Prometheus 6

I figured I needed one more post to get all my ire at that Father's Day speech off. But a couple of y'all dropped a link to Mr. Oliphant's inspired work in a couple of comment sections. As a result I've been reading around on the topic. There's a lot of intense discussion going on, which is good, and everyone seems to be trying to be both real and fair, which is better. As a result I'm writing something different than I intended when I woke up.

There's a couple of issues that come up around this speech...political issues, sociological issues, hell, psychological issues...and they get kind of tangled in the discussion. So I want to comb through mine and lay it out for examination.

Last point first, so as not to scare da hell out of you. I'll still vote for Obama in November. If I got something else in mind to write about I probably won't drop it and debunk personal attacks against him as I will when the attacks are based on racially resentful imagery. That's because I don't feel I can count on him and his campaign to deal with it anymore.

So why the vote lock? John McCain, and the Republicans in general. They have to go. 

However...and here's the first point...I think we've seen Black folks working in concert (or at least simultaneously; there's so much of the swoon about this I can't say 'in concert' is correct) can influence the national primaries as effectively as any other in-group. Because until one of the parties falls apart the real way to influence is through the parties, not the election. Bringing that realization back to the state and local levels is the biggest benefit that could come out of all this.

An arguably bigger benefit...the elimination of the Southern Strategy...was available once. What we got instead was a validation of the Soulja Strategy. Pretty much everyone sees the speech, in its content, timing and location, was Soulja-esque at minimum, a response to McCain and media challenges to prove he is capable of going against his party, maverick-style. But what he spoke has been Democratic orthodoxy since Bill Clinton figured out the liberal equivalent of standing in front of white people dropping separatist code words: standing in front of Black people saying racism is a problem they must solve. Either way Black folks are still the problem.

And I find I must give Sen. Obama pretty much the same reaction would give any other politician that chose not to acknowledge Father's Day other than by telling the fathers out here, "Just be glad it's not you."