"The Haloed One"

[Maddy McCall]

By Bill Maxwell, editor, St. Petersburg Times
(author bio in PDF here: http://www2.sptimes.com/pdfs/profiles06/maxwell_bill.pdf )

Last updated February 28, 2008 8:49 a.m. PT

The halo above Barack Obama's head is dangerous. It is causing a lot of trouble for a lot of people, forcing them into silence. But that halo will tarnish if the young senator is elected president.

There are those who suggest, only half-jokingly, that Obamamania has become something of a cult. Of course it is a cult, manifesting what writer James Wolcott refers to as "salvational fervor" and "pure euphoria." Listen to what the Anointed One said in South Carolina at one of his rallies, which he alludes to as tent revivals: "At some point in the evening, a light is going to shine down and you will have an epiphany and you'll say, 'I have to vote for Barack!' " Something insidious is happening beneath this rapture. Because of the halo effect, too many people are afraid to sincerely criticize Obama for fear of being attacked and otherwise humiliated.

Many white Democrats who do not support Obama are keeping their heads down and their mouths shut. They do not want to be denounced as racists for preferring Hillary Rodham Clinton for reasons that have nothing to do with race.

Most of our acerbic political cartoonists who have no trouble portraying Clinton as a gargoyle have sheathed their rapiers for Obama, opting to handle the Anointed One with kid gloves or not draw him at all. Pat Oliphant is a notable exception.

Even the networks' late-night talk-show hosts and MSNBC's prime-time troika of Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann and Dan Abrams are swooning for Obama.

Predictably, the people most negatively affected by Obamamania are blacks who have resisted the new, emerging black monolith by supporting Clinton. These poor souls are being excoriated by other blacks and sometimes labeled as self-loathing Uncle Toms.

The irony is that at the beginning of the campaign, conventional wisdom held that Obama was "not black enough." He had to prove his black bona fides. After all, his mother was a white Kansan, his father a Kenyan. He was born too late for the civil-rights movement -- not getting his head bloodied on Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge, never going to jail for staring down one of Bull Connor's storm troopers.

Now the tables have turned. Obama is on top, with the overwhelming majority of blacks zealously supporting him. That support is the new litmus test for being "authentically" black.

One young man, clad in hip-hop duds, offered this insight to a black magazine: "Backing or not backing Barack shows how developed your racial consciousness is. You ain't black if you don't support Barack." During the 1960s, blacks used the expression "blacker than thou" to refer to the chosen few who set the standard for blackness. Those who did not measure up were dissed for not thinking "black enough." The other expression during the 1960s was "black three-hundred-and-sixty degrees," meaning you were profoundly black in a psychological sense.

These expressions have returned in subtle ways. Those who support Barack are now "blacker than thou" and "black three-hundred-and-sixty degrees." The attacks against ordinary blacks who do not support the Haloed One are nasty enough, but they pale in comparison to the abuse being absorbed by famous blacks, especially members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Many decent, hardworking blacks who have done exemplary public work for a generation are portrayed as villains.

A young Chicago blogger said this of New York Rep. Charles Rangel and former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young for supporting Clinton: "Support who you wish in this election, but why resort to the very politics that you fought against decades ago in an effort to please Ol' Massa and da Mistress, Bill and Hillary Clinton. Someone please tell Rangel and our dear brother Andrew Young that the Civil War ended slavery and they are free to leave the plantation."

Much more here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/352909_maxwellonline29.html

[MadBadger]

1. Since when has Dan Abrams been swooning over Obama?

[AtomicKitten]

4. Jeez, he uses hillaryhub as his programming material.

[Berry Cool]

7. Yeah...if anything, Abrams has been going on night after night

claiming that Hillary's getting a raw deal from the media. He's been one of her biggest champions.

As for Olbermann, he "swoons" over no one.

Seems to me like this guy just decided on a topic and twisted the facts to fit. If a fact didn't fit, he just pretended it did.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

73. Are you kidding? Olbermann is the biggest Obama cheerleader there is.

n/t

[emilyg]

75. Not so - he loves Obama,.

[gerrilea]

9. When ever he opens his mouth!

[MadBadger]

11. He's been attacking the "Inside DC Media" everyday for Media Bias Against Hillary

[gerrilea]

16. He speaks with "forked tongue" and he lies. I witnessed this myself

[Demagitator]

90. Self delete

[Berry Cool]

2. The editor doth exaggerate a bit much, methinks. n/t

[Marrah_G]

102. I've seen posts here telling black women they aren't really black....because they support Hillary.

Mind you ... the people saying it are ignorant and I don't think are representative of Obama supporters, but the attitude is indeed out there.

[Unsane]

3. yawn?

yup

[BeyondGeography]

5. Americans are so fucking dreary sometimes

God forbid they should come out from under the rock that is the corporate-programmed existence which has been diagrammed for them and hope for a little more.

Screeds like this aren't worth shit.

[BringBigDogBack]

82. agreed.

Someone's bound to push this shit tho.

[FrenchieCat]

6. This race baiting article doesn't make any sense.........

"Many white Democrats who do not support Obama are keeping their heads down and their mouths shut. They do not want to be denounced as racists for preferring Hillary Rodham Clinton for reasons that have nothing to do with race."

