About That "Loss of White Progressive Power..." Theory

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Tuesday March 01, 2016 · 9:58 AM PST

2016/03/01 · 09:58

So there is another of those defensive “How Dare You Ask Me About My Politics on Daily Kos?!?” diaries on the Rec List. For the most part, it’s the same old non-argument we’ve seen so often (“I plead the Fifth, so stop asking,” for those of you who have been smart enough to ignore the whole debate), but it contains one rather noteworthy claim: that the opposition among white progressives to black support for Hillary Clinton stems from resentment at the loss of white progressive power within the Democratic coalition. The diarist assures us that she “understands” that such a loss of power can feel bad. That’s very sweet of her.

Leave aside the ridiculousness of the claim that white progressives — the same ones who have been howling against voter suppression for years, who have spend decades working to increase and turn out the black vote, who have been gleefully citing for years the changing demographics of the American voter, who eagerly joined in an electoral coalition with the rising black vote to nominate Barack Obama — would suddenly decide they disliked black voting power per se. Let’s also not dwell on those same white progressives’ eager embrace of the book What’s the Matter With Kansas?, which expresses the same sort of disappointment and confusion about the electoral choices of white voters. Let’s look at the heart of the diarist’s claim — that there has been a decline in the power of white progressives within the Democratic coalition. Recent history shows us that exactly the opposite is the case.

In 2011, the mainly white-progressive Occupy movement took the issues of income inequality and oligarchy from the fringes of American political discourse and put them in the middle of the political map. They had so much success, in fact, that the incumbent, rather moderate Democratic President adopted that issue set as the core message of his successful reelection bid the next year. What the Black Lives Matter movement succeeded in doing with issues of racist police abuse, white progressives did with those issues.

In 2015-2016, Senator Bernie Sanders, an out-and-proud democratic socialist who began the race as a fringe candidate expected to almost match the electoral success of Dennis Kucinich, emerged as the principal challenger to the frontrunner candidate, rising into the 40%-50% range in national polling. This is an astounding over-performance, and an indication of growing, not declining, progressive power within the Democratic coalition. As so very, very many Hillary Clinton supporters are so very, very determined to always remind us, that progressive vote is mainly white.

If you want to find a sector of Democrats whose power is in decline, look at the blue dogs. Look at the conservadems. The increase in the voting power of PoCs within the Democratic coalition has most certainly not come at the expense of white progressives; quite the opposite, it has coincided with a substantial jump in the electoral power of white progressives. It isn’t the Bernie Sanders of the Senate and his supporters who are in decline; it’s the Mary Landrieus and her people.

There is no decline in white progressive voting power within the Democratic party; it is at its highest peak in decades, and continues to grow year by year. Therefore, the “resentment of declining power” thesis can't really explain the phenomenon of progressive disgruntlement at Hillary Clinton’s support in the black community. I bet it was a very satisfying line to write, though.

Obama Heckled by Code Pink Leader

joe from Lowell

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Monday August 17, 2015 · 9:27 AM PDT

2015/08/17 · 09:27

I know this story is old, but I found it interesting.

Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama's solemn remarks on drones and counterterrorism were interrupted at length Thursday by a protester who loudly advocated for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison – the same position Obama was stressing in his speech.

Look, we all understand that closing Guantanamo is important. It matters. You know who understands that best of all?

The guy who was giving the speech about closing Guantanamo!

joe from Lowell

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday September 12, 2014 · 1:17 PM PDT

2014/09/12 · 13:17

The Associated Press is reporting the results of an investigation of Department of Homeland Security data about deportations of undocumented immigrants. The bottom line number: there will be fewer deportations this year (edit) than there have been since 2007.

The Homeland Security Department is on pace to remove the fewest number of immigrants since 2007, according to an analysis of its data by The Associated Press.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency responsible for deportations, sent home 258,608 immigrants between the start of the budget year last Oct. 1 and July 28 this summer, a decrease of nearly 20 percent from the same period in 2013, when 320,167 people were removed.

Over 10 months in 2012, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 344,624 people, some 25 percent more than this year, according to federal figures obtained by the AP.

Follow me below the squiggle to learn why shouldn't take bottom-line numbers of deportations as your guide to President Obama's immigration policy. Read More

World Fails to End as Top Al Qaeda Figure Convicted in New York

joe from Lowell

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Wednesday March 26, 2014 · 1:48 PM PDT

2014/03/26 · 13:48

AP:

Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, the voice of fiery al-Qaida propaganda videotapes after the Sept. 11 attacks, was convicted Wednesday of conspiring to kill Americans for his role as the terror group's spokesman.

