The Wright Moment part 4

Returning to the real world from the metaphysical.  My wife is convinced Wright is too smart not to know what he was doing.  She believes he acted the fool to force Obama to distance himself and make a clean break in an act of self-sacrifice.  Hmmh this is as compelling a theory as any.  It hasn't become widespread but Blake Fleetwood at the Huffington Post has come to the same conclusion.

The Wright Moment Part 3

So what just happened? I've been scratching my head on why Jeremiah Wright did what he did. I mentioned, in an earlier posting that I had found a useful philosophical analogue in the trickster figure-Esu from Yoruba mythology (footnote: distinct from Esu of Yoruba Christianity). He mischievously sows confusion and throws everyone off balance so that they have to scramble to regain their footing. When balance is restored, (if it is restored) it's a difference balance--one that is often more grounded and complete than the previous balance. He takes you to truth in the path you least expect or desire.

How does this apply to the Obama campaign? There had been an initial equilibrium where it was smooth sailing and everyone was singing Kumbaya. This balance was however an illusion. Racial tensions were under the surface, the candidate had not been tested and so on. Who emerges but Jeremiah Wright via his video recordings. Balance disrupted. The candidate tries to right himself but has to acknowledge many of those things that hadn't been acknwoledged. Balance starts to be restored, but everyone acknowledges the issue was not gone and would eventually re-emerge. Esu appears again, in the guise of Wright, inexplicable and uncontrollable. Disrupts everything. The candidate has to recalibrate again and address the issue by throwing Wright off the bus. Finally, balance is restored to his campaign. Esu's job? Sow chaos in order to achieve equilibrium.

Update: From further reflection, research, and discussion with greater minds, I understand that Esu's role was not to restore balance, but to disrupt stasis by sowing confusion. It was left to his victims to restore to regain equilibrium. Still it's a useful philosophical framework for dealing with the unpredictable and undesirable interruptions of equilibrum.

The Wright Moment part 2

Okay; I'm still trying to absorb the implication of Rev. Wright's appearances. These are my thoughts right now; they are raw, unprocessed and might change in the next few days.

"It is better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

Abraham Lincoln via Rev. Wright (Paraphrase of Proverbs 17:28)

Here's what I think Senator Obama needs to do. Offload Rev. Wright. I don't think anyone can blame him at this point. The presidency has become more important than this relationship. He needs to simply say,

Rev. Wright is no longer my pastor, I will continue my relationship with the church because it is my church family. Rev. Wright has become a distraction to the task hand which is determining the future of the United States. We need to focus on the needs of the American.

Note to Rev. Wright. There is such a thing as ogbon agba--the wisdom of the elder. It is time to behave like an elder. The Yoruba say eyin l'oro. Words are like an egg--you cannot take them back. It is not about you and it is necessary to stand back for the larger goal. This is the message Tavis Smiley received a few weeks ago. All your life, you've been fighting for the progress of the African-American. This is the moment; it is a kairos moment. You've done your part. There is a season for everything. It's not about you. Yes, you should defend yourself, but recognize your audience. Bill Moyers was appropriate; the National Press Club was foolish. I know the last few months have been painful but your legacy would have been redeemed in time if you knew how to, in the words of Congressman Clyburn, chiiill.

The Wright Moment

It's been a distracting few days as Rev. Wright has gone on his publicity campaign. For those of us who are emotionally invested in the candidacy of Senator Obama, it's also been unsettling. How will the media treat his statements? What clips will be excerpted and replayed?

I think the information is still being digested by the media; they're still in shock by the strategy of defense by offense. I suspect many are still trying to figure out how to absorb and regurgitate all this. I myself have been severely distracted from my own work--this most be how Senator Obama feels, trying to get the job done but there is this other character that's re-ordering the political space you occupy. Hmmh, I wonder if Jeremiah Wright is our modern trickster figure--the Ashanti Ananse, Yoruba Esu, or Native American Coyote--destabilizing in order to (ultimately) create balance. Anyway, as things settle down, I'll catch up on this topic. One thing I suspect is that the reception of these appearances is going to be like the O.J. Verdict--blacks will hear one thing, whites another.

Ed Rendell and Louis Farrakhan

Okay, the Obama camp needs to start learning how to play hardball. They need to get a crack research team out there to dig up stuff. It's not playing dirty, it's playing politics. Here is Ed Rendell, Hillary's number one supporter in Pennsylvania singing praises of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. Are you kidding me? And Hillary attacks Obama because Obama's Pastor has a relationship with Farrakhan?



Link comes from Colbert King's Washington Post column.

Hannity versus Moyers

I'm watching Sean Hannity (of Fox's Hannity and Cones) right now responding to Rev. Wright's appearance on Bill Moyer (which will air this Friday--April 25). It's amazing to see how much vitriol and anger Hannity is expressing at the possibility of Wright countering the negative image that's been constructed by the media. He calls it "a rehab tour" where we have "a very calm image and a very different image" and claims this "looks like an image-making campaign to [him]." Really? So Rev. Wright should not make any attempt to fix his image if he believes he's being unjustly demonized?

