Has anyone read this hit-piece on Obama?

[lordsummerisle]

By Adolph Reed, Jr and it's on the Progressive web site:

http://www.progressive.org/mag_reed0508


I found it after hearing a debate this morning on Democracy Now! between Reed and Melissa Harris-Lacewell. If I didn't see the author's name I would've sworn Karl Rove wrote it...

<snip>

I’ve never been an Obama supporter. I’ve known him since the very beginning of his political career, which was his campaign for the seat in my state senate district in Chicago. He struck me then as a vacuous opportunist, a good performer with an ear for how to make white liberals like him. I argued at the time that his fundamental political center of gravity, beneath an empty rhetoric of hope and change and new directions, is neoliberal.

His political repertoire has always included the repugnant stratagem of using connection with black audiences in exactly the same way Bill Clinton did—i.e., getting props both for emoting with the black crowd and talking through them to affirm a victim-blaming “tough love” message that focuses on alleged behavioral pathologies in poor black communities. Because he’s able to claim racial insider standing, he actually goes beyond Clinton and rehearses the scurrilous and ridiculous sort of narrative Bill Cosby has made infamous...

[Nitrogenica]

1. Wow lots of assumptions and false arguments in that article.

Strikingly similar to her campaign.

[SoonerPride]

2. Who is Adolph Reed Jr. you ask?

http://www.postelservice.com/archives/000016.html

Reed first gained widespread attention with his controversial 1986 book The Jesse Jackson Phenomenon, in which he argued that image and rhetoric aside, Jackson was an opportunistic, self-appointed pseudo-leader of the black community whose presidential ambitions had accomplished essentially nothing for African-Americans. Indeed, according to Reed, the energy around Jackson's presidential juggernaut had an ultimately narrowing and demobilizing effect on concrete black political struggles.

Reed progressed from provoking intense, at times hostile debate with the Jackson book to inviting the deadly wrath of the Nation of Islam with the publication of a lengthy, two-part essay about its leader, Louis Farrakhan, in The Nation. In "False Prophet: The Rise of Louis Farrakhan," and Part II, "All for One and None for All," Reed argued that despite Farrakhan's posturing as a militant opposition figure empowering black people, in reality Farrakhan's message is reactionary, unthreatening to the established system, and ultimately disempowering for African-Americans. Reed also accused Farrakhan of being behind the assassination of Malcolm X, calling attention to the fact that six weeks before Malcolm was killed, Farrakhan wrote an article in the Nation of Islam's bulletin, Mohammed Speaks, calling for Malcolm's death. (Reed was also critical of director Spike Lee for erasing Farrakhan's role in Malcolm's assassination in the film Malcolm X.)

"False Prophet" earned Reed unofficial "infidel" status with the Nation of Islam. (He was informed of this by a friend who heard Reed's name mentioned, among others, by a Farrakhan supporter disturbed by black criticisms of the Minister.) He's uncertain just how dangerous this makes things for him, but being all too familiar with the Nation's history of dealing with infidels, he plays it safe by maintaining a reasonably low profile and keeping his address and phone number unlisted. "I decided not to list the phone in my name, but not because I feel there's any reason to be concerned. I think it would be megalomaniacal for me to think that Louis Farrakhan's down in the compound worrying about me." Asked how he would react, however, if he were to notice someone he didn't recognize sporting a bow tie in his classroom, "I'd duck," he admitted.

[crankychatter]

7. wow... good information thankyou

I'm reading

[JoFerret]

9. Sounds like an interesting person.

.

[EFerrari]

13. He's an ideologue. On DemocracyNow this morning.

Not much there there.

[leftofcool]

3. I hear the Chicago Trib has lots of these articles in their archives

they won't release them.

[crankychatter]

4. yeah he's a cranky fucker, eh? good debate though

That Melissa Harris-Lacewell is a sharp one...

This is a street cred thing... think of it as a Rap Contest OK?

A conventional stereotype held by SOME AA's is that lighter skinned blacks are arrogant and think more of themselves than they ought to. Add in intelligence, education, success... a smooth act... and it becomes the stereotype "boojie," meaning a Middle Class Black person that forgot where they came from.

And in Obama's case, only came back to the hood for shallow political exploitation... to use people. But the deal is... he's not FROM there... it's not his neighborhood... and this guy is telling him. "you're a POSER, MF."

This guy hated Obama... it was personal... it was based upon his own prejudices and male competitiveness... a "hipper than thou-ness."
I'm sure he sincerely believes this stuff. He's a super intelligent and accomplished intellectual-acadamecian. He is so smart, he outsmarted himself... and his rationale for thinking so little of Obama... for making an obsession out of discrediting him... comes AFTER the fact of his contempt.

He has no idea why he hates Obama... but he knows how to make his loathing look good.

I like the guy myself. I think he wants what's best for his community and the world... a genuine progressive.

dude... he is WAY BETTER THANK CARL ROVE...

[Cali_Democrat]

5. The article really has no substance at all

Nice try though

[crankychatter]

6. the full debate was pretty damn good

I wouldn't miss Harris-Lacewell if I were you

at the end, he was all hot... she was smiling at him... beautiful lady... told him he needed some HOPE.

www.democracynow.org

she did another debate with Gloria Steinem on DemocracyNow that is OUTSTANDING... it's in the archive... just do a name search.

[iamjoy]

8. What's Wrong With It

Seems to me, or at least the worst I take away from this article is that Obama really isn't any different than any other politician.

All politicians craft a story or history for themselves that highlights certain aspects of their upbringing and ignores or alters others. You know, the Bushes are Texas ranchers, not from New England. Bill Clinton had a humble, poor upbringing - we rarely if ever hear about the political and social connections of his Uncle Raymond. Oh, and John Edwards was the son of a mill worker, right? (manager is more like it)

So, what of it?

And I'm sorry, but if you don't understand how criticisms of African Americans can be perceived as racist, you're a fool or a bigot. To be fair, if you don't understand why criticisms of Hillary Clinton are seen as sexist, you aren't any better.

added on edit
sorry, meant to reply to OP

[lordsummerisle]

11. Wow, it's hard to believe we're talking about the same article n/t

[Cha]

12. That's if you're eager to believe some

schlub on the internet when Obama has proven himself to his millions of supporters.

[DemGa]

10. A good description of the empty-suit Obama

And we've certainly seen our share of this:

"Increasingly, Obama supporters have been disposed to cry foul and charge racism at nearly any criticism of him, in steadily more extravagant rhetoric."

[TragedyandHope]

14. Dimestore pundit

[QC]

15. And now The Progressive goes under the bus!

Sure, they've been fighting the good fight since 1909, but if you don't worship at the altar of Obama, you ain't nothin' but shit, so to hell with The Progressive.

This sort of thing is where talk of a cult of personality comes from. The ultimate test of any policy or person is now, for many, whether it matches what their leader tells them.