The world of American politics, especially presidential politics is blatantly and unashamedly opportunistic. It’s all about hype, slogans and who can capitalize on the latest story capturing the short attention span of the fickle public in the 48 hour news cycle, and/or trending within the world of social media.
Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich can learn from the master politician, President Barack Obama, on how to jump on an opportunity like a pit bull on a 4 year old. When Rush Limbaugh referred to Sandra Fluke on February 28th as a “slut” and “prostitute” for voicing her support for birth control during an unofficial House Democratic hearing, 2 days later she got a call from the President asking if she was “okay”. The parents of Trayvon Martin, a black teenager who was murdered in a racial motivated shooting on February 26th, has received no call (as yet) from the President to ask if they were “okay”… and they probably won’t.
See… Obama knows he needs the white woman vote to get re-elected, so he strategically decided to show empathy for Fluke’s hurt feelings when she was called a couple of derogatory names. On the other hand, he knows he’s got the Negro vote sown up, so why would he need to show any concern for their pain? Why risk his re-election by being accused of showing favouritism (i.e. sympathy) to people with the same skin colour as him in their time of grief for their murdered son… a grief caused by the imbedded racist attitudes of the “other” people he needs to support him for a second term in office?
The Republican contenders should take a page from Obama’s playbook and call Martin’s parents to offer their condolences. They should also put on a hoody, have a bag of Skittles in one hand and an Iced-tea in the other, take a pic and post it on their Facebook page with the caption: “We’re All Trayvon Martin!” Sure it’s blatantly insincere and strategically opportunistic, but that’s what American politics is all about. It’s about taking advantage of the hot story and manipulating the story line for your own benefit. After the Fluke affair the media was on them, particularly Romney, for not calling Fluke or publicly admonishing Limbaugh, especially after President Obama did so. By calling the Martins, maybe the media… and African-Americans… may finally wake up and realize that “Barack Obama doesn’t care about Black people”. The republicans may even get a few more black votes.
Hmmmm… I doubt it.
Absolutely GREAT, damned post asabanga (but you certainly didn’t need me to tell you that )! May I have your permission to cross-post it on my blog?
Thanks Deb! Cross-post at your leisure.
Blessings!
Same here Asa i would like to re-post as well.
Peace!
Go ahead bruh!
I couldn’t agree with you more. BTW: Your blog needs a Tweet Button!
No, Thank you – and blessings right back atcha! (Tried leaving this last night – don’t know what happenned!)
Always “a-day-late-and-a-dollar-short” when it comes to Black folk (more like a-month-late in Trayvon’ case!) – somebody must’ve put a bug in his ear about your post saying, “Don’t let the Republicans out-maneuver you on this one, better get out there ahead of that! ;-0 And having the clear, looks “Black like me” advantage – he did…
From Poliico today: Obama: ‘If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon’ http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/03/obama-i-had-a-son-hed-look-like-trayvon-118439.html
“President Barack Obama weighed in Friday on the shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, calling it a national tragedy – and saying that it reminded him of his own children.
“When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids,” Obama said in Rose Garden remarks. “And I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this. And that everybody pull together.
“But my main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. You know, if I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” Obama said. “All of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves….Obama’s answer also reflects a departure from usual precedent. The president, who was ostensibly announcing the nomination of a new World Bank head, usually does not take questions shouted by reporters at the end of his prepared remarks — but today, he made an exception for the Martin case.“ (emphasis mine)
SMDH
“somebody must’ve put a bug in his ear about your post saying, “Don’t let the Republicans out-maneuver you on this one, better get out there ahead of that! ;-0 And having the clear, looks “Black like me” advantage – he did…”
Too true Deb! He’s a master political manipulator.
That he is. And I don’t want anybody to get it twisted – I realize that all politicians are. But, given our history in this country, there’s something particularly distasteful to me about his manipulation of the Black vote. And I give no quarter to the CBC either. Some of them have been sitting in Congress for years, basking in the glow of “progress” – for themselves.
No, they don’t have the numbers to affect a whole lot, given the way our illustrious democracy is set up. But, they could make their presence at least felt, by not always going along, to get along – on votes that are clearly aimed at, and are detrimental to, the Black community in particular, and POC, in general! For example, their full-throated support (see roll call of the vote here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/111-2009/h46) for that damned 2009 stimulus package, better known as the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,” in which, was deeply buried, even MORE Byrne grant money for federal, state and local governments’ “law enforcement” agencies (an interesting read on that from Michelle Alexander – http://www.thenation.com/article/156997/obamas-drug-war)! Hell some CBC members were co-sponsors of the damned bill!
I’m not much on political strategy, particularly, not just for strategy’s sake. It could just be me, but I think they ought to be trying to accomplish something for the Black community – in exchange for all that “progress” they enjoy. Just sayin’…
(end of rant)
Pingback: The Politics of Murder « The Synergistic Pen
Reblogged this on The Black Hole Of The Internet and commented:
This!