>>> Marvin Gandall AM >>>
This is interesting, because I've noticed many on the left who hitherto wouldn't touch the Democrats with a 10 foot pole have been justifying their unusally positive view of the Obama campaign on grounds that it represents some kind of black nationalist upsurge. Joaquin Bustelo over on Marxmail has been sounding this note for quite some time. But the poll indicates that blacks have been turning out in unprecedented numbers for largely same reasons as everyone else
^^^^ CB: You can probably believe Joaquin and my anecdotal , but probably representative sampled, observations of Black people's attitudes over this particular poll on this point. Black people are more enthusiastic for Obama 'cause he is Black and worthy of their pride, i.e. it is "nationalistic". Sure they can't stand Bush and the Republicans as well, but that's a negative reason, and doesn't give as much enthusiasm as the positives of O.
But the reason lefts should be cheered by O's success ( including touching the Dem Party with a ten foot pole) is the large number of _Whites_ voting for him. It's not new or surprising that Black people would support a Black candidate. It is that so many Whites are.
O spoke in Detroit last week.
On C-span I just heard a very progressive speech by O to the US Conference of Mayors. He said he would have an office of urban policy in the White House. Coleman Young used to phrase it exactly as "there is no urban policy" since Reaganism. O said he would bolster CDBG funding. This speech somewhat answers those who ask how O would speak to so-called Black people's issues. I mean duhhh, really. I'm not really worried about him being better than Bush and Clinton on "Black" issues. Neither are most ( and I mean _most_) Black people. White lefties being worried about O not tending to "Black" issues is kinda funny, a strange version of the White Man's Burden.
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- extraordinary disgust with Bush and with the direction in which he's taken the US. Obama has become a repository of this hoped-for change such that his waffling and backsliding on key issues are ignored or disregarded by many of his supporters who have a quasi-religious need to believe in him. ^^^ CB: This label of "quasi-religious" in some sense of mindless or unthinking is the same ole dumb-dumb from anti-O weirdos ( not you Marvin) It's not "quasi-religious" in the bad sense of that term. It's politically healthy enthusiasm, and much more well thought out than the media and some detractors claim. In fact, the political basis , anti-racism, that many have for supporting O is more critically progressive, _key_, than the thinking of "left" detractors of O.
On the so-called waffling on "key" issues, this attributes or projects onto many of the new voters and young the mentality of ole lefties. They don't think like ole lefties ,so , they aren't expecting all the revolutionary or radical reform things that ole lefties project onto them. "Change" doesn't mean the same thing to them as it does to some ole lefties. They have the sense to give O room to maneuver in a political climate that has been extremely right wing, borderline fascist, for 25 years. This is an electorate so out to lunch it just got through electing Bush twice. It's common sense that O has to be careful not to swing too progressive before he actually wins. These "new and young" voters have more sense than the sectarian ultra-lefties. Gives one a lot of hope in the future and the next generation
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This seems to be especially pronounced among younger first-time voters, whom he's attracted in droves. This isn't a new phenomenon in history, especially when social movements are being born. No one can predict whether an Obama presidency will dishearten or infuriate these new millions, turn them away from or deepen their initial political engagement.
^^^^^ CB: Obama has not won yet. We shouldn't count chickens until they are hatched.
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