Commentary

COMMENTARY: Biden and the Black Misleaders’ shame

FLORIDA COURIER — The disgraceful promotion of Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy is all the proof one needs that the Black Misleadership class is a grave danger to their community and to the nation. Biden was chosen to be Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008 precisely because of his rightwing credentials. But he no longer has Obama’s imprimatur to protect him and his racist history is now out in the open for all to see.

Published

5 years ago

July 5, 2019

Vijayakumar B

By Margaret KimberlyThe disgraceful promotion of Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy is all the proof one needs that the Black Misleadership class is a grave danger to their community and to the nation.

Biden was chosen to be Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008 precisely because of his rightwing credentials. But he no longer has Obama’s imprimatur to protect him and his racist history is now out in the open for all to see.

Not too smart

He was always a lesser light in the Senate and was no better as vice president. Even in 2008, he opined that Obama was “clean and articulate” – a remark which ought to have disqualified him from vice presidential consideration with a Black candidate.

But Obama’s goal was to make clear his own rightward trajectory. Choosing a senator who was anything but progressive and a staunch Zionist gave great comfort to the Democratic party donor class.

The unwavering support from the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) should be an embarrassment, but these are shameless people. One wouldn’t know that Biden thanked Dixiecrat Senator James Eastland for assisting him in bringing anti-busing legislation to a vote. These facts are inconvenient for people whose presence in office is meant to squelch any effort at Black self determination.

Busing opponent

Biden began his political career in the 1970s and the hot issue of the day was how to integrate public schools.

Biden called busing “asinine” and lamented that White people who were “good citizens” would be forced to send children to “inferior” (read Black) schools. He opposed school desegregation and he said so quite openly and used all the common racist tropes of that era.

Stop the GOP

The duplicitous work of the CBC isn’t difficult to get away with. Black politics has been reduced to one overarching goal: keeping Republicans out of office.

If Black voters support Biden as much as they are said to, it’s because they have been convinced that he is best able to defeat Trump. The Democratic Party establishment and their friends in corporate media are hoping to make this debatable point a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Black voters will again be the losers in 2020, even if the Democrats manage to defeat Donald Trump. The desire to defeat him overrides all else. Every issue of importance to Black people is ignored, every need will be unmet in what we are told is a foolproof plan to get rid of the orange-faced racist.

Biden enablers like James Clyburn and John Lewis excuse the overt racism with claims that they too did business with the segregationists. But they won’t say anything about mass incarceration, police murder or displacement of entire communities caused by gentrification.

Failed strategy

The old canard of making do with a lesser bigot in order to forestall a worse one is an old and failed strategy.

Another failed strategy is to ignore the blatant sucking-up to rich donors. Biden recently told a group of them that he wouldn’t “demonize” the wealthy and assured them that “nothing would fundamentally change.”

Bernie Sanders is a Democratic candidate who can beat Trump who also speaks to the needs of the people. But he is unacceptable because he does that.

The Democrats and their funders have already decided that we can’t have free college, Medicare for All, or an increased minimum wage. Sanders is an existential threat to the austerity project, so his candidacy is dead on arrival.

Marching orders

The CBC and up-and-comers like Stacy Abrams protect Biden because they are told to do so. They have no independence from the Democratic party donor class and they won’t drop Biden unless the one-percent clique tell them to.

For now, the dim-bulb former vice president is hidden. He makes few appearances and doesn’t talk to the press because he’s “gaffe-prone.” He isn’t just a cynical opportunist; he is also stupid and can’t be trusted to be unscripted with the media.

No wonder Democrats miss Obama, who is very smart and could convince everyone that he was on their side. They are now left with the dregs, an old-school party hack who can’t hide his mediocrity.

What we must do

The 2020 election will end in disaster for Black people no matter who becomes the next president. Dumping the Democrats is the only solution to what ails us. They don’t want to change, and they aren’t even likely to win.

If Biden crashes and burns, another puppet will be presented as the savior. Black misleaders will prop up that person too and their constituents will be the losers.

Margaret Kimberley is a co-founder of BlackAgendaReport.com, and writes a weekly column there. Contact her at Margaret.Kimberley@BlackAgendaReport.com.

This article originally appeared in the Florida Courier.

Vijayakumar B

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

5 days ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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Commentary

Opinion: Surviving the Earthquake, an Eclipse and “Emil Amok.”

Last Friday, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook New York City, reported as the “biggest earthquake with an epicenter in the NYC area since 1884” when a 5.2 quake hit. A bit bigger. The last quake similar to Friday’s was a 4.9 in 1783.Alexander Hamilton felt it — 241 years ago. That’s why New Yorkers were freaking out on Friday. They were in the room where it happens.

