by Black Agenda Report Managing Editor Bruce Dixon
"In the DLC playbook, the road to winning elections is appealing to Republican-leaning white voters "
Back in 2003, when Obama was a candidate for the US Senate in the Illinois Democratic primary this reporter and Glen Ford challenged him on the fact of his affiliation with the Democratic Leadership Council. The right-wing, corporate-funded Trojan Horse inside the Democratic party had fervently embraced his political career, naming him one of its "100 to Watch" for 2003.
DLC endorsement is the gold standard of political reliability for Wall Street, Big Energy, Big Pharma, insurance, the airlines and more. Though candidates normally undergo extensive questioning and interviews before DLC endorsement, Obama insisted the blessing of these corporate special interests had been bestowed on him without these formalities and without his advance knowledge, and formally disassociated himself from the DLC. But like Hillary Clinton, and every front running Democrat since Michale Dukakis in 1988, Barack Obama's campaign has adopted the classic right wing DLC strategy.
In the DLC playbook, the road to winning elections is appealing to Republican-leaning white voters - demographic groups which pollsters and consultants in previous elections called "suburban soccer moms", NASCAR dads," and before that "Reagan Democrats." Candidates do this by decrying excessive partisanship, embracing "free trade" and "conservative" values, and displays of public piety, Though Obama has no formal ties with the DLC he has assiduously followed this prescription. Till a month ago Obama led every candidate among white men, an unprecedented achievement for a Democrat.
But after less than a month of sustained and often racist attacks from the likes of Fox News, CNN, Republican pundits and Hillary Clinton supporters, Obama's support among Republican-leaning white voters has sharply eroded. Dr. Adolph Reed, a black professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania explained why an April 30 Democracy Now interview,
"...Obama opened himself to this by leaning to-on the premise that he can appeal to Republicans and to conservatives and by parading his personal faith around. And frankly-this is, I guess, the crux of my argument in The Progressive column-that this is precisely the tactic that has been the undoing of every Democratic candidate since Dukakis, and I would frankly even include (Bill) Clinton in that, were it not for the fact that Ross Perot siphoned votes away from the Republicans each time. I mean, this is what happened with Gore in 2000, it's what happened with Kerry in 2004. You present yourself as electable because you can appeal to conservative voters, and then the Republicans attack you for not being a true conservative and can characterize you as someone who's trying to put something over on the American people.
It worked for a while. Barack Obama followed the DLC script to the letter for the last two years, publicly scolding Democrats for their insufficient piety, liberally borrowing from Republican talking points. He advertised himself as grounded by his personal relationship with Jesus, and by the faith tradition of the Black Church. But after Obama's Philadelphia speech on race, in which he characterized his pastor as a crazy old uncle stuck in the fifties and sixties, the Black Church was compelled to speak for itself. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, retiring pastor at Trinity UCC made a series of speeches and appearances in which he likened US Marines to Roman soldiers, described hundreds of US bases around the world as "empire" before the National Press Club, and refused to retreat from the contention that 9-11 was a preventable consequence of US foreign policy.
To preserve his support among whites which Obama won without challenging any of their fundamental beliefs about America, empire, Obama was forced to denounce his pastor's words as "akin to hate speech" and disavow his church, and with it the prophetic tradition of Christianity and the Black Church in particular. But this, and joining a prosperity-Gospel mega-church will not be enough. From this point on, all Republicans have to do is prove to their base that Obama is not as conservative as he once appeared, which they will do by pointing to his pastor and the prophetic tradition of the Black Church in general. They can, in fact, point to any stirrings of black or grassroots outrage or militancy anywhere, which Obama will want to ignore anyway, and demand a ringing denunciation from Barack Obama. When Obama gets his way, he will be silent, sticking to content-free appeals to "unity". And when Republicans prevail they will force him to denounce at every turn the grassroots activists he should be supporting.
By contrast, the 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns of Rev. Jesse Jackson won white support too, but embraced the burden of challenging white American assumptions about the essential goodness of America, about empire, and race and class. If you were organizing against police brutality or farm foreclosures, organizing a union or protesting the illegal war in Central America, the campaign in many cases came to you and augmented your local efforts. The Obama must campaign avoid this kind of activism like Dracula avoids crosses, because its candidate's appeal is based on challenging none of the fake history, none of the racism, injustice and unearned privilege at the heart of American life.
