Monday, October 19, 2015

You know how some congressional districts are considered "bellweathers?, like CNN says "Podunk County Ohio has voted for the next president every time since 1920"? Cambria County Pennsylvania is the bellweather for schizophrenia, I looked it up once. Voted for Lincoln in 1860, for McClellan in 1864. ? I'm tellin' ya. Voted, albeit narrowly, for Obama in ought-eight. I was shocked. They voted for a Black guy? Nuh-uh. Did they know? There are like fifteen Black people in Cambria County...Okay, that's an exageration. Twenty...In Barnesboro, there has never, ever been a Black person live, better: reside, in Barnesboro. The first black person I ever saw "live," better: in person, was when I was ten years old. My high school played the Big City (pop. ~ 50,000) high school in basketball and they had a Black player, I'll never forget, wore glasses, "Charlie"-something Ib'leeve, and everybody from Barnesboro was turning to each other going "See the Black guy?" "WHERE?" "Right there, see 'im?" "Oh my stars."  It was amazing, it was like going to the zoo. Charlie was a real Black guy, too. Charlie presented Black. There was nothing confusing about Charlie. See, Charlie, even the name, Charlie is a plausible American Black name, right? Hearda some Charlies who are black. "Charlie" was not inconsistent for Charlie's presentation as Black. It all added up. Now, "Barack." Shh. You mean "Brock?" Never heard of a Black guy named Brock. Never heard of a "Barack." Bible? No Black guys in the Bible that we could ever tell. Polish sounding, maybe? Eh. "Barack" is confusing and Barack Obama did not present Black. He wasn't playing basketball. You don't immediately associate "Barack" with Black. It's not a dead giveaway like Tyrone or Willie, where you go: Black guy, real Black guy. With "Barack" you go, "What kinda name is Barack?" It's confusing and he's not playing basketball. Anyway, Cambria County went for Obama narrowly in 2008 and then went like 62% for the Mittster four years later. I think it took them four years before they realized, "Oh! Obama's blackish? Nuh-uh."