Random Observations: Crypto-Bubbaism, more trite objections to Obama and the totally unrelated Michael Reiss controversy

Crypto-Bubbaism is what I’m calling it at any rate. Joni Hudson-Reynolds, author of Ebony Mom Politics, writes about the Bubba vote and how race will play out over the current general election in the US.

““The reality is racism exists in the larger society so we know it is a part of the political landscape.  We have to accept some folks will never change and the Obama team would do well to minimize their outreach efforts to groups that have no intention of reaching back.”

(Joni Hudson-Reynolds, 2008)

In the comments of the very same post, “Pinky” goes to work with the oft-used straw-man of alleging misapplication of the term racist in order to shut-up people who criticise a given policy or political camp. Joni is doing no such thing. She isn’t equating a lack of support for Obama with racism, but just pointing out how some people’s objection to voting for a black man will be an obstacle for Obama and that the Obama camp is wasting their time attempting to placate them.

I wish Joni a better future America; where the Bubba vote isn’t significant and where more of her fellow Americans will prove to be more honest interlocutors. If not for her, then for her kids. I think generational change, while too late for Obama, provides some grounds for hope.

I’ve mutated the term “Bubba vote” to Crypto-Bubberism for a reason. Pinky’s obfuscationism is one reason, another is the pretence by certain people that they aren’t going to vote for Obama because of policy positions. Policy positions shared by other Democrats that strangely enough, they were willing to vote for (i.e. Hillary Clinton).

For more on that story, see The Voice of Today’s Apathetic Youth on how the Catholic vote is split over Obama. Nice work, Sarah.

Not that I’m a Michael Moore fan, but it reminds me of his anecdote about his youth when members of his congregation cheered when they found out that Martin Luther King, Jr had been killed. Sick really.

These trite objections to cover up racism aren’t the only objections doing the rounds of course. Take objections to this campaign video.

Not the best campaign ad, but not the worst.

I make an objection about this video. First, McCain not being able to use a computer is itself a trite observation. A trite observation amongst more serious ones. Secondly, the idea that McCain hasn’t changed is wrong. He’s got worse since 9/11.

Crap that he wouldn’t stand for then, he panders to now, as evidenced by his sell-out to religious hegemons in Florida and his inability to distance himself from Pastor Hagee, an exemplar of the kind of religious hate that in the past, McCain has railed against.

Around the Intertubes, I don’t recall where precisely (sorry), I came across a rather sanctimonious post pointing out McCain’s war injuries and how McCain can’t use a keyboard. It boldly stated that McCain can’t use a computer because of his injuries and the Obama camp were taking advantage of the fact and that it would backfire.

Well at least the author seemed to hope it would.

This is trite for three reasons; first, not being able to use a keyboard doesn’t actually prevent people from using a computer. Secondly, it acts as a red-herring to distract from other issues raised in the campaign ad (although you can blame the Obama camp spin-doctors for some of this.) Thirdly, this is by no means anywhere as dirty or irrelevant as the campaign ads being run by the McCain camp.

Because you know Sarah Palin is automatically entitled to respect…

So, because Obama is apparently disrespectful of Sarah Palin, he’s not eligible to be the head of state? Ummm, doesn’t that mean that McCain is ineligible because he’s not respectful of Obama (“But His star is fading..” – what shallow crap is that?)

Of course, the only disrespectful thing you can witness from this ad, is that directed toward Obama and toward the American people (which is of course, far more relevant). It’s full of lies.

Turning obvious compliment into insult, innocuous speculation into unrecognisable assertion and robbing what little is left of context. This isn’t just spinning, this isn’t lying by omission and this isn’t accidental. This is deliberate fabrication.

Get the low-down on how McCain’s camp selectively copied and manipulated Obama and Biden’s words, here.

And McCain approves of the advert. Clearly he approves of blatantly lying to the American public. How does this constitute his much vaunted reform? This level of deception is part of what needs to be changed if America is to have the renewal it supposedly wants.

Now if you are getting tired of the whole US Election, you’ll be happy that I’m going to change topic now.

Michael Reiss has recently stepped down from his position as the Director of Education at the Royal Society after being misrepresented as supporting creationism by some in the media.

Henry Neufeld has more, as does Richard Dawkins. Both writings are a good place to start reading on the topic.

I think I’ll leave it at that and wish you a good weekend.

~ Bruce