The week was full of foolishness. Here’s two moments that stood out as the absolute worst for me.
#1: Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones responding to the picture put out of Obama in an African garb where she says that we shouldn’t feel shame about Obama wearing “his native clothing–the clothing of his country.”
Sure, there is nothing wrong with anyone wearing the clothing of his or her country, but here’s what’s wrong with that statement:
- The country of that clothing is not Obama’s “native country”. He was born and spent his early years in the U.S. (Hawaii).
- Tubbs Jones was complicit in the efforts to make Obama appear as an “outsider” in the minds of white folk who fear difference.
- Her comments sidestep the real point about the motivation behind the photo’s distribution which is to play on the fears linked to America’s overt and latent racism. Even McCain addressed this point by condemning Cunningham’s B.S. If anyone should take this issue head on it is Tubbs Jones–a black women. Deduct 100 points from her black card.
Number 2: Cunningham’s completely weak, whack, and asinine rationale behind emphasizing Obama’s middle name, Hussein, at the McCain rally.
Another tactic that plays on Obama’s blackness and cultural background. The message: If he looks like a terrorist (dark skin), sounds like a terrorist (Hussein), he must be a terrorist. Time to step your game up past 3rd grade logic, Cunningham. Apparently, your ex-boy McCain thinks so too.
4 responses so far ↓
1
Vee
// Feb 29, 2008 at 11:04 am
The real crazy thing about the issue with photo being released is that this attempt to portray Obama as an Al-Quaeda terrorist or Osama’s right hand man actually works. There are some people who truly believes he must be associated with muslim terrrorists. There are people who simply do not trust Obama Hussein.
There have been a couple of news program that displayed an image of Osama bin Laden while discussing Barack Obama. Whether intentional or not, images placed in the minds of the general public play a huge role in their thought process. There are a large number of snarky political bloggers that panders to the fears of the general public. Many people do not research or fact check. I’ve heard people write and utter misinformation as truth.
It is seriously crazy. I really didn’t think people would believe hilariously desperate attempts to smear Barack but people will believe just about anything they see on television.
2
E
// Feb 29, 2008 at 11:59 am
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs’ remarks regarding Senator Obama are indeed unfortunate. She, as Mike, rightly points out, invokes the term “native country” to create doubt –in the minds of likely Obama supporters– that Obama is ‘one of us.’ Tubbs declares: “I have no shame, or no problem, with people looking at Barack Obama in his native clothing.” Such a remark undoubtedly tells us more about Tubbs (part of the departing old guard of the Democratic Party) than it tells us about Obama. As for Cunningham’s clip: I LOVED IT! There’s nothing like seeing a backwards provincial Republican (again, part of the departing old guard of the Republican Party) tell it like it is! There are no pretenses, and then a quick jab in South Carolina, to let us know how you really feel… a la Bill Clinton. Cunningham’s position, as Mike points out, is: If he looks like a terrorist (dark skin), sounds like a terrorist (Hussein), he must be a terrorist. Again, this message, similar to Tubbs’ is that Obama is not one of us.
Tubbs’ role is more troubling than Cunningham’s in that it reveals a deep rooted malady that Obama’s campaign and mere presence attempts to be curing: the Black African American’s native attire. The, thankfully departing, old guard of the Black Democratic wing, in their opposition to Barack, convey more than just a loyalty to the Clintons. They convey a fear of disrobing the African American. Let’s adorn her hips with negativity, knees with hopelessness, and legs with despair. In so doing she will never rise and never march for what is right. On her head she must wear the hat of the victimness, accepting her role as one that has never met her true calling because she is a victim of injustice by those of another race. She must continue to wear the spectacles of oppression, never seeing hope, for it is others that hold her back. The old guard wants to continue to adorn her body with xenophobia, so that she can believe that anyone with skin that mirrors hers, but missing her native clothing, desiring to see the glass as half full, must be a traitor…better yet….must be acting white….because one who is truly black must NEVER have the audacity to hope.
Barack’s candidacy offers all of us the opportunity to really do some self reflection. In supporting Barack, I’m hoping that Black America is saying to Tubbs and Cunningham: He is not only us, and we are him. On November 4, 2008….Let’s Get Naked (Shout out to Marcus Houston).
3
Mike
// Mar 3, 2008 at 12:39 am
E, yep the old guard is fighting to hold on in the Republican and Democrat camps. They’re both losing the battle though. I would have respected Cunningham just a *tiny* bit more if he stuck to his guns and just said outright that he believed Obama shouldn’t be trusted because of his name and background instead of trying to backtrack when Alan Combs pressed him. Either way, he comes out looking like a straight up fool.
Vee, I am afraid that you may be right–people do buy into these tactics of terrorist portrayals of Obama. Hopefully not enough people will buy into it to so that it affects the outcomes of TX and OH. We will soon see! Great “Obama” sketch on your site, by the way. You captured this issue very nicely in art.
4 The “Darkening Obama” Debate | Community Checkup // Mar 6, 2008 at 5:54 pm
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