The Jackson campaign, at least, was honest about the obstacles to a real politics of transformation in America.
For the 21st century's first black presidential candidate, "change" is to be accomplished through a content-free sort of "unity". Again, Dr. Reed helps us understand what is happening.
"...the contention that the candidate can bring us all together despite our partisan differences is the same thing that the Democrats have been claiming consistently since at least, you know, Dukakis, to be post-partisan, to be post-political. And frankly, I think it appeals-it's an appeal that gets greatest traction among people who want to take politics out of politics..."
Taking the politics out of politics, and out of black politics in particular is what Barack Obama must do to carry out his DLC strategy and retain his white base without teaching them anything they don't want to know. When the NYC police officers who pumped 51 bullets into an unarmed man and a hail of bullets into adjacent homes and a transit station were exonerated, Barack Obama could not bring himself to suggest that black life ought to be respected, that police officers should obey the law, that an Obama Justice Department would look carefully at this kind of thing, or even to feign concern for the victims and their families. His only comments where that we were "a nation of laws" and that we should "respect the verdict". When 25,000 longshoremen on the US West Coast staged a one-day strike on May 1 against the war in Iraq, the Obama campaign said nothing about the power of people standing together to "bring change". When US warplanes, which fire missiles and drop bombs almost daily over oil-rich Somalia killed 15 civilians last week, Obama was silent, despite having traveled in the region as recently as last year.
When he does speak, it won't be good news. Republicans are sure to escalate their demands, insisting that Barack Obama denounce a list of black and progressive organizations, activities, beliefs and individuals to retain his share of their base. And as long as Obama is wedded to the DLC strategy, he will eagerly comply.
If there was an actual mass-based progressive movement in the US, operating on the ground and independent of political parties and campaigns, it might have a prayer of holding Barack Obama accountable. But there isn't.
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Bruce Dixon is Managing Editor at Black Agenda Report, and can be reached at bruce.dixon(at)blackagendareport.com
10 comments:
While I fully understand your frustration that Sen. Obama won’t throw his fist in the air and enthusiastically advance all of our grievances as a people, frankly, I think you’re being unrealistic. You indicated that “The Jackson campaign, at least, was honest about the obstacles to a real politics of transformation in America”, but the fact is, he lost the election. In order for Obama to do anything for Black people, he’s got to win, and he’s not likely to do that by catering to the agenda 16 % of the American electorate–and he’ll only get about 75% of them.
We can’t simply shove our agenda down the throats of the American people, regardless to how just that agenda might be. You didn’t acquire the ability to express yourself with the eloquence that you’ve demonstrated overnight–an educational process was involved. Similarly, after being exposed to two hundred years of self-service and demagoguery, the American people must be educated in the ways of justice, and education takes time and nurturing.
This situation reminds me of a game that’s played at many carnivals, where the object is to try to grab as many dollar bills as you can as they’re being blown about in a wind machine. If you try to use your arms to pull in all of them, you’re going to come up empty-handed. In order to come out on top you have to remain focused and pluck one dollar bill at a time with your fingers.
I think you’re advocating that we use our arms. You want Sen. Obama to be Al Sharpton, or Jesse Jackson, and there’s nothing wrong with either of these good brothers–accept for the fact that they lost. Let us not be so anxious to get the whole loaf, that we end up fighting each other over the crumbs.
We need to get behind this brother, because, what ever his shortcomings–and we all have them–the benefits to America, the world, and the self-esteem of our Black children, of electing a Black president, will be immeasurable.
And besides, who do you suggest as an alternative?
Wattree
The saddest part of this is that Obama might win the election, but black people will not gain a thing. Our president will be part of the same machine that oppresses poor and black people around the world, we will have lost all of our self-respect, the black church will have been humiliated, and black men would be made to look irresponsible. All so we can say "We made it! White people like us!"
It's interesting how, even we, seem to have an innate distrust of a Black man. Have you ever thought to ask yourself where that distrust comes from?
The fact is, it would be impossible for a Black man, any Black, to become President of the United States without Black people as a whole to walk away with a net gain. In fact, already gained--this election has provided me with a thorough understanding of the depth of Black self-loathing.
