[Marxism] An exchange on racism. Clinton and Obama campaigns, and Black oppression

[Fred Feldman]

Mark wrote:

Clinton's only articulating what has been the essence of bourgeois
electoral politics since the process began.  Identity politics and
ethnic appeals are how most politicians have won elections, since the
alternative would be actually presenting policy proposals and ideas.

Basically, Mark's comments mean that he basically has nothing to say about
this election, and I have to say I'm disappointed. I deliberately placed my
analysis in a broad political and historical framework in hopes of sparking
some discussion, but I failed -- too bad.

As for his attempt to dissolve white racism into some Evil generality called
"ethnic appeals" and "identity politics" is so primitively wrong as to defy
comment other than what I and others have done, said, and written over the
years. 

Also the attempt to prove that Obama's campaign is just as racist as
Clinton's because he repudiated Wright is, shall we say, just the teeniest
bit strained. And what does Mark think about Wright's "identity politics"
and "ethnic appeals", by the way?

And he concludes that its all racist, so why bother mentioning it. If he
agrees with it, he should stop complaining about people who notice that this
is the case. It doesn't become not worth mentioning just because it has been
around for a long time. 
Fred