Every time we get together to hang out every couple of months the flow of the conversation is fairly predictable. The conversation goes through Sports, women, travel and the job. At some point someone brings up the subject of politics.
90% of the time a provocateur works to instigate a debate where I am the center point of the debate.
Loyal Democrat: "So CS - What do you think about the Republican presidential primary?"
CS: "Why did you ask me about the Republican debate and not anyone else? I haven't been following it"
UP: "What? Say that again? CS isn't into politics any more? This is a miracle. You were deep into politics when George W. Bush was in office".
EDITORIAL NOTE: The main sport of a good number of my friends who are blatant 'Democrats who are Black' is to OUT me as a "Republican". They understand that the majority of my debate says nothing at all about the Republicans (ie: advocacy). Instead I focus on the Black Community and force them to DEFEND the "investments" that we have been compelled to make into the Democratic Party as our savior.
Since they are not willing to yield their position, it is necessary for ME to be motivated by "Republican gains" IF they were to yield their Democratic position, which, without ME at the table would go on unchallenged as the de facto track for Black people to take. When I dare articulate the present aggregate position of Black people that is far short of what we should have attained after years of political struggle then they merely flip the script - accusing me of hating Black elected officials and then asking "What would the Republicans do for us if they were in power"?
These are all educated Black men. It is not lack of intellect or education that is at play here. They are also no less "capitalistic" than I am as they too work for corporations and seek bonuses/commissions - just the same.
Their unwillingness to yield into a position of "Black Community Protection" against political confidence men is rooted in their belief that by disconnecting the passions of Black people (ie: the Black Community Development Consciousness and Hopes) from our predominate vote in the Democratic Party will merely allow for more Republican wins must be understood as the fusion of their racial identity into the carve out in America that their progressive world view and Democratic politics have granted us.
Saying it another way - They believe that the default state of "The White Man" is to have people of color enslaved or oppressed for his gain. For me (as I glimpse at my dear friends racism chasing blog) my counter argument is that our vulnerability to these whims is expressed and exacerbated by the failure to develop MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES as we struggle along. Those who believe deep down in the black soul that without "social justice" enacted by the state that we would live the life of a starving "African Childrens Fund" are going to have a consciousness of defensiveness and protection than they will display one in which our people are expected to stand strong with institutional integrity as the key to our strength.
CS: "I didn't say that I am not into politics any more. I said that I am not following the GOP campaign. I am not looking at who is on the stage for the GOP. Instead I am looking into the crowd to see how the stage actors impact the people in the audience who are watching them."
In all seriousness - despite the fact that I had been teasing people about getting an "Obama Limited Edition Commemorative Plate" his house was the first one that I actually saw with such a plate on their mantel. (This is a true story).
I know that by the end of the night he and I would be in a political jousting match with HIM getting loud as I pick apart his arguments. They don't realize how valuable blogging has been in allowing me to understand the arguments of Black Progressive-Fundamentalists and clarify my own arguments to counter them. His "loudness" is proof that I am effective at shifting the indictment from "CS the secret Republican who we need to keep on trial" over to "this is the one Black guy who we can't make into a Clarence Thomas or Ward Connerly figure" (mockingly).
UP: "This is amazing. If the table is a well this is how deep CS was into politics"
CS: "Just like a few weeks ago everyone was in an uproar over Bishop Eddie Long being wrapped in a Torah and being carried around on stage as an offense to Judaism and Christianity - I looked past what they were doing on the stage and noted that the CONGREGATION was cheering as they man that they venerated was being praised on stage for them to worship". The audience is what I focus on. I am focusing on how the Republicans and Obama impact all Americans but Black Americans in particular.
Loyal Democrat knew that his goal was to instigate a political debate that would ultimately get me and Uber Progressive going. After his initial question he and "Go With The Flow" listened in, nodding if and when a compelling point was made.
UP: "You know what? Here is where I am right now. All politicians are liars. Their job is to tell their base what they want to hear so that they will retain their support and get them to vote. They don't care about the poor. They don't care about the middle class. They only care about rich people who pay for their campaigns and get them reelected."
The core of our debates is that I am not willing to allow him to make statements of his own "evolution" without bringing up both his past behavior and getting him to commit his new theories into practical application.
CS: "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. While I agree with you about politicians you can't tell me that the people who represent themselves as BLACK LEADERS are merely 'politicians'. They represent themselves as BLACK LEADERS who are seeking to develop our community. How can you dismiss them as 'just politicians' when they operate within our core?
UP: "WHITE PEOPLE DO THE SAME THING!! We can go around to any group of people. Any income class, any region of the nation and you will find someone who claims to be working for that group of people and who do the same thing as what you say Black leaders are doing"
This one point is what I hate the most about debating Black Progressive-Fundamentalists.
After operating on the notion that Black people have a "unique experience in America" and that the corrupt antics of their archenemy (White conservatives) put the in a special place in hell....................just as someone dares to note that the "Favorable People In Power" are NOT any different than those others they call bigoted, racists, corrupt and using 'their people' they need to point OUTWARD as a defense. (I call it "Black People Are 100% Equal Human Beings - with the capacity to do the same good and bad as 'our enemies' and thus we need the very same regulation.)
The point of my argument is that YES these "Embedded Confidence Men" are just as corrupt as the people that you call corrupt so the BLACK COMMUNITY needs to setup some REGULATION by which our own interests are defended from those who operate from the inside, seeking to rile up Black people using the "pain points" that they know that "works every time". (RACISM!!!! being the #1 force).
