Toban Black

(Photo by Lois Stavsky)

The Great White Hope!

… or so some (neo)liberal would have us believe

—

Some people seem to think that Obama will bring radical change –
single-handedly!

—

(From here)

—

Andrew Gebhardt (in this article) -

“Many hope an Obama presidency will provide the antidote. In his historic campaign, ‘hope’ has been, unsurprisingly, the mot juste, along with ‘change’ and some other feel-good sentiments.”

“[Election] campaigns have long recognized a public hunger for hope and change, which is why Jesse Jackson coined the ‘keep hope alive’ phrase and Bill Clinton fudged his town of origin in order to be ‘the man from Hope, Arkansas.’ ”

“Real change must be fought for and built from the ground up.”
“It’s not about humbly and patiently waiting for someone to ride in on a chariot and pronounce CHANGE! It’s about diligently working to make it happen.”

“I’m hoping the groundswell of support for Obama’s campaign indicates a sea change in public sentiment in the U.S.. I hope that people do grow disenchanted with his more of the same policies, and do organize for some real change–demanding an end to these wars, stopping the Wall Street giveaway, … halting off shoring, etc etc–all ideas that have popular support.”

“But ’support’ until now has not translated into organizing, into changing the institutions we currently tolerate, or starting new ones.”

“Waking up to the possibilities of real hope and change means challenging leaders, and daily, difficult local work that some, but not yet enough of us do. The most hopeful aspect of Obama’s “hope and change” message might be that people see those words for what they are, and demand that whoever assumes office, some real policies justify those fragile, necessary emotions so many of us cling to.”

—

(From here)

—

Eve Ensler (in this article) -

“Right now, in America, we are living in the center of a potential paradigm shift. A definite, burgeoning movement. A time of Hope. With the upcoming elections, we could redefine America’s standing in the world by enacting foreign policy that is based on the universal understanding that we are all interconnected.”

—

Joshua Frank (in this article) -

Some “antiwar activists have exchanged their slogans for pro-Obama refrains despite the fact that their candidate inflates the alleged threat of Iran, wants to put more troops in Afghanistan and won’t pull out of Iraq anytime soon.

Environmentalists have come out for Obama in large numbers, even though he thinks coal can be clean and nuclear energy can be safe. No big deal that he wants to drill baby drill off our coastal shores. At least the guy believes in global warming.

Or take the civil rights champions who have few qualms about his rabid support for FISA and the PATRIOT Act or social justice activists who aren’t overly concerned that Obama condones the execution of convicts who have never murdered. Economic progressives, who would be the first to say the economic I.V. pumped into the Wall Street bloodline was hastily passed and rips off tax-payers, are the first to defend Obama’s economic platform. No matter he supported the bailout without reservation. No matter his team of economic hit men includes a whole slew of Clintonite neoliberals like Robert Rubin. Obama is still their guy.”

“What will happen to the movements that have been sidelined in order to help get the Democrats elected? What will become of the environmental movement after January 20? Will it step up to oppose Obama’s quest for nuclear power and clean coal? Will the antiwar movement work to force Obama to take a softer approach toward Iran? Will they stop the troop increase in Afghanistan?”

“[Some 'progressives' seem] to believe he’ll magically move left once inaugurated and is only running to the right in order to win the election. That position is a non sequitur and not worthy of real discussion as it’s based on wishful thinking.”

“We deserve more than lofty rhetoric about ‘action’ and ‘hope.’ ”

—

Niranjan Ramakrishnan (in this article) -
“Africa has had black presidents for half a century (Haiti for four times as long), with results generally not much to write home about.”

An article about Obama and ‘race’ issues -
Kevin Alexander Gray at Counterpunch - “Race in the race” (September 27th)

—

A Bendib cartoon

—

A few related posts -
- “Superheroes and supervillians”
- “From the ground ‘up’”
- “Sociopolitical mobilization”
- “The appeal of Obama’s image and his campaign rhetoric“