BTW, one of the commentators on the show, Mike Allen of Politico.com, describes Wright as dressing in a dignified manner (Wright was wearing a suit in the interview). Dignified, as opposed to what? So the African-inspired clothes he typically wore in church were undignified? As people speak, the fear that Obama is "not one of us" that is at the root of the Wright scandal bubbles to the surface.

As soon as Allen started to say some positive things about Wright's appearance and his descriptions of the church's "lived ministries" and faith-based initiatives, Hannity was sure to cut him off, remind the audience about the GD America comments, and turn to his other guest, Andrei Cherney, to ask for a condemnation of Obama. The other commentator starts to say that he does not think Obama is being dishonest since he has disowned all the controversial comments. Hannity cuts him off, saying should have known Obama at the time that Wright was controversial. Finally Cones, the supposed foil to Hannity, emerges from his slumber to weakly defend Obama. I still don't understand why Fox continues to have Cones on the show. I don't think anyone with half an eye open thinks that Cones is anything more than a prop on the Sean Hannity Show.

The Elephant in the Room

Hmmh. Someone is finally broaching the subtext to why Mr. Obama can't seem to get the blue collar vote in places like Pennsylvania and Ohio. Adam Nagourney writes about the role race MIGHT be playing here. Admittedly, Rev. Wright videos and the San Fran comments didn't help. It's worth noting that the African American voting block has faithfully supported the white presidential candidates of the party. And if they do decide to sit out or vote against a Clinton nominee it would not be opposing her because of her difference but because of a perceived overthrow of a black candidate who has played by all the rules. And even now, according to Nagourney's article, they are more willing to support Mrs. Clinton than whites are to support Obama. Jon Stewart best sums up the subtext to all this when asked Obama, "Will you pull a bait and switch sir, and enslave the white race?"

Get the Math Right

All through this morning, the media has been reporting Obama's loss as 10 points; as Andrew Sullivan pointed out and as Michael Crowley notes, the Hillary won by 9.2 points; unless, I was paying less attention in my arithmetic class than I thought, that rounds up to 9 points not 10! See official Pennsylvania returns here.

Picturing Hillary

I believe its necessary to call the media to task on the pictures being selected to represent Senator Clinton. They are, in my opinion, consistently chosen to portray her in an unattractive light; admittedly, she is not the most photogenic of candididates, but still. This one here is from the Guardian

Why Hillary Clinton is a PC

There was some analysis in the press a while back about Obama as a Mac and Hillary as a PC. New evidence: Hillary has decided her new catch phrase is "Yes, We Will." Sound familiar anyone? Taking your competitor's "Yes, We Can" and somehow making it more drab and pedestrian and then presenting it as a fresh innovation. How Microsoft.

Update: Yikes! Salon, reports that her supporters we're actually yelling "Yes We Can" then modified that to "Yes She Can."

Notes to an Aspiring Politician

• Don't overestimate the intelligence of the voter (my man, DC, gets the credit for this one).
• When in doubt, keep it simple, repeat often.
• If you are unable to control your urge to give long nuanced explanations; precede them with a short concise refutation, apology, or admission.
  
• Everything you say can be used against you [in the court of public opinion].
• Do not try to explain your voters to themselves.
• Don't try to explain one group of voters to another group of voters, especially when the door is closed!
• There is no such thing as new politics; there is only politics.
• The truth of polls is not in the numbers.
• There is no truth, there's only spin.
• Negative campaigning works [against you], whether, you like it or not.
• There is no such thing as an undecided voter, just those who won't reveal their decision.
• There is no such thing as a compassionate conservative; there is no such thing as a unifying liberal.
• Offense is a whole lot more effective than defense.
• Don't play by the rules, make the rules.
  
• Don't wait for the media to come to reason, tell them what to think!
  

p.s. I'll be updating and expounding these as they come to me.

Obama as Bargainer, Michelle as Challenger.

My two favorite discussants, John McWhorter and Glenn Loury, discuss Michelle Obama and other concerns here. They pick up on Shelby Steele's thesis as outlined in his book, "A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win." Blogging Heads Link comes via NY Times. Steele outlines his thesis in this interview with Bill Moyers.

My New Hero

This is Father Michael Pfleger, the Catholic Priest who invited Rev. Jeremiah Wright to an give the benediction at an event in honor of Maya Angelou. Fox Reporters here try to ambush him about that invitation. If only more people could be as articulate as he is in rebutting Fox's spurious claims. I'll just let him speak for himself.



Source: Daily Kos

Edwards for VP?

Senator John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth, have so far denied the likelihood of his joining any ticket as VP. I do, however, think he would be a good option for either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton if they decide not to select each other. He would provide some credibility with the much prized male white voter as is implied in this appearance on the Colbert Report.



