Ken Mhelman stepped down as RNC chairman yesterday, and the buzz around Washington is that the Republicans will offer the job to Michael Steel. That is, of course, if he doesn't take a job in the Bush cabinet as housing Secretary. Anyway, this is a move, I am sure, on the part of republicans to once again court the black vote. I mean they must look at election results time and time again, see that once again, they only got about 9% of the black vote, and pull whatever hair they have left, out. I can hear them in the back rooms now: "I know that guy Steele ran a pretty good race, and he is funny, upbeat, and telegenic. He is just the type of guy we need to reach out to the blacks" Now, they might or might not be right, and if he does takes the job, Mr. Steele just might be terrific at it.
But I have a few words of advise for Michael before he becomes the new black face of the republican party. -Sorry Condi- Your party has been despised by black folks all these years for a reason. Us black folks have this sixth sense about us, we can sense and see things that other people can't. And it has always proven to be an invaluable tool when it comes to telling us who our friends really are. Our sixth sense always tells us that your Republicans friends aren't our friend, and we aren't really welcome in your tent. Oh, you will tell us we are welcome, but somehow our sixth sense always says otherwise.
This is why no matter how much republicans try to reach out to us, it never works. Oh, we will politely tell them that we will consider voting for the republican candidate , but we never do. We will let you them our homes, and our space to tell us their position, but we ain't voting for them no matter what- At least 90% of us aren't. So Michael, this is what you will have to overcome, that sixth sense of ours that never seems to let us down.
Now, please don't get it twisted, it's not just the sixth sense. There are legitimate noticeable reasons for black folks turning against the republican party: Remember Ronald Reagan in Philadelphia, Mississippi, back in 1980, giving that infamous speech supporting states rights? Remember Nixon's 1968 "Southern Strategy? Remember Barry Goldwater opposing The Civil Rights Act of 1964? Remember Herbert Hoover? Remember republican strategist Lee Atwater's statement? "you start out in 1954 by saying Nigger,nigger, nigger, By 1968 you can't say nigger without it backfiring, so you say stuff like forced busing,states rights, and all that stuff" Mmmmmm, all that stuff huh Lee? Stuff like Willie Horton, "Harold call me", a black hand taking away a job from a white hand for Jessie Helms? But this is what you will be trying to overcome Michael, and the field is just trying to help you out. Hey, when your predecessor, Ken Mhelman, tried to apologize for the republican southern strategy, two of your biggest mouth pieces, Rush Limpboy, and Sean Hannety, denounced him.
So it's all uphill for you if you take this job Michael, and I don't know if you will be able to pull it off. You see how many black folks voted against you for the white democratic candidate in your own race don't you? This, even though you ran as far away from the frat boy as possible. That ought to tell you something: Party affiliation to the democratic party trumps even race with most black folks. So you just might want to think about that before you take the job.
Now don't get me wrong, I would love to see more black folks embracing the republican party. I, for one, do not believe that we should be monolithic in our voting. I would never want one party to take us for granted, as the democrats have done from time to time. Hey, Rosa Parks herself begged J.C. Watts to stay in Congress and represent the republican party. But hey, if it's not there it's not there. There is too much of a history here between us black folks and the party of Lincoln. Too much mistrust, too much ass given to kiss, too much David Dukes, Trent Lotts, and macaca men. And yes the Democratic Senator Robert Byrd was a former Klansman, and he did try to stymie the passing of crucial civil rights legislation in the sixties with a filibuster. But somehow black folks forgive him-it's that sixth sense again- and not Trent Lott. We never seem to forget the sh*& republicans do, but we give the dems a pass. Remember Clinton and Sistah Souljah? Of course you do; democrats can use us and get away with it, but republicans can't. Hey these old wounds were deep, and it will take a long time to heal. "Well there goes the South" I know LBJ, and it ain't been back ever since.
So good luck Mike, I really do hope you can make an impact among black folks. At least that sixth sense doesn't go off when we are around you. We really do feel like you are one of us, and that's a huge start.
****I would like to say RIP to two field Negroes who recently passed away.
Ed Bradley; sixty minutes was never enough for you my man. I loved the fact that you never forgot your Philly roots, and you kept it one hundred percent at all times.
Gerald Levert; Like your Pop, you had some serious pipes, and you left your people with some good ass music. The fields will be alive with the sounds of R&B tonight.
I'm out.
But I have a few words of advise for Michael before he becomes the new black face of the republican party. -Sorry Condi- Your party has been despised by black folks all these years for a reason. Us black folks have this sixth sense about us, we can sense and see things that other people can't. And it has always proven to be an invaluable tool when it comes to telling us who our friends really are. Our sixth sense always tells us that your Republicans friends aren't our friend, and we aren't really welcome in your tent. Oh, you will tell us we are welcome, but somehow our sixth sense always says otherwise.