Instead of affirming this as a necessary "self interest protection" he can't get past my "attacks on Black leaders" and instead chooses to EQUALIZE them with CORRUPT WHITE LEADERS.
CS: "Why is it so important for you to gain contentment about what Black leaders are doing by pointing to what WHITE PEOPLE are doing? All along you tell us how White Republicans use race to provoke their people. Now you are using them as a reference to cover what Black people are doing. They were the 'resident evil' with their antics. Now they are just par for the course? I don't get it."
(That was it. I had "PUT HIM ON TRIAL". It was going to be hot from that point forward in the conversation. I can sense that he would prefer if I just agreed to agree with his present evolved state and we all mutually agreed to march forward in agreement together. I am unwilling to yield from assigning his known past arguments from the likely application later on this year as these vestiges of his past will show up once again when the campaign gets hot. Had I yielded, taking him on his words that he has changed - all would have been fine and we could have moved on. )
UB: "Bottom line there is too much money in politics. Until we have election reforms nothing is going to change."
CS: "Look at Obama's recent decision to support a SuperPAC that was working in his behalf. The progressive converged around him and the MORAL position that he took when he vowed to not take money from SuperPACs as he attempted to be consistent with the progressive repudiation of 'Citizens United'. Progressive comedian Steven Colbert and other progressive in the media began to attack the right wing. Once again Obama VEERED away from the moral position that they used to bludgeon the right, leaving his left wing base hanging. What is the Black lady on MSNBC?...........(Tamron Hall).....I forget her name but..............The that Obama endorsed the SuperPAC that is raising money for him, changing his position SHE did not retain the original "moral" position and criticize Obama for leaving the left hanging. SHE immediately pointed to how much the Republican opposition had raised and how Obama needed to do this to stay competitive with the competition. Clearly she and MSNBC saw fit to run with the banner of 'election integrity' when Obama was bearing the flag. When Obama shifted his position those propagate messages through the news media on his behalf are going to keep their analysis TRANSACTIONAL rather than deductive.UP: Obama saw that by not accepting SuperPAC money that he was at a competitive disadvantage. He's a politician. What do you expect? For him to lose while others outspend him?
EDITORIAL NOTE -
My friend did not realize how much he had compromised himself in the last statements as with the statements prior "take money out of politics".
This is yet another example of SITUATIONAL INTEGRITY that I call out. The main reason for their past "principled position" was NOT because they believed that "There is too much money in politics, influencing the outcomes".......it was an attempt to have a MUTUAL DISARMAMENT by which limiting corporate sources of money would allow them to leverage more money from "the little people", thus end up with the superior funding totals.
They charged that their enemy is the epitome of evil and corruption because they had no compass that guided them against money influence in politics.CS: "You are making my point!!!.....They represent themselves as something other than politicians."
This shows that a "team victory" is far more important to them than their integrity.
When I point out how Obama's imperialistic military operations (particularly in Africa) go forth without a whimper of scrutiny from the "Obama Fist Bump Press" (the Black press is inclusive and not exclusive here) it is "Situational Integrity" at work that drives their selective offense. They can't accept that this rationally brings us to the point where "The MACHINE" soon learns that all it needs to do to suppress domestic protests of its global actions is to put a "Favorable Person In Power". A good portion of those who had been protesting will now choose to be silent. Their desire to protect the "Team Leader" that they live vicariously through is a priority over their moral position.
I would be remiss if I did not add that I do not include "Democracy Now" in with this bunch (on the Left). They have far more examples of being true and consistent to their progressive activism. They are equally as likely to muckrake against the "Obama Administration" as they did with the "Bush Administration" if and when EITHER violates their left wing/progressive viewpoint on governance.
I do not have to agree with one's outlook for me to respect their integrity. As such I can watch an entire episode of "Democracy Now" without the rise in blood pressure that I get when I see others who's main goal is propaganda in the context of the "American Political Domain.
UB: "No YOU are making my point. This is politics. Republicans do the very same thing among wealthy White people and Whites who resist racial diversity. They tell them what they want to hear."
CS: "But BLACK PROGRESSIVES claim that THEIR LEADERS ARE DIFFERENT!!!!!! Now you are admitting that RACE is merely a diversionary tactic that hides their ultimate goal in support of the Democratic Party???!!!!"
UP: "Hold on a minute" (His favorite word) "They are all politicians. Their job is to get people to vote for them. Its politics. You do what you have to do to get elected or you go home".
CS: "Again. They represented themselves as something greater than POLITICIANS. They were suppose to provide ABSOLUTE DEVELOPMENT for the Black community if we voted for them. I heard Al Sharpton a few weeks ago tell a radio caller who called in questioning why he should support illegal immigration when it is hurting Black employment. Sharpton said 'BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT HAS ALWAYS BEEN TWICE THAT OF WHITES.'. If you convince me to invest in a process that you tell me will lead to my development as I enter into it then I am looking to come out of that process years later with ABSOLUTE increase. That Black/White unemployment of 2 to 1 should be dropped down to 1.5 to 1 IF your process is effective. Sharpton dismissed the guy's questions on illegal immigration by affirming that 'Its Always Been That Way'. Black people did not have 'favorable people in power' who we INVESTED IN after they told us that we would grow. Why is it still 2 to 1?
Go With The Flow: "Two to 1. Are you sure that it is that high?"
The waitress comes and distracts all of our attention.
The conversation never returns to the subject of politics afterward.
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