Left-wing editor blasts Barack Obama's cynical "gamesmanship"

[jgraz]

Glen Ford is the Executive Editor of The Black Agenda Report, a weekly online magazine of African-American political thought and action. He was interviewed on 11/21 by Janine Jackson on CounterSpin.

You'll find the interview page here, or you can go directly to the MP3 File. The interview begins right at the 10-minute mark (though the rest of the show is pretty good, too).

A few highlights from Glen Ford:

Barack Obama is a prince of ingratiation. That seems to be his principle talent. In the process, of course, he commits acts of betrayal of his former self.

What he has done is give -- let's put it very bluntly -- is given white people a kind of satisfaction: that race no longer matters in America, and that all the sins of the past can be washed away through the act of loving this man. They really do love him, and I think he's encouraging that. I think it's quite cynical.

Ford goes on to make a some key points about Obama's rightward drift and his abandonment of his original progressive principles as he moved into state-wide politics. He also has some very interesting things to say about Harold Ford ("the most dangerous black man in the country").

Glen Ford also has an editorial on Obama at The Black Agenda Report called Barack Obama and the Winds of War: Turning Right.

[Kagemusha]

1. Figures.

As whiter people than either Ford or Obama have claimed before, peace is provocative. Promote it, get vilified.

[jgraz]

3. Ford is certainly not attacking Obama for promoting peace -- quite the opposite, actually.

[TankLV]

2. I couldn't agree more. Fuck Obama - he's no friend to progressives.

If you posted his statements anamously, you would think he was a repuke.

I have heard a single thing he's said in the past couple years that I've approved of - in fact, every time he opens his fucking yap, I find more to disagree with...

ANYBODY but Obama is my automatic response until he starts changing his tunes...

[ripple]

5. Can you be more specific?

Obama is far more progressive than Clinton (either of them).

What exactly has Obama said that you would take for repuke rhetoric?

[The Magistrate]

22. It Is Nothing Sen. Obama Has Said, Ma'am

It is simply that he is widely popular and enjoys broad support in the mainstream of political life. This makes him by definition something awful, to those who feel the attitudes and customs of the indie music scene are as good a guide to politics as they are to club bands....

"You could have knocked me over with the weather."

[wyldwolf]

23. LOL! Well said

In college I worked in commercial radio and was recruited by my school's Dean of Student Affairs to manage the college radio stations. Had many battles with Indie music fans when I programmed music people had actually heard before.

[juajen]

25. Gee, Magistrate, Sir, sometimes I love you!

N/T

[ripple]

28. Uh-oh

I like indie music AND I like Obama. What in the world kind of a freak am I??!???!????!!!!!

:P

[LoZoccolo]

10. See you in 2008.

[wyldwolf]

19. Interesting. If we posted your statements anonymously...

..substituting the words "progressives" and "repukes" with "conservatives" and "liberals" we'd think you were on Free Republic.

[TankLV]

52. Comming from you that's saying something...

Pot meet kettle...

[Odin2005]

44. Oh, BS.

You must be one of those people who think Obama is the spawn of Satan just because to talked to evangelicals. :eyes:

[TankLV]

51. Among other things.

Too many things to list here...

I know what I heard, and I don't like a single word he has spewed.

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. Obama is obviously a sellout

Black politicians are supposed to focus on black issues. This guy is a traitor to his race by working on issues that effect all Americans rather than just African Americans. ;)

[ripple]

6. No fair!

I was all prepared to bristle, but instead I'm :rofl:

Good one! ;-)

[jgraz]

8. Actually listening to the interview might help you here

Not every black jounalist criticizes black pols in this way. Ford is making a broader point about progressivism and the pressures on black politicians to go right.

But, hey :thumbsup: for avoiding the word "uppity".

[beaconess]

20. :-) I've actually heard some people say he's not "Black enough" because he's half White

When in reality, he's probably more Black than most African-Americans.

