It's 3 a.m. all over again

There is an excellent opinion piece in today’s New York Times entitled “The Red Phone in Black and White.” It’s by Harvard Sociology Professor Orlando Patterson, and it points out something about Hillary Clinton’s 3 am add that, once you hear it, is kind of an “aha” moment.

As you probably recall, the 3 am add shows a bunch of sleeping, light-skinned children, ostensibly being checked on by a vulnerable, white mother. All the while, a telephone is ringing, unanswered, in the background. The message of the visuals is that these innocent, light-skinned folk (first white and blond, then vaguely Latino) are being threatened by some dark, predatory character, perhaps just outside, perhaps already in the house. The unanswered phone shows that there’s nobody coming to help these poor folk. It’s classic racism. Pure and simple.

Meanwhile, continuing her trek into the world of the disingenuous, Clinton also said she and likely Republican nominee Sen. John McCain both had experience to answer that 3 a.m. call, but Obama only had a speech.

Tying racism and inexperience together, Clinton supporter Geraldine Ferraro has now repeatedly stated (including on Fox News) that Obama is only in the position of being able to run for President because he is black. Not in spite of the fact that he is black, which would be more accurate, but because of it. As if the citizens of Illinois and all of us who voted for Obama are being duped into some sort of silly, affirmative action vote. And as if that argument couldn't be turned right back on Clinton and her status as a woman. Failing to see how silly the argument is, the Clinton camp appears to be arguing that, in addition to being black and inexperienced, Obama is also an outsider who doesn’t know what he’s doing and can’t be trusted with our precious, pure children and white women. Give me a break!

Says Clinton on answering that 3 a.m. phone call: “Now I think you will be able to imagine many things Sen. McCain will be able to say. He has never been the president. He will put forth his experience. I will put forth my experience. Sen. Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002.”

There is no reason that being a partner in a big law form or sitting on the board of Wal-Mart or being married to a politician or eight years as an elected official (Clinton’s resume) should count as experience relevant to answering that 3 am call, where Obama’s community organization and voting rights work, ten years as a constitutional law professor, and twelve years as an elected official should not. Clinton’s argument doesn’t make a lick of sense.

For that matter, McCain’s one hundred fifty five years in the Senate doesn’t make him any better suited to answer that 3 am call either. Senators are not called on to make split-second, life and death decisions. Governors do face those situations on rare occasions, but none of the three of them (Clinton, Obama or McCain) has ever been a governor or even in law enforcement. All three of them are legislators.

And it’s not like it’s rocket science figuring out how to answer that late night distress call. The process should be relatively the same for anyone in that situation:

1. Pick up the damn phone before the sixth ring, and find out what is going on.
2. If it’s an attack or disaster, figure out how to stop the attack and prevent further damage to the country and its people, and then do it.
3. Move to help those people who may have been harmed or affected.
4. If it is an attack, strike back. (Note, that’s “strike back”, not “strike Iraq”! They rhyme, but otherwise have entirely different meanings.)
   

And the president doesn’t have to do those things one at a time or all by him/herself. The president has a team, his cabinet, and each is in charge of a different arm of the government. Get each of them working on whatever portion of the response their section of government is responsible for. And do it quickly and expertly.

Now, all of that would seem a no-brainer, but the Bush Administration has shown otherwise. Their first goal, protect their own ass. Second goal, use the attack/disaster to push some political goal, like attacking Iraq. Third, … well, there is no third, because everyone they put in place is an incompetent hack. Let the states/cities/democrats figure it out, that’s the third response, along with the typical Republican “tough luck, suckers.”

So the whole 3 am phone call thing really highlights the importance of having the most competent, expert advisors, cabinet and staff that a president can find. With a functioning government, the 3 am call is already planned for.

Obama is a smart guy who appreciates practical expertise, knowledge and skill, even when it disagrees or contradicts with his own positions. You don’t get good advice from “yes” men, and Obama knows that. All you have to do is read his book to confirm this. And that trait sets him apart from both Clinton and McCain, that’s the whole point of his campaign – let’s get the best out of everyone. Would I trust Obama and his team with that 3 am call? Hell yeah!

Lastly, if you’re a Clinton supporter, let her campaign know how upset you are by their recent tactics.