Well, chalk one up for the military prosecutors at Guantanamo Bay for...oh, wait:

On Monday, during closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cronan underscored the importance of Abu Ghaith's post-9/11 status...The jury returned a guilty verdict on three charges: conspiracy to kill Americans, conspiring to provide support to al-Qaida and providing support to al-Qaida...Captured in Jordan last year and brought to New York, Abu Ghaith has actively participated in his trial. He listened to testimony and arguments through headphones linked to an Arabic translator.

Assistant U.S. Attorney? Jury? New York?!? Read More

President Obama Approval: Poll of Kossacks

joe from Lowell

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday March 17, 2014 · 11:36 AM PDT

2014/03/17 · 11:36

In the interest of discerning just where, exactly, the membership of this community stands, I thought I'd put out a poll. Please select the answer below that best fits your political orientation and your opinion of Barack Obama's performance in office.

Poll

368 votes Show Results

Do you approve or disapprove of Barack Obama's performance as President?

368 votes Vote Now!

Do you approve or disapprove of Barack Obama's performance as President?

Approve (leftist)

44 votes

Approve (liberal)

159 votes

Approve (moderate/centrist)

50 votes

Disapprove (leftist)

53 votes

Disapprove (liberal)

35 votes

Disapprove (moderate/centrist)

27 votes

World War I Poetry

joe from Lowell

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Tuesday August 27, 2013 · 12:40 PM PDT

2013/08/27 · 12:40

At the end of World War I, after years of witnessing the worst of industrial slaughter - machine guns, air raids, massive artillery barrages, fire weapons - the world reacted with unique horror and disgust to a weapon that had caused about 1% of war deaths: poison gas. In 1925, the Geneva Protocol was ratified, banning "the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and of all analogous liquids, materials or devices."

Why? And why not sign similar treaties forbidding the use of automatic-fire weapons, or explosive shells, or air raids? Does it matter whether you are killed by a bullet or poison gas?

Wilfred Owen, a British veteran of the war, is recognized as England's greatest poet of World War I. This was a man who saw men around him die in a greater variety of violent ways than just about anyone reading this ever will. Below are his thoughts on the subject.

(I considered putting a trigger warning in this intro, but it occurs to me that we are fortunate in the times we live in, and none is necessary.)

joe from Lowell

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Monday August 26, 2013 · 7:03 PM PDT

2013/08/26 · 19:03

When reports of a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government began emerging late last week, they were met with skepticism. Among the questions raised was why Syrian President Bashir al-Assad would do such a thing. Syrian government forces had been making battlefield gains, and were not in the sort of desperate position that would explain such a dramatic action. Such a massacre - Doctors Without Borders reported 355 dead men, women, and children, killed by a neurotoxin, and over 3000 injured - would be a highly provocative act that brought with it the possibility of armed intervention by the West. What motive could they have for such an act?

Join me below the calligraphy dp for one possible explanation.

joe from Lowell

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Monday July 23, 2012 · 11:19 AM PDT

2012/07/23 · 11:19

It appears that the alleged chemical weapons of the Bahir Assad regime are not so alleged anymore.
Syria says will use chemical weapons if attacked - AP

Jihad Makdissi, a spokesman for the Syrian Foreign Ministry, while giving a press conference, states that Syria would use its chemical weapons in case of foreign attack. FWIW, he insisted that the regime would never use them against the uprising his goverment is having so much trouble putting down.

Three thoughts occur to me:

1. I hope this is all over soon. The human suffering in Syria is tragic, and enormous.

2. It looks like the world is about to get another lesson in the efficacy of a chemical weapons inventory as a deterrent.

3. The Assad regime is acting like it's desperate. Hopefully, this will bring us back to Point #1.

How Can 120,000 Jobs Lower Unemployment by 0.4%?

joe from Lowell

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Friday December 02, 2011 · 7:09 AM PST

2011/12/02 · 07:09

The November jobs report from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) came out today, and it included some surprising news. The unemployment rate, listed last month at 9.0%, is down to 8.6%. And yet, the net number of jobs added in the country, according to this report, is about 120,000 - just about enough to keep up with the growth of the labor force. (This replacement number is lower than it used to be, owing to slower immigration reducing the rate of labor force growth). So, what are we to make of these disparate number? Some explanations below.

joe from Lowell

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday November 12, 2011 · 1:53 PM PST

2011/11/12 · 13:53

I assume everyone here is familiar with the Move Your Money Project, an effort to convince people to close their accounts with big, national banks and switch their banking to local banks and credit unions. The Move Your Money web site includes a great tool for finding such institutions in your home town. It's a great idea, which helps to take down the Too Big To Fail banks a notch, and steer funds towards local institutions that are more responsible with their loans and services. But let's not forget, individuals are not the only ones who use banking services. So does your local government, and chances are, they have a lot more money in the bank than you do.

