Sen. Clinton played the race card, Monday morning, January 7 in a television interview. To save her candidacy, she emphasized that she had to play catch up by doing some “spade work.� Spade work? This is a racially derogatory term. The Democratic Party harbors institutional racism
[I Write What I Like]
I grew up in Georgia under the exclusive, political leadership of white supremacy.
All of its political leaders were Democrats. Gov. Eugene Talmadge, for example, banned all books in public schools that referenced any person of African ancestry. Lester Maddox was elected governor because he had chased Blacks away from his restaurant with an ax handle.
Before 1960, most Blacks in the South had voted for Republican candidates. This class of voters included “Daddy” King and his son, Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 reduced the obstacles to voting. It has had no impact on the right of Blacks to political representation.
In 1968, I was residing in Georgia. After I had perused the presidential ballot in 1968, I chose “none of the above.” I had to cast a write-in vote for “Dick Gregory.” This became my modus operandi. Some people credit Gregory’s write-in campaign with paving the road for “Tricky Dick” Nixon’s journey to the White House. New Jersey was a pivotal state.
If I were enrolled in the Democratic Party in 2008, my presidential choice in the New York primary would be Sen. Barack Obama. There would be no hesitation. I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican, however. In politics, you must put the cart before the horse. A political party is more influential than a presidential candidate. For some voters, this is a political riddle.
Aside from being without a political party, Black voters have to face rigged elections. Except in 1992, no Democratic presidential candidate has ever secured the keys to the White House without winning the New Hampshire primary. Afterwards, in 1992, former President Bill Clinton was referred to as “The Comeback Kid.”
Since 1920, New Hampshire has held the distinction of being the first-in-the nation primary. Whites constitute 95 percent of its population. Iowa is 93 percent white. If Sen. Obama had also defeated Sen. Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, it would have bode well for him in South Carolina. Blacks will take their cue from whites.
Politics in the United States emulates chess. The white pieces on the chessboard always move first. In presidential politics, this is a white primary. It is a device employed to keep Blacks out of the selection process. It was supposedly outlawed by the U.S. Supreme Court in Smith v. Allwright. Slavery was allegedly banned by the Thirteenth Amendment. Each has re-emerged in a different form.
Relative to the New Hampshire primary, the Iowa caucus is more democratic. New Hampshire employs the Australian ballot. This is a back-door literacy test. A caucus, on the other hand, allows for debate. The voters, as well as the presidential candidates, are allowed to engage in verbal warfare.
Debate, even though it is loosely defined, is permitted in the white community. Debate and cross-examination are considered twin engines in the search for truth. In the Black community, a debate is considered divisive when both debaters are Black. On the other hand, a debate between a white conservative and a Black liberal meets with our approval. Blacks are conditioned to give great deference to mythology.
Political debate and political speech are the twin pillars of American politics. For “free” voters, the right of free speech is guaranteed under the First Amendment. The Speech and Debate Clause under Article 1, Section 6, Clause 1 of the Constitution protects members of Congress. English monarchs in the 16th and 17th centuries would arrest and interrogate members of Parliament.
Without the Speech or Debate Clause, there could be no congressional business. Immunity is extended not only to members of Congress but also to their congressional aides. The deliberative process in fashioning legislation requires immunized speech.
Cong. Adam Clayton Powell, because he chose to accuse the New York Police Department of corruption, not only on the floor of Congress but also in the media, was sued for defamation. Incessant police killings in New York City in 2008 should already be the top news story.
Logic is the study of arguments and logic is an integral part of political debate. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign went into a tailspin when she sought during a presidential debate in the Democratic primary to defend Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan of giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. She went from prospect to suspect.
The American public saw Spitzer as promoting a fallacy and sustaining a contradiction. Certain illegal immigrants already enjoy more privileges in New York than Black “citizens.” Neither Clinton nor Spitzer has apparently heard of Melvin Tolson or the Wiley College debating team.
Eddie Murphy starred in “Trading Places.” It was another instance of art imitating life. By 1965, the Republican Party had become the right wing of a one-party system and the Democratic Party had become its left wing. After the Civil War, all Blacks were in the Republican Party and after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 most Blacks were in the Democratic Party.
Between 1935 and 1965, northern Blacks were mostly in the Democratic Party and southern Blacks were mostly in the Republican Party. During this period, most of the civil rights legislation since Reconstruction was passed. This unplanned division of the Black vote naturally constituted political leverage.
The best option for Blacks would be to form their own political party. This was the recommendation of Sen. Charles Sumner during Reconstruction. The worst option is for Blacks to put all of their eggs in one basket. The name of the game in politics is political leverage. As was stated in the original editorial of the Freedom’s Journal, “We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.”
Like in chess, politics would be inoperative without pawns. The Constitution devalued Blacks by two-fifths. We are at the bottom of the totem pole. This is the original intent of the “Founding Fathers” and oath takers, including Justice Clarence Thomas, intend to enforce the original intent of the Constitution.
On a chessboard, the pawn has the lowest value. Like a pawn, a Black voter is saddled down with restrictions. We are the foot soldiers of politics without any expectation of remuneration. This is called plantation politics. History has proven that no one will empower us but us. “What’s in our hands?”
Comparative analysis can help us ascertain the political philosophy and debating skills of Sen. Obama, who received 31 percent of the primary vote in Iowa in 2008. Similarly, Alan Keyes received 14 percent of the Republican primary vote in Iowa in 2000 and Rev. Jesse Jackson received 9 percent of the Democratic vote in the primary in the “Hawkeye State” in 1988. Connect the dots?
After losing to Sen. Obama in the Iowa caucus and seeing his poll numbers in the New Hampshire primary stretch to double digits, Sen. Clinton played the race card, Monday morning, January 7 in a television interview. To save her candidacy, she emphasized that she had to play catch up by doing some “spade work.” Spade work? This is a racially derogatory term.
The Democratic Party harbors institutional racism. To be charitable, it has always, to say the least, played fast and loose on race. Black selected leaders, Black celebrities and silver rights leaders have buried their heads in the sand. They know better than to attack Sen. Clinton.
The simple fact that a substantial number of Blacks support Sen. Clinton shows that we are not politically savvy. Sen. Clinton’s use of “spade” was not a slip of the tongue.
We must stop buying what we want and begging for a Good Samaritan to save us. Politics requires the best, the brightest and the most courageous. The money that we are throwing at the likes of Rev. Creflo Dollar and Bishop T.D. Jakes, among others, must be employed to save our souls. The devil that is threatening our existence is Jim Crow, Esq.
Jan. 16—UAM’s weekly forum at the Elks Plaza, 1068 Harriet Tubman Avenue (Fulton Street) near Classon Avenue in Brooklyn at 7:30 p.m. Take the “C” train to Franklin Avenue. The discussion will be on “The Relevance of the Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey” in 2008.”
Jan. 19—UAM’s Annual Membership Dance at the Cotton Club, 656 West 125th Street in Harlem, from 9 p.m. This is a benefit for 2008 Freedom Retreat for Boys and Girls. There will be entertainment by Ann Sinclair and the Cotton Club All-Stars and a sumptuous dinner buffet and a raffle.
For further information call United African Movement at (718) 834-9034.
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“Speaking Truth To Empower.”
