Friday, June 17, 2005
Veni Vidi Vichy: Et Tu Barak?
There has been a good deal of discussion about Senator Barak Obama's comments about DNC Chairman Howard Dean last week (video): 
The discussion has run the full gamut, from calling Obama a "sellout" and "traitor" who's biting the hand that fed him back when he was an asterisk in his Senate race, to vigorous defenses of Obama and his stellar voting record.
What do you think? One of the things that we will be discussing at DemocracyFest is what is it that Black folk should be about politically - what is our agenda? Post your thoughts in the comments.
"As somebody who is a Christian myself, I don't like it when people use religion to divide, whether that is Republican or Democrat. I think in terms of his role as party spokesman, [Dean] probably needs to be a little more careful and I suspect that is a message he is going to be getting from a number of us. We are at a time in our country's history that inclusive language is better than exclusive language."
The discussion has run the full gamut, from calling Obama a "sellout" and "traitor" who's biting the hand that fed him back when he was an asterisk in his Senate race, to vigorous defenses of Obama and his stellar voting record.What do you think? One of the things that we will be discussing at DemocracyFest is what is it that Black folk should be about politically - what is our agenda? Post your thoughts in the comments.
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My problem is not with his comment per say. My problem is with all democrats that don't call a spade a spade.
We all know that the majority of Republicans are white male evangelicals. Could Dean had said this in a less abrasive way. Yes but Senators and Congressmen should be quoting the entire text of Deans message and not just what the right are taking out of context and yes we should be pointing out to every minority just who the right really is.
My view: Obama isn't necessarily as "progressive" as everyone seems to think he is, so in that sense the different view he exhibits on this issue (compared to many progressives) isn't surprising.
When you're highly visible and Black, I think the image of what others want to make you (positive or negative) can often override objective evidence of who you really are.
If Obama isn't all that progressive in fact, it makes no difference to me right now. But I do feel a lot of white people in particular are viewing Obama through their own hopes and dreams, rather than paying close attention to what he actually says and does.
The self-fulfilling prophecy could make him president one day. Or white progressives could wake up to how he really is one day and turn on him, deciding that he has "betrayed" or "mislead" them when he was the same person all along.
Religion is dangerous, and the bigger, the dangerous.
For a while, it will be OK to be any color as long as you are Christian, or Republican... it's just another way to divide and take.
Obama is his own man. I can't do anything but trust him. I can't imagine him going "bad"... he might, we all can... meantime, that man gets the benefit of the doubt: I would MUCH rather he be right and grow and lead. It will take courage as well as mind.
If he should go bad, and only time will tell, I'll cut him loose, but no way could I be happy about losing that man.