[Marxism] The meaning of Obama: 1 dudes definition of quantitative boundary

[Waistline2@xxxxxxx]

Breaking into any point in history is a tricky business. Letâs examine an  
outline of the migration of blacks from South to North. Letâs take away the  
color factor. Blacks have basically improved their economic status in the North 
 
at the same rate as any other immigrants, and probably a little better than 
the  Italian immigrant first arriving in the US. The improvement of the 
economic 
and  then the social conditions of these blacks has proceeding in a pretty 
normal way  consistent with our history. At certain point of Irish immigration, 
suddenly  there was Irish domination of politics in their areas of 
concentration.  Similarly for the Italian, the Norwegian, the Polish, Mexicans 
and the 
process  is taking place in real time with the "Arab" immigrants. 
 
Likewise, there was an emergence of black (Negro) politics as the blacks  
moved into the slums previously occupied by various white ethics at the bottom  
of the industrial social ladder. The difference is that the Negro's  
politicianâ
s influence and electability was limited to the so-called "Negro  ghetto," 
while the ethnic white influence merged into the exiting nationwide  
ideological 
and political sphere or more importantly the nationwide political  
infrastructure. American politics call this "going national." 
 
The concentration of Negro's in the proletarian slums was the  condition for 
the rise of Negro politics and black politicians, whose  interest resided more 
with the maintenance of segregation (not Jim Crow) and  isolation of their 
constituency - (the basis of their power), than with the  striving of the 
masses 
they were to represent. Not for one moment could the  historic Daley machine 
in Chicago exist for ten minutes, without the support of  the black political 
criminals, who cries for public housing hides the  segregation implied in 
black politics. 3,000 people concentrated into a  segregated conclave, be they 
white, black, brown or Red is a dream for all  bourgeois politicians: a captive 
market. This dynamic reveals the exact same  path of the black trade union 
leaders and is the base for emergence of  groups like the CBTU (Coalition of 
Black 
Trade Unionists) in the mid 1970s. 
 
Obama entered this world of Chicago politics while it was in flux, but this  
story is not really about Obama, but why he expressed a specific definable  
process in our history. A process filled with intersection of class interest,  
intrigue, sex, drugs and murder. Obama as the man from the land of Lincoln? His 
 mother born in Kansas . . . "Bloody Kansas," the line drawn in the battle  
against the Slave Oligarchy and the cause of the birth of the Republican Party! 
 Trust me; Obama is smart and class conscious. A bourgeois politician, but 
class  conscious and aware of the details of American history.  Hollywood 
central  casting and screenwriters could not have written a more detail 
description 
of  political shifting and the crossing of a definable quantitative boundary, 
more  real than the reality of Obama as history. 
 
The blacks went into the factory, improved their economic lot at the same  
rate as any other immigrants arriving in the North and at a certain point of  
their concentration "black politics" become a force entering the political and  
ideological sphere. What is different is that Jim Crow segregation and then  
white chauvinism blocked the emergence of truly national black politics or  
rather, blocked the black politician from merging into the general stream -  
infrastructure, of American politics. 
 
I deeply felt that Obamaâs run for president was to set up an  infrastructure 
for a "serious" bid in 2012 or 2016, and in the blink of an eye  118 years of 
history was collapsed in front of everyone eyes. That is the  juncture Obama 
is. One can of course follow the detail of this entire process  (quantitative 
phase in the history and death of black politics) from Carl Stokes  1968 
Cleveland Cincinnati victory to the marker that is Obama. The marker that  is 
Obama 
has cast to the side not only black politics, but ushers in the  practical - 
(not historical, which took place in 1968, the moment of Stokes  victory) end 
of the era of "the peculiar phenomena of the Black Leader."   What is left to 
do is to "hit it" or it will not fall. Hitting "it" requires a  knowledge of 
politics as an art rather than ideological proclamation. . 
 
Here is my personal meaning of Obama as the completion of a quantitative  
boundary. This in no way implies anyone being obligated to vote for him or  
celebrate his inauguration. Many comrades would have done better by having a  
strong drink and changing the channel to a Star Trek Voyager rerun during the  
inauguration. 
 
Me? I taped Voyager and celebrated to no end when Obama and Michelle danced  
to Beyonceâs "Etta James" rendition of "At Last." 
 
"At Last." 
 
Not, "At Last," "we" have a black President, but "At last" a boundary has  
been completed with the inauguration of a President that society and He himself 
 
identify as black. There is also a class analysis of Obama, which is not  
reducible to saying he is "the highest elected executive representative of  
capital." Thatâs no analyses but a statement of fact. 
 
"At Last" . . . which is why some comrades settled for the drunk and Star  
Trek. 
 

WL
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