Color (Double) Blind

Fresh from feasting on the scrawny corpse of Don Imus, the marching morons of Media Matters turned this week to more succulent fare, Rush Limbaugh. Sensing a self-inflicted wound from Limbaugh's repeated playing of "Barack the Magic Negro," the M&Ms of MM were getting into "Firing" mode over this "insensitve" and, wait for it..., "racist" assault on the tender sensitivities of all African-Americans from Al Sharpton to Jesse Jackson. The magic phrase "Barack the Magic Negro" was, of course, coined by an LA Times writer who, being black, has a natural immunity to saying the word "Negro." Indeed, he could say much worse and still get a pass from all and sundry, but because he is a gentleman he has eschewed such language.

Nevertheless, Limbaugh took the phrase and ran with it, sliming Al Sharpton more than Obama in the process since the song is directed at America's number one race hustler. Alas, Sharpton is also, the last time I checked, black. And he is also magic to some extent since he seems to enjoy not only immunity from this but sanctity as well. He is corporate media's go-to in-house guy when it comes to all things that might, just might, offend African Americans. How this happened is anybody's guess except to those businesses in New York City that have been exposed to the Sharpton Machine's endless political and financial extortions. Why should ABC, CBS, NBC, NYT be any different?

The result? A lot of "racist" spew and blather from all the usual suspects. The bottom line among these dwarf intellects seems to be that Obama's race cannot be called into question because it is actually and completely irrelevant to his Presidential bid. And besides, it is impolite.

Short form of the correct political position: "Obama's race doesn't matter except when it does."

A strange position to take when you reflect that Obama's race and standing as an African American of no little poise and intellect is the single most powerful thing he has going for him. Indeed, to be clear, Obama's race is the only reason he's doing as well as he is at all. If we had a junior Senator from Illinois with a shade more than 2 years of experience in the Senate and with the name Ole Swenson running for President, he'd be running neck and neck with Dennis Kucinich and Kucinich would be kicking his ass.

Of course, you're not supposed to notice Obama's race except when noticing it causes you to adulate wildly and attempt dancing in the streets while writing big checks from your bottomless account at The National Bank of White Guilt. If this gets you off and tickles your fancies, get down. And while you're at it, write one for me. My account is overdrawn.

In the original article, Obama the 'Magic Negro' the author tells us why Obama "the magic negro" holds sway like a snake-charmer over the anti-intellectuals that comprise his cheering section and donor base:

"Like a comic-book superhero, Obama is there to help, out of the sheer goodness of a heart we need not know or understand. For as with all Magic Negroes, the less real he seems, the more desirable he becomes."

Well, that's fine if you just want to continue to feel good, but I don't think it's a plan to hand out the Presidency just because you are white or black or male or female or even in transition as a sportswriter at the Los Angeles Times. You have to have something other than your skin going for you -- experience, ideas, programs, platforms, positions. It is not enough to look good and speak well. And just because you think that Obama's the new JFK you don't also have to pretend he's Irish. He's groomed like JFK. He comes on like JFK. His supporters evidently gaze upon him and see his inner JFK. But the last time I looked, he wasn't JFK and he wasn't Irish.

Posted by Vanderleun at April 29, 2007 7:20 PM