G
Gandalf Grey
Guest
A Dangerous Game of Race and Gender
By Larry Durstin
Created Jan 15 2008 - 8:03am
- from Cleveland Current [1]
In the rough and tumble Democratic primary face-off between Hillary Clinton
and Barack Obama, pundits and activists appear to be reading the various
messages coming out of the campaigns in a way that reveals more about
themselves -- and their agendas -- than it does about the candidates.
Obama surrogate Michael Eric Dyson has been making the cable rounds recently
claiming that phrases like "rolling the dice" and "fast and loose" which are
being used by the Clinton campaign to describe his candidate are code words
for racial stereotyping. He then goes on to claim that this tactic is being
employed "consciously or unconsciously" by the Clintons -- either way
resulting in the playing of the race card. But here's what Dyson seems to
actually be saying: Despite their claims to be sympathetic and supportive of
African Americans, the Clintons are hypocritical, so vote for Barack.
Disgraced political consultant Dick Morris has been popping up on Fox over
the past few weeks charging that when Hillary talks about Obama "not being
ready to be president" what she is really saying is that he is black and
therefore unqualified. The not-so-hidden Morris message? The Clintons are
evil incarnate, so don't vote for Hillary -- ever.
Black conservative talk show host Larry Elder claims that the Democrats --
and traditional black leaders like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson -- have
conditioned blacks to listen to harmless terms used by Republicans and
interpret them as code words for race. What's he really saying? Don't be
fooled, my brothers and sisters, the Dems have exploited you for generations
and now it's time to switch parties.
Of course, it's not surprising that partisan politicos utilize whatever they
can to advance their agendas. However, in this first-ever
presidential-primary battle between a woman and a black man, the microscopic
search for racist or sexist coding can easily result in nearly every single
criticism of either Obama or Clinton being viewed -- to the point of
absurdity -- through the narrow prism of race or gender. And in the Internet
and 24-hour cable-fueled world of 2008 politics, this provides for nothing
short of a surreal, mind-numbing media feeding frenzy.
When Obama says that Hillary will pander to numerous special interests,
isn't he implying that Clinton is a typically manipulative woman who will
tell you what you want to hear just to get her way? When Hillary claims
Barack didn't show up for critical Senate votes, isn't she cryptically
citing him as a typically shiftless, absentee black man? By touting her
spouse's record in the White House, hasn't she merely unmasked herself as a
pathetic woman living through her husband and tacitly confessing that
without him she's nothing?. By talking about how his wife "keeps him in
line" isn't Barack simply re-enforcing the stereotype of a strong black
woman dominating a misbehaving black man?
When Hillary fights back at male candidates who attack her, doesn't this
mean she's a man-hating, quasi-lesbian? When Obama gets credit for being a
great speaker, isn't that just another way of saying he's only useful as an
entertainer? When she stood by her cheating hubby, wasn't she being nothing
more than a desperate, needy woman with no self-worth? When he asks for
people to support him without presenting a detailed plan, isn't he simply
begging for a welfare handout? When they both claim to be unjustly attacked
because of their gender or race, aren't they each playing the politics of
victimhood? And furthermore, aren't all of these attacks and counterattacks
being done both consciously and unconsciously?
With the media -- and the two campaigns -- seemingly eager to play out this
he said/she food fight to the bitter end, the politically bankrupt
Republican Party is looking on with glee, ready to pick up whatever scraps
are left to nourish whoever its emaciated candidate turns out to be. If
Hillary wins the nomination, the GOP can woo African-American voters by
saying that her victory came at the expense of the political lynching of a
black man who just wanted to bring everyone together. (And, they will add,
exactly what has your undying allegiance to the Democrats really gotten you
except taken for granted?)
If Obama wins, the Republicans can court white Democrats -- especially
women -- by saying that the only reason he won is that blacks beat up a kind
Caucasian lady who had been awfully good to them all her life. (Besides,
they will continue, exactly how has the fact that your party has catered to
African-Americans for the past 40 years helped make your life any better?)
