Why Obama Is So Popular in Greensboro...

It has been an interesting phenomenon that Barack Obama seems more popular in Greensboro, both among blacks and whites, than Hillary Clinton.  What explains it?  Perhaps the demographics.  But Fred Siegel offers some interesting observations about Obama's relationship to Chicago machine politics. 

Could it be that Obama fits so well in Greensboro because the politics here are so similar to the politics in Chicago?

Siegel writes:

Chicago... is the city of political and cultural tribalism. 

Blacks adapted to both the tribalism and the corrupt patronage politics that accompanied it... In Chicago, racial reform has meant that today's Mayor Daley has been cutting blacks in on the loot.  Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama are all, in part, the expression of that politics.  It hasn't always worked for Chicago, which, under the pressure of increasing taxes to pay for bloated government, is losing its middle class.  But it has served the city's political class admirably...

For all his Camelot-like rhetoric, Obama is a product, in significant measure of the (Chicago) political culture... At no point did Obama, the would-be savior of American politics, challenge this corruption, except for face-saving gestures as a legislator.   He was, in his own Harvard Law way, a product of it.

Why, you might ask did the operators of Chicago's political machine support Obama?...(H)e needed to "perfume the ticket".

Obama first played a perfuming role as a state senator.  His mentor, Emil Jones, the machine-made president of the senate, allowed him to sponsor a minor ethics bill.  In return, Obama made sure to send plenty of pork to Jones' district...

Obama repaid the generosity.  When he had a chance to back "clean" Democratic candidates for president of the Cook County board of supervisors and Illinois governor, he stayed with the allies of the Outfit.  The gubernatorial candidate he backed, Rod Blagojevich, is now under federal investigation, in part because of his relationship with Tony Rezko, the man who helped Obama buy his current house.

The Chicago Way has delivered politically for Obama even this year... Some of his (big advantage in the Illinois primary) came from the efforts of Obama's political ally, the flame-throwing reverend James Meeks, a political force in his own right.  Meeks... is an Illinois state senator, the pastor of a mega-church, and a strong supporter of Jesse Jackson's political operation, which has put its vote-pulling muscle squarely behind the Obama campaign...

(Obama) won his U.S. Senate race in 2005 not only because his opponents self-destructed, but because of the machine's ability to deliver votes (this minimized his need to campaign among working class whites downstate).

Indeed, it seems that Obama could have easily been a product of Greensboro's local politics if he had started here.

Comments

[Fred Gregory]

Joe,

Thanks for getting Siegel's piece out from behind the wall.

Indeed there is an eery similarity between Chicago and Greensboro politics. Siegel's observations make Obama transparent right down to the marrow.

He nailed Obama's disingenuous claims : "His achievements in reaching out to moderate voters are largely proleptic" and goes on to point out Obama's almost perfect liberal voting record in the Senate.

In conclusion Siegel says:

"But so far, the wild discrepancy between Obama’s words and his deeds, and between his enormous ambitions and his minimal accomplishments, doesn’t seem to have fazed his core supporters, who apparently suffer from a severe case of cognitive dissonance.

Like cultists who rededicate themselves when the cult’s prophecies have been falsified, his fans redouble their delusions in the face of his obvious hypocrisy. That is because Obama, in the imagination of many of his fans in the public and the press, is both a deduction from what was—the failures of the Bush administration and the scandals of the Clintons—and an expression of what should be. The ideal, the aspiration, is so rhetorically appealing that it has been assumed to be true. They remind one of Woodrow Wilson’s answer when asked if his plan for a League of Nations was practicable:

'If it won't work, it must be made to work' "

[Joe Guarino]

Fred, thanks for your comment and for the additional excerpts you provided.

Yes, I found Siegel's article by accident when I was looking for something else. And it is an enormously perceptive piece. Highly recommended.

[Stormy]

Rev. Jeremiah Wright in his speech last night said that all African-American students are right-brained and are auditory learners (hearing). He said they are all different than European American students as they are left-brain and learn visually (reading).

If this is so that all black children learn differently, and thus must be taught differently, is he making a case to return to segregated schools where the respective children can be taught in the preferred style? And, this doesn't even begin to consider the learning styles of Hispanic and Oriental students, as well as other non-African or European children.

In addition, are we now to understand that there are distinct genetic differences between black children and white children?

His speech was littered with inconsistencies and half-truths. When he mocked Teddy Kennedy and JFK, he overlooked the fact that he was speaking of regional accents, not poor grammar. This guy is an embarrassment to Barack Obama. He seems to be doing everything he can to kill Obama's chances for election. If Jeremiah Wright is his mentor and inspiration, then Obama can no longer claim to be the post-racial candidate that transcends race. Jeremiah Wright is not the face of the Audacity of Hope. Barack Obama better as fast as he can away from Wright, if he has any hope of winning this election. Otherwise, he'll only get 90% of the black vote and 100% of the limousine, white guilt liberals.

[Joe Guarino]

Stormy, again the stridency of Wright's rhetoric yesterday and today further illustrates the extent to which Obama had us all snowed. Obama freely made an intentional choice to attend Wright's church, and ostensibly listened to the man for years. The public face Obama presented early in the campaign is not remotely what he really is beneath the surface.

Is Hillary a better option, for the Democrats or for the country? Not necessarily. She is a shade more moderate on a few things; but she gives Bill his third term with all the associated corruption, and would socialize health care to a greater extent than Obama.

We lose, regardless of whether it is Barack or Hillary.

[Brenda Bowers]

I don't think Hillary will give Bill his third term. The dame is going to ditch that two timing nerd the moment she no longer needs his popularity to get elected. IMO

As for students learning, well the fact is all students with no racial uniqueness utilize their own blend of both verbal and visual learning traits. That is why good elementary teacher's make sure to cover all the bases. By the time the students are no older than 10 or 12 years old they have developed their own preferred self teaching method. I, for instance, am more strongly verbal so as a result I actually silently read each word to myself. This is far slower but then it only requires one "reading" for me to understand and digest the material since I am in effect using both styles of learning at the same time and reinforcing both. When visual is the strongest it usually takes two or three exposures for full understanding.

You can usually tell an individuals preference in the two learning (reading) styles when quick responses are called for. Verbal people often miss one or two points in the written matter and if they fail to re-read the article they will misunderstand to some extent. How important the missed points are to general understanding of what is written is dependent upon what points are "missed". And I imagine you all could have lived your entire lives with out this bit of trivia from an education specialist retire!! LOL BB

[Stormy]

What is the purpose of Jeremiah Wright's tour? Is he making a concerted effort to single-handedly destroy Obama's campaign? The ego of this man is astounding, and he is on a trip. If anyone thought that racial healing was taking place in this country, Wright has just ripped the scab off and the wound is as raw as ever. Mr. Obama has been placed in a tough place. So, does he believe the same things as his admitted spiritual leader?