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LET THE BLOVIATIONS BEGIN!
WHAT A BLACK MAN'S ELECTION MEANS & DOESN'T MEAN
"Black" By Racist Classification, Obama Enjoyed Benefits Not Available To Most African-Americans
Everyone seems to be focusing on what the neo-Fascist Premier of Italy referred to as Obama's "tan:" As if it had anything much to do with his election, or his future policies & performance as President. Granted, many on the Left are assuming that the new President's African ancestry and hard-scrabble beginnings will translate into a progressive agenda, aggressively pursued. But what's hue got to do with it?
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The fact is, Barack Obama is half white. He never knew his African-immigrant father, and he grew up among whites, Asians and Pacific Islanders here in Hawaii, not in the hood or the cotton fields. After initial struggles with his single Mom in Honolulu and Jakarta, little "Barry" was sent to live with his white Kansan grandparents back on Oahu. Gramps was a salesman and Gramma was a bank exec. They sent their grandson to Honolulu's elite Punahou School. The school styles itself the Choate or Exeter of the Pacific, although it is not in their league academically, socially or financially.
Some of Punahou's grads go on to run the State of Hawaii's local businesses and government for their own benefit, the public be damned. Punahou used to be the white prep-school, while Iolani was for Asians, and St. Louis and Kamehameha for "Locals." It costs more than the University of Hawaii, and it is therefore closed to most islanders. It was always meant to perpetuate the local upper classes. A good GPA from Punahou is considered a ticket to Harvard, Princeton or Yale.
This kind of elite education and family support are simply not available to most people anywhere; especially not to poor black children in rural or urban slums. If Obama's success means anything, it is that, by following the exact same path as the children of the white elite, you might have a shot at the brass ring even if you aren't white. It does not address the more abiding, and un-discussed issues of class. These are the issues that people are hoping, or fearing, that Obama will address.
"Socialism" was a shibboleth in the Obama election. Republicans tried to paint him red, but it didn't stick. Socialism, or some limited American form of it, may be the only answer to our issues of class. Economic inequality has mushroomed under a forty-year regime of right-wing "conservative" Republicans and "moderate" DINOs. Real wages continue to shrink, and the already-fading illusion of upward mobility and middle class security has now been shattered by recent developments on Wall Street and in Washington.
The idea that you can make it by simply working hard and playing by the rules has been thrown out the window by corrupt, incompetent bankers and brokers, who are STILL being generously rewarded for cataclysmic failures and deliberate malfeasance. After wrecking the economy with their schemes and scams, and robbing many Americans of their future, they are demanding and getting their usual big bonuses, special perq's and golden parachutes. Instead of going to prison, they are going to Disneyland. On your dime.
Obama has, like Bush, already surrounded himself with the old cronies of the financial mafia. Emmanuel Rahm was, up until recently a director of Fannie Mae, where the big money troubles started. Obama's "new" economic advisers and government appointees come exclusively from Wall Street and Washington, and are familiar faces. The argument will be made that there is no one else who understands the system so well as these "experts," despite all their failures, and prejudices in favor of the rich over the rest of us.
But that just says that the rest of us, including labor lawyers, consumer advocates, union leaders, academic experts, and business mavericks, are all nobodies, not entitled to a place at the table, even though we are the majority, and it is our money that is now being so grossly mismanaged, publicly & privately. "Experts"? A five-year old could guide the economy better by throwing darts at a decision board. But the Punahou boy will not likely give the five year old, or anybody else, a fair shot at that board.
We're supposed to give a new President one hundred days to get himself together and start implementing policy. I say we start that clock on 4 NOV 2008. By mid-February of 2009, we will all know where our new Administration is headed. There may still be time to change its' course at that point, if it seems to be bound for Bush or Clinton territory. That is what we voted against, decisively, in 2000 and 2008: Not a black face on the same old body of lies. What's hue got to do with it?
[Cross-posted on blog me no blogs.]
