Saturday, January 05, 2008

It started already!


Someone commenting on this blog mentioned how the folks on the right are going to go after half an.....whoops, I promised someone I wouldn't call Obama that anymore. But I will be damned if it didn't start already. Check out how Jonah Goldberg, one of cobb's boys on the right, implies that black folks will go Rodney King if the O man doesn't win.


"This is just a late Friday night prediction. But after reading this regrettable excess from Ezra Klein as well as all of the more reasonable but nonetheless hopeful, proud, idealistic and sincere sentiments of pride and well-wishing for Obama as the first serious mainstream black contender for the White House (some, but by no means all, of these sentiments shared by yours truly) , I think it's worth imagining a certain scenario. Imagine the Democrats do rally around Obama. Imagine the media invests as heavily in him as I think we all know they will if he's the nominee — and then imagine he loses. I seriously think certain segments of American political life will become completely unhinged. I can imagine the fear of this social unraveling actually aiding Obama enormously in 2008. Forget Hillary's inevitability. Obama has a rendezvous with destiny, or so we will be told. And if he's denied it, teeth shall be gnashed, clothes rent and prices paid."


There is more over at this excellent blog posting. ....


Now as you all know, I am not on the O train, but every time one of these sorry mofus go negative on the O man by making ignorant ass comments about my race, I will have something to say about that shit. Which leads me to believe that I will be having a lot to say this coming election cycle.


Thank you konagod, for leading me to the blog that led me to Jonah Goldberg's ignorant ass.

30 comments:

The Christian Progressive Liberal said...

Time for the ignorant to get their hate on.

Jonah Goldberg is a war-hawk. When asked why he didn't go fight in Iraq, he wussed out, ala Mitt Romney's sons' excuse for not serving their country.

I'm wondering why jackasses like him, the Falafel Man, Vannity and Colmes, and Tucker Carlson remain gainfully employed when their versions of journalism is to smear anyone who disagrees with their points of view.

In other news, the New Hampshire GOP pulled a "Color of Change" move and banned Fixed Noise (Fox Network) from televising the GOP New Hampshire Debates because not all of the GOP candidates (Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter) were excluded and banned from participating.

That's a first - the ReThugs turning on their own propaganda network for not playing fair. LOL

Anonymous said...

If Obama fails to achieve the presidency, pent-up hopes will be dashed and "certain segments of American political life will become completely unhinged."

This possible scenario, we're told, may actually work to Obama's advantage in the upcoming elections.

Consider that blacks alone can't put Obama in the White House, and that it's primarily white voters in Iowa that are supporting his candidacy so far, and have given him this major momentum by virtue of their vote of confidence, then it may not be blacks gnashing teeth, renting clothes or rendering an "eye for an eye."

What a cheap and scurrilous way to dredge up the specter of violence at this critical time in Obama's run for the White House and pander to the fear that white's may have regarding black reprisals if things don't go our way.

Rarely have blacks taken it to the street because of dashed hopes. Mainly it's been because of an egregious injustice of one sort or another.

Mithras said...

Can't we al just get along?

-D said...

Yes! That was me! This was in the National Review, and DID get called out by the always on-the-ball Glenn Greenwald over at Salon.com

Totally execrable, but totally expected.

But like I said, Field, this demographic isn't going to vote for Hillary either.

The question is: who or what is going to sway those independents?

Here's my position: these people aren't, by their nature, that ideological. They're independents, for chrissakes!

So emotion comes into play, at least to some extent, in deciding how they will vote.

Who's got more charisma, more oomph.... Clinton or Obama?

Obama '08

Your driver said...

Not so much about Obama as about riots, I've been in three riots, all of them involving rioting white people.

The first was a police riot in Paterson, NJ, in 1968. I was 14. That had a lot to do with my ongoing lack of respect for authority.

Next was a riot at a steel mill in Loraine, Ohio. The mill was looking to fill six positions. Somewhere between 5 and 10 thousand people turned out to apply. It was the middle of the winter and people stood outside all night in the snow to have a shot at a job. When someone came out with a bull horn and told us all to go home, they were only taking 100 applications, we broke every window in the building and tore the doors off the hinges. I'd guess that crowd was 98% white.

