conservative views in Black face

I don’t really consider myself a political junkie like bellini. I don’t even consider myself one who loves to talk about politics all that much. And when someone starts a conversation with so…are you into politics? I know whatever follows can't be good. especially when these words are spoken by a Black republican.

This past Saturday night, one of my homegirls from the hometown* was hosting a small Christmas party for a group of young black professionals about town. surprisingly everyone is pretty down to earth…except for this one dude, I shall call him Black Good Ole' Boy ("BGOB").

Picture it...black male, mid-twenties, new lawyer, suede blazer, loafers and a button up shirt. a chocolate covered good ole boy. no, seriously he talks in that folksy how ya'll doin? way. think matthew mcconaughey in a time to kill except way less down for the people.

So as a group of us are sitting around the dining room table enjoying our drinks, BGOB starts in….so who’s ya’ll’s favorite candidate?

crickets crickets...

the rest of us kinda look at each other and then finally this other dude, the Representative, takes the bait….oh obama’s my guy. I like him, I like what he stands for, and what he’s about. Cut to BGOB, he gives a smug little smile and says obama huh? well why do you like him? What about him do you like? What does he stand for?

Whoooa brah…we are not in the court room, the Representative is not on trial here. But the Representative sticks to his guns and goes head to head with BGOB, explaining quite well why he has put his support behind 'bama. I sit quietly not wanting to jump in but wanting to jump ya know.

So then BGOB spits out this little gem that I can't resist seeing as how I consider myself a defender of people's rights and all. all these democrats talking about universal healthcare with no real plan on how they will implement it. I can't get behind such half-cocked ideas. I don’t want anybody telling me what doctor I can and cannot go to, blah blah blah…

Whooooaaa brah….here you go with the exaggerations, you know good in hell well none of the democrats are calling for that kinda plan. And I say to him: They are starting the dialogue and saying hey…every person deserves healthcare no matter how much money they make. The democrats want to make healthcare affordable for all. I think everyone has the right to be healthy. None of the republicans are saying anything close to that….

And then BGOB hit me with the kicker…

BGOB: Well I wouldn’t say healthcare is a right per se. I mean just like everyone doesn’t have a right to an attorney... I don't want the government compelling me to give my services away for free...

Mint Julep: Uuuuuhhh yes they do, it's in the Constitution [dumb ass!]. Every criminal defendant no matter how much money they don’t have is entitled to a defense…. and you have an obligation to do pro bono work as a member of this profession... [black republican bastard!]

And we went back and forth some more with him saying stupid shit about doctors’ profit margins going down, doctors not being able to survive under a universal health plan (I later found out his stepdad is a doctor). everything he said made me throw up a little in my mouth until I finally excused myself to go get another drink.

BGOB is the reason I can’t get down with the black republicans. I mean i'm not super liberal by any means, in fact my views are a bit conservative on some issues but if you can come out yo mouth talkin bout people don't have a right to be healthy and you can't recall one of the fundamental rights deeply ingrained in our legal system, the right to competent legal representation, then something is terribly terribly wrong with ya. i mean really how does one get to be this way? has his little bit of privilege in upbringing, getting a professional degree and entering a profession heavily populated with old white conservative men so deeply polluted him, robbed him of his concious mind? republicans just lack the ability to feel for others, to understand the plight of others, to help others...

and that's just crazy to me.

*the hometown is in the South if ya didn't know.