Those white people should just vote for who they want to, like they have been. I'm not sure what it is that they are keeping their mouth shut up about....especially since they are supporting Hillary Clinton not because she's white. :crazy:

[Ravy]

20. Perhaps they don't like being called "race-baiting" at the drop of a hat. nt

[DemBones DemBones]

44. Or being told that they're only supporting

Clinton because she's a woman. This is said to women a lot, here on DU and elsewhere.

I'm supporting Clinton because she has more experience than Obama and could beat McCain. If she were black or male, with the same experience, I'd still support her (or him!) over Obama. I'd never vote for a woman just because she's female.

[rodeodance]

26. why would you call the article race-bating?

[FrenchieCat]

46. Because the essence of the article centers around race......

It's really that simple.

[rodeodance]

51. So, if people want to discuss the factor of race on this election it is "race-baiting" for

talking and writing about it?

Thats beyond silly--

[Pathwalker]

117. Well, it effectively ends any discussion of it, doesn't it?

Which, I think, is the whole point of such accusations. Instead, you are forced to defend yourself against an ugly charge by an anonymous internet poster.

[gerrilea]

8. Wow...great article....thumbs up...way up for this one!

:thumbsup: :hi:

[Sadie5]

15. I have quit watching KO

because of his swooning. It is clear who he supports.

[Forkboy]

22. I hate everyone who doesn't think like me.

:thumbsup:

[DemBones DemBones]

99. I don't, but I do hate biased news shows.

They're all biased, almost all of them to the right.

So it was entertaining when KO was ragging on Repubs but now he's ragging on a Democrat so who needs him? I know the GOP wants to run against Obama but it's weird to see Keith helping the cause.

Cable news channels are only good for catching the latest news and even CNN Headline News has way too much commentary and infotainment bits.

BBC America and LINK have good news shows.

[Auntie Bush]

40. I used to watch him without fail and the repeat too just in case I missed

something or to enjoy him all over again. Now I sometimes don't bother to watch and often go to bed before the repeat. I'm really disappointed that Keith didn't remain neutral during the primaries and I'm sure he lost a lot of viewers. But come to think of it...maybe he didn't. Those that were lost were replaced by Republicans and Indies. I wonder who they will watch if McCain wins...probably back to Faux.

[Berry Cool]

100. Oh no, here we go. Another "I used to like Keith Olbermann until he failed to plug my candidate"

thread.

"He used to be so intelligent. But then he failed to shill for my favorite candidate, and I realized that by failing to shill for my favorite candidate, he was proving he was just a shill for the OTHER candidate. Now I never watch him anymore. Hmph! I'll show HIM what he gets for not agreeing with me!!"

[thoughtcrime1984]

10. Well, my mind has been changed now. I'm now for Hillary. nt

[gerrilea]

17. Funny does this mean you will change your user name to say

Hillary is the future!

[thoughtcrime1984]

25. Can't see ya, but

:hi:

[Maddy McCall]

27. You find the person's opinions worthless enough to ignore them, yet you feel the need...

to let them know that you can't see them?

That makes.....sense.

:eyes:

[thoughtcrime1984]

32. About as much sense as this topic

[Maddy McCall]

35. Of course you don't like this topic.

It makes you....uncomfortable...doesn't it?

[thoughtcrime1984]

37. Not in the least. Just biding my time til March 4

[Maddy McCall]

38. When you want to discuss the article, get back to me.

Otherwise, your contributions to this thread are nothing but disruptive.

[thoughtcrime1984]

39. See you March 5th

[rodeodance]

53. Why are you afraid to talk about race in this campaign?

[kikiek]

123. And yet they answered you. Haha. Obviously they can't just can't quit you.

[rucky]

114. De-programming starts in 30 minutes.

[Dinger]

12. Interesting, Thanks For Posting

I do feel a little like I have to keep any criticisms of Obama to myself. I'm too thin-skinned I guess. I privately wonder if people who want "peace" in GDP really want to stifle criticisms of their candidate. I will vote for Obama if he is the nominee, and I do like him, but Hillary has much more to offer me than Barack does. As I have stated earlier, simply put, I support her for her broad range of experience.

[rodeodance]

59. not being thin-skinned I think. It is just that the viles hits here on DU if criticism

is done toward obama is unrelenting---as you can see on this post.

Hilary has faults---but we know about them (she has been raked over the goals by the media for years). And i support her because of her policies, despite any faults. Many of these Obamafolk do not allow any faults of obama to be exposed.

[Dinger]

62. That Could Come Back To Bite Them In The Ass

Hope not, not for a potential Democratic nominee.

[rodeodance]

76. oh it will, it will. the test has yet to come

[DemBones DemBones]

89. Why don't they see it?

They're being set up for a fall.

[rodeodance]

97. maybe Obama will give them back some $$ for de-programing?

[SammyWinstonJack]

103. ...

:spray:

[NanceGreggs]

13. In other words ...

... if you support Obama, you are obviously a kool-aid drinking cultist. If you support Hillary, you are an intelligent, well-informed voter.

As an Obama supporter, I find this kind of rhetoric as offensive as it is inaccurate.

