"African-Americans For Obama"

[drblasphlemy.livejournal.com]

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/02/02/obama_announces_2012_launch_of_african-americans_for_obama.html

I got an email this afternoon telling me about this new Obama campaign tactic.

How is this ok in America today?

How is this not racist? What do you supposed would happen if Romney announced a “White Americans for Romney”?

He’d be crucified yet it’s perfectly acceptable for Obama?

Please explain to me why this is ok for a black president but no white in this country could ever do this?

Comments

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Let's see, did blacks keep whites as slaves for hundreds of years?

[drblasphlemy.livejournal.com]

Blacks also kept blacks as slaves for hundreds of years.

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

Not really. The slaves blacks had were generally other blacks. The end of slavery came about before the worm could turn.

I don't see what point you're trying to make though.

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

WHY IS THERE NO WHITE ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION??1!!?1!

[dwer.livejournal.com]

You think there wasn't an African-Americans group for Clinton? Or Bush?

[drblasphlemy.livejournal.com]

I'm sure their was. I am unaware of any other president calling on members of their own race to vote for them however and using black history month as a platform to build up your base that is already in the high 90's last time I checked.

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

He doesn't have to announce it.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

But then that's assuming all black people will vote for him regardless of campaigning!!

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

Why are all those poor people banding together, don't they know how hard it is to be rich?

Largely, well because he is black he didn't start off with white privilege and doesn't look at everything through this lens. He largely understands the problems of being a minority, so it doesn't need to be explained to him. This makes it easier to make progress. It's OK because the amount of alleged racism against whites doesn't even come close to the level of that which is against blacks. If it did, you wouldn't be complaining about such a trivial thing as this, you'd be complaining about lower earning potential, fewer opportunities and lack of investment in your youth.

How much time do you have? Read up, you can start here:

http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/sites/white.html

[drblasphlemy.livejournal.com]

That all depends on what your definition of "progress" is I suppose. Alleged racism against whites? "It's OK because the amount of alleged racism against whites doesn't even come close to the level of that which is against blacks" So it's OK to be racist against whites because whites do it too? Ever hear two wrongs don't make a right? The POTUS is playing the race card plain and simple. It may seem trivial to you but yes I do have a problem with the PROTUS race baiting.

[sealwhiskers.livejournal.com]

Um, there are tons of minority groups around, native Americans for this or that, women for this or that, Catholic women for this or that, and so on ad infinitum.

These are minority groups, they profile themselves in this way.

"white Americans for Romney" already exists, it's called the Republican base.

[drblasphlemy.livejournal.com]

There are. No denying this.

But to have the POTUS playing the race card in such an obvious and despicable way. I suppose I should not be suprised at that or the level of snark coming from some of the comments from the usual peanut gallery.

[kinvore.livejournal.com]

False equivalence is false. First of all, racism isn't just about naming a race, it's about intention. It's the hatred of someone based on their race. There's no hatred behind wanting blacks to support each other (or other minorities for that matter).

Secondly, there's a long brutal history of "pro-white" organizations that spread terror against uppity minorities in order to keep them in place. Maybe you've heard of such groups. They're the reason why pro-white groups have such a bad name. The reputation is well-earned.

I'm so sick of this tired argument. They aren't the same, they aren't even in the same ballpark.

[drblasphlemy.livejournal.com]

rac·ism/ˈrāˌsizəm/
Noun:
The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as...
Prejudice or discrimination directed against someone of a different race based on such a belief.

That is not the definition of racism. Just because their is no hatred behind wanting other blacks to support blacks does not mean that it is not racist.

There is also a long history of "pro-black" organizations that spread terror against uppity minorities in order to keep them in place. Maybe you've heard of such groups. They're the reason why pro-black groups have such a bad name. The reputation is well-earned.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

also, the Log Cabin Republicans would like a word.

[msretro.livejournal.com]

Just as soon as the National Black Republican Association has had their say.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Sigh, given all the whining from some white people about how nobody's allowed to say white culture's endangered, why precisely is it that people can't do this again? Nobody's stopping people from using the Bellamy Salute and white bedsheets with conehead hoods. There's no law against it. If people want to wave Confederate flags and scream that "this is a white man's country God Damn It" there's nothing stopping them.

[rimpala.livejournal.com]

Frankly, in my opinion if white culture is endangered it's because the whiners have so hijacked it.

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

The Black Community is a voting bloc just like the Latino Community, women, etc. BTW, all of these are voting blocs that both sides would love to have support them.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

If the black community is one bloc and the Latino community is another block, and women are another bloc, does this mean the black bloc and the Latin bloc only include men?

