Brotherpeacemaker turned me on to this story. His commentary is worth sharing: “As a favor to Senator Kennedy, who early last week suffered a seizure and was later diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, Senator Barack Obama delivers the commencement address at Wesleyan University! It’s interesting he could make last minute plans to make this possible when he couldn’t fit programs like the State of the Black Union into his itinerary even when given plenty of advanced notice.” Very astute observation Brotherpeacemaker!
Kanye West spoke “power to truth” when he went off script and exclaimed, during a live on-air telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims in September 2005, that “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people!” Well it appears that Barack Obama doesn’t care much about Black people either. He didn’t care enough to attend the annual State of the Black Union forum which was held earlier this year in New Orleans!! Obama cited scheduling conflicts, as his priority was focusing on his presidential campaign. Tavis Smiley who organized the event, faced a blacklash.. yes I said “black-lash” … for criticizing Obama’s decision not to attend the forum. At the time, I shook my head at the vitriol spewed towards Smiley by so-called “progressive Black bloggers”, the “Obama Fascists”, claiming among other things, that Smiley was jealous of Obama’s success and had a “crab in a barrel” mentality, because he had the audacity to question their Messiah. It got so bad that he received death threats and his mother and brother were harassed. It got so distressing that he ended up quitting the Tom Joyner Morning Show (read commentary here). When I lived near the Canada-U.S. border in Windsor, Ontario… across the river from Detroit, Michigan… I made it a point to listen to the TJMS on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I could hear what Tavis had to say. I didn’t always agree with him but he was always enlightening and honest in his opinions.
The bottom line is Obama decides it is more vital to his self-interest to step in for Ted Kennedy on short notice to address the future aspirations and endeavours of preppy Wesleyan University graduates, than to make the time to address the issues and concerns that are important to the survival and upliftment of Black America (read commencement address here). There is no doubt where his loyalties lie.
Compared to Barack Obama, Clarence Thomas is starting to look more and more like Louis Farrakhan.
This may be because Obama is trying to become President of the United States of America , not of Black America.
But if Mr. Obama is trying to become the President of the United States of America and not just the president of black America, then why does he feel it is acceptable to appear in dominant culture institutions and not with black institutions? If he could not appear too close to the black community why is it acceptable that he can appear close to the white community? Why does it look like he is working hard to become president of white America?
Peace
What is the percentage of Black voters in the US overall? What are the percentages of Black voters in large electoral vote states? Numbers have no pity.
There’s also the fact the the Kennedy clan has offered Obama a lot of support during the campaign. He may have felt that he had to cover for Senator Kennedy when they asked him to do so. Paying your debts is a very important part of politics.
Finally – and sadly – there was no way he was going to attend the State of the Black Union forum. One, it would have given his opponents too much ammo to use against him. Two, the Black community – or at least a vocal number of them – were already claiming that Obama wasn’t Black enough! Only the very brave or the very stupid put themselves into a position where they’ll be verbally attacked on camera.
BTW: Despite sounding like one right now, I’m not particularly an Obama supporter. I dislike his economic theories and his fondness for the UN.
Numbers have no pity.
So because white people outnumber black people it is acceptable that Mr. Obama become the president of the white people and distance himself from the black people? Sounds like typical politics from a typical politician.
There is also the fact the Kennedy clan has offered Obama a lot of support…
Has not the black community offered Mr. Obama a lot of support? The percentage of the black population that has supported Mr. Obama has been overwhelming. I do not have access to numbers at the moment, but I will go out on a limb and say that in some of the Democratic primaries that Mr. Obama has enjoyed support from the black community in a ratio of four to one. In far greater numbers than the white community. Numbers may not have pity but they also do not appear to generate any loyalty either.
[T]here was no way he was going to attend the State of the Black Union forum. One, it would have given his opponents too much ammo to use against him. Two, the Black community…were already claiming that Obama wasn’t Black enough!
So the black man cannot appear to have a connection to the black community. Hillary Clinton appeared at the State of the Black Union and no one attacked her. John McCain appeared in Memphis to show his support for black people commemorating the death of Doctor King. Only the black man feels like he cannot appear to support the black community. Doesn’t sound very brave at all. And while some black people were asking the question was he black enough, the majority appeared to have support him. Again, how many black people supported Mr. McCain and yet he still made an appearance at the motel Doctor King was killed. Doesn’t sound much like strong leadership from the black community perspective.
Peace
No, it is necessary for Obama to not alienate the White people – even if it lowers his support from Blacks, as long as it doesn’t lower it too far. Yes, it’s typical politics from a typical politician. Of course it became typical because it works.
The support of a numerically disadvantaged voting block is not the same thing as the support of one of the most powerful Democratic families in America. Obama’s running on the myth of rebuilding “Camelot;” he can’t afford to piss of the Kennedys because of that.
And finally…You’re exactly correct. A Black candidate can’t show too much solidarity with vocal Black activists in America – at least not if they actually want to get elected. They have to be perceived as colorblind and moderate in their approach to racial issues.
All of the above is true – or at how I perceive the truth. It’s not right, it’s not pleasant, it just is the way things currently stand.
Politics as usual and few campaign promises or allusions will survive the election. Politicians say and do what is necessary to get elected, then they do as they wish – after paying off their major financial and political supporters.
When Obama announced that there was “no black America, no white America,” blah, blah, blah, the die was cast. The foundation of his campaign is that he is a post-black-black candidate. In other words, he appeals to the guilty conscience and need for redemption of white Americans (which is what their vote buys them)…and he appeals to the certain identification of black folks with anyone or anything actually or appearing to be, black (basketball playing, coke snorting) Okay, the coke snorting was a joke, I think?!
Anyway…its cynical political calculation that rules. And Obama is playing it the way “it IS,” NOT, the way certain black folks would like it to be. To be perceived as the black folks candidate is a certain death among white voters – IF your goal is to win. White folks believe that we are, to quote ‘Zel: “Disloyal, fool ass, bitch-made, punks.” Obama can’t afford to look too loyal or too longingly at us, or else. And who can argue with his strategy.
But we can certainly argue that his is a morally bankrupt performance that centers his ambition and not the greater good. It don’t do black folk, white or green any good to propagate fairytales instead of the truth.
Our real leaders are ourselves. The whole hand-me-down model of “leadership” externalizes change when the only change that works is what we do inside. All the so-called changes that have occurred in this society – have they helped? We’re worse off now than ever. The coming revolution begins and ends inside. Obama can’t liberate me from myself. That’s what’s killing us – outsourcing to the one who promises salvation, riches, enlightment. White folks can’t do what they do to us without our permission and assistance. Closed eyes lead to empty pockets, souls, spirits.
The way a candidate runs his or her campaign is the way they will govern. The observation of how well Mr. Obama distances himself from the black community is made from the perspective that Mr. Obama is more of the same despite the color of his skin. Yes Mr. Obama will align himself to powerful political oligarchies. That’s what politicians do. He is no different than John McCain or Hillary Clinton from that perspective. And black people will support him like moths to a flame. We will support him as he backhands us like last week’s bitch, so used then so abused. Mr. Obama will work hard to win favor with powerful politicial families. And a politician who works so hard to court such favor will never do anything to lose it even after he wins the political prize. The black community has no real strength to be courted so what’s the point? The way a candidate runs his or her campaign is the way they will govern.