And were I a Hillary supporter, I would find it equally offensive to be labeled a kool-aid drinking feminist whose only agenda was seeing a woman elected to the Oval Office.

This kind of stereotypical crap is BULLSHIT - no matter whose campaign or whose supporters are being maligned.

[Maddy McCall]

14. If that's what you got from this, then I can't help you.

[NanceGreggs]

36. That's okay, Maddy ...

... on this particular topic, I don't want to be 'helped'.

I guess we have to agree to disagree here - but that doesn't mean I don't love ya as much as I always have!

:loveya:

[Labors of Hercules]

112. Nance, you're right. bullshit is certainly the only word...

to describe this montage of stereotypical... er... bullshit.

[my2sense]

18. Total B.S.

More race baiting garbage. Blacks cannot put Obama in office - whites will ultimately decide this outcome as they are the majority. I'm black and I'm finding in my own family that the older folk are voting for Hillary and the younger generation is voting for Obama - it has nothing to do with "blackness" - we vote for the candidate we think is best just like everyone else.

[DemBones DemBones]

94. You should read the entire article because

prominent blacks such as Rep. John Lewis and Tavis Smiley are being pressured by other blacks to support Obama. That's why Lewis just switched his support as a superdelegate to Obama. That's bad for the country, as bad as if whites pressured whites who were pledged to be Obama delegates to switch to Clinton to prove they were authentically white.

It's better when people vote for the person they think is best, as your family is doing, and don't tell other people "You need to vote for Hillary because you're a woman" or "You need to vote for Barack because you're black."

That's what the article is talking about, as well as the media being reluctant to say anything negative about Obama because he's black but feeling free to make overtly sexist remarks about Clinton. Each of them should be equally scrutinized and criticized by the media and there should be no racist, sexist, or ageist remarks in the media. The media should also not cheerlead for any candidate as many are now doing for Obama. I'm sure they will be cheerleading for McCain once Obama or Clinton if the official nominee. It's what the media do: try to sway elections. Reagan deregulated the media and it's anarchy now. They don't report news, they try to make news by injecting their opinions all the time.

[Occam Bandage]

19. Dan Abrams? He's one of the few pro-Hillary anchors on MSNBC. That just shot the article's cred.

[mopinko]

21. forcing them into silence- where are these people?

i want to go there.

[Armstead]

23. Gosh, he found about the super secret detention camps that are planned

:eyes:

[FlyingSquirrel]

24. Wonder if there's any proof of this assertion:

Many white Democrats who do not support Obama are keeping their heads down and their mouths shut. They do not want to be denounced as racists for preferring Hillary Rodham Clinton for reasons that have nothing to do with race.

I know plenty of white Democrats, some of them support Obama and some support Hillary. I don't see why people would be more afraid of being denounced as racist than sexist. Also I have heard the same arguments against Obama from some of them that are constantly brought up here on DU (and by the Clinton campaign). They don't appear to me to be afraid to cite these reasons for not supporting him. It sounds to me like a blanket statement that attempts to distort reality to fit the author's perception (or wish). Maybe I just live in the wrong part of the country? :shrug:

[rodeodance]

30. i do think sexism is a whole lot more acceptable than being labeled racist.

[DemBones DemBones]

58. There's a stigma attached to racism but sexism

is fine and dandy as far as most people with Y chromosomes are concerned.

[elixir]

28. Interesting criticisms of this post...

from questioning whether Dan Abrams is anti-hillary to labeling the post as race baiting. Too bad no one can address the premise of the post - that democrats are fearful of judging the candidates by their merits and are allowing the question of race to become the issue.

[rodeodance]

43. Look at this thread:--many have called the OP racist:

up and down the thread---same phenomena

Forum Name General Discussion: Primaries
Topic subject "20% of white Democratic voters say they would vote for McCain if Obama is the Democratic nominee"

Topic URL

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4813647#4813647
4813647, "20% of white Democratic voters say they would vote for McCain if Obama is the Democratic nominee"
Posted by MagsDem on Thu Feb-28-08 06:46 PM

"That is twice the percentage of white Democrats who say they would support McCain in a Clinton-McCain matchup. Older Democrats (ages 65 and older), lower-income and less educated Democrats also would support McCain at higher levels if Obama rather than Clinton is the party's nominee."

http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=398

This is what many of us having been saying for quite some time. Obama's just simply not electable in the GE. Now I know you watch all the hype of television, so you think all that is left is the coronation, but you're in dream land.

And keep in mind, this is before he has been attacked for his myriad of weaknesses by the rethugs, such as his inexperience and naivity on foreign policy. He is a diaster waiting to happen for this party.

[Petrushka]

86. Thanks for the links! Found answers to some of my questions in those articles.

Oops! Nevermind! I thought I was replying to Post #31.
===================

Returning to say I finally found time to check out the links in YOUR post . . . and to thank YOU this time for causing me to have more questions about he who shall remain nameless in this here fixed-income, semi-literate, old-timers for Hillary household. Anyway . . .

:thumbsup:

I've bookmarked the research thread to study tomorrow. Thanks, again!

[JimGinPA]

29. The St. Petersburg Times Is A Right Wing Rag

No wonder it's quoted by a Hill shill.


