[Marxism] The relentless and obsessive opposition to

[dave.walters at comcast.net]

I appreciate Fred's comments, most of which, 
I think, I agree with. 
 
There are several parts to this discussion. Assuming 
HERE we are discussing this among people who 
do not call for a vote for Obama (I state this because 
I haven't read all the threads on this), then the most 
important aspect of this discussion is how to approach 
Obama *supporters* among the Black community. I 
agree 100% that just slamming him is useless and 
destructive. It essentially ends the discussion before
it starts. I'm not talking about discussing this among 
radical Black *activists *, but among regular folks 
who are inspired about the possibility of America
 having a Black President and among Black Democratic 
Party activists who are the kind of people who have 
started going to precinct meetings, doing phone-trees for 
Obama, etc.
 
I would take the same approach some of us did with the 
obviously more radical sounding Jesse Jackson surge of 
1984, which is to talk politics and discuss with them their 
concerns, issues, etc in an informal manner we do on the 
job or among our friends. It is NOT a big deal in this 
regard. It's simply called "respect", respect for people 
who have for very good reasons, got excited about 
Obama possible getting the nomination and winning in 
November. As part of this respect, one has to be honest 
and state clearly and reasonably the problems with 
Obama's politics, not to turn people off from Obama,
 but on the problems of problem-solving-by-electing-
a-President as a substitute for building a mass movement 
around real issues. If one can't do this, then one should 
figure out other things to do with their lives. It is simply 
not a question of attacking Obama the person.
 
I think among the more radical layers of Black activists, 
it is different. There is a lot or resentment toward NOT 
Obama but among Black leaders that have become 
Obama supporters. In this sense, the Glen Ford/BAR is 
VERY much appropriate because of the audience the 
BAR is aiming at. I think Fred misses the point here: 
politics among this narrow, but important layer, is at a 
much higher level…and I do think it's higher, than 
among the population as a whole. I would defend the 
BAR's perspective because of who they are who they 
are talking to. I don't have a problem at all.
 
I posted here Ford's analysis a few months ago about 
Obama. I think he told the truth and, someone has to 
tell the truth and I'm glad BAR did so. It was something 
that needed to be said among Black radicals. Self-suppression 
of the truth turns can easily turn into the kind of unquestioning 
attitude that Jackson tried to promote in the Rainbow 
Coalition. The BAR is a modifier to this sort of homogenization 
that can occur when a populalist bourgeois politician is on a 
roll.
 
I also like Cynthia McKinney's statement on the Obama 
speech, which has a lot of talking points and I think was 
expressed from the point of view of a person with a large 
Black constituency yet who has a visceral * hatred * of the 
Democratic Party. 
 
David