This is why no matter how much republicans try to reach out to us, it never works. Oh, we will politely tell them that we will consider voting for the republican candidate , but we never do. We will let you them our homes, and our space to tell us their position, but we ain't voting for them no matter what- At least 90% of us aren't. So Michael, this is what you will have to overcome, that sixth sense of ours that never seems to let us down.
Now, please don't get it twisted, it's not just the sixth sense. There are legitimate noticeable reasons for black folks turning against the republican party: Remember Ronald Reagan in Philadelphia, Mississippi, back in 1980, giving that infamous speech supporting states rights? Remember Nixon's 1968 "Southern Strategy? Remember Barry Goldwater opposing The Civil Rights Act of 1964? Remember Herbert Hoover? Remember republican strategist Lee Atwater's statement? "you start out in 1954 by saying Nigger,nigger, nigger, By 1968 you can't say nigger without it backfiring, so you say stuff like forced busing,states rights, and all that stuff" Mmmmmm, all that stuff huh Lee? Stuff like Willie Horton, "Harold call me", a black hand taking away a job from a white hand for Jessie Helms? But this is what you will be trying to overcome Michael, and the field is just trying to help you out. Hey, when your predecessor, Ken Mhelman, tried to apologize for the republican southern strategy, two of your biggest mouth pieces, Rush Limpboy, and Sean Hannety, denounced him.
So it's all uphill for you if you take this job Michael, and I don't know if you will be able to pull it off. You see how many black folks voted against you for the white democratic candidate in your own race don't you? This, even though you ran as far away from the frat boy as possible. That ought to tell you something: Party affiliation to the democratic party trumps even race with most black folks. So you just might want to think about that before you take the job.
Now don't get me wrong, I would love to see more black folks embracing the republican party. I, for one, do not believe that we should be monolithic in our voting. I would never want one party to take us for granted, as the democrats have done from time to time. Hey, Rosa Parks herself begged J.C. Watts to stay in Congress and represent the republican party. But hey, if it's not there it's not there. There is too much of a history here between us black folks and the party of Lincoln. Too much mistrust, too much ass given to kiss, too much David Dukes, Trent Lotts, and macaca men. And yes the Democratic Senator Robert Byrd was a former Klansman, and he did try to stymie the passing of crucial civil rights legislation in the sixties with a filibuster. But somehow black folks forgive him-it's that sixth sense again- and not Trent Lott. We never seem to forget the sh*& republicans do, but we give the dems a pass. Remember Clinton and Sistah Souljah? Of course you do; democrats can use us and get away with it, but republicans can't. Hey these old wounds were deep, and it will take a long time to heal. "Well there goes the South" I know LBJ, and it ain't been back ever since.
So good luck Mike, I really do hope you can make an impact among black folks. At least that sixth sense doesn't go off when we are around you. We really do feel like you are one of us, and that's a huge start.
****I would like to say RIP to two field Negroes who recently passed away.
Ed Bradley; sixty minutes was never enough for you my man. I loved the fact that you never forgot your Philly roots, and you kept it one hundred percent at all times.
Gerald Levert; Like your Pop, you had some serious pipes, and you left your people with some good ass music. The fields will be alive with the sounds of R&B tonight.
I'm out.
10 comments:
Yo, Field!
Condolences on the passing of Ed Bradley and Gerald Levert.
Speaking of inappropriate passings and that sick bastard Ronny RayGun, I was heart-sick when Ray Charles passed away that same week, but all that hit the TV was Ronbo, Ronbo, Ronbo. I despise Ronbo, and his astrologer-loving bitch, Little Miss Just Say No.
I do owe Reagan one debt of gratitude. He was the Rethuglican who showed me just how badly the GOP lies, distorts, and hates ordinary people. A wake-up call that I would not have wanted to miss.
It is an article of faith with me that Republicans have no access to reality. None. They all live in a slightly different dimension than the rest of us. Wish they'd shut the damned door.
The key is fairness. John Rawls finally broke the code of justice for me, and it's fairness. If it isn't fair to everyone, then it isn't just, and if it isn't just, it's certainly wrong, and if it's wrong, it's probably immoral.
What people don't get is that to maintain a society, there must be a solid and shared moral basis. Presumably our legal system supports that shared moral basis, but the shit I've seen passed lately tells me no. That, or America has become just another third world dictatorship.
By the way, it would be just like Bush to give a black man the reins of the GOP just as the investigations and trials are about to begin in earnest. Steel (if he gets the job) will be up there defending Rove and Libby and all the dirty shit that has gone down for the last ten years and (presumably) he didn't have anything to do with it.