:eyes:

[Maddy McCall]

33. The author certainly isn't a "right winger." Here's his bio, since you obviously know nothing about

him.

Talking Points
Civil Rights • Migrant Farm • Workers Education • Investigative Reporting
Maxwell’s columns hit home with readers. They appeal to a broad spectrum
of viewpoints, and Maxwell has been labeled both conservative and liberal
equally. He does not, however, consider himself a conservative but a pragmatic
liberal.

Education
Maxwell earned a bachelor’s degree in english and History from Bethune-
Cookman College in 1971 and a master’s degree in English language and literature
from the University of chicago. He has also attended the University
of Florida’s graduate school of journalism.

Background
A native of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Maxwell was raised in a migrant farming
family. after a short time in college and the U.S. Marine Corps, Maxwell
returned to school. During his college years, he worked as a urban organizer
for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and wrote for
several civil rights Publications. He first began teaching college English
in 1973 at Kennedy-King College in Chicago and continued to teach for 20
years. Prior to joining the Times, Maxwell spent six years writing a weekly
column for the Gainesville Sun and the New York Times Syndicate. Before
that, Maxwell was an investigative reporter for the Fort Pierce Tribune in
Fort Pierce, FL where he focused on labor and migrant farm worker affairs.
He has a daughter, a son and a grandson.

Awards
Maxwell has won many honors including, in 1989 and 1991, awards for
general excellence in commentary by the Florida Press Club. also, in 1989
he won an editorial writing prize from the Uity Awards in Media contest
sponsored by Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO. He received the
Community Champion Award from the American Trial Lawyers Association
in Orlando in 1990.

[JimGinPA]

55. "He does not, however, consider himself a conservative...

but a pragmatic liberal." Who writes for a right wing rag. Go figure.
:eyes:

[Maddy McCall]

57. See post No. 54. I'd bet that his liberal credentials are a lot stronger than yours.

[DemBones DemBones]

54. The St. Pete Times has always been very liberal,

pissing off a lot of people there.

Now, the Tampa Tribune is a right-wing rag. Maybe you've confused the two.

[candice]

31. Authentically Black? Raised by whites in Hawaii? Tony prep school in Hawaii?

...not the typical American Black experience, although he does have Kenyan genes in addition to those of his Caucasian mother.

Obama's Kenyan father left Barack when he was two-years-old supposedly to study at Harvard but didn't have funds to bring his family along. Actually, he already had another wife and child in Kenya and so was a bigamist by American law. The father had two other marriages, but multiple marriages were acceptable in Muslim communities in Kenya.

Obama was lovingly raised by his mother and grandparents who are Caucasian. He did have to contend with looking different.

Obama had an Indonesian stepfather for a few years (his mother's second husband was Indonesian) and his half-sister identifies as half-White and half-Asian.

Obama has had a fascinating life, and Hawaii is a multi-cultural state (mostly Asian). He was privileged enough to attend a posh prep school in Honolulu.

See the Not-So-Simple Story of Barack Obama's Youth for more information:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-070325obama-youth-story,0,5069625.story

The Daily Mail has a sensational story about Obama's father (which I found when I googled to learn what happened to his father--why he isn't on stage with him). This article insinuates that Obama has withheld information but someone online who read the book about his father said that Obama is well aware of his father's flaws:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=431908&in_page_id=1770

[Petrushka]

87. Thanks for the links to those articles! Found answers to some of my questions therein. (eom)

[Bluerthanblue]

116. what an arrogant bigoted

bunch of crap.

:shrug:


peace~

[donheld]

34. O Barack I do love thee

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Maddy McCall]

42. LOL. I figured someone like you would accuse me of being a racist.

:rofl:

[rodeodance]

45. see post # 43 (have you seen it-?)--

[Maddy McCall]

48. Just looked at it...

missed most of the nastiest stuff because I've got 3/4 of those people on hard ignore.

:)

[rodeodance]

52. its terrible what is happening just because some want to discuss the effects of race on this primary

[bigbrother05]

81. Lets talk about Race, Gender, Immigration, health care

the economy,the War lets discuss the issues that are pertaining to this campaign, instead of trying to create chaos, and conflict, by bringing in disruptive opinions. The sooner we discuss the real issues, and define our differences, that will allow our party to come together

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kid a]

47. This piece is watered down, tabloid, lowest common denominator trash journalism

It reads like a People magazine hit piece.
Really! So many broad stroke stereotypes and characterizations.

[rodeodance]

56. The press is starting to look at Obama--get used to it.

[bigbrother05]

50. Why did you post this? If we wanted to read bigoted claptrap we'd be on FR.

I can only imagine the sort of responses on DU to any article/post that used similar logic to denounce HRC's repeated references to the "historic" opportunity to vote in a woman. While there are certainly people that view the chance to vote for an African American as a primary reason to support BHO, there is most likely a similar percentage that back HRC because she's a woman.

BHO has my backing because of his policies, the strength of his rhetoric, his life experience/background, and, yes, his presence/charisma. I hope that your support of HRC is based on similar criteria and it is only your zeal that has gotten the better of you.

BTW, have the mods suspended the 4 paragraph rule?