The outcome the GOP is looking for, of course, is that white or black
Democrats either stay home or vote Republican. And the potential end result
of this dangerous race and gender game for the Dems? Yet another example of
how they found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
_______
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
By Larry Durstin
Created Jan 15 2008 - 8:03am
- from Cleveland Current [1]
In the rough and tumble Democratic primary face-off between Hillary Clinton
and Barack Obama, pundits and activists appear to be reading the various
messages coming out of the campaigns in a way that reveals more about
themselves -- and their agendas -- than it does about the candidates.
Obama surrogate Michael Eric Dyson has been making the cable rounds recently
claiming that phrases like "rolling the dice" and "fast and loose" which are
being used by the Clinton campaign to describe his candidate are code words
for racial stereotyping. He then goes on to claim that this tactic is being
employed "consciously or unconsciously" by the Clintons -- either way
resulting in the playing of the race card. But here's what Dyson seems to
actually be saying: Despite their claims to be sympathetic and supportive of
African Americans, the Clintons are hypocritical, so vote for Barack.
Disgraced political consultant Dick Morris has been popping up on Fox over
the past few weeks charging that when Hillary talks about Obama "not being
ready to be president" what she is really saying is that he is black and
therefore unqualified. The not-so-hidden Morris message? The Clintons are
evil incarnate, so don't vote for Hillary -- ever.
Black conservative talk show host Larry Elder claims that the Democrats --
and traditional black leaders like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson -- have
conditioned blacks to listen to harmless terms used by Republicans and
interpret them as code words for race. What's he really saying? Don't be
fooled, my brothers and sisters, the Dems have exploited you for generations
and now it's time to switch parties.
Of course, it's not surprising that partisan politicos utilize whatever they
can to advance their agendas. However, in this first-ever
presidential-primary battle between a woman and a black man, the microscopic
search for racist or sexist coding can easily result in nearly every single
criticism of either Obama or Clinton being viewed -- to the point of
absurdity -- through the narrow prism of race or gender. And in the Internet
and 24-hour cable-fueled world of 2008 politics, this provides for nothing
short of a surreal, mind-numbing media feeding frenzy.
When Obama says that Hillary will pander to numerous special interests,
isn't he implying that Clinton is a typically manipulative woman who will
tell you what you want to hear just to get her way? When Hillary claims
Barack didn't show up for critical Senate votes, isn't she cryptically
citing him as a typically shiftless, absentee black man? By touting her
spouse's record in the White House, hasn't she merely unmasked herself as a
pathetic woman living through her husband and tacitly confessing that
without him she's nothing?. By talking about how his wife "keeps him in
line" isn't Barack simply re-enforcing the stereotype of a strong black
woman dominating a misbehaving black man?
When Hillary fights back at male candidates who attack her, doesn't this
mean she's a man-hating, quasi-lesbian? When Obama gets credit for being a
great speaker, isn't that just another way of saying he's only useful as an
entertainer? When she stood by her cheating hubby, wasn't she being nothing
more than a desperate, needy woman with no self-worth? When he asks for
people to support him without presenting a detailed plan, isn't he simply
begging for a welfare handout? When they both claim to be unjustly attacked
because of their gender or race, aren't they each playing the politics of
victimhood? And furthermore, aren't all of these attacks and counterattacks
being done both consciously and unconsciously?
With the media -- and the two campaigns -- seemingly eager to play out this
he said/she food fight to the bitter end, the politically bankrupt
Republican Party is looking on with glee, ready to pick up whatever scraps
are left to nourish whoever its emaciated candidate turns out to be. If
Hillary wins the nomination, the GOP can woo African-American voters by
saying that her victory came at the expense of the political lynching of a
black man who just wanted to bring everyone together. (And, they will add,
exactly what has your undying allegiance to the Democrats really gotten you
except taken for granted?)
If Obama wins, the Republicans can court white Democrats -- especially
women -- by saying that the only reason he won is that blacks beat up a kind
Caucasian lady who had been awfully good to them all her life. (Besides,
they will continue, exactly how has the fact that your party has catered to
African-Americans for the past 40 years helped make your life any better?)
The outcome the GOP is looking for, of course, is that white or black
Democrats either stay home or vote Republican. And the potential end result
of this dangerous race and gender game for the Dems? Yet another example of
how they found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
_______
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson