Article: Is Barack Black Enough? The Dumbest Political Question Ever!

I'm usually one to take the position that no question is a dumb question.

If someone has a question, they obviously don't know the answer, or they wouldn't have asked.

We may think it's a dumb question, because we know the answer, but in most cases the person who's asking really doesn't know and wants to know.

If we think a question is dumb it's usually because the answer is something that is commonly known, or because the questioner didn't take the time to use some logic and figured it out for himself. When someone doesn't do that, it's a little aggravating.

I'm aggravated by the dumbest question I've heard lately: Is Barack Obama black enough?

This question is being asked by supposedly bright people, and among those "bright people" are the journalists who attended the National Black Journalists Association convention in Las Vegas. That surmise was made by Rev. Jesse Jackson during an interview on Hardball with Chris Matthews.

I, along with a majority of Americans aren't giving the press much credit lately for asking the right questions, let alone trusting their sources. Especially when the subject is governmental malfeasance and the sources are unnamed.

But, if there were an award for the dumbest question ever, "is Barack Obama black enough?" would be the all-time winner.

Not only is it the wrong question, but what the hell does it mean?

Does it mean he should only have black interests at heart? Does it mean his mother contributed too much to his gene pool, acing out his dad?

Has anyone asked any candidate at any time in history if he were "white enough?"

The idjuts who are asking have a lot to answer for when they should be asking questions like is the candidate...:

...smart enough?
...certifiable or sane?
...have common sense?
...working for all the people?
...have good advisers and listen to the advice?
...in the pocket of big corporations?
...have experience?
...fields of expertise?
...legislative track record?
...believe in containing our borders first, like firemen contain a fire before putting it out?
...believe that amnesty for illegal aliens is wrong because they've broken our immigration laws?
...have a health care plan?
...have a get out of Iraq plan?
...void all of W's signing statements?
...restore the Constitution to its once glorious self?
...get back all the jobs that have escaped overseas?
...taxing windfall profits?
...tax reform?

Now we know most of those questions have been asked, but come on. Is he black enough? That infers that he will only have the interest of blacks at heart.

I don't think the Jewish press asked Joe Lieberman if he were Jewish enough, or the Mormon press asking if Mitt Romney is Mormon enough when everyone else is asking if he's too Mormon.

"Women's Wear Daily" isn't asking Hillary Clinton if she's woman enough, or if she has too much testosterone, making her not woman enough, or maybe she's too much of a woman and has too much estrogen.

It not just black journalists who get the blame for asking dumb questions; it's all journalists. And, remember, Jackson was only surmising that it was black journalists; he really doesn't know how the question got started. But, it sounds like a good surmise.

So, for all you journalists out there who are too lazy to ask the smart questions, because it will take some work on your part to analyze the answers and report on them fully, here are some dumb questions for you to ponder whether you want to ask.

And ask not just of Obama, but all the candidates, because they are so incredibly important to the future of the country.

Have you ...? Did you...? Were you...? Do you...? Stopped...?:
...wearing underwear?
...beating your wife and kids?
...naughty pictures in Carl Rove's family photo album?
...worked your way through college as a male or female stripper?
...arrested for TPing a house?
...American enough?
...Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Wicca enough?
...White, black, brown, green or lilac enough?
...tell a lie or fib?
...cheated on school exams?
...beat up your siblings?
...the class bully or the class clown?
...steal money from your mom's purse?
...favorite movie, song, author, food, animal?
...and, anything else that's a "who cares" question.

I could add Barbara Walters favorite insipid question: If you could be a flower or tree or animal, what would that be?

People of the journalistic persuasion, get your acts together and formulate some in-depth questions. This election is too important to fritter away the precious Q and A time you have with the candidates on the inane and frivolous. Don't waste our time with them either!