[DemBones DemBones]

60. Touched a nerve, didn't it?

The article was hardly "bigoted clap-trap" unless you're one of those who thinks we cannot criticize a black candidate. It was nothing compared to what will be written and said by the media.

Get used to it because the media will attack Obama if he's the nominee; that's what they do to Dems. You will hear over and over again about his minister/mentor's friendship with Louis Farrakhan, about his Muslim father and grandfather, about all the times he voted "Present" in the Illinoise state senate, and about things we don't know about at this point.

I notice that you say you are voting for Obama because of his rhetoric, life experience, and charisma. Isn't that like voting for "the guy you'd like to have a beer with," as Bush was famously called in 2000?

[Laurab]

68. Wow - you left out "his policies" as one of the reasons.

And that wasn't by accident, was it? "his policies" being the first reason mentioned, was somehow left out of your post. Some Hillary supporters are truly getting desperate. I cannot believe someone would actually do that, when the post they were "quoting" was right above theirs. It's sad.

[DemBones DemBones]

79. Actually, it was by accident and I apologize.

It's late and my eyes are tired. And I will add that the poster listed three superficial reasons for supporting Obama and one substantive one, on which he did not elaborate.

But what ARE Obama's policies? "YES WE CAN" do what??? And don't tell me to go to his website because that's just a cop-out.

Tell me 10 good policies Obama has. Or even 5.

[Laurab]

107. I'm not going to tell you Obama's policies.

If you really cared, you would have researched the candidate yourself. I did - all the candidates. I also read multiple books, interviews, articles, etc.

At this point, anyone who chooses to be ignorant about Obama's policies (and no, telling you to go to his website is NOT a "cop-out), wants to be ignorant about them. You've chosen your candidate, and your mind is closed. You want to continue to label him as "an empty suit" and all that other nonsense, and that's your right. I know better, but I did my own research.

I knew nothing about "yes we can", or his appeal to the masses when I chose him as my candidate - I never thought he would get this far. His policies are out there if you ever choose to open your mind.

[bigbrother05]

72. It is possible to discuss race (or gender) without being inflammatory

One or two points of discussion surrounded by stereotypes and innuendo may indeed be to be expected from the RW and their echo chamber media shills, but why would a veteran DU member post such a slur during the primaries? My nerves are just fine and will be more than willing to fight back against what we all know will be coming, regardless of the nominee.

Just as he has succeeded in growing his support in all demographics as he has gained exposure during the primaries, BHO has shown the capacity to answer charges quickly and forcefully. The ability to turn a question back on the source (McCain's points have all been neutralized and hurt the GOP front runner instead) will serve him well.

While BHO has plenty of charisma, that was not the important factor in gaining my support. To imply that Bush ever had any combination of qualities that would cause anyone to vote for him is completely beyond me. Having voted against W in four elections, feel quite confident that I can recognize quality when I see it.

[DemBones DemBones]

84. Yes, it is, but you were the one being inflammatory

by calling the article "bigoted clap-trap," which it simply isn't. Go read the rest of the article. I posted it at the end of the thread under the header "THIS is really depressing."

Then come back and we'll talk about bigotry against blacks who prefer Clinton.

You could also tell me about 10 of Obama's policies. Or even 5.

All I'm hearing and seeing with BO is surface not substance. I've known plenty of black guys who can shine people on so that doesn't impress me. Black men are often smooth talkers, even as teenagers. It's nice but I don't care about having a silver-tongued devil in the White House; we had that with Bill Clinton, and I'm not talking about his zipper problems but about NAFTA, WTO, World Bank, all the globalization and "free trade" instead of fair trade that's screwing up the US and rest of the world. I care about having a president who can start straightening things out, a policy wonk like HC. It seems to me and many others that BO, like W in 2000, is being vague about his plans.

[bigbrother05]

93. Bigotry different subject

What little knowledge I have on the African American Community, is that the elders have a lot of influence. They have very strong family values, and are very committed to their religious beliefs. Their politics are discussed as a family.
I am not naive, and realize that there are strong arms in any community. But what the OP stated, is inflammatory. Suggesting that John Lewis was cowed into supporting Obama, is an opinion, I heard the man speak today as to why he switched, his constituents
BHO policies
Health care
Predatory lending practices
rollback Bush's tax cut
Ending the war
rescinding no child left behind
Military benefits
By the way it's African American

[DemBones DemBones]

96. The article was written before Lewis

switched sides and I was the one who said he was cowed into supporting Obama, not the author of the article. His words were all in quotation marks, my comments were not, which should have made it clear that it was my opinion.

After all John Lewis has done for civil rights, it's incredible that his black constituents would be telling him who to vote for at the convention. He apparently wants to remain in Congress another term (remember Representatives are all up for re-election this year) and decided he had to support Obama to be re-elected.

Of course he wouldn't say he was cowed into it and of course he would say good things about Obama but the key word in your list was "constituents." Sadly, it probably was a small minority making the calls, too.


"By the way it's African American"

Tell that to the black DUers who refer to themselves as blacks. If they want to be called African Americans, I think they'll tell us. I use the word blacks because it's much shorter and no caps. I'm an Anglo-American, or more correctly Anglo/Irish-American but I usually just say I'm white, for the same reasons.