Peace
Well, we all seem to be on nearly the same page when it comes to Obama. Normally I’d LOL, but I guess that’s more sad than funny though.
I’m a little less cynical than brotherpeacemaker on Obama’s potential post-election behavior, but that’s only because he’ll have to do some things to placate the progressives and appease their guiltism.
Some people may call it cynicism. However, I prefer to call it realism. Whether or not Mr. Obama placates the progressives it not the issue here. The subject is his relationship, or more accurately his lack of a relationship, with the people of the black community. We don’t need another high profile black person who finds it so politically advantageous to keep the black community at a distance while currying white people’s favor whether they be the Kennedy family, the hardworking white people in the next state to hold primaries, the people who watch the Ellen DeGeneres Show, or whatever group you care to name. The black community needs to be much more aware of Mr. Obama’s leanings.
Peace
What we need to be asking is why is it that white voters will turn on him if they feel he is “TOO” close to the black voters. Because if I recall correctly black folks loved the hell out of some Bill Clinton and the white voters continued to vote for him. So is this don’t be too close to the black community for black candidates only?
It is disgusting that stupidity has to be placated in this country. Obama should not be kowtowing to a gaggle of racist white people. What message is that sending the minorities, that “it’s all about the whites.” I am totally aware that he won’t be elected if he is perceived by the white majority as being to close to the black community. But what good is it to become president for a black man if you are going to be expected to ignore your community?
It obviously goes to show that he could care less about his community since the pressure of shunning them won’t go away if he wins, it will probably grow. And for people to sit and say that it is the way it is, IS the reason why bigotry and racism won’t go away. It is just to easy to say well this is out of my hands.
Great post and thanks.
Sentinel, we have to try to see it the way IT is, in order to figure out how to address what IS. Then the question is, how can IT be addressed and by whom. A presidential campaign, the presidency or politics are not avenues for real social change. Not anymore if it ever was possible.
Change happens much closer to home. That so many of us put so much hope, hell, any hope, in a symbol, a token, is a major part of the problem. The messiah ain’t gonna float down from Chicago and make shit right. So what do we do for ourselves?
Its like many of us brought up in the 60′s still have this leader fixation, this mass movement focus, this idea that an outside thing is “coming for to carry me home.” Those days are over.
For Obama there is no “community,” but communities. And as someone who has tried to tell white & black folks about themselves for a few years now, it’s a waste of fucking time. Our work is within and with those who are open and motivated to change of any color.
While I am fascinated by this Obama phenomenon, I can’t help but see the shackles that bind his ankles and the electoral process and how those restraints limit what we as black folks can and should reasonably expect out of it and him. Let’s not be fooled.
More people in the black community need to be aware of the fact that there is a distinct disparity in the way Mr. Obama embraces institutions of dominant culture and keeps black institutions at arms length. It should not be explained away as that’s just the way it is. Let us not be fooled into thinking that the race for the presidency is any different than any other institution in America for the same rules appear to apply to the corporate environment, the legal system, the educational system, the field of entertainment, the field of sports, and any other area where we can observe the difference between the way high profile blacks, black people who crave notoriety and success, will be careful to walk the line that placates white people while giving black people the middle finger. We know that the reason this continues to happen is that the black community is effectively powerless and impotent.
Peace
theblacksentinel,
I agree with thefreeslave; people have to acknowledge what is before any changes can be enacted. It’s not bigoted to say something exists.
But the problem comes when people try to educate and/or remind others of the condition of the relationship between the black community and the white community and people explain away these differences. When someone says that Mr. Obama is able to make the commencement address at an established white institution while keeping his distance from a black institution and someone comes along and dismisses this evaluation with the comment, “This may be because Obama is trying to become President of the United States of America , not of Black America“, it really does nothing to promote the acknowledgment of what is. More care should be taken if change is to be enacted.
Peace
One I agree with thefreeslave as well. I know that we have to look at what IT is. But I believe that we ALL know what IT is and I was just asking why is it that no one wants to address IT.
I did not say that it was bigoted to say something exists. I said that IT is bigotry that we are dealing with and was wondering why people are trying to placate the bigots. When a person says that “this is the way it is” then that to me is giving in to the same old, same old way of thinking.
I also agree with thefreeslave that it is a fucking waste of time to sit and dwell on it. We need to be working from within with those who are open to the change that HAS to happen. And Brotherpeacemaker, I totally agree with that. The minute you start focusing on what IT is, there will be some who will always be willing to cry foul about it.
Thanks
Sorry, brotherpeacemaker. I guess that initial comment of mine was a bit more flippant than was prudent. I’m afraid the phrase “Black America” hits some of my hot buttons. I find it to be a useless, pernicious, and counterproductive idea. There is only one America as far as I can see.
I don’t think that we’re ready to address IT though. Maybe our children or grandchildren will be able to do. I think all we can do is lay the groundwork and try not to make the current situation any worse.
Face it, the phrase “Black America” sets me off and I’m guessing that the fact that it does so probably either bothers you or just confirms your preconceptions of me. I doubt that either one of us could actually sit down and address even that issue with any real hope of finding a common ground.
I think Asa’s post makes clear that Obama is for Obama. We are the ones who are confused because “we think” – because of his skin color, his wife, his political/social connections some things that he may have said - that he shares the same political agenda. I think we start off with an assumption based on skin, etc, then keep trying to force that person into a box that they never fit into from the gitgo.
Every move he’s made is political, designed to advance his cause which is not our cause, unless we go along with his idea that black folks should shut up about our legitimate grievances and come together in some common cause with white, red, yellow americans. That’s bullshit.
If he doesn’t outline a common cause that includes dismantling the current system, then I’m not really interested. If he doesn’t allow that all voices need to be heard, particularly those expressions of pain, rejection, frustration, anger from folks who have suffered hell…if we can’t talk about what this country does to other brown people, what it does economically, militarily, what’s the point?
We have to lead from the bottom up, in our communities, in our homes. We have to look courageously at ourselves and “be the change” blah, blah, blah. We have a lot of work to do on our individual selves. I’ve seen too many folks who’ve failed to enlarge their “spiritual, intellectual, emotional” lives, abuse other people who they make responsible for that work only they can do. That’s insane.
Don’t wait for Obama – let’s do what we need to do and whatever we agree needs to be done ourselves.
Jonolan,
The phrase “black America” may push your buttons. But seeing the disparity that the black community must go through on a daily basis, watching on the news as police are excused for beating and shooting unarmed black men, reading government supplied statistics that show black people’s unemployment rate running twice that of white people’s, black people make only seventy percent of what white people make, and the other social measures that show the disadvantage of being black in America, pushes my buttons.
We will never learn to address IT as long as we are willing to duck IT. And as far as our children addressing IT they will learn to duck IT just like their parents did. To think that our children will learn the courage to address this problem is naive. We didn’t address it on behalf of our parents. What makes you think our children will?