Below the orange squiggle thing - is it supposed to be a d and a p? - find a story about how the City of Lowell, Massachusetts is doing exactly that.

joe from Lowell

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday September 11, 2011 · 7:03 PM PDT

2011/09/11 · 19:03

I'm so white I carry a fire extinguisher instead of sunscreen. I'm so white that drivers flash their high beams as they approach me walking on the sidewalk. I'm so white that I broke my leg and the ambulance took me to a dentist.

But I know what's going on here, because it's happened to me, too. I left a comment in the thread below the infamous "Minstrel" cartoon, and others in the diary that followed, and I found myself on the receiving end of what this site's contingent of African-American diarists are complaining about - a more limited dose, no doubt, but enough to get the flavor.

Even though I explained that I felt certain the cartoonist had absolutely no racist intent - that he just did not notice the unintended racial overtones in his image - I was accused of calling him a bigot.

I was accused of making the whole thing up for factional reasons - of being dishonest by saying I had a concern about a racial issue. You know, "playing the race card," as if expressing concern about the racial implications of someone's words or images is some shady activity to be filed away under a dismissive heading.

I was told that the cartoon in question couldn't possibly have a racial overtone, because the intended message was a legitimate one. As if having a message other than "I look down on black people" means that the way you express that message can't possibly have a racial implication, even an unintended one.

As if agreeing with that message means that you should overlook a problem someone raises with how it is expressed.

I was bombarded with excuses - bogus ones, clearly coming from people who'd never even heard of minstrel shows the day before - about how the cartoon did not actually resemble a minstrel in any way, even after linking to pictures in which the similarity could not be denied.

I was pestered with the old faux-colorblindness, as if feigning ignorance that race is a relevant context that influences meaning is a legitimate way to understand words and images. From self-proclaimed progressives, this is coming.

In short, I saw a whole lot of white people - people who conceive of themselves as not just progressive, but as much more progressive than thou - who decided that they were simply not going to listen to anyone, including African-Americans, who reported that the site was an uncomfortable place for non-white people. Because they know better, apparently.

Well, let me say something to my fellow white people: if you frequently find yourself insisting to black people, when they complain that they don't feel comfortable, that they don't really feel the way they're telling you they feel - YOU'RE PROBABLY WRONG!

And now, I come here and discover that such productive contributors as Adept2U and This Is My Time have been banned for complaining too loudly about this state of affairs? I find that the Great Purge has targeted African-Americans at ten times their actual numbers? Nah, that's not going to cut it.

I want this place to feel safe and open for all Democrats. It doesn't, and there are too many people here who don't give a crap.

See you in a week.

I Suppose I Must Be a Troll, Too.

joe from Lowell

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday August 05, 2011 · 8:32 PM PDT

2011/08/05 · 20:32

Just as I was a mother-stabber before; I must be a baby-stomper now, since:

I like to go outside when it's nice out.

I still think ice cream is yummy.

I still think death is sad.

I still support motherhood.

I still believe violent crime is bad.

I still don't want broken glass rubbed in my eyes.

I still like apple pie.

I still think "Young Frankenstein" was a damn funny movie.

I still think nuclear war is, on balance, a bad thing, especially for children.

I still think that guy who shot Gabrielle Giffords was way out of line.

I still don't think that pipe bombs belong in elementary schools.

(Hold on a minute. I need to bask in my own awesomeness and bravery for a moment. Can you believe I'm willing to lay it on the line like this? That's just how I roll. You got a problem with the truth? Bring it!)

OK, I'm back.

I still feel reasonably confident when I say that George W. Bush did not do a very good job as President.

I still maintain that we could have handled that whole Vietnam thing better.

I still think Rachel Maddow puts together a fine program. Way better than Chevy Chase.

I still oppose childhood cancer.

I still support clean water.

I still think Martin Luther King was a heck of a guy.

I can still use big words as well as any of you. Establishment. Immiseration. Overton Window. Mise-en-scene, biatch.

I still oppose including heroin rations in federally-funded school lunch programs.

I still support recycling over the dumping of municipal solid waste in public water supplies.

I still don't like child abuse. Not one bit.

I still consider the policy prescriptions of the left to be better than those of the right.

I still think you should stop, or at least slow down, when people are crossing the street.

So yes, I suppose I must still be a troll if that's what it takes.

Ahhhhhh, man was that awesome. I need a cigarette.

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About That "Loss of White Progressive Power..." Theory

Obama Heckled by Code Pink Leader

Deportations Fall Dramatically Under Obama

World Fails to End as Top Al Qaeda Figure Convicted in New York

President Obama Approval: Poll of Kossacks

World War I Poetry

Why Would Assad Launch a Chemical Weapons Attack Now?

Assad Regime Threatens Use of Chemical Weapons

How Can 120,000 Jobs Lower Unemployment by 0.4%?

Moved Your Money? Good. Now Get Your City to Do the Same.

I'm the Guy Who Called Out the Cartoon

I Suppose I Must Be a Troll, Too.