[awdrey-gore.livejournal.com]

This is one of the worst posts I have ever read. I mean that sincerely and without an ounce of rancor. I cannot imagine what point you think you are making noting that the president asked a segment of the society to vote for him but if you are to maintain this is a valid point of view, you need to post in a panty-twist every time Romney asks a white person to vote for him, every time a woman asks a woman to vote for her, every time a man asks a man to vote for him.

Seriously, this was an illogical, racist pile of crap. I wish there was a way to discuss this with you on a less condemning level, but there isn't. You're turning basic campaign tactics into a racist issue because the president is black, no more, no less, and you should feel a stinging sense of shame right now. If you don't, perhaps you should ask yourself why.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

[skull-bearer.livejournal.com]

Appealing to minority bases is part of politics. Minorities face problems and issues that are not necessarily shared by the rest of society, so if you can appeal to those issues, you are more likely to curry favour with a significant part of the minority group. This comes in doubly important in an election year. For example, using this case, it's a fairly well established fact that black communities are disproportionally targeted for crimes. Thus, an appeal to the black community for fairer police sentencing and more equal policing of districts would carry more favour than to a more predominantly white audience.

The reason there is no 'white americans for 'x' is primarily because its pointless. White, in the USA, is baseline. The target of most campaigns are white americans, meaning it does not focus on the problems of minority groups; ergo, white.

The second reason is one of precedent. The white power flag has been torn down, besmirched, spat on and befouled so thoroughly by everyone from the KKK to Hitler and internet trolls that the words 'white power' and 'racist' and permenantly linked. It's the same reason people don't use the word 'negro'. there's nothing innately bad about the word, it just means 'black' in spanish, but it's connotations with slavery are so pervasive that it's fallen out of use.

I don't think the fact that Obama's black has anything to do with this. I'm fairly sure I saw some 'African Americans for John Kerry' sites back in the day. It's more of a party thing,. Minority groups just are more likely to vote Democrat, so the Democrats appeal to them, so the minorities groups vote Democrat. It's a cycle.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Damn, and I just lost The World's Smallest Violin the other day too.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

did you look under the World's Smallest Couch?

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

The stars must be in an odd alignment. Which means...

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

[rimpala.livejournal.com]

Equivalence or not (I personally go with... not) I think that African-Americans really have a cause to support Obama when the GOP has repeatedly race-bated it's way through it's campaigns. I could write a novel about what I'm talking about too, there is everything from racial fringe in it's rallies to their ranches being called "N***rhead* to the claims that Obama's a Muslim and must be from Africa etc. etc. No matter what one may think of this, the African American sees it, and they are not pleased. If the other party wants to attract the African-American vote, then they need to figure out how to do that. That's not Obama's problem. That's not the voter's problem. That is the GOP's problem.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Excellent points.

[prog-expat.livejournal.com]

I don't have much else to add, since others have already pointed out repeatedly that Democrats have been actively courting minority voters — African-Americans included — for decades. That the current President is black doesn't make this some sinister plot for a racial minority to go all chestburster on the nation.

Whites in the US aren't struggling with racial discrimination nor do we have special issues that effect us relative to the average American (since, as far as race goes, we are the average), so a "European-Americans for ____" group would be impossible and pointless. Romney would be crucified because the only people a "White Americans for Romney" or a "European-Americans for Romney" group would appeal to are the white supremacists, as the rest of us would scratch our heads and said "Why do I need a racial advocacy group? The Man isn't keeping me down for being white."

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't know. There were apparently a few racists for Obama (http://www.salon.com/2008/11/03/racists_for_obama/).

[oportet.livejournal.com]

Kenyans for Obama sure would bring a few good chuckles* out of the crowd.

*=head explosions

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

Hey, there was Wizards for Bush so why not?

(Wizards for Bush was a real thing, BTW.)

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

I LIKE TURTLES!

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

I DONT KNOW WHAT WE'RE YELLING ABOUT!!!!!!

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

It's like calling Zuma racist for relying on the Zulu vote.

[mikeyxw.livejournal.com]

Calling Zuma a racist is to charitably overlook his more heinous flaws.

[foreverbeach.livejournal.com]

I am as anti-affirmative action and political correctness and all this shit as anyone, but I have forced it all way way way down low on the hierarchy of outrages so as to be virtually negligible. Why? Because if you gave me the option of which race I could be in the United States, I'd choose white 10/10 times and twice on Sunday. I'd also choose Male. I used to think I'd choose Straight, but now I think I'd choose gay, just so as to be free of women. That one is still up in the air. And I'd choose Southern, because the North is a shithole for assholes.

So I look the other way on this shit. I don't feel threatened by it at all. There are more urgent battles to fight (the fucking debt is almost $16 Trillion, for instance), and this is just not that big a deal right now.

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

Welcome to post-racial America.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Is that a post-modern deconstructionist expression?

[squidb0i.livejournal.com]

Caption for this post if it were a photo:
Invisible White Privilege

*nom*