~ Tit for Tat ~

While I believe Madonna is far more intelligent and disciplined, if I had to choose a Sarah Palin equivalent for Progressive Liberals, I would choose Madonna.

I suspect Madonna and Governor Palin would approve.  Putting aside their polar ideologies and views, however, here’s my thinking  – Both women really irritate and provoke their opposition.  Yet they agitate their allies too…

In the case of Madonna most recently, some liberals wishing the diva had been more eloquent, not so crass in making a political point about President Obama.

If you don’t see Madonna as a politician, you haven’t been following the 30-year campaign of the singing Senator from Michigan, which is understandable given the demands.

Campaigning for Senator Madge can be taxing. She challenges her supporters most of all. For starters, you have to ignore the hecklers, reject the notion that Madonna is an opportunistic sellout seeking attention.  Because as a supporter of Senator Madge, you believe Madonna is an outspoken girl from Detroit, determined to save the world one inclusive celebration at a time.  Not without her share of controversies, but well intentioned all the same…

~ The Incident ~

On September 24, 2012, while performing live in Washington D.C., Madonna called President Barack Obama a “Black Muslim in the White House”.

When I awoke to the headlines the following morning, I was taken aback.  I had just seen Madonna perform twice in Chicago the week prior.  Nothing about her actions, the moral of her tour, would leave me to believe Madonna’s intentions were cruel, let alone ignorant where Barack Obama was concerned.

I ignored the sensation-bating article, hid the user comments, and watched the footage, bracing for the punchline…

~ The Reaction ~

If Madonna were diplomatic, she wouldn’t be Madonna, and I wouldn’t be the singing Senator’s imaginary spokesman…

Madonna’s comments were intended to be ironic.  In effect, she was saying that in America anything is possible…  Although Barack Obama is a Christian, we live in a country where even a black Muslim can live in the White House.

All the same, for what it’s worth, I have to admit…

I initially recoiled at Madonna’s statement.  Truth is, I’m conditioned to flinch when someone says the President of the United States is un-American.  Whether insisting Obama is Muslim or Kenyan, the underlying intent provokes me, leaves me feeling a little West Side Story and not so bueno.

Sandwiched between Madonna and Barack Obama, feeling a little awkward, waiting on someone to speak, I wondered – Is it okay to be ironic? If I object to race bating language, shouldn’t I bellyache over “racist bating” statements too? Does excusing Madonna make me a hypocrite?

No sooner, I remembered something ironic…

When I was in Chicago the week prior, Madonna endorsed President Obama, in a way that only Madonna can… She stripped down to her bra before a packed United Center, revealing “Obama” inked along her lower back, and proceeded to sing “Like a Virgin”.

But then I recalled the night prior to her endorsement.  When en lieu of “Obama”, the words “For Give” were inked on Madonna’s back.

That night, Senator Madge rallied her supporters. She demanded everyone work harder at loving one another, asked us to not get so caught up in the tit for tat, the social disease…

Until asking myself whether I excused Madonna, I had all but forgotten about her proactive request to “For Give”.

And when I overlapped the two performances with the controversy, I started to realize something…

None of this is about Madonna, or at least it shouldn’t be…

Turns out, this lesson of forgiveness was custom built for me.

~ The Issue ~

I enjoy Madonna because she reminds me to be upbeat. I make an effort to be optimistic and not judge, although when it comes to ignorance and extremists, here and abroad, I’ve been less successful and more skeptical of people’s intentions.

When asked about the President’s religion in a recent Pew Research Center Poll, 17% of Americans responded that Barack Obama was Muslim.

Despite the President’s word and evidence to the contrary, nearly 1 in 5 Americans is spooked into believing, or seeks to believe, that President Obama is lying about being a Christian.

I find this statistic hard to forgive.  It represents a mindset exacerbated by ugly politics, and quantifies an effort to delegitimize Barack Obama.

We can disagree with Madonna’s approach, but I applaud her for spotlighting an issue 4 out of 5 Americans should be talking about more regularly.  I also appreciate her request to “for give”.  Because whether a provocative liberal like Madonna or offensive conservative like Sarah Palin, I need to listen with a forgiving ear.  I need to focus less on who, what, and how something is said, and seek to understand why…

The issue is the reaction, my sensitivity to offensive words…  I can scream at my TV shaking a fist, accusing people of being racists.  Or I can forgive, choose to see 17% of Americans as ill informed.

I can’t stop ignorance, but I can vote against fear mongers and hate at the ballot box. I can write this article and celebrate 4 out of 5 Americans, taking comfort in the realization  – This tide is retreating, the United States is becoming a more perfect union, one forgiving gesture at a time.

God Bless America, our President, Senator Madge, and Sarah Palin too. We are all fulfilling a promise, becoming a nation shiny and new.

~ The End(orsement) ~

In the end, the singing Senator from Michigan doesn’t need assistance from an imaginary spokesman.  Madonna summed up her controversial statement eloquently enough, and much more concisely, when she concluded…

“Yes, I know Obama is not a Muslim — though I know that plenty of people in this country think he is. And what if he were? The point I was making is that a good man is a good man, no matter who he prays to. I don’t care what religion Obama is — nor should anyone else in America.”

Below is Senator Madge’s full length endorsement of President Barack Obama at the United Center in Chicago.

I hereby challenge the most liberal Obama enthusiast among us, top this endorsement…

Progressive politics and the politics of Madonna are the subject of “Guy Penn & the Gospel According to Madge” written by Damon Wallace. 

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