John Mayer, the multi-platinum, multi-grammy award winning artist, has got his foot so far in his mouth it's tickling his stomach. Mayer is one of my favorite musicians of our generation and I checked my Ipod this morning and I have over 100 Mayer songs on it. He's a brilliant guitarist and and excellent songwriter. However, this does not excuse his overt brashness and tabloid antics. His latest stunt was clearly over the top, and has created somewhat of a media typhoon .
When asked whether he has a 'hood pass', which a term used to describe acceptance by the urban black community, Mayer responded:
"Someone asked me the other day, 'What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?' And by the way, it's sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass."
JM: I don’t think I am made for that. I have a supremacist dick that is rather white supremacist. I possess a Benetton heart and a fuckin David Duke cock and I am going to date separately from my dick.
So there are really two different issues at work here. One that I believe is inexcusable and one that has perhaps been made into a bigger issue than it should be. The use of the N-word and his apparent dislike of black women.
Mayer is a political liberal by nearly every measure possible. He spent time on the campaign trail with Obama, and is probably never going to vote Republican a day in his life. He is (well, he was) also very well received by the black community. Mainly because he has been featured on numerous hip-hop artists songs and seems to embrace black culture in his music, especially his deference to blues. This feeling of connectedness with the black community is in part what made Mayer think it was okay to use the N-word in this context. Yet, there is something else at work. John Mayer is the classic example of an uber-liberal white person who is liberal precisely because of his internalized, and often unrecognized, belief in inherent white supremacy. Yes, John Mayer and folks like him want to help people. Yes, John Mayer and folks like him would march in rallies for civil rights. But, his progressiveness seems to be predicated on a belief that "I am better".
Molly Securs of the Huffington Post comments, "Suffice it to say Mayer's words were symptomatic and indicative of white arrogance. Only someone who is certain he is above recrimination could publicly utter indefensible slurs against black women and think he could get a pass."
The second issue at play is a bit different although for many equally controversial. In the Playboy interview Mayer comments that he does not see himself as attracted to black women and goes on to say "I have a supremacist dick that is rather white supremacist". Here is where I break with lots of other folks; I think no less of Mayer because he is attracted to a certain type of woman. Granted it does seem presumptuous to say that he would never date outside his race, but if that is what he's attracted to then so be it. It does not offend me as a black American. When I look at my life I realized that I have never dated a white woman, ever. Not because I have some personal or even attraction issue. It just has never happened. I think people should be allowed to be attracted to whomever they wish without punishment. I do understand that for many black women, issues of attractiveness are a sore spot given that the features of white women are deemed as precious. My own daughter cried last year when she realized she would never look like the white Disney and Barbie princesses. Even with all of that I think Mayer is within his right to like who he likes, even though he worded his feelings in a completely ridiculous way.
I still think Mayer is a brilliant musician, but now his tabloid personality is overshadowing his talent. I was literally days away from purchasing tickets to his concert this Spring, now; I'm not so sure.
Tom Tancredo, perhaps the most openly bigoted legislator since George Wallace, opened the Tea Party national convention in Nashville with predictably divisive rhetoric. Tancredo claims that teabaggers must stop "the cult of multiculturalism" and that maybe Obama, who he called a "committed socialist ideologue", was only elected because "we do not have a civic, literacy test before people can vote in this country". He went on to say that " People who could not even spell the word vote (cheers), or say it in English (bigger cheers)" were to blame for Obama's victory.
People like Tancredo don't make mistakes when they use this sort of tone. He knew exactly what he was trying to say when he spoke about poll tests and the 'cult of multiculturalism". Tancredo knows that poll tests were used as a way to block blacks from voting for nearly a century after the passage of the 15th amendment. Poll tests, which were of course rigged for certain folks to fail, essentially excluded blacks from American politics until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Tancredo's comment was also aimed at Latinos as he says that some of the voters in the last election could not say "vote" in English. The Tea Party movement hates multiculturalism because it means that their idealized, and completely false view of America as a country that belongs solely to middle-class whites, is drifting away. It's not a coincidence that this movement sprang under Obama. They love to lie and say that this is purely about "voter rage" of "big-government spending and deficits", which I find amusing because these folks never had a national convention under Bush when he ran deficits through the roof. Moreover, this is not about big government, nor is it about deficits. We all know what this is about. It's a movement of 40+, Southern and Midwestern whites who feel that the America they idealize about is slipping away.
The comments of Tancredo highlight exactly the sort of core values that this movement possesses. Bigotry, an aversion to multicuturalism, a disdain for religious freedom, a loathing of tolerance, and a general hatred of a black man as President. Of course they will lie and say that none of these issues are relevant to their anger, but the proof is in the pudding. Tancredo says it's time for them to "rise up and take our country back"... from whom?
There is just a whirlwind of important issues going on in and around the White House. We are living in a time when Americans are dissatisfied, both progressive and conservative. We are worried about the rise of China as a legitimate counterbalance to American hegemonic power. We are worried about our military being spread too thinly around the world. We are worried about our massive debt and deficit. We are worried about the gridlock in Washington, which is propagated primarily by the Republicans, that calls for a 60 vote majority to enact legislation which was hardly the intent of the Constitution.
Obama scored a quick touchdown against the Republicans in Baltimore at the House GOP retreat weekend. He looked like a monarch on a tall throne taking questions from the gallery. Not only that, apparently the Republicans forgot that this sort of impromptu setting plays right into Obama's strengths. On the flip side, it plays to the weaknesses of Republicans. You know, like thinking on their feet or issuing remotely useful ideas. They are aloof and still quoting Fox News talking points that are neither real nor plausible. When Rep. Jeb Hensarling tried to talk Obama down with the last question on deficit reduction, Obama slammed him as an example of why bipartisanship is not working. Big win for Obama here.
However, even with that touchdown, the President has the honor of debuting his budget for 2010 which will run another 1.5 trillion dollars in the hole. Now. We all know where the root of the deficit problem stems from. It comes from an unprecedented Bush tax cut in 2001, an unfunded Medicare prescription drug bill, and a pseudo-illegal war in Iraq. This is why the deficit has ballooned in the last decade. Moreover, we've had to spend money to stimulate the economy because of the lassiez-faire policies of unbridled free-marketeering. Regardless, this rise in the deficit will look like another spending spree by Obama, which will hurt his image. The thing that bothers me is that people complain about the deficit, but are not willing to pay higher taxes. People want to go to war, but they don't want to foot the bill. See how that works? Yeah, it doesn't.
Apparently Carlson has purchased KiethOlbermann.com and written to Olbermann that "We Own You". Carlson has always been a conservative, clearly, but in the last 18 months he seems maniacally driven to be the silliest one out there.
Winner of the Day - Zbigniew Brzezinski
His brilliance and clarity on American foriegn policy continues to amaze me. On Morning Joe he stated that we should pull out Afghanistan because there is no clear objective.
Glenn Beck is a "Moran" Moment of the Week
Oh Beck... They are calling for you to come back to Venus.
Welcome
This is an outlet for American progessives who believe in hope over fear. Fear is the lynchpin of the conservative movement, and always has been. However, progressives believe in the hope of a more perfect union. The ideological battle between the right and the left has existed since 1776, and when progressives have prevailed, we have become a better nation for it.