He MUST be a masochist of monumental proportions to even consider that job.
And can we talk about the latest crew of idiot trolls who run around touting the magnificent social justice and racial equality of the GOP because of Condi Rice? I put her in the same class as OJ Simpson. Does that make me evil? Or is it the hat? Tell me the truth, man, I can take it.
Remember. The word of the week is "oversight."
Spread the word.
I get so sick and tired of "The Establishment" trying to tell black folks whom to praise and to hold as our leaders. Let me just say this. Michael Steele is from my state and has done absolutley nothing for the black community. Yeah, sure from time to time he'll show up on a black radio station to shuck and jive and clown around. But when it comes to concrete solutions to hard problems, he's nowhere to be found.
In fact, during the election he tried to pass himself off as a Democrat (aint that a blip?), produced misleading campaign literature that attached his name to a list of Democrats on a sample ballot, and bused in black people to Maryland from a homeless shelter in Philly to campaign on election day. But he was pulling tricks way before then. He claimed to be doing so much for the common negro by working on initiatives to increase the number of minority contracts for the state and improving the state's HBCUs. Well, guess what friends? The people involved in those projects stated that Steele never ever followed through. The only thing that came out of his promises was a memo that wasn't released to the public.
When you're dealing with old racists, you know what they're up to. But when you're dealing with a brother who makes a career out of selling out his brothers and sisters, you've got a self-serving opportunist on your hands. I would have used another word, but I'm a lady. The short of it all is that they can name him to become the leader of the RNC or the top Skin and Grinner, but they need to remember that he is THEIR leader and not ours. We didn't vote for him...
=========
Although I'm shocked and saddened to hear the loss of Ed Bradley and Gerald Levert, I'm also very proud of the lives that they led. They will be in our hearts always. Rest in peace.
NB, no it doesn't make you evil. You call hypocrisy when you see it, and that's a good thing. Good observation about the timing of considering Steel. I never even thought about that. But hey, if he jumps in there he deserves what he gets. I want oversight,investigations, and my freedoms restored. Period!
As for OJ and Condi, I think comparing them is a stretch. I absolutely have no respect for OJ. He is one of the worse human beings ever, and a murderer to boot. But Condi is different; she is smart, and seems to have her sh&% together. I just hate her lies sometimes, and her lock step loyalty to the frat boy. But I suppose she is a good role model, and if she changes one life for the better thats a good thing.
As for aziza's point about Steel; this is why blogging is a good thing, because you have contacts with people who are closer to the situations such as this than you are. I can only take her at her word about Steele, and if it's true, well that's sad :(
I don’t exactly equate OJ, Condi, and Steel with each other, however, I do consider them to reside in the same neighborhood. I’ll explain. OJ, plain and simple, is an ignorant man. There is no rhyme or reason to his actions, except for him wanting to bask in the white light. It doesn’t matter that “they” hate him (for allegedly killing his wife), because his love for “them” is unconditional. Just after black people rejoiced in the streets at his acquittal, he jumped right back into the arms of the yt women who got in him trouble with the law to begin with. Not a word of thanks to the sisters who supported his weak butt throughout his trial. I took issue with him many years before his trial because of negative remarks he made about HBCUs.
Condi seems to get mixed reviews from us, because the first thing that I ever hear is that people respect her for being smart. But if memory serves me correctly, “all” black folks who end up in Washington, DC who serve in high positions have impressive educational backgrounds and resumes. So what distinguishes her from the others? She lacks commitment to the black community. She’s no Alexis Herman or Lani Guinier (Bill should have stuck by her). Condi sports around like the official concubine for the top mop, and never takes the opportunity to extend her help to the black community in DC which is an arm’s length away from her. In the good ole Bill days, I recall the late Ron Brown, Alexis Herman, members of the CBC and others volunteering their time, expertise, and commitment to local DC metro area churches and other black organizations after work. They would allow you to walk up to them and engage in conversations. Shux, Condi didn’t have to time be fooling around with the Katrina victims (*inject sarcasm*), because she was vacationing in NYC, busy shoe shopping, and attending the SPAM play. She only flew down to the Gulf area to take a box of canned goods out of a trunk of a car for a photo op after folks ridiculed her for not caring. Shux, that’s who this chick is. She isn’t thinking about us.
And like Condi, Steele is an opportunist. He fools black folks too with his educational background and charisma. But once again, I have to pull out a magnifying glass to find his commitment to the black community. All our skin folk ain’t our kin folk. I’m glad that I didn’t vote for Steele. My vote for his opponent will give folks who’ve demonstrated a long commitment to black folks like Rep. Charlie Rangel and Rep. John Conyers a chance to become chairmen of the most powerful House committees such as the Ways and Means; and Judiciary committees.