Unless both of our parents were full-blooded Africans, most Black Americans have plenty of White blood on both sides of our family. If you figure it up, the vast majority of us have less than 50% African blood running through our veins.

Obama, on the other hand, is fully 50% African. That makes him blacker than most Black Americans.

Of course, the whole discourse is ridiculous, but it is kind of funny.

[DancingBear]

24. Wow, this is great!

Four responses all in a row - all praising Obama and wrapping him in the "working for all America" banner.

You all are getting much faster on the draw.

Have you been practicing??

Are you all on speed dial???

[ripple]

26. Not quite as quick on the draw as the "I hate him because other people like him" posts,

but thanks for noticing. Hell, by the time the election rolls around, we'll have it down to a science! :P

[wyldwolf]

27. Ever notice that when two or more people share an opinion in a thread...

...some people think there is some kind of secret meetings going on?

[ripple]

29. I'll agree to that

Where are we posting next, wyldwolf? I'm right behind you! ;-)

[wyldwolf]

31. by the way, don't forget: Meeting at the secret location at 2PM

[ripple]

32. Shhhhhh....

They might be reading this- don't blow our cover! Maybe we should start talking in code:

rgjkiyyjnd cga cdhjit sbnxu de mshjil.

Got that? ;-)

[DancingBear]

40. Damn, the DLC has a secret location now?

I am SO always the last to know.

Keep up the good work!

[AtomicKitten]

42. I'm confused

or maybe it is you that is confused. Obama is not DLC. You seem to be insinuating that he is and, worse, dumping on anybody that expresses support for him.

[DancingBear]

45. Just watch what he says

Follow the pandering ball...

(sorry to burst bubbles, but better now than later)

[ripple]

46. They've already courted him and he turned them down flat

What more do you want?

Hell, one could attach that sort of vague innuendo to virtually ANY potential candidate or politician. You know how it goes: "I hear so and so has ties to Abramoff", "Isn't he in thick with the Israel lobby?", "wait until someone digs into such and such", or some similar drive-by character assassination.

You have every right to your opinion, but if you wish to attack the man's character and integrity, it seems rather impolite for you to do so without a single fact to back up your claims.

[The Magistrate]

47. As A Matter Of Curiousity, Mr. Bear

How do you discover threads on Democratic Underground?

Lately, your contribution here has mostly consisted of complaint on finding that a number of people have expressed a view you disagree with, and insinuations alleging that that is the result of organization and behind the scene communications. The persons you are describing in this manner would be quite justified under the rules of the forum to complain you are accusing them of being trolls and disruptors, for that is certainly what this boils down to, and you yourself are well aware of that, even without this flat statement by me of it.

"Let's sing another song, boys...this one has grown old and bitter...."

[DancingBear]

57. As a mater of curiosity, Mr. Magistrate

How do you always manage to become a mod?

No one is calling anyone trolls and disruptors, which of course you know, but will that be the rationale?

I'm one step ahead of you, although you wield the hammer.

By design, I'm sure.

All I've done is come to a conclusion that this new "team" is already showing signs of its timid old self, and if one is no longer allowed to post those thoughts on a "progressive" board then c'est la vie.

Kind of shoots the whole "discussion" thing out the window, unless of course these days the "discussion" centers around whether "Democrat X" is good, really good, or great.

There is a third option, of course - that being that this donkey looks remarkably like an elephant on a diet.

What oh what should I do? Cheer about the minimum wage when you and I and everyone here knows that will solve NONE of the problems the working poor face (think your hamburger will stay the same price if Mickey has to bump up the help?) Cheer about low interest rate loans student loans while credit card companies give Joe Biden The Man Of The Century Award? Cheer Obama when he sticks his finger in the wind and says we should really probably someday real soon get together and decide we should leave Iraq someday but it doesn't have to be today and we really should decide to do something but not right away and let's not coddle the Iraqis? Cheer Pelosi when she won't even float a freakin' trial balloon that says one of the most evil sons of bitches to walk the planet should be impeached after committing acts that would get someone with olive skin tortured?

Not a chance. I will call these bastards out when they lie, when they waffle, when they refuse to introduce legislation that gets to the root causes of the problems this nation faces, and when many of them behave as if people voted FOR them rather then against Bush. (You DID notice that the same Democratic party that screamed out all during the election cycle how they would implement ALL of the 9/11 Commission recommendations have now decided that the ones that affect THEM can wait, didn't you?) I watch people like Webb and Tester with great anticipation, but with little hope. I can only hope that maybe they remember what a real Democrat is, and maybe, just maybe, I and the many others who used to call this place home will have something to be proud of once again, and can speak of true progress rather than superficial photo-ops that look good on campaign lit but don't do much else.

Otherwise, I'm very poor at mindless cheer leading, and I'm just useless when someone points me down a dark alley and says look for the light.

[The Magistrate]

58. But The Question You Were Asked, Mr. Bear, Was How You Find Threads You Comment On Here

You regularly claim persons who express views not to your taste in threads on Democratic Underground are directed to those threads by some means or other, and hint that they are a co-ordinated pack, or even employed to the purpose. It seems only fair then to wonder how it is you manage to find the threads you choose to comment on, and particularly how you find the threads in which people express views you diagree with, and in which you regularly appear to make your claims these people are not quite "ordinary" members of Democratic Underground. Is it possible, Mr. Bear, that you and your friends do yourselves exactly what you are accusing others of doing, and so the accusation comes easily to your mind?

For the rest of this, your views do not concern me: the "this donkey looks remarkably like an elephant on a diet" line conveys all that it is necessary to know. Not a dime's worth of difference types are a dime a dozen, and as charming as the peanut shells on a bar-room floor.

[AtomicKitten]

49. I would suggest you listen too instead of just pontificating and predicting.

Not really fair to nail his ass to the wall prematurely, doncha think?

[SaveElmer]

55. Speaking of which...when is my secret DLC decoder ring gonna arrive?

eom

[JetCityLiberal]

50. That is ALL they have

it is always the same losers.

[rinsd]

33. Go back to that sewer

Nobody wants your anti-Democrat/DU shit around here.

[Freddie Stubbs]

34. We are just well organized

How do you think we elected all of those New Democrats and Blue Dog Democrats this year?

[fujiyama]

59. He should be like Cynthia McKinney

and find racism in absolutely every situation, even those where it obviously doesn't exist.

[JDPriestly]

7. Obama has a different view of race because , as I understand,

he was raised by a white mother -- and lived in Indonesia for at least some of the time. I have not been to Indonesia, but I don't think that the legacy of slavery and white/black racism is part of Indonesian culture. In Indonesia, Obama would have experienced what it is like to live without the white/black stereotyping of the U.S. Please correct me if my facts are wrong.

I have heard it said that a person who is culturally or racially mixed "belongs" to the cultural or racial minority especially if that minority is oppressed. But, based on my limited experience with children whose parents come from backgrounds where there is some sort of cultural or racial tension is that they either rise above that tension and appreciate both heritages or they identify overwhelmingly with one or the other heritage and disclaim the other. It appears to me that Obama might see himself as both white and black. I think that is great.

At least in California, more and more children are from bi-racial relationships. There are a couple of instances of bi-racial and several of bi-cultural marriages in my family. It really isn't significant. I didn't even think about it much until this post. We truly enjoy the diversity. Love is blind, especially when family members are at issue.

[HereSince1628]

9. I thought this was just a junior Senator trying to find his way and

getting pushed hard by the DLC. I'll admit to 2 things. 1-I wouldn't vote for a President who let's himself get pushed off his principles without a damned good reason. 2-I don't know enough about Obama to know what his principles really were/are/or might become.

[ripple]

11. The DLC courted him and Obama turned them down

You can find some of his issue stances here:

www.Obama.senate.gov/issues/

His new book, 'The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming the American Dream' will also give you a good idea of Obama political views.

