[lbo-talk] how BHO is like MLK

Michael Pollak mpollak at panix.com
Tue Jan 19 00:44:19 PST 2010


On Mon, 18 Jan 2010, Doug Henwood wrote:


> Continuing in her tradition of deeply awful political journalism, Melissa
> Harris-Lacewell tells us that Obama is like King because King snubbed Bayard
> Rustin for being a gay socialist:
>
> http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/517878/how_barack_obama_is_like_martin_luther_king_jr

This is also just wrong. Rustin took the initiative in standing aside because the March on Washington, which was his brainchild, was more important to him than the limelight. He organized everything behind the scenes. He couldn't have been snubbed without his acquiesence. If he'd left, the march (which he's been organizing for 5 years) wouldn't have happened.

There is a great documentary on Rustin, who does deserve a lot more credit than he's gotten, called _Brother Outsider_. There is a lot more to him than his cold war positions and neocon friends. And even they become more understandable in the distance of time. If not for him, there never would have been nonviolent disobedience in the civil rights movement -- and thus, there never would have been a King.

Meanwhile this article deserves a prize for the worst article ever written on MLK day or every likely to be so. King had lots of flaws, but she doesn't put her finger squarely on any of them. She's essentially pissing on King's grave to make Barack look better. I can't think of a more outrageous offense against a commemorative holiday.

Michael



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