``Even so, I suspect - or fear, is more like it - that the debate will be obscured, like a lonely planetary system hidden in a vast nebula, by the distracting argument of 'hope' vs. 'truth'.'' .d.
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In the spirit of getting back on track to what's wrong with Obama-mania, The next post has Glen Ford's column on Obama-mania. It's long and may not squeak through. Doug was going to post an interview with Ford, but my system doesn't do sound---yes another freebsd struggle---so I decided to post Ford essay instead.
I especially like the guns and derivatives part... . God damn do I miss that old time black power commie ring... straight from the Oakland-Berkeley cadres for revolution that used to send the FBI nuts taking photos, writing memos, and planning well armed raids through local cops just for a chance to shot and kill...
The essay sounds very much like some of the standard fair here, once upon a time, when I was young, and stood in mixed cheering crowds shocked and amazed... Well, that black people talked about each other this way... Well, to reflect back that, yes, that was just the way I thought and talked about white people, duh.
``Media have displaced previous Black leadership-creation mechanisms: that is, leadership forged in struggle. Now, "leaders" are presented with theme music in radio studios and TV sound stages, chosen by executives on the basis of corporate notions of marketability. It is a "virtual" - not genuine - Black leadership, that only plays the role through broadcasting...'' (Ford)
Just to add the missing parallel, this is exactly what the Clintons have done to white progressives and old fashioned liberals, and I might add, managed to hook-wink most black voters. We forget fifteen years ago, that Clinton seemed to be quasi-progressive, coming out of an era of yet another southern re-construction in the 70-80s. Remember the great liberal hope was Clinton would be a progressive liberal underneath all that New Democrat wishy-washy sleaze.
I admit, after the Reagan-Bush era, I was desperate enough to fall for it. Anything but more Bush. Then there was the Sister Soljah moment as a warning---but I ignored it. I was voting for `hope' not the `truth' of what I could have seen, if I wanted to...
Then barely in office a few months, Clinton withdrew support for his OCR appointee, Lani Guinier. I went cold. What? You fucking chicken shit. You better fight this fight. It was one of those fights that absolutely had to be fought----like the push a bully throws on the playground. If you don't make the first punch back count, you will be hounded forever.
So that's the reason I see Obama as Clinton as Clinton.
CG