You guys should know that I really made a concerted effort not to talk about Senator Obama for at least a few days. It was my intention to focus on other aspects of my Afronerdic sensibilities but this latest dust up with consumer advocate, Ralph Nader pulled me back in. I have never once stated that racism doesn't exist, only that it should not be relied on by Black folk as the default answer for all the foibles of the African-American universe. When you listen closely to the above video of Nader waxing on Obama being an alleged bought candidate, one can understand Nader's intent but the notion of "talking White" is quite perplexing. It's as if talking "Black" is the appropriate vernacular for Obama's station in life. And what's the deal with the half African-American remark? Either you're African-American or you're not. Perhaps it's a matter of semantics, but being biracial and using the term "half African-American" brings us back to matters of Black authenticity......again.
And you Black folks were so sure that the progressives had your back-think again. This is what happens when the status quo is being challenged. Heck, didn't it cause Bill Clinton from being just light-skinneded to White in a matter of seconds (I kid. I kid)? Anyone who becomes president is essentially a bought individual-whether it's corporate lobbyists, attorneys or soccer moms. The question is.....should a man of color be put into the racial corner paradigm just because of his pursuit of the presidency? Nader should be applauded for his decades long stalwart advocacy as it relates to fighting corporate avarice but playing the skin game seems beneath him.
For the last few years we have witnessed Nader interject himself into presidential races where he had no chance of winning, so perhaps this latest episode is an example of another ego run amuck in the face of racial change. We have witnessed ego implosions through out this entire campaign...just check past footage of The Clintons, Geraldine Ferraro, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Andrew Young and now Nader. Again folks, for this go around you can support Obama but remember it really is time to leverage your vote and to fight the monolith. The one-size-fits-all Black voting bloc must cease if we are to be taken seriously. All this because some melanin was dropped into the current political stew. You can't blame the GOP this time......its them-ahem, I mean the DEMS! Here's more about the Nader controversy from CNN.com:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ralph Nader's presidential candidacy has received little media attention, but his latest critique of Sen. Barack Obama has come under fire for its seemingly racial overtones.
Ralph Nader is running for president as an independent.
Speaking with Colorado's Rocky Mountain News, Nader accused Obama of attempting to "talk white" and appealing to "white guilt" in his quest to win the White House.
"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American," Nader told the paper in comments published Tuesday.
"Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards," Nader added.
Obama said Wednesday in Chicago, Illinois, that Nader was simply trying to "get attention."
"What's clear is, Ralph Nader hasn't been paying attention to my speeches," he said. "Ralph Nader's trying to get attention. He's become a perennial political candidate. I think it's a shame, because if you look at his legacy ... it's an extraordinary one. ... At this point, he's somebody who's trying to get attention, whose campaign hasn't gotten any traction."
And for the article in its entirety, click here.
And oops.....More Obama-the Illinois Senator speaks to Rolling Stone and he critiques minstrel hop-god forbid!
Here's more from News.Scotsman.com:
Obama raps hip-hop stars for sending out wrong message
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