Lets Have a Drink

One of the remaining images in my mind from the historic Democratic primary of 2008 is the one of Hilary Clinton tossing back beers and shots in various places in the country. It was unprecedented, as I have never seen a presidential candidate sip champagne, drink a brew, or slam a cold one. Maybe it was the byproduct of the open access of this campaign, with more Internet reporting, 24 hour news cycles, and cell phones with video recording capability.

While I did see Hillary's competitor also having a draft, it was seeing her in Pennsylvania in the pub and her in Puerto Rico at the party that I remember the most.

And I am not alone, as many people commented about these images, particularly women who were non-Hilary supporters. Some felt that she portrayed a desperate image, looking somewhat uncomfortable and out of place, trying to fit in.

One interesting image that I didn't see was Hillary drinking in African American communities. I mean, how cool would it have been to see her "up in the club" with some cognac or some Bacardi? How about her in an local joint in the ATL, or a dive in Detroit, getting her groove on in Gary, or washing a few back in Watts? For the older African American voters, maybe a staged photo-op in the jazz clubs in the Big Easy, or the blues clubs in Kansas City, Mo. And since African Americans are diverse, maybe seeing her at a dancehall club somewhere in a West Indian haven in New York, or a Haitian Club in South Florida, or partying with the Cape Verdians in Roxbury.

Maybe her lack luster poll results would have been stemmed if she would have just had a drink with black folk, to hear our stories again and to commiserate with us in the midst of this mortgage crisis, failing urban schools, and the outsourcing of jobs. We could have debated the negative images of BET (she could have brought Bob Johnson on that one) and talked about dwindling attendance at churches. And don't forget, the state of Black Colleges and Universities, the placement of their graduates, and the issue of health care.

And if she had started early in early 2007, when the Jena 6 issue was dominating the news or the memory of hurricane Katrina was upfront and center in everyone's mind, we might have been more partial, and would have been less likely to abdicate wholesale to another candidate.

There are embittered conversations that Black people are having that didn't always make it to Tavis Smiley- the kind that we have at bars or in the backyard. It would have been nice to see her in one of these settings, with a Sean John scarf or some Roca Wear capri outfit, listing to what's going in Watts, how things were in Houston, and the daily buzz in Durham.

Personally, I don't drink, but she could have had communion with me on the First Sunday at my church. There are stories there too, some that don't get spoken, even at the club. It would have been nice to see her thirst for my story. To see it washed away in cup of my realities .

While that drink cannot help her to set policy as the next POTUS, it can still help her to set policy as a Senator. So come on by and sit down, Hillary, we have some catching up to do.