Sunday, April 26, 2015

The Koch brothers should consider John Kasich, and an old interview with the Field Negro.

The Field Negro education series continues.

I read this very interesting article, recently.

"The St. Croix River War has exploded into open hostilities. Hide the hotdish, mother!
 
For a couple of years now, Scott Walker, the goggle-eyed homunculus hired by Koch Industries to run their midwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Wisconsin, has been embarrassed regularly by the economic performance of neighboring Minnesota, which is governed in a completely different fashion by a Democratic governor, Mark Dayton. So, on Thursday, as part of his campaign to sell himself as a possible president, which requires him to sell the rubes a State of Wisconsin wholly different from the actual one that he is selling off for parts, Walker dropped by Minnesota. A former mayor of Minneapolis was there to greet him.
In 2010, both Wisconsin and Minnesota faced similar budget woes and a worrisome economic future amid a national recession. Both are also Midwest states, deeply invested in manufacturing and agricultural economic drivers. The only difference was that Minnesotans elected DFL Gov. Mark Dayton to turn Minnesota around, while Wisconsinites chose Scott Walker to lead their state's recovery. Only one governor was successful.
Then he gets harsh.
In Minnesota, Dayton has moved forward Democratic policies like increasing the minimum wage, expanding Medicaid and investing in the middle class, and now we are seeing one of the most business-friendly states in the country. Just this year, Forbes ranked Minnesota as the ninth best state for business, seventh in economic climate and second in quality of life. In Wisconsin, Walker opposed a minimum-wage increase and equal-pay legislation, rejected federal funds to expand Medicaid, and attacked Wisconsin workers with right-to-work and anti-collective-​bargaining policies. As a result, the cost of doing business in Wisconsin is higher than the national average, and median household income is thousands less than in Minnesota. The facts are clear: Walker and the Republican trickle-down economic policies have made it practically impossible for Wisconsin to recover from the recession, and the state consistently sits at the bottom of the region in private-sector job growth.
The Minnesota-Wisconsin comparison has dogged Walker ever since the press and the general public first noticed it. (This is partly because Dayton, while a fine governor, has a very eccentric attitude toward tooting his own political horn -- to wit: he won't do it. Drives political people up the wall.) And, judging by what he said to his carefully screened audience in the Twin Cities -- once again, Scott Walker bravely faces down his political opponents by avoiding them -- it's starting to get under Walker's skin more than a little.
Walker's closed-door session with legislators — and later gatherings with top business leaders and a conservative group — come as he nears an announcement on a White House campaign after taking several preliminary steps toward a bid, including hiring staff and taking repeated trips to states with early primaries. He said a formal decision would come once Wisconsin lawmakers set a new budget, probably in early June..."You've had the advantage of other than a two-year period of having Republicans in charge of at least one part of government for some time. Before we came into office for many years, there was a Democrat governor, a Democrat assembly and a Democrat Senate," Walker said, noting the state's peak 9.2 percent unemployment rate before his election in 2010 and its 4.6 percent standing now. Nationally, the unemployment rate was above 9 percent throughout 2010 and has fallen to 5.5 percent now.
Wisconsin has trailed the national average in private-sector job growth since six months after Walker took office. He fell short of a signature campaign promise to create 250,000 private-sector jobs, although 145,000 new positions appeared, and Wisconsin ranked 40th nationwide in private-sector job growth in the 12-month period ending in September. As he tours the country, Walker has boasted that new businesses are starting up in Wisconsin at a higher rate than the rest of the country and that income growth for residents exceeds the national average.

To which Dayton replied.
Dayton, a supporter of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, offered a polite "Welcome to Minnesota" to Walker and said he should come back as often as he likes. "I'm not going to engage in presidential politics at this point," Dayton said.
Like I said. The guy is a real fireworks display.

It is becoming part of the general campaign narrative that we have at least three potential Republican candidates -- Walker, Chris Christie, and the increasingly ludicrous "Bobby" Jindal -- who are running on their interpretations of how well they've done in office. All three currently have approval ratings in their own states that are headed toward the root cellar. All three of their states are a complete mess in one way or another. Yet all three of them are out there, pitching fantastical visions of states that have nothing to do with actual reality. It's campaign by karaoke.

Now, the idea that governors make the best presidents is largely shibboleth, as has been noted elsewhere. But, if the Republicans are looking for someone to make that case in actual reality, then John Kasich is their only choice. (I am not in any way endorsing this proposition, because Kasich is running his campaign based on The Worst Idea In American Politics.) He's relatively popular. When he tried to Walkerize his state workforce, the voters beat him over the head with a hammer and he backed off, and he hasn't tried again. He took the Affordable Care Act's FREE MONEY (!) He's got Green Room cred that the others -- except possibly Christie -- don't have. Unlike Christie, Walker, and Rick Perry, he's under neither indictment nor investigation, always a plus.

Economically, the man's ideas are from Jupiter, but that's to be expected. He is a Reagan cultist, after all, But, compared to, say, Jindal, whose state university is preparing for the possibility of bankruptcy, Kasich looks like Pericles. Yet, when it comes down to it, the basic problems for Kasich in a Republican primary process are that: A) he can't raise money, and B) he has made the barest modicum of sense on too many occasions. That bespeaks a deeper problem, I'd say." [Source]

And then there is Lady Hillary with all her...ahem, ahem, money problems.

2016 should be really interesting.

Finally, someone just sent me this interview I did with another blog a few years back.

Thought I would share.

"Interview With Wayne Bennett, Author of The Field Negro

       P   O   S   T   E   D       B   Y       A   L   B   E   R  T
Wayne-bennett-1 Wayne Bennett’s blog, The Field Negro, explores race in America in an unexpected way. His writing mixes cultural polemics with humor to provoke conversation and insight about one of our country’s most fraught subjects. He’s always a good read. The following interview was conducted by e-mail …
1. You write a blog called “The Field Negro.” That’s a provocative name for a blog. Why did you choose it?

I chose it because of one of my favorite speeches of all time: The Malcolm X speech to the SNCC workers in Alabama in 1965. This is where he outlined the dichotomy between the house and field Negroes in America, and why, as a result, it is hard for black folks to unify around particular causes.

I wanted to identify with the field Negroes in my writing because that’s how I view myself in the ongoing debate. Someone who works hard and represents the masses.
Besides, I wanted a title that makes people uncomfortable.

2. Do you ever get called out for what you write on your blog? What’s the one thing that, in retrospect, you most regret having written? What was the post that generated the most controversy?

I get called out all the time. I get more nasty e-mails than you could ever imagine.
I rarely regret anything I write, but if you put a gun to my head I would have to say calling Condy Rice “the bad perm lady.” After the Don Imus incident where he called the Rutgers basketball players “nappy headed hoes” and I ripped him for it, I realized what a hypocrite I was, because I was in essence doing the same thing to Secretary Rice.

It’s hard to say which post generated the most controversy. I have had a few. My post about white people and their pets pissed off a lot of white folks. And my post about the 12% rule for black folks pissed off a lot of black people. I always get a lot of heat for supporting the Jewish people on various issues as well.

3. [The foundation I work at] administered a poll to [the members of a] giving circle …, and one of their questions was this:
In the long run, the most effective way to address a region’s racial inequities is to (choose only one):
  1. engage the entire community in discussions about race and white privilege
  2. address systemic issues (e.g., laws, policies, etc.) that lead to unequal outcomes
  3. empower low-income communities politically (through voter registration drives, etc.)
  4. bring more low-income people into the middle class through literacy and skills training, small business development programs, and improving public education
  5. just wait another 50 years until younger, less bigoted generations assume positions of responsibility and power
How would you answer this question and why?

I love numbers 3 & 4. Education. Education. Education. It is the greatest equalizer in America. I would also push for more political involvement among underserved communities—if it’s one thing a politician fears is numbers at the ballot box—and financial education for poor people. It is very important that we learn how to save and manage our money.

4. As regards conversations (and actions) in the public sphere touching on matters of race and ethnicity, what trends have you seen over the past ten years?

It’s getting better, but folks in the majority are still afraid to talk openly about race and ethnicity. The mainstream media won’t touch it because they know that it makes most folks in America uncomfortable. The only time we talk about it (race) is when we have to. (See the Henry Louis Gates incident at Harvard which led to Obama’s “teachable moment.”) And when it infringes on the political debate such as the case with immigration reform.

5. What do you regard as the most definitive work (book or article) for anybody wishing to understand race in America?

Oh my, where do I start? There are so many great ones … I have a couple: Why Black People Tend To Shout by Ralph Wiley. The Racial Contract by Charles Mills. The Arrogance Of Race by George Fredrickson. The Mis-Education Of The Negro by [Carter G.] Woodson, and All God’s Children by Fox Butterfield. From the conservative side I would recommend Shelby Steele’s The Content Of Our Character. There are more, but those jump out at me.
Oh, and how could I forget? You have to read The Field Negro.

6. In your view, how important a force has Hip Hop been in bridging racial divides? What are the cultural and other forces that you believe have the most promise in helping to unite us?

Hip Hop, in a way, has helped to bridge the racial divide. Especially among young people. They are our future, and young white kids from the burbs are trying to relate to young black kids from urban areas. Which, to me, is a good thing. Music and the arts is probably the best way to bridge the racial divide without actually getting down and talking to each other. But this comes with a caveat from me. Unfortunately these kumbaya moments can be somewhat superficial. We still have to explore our differences and try to understand each other on a deeper level and in more meaningful ways to have true racial harmony in America.

7. What can we look for in The Field Negro in the coming months? What other blogs would you recommend to our [readers]?

I am just going to keep writing about what I see every day and how I feel regardless of who it offends. I hate to say it, but I really don't have time to read a lot of other blogs. Still, there are other bloggers who I admire. Rippa from the Intersection Of Madness & Reality comes to mind, and I love all the bloggers in the Afrosphere. They all work so hard and put so much energy into their blogs" [Source]

I don't think the blog responsible for this interview is with us anymore. Like so many others before them, I think that they fell victim to blog burnout.

Sadly, I am starting to relate.

 










  

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

Field, you are the biggest liar on the internet.

Anonymous said...

I also like #'s 2 and 4!

No Field , no blog burnout for you!!! x(

There's many,many things that have to be spoken to/addressed!

Personally though, I would love to see here more social issues,such as morality, parenting, I dunno, maybe the other guys can suggest topics we'd like to see you write about and discuss? That would be cool:)

Anyway goodnight all, got a long trip ahead of me tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

"Personally though, I would love to see here more social issues,such as morality, parenting, I dunno, maybe the other guys can suggest topics we'd like to see you write about and discuss? That would be cool:)"

Personally, I would love to see more spiritual and religious issues here. It's a vital part of being human, esp if you are Black.

PilotX said...

2,3 and 4 for me.

Interesting post about Walker. I had a pilot from another airline ride our jumpseat the other day and he started talking about politics. I stick to the old mantra about not discussing such and just listened and just figured "here we go again" but I was pleasantly surprised. There are still some white folks out there with some sense and didn't get infected with ODS. He talked about how the park system in Wisconsin which used to be good now sucks and how Milwaukee used to have several public swimming pools now has only a handful ect. I was heartened to learn there are still some folks who care about the public interests and there is actually pushback among the informed against Walker and his Kochesque ideas. Who knows, maybe more people will wake the F up before it's too late.

Anonymous said...

Great idea, spiritual and religious.

Those topics are always worth interchanging ideas about!

Anonymous said...

Aside from being an outright lackey for the Koch brothers, Scott Walker is dumber than a bag of hammers. Every time I hear him speak, it seems like the dude is struggling just to make words.

I shudder to think of how disastrous a "special ed" Walker White House would be. Probably like a second, nation-ruining Dubya presidency.

PilotX said...

Well anon, Republicans love their stupid.

The Purple Cow said...

Unless blogging is your job, keeping a blog going over time becomes increasingly onerous, particularly if the expectation is that you should post something every day. The real world has a way of sapping your motivation.

I currently have three blogs, one political in which I post maybe twice a week, one cricket - technical/statistical - in which I post about once a week, and one cricket - non technical in which I post once every three weeks or so. That's about as much as I can find the motivation for.

I admire you for keeping this blog going for as long as you have Field, I couldn't do it.

Anonymous said...

Brother Field, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for FN. I don't know what I would do without it. I look forward to it everyday. IMO, you are a godsend for people like me.

Your blog is unique and streams out creativity everyday! You have a natural talent for the business of blogging and I pray you will never stop. I am sure that ALL who come here feel the same, whether to criticize or agree with your posts. No matter, your writings stir the heart and mind to say something to you or some poster.

The beauty of FN is that it's open to all of humanity, 'uncensored.' That is another reason FN is unique. It shows the whole spectrum of humanity...the good, bad and ugly. And they come in all colors.

Once again, I thank you and hope you never stop giving of yourself.


The Purple Cow said...

Interesting statistical analysis of the attitudes of white Democrats and white Republicans to black people.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/are-white-republicans-more-racist-than-white-democrats/

field negro said...

Thank u Anon@3:38. (You better be on the West Coast. What are u doing up at 3:38 am on a Monday morning?)

PC, thanks for that link. And please provide a link to your cricket blog.

Anonymous said...

Field, when will you post a list of all of the "Field Negroes" and the "House Negroes", specifically to determine if they are still "Field" or "House" anymore.

Bill said...


The Purple Cow said...
Interesting statistical analysis of the attitudes of white Democrats and white Republicans to black people.


If someone as respected as Henry Louis Gates will whitewash history to protect his rich white dumbocrat buddies why should anyone believe your link isn't also whitewashed to protect white dumbocrats?


Henry Louis Gates proved that history is all in the telling of the story, not the truth.

Bill said...


Gotta love how the socialists and outside agitators get involved in protests and riots.

If "Black Lives Matter," why couldn't the socialists that paid for the professionally produced signs spell Freddie Gray correctly?

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thetandd.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/a2/2a298641-feac-53c9-9dbc-514f892c54cf/553c9b599a23f.image.jpg


Agenda before "Black Lives Matter."

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Field, when will you post a list of all of the "Field Negroes" and the "House Negroes", specifically to determine if they are still "Field" or "House" anymore.

7:57 AM
----------
Brother Field, anon has struck on something that is endemic to the black race. That is, Blacks who claimed, or once 'were', Field Negroes have changed consciously or unconsciously, to being House Negroes.

House Negroes to me means Negroes who are traitors, sell-outs, selfish black soul destroyers for the wm.

My dear Brother, this would make a great post because I can't think of 'ONE' Field Negro who hasn't turned House Negro:

Obama is at the top of the list, followed by Charles Barkley, followed a whole host of professional athletes, who either have 'come out' and criticized Blacks for not 'acting' 'white enough', or for 'acting too White....the list of Negroes AND the destructive white racist thinking by these Negroes continue to prove that THERE IS NO HOPE FOR BLACKS IN AMERICA, esp AAs.

Please, please, please. Write a post that forces us to look at our own low-self esteem, our own self-hatred, our own DISRESPECT of each other...bottom line it's our lack of love, our hatred and suspicion of our own kind...which exactly how Whites think of us.

Until we start to unpack and start throwing away this crap, we are doomed. Of course, there are many who 'deny' there is anything wrong. I classify them as House Negroes/traitors also.



Anonymous said...

Field, can we get a commitment from you to post what the anons have requested re: Field Negroes who have become House Negroes?

Can we get you to post such a post about our folks? I really think it's the heart of the matter for us in America.

If you commit I will personally see that Anon Inc drops it's non-payment complaint with the Better Business Bureau against you. Not only that, I will see to it that FN receives an additional two years of supporting anons FREE.

Now that's an offer you cannot refuse. It's a win-win all the way around.

The Purple Cow said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Purple Cow said...

Quote Bill-the-Numbskull

"f someone as respected as Henry Louis Gates will whitewash history to protect his rich white dumbocrat buddies why should anyone believe your link isn't also whitewashed to protect white dumbocrats?"

Bill-oh logic in a nutshell, right there...

"You don't have to believe a single thing you ever read ever if you don't want to believe it's true - because Henry Gates.

Ding, Ding, Bill.

Yīshēng said...

Bill said...
Henry Louis Gates proved that history is all in the telling of the story, not the truth.
>>>>

Henry Louis Gates' decision doesn't have jack to do with politics Bill and you KNOW it. What he proved is that it's smart to be fearful of retaliation from rich, White, powerful people.

Yīshēng said...

Field, yours is the ONLY true and mature voice of truth for people of color on the Internet.

Limpbaugh said...

I'm going to call Walker and tell him he needs to talk about divide and conquer more. I'll tell him I'm Dave Koch.

Bill said...


Yīshēng said...
Henry Louis Gates' decision doesn't have jack to do with politics Bill and you KNOW it.


As if Henry would white wash the racist history of hannity coulter rush.

Yīshēng said...

If Hannity, Coulter, Rush, had as much power/money/influence as Hollywood, you bet your arse he would have.

It's just too bad you're still confusing the power of money with politics.

Yīshēng said...

Anyone else LOVE the President's "bucket list"?

Anonymous said...

Baltimore is in trouble. Protesters and police are clashing and it looks like the situation is escalating. Racism is exploding!

Gray's funeral kicked it off. Black youth are in the streets ready to take on the police.

The sorry ass Mayor has yet to be heard from.

Meanwhile gangs such as the Crips have joined with rivals to take on the police. Looks like we are going to get a different look at bm in action. Instead of running and being shot in the back by police, they will face them.

Anonymous said...

It's too bad Yisheng doesn't even know there is a riot and clashes in the streets of Baltimore which is right next to DC.

Anonymous said...

"I'm going to call Walker and tell him he needs to talk about divide and conquer more. I'll tell him I'm Dave Koch."

I don't think that prank will work a second time. Walker's pretty dimwitted, but even he'll probably see through that one.

As Dubya used to say, "Fool me once ... can't git fooled agin'."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A

Yīshēng said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
It's too bad Yisheng doesn't even know there is a riot and clashes in the streets of Baltimore which is right next to DC.
>>>>>>>

Don't confuse my DirectTV satellite service with the aluminum foil you have attached to back of your black and white TV.

Anonymous said...

"Henry Louis Gates' decision doesn't have jack to do with politics Bill and you KNOW it. What he proved is that it's smart to be fearful of retaliation from rich, White, powerful people."

I don't think the retaliation would've been all that harsh. I think mostly he felt like he might have trouble in future getting other celebrities to participate in that family history show if he didn't accommodate Affleck's request. Not the end of the world.

But he shouldn't really have caved. If he wanted to make a concession, he should've said, look, your participation's voluntary, and you can pull out of the show if you no longer want your family history covered, but I'm not going to air an edited version of your history because you're embarrassed or because it might somehow interfere with publicity for the Batman movie.

Anonymous said...

The Maryland National Guard has been called out to help the increasing violence in Baltimore.

I feel sorry for the Mayor. She seems to be at a loss for words. Thus far, there have been 15 injured police officers--two are in the hospital.

This reminds me of the riots of the 60's when MLK was assassinated.

They say it's the thugs who are doing this. But that's what they say everytime there is violence and rioting.

Whatever. For certain it is "Black Rage."

field negro said...

"Anyone else LOVE the President's "bucket list"?"

*HAND UP*

field negro said...

But yeah, Baltimore was burning while Washington was having a party. And of course the media totally ignored it.

Only in America.

*shakes head*

Anonymous said...

"Meanwhile gangs such as the Crips have joined with rivals to take on the police. Looks like we are going to get a different look at bm in action. Instead of running and being shot in the back by police, they will face them."

Best hope not.

If you really want to see black lives not mattering at all, the Crips "facing" the police would be the ideal way to make that happen. I think we both know that this would not go down like it did with Cliven Bundy and his band of merry militia morons. The city would have to increase its budget to purchase more body bags after the cops enthusiastically filled all available ones up with dead gangbangers. The National Guard are already on their way to Baltimore with the heavy artillery as we speak.

This would also be very detrimental to the goals of the police reform movement as a whole. Nothing would make the public see cops as the good guys, and activists as the bad guys, like a full-scale assault on the police.

Anonymous said...

There's looting at the Lexington Market and it's night, a very dark night. The Mayor has called more help 'besides' the National Guard.

Let's hope this rage doesn't catch on fire across America.

Pray for Baltimore and for Gray's soul to R.I.P.

A lot of folks are hurting.

History teacher said...

"Gotta love how the socialists and outside agitators get involved in protests and riots."

Outside agitators? They still use that word? I thought thought that went into the dustbin of history along with uppity negroes and Yankee interlopers. Conservative thought is regressing.

Anonymous said...

"This would also be very detrimental to the goals of the police reform movement as a whole. Nothing would make the public see cops as the good guys, and activists as the bad guys, like a full-scale assault on the police."

8:28 PM
------------
The public, ie, the "White Public" already see the cops as the good guys. And they have for centuries seen Blacks as bad whose lives aren't worth much anyway.

So what does it matter? Maybe the "mass killing", as you call it, will justify the killings and the whole cop reform will be forgotten. The thing is there never was, or is a police reformation...It's BS.

Anonymous said...

Field, here's a live feed re: Baltimore riot if you are interested.

http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/2015/04/27/baltimore-police-freddie-gray-officer-injured/26468391/

Anonymous said...

Nobody would read your blog.

Anonymous said...

"The public, ie, the 'White Public' already see the cops as the good guys. And they have for centuries seen Blacks as bad whose lives aren't worth much anyway."

ALL white people don't see cops as infallible or black people as disposable garbage. That is your perception, but it is not the reality. There definitely are white people whose support black people can use, and whose support it would be foolish to lose.

As for reforming the police, that is a process that will take probably decades of pressure. It is about changing institutional culture, getting better training programs created and funded, getting independent prosecutors assigned to hold police accountable. This isn't a civil rights movement that can happen quickly, like the one in the '50s and '60s. It's not like you can just repeal a Shooting Black People Law and everything will be instantly fixed.

I realize it isn't easy to be patient under the circumstances, but there is no viable alternative to applying that sustained pressure over a long period of time. That's what it's going to take. I don't see a shortcut.

field negro said...

Two good comments; two opposing views. See Anon@8:39 and 11:16 above.

Anon@8:43, thanks for that link.

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Anonymous said...

Reaganomics is a 25 year global economic boom the likes of which may never again be seen in human history, the very opposite of Obamanomics. Ergo: your opinion truly has the stench of africanized slave mindedness. Sad for you negroid.