And if I were a Czechoslovakian-American, I'd be even more likely to just say white instead of going to such lengths to explain my ethnicity in a post.

[bigbrother05]

98. You have made your point " judgmental" in my opinion

and I have mine.
We will just have to agree to disagree.

Tell that to the black DUers who refer to themselves as blacks.
If a black wants to call themselves Black, no problem, but until they tell me themselves, I will show respect

[FrenchieCat]

63. Of course they have!

We must swallow it whole uncut and uncensored....and we must like it. We need to enjoy being called names and stereotyped and demeaned. We must feel the need to be told why we do what we do by someone sitting at a computer.....just like many do here at DU.

We haven't discussed race enough in this campaign. We need to make sure that everything is kept segmented and divided....cause that's the only way they can hope that the Obama coalition will fall. As long as we look like the CNN reporting board of Exit polls, all is good in Hillary world.

But that's their personal problem from where I sit.

[zulchzulu]

64. That was my point

The author that the OP linked is clearly a bigot that assumes all blacks who support Obama are on some kind of odd Reefer Madness cult buzz from the "Anointed One"...

[Maddy McCall]

65. The author "worked as a urban organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference..."

you know, the one that Dr. King founded. He's written numerous civil rights publications...

So if you want to call this well-respected liberal black man a "bigot," that's your burden to bear.

[zulchzulu]

66. Well he apparently forgot what he was organizing for then...

To make fun of blacks who are interested in a Democratic candidate and accuse of being in a cult for the "Anointed One" is clearly the screed of someone who has failed to understand what Martin Luther King was talking about and died in the street for. Would King have felt the same way as this asshat? I doubt it.

I don't care if they guy is polka-dotted...his screed is clearly meant to somehow dissuade and disregard with disrespect those that dare support another candidate besides the "One Who Felt Annointed"...

[Maddy McCall]

67. He's not making fun of anyone.

Jesus...you're so defensive, you've lost your ability to reason.

[zulchzulu]

71. "Listen to what the Anointed One said in South Carolina at one of his rallies..."

Nah, that's not making fun of anyone...

Ferchrissakes, you don't see that?

:shrug:

[spooky3]

69. you do know that Bill Mathews, the author of the column, is black, don't you?

And your assertion in the first paragraph is simply inconsistent with the statistics from the primaries and caucuses to date. A much higher percentage of blacks support Obama (more than 80%, I believe) than the % of women who support Clinton (closer to 55%, I believe). There is no reason to believe that those supporters in one group are doing so simply because of race or gender to a greater extent than are supporters in the other group.

[Lerkfish]

61. come tuesday, this too shall pass

the number of excuses from the clinton excuse machine is starting to be ad nauseum.

why make so many excuses? I wouldn't want a president so ready to make excuses on Day one.

[xchrom]

70. recommend

[emilyg]

74. k/r

[MagsDem]

77. Boy is that on the money

BO supporters are on the attack, ready to call you a racist if you dare criticize their demi-god. It's embarrassing for the party at this point, and it's likely to drive many more people out than in. Great article -- thanks for posting it.

[DemBones DemBones]

78. THIS is really depressing. . .

More from the article quoted in the OP:

"During a recent interview with National Public Radio's Melissa Block, Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said he and some other members are being pressured and threatened by their constituents to vote for Obama. He said that Georgia Rep. John Lewis, an early Clinton supporter who has worked tirelessly for black causes since assuming office in 1987, had become the victim of "robo-calls" and that some of the callers said "very, very derogatory things about him." Besides marching with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis was a Freedom Rider and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He withstood vicious beatings in Selma and elsewhere to achieve rights for blacks."

"Cleaver said: "I had a person in my district send out a newsletter, for which he didn't pay, distributed primarily in the African-American community, in which he suggested that I had been paid by Sen. Clinton to support her. I don't know if there's anyone who (is African-American) who hasn't taken some grief for supporting Sen. Clinton." Television host/radio personality/author Tavis Smiley told The Washington Post that he has received death threats for his criticism of Obama. Smiley uses his wealth to improve black life. In just one example of his altruism, he gave historically black Texas Southern University $1 million in 2004 to help establish a center for media studies. This was the largest-ever donation to the university from an individual."

"Here is why I said Obama's halo will tarnish if the Illinois senator is elected president: It will give him an indefinite honeymoon. We will be reluctant to challenge him, fearing that the albatross of racism and its attendant pathology, the blame and counterblame and old hatreds, will come crashing down on us."

"I fear we are about to elect an untouchable president, just as George W. Bush was until his incompetence and mendacity snatched us back into reality."



I have long admired Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) for his work with the Black Congressional Caucus and am sorry to hear about the calls he received. This is not a man who should be accused of "not being black enough" but he has now been cowed into supporting Obama. He had his 68th birthday last week and this week he was forced into supporting a candidate he doesn't believe is the best candidate, after more than 45 years of working to help black people.

This is tragic, not for Senator Clinton, but for the US. She can live without the presidency. But how long can the US survive with the racism, sexism, and ageism that have been stirred up in the past two months? And so far the racism isn't whites against blacks, it's blacks against blacks who don't support Obama. He seems to be another divider, not a uniter, contrary to his rhetorical statements.

