Black power in the White House?

Mark K. writes:

After having read Kurtz’s hair-raising article about Obama’s church [excerpted here, mentioned here], I now consider Obama to be simply a Trojan horse for the entry of radical black culture, ideology and theology into the White House.

I have no doubt that Obama is disguising his true feelings about Wright’s church, theology and congregation. The “snippets” alibi doesn’t hold water. The constant drumbeat of Wright’s theology, politics and style of worship is all-enveloping. A congregant does not escape it. The church journal discussed and quoted by Kurtz is quite extensive and explicit about the church’s mission.

You say about Obama’s possible presidency, “Bring it on.” Yes, I agree—and when his true colors are shown in office, impeachment will follow as he seeks to establish politically Wright’s theology. Psychologically and culturally an Obama presidency will be a black theocracy. Beware the Trojan horse!

LA replies:

Well, that’s a pretty definite prediction by Mark. If Obama is elected, we can revisit this post in, say January 2010 and see how the prediction is holding up.

- end of initial entry - Adela G. writes:

Mark K writes: “I now consider Obama to be simply a Trojan horse for the entry of radical black culture, ideology and theology into the White House.”

I doubt that. I think Obama is far less interested in black liberation theology, or even plain old leftist “change” than he is in being President Obama.

He gets his supporters all het up with his uplifting rhetoric but it seems empty, somehow. I always got the feeling from JFK and MLK that, however venal they were in some areas of their lives, when they said, “Ask not what you can do for your country” or “I have a dream”, they really meant it. They presented their audiences with their particular visions of a better future and then challenged them to make it a reality. Obama is not a leader (nor interested in being one), he is reactive, he senses what his supporters want to hear and gives it to them.. He makes his supporters feel good because he appeals to their narcissism, “Yes, we can!” Can what? Oh, yes. “Change”. Standard left-wing stuff, nothing new, only the verbiage is high-flown, the ideas behind it are vacuous.

For Obama, black liberation theology was a means to an end, a way to achieve the “street cred” and “authenticity” that life with his white granny failed to provide. Now that he’s acquired both, his camp will quash any references to ties between him and black liberation theology until it seems to be merely a youthful indiscretion from the dim and distant past, like a college kid’s arrest for a political protest.

I certainly don’t expect to see a revival of it if he becomes POTUS, he doesn’t need it any more. Which is not to say he wouldn’t be too far left as POTUS, only that he’d be your garden variety tiresome left-winger, with black liberation theology long since discarded like the skin shed by a snake.

Expect to see lots of grievance-mongering, though, and the sense that he and his are entitled to an exemption from criticism. His misrepresenting complaints about his wife’s public remarks as an “attack” on his family is a good indication of what’s in store for us should he be elected. His subtle racial (and racist) cues will be accompanied by accusations of race-baiting as a way to silence opposing or critical views.

LA replies:

Whether or not they turn out to be correct, two of your ideas in this comment add up to a picture of Obama should be underscored: that Obama is not a leader and has no particular direction he believes in, but is more of a narcissist wanting to please crowds; and that he will not push the black liberation ideology as president but is more of a generic leftist.

Adela G. writes:

He has a lean and hungry look. I’ve never seen any politician bask in the adoration of his fans the way Obama does.

Luckily, he’s a classic narcissist so his primary purpose in acquiring power is to prove to himself that he can, as opposed to really wanting to implement a far left regime. He doesn’t want to do something so much as he wants to be something. I’ve seen a lot of that in a lot of black people I’ve known.

And part of it is he likes getting over on white people. Whatever his personal insecurities and doubts, he knows he can fall back on his charm and talk his way out of trouble. I’ve seen a lot of that in a lot of black people, too. The more I see of him, the less extraordinary and the more typical he seems to be.

That’s just the sense I get.

I don’t know if you’ve seen this article. I know I included a link to it in one of my Michelle Obama rants. The part about how Obama played the race care with his black audience is interesting.

Mark Jaws writes:

What is all the hub-bub about black liberation theology (BLT) in the White House? BLT among other things erroneously claims the ancient Jews of the Bible were black. BLT has survived and thrived exclusively among a factually-challenged urban black population, and in no terms can it stand up to mainstream scrutiny. Sheesh. Any boob can go online and download pictures of Roman-era Jews, which clearly indicate the Jews of 2,000 years ago looked like many Jews of today—and not Denzel Washington. BLT adherents even claim that we Caucasian Jews are nothing but “impostor Jews.” Its theology is racist and its archeology is fiction. In fact, if I could, I would ask Obama his views on the ethnicity of the Jews of old, and whether or not it marries up with the teachings of his church.

Fortunately, there are still real Menschen among us who will unmask this hideous ideology exactly for what it is—racist mythology, which even the wiliest of liberal media commentators cannot defend. I say, “Bring it on!”

Ben W. writes:

Regarding Mark K.’s post that Obama may be a conduit for black liberation theology, Obama may not explicitly refer to it, but it may act on him through his instincts and intuitions. Obama has stated that his view of Christianity is through the lens of the historic struggle of the black race and culture in America. His communitarian involvement as a social organizer is through the evolution of the black community historically in America. That will impact his view of where political action is most required by a president. In that sense black liberation theology may implicitly reside in the White House.

On another note, Obama says he has a Jewish formation:

“Obama reminded Jewish voters of the profound effect Jewish culture—especially Jewish literary culture—has had on him. ‘I always joke that my intellectual formation was through Jewish scholars and writers,’ he explained. ‘Whether it was theologians or Philip Roth who helped shape my sensibility, or some of the more popular writers like Leon Uris.’”

Mark Jaws writes:

I, a semi-Semite, look more Jewish than you do. In fact, my daughter looks like Barbara Streisand, and Lady Jaws is a 100 percent WASP. However, the important point is that Jews are a Caucasian people—and not Negroid. I carpooled for two years with a former black Army intelligence officer, turned preacher, and I had to set him straight regarding the ethnicity of our ancestors. He believed—and this guy had a Masters Degree—that the Jews of the bible were black, who then mixed with the “huge migration from beyond the Caucasian Mountains after the Roman Empire fell apart.” According to him, this migration was so huge that it blotted out the Negroid features of the ancient Jews.

Ben W. writes:

Mark Jaws writes, “According to him, this migration was so huge that it blotted out the Negroid features of the ancient Jews.”

According to black “scholars,” the ancient Egyptians were actually African and black. Now we hear that the ancient Hebrews were also African and black.

So whom did the Egyptians oppress? Was it black African Egyptians who oppressed black African Hebrews and a black African Moses demanding of a black African Pharoah that he release the black African Hebrews? And did subsequently a black African army of Egyptians pursue a black African band of Hebrews in the desert? Sounds as if we had a Kenya or Rwanda back then…

Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 21, 2008 11:33 PM | Send