For those who think the country isn't ready for a woman or an African-American president [View All]

[mtnsnake]

A month or so ago, I saw something that made me think that maybe this country is finally ready. Then, today, a thread started by cali reminded me of this little occurrence that I saw in a diner.

Late last November or early December I was out doing business and stopped in for lunch at a little truckstop-type diner in upstate rural NY (mostly Republican area) that has good home-cooked food. I eat there all the time if I'm in that area doing business. A pretty interesting cross-section of people are usually in there...workers on lunch break, older retirees, hunters, and truckers...pretty much mostly country folk and they're there because the food is affordable and good. I'm sitting at the counter and this guy comes in, a little guy with a big mouth, but he was pretty funny with the stuff he was coming out with (Later on he told me he was a trucker). Anyway, he starting right in with the comical stuff, ribbing one of the waitresses in a pretty harmless manner. So he's got the attention of lots of people and all of a sudden he breaks right into politics. He hollers real loud to the waitress at the end of the counter and tells her that she reminds him of Hillary Clinton. I said to myself, uh-oh, here we go. The waitress doesn't say anything because she's too far away and too busy with another customer. So the next words out of the guy's mouth, and he says it loud enough so everyone in the place can hear him (and I'm paraphrasing from memory)..."You know what, I want Hillary for president. I'm sick of Bush and I'm tired of men messing up this country. It's time for a woman to get her chance!" The place went silent and then the waitress broke the silence by hollering over to him, "I like Hillary, too, and I hope she wins." Then, after the ice was broken, some other people chimed in with how they also like Hillary, once they realized that nobody was going to kill them for saying so. Wow was I surprised at the reactions.

Then he brings up Obama, only he can't pronounce his name right or maybe he mispronounces it on purpose for effect, I don't really know. After the little trucker guy did his thing about Hillary and how he wanted a woman for president, he says, "If Hillary doesn't make it, then I want that other guy, that Omaby Bomaby fellow, that black man whatever his name is. He's really good, too, and if it can't be Hillary then I want him. White men have had their chance and now it's time for something new." Again, there were some people who spoke up and yelled to him in agreement. I reached around a customer in between us and high-fived the guy.

So there you go. Not one person objected or said anything on behalf of Bush or the Republicans. I know this isn't the deep south, it's northern NY, but in that particular diner, a diner that lots of people would consider a borderline redneck eatery, you never would have heard anything like this 6 or 7 years ago.