What if Obama loses?

[bigbadwolf]

I was mulling over a post of Sergio's, where he discusses what he finds problematic with Obama. I found the following, which may be pertinent to this line of thinking:

White liberals have convinced themselves that Barack Obama is one of them, or nearly so, because of his articulate English and elite education. What would an Ivy League educated, half-white man from Hawaii have in common with incendiary black leaders like Louis Farrakhan?


Quite a bit, actually. Obama’s spiritual mentor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is a good friend of Louis Farrakhan and even accompanied him to Libya to meet with General Muammar Gaddaffi in 1984. And in 1995, Barack Obama himself flew from Chicago to Washington, D.C. to attend Farrakhan’s Million Man March. He described the march then as"a powerful demonstration of an impulse and need for African-American men to come together to recognize each other and affirm our rightful place in the society"[FONT=&quot].[/FONT]


The unsettling truth is that Barack Obama is not some bridge between black and white, but a man who is obsessed with the perceived injustice of growing up black in a white-run world. In Dreams from My Father

, Obama writes of how, as a teenager, he would closet himself in his room and absorb the works of black radicals like W.E.B. DuBois and Malcolm X, withdrawing "into a smaller and smaller coil of rage".[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
Indeed, the one idea Obama most identified with then was Malcolm X’s wish that "the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged".


It does not seem to matter to Barack Obama that the white blood that runs through him is not there by an act of violence, but by an act of marriage. Or that he has never personally experienced any of the injustices we typically associate with black Americans.


Clearly, Barack Obama has far more in common with the angry young black men who are devoted to his candidacy than most Americans realize.

 

[tangobob]

Had I three ears I'd hear you

 

[Napoleon]

I think it would be funny.

The overwhelming Democratic congress will still dictate what happens in Washington, but at least McCain would be allowed to apply a break on occasion.

 

[soulskier]

Me prediction is if Obama losses, there will be a fair share of people moving out of the country. Some will even become future members of this message board.

 

[sergio]

If I understand Bigbadwolf correctly, he is saying that Obama is obsessed with race. At the beginning of his campaign there was a sense that he would transcend race, i.e. that he would run on his own merits alone. Instead he has repeatedly injected race into the contest. In his speech following the blowup regarding his close friend and pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah "God damn America" Wright, Obama spoke extensively of race - even suggesting that his white grandmother is a racist (he “winced” at some of her comments about black men). Though John McCain has never once mentioned race, Obama brought the subject up by insisting that Republicans would call attention to the fact that he doesn’t look like the men on the dollar bills and that he happens to be black. McCain never did anything of the kind. As a “community organizer” Obama is no doubt used to agitating and using charges of racism as a means of attaining his ends. It’s curious that someone who was raised in such a privileged environment – a father who attended Harvard, private schools in Indonesia, elite private high school in trans-racial Hawaii, Occidental College, Columbia and Harvard – should feel such strong identification, even bitterness, as a black man. There is no history of slavery in his family; he has gone from one success to another without any sign of discrimination. Still Obama’s writings, actions and associations – even his choice of wife - suggest a degree of hostility and militantism. If he is elected President the issue of reparations for slavery is bound to come up. It will be interesting to see where a President Obama would stand. He has said he does not support reparations. As President would he modify his view?

 

[bigbadwolf]

If I understand Bigbadwolf correctly, he is saying that Obama is obsessed with race.

Obama has been obsessed with race and perceived racial inequity in the past. It is likely that this still constitutes a key part of his outlook on the world. At least some of his black supporters are attracted to him for this very reason. This is why I think his presidency, ironically, will not do anything for racial harmony -- quite the contrary. And as the essay in the link argues, we can expect civil disturbance if he loses and (some) disturbance even if he wins.

Race tension runs deep in the United States and is an intractable problem. *Shrug* -- let's see what happens.

 

[RWS]

Poor Mr. Obama (and I do not use the adjective to demean) appears to suffer from the senses of rage and rejection commonly felt by the children, especially sons, of men who did not marry the mothers of their children (I write as a former social worker). His yearning to become "blacker than black" is understandable in this context, even if not rational or wise.

 

[bigbadwolf]

Moving away from the race angle for a moment, one can't help but dwell on the contradictions of Obama the candidate. On the one hand he preaches change and hope; on the other, he has amassed a war chest that would have even GWB drooling. And as this piece makes clear, his supporters include the super-rich, who presumably will demand some sort of payback. (Also see this blog on why hedge funds have been tending to support Obama rather than McCain.) Perhaps this reflects the contradictions and paradoxes inherent in the US body politic and American society at large. American politicians need money to advertise to attract voters -- yet the promises they make to those who supply the money contradict the promises they make to the voters. And as we know in practice, those who pay the piper are the ones who end up calling the tune.

 

[ricardo9000]

no need for dems to gloat.... after all,.... what's the competition?

 

[ricardo9000]

Ok,,,ok... ok... I get it. In a republican's perfect world.... what would you want? I get it...NO he's not Bush!! Great!!! ....now...lets see.... McCain as Prez for the next 3xmonths.......then Palin takes over!!! GREAT!!!!!!!


Ok...tell me more! What would we have if Obama suddenly disappeared out of the political landscape & there was just pure un-udulterated REPUBLICANISM? No dems to balance the criteria? WOW!!!! Fox News 24/7! Church married to state- GREAT!!!!!!
WAR with

** IRAN
** North Korea
** Spain??? ooooPs!!! sorry MacCain... didn't mean to spill them!

Seriously now, how about just stopping & admiting, JUST LIKE CANCER, the REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS EATEN ITSELF OUT phisycal existance? Drunk on Power, you have decimated AMERICA. What else would you like to do to your children? Appart from the trillions of $$ in debt left for the generations to come...

...oh I get it...... your betting on INFLATION to eat it up??? Ok...

It's all about politics.

It's not really about borders or cultural distinction. It's about the ULTRA RICH plundering the coffers.

BigBA WOlf... yes ok... have it your way...Let McCain Win this one.

Moving away from the race angle for a moment, one can't help but dwell on the contradictions of Obama the candidate. On the one hand he preaches change and hope; on the other, he has amassed a war chest that would have even GWB drooling. And as this piece makes clear, his supporters include the super-rich, who presumably will demand some sort of payback. (Also see this blog on why hedge funds have been tending to support Obama rather than McCain.) Perhaps this reflects the contradictions and paradoxes inherent in the US body politic and American society at large. American politicians need money to advertise to attract voters -- yet the promises they make to those who supply the money contradict the promises they make to the voters. And as we know in practice, those who pay the piper are the ones who end up calling the tune.