[FogerRox]

80. Violation of Copywrite, fair use allows for 3-4 paragraphs

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/352909_maxwellonline29.html

I have alerted.

[Maddy McCall]

83. That would be "copyright,"--and thanks for refusing to discuss the topic...

But, since you're so worried about DU rules tonight, I suggest you alert on your own thread for 1) Calling out another DUer 2) calling that person a troll, and 3) using the thread to organize alerts against other DUers...all 3 of which are against the rules.

Oh, and since you're alerting on threads that you think break copyright law, then go for it...you can start with this anti-Clinton thread next:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4810915

/ignore.

[DemBones DemBones]

88. You and your frog rock, Maddy!!!

It's a great article and I'm very disturbed about John Lewis being pressured to support Obama because he's black. That's not what he and MLK and other civil rights leaders fought for, to be forced to vote for someone because he's black. They fought for the right to vote for their choice without anybody telling them they couldn't vote or telling them who to vote for.

:kick:

[Hillary_Hillary]

85. A dose of REALITY! Thanks.

[Demagitator]

91. Excellent article n/t

[avrdream]

92. This part:

"...Ol' Massa and da Mistress, Bill and Hillary Clinton. Someone please tell Rangel and our dear brother Andrew Young that the Civil War ended slavery and they are free to leave the plantation."


Oh, fucking pleeeeease. Give me a small break. The Clintons? They could have been Black themselves. Pot, meet kettle.

[Usrename]

108. I don't understand your comment.

Do you believe that quote is from Obama? Do you think his supporters believe this stuff?

I don't get what your point is.

[last1standing]

110. Who is the originator of that quote? Is it someone with known ties to the Obama campaign?

Is it someone who has a proven record of being able to sway voters? Or is it just some moron sitting in a bathrobe at his computer posting idiotic statements? It's easy to find quotes from low hit bloggers to bolster your point, but it's not very ethical when you use those quotes as though they had influence.

[Petrushka]

95. Thumbs up! (n/t)

[sheelz]

101. I'd support....

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MwPu96ZcV_I"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MwPu96ZcV_I" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

O! ;)

[indimuse]

104. posted this last month...

thanks for posting again....people NEED to understand that...The Obama's say a lot of eyebrow raising statements, that NEVER get media attention...and when their opponents call them out on it...well..Over the line! Racist! "At some point in the evening, a light is going to shine down and you will have an epiphany and you'll say, 'I have to vote for Barack!'


And the skies will open up...


can't wait until this is over.

[femrap]

105. Excellent editorial...

I don't trust BO. I believe The Corporation, Daddy, has provided him with The Best Marketing Plan Ever...researched, trended, demographied, and group tested. The slogans are just perfect for the times...'hope' and 'yes you can.' And the masses just eat it up as spoon fed to them from MSM.

It's sad, isn't it?

I hadn't heard about the speech in S. Carolina...that is just too creepy.

Life is not a popularity contest...so I say I don't trust him. His ambition has led him to sell a part of his soul. Now we are seeing some of that...his support of Blackwater, for one. And his appeal to the religious just gives me the creeps.

Imho, I can see how women, HRC's big support group, can be shut down vocally....but I don't think you can shut them up when they enter the voting booth.

I'm just not gullible...

edit for spelling

[Beacool]

106. This is what I find most disturbing about the Obama mania.

I made the mistake of posting similar quotes from the State of the Black Union panelists because the site that I gotten the quotes from was conservative (even though the quotes were factual).

During a recent interview with National Public Radio's Melissa Block, Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said he and some other members are being pressured and threatened by their constituents to vote for Obama. He said that Georgia Rep. John Lewis, an early Clinton supporter who has worked tirelessly for black causes since assuming office in 1987, had become the victim of "robo-calls" and that some of the callers said "very, very derogatory things about him." Besides marching with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis was a Freedom Rider and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He withstood vicious beatings in Selma and elsewhere to achieve rights for blacks.

Cleaver said: "I had a person in my district send out a newsletter, for which he didn't pay, distributed primarily in the African-American community, in which he suggested that I had been paid by Sen. Clinton to support her. I don't know if there's anyone who (is African-American) who hasn't taken some grief for supporting Sen. Clinton." Television host/radio personality/author Tavis Smiley told The Washington Post that he has received death threats for his criticism of Obama. Smiley uses his wealth to improve black life. In just one example of his altruism, he gave historically black Texas Southern University $1 million in 2004 to help establish a center for media studies. This was the largest-ever donation to the university from an individual.

How would people and the media react if women elected officials were pressured similarly to change allegiance to Hillary? How about during the GE if white elected officials were pressured to vote for McCain?

Racism cuts both ways, and either way is dangerous........

[last1standing]

109. "A young Chicago blogger" is not a reputable source to quote.

There are literally millions of bloggers out there expressing every opinion under the sun. To grab one at random that supports the opinion you'd like to project on others is extremely simple to do but extremely disingenuous as well.

Sorry Maddy, but this is just a very biased hit piece that is not only one sided but misleading. While I would agree that the media has been more favorable to Obama (and McCain for that matter) than Clinton, other politicians and activists have not. Also, while this hit piece constantly states that African Americans who support Clinton are being "excoriated" it gives very little evidence of this. A young Chicago blogger and a newsletter sent by some anonymous resident of a congressman's district is not being excoriated, it's being in the political world that has been around forever. Democrats who support Choice are constantly hit with these things.