As long as we continue down this path that is the status quo of white privilege and black subjugation my buttons, as well as the buttons of a lot of other people, will continue to be pushed. And yet, will we be excused? There is only one America. It is the America that tolerates racial disparity.
Peace
How in the world would you propose a black man with the name Obama run (to win) for President of the United States in 2008? Please. Folks need to get real about POLITICS. If you want to be so critical of Obama and not be hypocritical, better start blogging about the Congressional Black Caucus and you state legislative black caucus. Where is all the noise for all the other folks who so-called represent us?
Does he have to compromise and project an image that appeals to more than black america. Just look at the map of electoral politics, look at demographics, read a little history and maybe study a little bit about the power and ruthlessness of the so called 527 groups and you’ll understand just how impossible the task is for a black man, in 2008, to try to run (to win) for President.
So he is imperfect. But listen folks…. a black man actually has a shot a being President of the United States….let it sink in. He has street cred and even after all the politics he’s still recognizable as a decent human being. Time for folks to get a big picture perspective.
He is imperfect but i cant help but think of what it will mean to my sons just seeing pictures of him in the white house greeting heads of state or giving the state of the union address.
Time to get big make some history folks. Not because Barack is the perfect Black man. But he is the best candidate and his Presidency will have a seismic impact on history and forever changing the perception of what black folk can be in America.
“[H]is Presidency will have a seismic impact on history and forever changing the perception of what black folk can be in America.”
This is truly hopeless!
Brotherpeacemaker,
Philly is right. If Obama is elected it will forever change the perception of what Black people can achieve in America.
Of course there’s a big difference between perceived reality and objective reality…
How is Barack Obama becoming the first black president is going to change perceptions that the first black mayor, governor, congressman, senator, judge, Supreme Court justice, police commissioner, millionaire, billionaire, chief executive, heart surgeon, scientist, and etcetera could not achieve?
Why do black people have to achieve some kind of perception of what’s possible while it is a given for white people? This shit is so racist and skewed to white privilege it boggles the imagination! Everbody should know damn well that it will change nothing. The black community will still suffer.
Black people will still have to deal with racist skepticism that continues to plague the black community regardless of the historic achievements of black people. The reality is that black people have already proven that people in the black community are capable. And what does the black community get for all of these historic accomplishments? That’s nice. But you won’t change anything until you win the presidency. Please!
And when he wins the presidency the next thing people will say is let’s see how he does. And the first thing that doesn’t go right people will stand in line to say, I told you black people can’t be president.
As a black man my ability, my capability, my achievements, my worth, my potential, who I am, does not depend on Barack Obama or any other black person becoming president. Why in the hell should it?
How is Barack Obama becoming the first black president is going to change perceptions that the first black mayor, governor, congressman, senator, judge, Supreme Court justice, police commissioner, millionaire, billionaire, chief executive, heart surgeon, scientist, and etcetera could not achieve?
Each of those things did change the perception of what a Black could achieve in America, but none have those things has the national exposure of the Presidency. Obama as POTUS would affect the perception of what a Black could achieve much more than any of the things you listed.
Actually though, I was thinking of the perception of Blacks not of Whites. You say:
As a black man my ability, my capability, my achievements, my worth, my potential, who I am, does not depend on Barack Obama or any other black person becoming president.
I happen to agree with you. Do you think either of our beliefs in this matter are in the majority though? How many people do you know – of any Race or culture – who believe emphatically that their worth is determined by themselves and not by other people’s measurement of them? How many do you know who strive for something when it hasn’t been proven by someone else that it can be done?
“How many do you know who strive for something when it hasn’t been proven by someone else that it can be done?”
Are you kidding? For some reason or another, the black community is tied to the successes of other black people and not the success of people in the general population. And what kind of black person achieves in America? The type of black person that is able to distance him/her self from the black community less they worry that somebody comes along and makes the comment that he/she are trying to be the president of black America and not the entire American population. Black people don’t need to see another successful black person distancing himself from the black community while ingratiating themselves to the white community to learn that we too can make a difference.
And each and every one of us is judged by others. I cannot walk into a company and say my salary will be X without the employer agreeing. No one is willing to pay $100 a seat to watch me play football. But they sure as hell will pay to see Randall Cunningham do it. Why? I have not been judged to have the proper credentials to do it. I have seen paintings that look like crap go for hundreds of thousands simply because somebody with notoriety did it.
We are supposed to gaze up at Obama and through that gaze, become intoxicated, feel empowered disempowerment, proud malaise, capable enertia, strong paralysis.
Well, what if we already do feel empowered, proud and all the rest? Then, we notice his agenda – though we’re not supposed to; who is Obama carrying water for, how does his candidacy as symbol, conflict with and diverge from an agenda that is about real change and not changing seats on the Titanic?
If you’re awake, you notice that he just rebuked another preacher for telling some more truth at his (former?) church. If your leader/your symbol cannot tell the truth and sanctions or dismisses those who do (separating the sarcasm from the chaff) then when is the truth allowed?
I’d rather have our children be Malcolm’s who tell the whole truth, or be Martin’s, capable of transforming their world view and seeing the true nature of the beast. Is Obama an example of either of them? No. So what are we teaching our children?!
I want my daughter to know what’s possible; but I do not want her to be tricked by a Blackchurian Candidate* who appropriates the lingo of change and progressivism and is as mainstream as all the rest of them.
*Darkdaughta coined the term as far as I know.
Perhaps we should start somewhere else. Perhaps the enlightened would like to name the models elected officials we should be supporting? Cause the heavy dumping on Obama is intellectually interesting but also intellectually dishonest because no one addresses what you’d like to do TODAY. Is the suggestion that Clinton would be better in the White House than Obama? Or McCain? Ive yet to read how its believed he would GOVERN worse than Clinton or McCain.
There is a cold practical difference from all the intellectual banter vs. how politics gets played. And while we wring our hands over whether or not Obama is close enough to the black community, we get further and further away from having political POWER. Did the Rev Wright situation stink?
We need to see that to have POWER in this country, you have to have people playing ALL the roles and be singularly focused on the end game. There is a role for Rev Sharpton and Jackson, a role for Dr. West and Bill Cosby. AND, there is a role for politicians. And they cant be MArtin or Malcolm —- neither of them ran for office. That wasnt the role they filled.
What is so silly about this is how little time i see folks playing this out themselves. Distancing himself from black america? Let me repeat again. He’s running for President. Why do you think that all the McCain independent backers are still with him even though his banter is now to the right of George Bush? Because they know his record before he got into the race and they know what he needs to do to win. And, yes, they are pretty sure that the same guy that was a maverick, would sit in the oval office.
Presidential politics is brass knuckle politics. See how JFK won the white house and how George Bush won the white house. They did what it took then they lead as they wanted.
And if you think that the “perception” of having a black face in the white house is not powerful, you are out of your mind and must not have children. Obama is not morally bankrupt. He’s running for president, which is a morally bankrupt process.