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I too am troubled by the financial cronies Obama is surrounding himself with. I realize he had to bend over backwards to avoid being painted "red" before the election, now we'll have to see what he does once he's sworn in. His choice for Secretary of the Treasury should be an early indication of the direction he will be taking on economic issues.
I'm counting on him to be prudent and pragmatic in his decisions, to be a problem solver and do what works, without concerns for being labeled a "socialist." Labels are so passe.
As far as his choice of Rahm Emmanuel, I cringed when I heard the announcement, since I am no fan of Rahm. Most troubling to me is his dual Israeli-U.S. citizenship. I think Obama needed him to win over the pro-Israel super-delegates to get the nomination. Perhaps this is when he saw that Rahm could be useful in a Staff position, given that he has so much experience on Capitol Hill. Rahm has worked with everyone in Washington. He knows the ropes. On careful consideration I've come to understand why Obama would think he could be a good point man. Thankfully, Rahm will make no policy decisions, his responsibility is to get whatever Obama wants done, sort of like a Butler.
So I don't want to second guess Obama just yet. He's fought a hard race, and done so brilliantly, Why not give him the benefit of the doubt until he makes some hard decisions before we pummel him with demands.
I would like to see a new direction for all of us, one that isn't so focused on political activism but rather on creating a better society among ourselves. That means educating and lifting each other and creating collaborative and creative associations where we can work together to make the world a better place on the micro level, while leaving Obama to take care of the macro issues. Once we choose a President and give him a mandate, we ought to let him do the work as best he can, unless of course he messes up royally as Bush did. Then it's time to take to the streets.
I'm confident it won't come to that with President Obama, but we'll have to watch closely and see what he does...
Posted by: Diana at November 11, 2008 09:32 PM.
I'm all for giving Obama enough rope to hang himself. But I'm not willing to hang with him, nor should the rest of us. In addition to "moderate" "centrist" Rahm, Sam Nunn and Warren Christopher have been disinterred from the Clinton graveyard to run the transition at the Pentagon. So far, it's nothing but DINOs.
Obama made a lot of smart moves in his campaign. But all that is window dressing and play-acting. The real test begins now. If he's just using these people to get a good grip on power, and to pacify the nervous Nellies, for the good of the economy, etc, fine. But if he lets these people make or dictate policy, it's no-go. We have to stop it, immediately. If we wanted them, and their Republican Lite ideas, we would have voted for Billary. Instead, we voted against them.
It is absolutely critical that we all stay engaged with the political process, to provide Obama with the raw democratic support he needs to keep these DINOs in line, and to keep him out of their corral. Everyone should do whatever they think best, and live their lives, of course. But if the last forty years have demonstrated anything, it is that participatory democracy only works if we all continue to participate in it. If we let up for one minute, the worst sort of scum will immediately and permanently fill the huge vacuum we leave once again.
If you think you can't have any real effect, look what we all just did. If you think it doesn't matter whether we stay involved, remember Rwanda and Darfur, Hurricane Mitch and Cyclone Nargis, NAFTA and the Patriot Acts, and the continuing erosion of our rights and our standard of living. Remember all the terrible things Bush has done, and how much we owe the world as a result. If we let the same old scum run things, we will be responsible for more disasters, and for our own slide into penury and insignificance.
It doesn't matter if you love or trust Obama or not. He's only one man, and his only power derives directly from us. We cannot let these parasites take that away and misuse it again. It is just too goddamned important. We cannot take the chance of our innate political and economic powers being used for such tremendous evils as we have seen perpetrated already in our lifetimes. It is our power that did those evil deeds, and we must take responsibility for never doing them again, and for seeing that only good things are done. No one man can ensure that. Obama needs us now, more than ever. Stay involved. Please.
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I understand what you're saying, Cosa. I'm just thinking about what is most effective, given that Obama now has a mandate to run the show as he sees fit.