A couple of years later, I had given up on industrial employment and went to Indiana University. When IU won the NCAA basketball championship, the student body rioted. The windows were broken out of every store downtown. I saw a cop car get smashed-- windows broken, light bar torn off, roof crushed. The cops just stood there and smiled. "Yessir, it's a great day for the Hoosiers." That crowd was damn near 100% white, even though the basketball team was almost all black.

I was only a few blocks away, but missed out on the rioting in San Francisco following the Rodney King verdict. A small crowd of punk rock kids went through the Union Square neighborhood smashing windows. They were followed by a well dressed crowd of yuppies who rushed through the shattered windows and helped themselves to cashmere sweaters and designer handbags. White people again.

My point, if I have one, is that white people seem to riot all of the time. All it takes is anonymity, too much to drink, and maybe too much unchecked power. So how come, whenever the subject of rioting comes up, it's a Black thing?

Black people are going to riot if Obama loses? Hell, white people are going to riot if they don't like the weather.

Anonymous said...

Jimbo said:

"Here's my position: these people aren't, by their nature, that ideological. They're independents, for chrissakes!"

Jimbo, I won't quibble with you over the sincerity of your statement.

But, I'm one of those "non-ideological Independents" of whom you speak so glowingly.

I'm well aware of the political realities of this country, that choices, as to who's best to represent us in government, are pretty much divided between Repubs and Dems.

That said, I, like many other Independents, will look to the man or woman we believe will best represent us and the country, as we generally distrust both parties.

Despite a variety of comments on Obama's experience or lack thereof, many voters are looking to him to provide a freshness that can't be found in the old guard--a freshness of ideas, approaches, and solutions to today's trying problems.

For my part, I'm taking a wait and see attitude for now. I have plenty of time to consider who's best for the job, before casting my vote.

I believe a renouncing of political ideology frees me up to consider the full spectrum of choices available to me and not be locked into one candidate just because he or she happens to be a Dem or a Repub.

I'd recommend that approach to you. It forces voters out of the lockstep approach to politics, and compels thoughtful and reasoned consideration of who's best to lead.

Had more voters, in the last national election, approached politics this way, GWB wouldn't be in office today.

CNu said...

We Americans will absolutely elect the leadership that we deserve.

Anonymous said...

Bill O'Reilly ( grumpy 'ol white man) initiates FIGHT at Obama event.

Reported by CBS News, Obama's trip director Marvin Nicholson said that he was standing there and O’Reilly moved around the barricade and grabbed him by the arm and tried to push him out of the way. Nicholson is 6’8”.

According to Nicholson, O’Reilly was told to go back behind the barricade. Nicholson then approached O’Reilly.

“I went up to him and said 'Sir, don’t push me anymore,'” Nicholson recounted, “and he said that I was low class.”

Nicholson described O’Reilly as being “really upset” and yelling.

Personally, I would file assault charges, only after I'd defended myself by inflicting visible pain upon the great O'Reilly.

Mahndisa S. Rigmaiden said...

01 06 08

Hhehehe This was to be expected FN. I am sitting back and watching all of this unfold. I will say, however, that if Obama gets elected and then assassinated (Mr. Powell's wifes' fear) then there will be riots on a massive scale. By whom, probably ALL disgruntled Americans.

Christopher said...

Jonah Goldberg is one creepy mama's boy.

Sources close to Jonah say he was a fat teenage boy and often picked on during his high school years. To feel safe, he slept in his mother's bed until he left for college. Very Kathy Lee Gifford-esque.

I suppose Lucianne should count her lucky stars that she didn't wind up like Normal Bates' mother, dead and given the taxidermy treatment by her stranger-than-shit son.

Hathor said...

The net is so young. Jesse Jackson was a viable candidate. He went to the 1988 convention with a significant amount of delegates. He was on a roll, and i think some Americans got squeamish and voted for Dukakis when Jackson had a bad relations (half brother) problem. Jackson played nice and let his delegation go, but I think he should have been offered the VP position and just maybe the Democrats would have beaten George H.W. Bush.

meditations71 said...