Furthermore, he is more likely to be able to control his ego in a way that will allow him to work with the Presidential Candidate. I know it didn't work out too well with John Kerry but that's probably because they didn't like each other very much.

Obama on Bitter Small Town Americans

It's quite difficult to defend Obama's latest comments in San Francisco regarding bitter small town voters. There's no way around the condescension that can be read into the remarks. No doubt all you're going to hear in the media now is "cling to guns and religion," but here is a more complete citation:

“[T]he truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there’s not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

Ironically, I think he was trying to explain that they are NOT racist for not supporting him. Personally, I think there are limits to which a presidential candidate should be trying to psychoanalyze one set of people or trying to explain their actions to another group of people. However, TPM has a 2004 clip of Obama's comments on Charlie Rose that, perhaps, explain those words a little better. Note to the candidates: This is the age of the 30 second clip. Stay on message even if you're singing in the shower.

Powell on Obama, Jeremiah Wright

Global Politics: A Lesson in Leadership

Stepping out of the local political scene onto the global one for a minute (perhaps one can now say, in the inverse of the familiar dictum, that "all politics is global"). I have been thoroughly disappointed in Thabo Mbeki's lack of leadership in not putting pressure on Robert Mugabe to be fair in his dealings with the people of Zimbabwe rather trying to take the presidency to the grave with him and throwing his country into chaos in the process. I am delighted that the ANC's chairman, Jacob Zuma, has called on the Zimbabwean authorities to release the election results. Too many African leaders are hedging their bets for the day they'll have to pull a 'Mugabe'. Kudos to Mr. Zuma. It is now time for our presidential candidates in the US to show some global leadership, not by demonizing Mugabe as the western powers are wont to do, but by appealing to the better angels of the Zimbabwean ruling class. Obama where are you? See my posts on the issue on my other blog, African Currents.

Oprah Suffers for Obama?

Politico.com makes an interesting observation about Oprah's ratings and popularity since she endorsed Obama. They've fallen! Is it that her audience wants her to transcend race (which would mean they think she's supporting Obama 'cause he's black) or they just want her to transcend politics. The first would be a sad commentary.

Agents of Misinformation

In watching more cable news in the past few weeks than I have in a long time, I've been amazed at how much the delivery of news has turned into the delivery of opinions. Even CNN's Headline News, which, in the good old days, just delivered the headlines has turned into a pulpit for Glenn Beck and others. The greatest agent of misinformation on CNN has to be Lou Dobbs with his xenophobic and misleading reporting on immigration and the economy. I have never encountered someone speak with so much authority and yet (appear to) be so ignorant. It's certainly revived his career.

Tonight the Lou Dobbs question of the night, "How angry are you that the government will grant 65,000 H1-B Visa's while 80,000 Americans have lost their jobs." This is a retarded question in so many ways. It does nothing to explain the process built into the H1-B system where every job has to be advertised for an American; it doesn't explain the invaluable contributions that those H1-B workers make, or the taxes they pay. On the most basic level, it doesn't even address the fact that the jobs lost and the jobs gained are not equivalent!

Let's just call this mindless journalism the O'Reilly effect. The more, I watch, the more I realize the whole thing is a scam.

Candidates on King's Assassination Anniversary

All the candidates gave speeches today marking MLK's assasination. I had all three videos on here but it takes a while to load them all, so here's Senator Obama's speech. I think John McCain did a very brave thing today by going to Memphis to acknowledge his mistake in voting against MLK's Birthday Holiday. I have no doubt, though,that if MLK was around today and spoke truth to power, many would not embrace him as they do today.

Global Election

Former President Jimmy Carter made comments to reporters in my home country, Nigeria, that are being construed as an endorsement of Barack Obama. See NY Times entry that cites Nigerian daily, This Day, and another posting from the Jerusalem Post.

There is little doubt in my mind that Africans on the content and in the diaspora will erupt in celebration if Senator Obama wins this thing. By the way, President Carter should have asked Samantha Powers if he had any allusions his comments would not be reported globally.

Moment of Encounter: A Great Prophet

NPR will have a feature this Thursday on MLK's Prophetic last speech on the 40th anniversary of his assassination. Here's a video excerpt of that speech. For any student of religion, there is the recognition of the lasting residue of a moment of encounter with the divine; for what else is prophecy but the prophet emanating and transmitting the force of his or her divine encounter to the community of believers.

The New Punditocracy

An interesting article on the changing demographics of the punditocracy visible on the cable news networks. I had myself noticed the number of newly regular African-American faces on TV. Some notable faces include Jamal Simmons, Amy Holmes, Melissa Harris-Lacewell and Joe Watkins. The NY Times writes, "While a few are unknown to general audiences, they all come with extensive résumés that mostly include backgrounds in journalism, politics, academe, nonprofit organizations or business." Juan Williams and Donna Brazile are, of course, long established political commentators and actors. I do hope the new faces continue to be visible long after this race.

Image Source: (Amy Holmes) www.projectway.com by way of politico.com; (Donna Brazile) wikipedia.