I just realized this after reading Ralph Nader--that druken master of Ebonics--give his take on Obama and race. Nader, along with many other penatrating scholars of the black experience, have helped me to understand not just Obama's true nature, but my own. Seriously, I can't remember the last time I used the phrase "black is beautiful"--and wasn't trying to be ironic. I've said my share of awful things about white people, but I've never made it to "Whitey." Now I know I why--it's because I'm not black!
In fact, judging by these standards--which apparently require you to fall somewhere between Maulana Karenga and Jesse Jackson--there are roughly 317 black people in America. All of them live in the projects. All of them earn thier keep by making white people feel bad.
This is such a relief. Now, without any guilt, I can finally get to those keg parties, cucumber sandwiches, and most importantly, white women. Wait, if I were a black man, I'd still be chasing white women...Hmmm, seems there are still some kinks to work out...
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
You should see Colbert from 2 days ago. He deals with the defining down of racism and the interesting ruling in South Africa that chinese people are black.
Not to change the discussion but even if all that is true about Barack, what exactly is Nader's point? Don't all politicians take on a role to get elected? They only speak direclty to a certain demographic when they are giving a speech directly to that group. Is he trying to scare white folks into thinking Barack will flip the script and become Al?
I love how he calls Obama "half African American." It is the perfect example of how that phrase has simply become a synonym for black for white people who don't actually think about the meaning of the term.
Nader was once a great man. Now he is nothing but an anachronistic joke.
"...what exactly is Nader's point?"
I have been asking this question for 8 years now. It seems that his campaign motto and rationale is always: "I think you missed a spot." This is the difference between him and (the completely misguided) Bob Barr. Barr actually wants to become president and doesn't just want to score points and get attention.
@ Shani. I see Nader as a dinosaur. Just like Ferraro. They don't know what to do with themselves.
What's worse is that most of his points about Barack avoiding the "black issues" of lead etc, have been thoroughly discussed by Obama. Google would have helped him in 5 minutes. And, oh of course, there is the fact that the issues aren't just black. Like Pay-day loans, which disproportionately screw military folks of all hues.
But like I said he is a dinosaur, and his "Lefty-Liberal anti-racist when the lights are on" has just been put on front street.
Have fun working out that last kink ;-)
"drunken master of Ebonics" .... and now to find some Kleenex to clean the Dr. Pepper off my keyboard *grin*
Honestly, when will "other folks" quit trying to tell Black people when we qualify as Black? Their frame of reference is totally screwed. It's insulting and just plain annoying.
Nader is a loser. Literally.
Its pretty standard for Nader to try to portray the Democratic candidate as a spineless non-alternative to the Republican, Obama's race is just one more way for him to do this. I don't think this is him trying to scare whites so much as an incredibly tone-deaf attempt to win over black voters who don't think of Obama as "authentically black" when it comes to racial justice, an idea that Ta-Nehishi's stalwartly been problematizing quite effectively for some time now (even if a lot of whites aren't getting the message).
That being said, while he grossly overstates the case, I feel Nader's appeal when both Obama and McCain have virtually the exact same reaction to today's SCOUTUS decision barring the death penalty for child rape. When it comes to criminal justice, Obama's one of the most progressive candidates the Dems have fielded in a while but he's clearly been outflanked on the death penalty. Why is the abolitionist mantra only chanted by Nader when its so apparent how barbaric and unjust the practice is?
NYTimes story on SCOUTS ruling: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/washington/26scotuscnd.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Its troubling to me that no one has even addressed the substance of Nader's remarks beyond his 50 cent inspired, controversial statement.
"There’s only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He’s half African-American,’’ Nader said. ‘‘Whether that will make any difference, I don’t know. I haven’t heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What’s keeping him from doing that?"
Every single thing he says here is 100% accurate. Obama is not different in virtually any of the positions he is taking. If you want a conventional democrat, that is your choice, but please dont pretend he is an agent of change.
We'll make this simple for you and Ralph, Kai.
First, these issues are not limited to "TEH GHETTOS". "TEH BLACKS" are not the only ones trapped by Payday Loans; and purchasing toys made in China with unsafe levels of lead.
Second, he has addressed these issues. Throughout his career.
Predatory Lending/Payday Loans: Obama wants to extend last year's landmark Federal legislation on Payday Loans to military members (including a 36% cap on interest fees) to cover all Americans.
Consumer Debt: Two weeks ago, on the South side of Chicago, Obama discussed his proposed Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights.
Lead: In March 2008, The EPA accepted Obama's plan to eliminate Lead Paint from schools and childcare facilities. Additionally, he also drafted legislation in April 2007 to ban any children's product containing even trace amounts of lead
Asbestos: His first job as a community organizer was helping tenants force the city of Chicago to allocate resources to test and remove asbestos from their homes.
Anyone can agree, or disagree with Obama's policy proposals. But to pretend that he has no record on these issues, and to attribute his "failure" to address these issues to a desire to "kiss up" to white liberals is indeed "disgusting and delusional"
I don't know if its laziness, or willful ignorance, but I find it troubling that people would rather spout nonsensical memes (Obama has no substance, Obama has no record of "change") than actually do the work of educating themselves.
In the age of Google, there are no excuses.
I'm surprised people are worked up about this. we all know what he meant, he wasn't trying to define what authentically black is, he was saying your average middle american white person has a misinformed stereotypical image of what "black" is, and some of that is attributed to Jesse Jackson, the last serious black Presidential aspirant.
So Obama is scared to touch anything Jackson related. I know everyone likes to hate on Jesse now, but the dude wasn't and isn't all bad. But because of fear of being stereotyped, Obama is seemingly staying a million miles away from any crossover topics that Jesse also shared.
thats all, Obama stans quick to react on any mild criticism of the dude. It's becoming annoying. I cant even take the man to task otherwise i'm accused of being a "crab in a barrel" or some other type smear.
let's be honest, Obama is moving rapidly to the center. People have a right to call him out.
FYI, DailyKos diarist Muzikal203 has a good post on this at http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/25/9353/55952/443/541628
Yeah, Kai, even if you want to "address the substance," that makes Nader's statement worse--not better. The substance is flagrantly ignorant and patently false. Indeed, Nadar is taking a mish-mash of critiques that he's made of the Dems for years and painting them on Obama. It's effing lazy, and not because Obama is God. If you want to hit him on FISA, hit him. If you want to hit him on his economic advisers, hit him. If you want to hit him for invoking stereotypes, do it. If you want to hit him on the death penalty (as Andrew did), by all means, do it. But have the facts straight.
Also, your conflating to issues--1.) The accuracy of Nadar. 2.) Anointing Obama a messiah. Nadar was just wrong on the facts. You don't have to think Obama is the second coming of Eugene Debs to recognize that.
Lastly, after eight years of Bush and almost six years of a GOP congress, it strains credulity to say that a Democratic president and Democratic congress won't be an agent of change. If that's the case, then lets get our guns now and take it back to 68. Or move to Canada.
Maybe this only shocks me because as a young liberal white person I'm insulated from some of the crazy, but my jaw has just been dropping to see what it looks like to be having some discussion about race in the context of the presidential race. The comfort with which lots of white folks have been revealing their personal racial issues and ignorance has just blown me away. It's been true about gender because of Clinton too - and I can't decide whether I think it's good to have people say this shit if that's what they're thinking? Anyone think it'll help have a conversation that moves us forward? Or is it just feeding "racial resentment" and giving people permission to say stuff they should know better than to communicate out loud?