What is intellectually dishonest is the attempt to simplify this discussion to an argument as to how politics get played in America or a comparison of Mr. Obama’s ability to govern the country to the other presidential contenders. No one in this discussion made the suggestion that Mr. McCain or Ms. Clinton would be a better, or worse, president for the country.
The actual topic of discussion here is how a black politician, Mr. Obama, distances himself from the black community and submerges himself into the white community. The age old shtick that he is trying to win the presidency does not explain away the fact that another successful black person has made the choice to stay close to white people while avoiding any contact with the black community.
Some people say this is understandable and we should expect nothing less from black politicians. If this is the case, how can people in the black community expect anything different from our politicians and anything different for our black community?
To say that this is understandable behavior for the black politician to assume the role of the white politician and dismiss the black community as little more than background noise is to reinforce the notion that the black community does not matter. To ignore the fact that our black politicians stand ready to throw the black community under the bus, in typical white politician fashion, because they are trying to be elected is to accept the fact that the black community does not expect change from the black politician. So what is the point?
If Barack Obama was president during Hurricane Katrina would it have been more acceptable to see him go about the nation’s business as usual and leaving so many black people to deal with the disaster as best they can on their own? Would the black community find it more acceptable that the black politician ignore the suffering of the black people in New Orleans in order to win reelection with the same methods that got him elected?
Black people don’t need black politicians who ingratiate themselves to the white community. The black community needs black politicians who are not afraid to do their best for black people. The black politician who wants to be a force of change to eliminate the status quo of white privilege and black subjugation may not win the trust of the white community. But from black people’s perspective it should be more important to have a black politician who is not afraid to demonstrate his blackness along with his appeal to the white community than to settle for a black politician who only appeals to the white community.
But the black politician who wants to prove to the white community that he is safe and will do nothing to disturb their world of privilege is more than likely not the answer to the issues that continue to plague the black community. To blindly assert that Mr. Obama represents the change the black community is looking for simply because he is black is not only intellectually dishonest but intellectually irresponsible.
This is not to say that Mr. Obama is any worse, or any better, than the other presidential contenders. That is not part of the scope of this comment. This comment is an observation that the black community cannot expect real change from a black politician who feels he is too black to be seen with black people.
Peace
We’re not talking about some congressional race where he can select who he wants to represent. We’re talking about the President of the US. Yes, he needs to be elected by a majority of this country, which, by the way, is not black.
See when john mccain plays to the “other” side of his party or Bill Clinton drove to the “middle” they didn’t have their base trying to kill them. Folks were sophisticated enough to know what the game is all about. Its about getting into the seat of power. Once you are there, you get to call the shots until you have to get elected again.
It would be one thing if Obama had a past in which he had no connection to the black community. But this is not the case. He is not some Harvard lawyer who sold out and went to work on Wall Street. He went to the community and spent years organizing. He was doing when no one was watching. Should we expect that he is going to need to cater to the center of the party. Hello! Again, this is presidential politics. We need to get over ourselves long enough to realize that there is a big difference between running for office and actually governing.
Black America doesnt need someone who is going to play nice with the good Rev Wright or make fiery speeches that tickle the ear drums but dont challenge our brain cells. We need someone who will have a domestic agenda that focuses on jobs and healthcare; someone who will be concerned about the number of black men in prison vs college; someone
Some suggested reading for you: pick up “How to Win” by former ABC political chief Mark Halperin. It chronicles exactly what makes the CLintons and the Bush/Rove machines so good at presidential politics. Perhaps after reading that you’ll understand better the nearly impossible task any black person would have trying to get this country to elect him/her president and why we need to be much more strategic in our thinking about how to gain political power. The demographics and our own voter turnout stats do not allow the luxury of representing only the interests of our own.
And yes, I am saying that although it is uncomfortable to see the rift between Obama and Wright — I would rather have someone in the White House who actually spent 20 years in Wright’s Church and who actually knows what a ghetto looks like and who didnt live a priviledged life. Again, no one is saying he is perfect but he comes the closest to anybody we’ve ever had this close to being president to understanding what its like to be black in this country.
It is interesting that you bring up Mr. Obama’s past. TIME Magazine did an article titled How He Learned To Win regarding Mr. Obama. The article explains in detail the steps, and missteps that Mr. Obama made in his various political bids. One of the first challenges of his young political career was when he ran to represent Chicago’s first ward including Hyde Park. It had promised to be an arduous ordeal. In the middle of the race, Mr. Obama took his family to Hawaii for Christmas vacation, missing a key vote in Springfield on legislation to make illegal gun possession a felony, an issue that happens to be very important for the black community. The measure was intended to deter violence in the very neighborhoods Mr. Obama was seeking to represent. The Illinois’s governor, who called a special session to pass the measure, pleaded with Obama to come back. But Obama, who had previously supported the bill, refused to return for the vote on grounds that his daughter was sick. The bill lost narrowly. Had Mr. Obama bothered to show up chances are good his support for the measure would have assured its passing. His opponent in the political race for the ward, Bobby Rush co-founder of the Illinois Black Panther Party, said there was no excuse for missing one of the most important votes in Chicago’s history. Mr. Obama lost the support of the black constituency and lost the race by a two to one margin. That was ten years ago.
Ten years ago, where we can talk about a congressional race where Mr. Obama could select who he wanted to represent and affect change on the issues most important to the black community. But he could not be bothered to give the black community the attention needed to do the right thing. Today, ten years later, Mr. Obama is running for president in a country that is predominantly white. He repeats his politically early mistakes of taking the black community for granted. His political history in Illinois wasn’t for reform of the black community, but for changes in the political procedure. White people see that he is safe because he does in fact have a history of distancing himself from the black community. Coincidentally, black people have learned to be suspicious of Mr. Obama’s motivations.
It may be your contention that black America doesn’t need a black politician who will embraces a black preacher who talks bodly and audaciously about racial discrimination. That is a matter of opinion. My opinion is that black America does not need a black politician who will embrace white America to the detriment of the black community. You say that Reverend Wright tickles the ear drums and doesn’t challenge our brain cells. Obviously instead of inspiring ideas of black unity Reverend Wright’s speech must have the reverse affect on you and puts you to sleep. I happen to find it most refreshing that a high profile black person such as Mr. Wright is doing what he can to bring attention to the issues that continue to plague black America in its relationship with the dominant culture. I find it disappointing that instead of embracing his former pastor, Mr. Obama has decided to sever their relationship and dismiss Mr. Wright as a cantankerous and bitter black man out of touch with the realities of the twenty first century. But Mr. Wright and his church was in the heart of the black community working everyday to help some of the most poverty stricken black people in the Chicago area. Barack Obama would rather give the commencement address at Weslayan. Honestly, which one appears out of touch with the needs of black people?
You suggest reading ABC News political chief Mark Halperin’s book How To Win. Mr. Halperin is a white man who has no idea of what it is like to be a black man in the black community. I must admit that I do not find it surprising that you would suggest following someone from the establishment’s plan as to what a black politician should do to win the presidency. For those who may not be listening I will say again that a black man in the white house is not an automatic answer to the black community’s plight.
