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Thursday, July 20, 2017

What If?: Even the Best Republicans or Democrats | radical eyes for equity

What If?: Even the Best Republicans or Democrats | radical eyes for equity:

What If?: Even the Best Republicans or Democrats

Image result for al franken john mccain

When news broke about John McCain’s cancer, political leaders from both major parties weighed in with words of praise and support—even former president Obama.
But here is my first thought: McCain will receive world-class medical carewithout any real fear of financial ruin because of his health crisis, but this fact is because he is extremely wealthy (much of that accumulated while being a career politician), not because he is a veteran, not because he is an American.
When Al Franken spoke about his middle-class roots and his wife’s struggle to rise out of poverty, Democrats began to post and praise Franken as the Great Hope of the party.
But here are my first thoughts: Franken’s white nostalgia for the good old days erases the very harsh realities for blacks, who did not have the same hope and promises Franken’s family and his wife’s family did (similar to McCain’s current fortune). While the good old days noted by Franken did include some identifiable opportunities gone today, Franken’s and his wife’s stories are significantly buoyed by their white privilege (conveniently omitted in his oratory).
McCain and Franken, I believe, represent both the best each major party has to offer and everything that is wrong with political leaders in the U.S.
McCain has worked his entire political life as a Republican to maintain the What If?: Even the Best Republicans or Democrats | radical eyes for equity: