Freedom Rider: Why We Write About Obama
by Margaret Kimberley
"Obama
used racist, conservative code
words from the GOP play book."
Black Agenda Report is "a journal of African American
political thought and action." Those words mean nothing unless we are willing
to think and act in ways that the corporate media are not. Even black Americans
are susceptible to the influences of a system whose existence depends on
telling lies and having them accepted as truth. If that were not the case, BAR
wouldn't need to exist.
When anyone is praised on these pages it is because their
actions warrant praise. If members of the Congressional Black Caucus stand up
for the Constitution and demand impeachment hearings they are praised. If they
sell out to corporate interests and allow Fox News to control the CBC
Institute, they are condemned.
This site is not called Be Nice to Prominent Black People
Report. Obama supporters in particular should keep this fact in mind. Recently
many of them have taken BAR to task for critical coverage of his campaign.
"The dangers presented by an Obama presidency are
becoming clearer every day."
In the week before the Nevada caucuses Barack Obama
responded to our critics for us. If the stakes were not so high, we
might exult in saying, "We told you so." The dangers presented by an Obama
presidency are becoming clearer every day, and that is no reason for
celebration.
In an editorial board meeting with the Reno Gazette-Journal,
Obama said the
following about Ronald Reagan:
"I do think that for example the 1980 election was
different. I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a
way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He
put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for
it. I think they felt like with all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s
and government had grown and grown but there wasn't much sense of
accountability in terms of how it was operating. I think people, he just
tapped into what people were already feeling, which was we want clarity we want
optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that
had been missing."
Not only did Obama praise Reagan, but he used racist,
conservative code words from the GOP play book to do it. Obama's supporters
should be the first to ask him what he believes to be the "excesses
of the 60s and 70s." Does he think the Voting Rights Act was an
excess? What about the Civil Rights Act? Were the protests against the
Vietnam War excessive? What about Fair Housing legislation, was it all too much
for the Republic to handle? Was abortion legalization an excess?
"What does Obama believe to be the 'excesses of the 60s and 70s?'"
Obama's very vocal fans should speak up. Their candidate is
praising the right wing rollback of civil rights. Do they think the 60s and 70s
were full of excess? If so, what were those excesses? If they don't agree with
Obama, will they say so? What does this statement portend for the policies of
an Obama administration? It is past time for the love fest to end, and hard
questioning to begin.
If Hillary Clinton or John Edwards uttered those same words
they would be quite rightly taken to task. At his worst, in the nadir of his
Sister Souljah moment, Bill Clinton did not dare to make such statements. Even
Slick Willie was not slick enough to think he could praise Ronald Reagan and
still get votes from black people.
High praise for Reagan was not the end of Obama's slide into
right wing demagoguery. "I think it's fair to say that the Republicans were the
party of ideas for
a pretty long chunk of time there over the last 10-15 years in the sense that
they were challenging conventional wisdom." One day Obama channels
Ronald Reagan, the next he channels Newt Gingrich. It is too frightening to ask
how much lower he will fall.
Obama calculates that he can get away with anything and
still be supported by most black people. Unfortunately, at this moment he is
correct. Race pride based on symbolism has become the order of the day though
it is clearly no substitute for a principled political fight.
What does Obama have to say or do before his supporters
call him out? If they believe that the warm and fuzzy feeling brought on by a
black president is reason enough to support Obama, they should say so. They
won't have to defend him and BAR can stick to the business of political
analysis. Currently the criticisms directed at BAR are based on annoyance that
we brought a skunk to the party, and not on any reasoned arguments.
"One day Obama channels Ronald Reagan, the next he
channels Newt Gingrich."
Black Agenda Report will continue to live up to its
standards we have set for ourselves. Hillary Clinton and Obama are
political twins, candidates bought off by corporate interests, ready to defend
the American empire by killing people in far away places or tossing black
people and the rest of the Democratic base under a bus if they think it is
expedient to do so. BAR will closely scrutinize both of them during this
primary season.
A presidential election year is always difficult. The
Democratic party is run by people who don't want it to be a political party at
all. They actively search for ways to squelch activism and deny victory to
Democrats who are unafraid to be Democrats. The game is rigged against true
democracy, forcing us to make difficult choices and compromises instead of
working for what we really want. These contradictions will not be easier to
deal with if Barack Obama supporters continue to give him a free political
ride.
We at BAR enjoy debating views that are passionately held.
We won't take pleasure in seeing black America end up with a bad case of buyer's
remorse. Passive support for Barack Obama can only lead in that direction, but
rest assured of one thing. Our next president, whoever that turns out to be,
will always be under the Black Agenda Report microscope.
Margaret Kimberley's
Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York
City, and can be reached via e-Mail at
Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgandaReport.Com. Ms. Kimberley' maintains an
edifying and frequently updated blog at freedomrider.blogspot.com. More
of her work is also available at her Black Agenda Report archive
page.
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