May I suggest that you actually spend some time in the traditional urban black community and pick up an American history book. Any history book will do. In it, you should learn that the black community has never enjoyed positive social change that was initiated from any political office. The social changes that have been most beneficial to the black community have always come through those institutions that are most closely associated with the black community, such as the black church. You may want to see someone in the white house who may have spent twenty years in Reverend Wright’s church, doing his best to learn how to speak in an oratory manner that will appeal to more people. But I know for a fact that the impact of such a man, who has now officially resigned from such affiliation, is not the beacon of hope that many in the black community seek. On the other hand, I would be more impressed by a black man who would practice the political courage to wear his black affiliation on his sleeve instead of keeping it on the down low. The way a man runs for office will be the way a man runs his office. The black man that runs his political campaign embracing the black community would be more likely to do for his black constituency that the black man that pretends he is too busy to be seen reinforcing concepts that are close to black people.
Peace
Philly,
It is interesting that you state “he needs to be elected by a majority of this country, which, by the way, is not black.” Which just happens to be the same argument that the white majority uses in order to defend why disparities exist between the races.
The problem with Obama is the fact that he like a plethora of other black politicians they will not or can not help to bring social changes to the black community if they are seeking re-election. And since we know that most if not all of them ARE seeking re-election then it stands to reason that they will not be offering any help in the near future.
And those politicians that try and help the black community or speak the truth about race relations are quickly dispatched from their posts. So what in the world would give any of us an inkling of hope that Obama will somehow surprise us and only want one term so that he can try to affect change for blacks?
Not to mention that he is the president NOT the KING! He can only “suggest” changes, they still have to be voted in by Congress and Senate. The president isn’t going to just up and say, “black schools will get xyz funding” and his will be done. We need to be real about what he can or can’t do anyway if he gets in office.
Realism goes a long way. Just to have made it as far as he has gotten, he has to have learned how to ingratiate himself deeply in the white community. No one who does not or will not protect and propagate status quo and white privilege will not be seeing any political power handed to them anyway.
Thanks.
Yes. Say it anyway you’d like, the power in this country still is strongly biased to white america. We really need to get over that and move onto how do you practically change that fact. It requires at a minimum political strategy and discipline and a refocus to reclamation the values that drove the leaders of the civil rights era.
I’m guessing few of the nihilist posters have ever run a campaign or run for office. It is ugly business getting what we need for our communities. Its easy to be pie in the sky in the blogosphere but that doesn’t get laws passed or dollars appropriated. You can choose not to deal with that reality and or you can take stock of the reality and decide what is the best way to influence what happens to benefit our community.
Sentinal, I couldn’t agree with you more re: the accountability issue with black elected officials. However, WE are responsible for that. We have not set the expectation that our elected officials will be voted out of office if they dont represent our interests. Quite the contrary. IN GENERAL, we seem to be forgiving of folks who look out for themselves instead of their contituents. One way to change that is talk specifically about what values we want represented than reward (re-elect) those who deliver and punish those who dont. I’m sure i dont have to go through the litany of example over the last year where our folk are rewarding the wrong behavior.
So as a practical matter, we now have a choice: John McCain or Barack Obama. After we make that decision, we have an even bigger choice, which is want do we expect from our candidate and how do we ensure that he delivers.
So pick your candidate. But don’t take the easy way out. Offer up what you expect your next President to do for this country and our community and how they should get it done (and what levers do we have to hold them accountable). Until you address the practicalities of getting a black man or woman elected president and address the types of policies that would be best, the rest of this talk is just that. talk. and we’ll be back here in this forum 4 or 8 years from now fretting about the same issues.
Reads like there are a lot of smart people dedicated to the community posting here. I hope that we are all spending as much time outside shaping the political landscape in the real world (volunteering, organizing, raising money, protesting) as we do in front of a computer screen.
Like Obama or not, we are witnessing a historic moment, but the future is uncertain and will be shaped by people who have firm beliefs, the discipline and the will to shape the future. I hope we all have these qualities.
Peace
Brother Peacemaker,
Point well taken. I have to agree that a black man in the white house is not the answer to all of our concerns. i feel the same about mayors and members of congress. but we’re not talking about the abstract here. we have a real live example that presents you with a choice – perhaps not the one that is ideal but i dont recall ever going to the voting booth and voting for an ideal candidate.
It really doesn’t matter that halperin is a white man. He adeptly describes the political system in this country — like it or not that is the reality. If we are going to change things, you have to DEAL with that reality or at a minimum have a strategy to change that reality. Whites, Jews and now hispanics have figured out how to work this ugly system to benefit themselves. We used to know how to do this when we had folks who were leaders and our people knew what sacrifice and organizational discipline meant…(can you imagine a year long bus boycott now?).
The reason you need to read Halperin is that if you care to shape/change the presidential politics, you need to learn how to beat the system currently in operation. Its easy to talk about it and criticize it — there’s a lot to criticize.
But I dont really hear you saying much about changing things. I hear more of the complaint about the system and the current actors on stage. Yep. I’m with you. So what are you doing to change the game? I hear your passion but i dont hear your plan. Lets talk action. Im a foot soldier.
“So what are you doing to change the game? I hear your passion but i dont hear your plan. Lets talk action. Im a foot soldier.”
Really? Is that all it takes is a plan? You mean like the type of action that Reverend Wright was doing for the black community? Are you referring to the type of action that isn’t an abstract of how change can affect the black community but an actual demonstration of change in progress? Are you talking about the type of organization that Reverend Wright actually performed when he took over Trinity United Church of Christ, a church that had less than one hundred active members back in March of 1972 and turned it around to become the largest black church in the United Church of Christ denomination? I’m sure you would like to see the type of leadership in the black community that Reverend Wright demonstrated for over thirty six years as the pastor of his church.
We have a real life example of a black man demonstrating strong, positive leadership in the black community for decades and instead of the black community learning from his example, instead of giving him the accolades for a job very well done, we allow him to be dismissed as a caricature of a bygone era of racial strife. A lot of people say they want to hear a plan before they can take the betterment of the black community seriously. But until that plan manifest itself people are content to follow the lead of the dominant community. Why would we abandon the black man who has demonstrated a love for the black community, a plan of action for the black community, a strategy to uplift the black community, for a man who has demonstrated a need to keep the black community distant while he embraces the white community and talks of change?
Reverend Wright does not speak of abstract concepts of change. His record is concrete and proven and speaks for itself. What is abstract is a man who promotes concepts such as the audacity of hope that have little substance. And yet, which one gets the black community’s support?
You don’t hear me changing things? That may be true. It is easy to dismiss the exchange of ideas and communications on the internet as little more than a computer screen separate from “the real world”. The computer screen is nothing that compares to reading the real world black and white pages in books from people like Mark Halperin. It is easy to dismiss this as nothing more than hot air. But on the other hand, I happen to feel that books about strategies for winning the presidency are full of abstract concepts that have little to do with the black community. I don’t see Mark Halperin changing things for the black community. I don’t see Barack Obama changing anything for the black community other than a historic occasion of a black man becoming president.
