Many are familiar with the song "Kumbaya," a decades-old tune of some reknown. A number of people are also familiar with John Edwards' characterization of Barack Obama as the 'Kumbaya' candidate.
Last night, in LC Johnson's terrific and #1 rec'd diary about the GOP pumping-up Obama, I mentioned Edwards' comment.
After reflecting on what Edwards had said, I got to thinking: Why does 'Kumbaya' have the connotations that it does, and how long has it had these negative and ironic associations?
For some younger Kossacks, the meaning of Edwards' word choice might not be clear. With this and my own curiosity in mind, I thought that a closer examination of the song, the meaning of the 'Kumbaya' idiom and what I feel Edwards was trying to say regarding Obama was in order.
Let's start with the song itself. Here are some of the lyrics:
Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya
O Lord, kumbaya
Someone’s laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Someone’s laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Someone’s laughing, Lord, kumbaya
O Lord, kumbaya
Someone’s crying, Lord, kumbaya
Someone’s crying, Lord, kumbaya
Etc.
The structure of the song is very simple, and on its face it seems fairly tepid and not particularly noteworthy. 'Kumbaya,' literally translated, means "Come by here." This revelation seems to add little value to the tune's relevance.
Then why is the work so resilient? What meaning is commonly attached to the song, and what does that have to do with Edwards' comment?
The Wikipedia entry offers excellent guidance:
The song enjoyed newfound popularity during the folk revival of the 1960s, largely due to Joan Baez's 1962 recording of the song, and became associated with the Civil Rights Movement of that decade. It is a standard campfire song in Scouting, YMCA, the Indian Guides, and others. It was also commonly used in Catholic "folk" masses of the 1970s.
It appears as though the song was widely-regarded as spreading or embodying a genuine message of togetherness and 'oneness' among those who sung and heard it.
By the late 1980's, however, the sentiment attached to "Kumbaya" shifted from the sincere to the sarcastic:
Again, from Wikipedia:
Ironic usage
Though the song was originally associated with unity and closeness, it is now often referenced sarcastically to connote a blandly pious and naively optimistic view of the world and human nature.
The Wikipedia entry goes on to detail a number of pop culture references that invoke the ironically-intended 'Kumbaya.'
Here is a fascinating exchange between a newspaper columnist and a college librarian about the etymology (word origin and history) of 'Kumbaya:'
Kumbaya etymology
The columnist had written an article about the origins of 'Kumbaya' and had sought out this librarian's help in trying to narrow-down when 'Kumbaya,' as he puts it, "bec(a)me the symbol for fake conviviality".
Some interesting stuff. Several other references are mentioned in that link if you would like to read more about the subject. The most important thing to understand, as the librarian says, is that 'the negative connotations and absurdities of the song' are almost- universally what are intended when a speaker brings up "Kumbaya" today.
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Ok, so why would John Edwards reference "Kumbaya" when discussing the candidacy of Barack Obama?
Let's go to the original source of the comment Edwards made:
New Yorker article
Edwards dismisses Obama’s argument that more consensus is needed in Washington. The difference between them, Edwards told me, is the difference between "Kumbaya" and "saying, ‘This is a battle. It’s a fight.’ " When I asked whether he’s a populist, he lifted a riff from his stump speech: "If it means you’re willing to stand up for ordinary people, the kind of people that I grew up with, against very powerful, entrenched interests, then yes, I am a populist."
Edwards is implying that Obama's hope that there will be less partisanship and more unanimity in Washington should Obama be elected is, to borrow from Wikipedia, 'naively optimistic.'
And I couldn't agree more with him.
The last 7 years under the Bush Administration have demonstrated that consensus means nothing; again and again Bush has added his own signing statements to modify bills or alter congressional resolutions without the least bit of concern for what anyone else thought.
"Kumbaya," my @ss.
And if that example weren't enough, the piss-poor performance by the Democratic-majority Congress the past 2 years should be the final nail in any 'Kumbaya' fantasies Obama or anyone else has about the willingness those on the other side of the aisle have about working with Democrats.
The Republican Congressional minority has repeatedly made Congressional Democrats look like fools. They don't give 2 spits about compromise, or working to help the average American.
Edwards is right: The American People need a fighter as our President, not an appeaser or consensus-monger. The big corporations Edwards often calls out are not giving up JACK unless they are held to account by someone with the guts to face them down.
I have faith in two of the 'Big 3' 2008 Democratic Nominee candidates to take on that task earnestly. These are the same two candidates I believe could properly address issues such as health care, Social Security, and foreign policy.
And neither of them is the candidate to whom Edwards' "Kumbaya" statement was in reference to.
Once the Democratic nominee is chosen, the GOP will be coming with full guns blazing seeking to take him or her down. And if we Dems are fortunate enough to have just our second White House representative in 28 years, the Rethugs will come looking to lob grenades, not to shake that Dem president's hand.
The GOP started their campaign to smear Bill Clinton years before he entered the White House. The biggest difference between then and now is that Fox News is far better-established and more people listen to Rush Limbaugh.
No Democrat is going to be elected as President or be effective in office unless he or she is willing to fight the GOPers from the beginning, and fight every single day of his or her term(s).
'Kumbaya?' More like 'Kum-BS.' The Rethugs have become used to having the White House, and they will do anything to keep it and/or destroy the effectiveness of any Democrat who is its next resident.
John Edwards and Hillary Clinton are fully aware of this, and are ready and willing to fight for us Democratic Americans. That's why I would be thrilled if either one is chosen as our party's 2008 presidential nominee. They will work with GOPers, but not be co-opted and trampled by those on the other side of the aisle.
With one week to go before the Iowa caucus, I wish both of these candidates well.
Thanks for reading. I hope you know a little bit more about "Kumbaya" and the development of the song's/term's meaning than when you began the diary.
thumbs up