It was so nice to watch the opening night of the Democratic
convention and see my America with all
its colors, nationalities and walks of life represented. I have to admit, I didn’t watch much of the
GOP gathering last week. I tried, but
the glare off all those white faces gave me a migraine.
Sure, the Republicans had Marco Rubio and he gave
a helluva speech, whether I agree with his views or not, but just try to find
his brethren anywhere in the audience.
Well, maybe in the cheap seats. I
don’t know because the camera never went there.
Last night, the Dems brought out Julian Castro, Mayor of San Antonio, to
deliver the keynote speech and what a difference. The
place was packed with proud Hispanic Americans and not one of them was waving
any flag, but that of the United States.
Last week, Ann Romney, donning a $2,000 Oscar de
la Renta dress, tried to convince families struggling to pay bills, buy food,
and keep their growing kids in shoes that she felt their pain. Say
what?! Mrs. Romney was raised in Bloomfield Hills,
Michigan, where the median income for a family is over $200,000. Then she married Mitt. I
couldn’t help but wonder what experience she was drawing from for all that
professed empathy.
While last night Michelle Obama, in a $400 Tracy
Reese stunner with shoes from J. Crew, spoke of her own experience as one of those families. Michelle, grew up in a family of four living
in a small apartment on the second floor of a house in Chicago’s South Side
with her aunt living in the apartment below. That’s something I can relate to. For a time, my single mother and I lived in a
tiny apartment where my great-aunt Edith lived upstairs and would often watch
me while my mom went off to work as a switchboard operator. I’m
willing to bet that most of you had childhoods that were a lot more similar to
mine than to the Romneys.
When we talk about saving the middle class, it
seems to me that the GOP’s vision of an all-white, affluent America, led by one
of the most affluent – and yes, whitest damn couples I’ve ever seen. I swear these two glow in the dark – may not
be in keeping with the reality of the rest of us.
Just sayin’…