The accountability issues will remain the same. But when people try to hold Mr. Obama accountable for his various slights of the black community, too many people are quick to downplay them with a wink and a not and an acknowledgment that Mr. Obama is too busy looking at the bigger picture to consider his relationship with the black community. Mr. Obama must appeal to white people’s consciousness in order to win the big prize. It is all a matter of political necessity. It will change once he’s in office.
But politics never change. Once a politician works to win an office, a politician must then work to keep an office. The very strategies used to win a public office will the very strategies to keep a public office. And if a politician runs for office with a strategy that keeps black people on the down low, a politician will keep his office with a strategy that keeps black people on the down low. To risk changing anything will anger the generically dominant culture and the anger will manifest in a shift of power in other political offices in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The idea that things will change once a politician wins a political office is a convenient hypothesis of pure fantasy. It has no foundation in the real world, especially with respect to the black community. If black people want real change, it would be prudent to give our support to people who have demonstrated a commitment to real change for black people. To expect the man that dodges black affiliations on a regular basis, a man that has a history of ignoring issues crucial to the black community to suddenly change his ways is reckless. A foot soldier looking for a plan should recognize a bad plan when he or she sees one.
Peace
You have to see all the pieces on the chess board. Rev Wright is one piece. A strong, committed community leader/activisit/preacher. He is one of the role players but he will forever be chasing his tail trying to make a sustainable difference if the policies in Washington (or Springfield for that matter) are not changed. To do this, he, and other committed community activists will always need partners in elected office. This is what is missing from your analysis.
“But politics never change.” That is a cop-out statement and only serves to justify not engaging in the political. If politics never change, how was the civil rights act passed. No, my friend – politics arent changing now, because we aren’t engaging in politics. We seek to make outstanding religious/community leaders into something they have not chosen to be nor should they be asked. Rev Wright, Rev Jackson or Rev Sharpton. They all have a role to play in activism. But they do not pass laws. We need to have folks in position to pass laws.
Context matters. The Obama/Rev Wright spat was political. If Obama wasnt running for office, it never would have happened. Look, its just like John McCain. To win the primary he had to play to folks who were not his base. Hey but what did he do Tues evening after he’d sewn up the nomination…Yep, he started moving back to his base. Thats politics, which is entirely different that governing. So far, I’ve not heard a direct attack against Obama’s stated policies. Only bruised feelings and conjecture about his spat with the Rev Wright.
To change the game, you need both. You need dedicated folks working at the community level, who are willing to speak out and influence policy makers. AND, you need policy makers who are reinforced to represent our interests. Your words and approach cede the power position to “the dominant culture”. This defeatist attitude flies in the face of the great leaders of the civil rights era who had to figure out how to gain power under much more difficult circumstances.
Instead of damning the political system that controls much of our earthly destiny, wouldn’t the time be better spent figuring out how to change it? Quitting disrespects the sacrifices of those who came before us who had no political power whatsoever.
The difference between our perspectives is that I’m saying we have to be in the game to win and we need to make a choice — even if its a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. There are a host of things for which I disagree with Obama. It just so happens that I disagree less with him than I do McCain (or Clinton). So that means that I am supporting Obama for President. Step 2 is that I will fight/argue strenuously against or for policies that i believe in, regardless of my support of Obama. He is not the perfect candidate for the black community but to paint him as a sell-out/no friend to the black community is ridiculous. His congressional voting record simply does not support this hypothesis.
Peacemaker, I can only assume by what you say , that you will be voting for McCain since you do not support Obama. I respectfully disagree with your choice and were it not for our already long exchange, would love to hear your rationale for that choice.
I think its best to leave it that we will agree to disagree.
Peace
“…community activists will always need partners in elected office.”
So true. Community activists need people who will be sensitive to the black community’s needs. The black community needs the type of politicians who have the courage to stand tall and proudly with the black community and not the type of politicians who are not trying to cultivate a back door relationship with little substance. We don’t need politicians who treat the black community like some kind of booty call mistress too afraid that the white spouse will discover the illicit relationship. That is what’s missing from your argument. Your putting your faith in a man that for all practical purposes wants all the benefits of courting the black vote without any commitments. And so many black people are much too willing to entertain this type of illicit relationship with the politician simply out of some need to make history. What evidence do you have that Barack Obama wants to be the black community’s partner when his behavior demonstrates anything but a true black community partnership? What context do you cite that truly matters?
All I hear from you is spin. “That’s a cop-out” and “You have to see all the pieces on the chess board” and “…activist will always need partners in elected office” and let’s not forget “To change the game you need both.” But I think your lamest lines were “Your words and approach cede the power position to the dominant culture” and “This defeatist attitude flies in the face of the great leaders of the civil rights era…” These statements are little more than nonsense and thoughtless rhetoric. The civil rights laws passed without a black man being president. Why do people insist on having a black president at the expense of all conscious thought? Mr. Obama is going to ride into the oval office and change everything. You really do need to learn a thing or two about politics. Didn’t Mark Halperin’s book help you understand that the president cannot and does not do anything and everything he wants? Despite Mr. Bush’s behavior the presidency is not a dictatorship or a monarchy. He still needs to work with a congress chock full of white politicians ready to protect their constituent’s interest.
“We have to be in the game to win”. This isn’t chess or football we’re talking about. You are not a coach trying to rally some underdog high school basketball team to put forth their best effort in order to win the state championship. This is serious business. This is about the future and welfare of the people in the black community. The black community continues to put our collective faith in black politicians, politicians who just so happen to appeal to the people in the dominant culture, and yet we continue to lag behind the dominant community in every social measure.
No one said anything about voting for John McCain instead or voting for anyone else throughout this discussion. But judging from your ability to make so many baseless assumptions I really am not surprised that you feel that I am endorsing Mr. McCain. This subject was/is about the black community jumping on the Mr. Obama bandwagon based on little more than the fact that we share the same obvious ethnicity. If a white politician treated the black community with the disdain that Mr. Obama treats black institutions there would be no question of how we would respond generally speaking. However, there will always be black people who will look to promote their own interest at the expense of the black community. Many of these people just so happen to be the black politician.
“We will agree to disagree.” Finally, some rhetoric from you that actually makes a little sense.
Peace
Peacemaker,
Read your last few entries. Not one word from you about what should actually be done. And you are right, you didnt say who you were voting for…..and…..still… crickets — you didnt mention it again. As a matter of fact, you havent said anything about what you, we,anyone should actually DO. Nope. you just complain and criticize…….
So not only are you not about action, you aren’t even about talking about action?
Nothing wrong with being critical if you believe something/someone is wrong but come on, you’ve written 10 pages and not talked about what you’re gonna do to address this. Indeed, its serious business. I said cop-out – meant it — and the label seems to be sticking.
Lets work a little logic here. You have a choice between Obama and McCain. Neither of the candidates makes you happy, but one of them will be president. What cha gonna do……..From what you write, the answer is nothing other than post here.
I submit to you that even if everything you say is true about Obama, and if you dont plan to vote for McCain (you can clear that up right away) then you ought to be talking about how do we influence how Obama would govern. How do we make sure that the Congressional Black Caucus and other right minded members keep him in check? But not one…..one…positive action step from you?
