The Lynch Mob

Obama Has Another Farrakhan Problem (and a New Preacher Problem) : NO QUARTER

Thinking Clinton is unfit to be President is not sexist, just as thinking Obama is the worse candidate is not at all racist.

However, continually harping on Obama’s social and religious connections in the black community is undeniably racist. It’s a Lynching by Facebook, Web 2.0.

We are "shocked, shocked!" that Obama may have had contact with controversial black leaders in his time as a fellow black community leader. We are "outraged" that he’s been in contact with people who might actually be angry about something that’s happened to or near African-Americans, even though Obama himself has spread only a message of conciliation and understanding. We’re "offended" that he’s been in contact with people who blame their situation on the relative success of Jews in America and say so openly.

Some of those people are clearly anti-semitic, and undeniably offensive to most right-thinking Americans. Does Obama’s dialog with those people make him anti-semetic as well?

Are you fucking kidding me? 67% of Americans support the view that we should talk to our adversaries (e.g., Iran, North Korea) instead of simply rattling swords, if only because rattling swords leads only to one outcome. Does anyone seriously believe that sitting down with our enemies makes us believe what they believe?

Well, if you get your opinions wholesale from Fox News or Larry Johnson (who I used to actually respect), maybe you might think all people are sheep too. Maybe you believe that talking with black community leaders who are clearly still angry makes Obama hateful too.

Or maybe you understand that it fits perfectly with Obama’s message of trying to find ways to bring people together…

The Conspiracy Angle

This week, the Clinton and McCain campaigns are reportedly executing an attempted coup against Obama, on the eve of him securing the presumptive Democratic nomination until it’s made official in August. The rumor, in case you hadn’t heard it, is that there exists some "explosive" video of Michelle Obama sitting at a round-table with other black community leaders, talking trash about white people. And lo and behold, one of the participants is the dreaded Minister Farrakhan, who happens to have enough power in the black community to command a million man march or two, oh, and who is a known anti-Semite. God forbid we talk with people who might think differently around — what do they call the place where you all sit and discuss your various divergent views — oh, yes, a table. [update: according to some versions of the rumor, it's actual Farrakhan's wife]

If that’s not enough to make Baraka Obama a "Jew Hater" via double-secret innuendo, Michelle O. reportedly used the term "whitey" over and over again in an accusing way. So she’s obviously a racist, they claim. Game over for Obama. He might as well drop out now, move to Africa and trade suit for loin cloth, I imagine.

On the other hand, the more reasonable interpretation, according to people who believe a tape exists but is originally benign, is that she’s actually saying "why’d he…" as the prefix to rhetorical questions about Bush’s miserable conduct in Katrina and other events (e.g., "why’d he wait four days…"). If the video exists and is ever released undoctored, say, by the Obama camp, then I think we’ll be able to tell (not that Fox will air anything but a misleading soundbyte or two). But I can say this for sure: if Michelle Obama actually used the term "Whitey," then I’d be upset simply because it’s so fucking cliche. Is this alleged video from the 70s or something? If not, there’s no excuse for being so out of touch with modern slang. None at all. She’s unfit to be our First [black] Lady. (that’s sarcasm in case you folks don’t know me).

But the truly evil thing here is that the Republicans and Clintonistas may be quietly or at least tacitly cooperating to kick Obama out of the race. Clinton may announce suspending her campaign today or tomorrow due to lack of support among, say, actual voters. Then the Republicans gingerly release the tape, originally being held for an October surprise. And then brave Clinton will step in to save the day, her hands clean, because she’d never sabotage Obama after she already suspended her campaign, would she?

Unfortunately, McCain and Clinton are two parts of the same corrupt machine, with very little difference between them, except maybe on abortion. They are both the candidates of big media, big lobbying, forever war, and corporatist proto-fascist America. Why, you must wonder, would Republicans want to help Hillary be the Democratic nominee? Because they think they can beat her, and worse comes to worse in November, she’d still protect their interests by and large — that’s why.

The better question to ask is why are they so afraid of Barak?

Even if the tape is all bullshit, [update: and yes, it seems to be] this is still a lynching, or at least a burning cross, based on the mere rumor alone. And it’s happening right on the tee-vee. And it’s sickening to me.