This is another edition of Politikin with The G-Man The Chris Matthews statement (below) last night got people talking...
This is what The G-Man had to say...
"Last night in the wake of President Obama’s first State of the Union address, MSNBC host Chris Matthews remarked that in the midst of the President’s prose, he “forgot he was black for an hour.” This remark immediately caught the attention of all who were watching and Matthews attempted later to clarify his remarks, stating that he simply meant the nation’s first black President was addressing a room full of whites with his race being a non-issue for them. However, when you add this comment to last week’s firestorm and subsequent glossing over of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s comment that Obama would make a suitable presidential candidate because he “lightskinned” and “spoke with no Negro dialect, unless he chose to,” the existence of a real problem is becoming clear; too many black people will let others say whatever they want about us as long as they’re Democrats.
Both comments represent the subtle, condescending racism prevalent amongst white liberals. To paraphrase comedian and excellent social commentator Chris Rock, he’s the President of the United States, a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, how exactly is Obama supposed to sound when he speaks? The mere fact that Senator Reid and Chris Matthews appear stunned that a black person can speak intelligently displays a level of ignorance which wouldn’t be tolerated from Senator Mitch McConnell or Bill O’Reilly from the other side of the spectrum (remember “Where’s my muthafuckin’ Iced Tea?”) But I know black Democrats, we’re supposed to put their comments “in context” and give them a pass because massa has been so good to us. But have they really?
The black community routinely votes Democrat 90+% of the time and has made it clear their fierce loyalty to the party is unflappable. But a close look at our communities in the time since blacks became the most stable voting bloc for that party shows little return on that commitment. The sweeping of Senator Reid’s and the coming sweeping of Chris Matthews comments under the rug is a symptom of a much larger problem with blacks and politics; the giving away of all of our political capital. What incentive do the Democrats have to make sure blacks are rewarded for their loyalty? Blacks have demonstrated that no matter what happens to their community, no matter which legislation is passed or not passed, they will not vote for anyone that doesn’t have a “D” next to their name. So even if the Democrats don’t live up to campaign promises, at worst blacks will simply sit out the next election. Either way it’s one vote that won’t go to the other side so as a Democratic politician, why should I work to help your community or live up to the promises I’ve made? What are you gonna do about it? Blacks have put themselves in a position where they have zero political capital. The GOP has given up on ever gaining our support and the Democrats take our support for granted because they know either they get our vote or no one does.
A friend of mine said a person’s vote should always be for sale. There should be certain requirements to get and it should go to whoever fulfills those requirements. If blacks want increased attention to their plight from politicians, more political independence is needed. Quit equating blackness with a propensity for voting Democrat and demand that any politician who wants a vote from us delivered is going to address our problems and treat us with respect, regardless of the letter after their name."
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