[wyldwolf]

12. No worse than what David Sirota thinks of him

[AtomicKitten]

13. Proof-positive that Obama is about to get it from all sides.

Why he's getting it here at DU is beyond me. I don't think there is enough information yet to be as vilified as he is by some, but already misinformation is being floated here that he voted for (he was not in Congress for the IWR vote) and supports (he voted for the Levin-Reid amendment) the war, neither of which is true.

[acmejack]

14. Certainly brought the DLC contingent out in force...

Nice to see all of you! How are things going with the "Third Way"?

[AtomicKitten]

16. Obama isn't DLC

and I don't support the DLC; I just don't support the DU drum beat to set them on fire.

But this has certainly brought out those that spew tired epithets inappropriately.

[acmejack]

18. No one made any accusations or said that he was.

Thou doest complain too much, my lady...

[The Magistrate]

48. Then What, Sir, Does The Comment "Certainly Brought Out DLC Contingent' Signify?

A man ought to stand by what he says, for whatever it is worth....

"Never send a ferret to do a weasel's work."

[acmejack]

54. If that is what you care to identify yourself as,

then the problem is your own self perception isn't it? I said it brought them out force? So what?

I am not sure of what you are trying to accuse me of here? Other than saying all the DLC supporters were flocking out to speak well of the guy. I did not state nor imply that: A. Obama was DLC. I know he specifically requested they strike his name from their website. B. The poster I was initially replying to was a DLC supporter.

[The Magistrate]

56. So You Fancy Yourself A Riddle Wrapped In An Enigma, Then, Sir?

That will not do at all: no points are ever awarded for wriggling....

[acmejack]

60. i am quite sure you know what I fancy you to be as well!

A bully, wrapped in the trappings of a moderator! I notice you volunteer every cycle so you may maintain your power to push people around, witch you exercise with the greatest of relish. Ban me if you will, I tire of your hectoring. Almost everyone else on DU is exceeding civil. But you, Sir, disguise what you really are beneath your veneer of false inflated pomposity.

To my many friends from the preceding years, I bid you adieu, as I will certainly be Tombstoned as a result of this person's retribution. I say to you there is more to politics than the false hope of the Democrats-you know it and I know it. They are already abandoning their campaign promises and the 110th Congress hasn't even been seated! That didn't take long, did it?

I don't want to say they are contemptuous of us the voters, but...

Have a good one ex fellow DUers!
allen aka acmejack

[wyldwolf]

17. not bad at all

We just added 16 new House members. Thanks for asking.

[PVnRT]

36. Popular does not equal DLC

Says the self-described hater of that organization.

God, it would be horrible to find a candidate that both sides would like, huh?

[1932]

15. Don't hate the player. Hate the game.

[izzybeans]

21. Here's a challenge: next time you start a thread, make it about a democrat you like instead

It would be interesting to see who out there fits the bill for you. Tell us who the model democrat is. You have been real swell at pointing out democrats you dislike up to this point. Your pretty skilled at criticism. Can you describe a politician that meets your stringent criteria of a democrat? You can't tear down without building back up. Otherwise we are left with nothing but iconoclasts jabbering at each other and a bunch of bombed out shells to work with come election time.

[jgraz]

30. Who says I like or dislike Obama?

I was hoping to see intelligent debate on his record, instead of sqabbling among the children. Sadly, there hasn't been a single poster who seems to have even listened to the interview, let alone responded with some ideas or evidence of their own.

As for you, you might want to stop confusing "providing information" with "tearing someone down". If you want to rebut what Glen Ford said, go for it. This shoot-the-messenger crap is getting tiresome.

[PVnRT]

35. OK, then

A politician ingratiating themselves? NO FUCKING WAY. That never happens, Obama must be the first.

And what does Mr. Ford think a "real" A-A politician is supposed to be doing? Because they're black, they're supposed to do nothing but talk about race, or what?

