Feb 16 2008
King’s Dream, Obama’s Nightmare
I want to put Juanita’s essay from the two preceding blogs, into perspective. Her exercise of the imagination was meant to convey, in uncontroversial terms, the absurdity of Obama’s bid for Democratic presidential nominee. The ludicrousness of an uninitiated freshman Senator competing in national primaries against seasoned politicians, was elaborated through a necessary reversal of racial categories.
Obama’s mediocrity, lackluster legislative past, and abuse of perceived minority status to impart meaning to platitudes, were briefly sketched through the imaginary character of Barry. In speaking of Obama as Barry, we are not exaggerating. Nor are we exaggerating, when we suggest that Obama is a mediocre charlatan, who is about to seize the party of Roosevelt, so he can run the country of Lincoln and Washington to satisfy his personal vanity and ambition. Just imagine the consequences.
Imagine that following some nasty exchanges between Obama and McCain, the racially mixed, lanky, preachy-charismatic, but politically uninspiring and devoid of content Obama, becomes the 44th president of the USA. His earthy brown skin had filled words long moribund, with meaning, and his victory offers a deceptive remission of white America’s, and hence still America’s, sins.
What of the 6000 ICBMs, the 160,000 US troops in Iraq, the hundreds of Military bases abroad, the 13$ trillion economy, trillion dollar deficits, unruly Republican party, 250 million occasionally boisterous American citizens, and billions of unsatisfied and often angry non-American citizens of countries where America’s policies can mean life or death, freedom or totalitarianism ? Will these just be an afterthought for those who entrusted Obama with brining King’s dream to fruition?
Is America’s problem with Race, or America’s Race problem really worth the risk involved in anointing a President whose electoral victory will rest on superficial, bombastic, lowest-common-denominator rhetoric, tacky corporate branding, and grainy YouTube Videos?
This is our liberal dilemma. A liberal dilemma with a liberal solution.
We all share the dream of a society whose highest station always remains open to the talented and gifted, of all peoples, of all races. To keep this dream a reality we must relinquish the fancy that we can take the short-cut of reverse discrimination, relinquish it as weakness and a fancy with innumerable dangers. Lets relinquish by conceding that Obama’s stellar rise rests largely in America’s Racial eyes, and that as long as these eyes are Racial we Americans cannot approximate those cherished words of Reverend King:
“My four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Crucial to Obama’s primary success, are his advisers unabashed beliefs that they can turn our hopes and emotions to their advantage. Our dreams projected upon their candidate translate into their delegate counts. The religious zeal of these advisers rests on the belief that faith alone is the source of conviction, and that conviction assures determination which in turn guarantees results. Faith alone fills empty words with meaning, and Obama’s long-term victory relies on a repetitive declaring of the faith that Obama is victorious long before he’s actually won, thereby to raise voter faith, to motivate voter confidence, to increase voters turnout, and make the faith an inevitable fate.
It’s an empty system. One based on an ignorance of politics, poor judgement, and wishful thinking. It is an election strategy without moral ground, steeped in cynicism, imbued in nihilism. Responsibility for such a strategy no doubt lies in the unbridled egos of Obama’s retinue. Surely a man of any integrity would not participate in such a spectacle. Obama is either out-of-the-loop, shallower than we dare imagine, or far sinister than he lets on. Is this our concern? No. Our concern as voters, is our vote. With our vote lies our own responsibility towards this nation, and its citizens.
Those who sacrifice their democratic duty towards the commonweal for their personal emotional gratification, are always rewarded accordingly. As for the rest, we must keep sober, and push on. The country isn’t ready for a man who isn’t ready for himself. The country must resist a man who relies on our inner most weaknesses to satisfy his personal ambitions. Even an experienced man of integrity cannot always be trusted because his intentions necessarily express the interest of the many. Even such a man must be vigilantly guarded and judged by the public eye in order for him to do the little good which he so eagerly desires his fellow countrymen.
How much less can we imagine a man whose sole faith lies in himself, in Brand Obama, doing good on a promise made by the selfless Giant who overcame hardship, adversity, humiliation, and tribulation, to deliver us his Dream on an unforgettable August 28, 1963 at the
By definition all liberals share King’s Dream. This Dream can only be made reality by using our reason and judgement when voting. Dreaming is effortless. For this we do not need Obama. We Dremt this Dream before he was born. His ability to paraphrase this dream, and to physically embody it, amounts to little more than a poor impersonation of the man who first described it, a sort of Elvis look alike claiming copyright royalties due to his physical resemblance to the King of Rock and Roll. We may enjoy the show, but we wont pass the buck unless he performs. Nothing in the record, indicates Obama has done so.
For those enamored with King, we do not need Obama. There’s no need for Obama’s hope. We’ve had it from time immemorial. There is no need for his change, nor his reconciliation. Nothing in Obama’s record indicates he has a clue how to bring about change. He is even more clueless about how to bring reconciliation judging by his own divided identity. The very mention of reconciliation by a man torn between vicarious suffering and very real privilege, is proof of his inability to understand conciliation, let alone to bring it about.
What America needs to make King’s dream a reality, Obama cannot offer. To make King’s Dream a reality we need capable, honest, hard-working, and dedicated men and women of integrity. Deference and infatuation with sweet talkers whose rise to power is assured by favorable media and their own good fortune, are symptoms of indifference, and apathy, not concern and empathy.
A man who panders to our nations lust and desires, exploits our weaknesses for personal gain. Such a man, entrusted with people’s dreams, has an inerrant tendency to transform them into nightmares.
Such a man, denigrates Martin Luther King’s dream by his very mention of it.
26 responses so far
HOW? How are we going to stop this movement from taking over our government? How do we stop the Obama Cult????
http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=Obama+cult&btnG=Google+Search
An ignorant people deserve an ignorant president, who is nothing but hot air and blah blah blah.
Keep up the good work Jamal!
So you guys have a complaint. Stop it. Please just give the complaints a rest. Obama has his flaws. HE IS HUMAN! You guys are too so stop being so judgmental. Hillary Clinton is really flawed and so John McCain. When push comes to shove I rather have Obama as president any day versus John or Hillary. The thought of either of them being the next president is scary.
What a bad photoshop, look closely at that pic the blue shirt, where is his arm? where is his hand? gay photoshop!!
Where are those quotes you promised? Where are your facts? What is your problem really? I can’t find anything on this site that isn’t trash.
The trash WOW is your comment. The trash is this hyped up pretend black man taking control of your mind in endless rhetoric and hopeless pretense. Obama is not the man you think he is, he is a phony. He has not done the hard work, but strives to take the credit for it. There need be no more obvious references than his own words. His type of hype and the media fawning all over him proves he is vacant. They only like the hype, the spin, that’s why they liked Bush. That’s why they didn’t challenge this war, that’s why they will deliver this man this nomination. When its too late to do anything about it, they will turn on him and bring him and his house of cards down.
What is scary is this guy and his backers. This is slime and chicanery. Obamabots are fooled, the hype is king, but no amount of window dressing can disguise this man. The weak minded are always swayed by the show.
This is ridiculous.
Do yourself a favor and find the series on DailyKos that compares Obama’s and Clinton’s legislative records. Obama has gotten more legislation passed in total than Clinton, and the legislation he has passed is more substantive than Clinton’s.
Start here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/201332/807?detail=f
And while both their records in the Senate are short, Obama has another 8 years of legislative experience in the Illinois Senate where he was the leader of a number of significant reforms. Hillary Clinton can’t claim a similar record.
As to “how do we stop this movement from taking over the government?”… I’m not sure what you mean. Obama is suggesting that the electorate should take greater control of their government. Unless you happen to be a well-connected person that is benefitting from the system of influence currently dominant in Washington, I don’t see why you would be afraid of this.
