Deadbeat, maybe you aren’t defending Obama, but you are attacking a straw man. BAR’s voice is one that has long been existant in Black politics, electorally or otherwise. Black people know that our critical style has long been part of black political witness, and I could cite you names, chapter and verse but what would be the point? If you think some of us at BAR have no business outing the internalized racist bullshit the Obama camp actually stirs up among those sections of the black electorate that bought into the Reaganite scapegoating which Obama now directs against black people, you’re wrong, simple and plain. I’m sorry you’re having a hard time with that, but you see, there’s nothing so politically pristine or fragile about what you call the black electorate that it needs to be held with kid gloves.

As for any lack we at BAR may have of a “complete analysis ” of the black electoral experience over the last thirty years, everyone lacks complete analysis, so don’t give me any shit.

Who are these African Americans who are put off by say, Glen Ford or BAR in general? On what do you base your “analysis”?

If, as it appears, empire is at its end this “nuance” this “hurt feelings” stuff is going to seem more than childish. The dynamics at play will be overwhelming from what I can see given the deep economic unraveling in front of us. This is just the tip of the ice berg from all indications.

I don’t thing the force of things to come will add up to clinging to Barack Obama. We’ll see…

The Obamaists and Deadbeat may expect “nuance” in our critique of their Man,

Hureaux makes a false argument. First Obama was not “my Man”. Second apparently Hureaux really doesn’t care if he alienates the Black electorate. So be it but when Obama disappoints rather than embracing African American looking for an alternative they will only dig in their heals behind Obama. This is the problem with analysis without nuance.

Such harsh criticism that was directed toward the Black electorate (notice I an not saying harsh criticism directed toward Obama but specifically toward the Black electorate) negates the racism that was directed by Hillary Clinton and McCain towards the Obama campaign which endured such rhetoric for the past 30 years.

In addition Hureaux ignores the failure of the Left over the past eight years to attract the most loyal voting bloc (African Americans) away from the Democrats.

My position is not to “support” Obama. My position is to work on attracting African American away from the Democrats. And to suggest that the best way to attract African Americans is to that employ empathy rather than “I told you so” and “holier than thou” rhetoric.

The unreached include people like James Petras who are either unaware of sites such as BAR or are aware and refuse to acknowledge them because they tell it as it is, leaving no sacred cow unturned. BAR’s Glen Ford was on Democracy Now in 2007 for a too-brief debate with blowhard Obamabot Michael Dyson. P.C. Pollyanna Amy Goodman hasn’t had him on since even though Ford is in spitting distance of Democracy Now’s studios and would be a welcome addition to her show’s pundit rolodex.

As for those lefties shocked and dismayed at Obama’s cabinet hires, tough shit. Lefty pundits and advocates are involved in politics enough to have known the backstory on Obama from the get go. Their Anyone But Bush obsession, slave to the Democratic party mentality, and holier than thou politically correct snobitude guaranteed a master huckster like Obama could get over on them big time.

Olorunda is on point describing white liberalism centering on celebrity, popularity, and majority. Politics is a hobby or trendy for far too many of them as they’ll do fine regardless of who is in power and are clueless as to the daily grind of the black, white, and brown working stiffs.

I’m seeing more articles filled with hand wringing and caterwauling from the left these days. It’s a real hoot watching these fools feign ignorance about Obama’s wicked ways. Bernie Madoff and Barack – goes to show there’s a sucker born in the rich and smart sets every minute too.

I was with you entirely until you said you voted for the guy.

It’s been said we don ‘t have the stuff to make the changes we need before it’s too late. The day of reakoning is coming swiftly, and Michael, with all due respect, your intellect and you convictions make me think our worst options are in front of us. If we can’t count on those who know better, then we’re lost.

I’m convinced that this is the end of the empire. Oil is now at $37 / barrel and this thing is going to coming crashing in ways you and I can only imagine. The industrial state – one that feeds us and much more – days are numbered. And our only hope is we start NOW to take real action. If we can’t even vote for real change what the hell is going to happen when we have to start using human muscle to eke out an existence?

THANKS FOR THAT, MY FELLOW AMERICANS!!

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8969878&publicUserId=5819463

How many times do you need to get slapped long side the head? How many times has the Dem party done this? And it gets worse with each election as desparation becomes ever more apparent. The system is on its last legs and it will do whatever it takes to get you to the polls and have you play THEIR game!

Amazing. Don’t complain, you’ve got what you got – Obama. The Obamaites are crazed but you’re a bloody hypocrite. To say what you said and go in and vote (you got “played” that’s a f%kning jock, jack!) for this guy demonstrates the weakness of the so-called “progressives”. I find this more repugnant than the ignorant or young yahoos who voted for Obama. You should KNOW BETTER!

Speaking only for myself, however, given the kind of standard “democratic” party bullying and hackery I’ve seen from the local Obama organizers, I suspect the Black electorate is due for an alienation far more profound than anything they may or may not have experienced while reading Glen Ford or BAR.

I’m not going to try to adress Glen Ford’s attraction to the Dean candidacy of 04, if that’s true, well, Glen got played and that’s that. It happens. In my own case, I voted for Obama myself, even though I had tremendous misgivings in doing so, and anyone who’s ever read anything I’ve posted knows how much contempt I have for his politics. But you see, Deadbeat, I did give the Obama “campaign” the benefit of the doubt in casting my ballot, and once again, in “democratic” party form, they’re true to style. Not a peep as the Corporate Leader loads up his cabinet with a bunch of shysters and gangsters.

Am I disappointed? Nope, because I never believed in Obummer to begin with. But I did have a little faith in the Obama campaign, and it’s looking like I and many others got “played just as we did by Clinton in 1992 and the “democrats” in 1988. A genuine “campaign” would be campaigning over items much larger than who’s delivering the benediction at the fucking inaugural, and they’d be making their presence felt now. But the truth is that “campaign” doesn’t exist, and never existed.

LIke those of us with a lack of “nuance’ at BAR and the Black Commentator, “practical” Obama supporters are on the outside looking in. It’s unfortunate they’ve put all their energies into the bottomless pit of the “democrats” once again, but maybe they’ll learn something in the near future.