Published

7 days ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

In New York City, the eclipse was about 90 percent visible. Good enough for me. Though a full solar eclipse is a celestial rarity, blockages of any sort aren’t generally celebrated. My one-man play is about growing up with the eclipsed history of American Filipinos and how I struggle to unblock all that.

By Emil Guillermo

I’m a Northern Californian in New York City for the next few weeks, doing my one-man show, “Emil Amok, Lost NPR Host, Wiley Filipino, Vegan Transdad.”

I must like performing in the wake of Mother Nature.

Alexander Hamilton felt it — 241 years ago.

That’s why New Yorkers were freaking out on Friday. They were in the room where it happens.

And it just doesn’t happen that often.

Beyonce singing country music happens more frequently.

When I felt New York shake last week, it reminded me of a time in a San Francisco TV newsroom when editors fretted about a lack of news an hour before showtime.

Then the office carpeting moved for a good ten seconds, and the news gods gave us our lead story.

On Friday when it happened in NYC, I noticed the lines in the carpeting in my room wiggling. But I thought it was from a raucous hotel worker vacuuming nearby.

I didn’t even think earthquake. In New York?

I just went about my business as if nothing had happened. After living near fault lines all my life, I was taking things for granted.

Considering the age of structures in New York, I should have been even more concerned about falling objects inside (shelves, stuff on walls) and outside buildings (signs, scaffolding), fire hazards from possible gas leaks, and then I should have looked for others on my floor and in the hotel lobby to confirm or aid or tell stories.

Of course, as a Californian who has lived through and covered quakes in the 4 to 6 magnitude range, I tried to calm down any traumatized New Yorker I encountered by taking full responsibility for bringing in the quake from the Bay Area.

I reassured them things would be all right, and then let them know that 4.8s are nothing.

And then I invited them to my consoling post-Earthquake performance of “Emil Amok, Lost NPR Host…”

It was the night of the eclipse.

ECLIPSING THE ECLIPSE

For example, did you know the first Filipinos actually arrived to what is now California in 1587? That’s 33 years before the Pilgrims arrived in America on the other coast, but few know the Filipino history which has been totally eclipsed.

I was in Battery Park sitting on a bench and there was a sense of community as people all came to look up. A young woman sitting next to me had a filter for a cell phone camera. We began talking and she let me use it. That filter enabled me to take a picture of the main event with my iPhone.

For helping me see, I invited her and her boyfriend to come see my show.

Coincidentally, she was from Plymouth, Massachusetts, near the rock that says the year the Pilgrims landed in 1620.

In my show she learned the truth. The Pilgrims were second.

History unblocked. But it took a solar eclipse.

Next one in 2044? We have a lot more unblocking to do.

If you’re in New York come see my show, Sat. April 13th, 5:20 pm Eastern; Fri. April 19, 8:10 pm Eastern; and Sun. April 21st 5:20 pm Eastern.

You can also livestream the show. Get tickets at www.amok.com/tickets

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1. He wishes all his readers a Happy Easter!

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Commentary

Commentary: Republican Votes Are Threatening American Democracy

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We needed to know the blunt truth. The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2024

Oakland Post

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening. That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

By Emil Guillermo

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

We needed to know the blunt truth.

The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

And to save it will require all hands on deck.

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening.

That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

No man is above the law? To the majority of his supporters, it seems Trump is.

It’s an anti-democracy loyalty that has spread like a political virus.

No matter what he does, Trump’s their guy. Trump received 51% of caucus-goers votes to beat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who garnered 21.2%, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who got 19.1%.

The Asian flash in the pan Vivek Ramaswamy finished way behind and dropped out. Perhaps to get in the VP line. Don’t count on it.

According to CNN’s entrance polls, when caucus-goers were asked if they were a part of the “MAGA movement,” nearly half — 46% — said yes. More revealing: “Do you think Biden legitimately won in 2020?”

Only 29% said “yes.”

That means an overwhelming 66% said “no,” thus showing the deep roots in Iowa of the “Big Lie,” the belief in a falsehood that Trump was a victim of election theft.

Even more revealing and posing a direct threat to our democracy was the question of whether Trump was fit for the presidency, even if convicted of a crime.

Sixty-five percent said “yes.”

Who says that about anyone of color indicted on 91 criminal felony counts?

Would a BIPOC executive found liable for business fraud in civil court be given a pass?

How about a BIPOC person found liable for sexual assault?

Iowans have debased the phrase, “no man is above the law.” It’s a mindset that would vote in an American dictatorship.

Compare Iowa with voters in Asia last weekend. Taiwan rejected threats from authoritarian Beijing and elected pro-democracy Taiwanese vice president Lai Ching-te as its new president.

Meanwhile, in our country, which supposedly knows a thing or two about democracy, the Iowa caucuses show how Americans feel about authoritarianism.

Some Americans actually like it even more than the Constitution allows.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1.