The Mischaracterization of the Black Vote is Coming

Email Print posted by chrisandyasemin 05/03/2008 11:30:47 AM EST

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I talked to my Mom this morning, and I got some interesting news.  Apparently her organization, "The Madame Walker Theater" was appearing in Time Magazine as sort of a surrogate story for the Black community with Time Magazine.  Apparently CBS has contacted their office as well...
http://www.time.com/time/po litics/article/0,8599,17360 93,00.html


This article could not be farther from the truth.  Obama is speaking at a prodominately Black high school TODAY.  The whole reason Obama probaly said no to the Walker is because they can only seat 1,000 people in the venue.  The article indicates that the Madame Walker theatre is feeling negative about Obama, when their support for him is as strong as ever.  It is just amazing that my mom's work has become a representative for Blacks, and the magazine somehow finds a way to put their own spin on it.  Be prepared to see a lot of stories coming out that blacks feel "marginalized" by Obama courting white voters and not blacks, but believe me, this is BULLSHIT, as I know the "sources" in this article.  Time Magazine has just exposed their bias against Obama.
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The Mischaracterization of the Black Vote is Coming | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)
I fogot to mention before... (none / 0)
The woman quoted in this article does not have the authority to speak for the Madame Walker Theater.  My mother is the acting President, "Cynthia Bates".  They do not have a "membership coordinator", as the woman quoted in the article is misrepresenting her position.  Her job is in jeopardy, because of this situation, and the Walker Theater in no way was being represented by "Delores".  This woman was feeding her ego, and just wanted to see her name in the paper.  The Walker theater REFUSES to publicly speak out against Obama, because they support him.  CBS does not care if they support him, they just want to know if the black community is pissed.  This is a case where the article was written before they contacted the sources, and they were trying to find someone to back their story after the fact.
Chris

by chrisandyasemin on 05/03/2008 01:01:41 PM EST

Well, it COULD be "farther"... (none / 0)
I'd like to hear more from you as regards personal reaction to the article and what was said in it. The fifth paragraph seemed to be right on the mark:

"To some degree, Obama has been constrained by a desire to not be marginalized as a black candidate — a concern, of course, that lay behind his distress over the comments by Rev. Wright. Furthermore, speaking about black-specific issues to African-American audiences carries some risk. "If he starts talking about these things in meaningful terms directly to the black community, white people will be disaffected by that," says Ron Walters, political science professor at the University of Maryland."

It does seem (to me) that Obama has been very careful about not appearing to be "the black candidate" - a term I find repulsive because of the underlying racial absurdity that a person's color defines who they will represent - because there ARE so many white voters who have been trained to see all the negatives of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Louis Farrakhan whenever a black politician is presented to the public. When was the last time you heard ANY news person or pundit say anything good about "leaders" in the black community?

I have to go, but I will reply further if you wish to have a discussion. Sorry for the abrupt ending.

by MedfordTim on 05/03/2008 01:09:34 PM EST

Great Point! (none / 0)
I think you are 100% correct on this one.  If anyone gets labeled as a "black candidate" then all of a sudden their message is not legitimate anymore.  I think Obama has been very careful not to appear motivated by the same common injustices that most blacks "appear" to be motivated by.  I think the stigma that is carried with the black speaker comes because black leaders often have to speak about injustices within their communities, and the whites that do not live in the communities with the blacks just don't understand.  I think that right now, blacks need to let their egos go and let Obama transcend racial lines.  Is Obama going to become white overnight or something?  I think that the idea that blacks are afraid Obama is not going to speak for them has been fabricated by the media, because blacks are used to not having the President speak for them, so this is the one time when they are not going to risk SOME representation...

by chrisandyasemin on 05/04/2008 11:34:36 AM EST

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The Mischaracterization of the Black Vote is Coming | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)
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