I am black female to start things off. I do not know who I will vote for as of yet. I am not impressed that Obama is black, nor am I impressed that Hillary is a woman. That will not effect the way I vote. I am very much neutral at this point. I really am not even sure if I would vote Democrat anyways. I usually agree more with the Republican moral code. I really am not one to focus on the bad of anyone, atleast not if it is in the past..so that is why I really havent paid much attention to the slander going on about all of the candidates. So, I really do not understand why the people of this site hate Obama so much. Maybe someone can fill me in on what it is that he is doing wrong. Something other than getting upset with the fact that the media loves him…that is not his fault…This site does seem a little racist, being that you even had to do an article like this. Why bring up his race if it is not about that? What has he done that is so horrible in the past. And by no means am I defending him at this point..because I really know nothing about him or anyone else in the running..but I would like to know why he is so evil in your opinion…maybe I will see the light…but if you can find nothing more than the fact that: he gets a lot of media attention, he doesnt have experience…etc…that is crap…because noone will really have the experience needed to be president, until they actually get elected and sit in the White House and we actually see what they do…You do not know who is truly experienced enough…they have never done this before…Who cares about being senator and legislative experience and thus and such…it is still not actually being PRESIDENT….I have a friend who had never done a certain type of work before, but got hired anyways and out-shined all of the other company employees to become pretty much owner of the company in a matter of a year…This is not presidential work, I know…but I feel like, you do not know who can do the job until they get a chance to SHOW us and prove…because there is a lot of good game being talked…But who can actually the DO the job with excellence…not perfection….
I am so happy to have found this site! I have asked for so long….if Obama is elected….who will “really” be running this county?? Axelrod? God forbid! And, dare I also ask….what would Dr. King say about this “savior wannabe?” I don’t think Dr. King had in mind a kid who is still angry that his father abandoned him, to be the one to take on his mantle! God forbid….again!
Doesn’t it seem interesting that this Obama would be so taken with the “Dreams” of a father who desserted him? Nevertheless, his priveleged life wasn’t what Dr. King was talking about!!
I understand people of color wanting a champion. As a woman, I want one, too! But, give me a break! Make him/her a “deserving” champion! - T in GA
[…] fear-mongering, shame, offense, and divisiveness. Damn, Sowell had it right. Gregory has it right. I had it right. Lord forbid Juanita had it right, because she predicted eventual […]
To, Mathew Garring
it takes a moron to direct anyone to DailyKos. Reread the article you linked skipper, and see if you can see a few serious flaws. Knowing the intelligence of Kos readers, it will take you a lifetime to figure it out. Fuck the DailyKos.
June. Sorry to hear ya girl. You just aren’t thinking. You really believe President of USA means getting a job you’ve never done, and outshinning them all?
Get with it girl.
I agree with most of the insight on this site. They got him pinned down.
Obama is a shame to me as a black. The culminatin of affirmative action run a-mock.
I’m a little bewildered at the claims you make against Obama. I’ve been scouring your site trying to find real evidence of how indeed he is “toxic” for our country and I have yet to find anything relevant. It seems to me that you’re blogging yourself into a downward spiral, what is your cause and why do you hate him so much? I want facts, REAL facts.
Seems like Jamal’s post can be reduced to ‘Obama lacks sufficient experience and you shouldn’t vote for him just because he’s black.’
That’s fine.
I happen to disagree, I think he IS ready, and yes, I will confess that his multi-racial heritage is an inspiration. Seems like millions of others agree with me (while millions of others don’t).
Its worrisome to other ethnic minorities such as Asian and Hispanics that if H’Obama win election as president, he will favor blacks.
That was absolutely beautiful, Jamal. Good Job.
[…] Fear of alienating? I find myself agreeing with Jamal more and more with every […]
amazingly eloquent, and stirred something deep down in me. thank you.
“My four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Yes, exactly.
What is the quality of Obama’s character? I do not know. But King was an activist, Obama is not. King made hard choices, Obama has not. He is definitely not the inheritor, by any stretch of the imagination, including religion, of Martin Luther King.
He comes across to me as supremely arrogant and that is of a great deal of concern.
Obama can’t win. Obama can’t win! But he is winning.
Obama can’t raise money… No, he can’t. But he raised more money than the competion combined? Well, OK I am exaggerating a bit. Set up a fire wall… setup a firewall. But he scales that wall too. Now, what to do? Not attack the color of his skin. Tell the voters that he is not black. Now, he is riding this wave because he is too black. Keep on spinning and we will keep on winning!
Haha. Is it not obvious to Obama supporters that it comes down to this…..he has less experience and wisdom than Hillary and dare I say McCain? A good speech does not mean a readiness to lead the USA. I do not know this man therefore why should I vote for him, for his flowery preaching? At least Hillary states what her issues are without crowding those out with pretty words and meaningless subtext.
