When another “Black” President visited Martha’s Vineyard
on July 29th, 2009 at 10:00 amBlack Politics in the Age of Clinton (link to full article)
Norman Kelley
New York Press- July 19, 2000Nothing better symbolizes calculating co-optation of blacks than Bill Clinton’s Martha’s Vineyard appearance two summers ago. Clinton seemed to have been on the ropes when he finally admitted to having an affair with the zaftig Lewinsky. The President, unquestionably America’s greatest politician, in the narrowest sense of the word, was able to survive the impeachment imbroglio because of his mastery of divide-and-conquer identity politics: all symbolism, no substance. What did he do?
Clinton did a James Brown. The Godfather’s most cherished routine was to sing “Please, Please, Please” with such fervor that he would drop to his knees, begging. Then a Flame, one of Brown’s backup singers, would drape a cape around him and lead him away from the microphone, consoling him. Suddenly, the hardest-working man in show business would break away, return to the microphone and engage in another round of soul-stirring pyrotechnics.
Clinton’s James Brown performance was before 400 people in Oak Bluffs, MA, in a simple wood-shingled chapel on Martha’s Vineyard. This selection of the elect had gathered to celebrate one of the seminal events in American history, the civil rights movement’s 1963 March on Washington. Mr. Clinton gave a speech and read from former civil rights activist, and now Congressman, John Lewis’ memoir Walking with the Wind. Then he held hands with others and sang “We Shall Overcome”-his version of “Please, Please, Please.” Charles J. Ogletree, a Harvard Law professor, Henry Louis Gates Jr., another member of the Harvard faculty, and Anita Hill were also there. Mr. Ogletree supported the President for several reasons: minority appointments to the Cabinet, judgeships, Clinton’s visit to Africa and the President’s Initiative on Race. The unmistakable genius of the Clinton administration is that it can buy blacks for so little.
Mr. Clinton’s success in confusing the minds of black voters has convinced black elected officials and so-called black public intellectuals to do even less than usual. It’s well known that Clinton is popular with black voters because he has learned how to finesse America’s racial politics with his deft way of not appearing anti-black while engaging in coded anti-black politics (on crime, welfare, etc.).
Clearly, black politics and black political culture have regressed during the age of Clinton. Once there was a King exhorting the nation to live up to its democratic precepts; a Malcolm X eviscerating America’s racial policies; an Adam Clayton Powell legislating an array of laws that affected American public policy; and, even more important, black popular mobilization. With Louis Farrakhan and the emergence of the new nigga white America loves to hate, Khalid Muhammad, it seems such men are striking a chord with some blacks-or are filling a political vacuum. Neither Farrakhan nor Muhammad has anything substantial to offer, yet they understand one essential thing about black politics: it feeds off of symbols. They understand they will pay no political price for not delivering the goods.
Obama is delivering the same goods as Clinton. The only difference here is that his skin color and party affiliation qualifies him as a “symbol” as well.
I have often said that unless Obama is caught cheating on his wife with either a White woman or a light-skinned Black woman, he will always have high support in the Black community.