And it's going to get uglier of course. Here's the news we get over in the UK: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3137568.ece.

And when they're going to start with the ugly insinuations about Obama and his ethnic/national/religious heritage, they will find black folks to do it too...

"Melanie Levesque, a state representative in Brookline, New Hampshire and a member of African-Americans for Hillary, said Obama lacked the experience to win the presidential election, echoing the official Clinton spin. However, she went on to add a few thoughts of her own, which are not far from the surface of the Clinton campaign.

“I’m very concerned that you can’t state [Barack Obama’s] middle name, you can’t state his record and you can’t state his past life,” she said. Asked if she was referring to Hussein, his Muslim middle name, and his admitted use of drugs, including cocaine, in his youth, she said, “Yes.”"

Mes Deux Cents said...

Hi FN,

I am not surprised by this, I am however surprised that the right is not savvy enough to wait until the general election for this kind of rhetoric.

It seems to me that the more polished of the right wing would want to help Sen. Obama along to the nomination by planting the usual "swift boat" stuff aimed at Hill and Edwards.

I can't imagine that the right doesn't want to face Obama in the general, what could be better for southern strategists than that.

field negro said...

mes deaux cents. Those are my sentiments exactly. Why not wait? Why the panic? I have some ideas, but I will wait before I play that card.

meditations71, I am sure the Clintons have some more HN to trot out before this is all over. There are mant more negroes like the one you mentioned who will say or do anything to earn a buck. (See my lawn jockey alert)

"Sources close to Jonah say he was a fat teenage boy.."

*ouch*

"That said, I, like many other Independents, will look to the man or woman we believe will best represent us and the country, as we generally distrust both parties."

co-sign with you "before the mayflower..", but I am not going to let some political hack paint my people with a broad brush to score political points.

Unknown said...

Field --> The O-Train has plenty of room. Come on aboard and enjoy the ride...

peace, Villager

Phil4Real said...

Hey Field did you hear O'Reilly shoved an Obama staffer trying to get close enough to invite him to the O'Reilly Factor. He's an arrogant idiot.

Christopher said...

Miss Cameltoe is falling farther and farther behind in the opinion polls, as people grow tired of the Clintons and their addiction to power.

After 7 years of the Bush/Cheney nightmare, the Iraq war, the economy, debt and our fucked up reputation with the world, I think Americans are desperate for change -- real change, and that is why Barack Obama even carried large swaths of white, conservative men in Iowa.

But I don't think we've even begun to see the long knives Miss Cameltoe intends to try and shove into Obama. Expect more lies about his faith, drug use and throw in a bimbo eruption too.

The Clintons are every bit as dirty as Karl Rove and they will stop at nothing to hold onto power.

Anonymous said...

Well, I've been following all of the blogs the last few days, this whole Obama thing is so delicious, and somebody on one of them got right to the point:

Hillary says she's a fighter, and I don't doubt it: She's great at fighting for herself and her husband. But where was she when we needed her to fight for us? She signed off on the Iraq War not because she thought it was the right thing but because she thought it would make her more "Politically viable."

And who's naïve enough to think she'll stand up for us in a pinch when she couldn't stand up for her "good friend" Lani Guinier when Lani needed it?

Much as I think the opposition to Hillary is motivated by good old-fashioned misogyny, and as much as I think she'd probably be a good president (although the last 7 years have set the bar pretty low) I can't help but feel schadenfreude at her current predicament. Hee hee hee!

Anonymous said...

When I was a student at Arizona State there was a young lady who was running for president of the student government (I forget her name). Apparently she had a lot of money and she pulled out all the stops: Flashy four-color posters, buttons, you name it. Nobody'd ever seen anything like it - all for what was basically a trivial office. She insisted that she was the "Women's candidate" against a field of men (although there was nothing really feminist about her) and browbeat the women's organization on campus into supporting her campaign.

In the end she lost - big time, and you wouldn't believe how pissed she was.

Watching Hillary now reminds me of that hapless individual. It couldn't have happened to a nicer gal!

-D said...

Before the Mayflower, I can't be an Independent. My views are best expressed by the Democrats, and the organizational and financial advantage conferred by party status outweighs having to compromise on the party platform with other factions in said party.

Independents are nice people, but I'm not one of them.

That being said, since I'm going to vote for the Dem nominee anyway, I'm looking to see which of Obama or Clinton is more able to garner that Independent vote that always decides elections. If it was her, I wouldn't be having this discussion right now with you.

I'd rather support a candidate I agree with 80% of the time who can win, than root for someone I see eye to eye with 100% of the time, who will go on to lose to someone in November who's views are antithetical to my own.

Some don't have the stomach for these kinds of political calculations, but that's why it's called politics.

I'm in it to win it.

captainkidd said...

Good evening Field.Like your stuff.A great interpretation of the other side of the the ol' U.S.A.Here's one from Canada you might like.Check out the Bruce MacKinnon editorial cartoon of Obama in the Chronicle Herald newspaper from Halifax,Nova Scotia Canada today[Jan/06/08]

Christopher said...

The Obama Miracle Continues

In the first tracking poll taken since his win in Iowa, Barack Obama, has has moved into a significant lead over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

The poll, taken on Jan. 5 and 6, shows Obama leading Clinton, 39 to 29 percent.

John Edwards has slipped to 16 percent from 20 percent, followed by Bill Richardson at 7 percent and Dennis Kucinich at 2 percent.

SOURCE: WMUR/CNN

Anonymous said...

Friday he was 3 points down...now 10 points up...OUCH

Likely Democratic primary voters' choice for nominee in 2008:
Obama
39%
Clinton
29%
Edwards
16%
Richardson
7%
Kucinich
2%
No opinion
5%

Likely Republican primary voters' choice for nominee in 2008:
McCain
32%
Romney
26%
Huckabee
14%
Giuliani
11%
Paul
10%
Hunter
1%
Thompson
1%
No opinion
5%
Sampling error +/-5.0 percentage points. Based on 341 likely Democratic primary voters statewide and 268 likely Republican primary voters statewide. CNN/WMUR New Hampshire Presidential Primary Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire, January 5-6, 2008.

Anonymous said...

Jimbo said:

"I'm in it to win it."

That's why America often end up the loser.

Anonymous said...

To this Canadian the whole US electoral thing seems stupid. Chimpie has another whole year as president before anyone can decide anything.

Seems to me that if Americans wanted electoral reform away from corporate donations they might shorten the cycle candidates have to perform in this dog and pony show?

I watched last night as the Dems had a crack on TV. What caught my attention was near the end when the moderator asked them about anything they had said so far that they might take back. Obama and Clinton went off on some tangent while Richardson and Edwards actually had a couple regrettable remarks. Obama and Clinton at that moment struck me as phonier than 3 dollar bills. The need to talk in circles has always pissed me off.

I also caught a bit of the video with the 2 republican basement dwellers, a bit was all I could stand.

Anonymous said...

The cycle will be long even with out taking the corporate money out. Canada is 30 million people with large amounts of the population in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. The US is 300 million people with population centers all over the place. More people to reach.

Francis Holland said...

If the Republicans engage in election fraud in 2008 such as they did in 2000, then the supporters of the Democratic nominee and of democracy SHOULD flood into the streets. Otherwise, the power of our vote is being stolen right before our eyes while we do nothing at all about it.

There should be a powerful response to the specter of election fraud regardless of whom the nominee is.

Anonymous said...

Republics already scared of Obama.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/07/republicans-worried-about-obama/

Bob said...

Too bad Gore didn't go "Rodney King" in 2000 when the election was stolen.

Since my endorsement of a candidate is meaningless, I don't have to decide until I walk into a voting booth. So far, no candidate has made a serious appeal for my vote in Jersey.

Jonne Austin said...

Francis L. Holland Blog said...
If the Republicans engage in election fraud in 2008 such as they did in 2000, then the supporters of the Democratic nominee and of democracy SHOULD flood into the streets. Otherwise, the power of our vote is being stolen right before our eyes while we do nothing at all about it.

There should be a powerful response to the specter of election fraud regardless of whom the nominee is.
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COSIGN!