Please take a moment to review the imaginary scenario I constructed in this post from May 7: Why I will not vote for Obama even if he’s the nominee — and why you shouldn’t either.
(By the way, when I wrote that I hadn’t heard about Obama using “99 Problems (But A Bitch Ain’t One)” as his Iowa victory song. If I’d known that, in my little reverse-reality story I would have had Hillary striding into her New Hampshire victory party to the strains of “Knock A N—-r Down.”)
Now for the rest of the story:
Our reverse-reality scenario continues with Obama winning the popular vote in the primaries, only to have party officials manipulate the delegate count to ensure that Hillary clinches the nomination — even to the point of assigning some of Obama’s delegates to Hillary for primaries in which she didn’t compete. In behind-the-scenes maneuvers, as Obama is wrapping up his final primary victory in Puerto Rico, the DNC forces him to suspend his campaign and endorse Hillary.
Hillary, for her part, plunges into the role of presumptive nominee with confidence. She abandons any pretense of being a progressive (or even much of a Democrat), espousing right-wing Republican policies on everything from domestic surveilliance to the (non)-separation of church and state. She also drops her support — never more than lukewarm — for full voting rights for African-Amercians, arguing instead that they should have to pass stringent psychological tests and consult with their families and pastors before making important decisions like who to vote for. When members of the Congressional Black Caucus urge her to reach out to African-American supporters of Obama, she sneers that they need to “get over it” themselves, and that if they’d just think for a moment they’d realize it’s for their own good.
Hillary’s occasional attempts to downplay racism go awry. She makes an awkward speech praising Obama for proving that black men can perform every bit as well as white girls. At one of her fundraisers a comedian regales the crowd with “n—-r” jokes; Hillary starts to chide him gently, but then smiles and says, “I’m just messin’ with you!”
In July, a high-ranking DNC official issues an astonishingly condescending statement to African-American Democrats:
I must confess a bit of fatigue and irritation with people who continue to carp, complain, and criticize the results of the primary and lay down conditions for their support. The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t establish conditions to recognize the Boston Celtics as NBA Champions; Roger Federer did not demand concessions before recognizing that Rafael Nadal defeated him at Wimbledon.
It is time to act in a mature and resourceful fashion. It’s time to put the primaries behind us. It’s time to support Hillary Clinton without conditions or demands.
The underlying message there, of course, is that African-Americans must choose between being a Democrat and standing up for their own rights and dignities. Previously the two things had been compatible; now, it seems, they are mutually exclusive. It’s one or the other.
How strange that the DNC thinks African-Americans will choose the party over themselves.
P.S. FrenchDoc discovered the following comment in the thread at TPM, and I feel compelled to direct your attention to it:
At the end of WWII, all the French whores who serviced the Germans were rounded up. Their heads were shaved, and they were tarred and feathered. At the end of a war, the victorious side settles its debts. If you helped, you get a reward. If you did not help, you are in serious trouble.
That’s really quite mild in terms of the usual Obamabot misogyny, but what’s interesting is the blatant desire for violent revenge. It wasn’t enough to destroy Hillary; they’re still itching to punish her supporters. This is bone-deep hatred of women.
Posted by Violet in Election 2008, PUMA