Not very enlightening at all. Sorry. :(

[rodeodance]

115. too bad

[sheelz]

111. Say Token...

He'll be a token...

[Maddy McCall]

122. Hey!

Where have you been?

:hi:

[sheelz]

130. hell if I know

:evilgrin: :toast:

[txaslftist]

113. Every time people get excited about a candidate it's a "cult".

I'm about sick of that crap.

I was enthusiastic about a different candidate earlier, so were a lot of people, so naturally we were all "nuts".

Now people are enthusiastic about Obama, so it's a cult.

These are the labels that come from people so sick of life that they can't get excited about anything, the so-called "grown ups".

Well, it's the "grown ups" who've brought us to this terrible place we are in as a nation. It's time for you cynical, emotionless drones to get off the bus. We'll take it from here.

Cult indeed.

[complain jane]

119. Please.

As if being enthusiastic about a candidate and littering the board with screaming rants by unhinged supporters were one and the same.

I don't recall the supporters of other candidates being referred to as a cult because they didn't act like this.

Oh, wait, yeah I do, there was the Republicans spazzing out over GWB telling everyone who disagreed with them that there was something the matter with them.

Kinda like you just did.

[complain jane]

118. The whole Obama nuttiness is repulsive.

And yes, I'm voting for him in the GE, but the whole overzealous fanatical worshipping of the guy is really revolting. Doesn't anybody remember the way the righties foamed at the mouth in their support of Dubyah? And look what we ended up with. Smoke and mirrors.

[Thepricebreaker]

120. very very large YAWN n/t

[BootinUp]

121. interesting pov. nt

[RazBerryBeret]

124. Hey, I was called a sexist

right here on DU because I'm a woman who's not supporting Clinton. I thought it was about voting for who YOU thought would make the best President...

And I can NOT understand what is wrong with possibly (hopefully) having a Democratic Nominee who is well liked...should we pick one who isn't well liked, that hasn't really worked for us in the past. We should all be thankful for this, finally, finally in my lifetime I may be able to vote for a winner for only the second time (Clinton--twice) ....

[Maddy McCall]

127. Can you provide a link to where you were called a sexist for not supporting Hillary?

I'd like to see that.

[RazBerryBeret]

129. found it!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4750318&mesg_id=4750561

[Maddy McCall]

135. You weren't called a sexist in that post.

[delt664]

125. Voting For Barack because he is black......

Voting for Bacack because he is black makes you a racist.

Being afraid to speak out against Barack because he is black makes you a racist.

Voting for Hillary because she is a woman makes you sexist.

Being afraid to speak out against Hillary because she is a woman makes you sexist.


This crap has gone on long enough. I am also sick of people talking about Kool-Aid, and cults and the such. When did being likeable become a liability? What is so wrong about being inspirational? Attacking Barack for this is not only idiotic, but immature. I have nothing against Hillary, I think Barack would make a better president for a great many reasons. I dont think he is perfect top to bottom, and I think 99% of his supporters probably feel the same way. So can we knock off the cult bullshit? It just makes you look petty and jealous.

[Maddy McCall]

126. Evidently, you didn't invest the three minutes it would have taken...

to read the WHOLE article.

[RazBerryBeret]

132. Amen!

very well said! Like we should be ashamed that we have a candidate that is so Likeable? with Mass Appeal? Horrors!!!! I can't think of anything better!

[algoreagain]

128. kick n/t

[Maddy McCall]

133. Welcome to DU, algoreagain.

:toast:

[sueragingroz]

131. This reminds me of something I went through once - being demonized for not supporting the gay

candidate in a federal election.

The candidate was gay - running in a gay riding (BoysTown in Toronto). Here's a website that extolls his virtues: http://gaynewsbits.com/2008/02/22/gay-activist-rev-dr-brent-hawkes-receives-order-of-canada/

He did lots of great things for the community and I had a lot of respect for him but IMHO he wasn't the best candidate - he had some extreme positions on the issues and he was a political neophyte (breaking election rules by campaigning on election day etc...)

I supported the 'straight' incumbent Liberal candidate who had many progressive positions on GBLT issues and who had a history of engaging the GBLT community. But I was voting for more than just the gay issues. Because I'm not just gay. My "gayness" is but one important facet of who I am.

I was called a "gay traitor" and all manner of things by supposedly educated people (one of them was a fellow lawyer). I was really harassed over it. Bitterly.

As it was, Hawkes (the gay activist candidate) split the liberal vote vote and the Liberal incumbent lost to a Tory.

The whole experience was an eye-opener for me. I really feel for those stalwarts who are supporting Hillary right now.

It would be interesting to see what will happen to them in the GE - whether they will actually be smeared as "uncle toms" and have new opponents during their primaries...

It will be a sad day when all of these icons from the civil rights era get thrown under the bus because they have the audacity to support someone who has been supportive of the community for so long.

[ProSense]

134. "The halo above Barack Obama's head is dangerous." Repackaging the "cult" meme. Here

Same idiotic crap!