"The same neighborhood", I like that, and you are dead on about OJ.-who, BTW, also was one of the holdouts for boycotting the 1968 Olympics-
I am glad for the info on Steele-Hey,you should know-and I agree with you that it's one thing to put on a nice suit and string two words together, but at the end of the day, you have to walk the walk as well. And it doesn't matter whether the person we elect is white, yellow, or purple. As long as he/she represents our interests; that's all I care about.
BTW, you are right about Lani Guinier; Clinton should have stuck by her.
Field, please don't give Steele even that much credit. I was initially hired to write speeches for the dude until the RNC whitefolk decided I wasn't right wing (on the DL of course) enough. He, Lynn Swann, Ken Blackwell et al are test tube babies of the GOP, nothing more. The true Toms are they, but rather the fools who supported/voted for them for reasons of ego, beefs with white Democrats, stupidity, self-aggrandizement (such as the preachers dependent on "faith-baed" cash, or the HBCU Presidents looking for handouts), etc. Anything but policy.
I wish Colin Powell would now come out of hiding and shout "Damn right!"
House Negro and Proud of it (as were the ones who always poisoned massa and stole the good silver...)
CC: Interesting comment about the HBCU presidents. But really, give us all a break. Princeton and the other Ivy League universities recieve more handouts than any HBCU could ever dream of receiving. Also, our distrust of the red party extends beyond getting fired from a speech writer's job. It's not personal. It's about the issues.
I admire the field; he writes from the heart and writes well. Mad props, dude.
But we will have to agree to disagree about Condi. She has told so many lies in such important situations that I simply cannot respect her in the least. Seriously. Character only shows up under adversity. And every time the Goopers pushed, she caved. Now, maybe she's a nice person, a quiet neighbor, and keeps her yard nice. I don't know. But her behavior as a senior administration official has turned off totally.
Thanks for the reminder about her crap during Katrina, by the way. I was living in Gulfport, Mississippi when that happened. For those who don't know, the eye of Katrina came ashore in Gulfport. My apartment was in that first line of structures that could still be inhabited. Everything south of me was gone or uninhabitable. I can't usually talk much about it because I get angry and want to cry. I know so many people who lost everything.
Personally, I always love the intersection of the personal and the issues. Take Christopher Chambers' personal experience and link it to the general issue of rampant Republican racism. The issues are only important in so far as they affect the personal. If it doesn't affect anyone personally, then (in my opinion) it isn't a legitimate issue.
I like putting OJ and Condi in the same neighborhood because I expected better of both. OJ Simpson was more than just a football player, he was a symbol. He showed what could be done. Condi was also more than just another gubmint flunky. She, too, was a symbol of what could be done. Not only is she black, but female, too (Is that a difecta? A bifecta? What?). Maybe no one else has noticed but feminism here in Dog's Own Xtian Paradise is being crushed. Anyone else notice the proliferation of anti-woman legislation?
Yes, I'm speaking of abortion. Life does not begin at conception, and even it if did, there is nothing in the bible about it. So far as I'm aware there are no scriptural references to micro-biology. Life is continuous. A female is born with all the eggs she'll ever have. The whole anti-abortion issue is anti-feminist backlash. Fear of women. Fear of the dreaded Vagina of d00m. Fear of equality. It's bogus. But make no mistake, the Right will kill you over it. They have already killed and bombed, and I'm sure they'll happily continue.
If you haven't figured it out already, I have zero respect for the Right. The way their issues intersect the personal are all bad for ordinary people, be they black, white, pink, purple, or plaid.
As for Lynn Swann, hey, I was a major Lynn Swann fan back in the day. I could not believe it when he came out as a Republican. Now, I don't think Lynn really is a Republican, not in the sense that Bush is a Republican. Lynn spent his whole career in an authoritarian organization and made a bundle doing it. That warps your perspective. Authoritarianism is fine for sports and the military, but death to the larger society. Maybe that's a bit of OJ's problem, too. Who knows?
OK, I've written another novel on here. Field, it's all your fault, man. I get so caught up in conversation with intelligent and articulate people that I forget when to shut the hell up. My bad.
Chris, thanks for that up close and personal insight, and NB, thanks for the personal experience with one of the worse natural disasters to hit our shores.And yeah, it would have been nice if Condi could have shown some real empathy, and shouted in her frat boy's ears to do something. Instead, she was shoe shopping.
Anonym. I think CC's point is that being fired as his speech writer spoke to some bigger issues with the Steele campaign. It seems he-Steele- was more of a trojan horse, than a true believer; and that speaks volumes about the repubs.
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