Sure, the Rens as a team are already
a part of the Hall's lore, but is that really enough of a distinction for a man many credit with being the inventor of
the pick-and-roll play and even more agree has clearly been one of the greatest to ever perfect it?
“Mr.
I” won't dare bemoan the point, but for manning it the way he did all those years it's now incumbent upon
all Hall voters to do so for him.