I’ll come back in a few weeks to check in on you. I hope to find you in a place where we can debate what should be DONE with the current situation instead of re-hashing what the stage looks like.
In the mean time, you might want to try volunteering on a campaign or actually make some visits to your elected officials to lobby for what you believe in to gain some perspective.
philly,
When you read Mark Halperin’s book did he list who he would be voting for? Why is this necessary from me at this time? Again I will say, this is not about who people should vote for. This subject is meant to indicate that Barack Obama keeps the black community at arms length while embracing the white community. Who I am voting for is not important in this discussion. My apologies if you require this information in order to take me seriously. What is important is that black people realize that the black candidate may not be the hope that many black people think he may be. Based on his own past behavior he has done little to ingratiate himself to the black community.
Let us revisit some samples of this past behavior? As a young politician he refused to interrupt his vacation plans to vote on a measure that would have helped to eliminate illegal guns from the black community. He cannot fit the State of the Black Union into his schedule with plenty of advance notice but can give the commencement address at Weslayan at a moments notice. Mr. Obama dismisses his pastor of twenty years as little more than a bitter and resentful old man of a bygone era. He talks about racial healing on both sides of the racial divide and yet refuses to acknowledge blatant acts of racism. He follows Ms. Clinton’s lead in responding to abuses of white power such as the prosecution of the Jena Six and Genarlow Wilson. He can weather insensitive comments from opponents with nothing more than a statement or two but feigns indignant rage when his former pastor makes statements that white people take offense to supporting Mr. Obama.
Where has Mr. Obama demonstrated his great concern for the welfare of the black community? Where is the proof that he’s going to get in the white house and change things for the betterment for the black community? As far as I can tell, the man barely wants to acknowledge that the black community exist.
You write “…if everything you say is true about Obama, and if you dont plan to vote for McCain..then you ought to be talking about how do we influence how Obama would govern.” Finally! Something from you that indicates you might be willing to listen! However, before we can discuss what to do we have to acknowledge there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Instead of people saying that we need to assure that Mr. Obama protects the black community’s interest we are more likely to give him our support unconditionally simply because he is black.
I understand that the white community is looking at Mr. Obama for any sign that he will betray their trust. It is a scary business for them to elect a black man. But it is imprudent for the black community to support Mr. Obama without getting some assurance that he has the black community’s interest at heart. The fact that he has black skin is not enough. The black community has been betrayed by many politicians with black skin. The fact that he has a black wife is not enough. The black community has been ignored by many politicians with black spouses. The fact that he has gone to a black church is not necessarily a good barometer of his willingness to protect the black community’s interest.
You ask me for a plan. May I suggest that you ask Mr. Obama what is his plan for the black community from a national perspective. As president, what can we expect. Are we going to see him govern from a distance? Are we going to see a president that acknowledges that there are unique issues affecting the black community that are fueled solely by racial stereotypes, prejudices, and perceptions. Or is the black community expected to just be happy that we have a black president that dismisses issues of black subjugation with indignation and outrage.
Finally, you give me the impression that people who use the internet to help spread ideas, people who use their computer to educate others on social conditions, are not part of the solution. You have a bias that people who write blogs are wasting time and are not part of the solution. Why? What is the difference between ideas from a book and ideas from the internet? Do you know for a fact that I have not campaigned, made visits to my elected government officials, or actively lobbied for my beliefs? Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I don’t attend community organized events that affect my neighborhood or are you simply making another assumption in order to provoke me into defending myself?
Too often in the black community, people who speak of unpopular concepts, such as actually holding a black presidential nominee’s feet to the proverbial black community fire, are dismissed because we don’t have the credentials, resources, or time to bundle thought provoking ideas into books for $29.95 a copy. If it’s on the net it means nothing. An idea is an idea whether it comes via a hardback, paperback, postal letter, billboard, television, radio, meeting hall, or website. You may automatically dismiss blogging on behalf of the black community as ineligible for being a positive action step. I beg to differ.
Like most mediums that are used to spread information, the internet runs the gamut from nonsensical, irrelevant fluff to thought provoking expressions of ideas. I put a lot of time into my blog and website. I put a great deal of myself into my responses and comments. You may refer to me and all my writing as little more than a cop out. I’ve been called much worse. However, if I can affect change on others for the benefit of the black community then I believe that to be a very positive step regardless of the medium I choose to do it. You are most correct for I do not have a single positive plan of action but a continuous one.
Peace
It should be noted that yesterday, Barack Obama stood in front of an organization rooted in the Jewish American community and pledged his unconditional allegiance to the state of Israel. Where has Mr. Obama stood in front of the African American community and pledged his unconditional allegiance to the black community?
Peace
Philly,
It always amazes me the people who come to someone else’s blog and starts asking for plans, action and whatever. Where is YOUR plan? Why don’t you clue us in on that one if that is what you need. Then we can all give you our feed back. Writing a blog is not some acceptance to having ALL the answers or plans. It is a means to convey your thoughts to OTHERS who may have plans or whatever.
Also, I am not sure why we should HAVE to influence Obama to do what is right by the black community. Who influenced him to stand in front of a bunch of Jewish American’s just yesterday and explain to them that he has their best interests at heart? How he would be their protector and how he will continue to protect their mother land of Israel.
So why don’t you tell me how they influenced him to do this and I will surely begin my own form of coercion in that vain in order to get him to explain to the black community how he has OUR best interests at heart. To this day he has yet to even meet exclusively with any black people to say anything. So I guess he either thinks that we should KNOW he has our best interest at heart or we should KNOW better.
Also, about your “we have to be in the game to win it.” Will we win even if the person WE put in the game is playing for the other team? That is the issue. Not that we don’t have a player in the game. We have PLENTY of players in the game. The problem is that these so called players are working diligently to protect the status quo. And if we have to coerce, influence or force them to protect us, then we have a problem.
Thanks
Obamma equals interracial power. This presidential run by Obamma has already changed the game. There is no zero effect. Obamma has made a large positive effect on African Americans and his Presidency will create more positive effects. It is nonsense to say that Obamma has or will hurt us. Would we be better off with H-Clinton as a president? Obamma will help his family and his friends first. He will most likley have a 100 million dollar fortune and help his daugters into politics. An Afro dynasty has already begun. Even if he looses he will probably run again. I hope that H-clinton will not run again. Every Black candidate can learn from the strategies that he has put in place for winning. Obamma has already made Both parties reconsider the importance of Black voters. Look for the Republicans to respond with more minority candidates.
Interracial power is Brown power and we are witnessing the revolution. White power is diminishing. What makes the KKK afraid is often what is good for Black people.
Philly you are great!
I forgot to say that I agree with you and that I have said the same things that you state. Progress is progress. Folks are measuring progress against Ideal progress. If they don’t see the perfect Black revolution they reject it. However the Ideal is imaginary. The great Black advancemets against White racism are real and they need to be celebrated. This causes more positive steps. Part of real progress of Black folks is the obtaining of political offices and aquiring wealth. Too many Black folks put down our African American celebrities, politicians, and wealthy individuals when they should be celiebrating thier accomplishments and emulating them. I like how you once mentioned the Jews and how they got ahead. We need to do the same. Racism aint dead. However it is dying and we need to keep killing it, Destroying White power. This starts from within and ends from within like one of the fellow posters stated.
