You knew the mud would be different this time around with the first person of color running for president. So the campaign’s new low should be no surprise. John McCain gave his operatives the green light to begin the mudslinging when he made his infamous “That one” comment in reference to Barack Obama during this week’s debate. It was disrespectful, condescending and shows no respect for any person who is a minority in this country. McCain’s remark makes it imperative now for Asian Americans to realize who does or doesn’t speak in our best interest.
When Chinese and Japanese were excluded from this country, were we “that one”? When Filipinos were barred from intermarriage in California, were we “that one”? When you have been treated in a condescending and discriminatory way, were you “that one”?
The veiled hate rhetoric of McCain reveals a nastiness that we must expose and defeat.
Of course, it didn’t have to get to this point. Put the merits of all the candidates on a grid and the superiority of one ticket over the other is just staggering. If the best deserve to win, then there should be no question. We could be nice and McCain can go back to his maverick life with his trophy wife and lipsticked pitbull. But it’s different now. Everyone’s barking away.
So if you were on the fence, one of those undecided Asian Americans in this country who just aren’t sure yet, then John McCain’s “that one” comment should be enough to let you reach a little campaign epiphany. That was one clump of mud was hurled not just at another candidate but at all of us who dare to be American and live and think and believe differently from the likes of John McCain.
McCain? He’s not the one.