Rob : Well, I’ve got a long list of things I want to talk to you about, but maybe we can start by talking about your goals for activism, and how you see anything positive going on, and directions that are important in terms of positive activism, and what we can do, and how we can make some changes happen.
Glen : Well, one thing we have learned over the last eight years, not just the last four years, is that if we thought we had an anti-war movement, we were wrong. We had an anti-Republican war movement, which quickly disappeared once there was no Republican in office. So, we don’t have an anti-war movement. We used to have a black movement, or at least the vestiges of the movement that used to exist. We don’t have that anymore. The ascension of the first black president has effectively neutralized Black America as a political force, and since we believe that black America comprises at least half, or used to comprise at least half, of what could reasonably be called the Progressive constituency in the United States. That is a huge tragedy for any prospect in the near future, that is, in the next four years, for any rejuvenation of a Progressive movement in the country. So, I’m sorry to start off so pessimistically, but that’s how we read it.
Rob : Well, this is kind of picking up where we left of four years ago, and I agree with you entirely. The peace movement, and so much of activism has been, I don’t know if the right word is sabotaged, co-opted, by people who say “well, let’s go along with Obama,” you know. And frankly, four years ago I bought into it a lot more. This time around, I’m a different person, with a different set of eyes, and you helped me to wake up to it, too. Thank you.
Glen : And that’s why for the last year, we’ve been describing Obama as the more effective evil. That doesn’t mean that our assessment is that Barack Obama is more evil than George Bush, or Mitt Romney, or any of the Republican menagerie, but that he is able to achieve those goals of George Bush, and that we think Romney, would try to carry out. He is able to achieve them because of the lack of resistance to the Right Wing agenda when the standard bearer is a Democrat, and especially a Black Democrat…
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Transcript-Glen-Ford-on-G-by-Rob-Kall-121202-822.html
When MLK said he looked forward to a time when people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, he meant EVERYBODY! We are not there yet, clearly. Black folks looked at Obama and said, “Finally one of ours!” Most didn’t do the homework to find out he’s one of theirs. {Somebody please pull Jamie “Lord and Savior” Foxx’s coat.) White progressives and liberals looked at Obama and proved their lack of prejudice with backing for Obama. They didn’t do their homework either! How could ANYBODY perceive Obama as a progressive when he voted for FISA, promised to expand the Afghanistan war, supported the bankster bailouts, etc.?
Related:
http://12160.info/video/obama-the-great-deceiver-cynthia-mckinney?xg_source=activity
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