A blunt truth.
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Well, folks, it looks like the Democrats are in for a serious ass-whooping tomorrow. Already, bloggers and pundits are shaping their narrative. The right-wing bloggers will, of course, scream that Republicans took back the House (and maybe the Senate) because of Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco values and Obama’s obvious socicommufascimuslinism, while some left-wing folks are going to scream that Obama was given A Progressive Chance of a Lifetime in 2008, which he wasted because he wasn’t progressive or forceful or angry enough. The stimulus was too small! The healthcare bill didn’t have a public option! Obama didn’t eviscerate DADT with a stroke of his pen! What’s with all this bipartisan crap?!
And then there’s Eugene Robinson. He is one of the few members of the punditocracy who seems to have paid any attention during Obama’s campaign. Obama didn’t campaign as a radical liberal, and those who say he did either weren’t paying attention, or just heard what they wanted to hear. Perhaps I’m reading too much into the left-wing complaints (like this one and this one) regarding Obama’s failure to be “progressive enough,” but it seems to me that the only thing that some lefties haven’t yet screamed is, “BUT YOU’RE BLACK!! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE RADICALLY PROGRESSIVE! ON ACCOUNT OF YOUR BLACKNESS!”
As Robinson points out, the votes were not there. They just weren’t. And I can guarandamntee that if Obama had used the “bully pulpit” sufficiently enough to appease the so-called manic progressives, the racism from the right would have been much more pronounced, and much more vociferous. It likely would have reached levels that would have been more destructive to this country.
To state it bluntly, black men don’t have the luxury to get “mad as hell.” When black men get “Network mad,” white folks get nervous. Look how nervous white folks are now.
[image via Cobb]
I was just arguing, a few weeks ago, with some guy who kept declaring “Obama had a mandate” in response to every reality-based explanation I gave for why Obama couldn’t magically push through a giant (and needed stimulus), but I wish I had just had this post already so I could’ve just quoted this shit and then blew his damn mind. Thank you ABL; as a well-meaning but ultimately clueless white person, this is the shit I had never even considered.
republicans will take over, crash and burn like last time, democrats will attempt to clean up their mess but find said mess too overwhelming, leaving republicans to take over, crash and burn like last time….
i also refuse to recognize any black ladies on balloon juice. this is my home and i’m not leavin!! hmmph
hush now and have a cocktail! ain’t nobody goin’ nowherez.
there, there.
I’m right here camped out with ya’ lava. I’m the InterWeb’s Homeless Pastor with a tent pitched out in Angry Black Lady’s backyard. You can’t get rid of me. I’m worse than bedbugs.
yes! we are mayhem
So we aren’t Marshall anymore?
But, bedbugs are awesome! at least the ballyhoo-style bedbugs.
Man, I try to read the comments over there, but I can’t keep up with that much nonsense. And non-nonsense. And nonsensical sense.
But I’m impressed with your ability to keep up with all ABL. You go girl!
Imma stay right here.