OBAMA BATTLE FATIGUE THAT'S NOT MY OWN
I've been lagging a lot with my posts on my own blog (too busy posting comments on other's blogs, LOL).
But this South Carolina primary that Sen. Barack Obama is trying his damndest to lose, is really giving me a battle fatigue I'm not really used to experencing.
I've said in earlier posts on this very blog, that Obama was, at best, a triangulating twit, and got royally flamed for my trouble. My fellow bloggers, such as Skeptical Brotha, or the Field Negro, didn't take as many hits (well, the Field didn't, anyway, cause SB and I took major ones). We tried to warn everyone drinking Obama's kool-aid and treating him in rock star fashion worthy of Derek Jeter, that Obama wasn't who you thought he was.
Black Agenda Report, and Black Commentator (when Glen Ford was the Editor), was on Obama early and often.
He showed considerable amounts of disingeniousness when he denounced his membership in the DLC, yet he takes campaign contributions from them and continues to benefit from their largesse to this very day.
But, what is causing me this fatigue now, is continual reading of how he's managing to screw up his budding Presidential campaign in particularly craptacular fashion. Let's review, shall we?
He announced his candidacy on the same day as Tavis Smiley's "State of the Black Union" conference down in Hampton, Virginia. It was presumed to steal thunder from somewhere, because C-Span cut out on the SOBU and went directly to Springfield, Illinois, where Obama had also disinvited his pastor to the event. - CHECK.
His campaign took over, usurped, bogarded a fan's MySpace page that was set up exclusively for him and his campaign. Something about copyrights and ownership - CHECK.
His lack of action in confirming Supreme Court Nominees Alito and Roberts to the Bench - CHECK.
His campaign pledge not to pull troops out of Iraq until 2013 should he get the White House. - CHECK.
Sending campaign workers ignorant of the demographics where they are campaigning, and insulting the very voters they are courting - CHECK.
And now, his Gospel Tour featuring a "cured" ex-homosexual who's spouting anti-gay rhetoric, Donnie McClurkin - CHECK.
Follow that up with in trying to balance out the shyt storm he's stirred up, Obama invited an openly gay pastor to open up the event. Two problems with that, though. The guy is WHITE, and the event is being held in SOUTH CAROLINA. Are you still with me at this point?
If you're trying to appeal for tolerance between African-Americans (who have a long history of being homophobic), gays and religion, what Obama has done is definitely NOT THE WAY TO GO. Especially since it's looking like you couldn't find any gay Black people to speak to a Black audience about Gays, and therefore, further confirm the myth that being gay is a white man's problem.
I don't know if being gay is genetic, biological, or learned, so, even though I'm a Christian, I can't buy off on treating them as perverts, pedophiles or anything else, and what's more, I don't want to. It's like being born African-American - I didn't have a choice, and I can't cover it up, or live in a closet, either. When you see me, you see I'm African-American (although some Latinos have tried to claim me, LOL) but it is what it is.
What the good Senator from Illinois has done is create a campaign atmosphere where no one is going to take him seriously anymore. The ever-growing list of gaffes, faux-pas and flat out crapping up, have prospective voters thinking "If he can't handle his campaign, how the hell is he going to handle the problems that go with being POTUS?"
Everyone's sobering up off the rock-star kool-aid, Senator. They're seeing you for what you really are - A TRIANGULATING TWIT, who's trying to be all things to all people. What's really pissing people off is your ego maniacal refusal to scrap shyt and admit when you've blown it; not to mention your tendency to sweep things under a rug, and your timidity in taking firm stands on anything - always, you have to put your finger up into the winds of political climate to determine which road you'll take. Hell, you didn't even offer to back Sen. Christopher Dodd on filibustering FISA until Sen. Russ Feingold got in the boat first.
And it's always to upstage and distinguish yourself from your closest rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton. Not out of motivation for it being the right thing to do.
Senator, I'm tired of seeing you shoot your campaign in the foot, and be the real test of whether or not America is ready for an African-American president. Judging by the millions of votes Jesse Jackson got in 1984 and 1988 was more than enough evidence that America was at least willing to entertain the idea of an African-American president, so all you really had to do was get in it to win it.
Additionally, John Aravosis at Americablog is foaming at the mouth and calling for Obama's head (read his posts for most of this week), Pam Spaulding at Pam's House Blend (and yes, she's steaming), not to mention my friend, Jasmyne Cannick on her blog as well. John, being the gentleman he is, posted a blog entry well worth reading:
And for the record, Jasymine, Pam and Keith Boykin are three African-American gay activists who make better friends than enemies, as Obama, in his constant triangulation, is finding out.
Face it, Senator; I'm tired of labeling you as a "TRIANGULATING TWIT", but lately, you've left me no other options.
Labels: Americablog, Barack Obama, Jasmyne Cannick, Pam Spaulding, Skeptical Brotha, The Field Negro
posted by The Christian Progressive Liberal at 6:54 AM
7 Comments:
Now, how come you didn't leave a link to this on Skeptical Brotha? Why did I have to go and search this one out?
You should be sharing, CPL.
Well, you know my feelings about the Tour. After he issued his statement about not agreeing with McClurkin, that should have been it. No other explanation needed.
He was Stuck like Chuck because of the Dr. Wright issue. I saw no way for him to get out of it, even if McClurkin had offered to step away....just couldn't have gone down positively.
Thanks for your commentary, TPJ.
The painful truth is that, in spite of all the claims to the contrary, Senator Obama is inexperienced - and it's showing.
The good news is that he can get the experience, but he can't acquire it on THIS job. He has to bring it with him. The catch here is that he can't accomplish this in twelve months and, furthermore, I think it's next to impossible to achieve head to head against the Clinton machine.
On a final note, let's be fair: no one on Mr.Obama's staff is busting their asses to make him look incompetent. Those advisors are there because he wants them there and their counsel, regardless of what WE think it is, is what he has decided to accept.
If he didn't want them, they'd be gone. PERIOD.
Let's stop blaming his staff; that buck stops with Senator Obama
correction: should have said: busting their "ASS", not asses. LOL
Thanks, ladies - I should have left a link to this blog. I was just drained, even before I wrote that piece.
Denise, you absolutely hit the nail on the head - the final call on all of this mess is Barack Obama's. I mean, no one could hire that many incompetent campaign staffers - not even the Borg Queen.
Obama's presidential campaign has always been the epitome of triangulation. As you noted in your post, he was distancing himself from his pastor and close personal friend before the campaign had even begun--why this wasn't a red flag to every self-respecting Democrat and self-respecting Christian, I'll never know. He fails on the score of political savvy and also fails on substance. But I just wanted to add a bit of history that's always bothered me and is invariably left out of Senator Obama's rise to sainthood: he challenged two progressive Democratic black officeholders to start his climb to the presidency. Alice Palmer and Bobby Rush. Two sitting Democrats who were to the left Barry Obama. Now what does this say about the content of his character? It spoke volumes to me.
Red Rabbit, I don't know how "progressive" Bobby Rush is anymore, considering he sold out his votes to Big Teleco for hard cash (remember Rush-Barton - net neutrality?).
my point is Rush has a history of being to the left of Obama. And neither gentleman can claim their votes are solely their own. Obama shills for Big Coal, among others.
Post a Comment
<< Home