21 February 2008

What's Going On?


I want to know, having taken a short break from blogging, what the hell is going on?

I mean, here I am thinking that Barack Obama's run for the Democratic Presidential nomination will end and there he goes jogging without breaking too much of a sweat towards the finishing line?
How did that happen? I mean aren't all Americans (even including the black ones) red-necked ignorant racists? Aren't those people supposed to only vote for people because of their colour?
How did America get to the point where big money, hardcore corporate capitalists, chucking shed-loads of cash and favours the way of a black man who has the audacity and nerve to raise his head above the parapet and run for the 'top' job, suddenly promote him as the next President?


Something just doesn't seem right to me. I mean did the KKK just disappear overnight and suddenly embrace him as a 'brother'? Where are the Al Sharptonites? - the groupies who will talk a mile a minute about everything they know nothing about just to get on Tee-Vee? What about all those polarised communities where any black person walking down certain neighbourhoods is liable to have the police called to ask them what they are doing in the area? What about the perceived negative relations between the black and hispanic communities? has everyone had a group hug and high-fived into cultural homogeny?
Maybe they have gravitated towards The Hillary and Bill Show, gnashing their teeth and wailing silently as Bill has shown his true consummate-politician colours and agreeing that it's okay to call him 'Mr President' (on Oprah - of all places) as they fawn over the dying embers of Hillary's phoney campaign.

I'm a bit worried about the media, too. Why are they so supportive of Barack? They never promote someone ad infinitum. Payback time is round the corner, folks. You have seen it before and you will see it again.

Let's get something very clear - if you believe that having a black man running for President is going to make a difference, a real difference, then you need to gen up on a little bit of history. The figurehead of President is just that - a figurehead. A puppet. The powers-that-be are shady characters behind the scene, shadowy figures who like to remain so and fund special private entities who can ensure that the status quo is maintained in their favour. Make no bones about it: On the surface, what a monumental achievement it will be for a 'person of colour' to be President of the USofA but get real - 'business as usual' says the sign on the White House door.

2 comments:

oogenesis said...

"The figurehead of President is just that - a figurehead. A puppet. The powers-that-be are shady characters behind the scene, shadowy figures who like to remain so and fund special private entities who can ensure that the status quo is maintained in their favour."

I wish it were that simple. If that were true, little Bush's administration wouldn't have been able to wreak so much damage on the fabric of this country and to our status abroad.

The President is very powerful. He can appoint his own Cabinet of advisors, who make changes in his name that often trickle down to the city level. He can form new government departments whose policies will affect all Americans. (Department of Homeland Security and the resulting 'security theater', anyone?) If there are empty seats, he may also appoint Supreme Court justices, who influence policy for decades after his time in office. He can veto legislation that both the Senate and House have approved just because he doesn't like it. Not exactly a figurehead. There are many shady corporate entities behind the scenes who also get a say in policymaking, though.

And you're not alone in finding the veneration of Obama a little unsettling. No, he's not Hillary. No, he's not a Republican. He seems an intelligent, thoughtful man, and I will likely vote for him if he wins the Democratic Party nomination, but he's only human. I can't help but wonder too if he's being set up for a nasty fall from grace...

Zee Harrison said...

Ana,
Your contribution to this blog and to this particular subject is heartening and welcomed. Thank you.

I suppose I was being quite simplistic in my comment - agreed. of course the Presidency is a powerful position, hence the reasons candidates verbally-slaughter their opponents and half kill themselves to attain it!

I am not an American but I see the corporate capitalists, those who have a stake in the economy and making shed-loads of money as being behind far too many decisions made by elected officials - England is a prime example, running a very close second to the US, in my opinion.
Only problem is with the dumbing down of news information and the rise of 'entertainment news' most people don't know and are being conditioned not to care.

Re. Obama - yes, it just makes me feel that there's more to this than meets the eye. Good, yet not good. Is he going to win the nomination? If so, can he really effect change if he, against seemingly enormous odds, becomes President? Mmm...

Thank you again,
Zee