“Barack Obama and the Democrats are not the lesser of two evils, they are the more effective evil.”
If right-wing Republican ideology didn’t exist, it would have to be invented. The blatant racism, bizarre shrillness, and appeals to patriarchy and misogyny are easily condemned. Attacking the Republican Party isn’t at all difficult, it is in fact a bit like shooting fish in a barrel. It isn’t surprising that an African American camerawoman was taunted and humiliated by Republicans at their recent convention. The Republicans have been working for decades to make themselves the party of, by, and for white people.
Republican racism and right-wing extremism mean that the Democrats get credit for doing nothing or even for acting like Republicans. Their convention is being held in Charlotte, North Carolina, a city without one unionized hotel, and little wonder, North Carolina is a right to work state with the lowest rate of union workers in the country. The absence of outrage over the choice of Charlotte as the convention venue is proof positive of the ideological bankruptcy of the Democratic Party and the cowardice of its supporters.
“The Republicans have been working for decades to make themselves the party of, by, and for white people.”
As if the choice of Charlotte weren’t bad enough, an anti teachers union movie, Won’t Back Down, was shown at a convention event after being vetted by Democratic Party leadership. Michelle Rhee, the face of teacher union busting and the destruction of public education, appeared on a panel at the film’s screening. Rhee told the harsh and ugly truth about the way the Democrats are treating teacher unions. “There is no longer sort of some assumed alliance between the Democratic Party and the teacher’s unions.”
If teachers and other unions had any self-respect, they would boycott the convention altogether. Instead they will be front and center, proclaiming their love for a party that never passes up an opportunity to stab them in the back.
Barack Obama and the Democrats are not the lesser of two evils, they are the more effective evil, and their convention coronation proves it. They have the benefit of running against a Republican candidate who made a fortune by putting thousands of people out of work and who brags about it. While Democrats do not openly talk about putting Social Security and Medicare on the budget cutting table, the Republican vice presidential candidate makes eliminating Medicare his claim to fame.
“Residents of Afghanistan and Pakistan will be the victims of American drone attacks whether the president inaugurated in January is named Obama or Romney.“
The Democrats are once again committing the perfect crime. They present themselves as the friend of working people and as the defenders against racism, misogyny and homophobia. While a black camera operator will probably not have to fear being humiliated by Democrats, the residents of Afghanistan and Pakistan will not be so lucky. They will be the victims of American drone attacks whether the president inaugurated in January is named Obama or Romney.
Obama’s nominating speech will no doubt be better than Romney’s. There will be no strange decision to let an old actor give a rambling speech. The evils of Bain capital will be exposed to the world, but Obama would have agreed to a back room budget deal with Republicans if vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan and other Republican congressional leaders hadn’t scuttled his plans.
The activists who opposed war during the Bush administration can’t seem to find their voices now. Instead they criticize Mitt Romney because he didn’t “mention” wars in his convention speech. It isn’t clear what these critics wanted to hear. Were they once again anti-war or had they already dropped those convictions once a Democrat became president? In any case, Romney has no room to criticize Obama because Obama is now the war monger in chief, with the body count to prove it.
“Were they once again anti-war or had they already dropped those convictions once a Democrat became president?”
Little children with abusive parents can be forgiven if they don’t know how to break free from their victimizers. Adults who claim to lead others have no such excuse. The union leaders, and the peace activists and all other progressives in the Charlotte convention hall should walk out in protest but they won’t. They won’t because their convictions aren’t really any better than Obama’s. They want to belong more than they want to be right.
Obama is the more effective evil because he is enabled by Democrats who are either afraid of their own shadows or who are as bad as he is. They should know that making the case for their demands, indeed having demands at all, is the sure path to political victory. But they don’t want political victory. They just want someone who is part of their crowd to get the top job. Too many people in the Democratic base are effectively evil too.
Margaret Kimberley’s Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well as at freedomrider.blogspot.com. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com.
