When SNCC became a black nationalist organization, it broke with liberal politics. As Max makes a speciality of blurring the difference between liberalism and radicalism, this comment is completely understandable.
Charmichael himself
>hasn't done anything positive since. A documentary
>on SNCC including archival footage showed SC as one
>jive turkey. I myself attended a speech by him many
>years ago (well after the SNCC turn) featuring explicit
>jew-baiting, a perfect example of the case of negative
>nationalism which can only have the effect of driving
>whites to the right.
SNCC was a victim of a powerful ultraleftist current in the black community, which affected the Black Panthers as well. This, plus provocations from the FBI, threw the young, activist group into chaos. Max really has no analysis of what went on except that creepy people became creepier at a certain point. Moralizing makes a poor substitute for political analysis. Carmichael eventually went to Africa where he stopped acting as an influence on American politics. I have no doubt that he made antisemitic remarks since he was susceptible to influences all around him at this point. Of course, the notion of black antisemitism was a favorite device of liberals in the 1980s to tarnish black radicalism. Jim Sleeper made a speciality of this. I have no doubt that Max reflects these influences, which are powerful in the inside-the-beltway politics, where he functions.
>In addition, it reflects an inept effort to claim
>leadership of that which it cannot win by force of
>positive persuasion. Otherwise known as selling
>wolf tickets.
>
>MBS
As inept as it was, the FBI murdered many of these young black nationalist activists. If they had been permitted to develop politically instead of facing the brute fist of capitalist injustice, perhaps the US left would be in better shape today. Max seems to gloat in their misfortune. If only they had put away their foolish radicalism and gotten good responsible jobs advising the AFL-CIO....
Louis Proyect (http://www.panix.com/~lnp3/marxism.html)