And also, I do not care in the least what color someone is. I do care though about how able they are to lead my country. So far, the only thing Obama has stated is that he did not “vote” for the war in Iraq. How silly that he wasn’t even able to cast a “real” vote and is glossing over this fact and standing on this as one of his major appeals as a nominee. How silly America can be in believing his retoric. I wasn’t for Hillary until I kept hearing Obama’s useless speeches.
John Paul Telhommeon 12 Mar 2008 at 6:06 pm That Obama can’t win.
CORRECT THIS THOUGHT …OBAMA SHOULDN’T WIN FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY. HE IS NO Martin luther King AND NEVER COULD BE. TIME FOR HIM TO TAKE HIS LIES AND TALES HOME WITH HIM
I doubt any others writing comments on this site are old enough to remember Martin Luther King when he is alive. I am. And I must tell you that every ugly, cynical and, yes indeed, racist thing I’ve read on this site - and worse - were said and written about Dr. King, by perfectly respectable, mainstream politicians and journalists, right up until he was murdered. After that, even many who were never convinced of the moral weight of his words and actions, at least had the decency to shut up for a while, at least.
When I was the age I expect most of you are now, I believed with all my heart that the change he had begun could not be stopped, that there would be a natural progression that would lead to everyone to see racism as evil…that it was a sickness of the old or weak-minded, badly educated and ignorant that would one day disappear.
Now, of course, I know that this isn’t so. I’ve seen many kids younger than me who could put any nazi or segregationist to shame. People are still murdered, denied, shunned and stunted for belonging to a group that is feared and hated by the majority forty years after King was murdered. Feared and hated by people who have little and feel small and threatened by those having less, but doing better; and by people who have every possible advantage, but are outraged at the idea they may not be more entitled than anyone else to the privileges they enjoy.
I still believe racism is a sickness, but I know it is not simply a matter of ignorance or stupidity. Many of you write so well; obviously you are educated, computer literate, with leisure time to construct this slick and mean vehicle for spreading doubt and hate.
Needless to say, I am an Obama supporter. I recognize in him a lot of the same gravity and moral genius I saw in Dr. King, and I am grateful to have lived long enough to see it a second time. The reason I recount all this personal history - which I realize will not be terribly compelling to most of you - is to illustrate how an awareness of history can completely change your understanding of what is before you. To those of you who sincerely doubt Obama for his ‘lack of experience’, I suggest that you google Abraham Lincoln, and compare his political experience when he became president: 8 years in the Illinois General Assembly, and 1 (2 year) term in the House of Representatives. And while Obama is 4 years younger than Lincoln when elected, he is 4 years older than John F. Kennedy was, and the same age Bill Clinton was when elected.
HOW DO WE STOP IT. Do not let him win PA, NC, IND, WV. HOW by getting off our butts, and whether you like Hillary or NOT, work for her. NOW. We only have a few weeks. Volunteer.
A NOTE FROM DR. MAYA ANGELOU
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
This is not the first time you have seen Hillary Clinton seemingly at her wits end, but she has always risen, always risen, much to the dismay of her adversaries and the delight of her friends.
Hillary Clinton will not give up on you and all she asks of you is that you do not give up on her.
There is a world of difference between being a woman and being an old female. If you’re born a girl, grow up, and live long enough, you can become an old female. But, to become a woman is a serious matter. A woman takes responsibility for the time she takes up and the space she occupies.
Hillary Clinton is a woman. She has been there and done that and has still risen. She is in this race for the long haul. She intends to make a difference in our country.
She is the prayer of every woman and man who long for fair play, healthy families, good schools, and a balanced economy.
She declares she wants to see more smiles in the families, more courtesies between men and women, more honesty in the marketplace. Hillary Clinton intends to help our country to what it can become.
She means to rise.
She means to help our country rise. Don’t give up on her, ever.
In fact, if you help her to rise, you will rise with her and help her make this country a wonderful, wonderful place where every man and every woman can live freely without sanctimonious piety, without crippling fear.
Rise Hillary.
Rise.