Should Obama decide to fill his cabinet with DLCers, what can we do about it? We can complain, sure, but just as with Bush when he decided to go to war, ten million people marching in the streets couldn't stop him. He's "the decider."
One of my main interests is in raising awareness. The problems we face are largely rooted in ignorance. That means working horizontally to communicate with others, to debate, reason, and try to persuade. To do that in real life and also on the Internet.
There are many things Obama has done that give me pause -- his vote on FISA, his unequivocal allegiance to Israel, his hawkishness on Afghanistan and Pakistan, his vote for the financial bailout, are among the most troubling. The thought that he could name someone like Warren Buffet as Treasury Secretary makes me shudder.
Maybe all the people he's surrounding himself with now is all window dressing. He can hardly come out and say "Let the banks and GM" fail, can he? Of course not. I don't know what he will do, we'll have to wait and see. Until then, I believe Obama is a decent man who wants to do good for the country. That's a welcome change from George W.
So carry on Cosa, you do great work, don't let me dampen your enthusiasm for continuing to be the terrific champion and fighter that you are.
Cheers :)
Posted by: Diana at November 13, 2008 08:09 PMI don't disagree that the issues both of you speak of are very important, but I think we're missing the moment. Obama's victory represents a spiritual tectonic shift.
When I was a kid, my parents and grandparents weren't that far removed from World War II concentration camps in Arizona. There were quotas against Jews at universities. Life on the res was abominable for the "injuns." Mexicans didn't count; women couldn't smoke, drink or drive, and they couldn't get credit. Jim Crow and lynchings kept the "negroes" in line at the bottom.
Obama's victory turned the page for all of us, oppressed and oppressor alike. I get the feeling that those terms in this context are fast becoming obsolete.
Sure, there's still going to be foot-dragging. That's to be expected. The old ways will still be clung to by some as the "good old days," but the milestone has still been passed.
I can't tell you what the New Way will be. I don't know. I can only bask in its glow.
Posted by: Richard at November 13, 2008 09:04 PMRichard, thank you for reminding me of what's really important. It goes beyond politics to a social-spiritual transformation of the whole society, and the world.
As far as what is to be done now, this quote from a commenter on another blog, suggests a way...
While there is plenty of stupidity here in America, the main problem is brainwashing and dumbing down of the population by the MSM for (too) many years. The solution lies in the gradual but persistent raising of human consciousness and awareness of Truth through the Internet and Blogs just like this one. Everyone who is enlightened and puts in their 2 cents (like you - actually, you put in a lot more than 2 cents) makes a small but important contribution. Making cogent arguments here helps, even though you can't see the benefits! The tide of opinion will eventually change and the believers in the 'Official' 9/11 story will begin to feel like the flat earthers eventually felt - out of it.
Persistence is the key. It's the same technique that the other side uses, but the Truth is stronger than lies If we all keep hammering away at the pedestal of lies that supports the 'Official' story, it will finally disintegrate and we will all bask in the light and warmth of Truth. It's sorta like spreading the Gospel
While this process may be frustrating, we can't become impatient and succumb to the temptation of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. The key word is focus, focus, focus - no distractions and no stopping!
And on a more inspirational note, this commenter captures the spirit:
The goodness in all of our hearts will not be hidden any longer. This is not any longer a center-right country, it is a collection of people - living, breathing people - who have one goal: to get rid of those who spread hate. Whether internally with this wedge politics of exclusion and lies and feeding on our feers and insecurities, or externally by spreading war and famine and suicide bombing. Enough already of this incarnate evil of the soul.
We are waking up and joining the rest of the world in our utter disgust of those who would separate us one from the other, and those religious zealots who would subjugate us in the chains of hatred and bigotry and ignorance of those unlike us.
Being part of the human race is something once again to be cherished.
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So many fantastic ideas are bubbling forth.
This is what freedom feels like.
So I think I'll join you, Richard, and bask in the glow for awhile, while refocusing and refueling my jets ...
Posted by: Diana at November 13, 2008 10:36 PM