“Why do people insist on having a black president at the expense of all conscious thought?”
I’m struck by how so many of us substitute talking points for enlightened thought. We choose stale arguments over ideas. These kind of arguments are like canned licks that you play every time you pick up your instrument. Ideas – real ideas – spring forth from an awakened, alive, spontaneous mind.
This is precisely why we have to ask deep questions instead of just assuming; we want to know if this man is for real. To take his word, or his color, for it, reduces us to Pavlovian fools.
Critical thinking is necessary, prior to casting ballots or making plans, thinking best done with our brains, spirits AND hearts. And this is why we must ask questions: the cultural assault on us reduces many of us to lapdogs of privilege or ideological kamikazis.
Thinking is truly underrated.
thefreeslave,
THANK YOU!!! That is my point exactly. What difference does it make whether it is Clinton or Obama. They stand for the same thing and that isn’t the black community. Pavlovian fools alright salivating each time the talking points bell is rung. That is the problem with our community now.
Critical thinking has become a lost art.
thanks
Thefreeslave
Maya Angelu said “We are living the dream of the slave!” I believe in Black progress. “We have come a long way Baby!” Everyday I comfort myself with positive thinking when I am feeling low. I try to live happy and successful, cuz this makes White racist mad. Today is the nightmare of the White presidents of the past. Has there ever been a time that it was better to be African American? To White racist, Today looks like Armageddon!!! Black Americans live better than most people on earth but we are still victims of Racism. White privilege will last a long time. Do you have a better plan than obtaining the presidency?
Brotherpeacmaker offers no plans. Philly is correct. Thefreslave are you looking for a Reverend Write presidency. That really won’t happen. If Obama has strong beliefs like the Rev. Write he should keep them quiet to get elected. I will take the avoidance just give America a Black president. All is fair in love and War. If he is just a politician “oh well” he is still Black.
Who claims that a Black president will solve everything? That is a straw man. However, anyone claiming that Obama will do nothing good for us is saying that most black folks are wrong. Most Black folks are correct. The KKK does not think this way. White Racist want any White non-Jewish person over a Black man, for every political position in the U.S.. Why don’t we think somewhat along the same lines? So long as the Black man is not insane, or a drug user, he will probably be better than a White guy of the same party, in the same position. Political power is not a zero. I have never voted against a Black politician because the more the better. I could vote against an African American if he was very defective. Most Black folks feel the same way.
Obama may be selfish but he is not self destructive. At least my grandchildren might be able to marry the grandchildren of Obama. I celebrate Rich Black folks. They help some Black people. Ophrah has made another Black success story. She might pull off getting a President elected and some people are complaining that rich Black folks have done nothing good. Where are the Legal Segregation and the Black White drinking fountains? MLK and many rich and famous Black people helped to get us many rights.
The KKK hated him and all the Rich Black folks then. When Blacks get political jobs they take them away from white folks. They make political families. They end up helping their friends. Rev Write is selling more books as a result of Obama and Ophrah. A Black good old boys network is being established. This is bad for the KKK and good for us….
A Black president is better than a White president this is more than superficial change. This is a gaining power. Maybe not absolute power but real power for a Black family..
White dominance will still exist under a Black president however it will not be stronger. White Racist do not want Obama to be president. Most African Americans want Obama to be president. Most educated African Americans want Obama to be president. Because it will be excellent!!!
We will still have to fight racism but we will be encouraged…..
Obama will make millions of dollars if he isn’t assassinated..
So will a Black president hurt Black people. We only have 3 choices as Philly so eloquently stated Obama, Clinton, or McCain. Who do you think will help Black folks more? Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are not on the list of choices. I have two children so I think along the lines of Philly. I try to imagine all the children in school reciting, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama. The U.S. president makes more news than any other figure in the world. Obama is already an Icon and has already inspired Thousands of children and young people to be politically active. If he becomes president of the U.S.A. Kenya will celebrate, Africa will celebrate, and most of America will celebrate while the KKK will be in tears.
Like I said before ” If it makes White racist fear usually this is something good for Black people.” Try to punch a hole in this argument. This maxim is measured and true.
I must admit, it’s difficult to punch holes in anything that has no substance.
Peace
interracialpower,
You ask for someone to punch holes in your supposed theory of substance. The only problem is that this piece of swiss cheese that you have given has so many holes I don’t think that a few more I or anyone else punches in it will be noticeable.
I would love for you to name those so called rich black folks or celebrities who were helping to get our equality. Name the high profile blacks who went to jail with MLK, Rosa Parks nor Jessie Jackson count since they weren’t famous at the time. It is interesting that you believe that your children will be able to marry into the Obama clan. When have you or your children ever met any of the black elite on a personal level? When was the last time that you have seen an elite black marry from the ghetto? NEVER. These people usually marry rich black, rich white or even poor white. Most of your celebrities show you that.
You keep asking who would do better for the black community, Hilary, John or Barack. The point everyone is making to both of you is IT DOESN’T MATTER! NONE of them are concerned with the black community. I would love to see a black man as president also. I was happy to see a black man in the senate, congress, and the supreme court. Yet, what have they done for the black community? I am sure that all I hear is crickets chirping, because they have done NOTHING. Unless all you care about is appearance.
You say that “If he is just a politician “oh well” he is still Black.” What??? If a cop is beating your butt just because he is black makes it somehow more acceptable? That is the problem with people in the black community, we will settle for anyone just as long as they have a black face. We are happy to have those black faces in the police dept., Congress, the Senate, supreme court and any place else. No matter if these people use and abuse us. Oh well they are black, right?
I don’t think that one person here is going to vote for McCain over Obama due to disliking his relationship with the black community, that would be idiotic. We have only two choices and no one is saying vote against your best interests. We are saying that this is monumental in status only. This is not monumental as a boost for equality. If you think it is, exactly how is he going to boost equality? And if he is not going to boost equality then what good is he to the black community?
White dominance will not be stronger or weaker with a black president who tows the line. It won’t change at all and this helps the black community how? I don’t understand how hard it is to understand that we don’t hate Obama nor want him to lose the election. We are all being realists. We understand that he can’t fix everything. We just understand that he won’t fix anything at least what ails the black community.
FYI: Interracial Power is a big time troll, time sucker, white supremacist stooge. Ain’t no bit fo’ real.
theblacksentinel
Wow that fist on the flag just punched me in the teeth. Well I more clearly see your point. Time will tell Let’s see what happens if Obamma is elected.
I was writing a comment to address the misguided arguments of interracialpower, Philly and to a lesser extent Jonolan. It was starting to get wordy and I was considering doing a post.
However, the last comment by theblacksentinel articulated all I was going to say and much more to the point than I would have!! Nice jab, uppercut and body blow Sentinel! lol!!
Allow me though to add these words of Thomas Paine:
“Blind men cannot see and ignorant men will not see.”