Wattree
Even Obama does not think highly of black men, so black men won't think highly of him.
I agree with you Wattree. This election is bigger that us Black Folks here in America. We just have to be patient and let this man get through the door. Since Mr. Obama has been in this election the "whole world" is waiting with anticipation. Kenya is besides themselves. Brazil, France, Germany, Palestine, Africa even Quadafy, Blacks and Arabs all over the diaspora are so excited about this black man in America (Kenyan Father) who has the possibility of being president of the most powerful country in the world. Mr. Obama is going to be under tremendous pressure. If you think Black America is riding him hard then you need to read some of the newspaper paper articles online and Youtube. Everybody is claiming him. Michelle will keep him focus and we are going to have to pray for him. I can not imagine the racism he is encountering and his high wire act to appease Black America, White America and the rest of the World.
agree with you Wattree. This election is bigger that us Black Folks here in America. We just have to be patient and let this man get through the door. Since Mr. Obama has been in this election the "whole world" is waiting with anticipation. Kenya is besides themselves. Brazil, France, Germany, Palestine, Africa even Quadafy, Blacks and Arabs all over the diaspora are so excited about this black man in America (Kenyan Father) who has the possibility of being president of the most powerful country in the world. Mr. Obama is going to be under tremendous pressure. If you think Black America is riding him hard then you need to read some of the newspaper paper articles online and Youtube. Everybody is claiming him. Michelle will keep him focus and we are going to have to pray for him. I can not imagine the racism he is encountering and his high wire act to appease Black America, White America and the rest of the World.
June 21, 2008 6:27 PM
Jane, I wonder how patient black women would be if Obama went on TV and said that too many black women were being bad mothers, and that's why their sons are all going to jail.
Obama does not have a problem with white conservative voters because he is black. To the contrary the fact that he is not a white guy is a plus. Republicans do not like Obama primarily for his socialistic ideas that are good at heart but fiscally not viable. He also is viewed with no significant achievments to speak of and way too vague in his arguments. I work in the white conservative world and believe that anyone will be accepted if you have the skills and ability. Obama is simply viewed as a flash in the pan. These guys don't fall for all the media hype that young and uneducated voters do. They understand economics, business and politics. Freiman talks about this phenomena at conservativeoutcomes.com
Obama Achievements (From Karen S's blog)
On Iran: S.J.RES.23 : A joint resolution clarifying that the use of force against Iran is not authorized by the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq, any resolution previously adopted, or any other provision of law.
On voting Passed out of Committee and now on the Senate Calendar for Feb. 22, 2008
S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections Please check this out! This is a great bill. We need this. I can't believe that this time voter intimidation is not already illegal.
On veterans and military personnel: S.1084 : A bill to provide housing assistance for very low-income veterans;
On global warming:
1324 : A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuel sold in the United States;S.1389 : A bill to authorize the National Science Foundation to establish a Climate Change Education Program; S.AMDT.599 to S.CON.RES.21 To add $200 million for Function 270 (Energy) for the demonstration and monitoring of carbon capture and sequestration technology by the Department of Energy. (This last one passed both the House and the Senate as part of the budget bill.)
On campaign finance and lobbyists S.2030 :
A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require reporting relating to bundled contributions made by persons other than registered lobbyists; and S.AMDT.41 to S.1 To require lobbyists to disclose the candidates, leadership PACs, or political parties for whom they collect or arrange contributions, and the aggregate amount of the contributions collected or arranged.
On Blackwater S.2044 :
A bill to provide procedures for the proper classification of employees and independent contractors, and for other purposes, and S.2147 : A bill to require accountability for contractors and contract personnel under Federal contracts, and for other purposes.
On global poverty S.2433 :
A bill to require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.
On global nuclear proliferation S.1977 :
A bill to provide for sustained United States leadership in a cooperative global effort to prevent nuclear terrorism, reduce global nuclear arsenals, stop the spread of nuclear weapons and related material and technology, and support the responsible and peaceful use of nuclear technology.
Wattree
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Obama doesn't have much experience as a leader. And judging from his father's day speech, he doesn't have much experience as a black man.
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