[jgraz]

37. Here's my concern

I think the biggest weakness that Dems have is that many of them would LIKE to be progressive, but they're afraid to go there for some reason. In some cases, they don't want to lose corporate donors, in other cases they may just be too wussy to pick a fight with the MSM and the Rethugs.

The end result is that Dems come off looking shifty and weak. They have their principles, but they're willing to compromise or abandon them at the first sign of pressure (witness the "Gang of 14" that forestalled the Alito filibuster).

If Obama is truly a centrist, then fine. He seems like someone who would be more than able to defend any view he actually believes in. My worry is that he'll turn out to be another Clinton/Kerry-esque triangulator who will be easy to paint as indecisive and untrustworthy.


BTW: Love your alias :)

[PVnRT]

38. OK, that is a legitimate concern

How you have put it makes more sense than the interview you posted, and it is something to be on guard for. Obama needs to take a couple of issues and make them his own, things he can crusade for, and I think that criticism can be deflected.

Let's face it, though, courageous politicians do not normally get far in life.

[loyalsister]

53. Good point on that weakness

Some dems fear criticism from Republicans and attack ads from them more than they do the disappointment of betraying the people who voted for them.

I am not aware of Obama's full voting record since he has been in public office, I know where he stands on the issues that matter to me.
I know that he has ideas that lie outside of the range of what people are most familiar with because they are so much more comfortable with taking a side and making a claim. People search to see how loyal he is first and don't examine where he is coming from philosophically.
I think Obama sincerely believes that it is possible to find common ground without either side losing.
I also think that we can get so caught up in our own partisanship that we can't see past our own side and what kinds of possibilities there might be if every issue is not about one side winning or losing.
People should stop simply asking "what has he done?" and maybe ask if he is saying something new. I think he has invited us to look at things in a new way.

BTW:
I think that the author of the editorial might have taken a more constructive approach, but raised some questions worthy of discussion.
A statement I heard about Obama on hardball or something was that they thought he he could "transcend race."
Superman
As a white women I would ask if that is like transcending gender.
It is very offensive.I wonder what exactly he has to say about such talk in context of the article. I have never heard him encourage it necessarily, but I have also never heard him try to put a stop to it.
I am not sure that that qualifies as actually selling out, but I can see how a person in the black community might find it disappointing. It is not unrealistic for some people to have higher expectations of the only Black senator to strongly identify with members of the Black community.

[AtomicKitten]

39. I listened.

It was commentary. An opinion. It isn't for me to rebut. I am not sure if you are insinuating that you think the opinion expressed is true and/or if it resembles your own. Ask a specific question and I'll be glad to comment.

I probably am unique here at DU in that I don't allow words of politicians and talking heads to set me in a tail-spin.

And, finally, I have been called a DLC shill here many times as I have a nonplussed opinion about them because I don't pick up a torch and pitchfork. Still the accusation is gratuitous (childish?) in light of the fact that (1) it is not true in my case and because (2) people use that epithet to define some arbitrarily drawn line in the sand here at DU which looks like this sometimes:



On edit: My point is illustrated by a couple DU'ers upthread who have made derogatory comments tying the DLC and Obama together when there is no connection. A pissy attitude based on a misconception. Oy vey.

[jgraz]

43. I'm insinuating that I don't know what to make of it

:hi: Hi AK,

This was the first time I heard anyone really lay into Obama, and it was on a show who's integrity is usually beyond question. I was hoping to hear from people who knew him from his state legislature days and could comment on his alleged rightward drift.

This sort of thing is very hard to find out on your own -- there just isn't that much substance out there on Obama, positive or negative.


PS I think your sig icon gave me a seizure. :)


Edit: becuase speeling is impotent

[warrens]

41. OK, Barack, add "bitch" and "ho"

To your speech. That way you won't be selling out to whitey.

[luckyleftyme2]

61. SAD ISN'T IT

IS this the "du" or a repuke bully pit?
lets get behind whoever our candidate is;personally i think he should wait a few years,I think he needs a little seasoning. but shows remarkable promise!