I think it would be helpful to list the big things that happened in the last few days:
- The SCOTUS decision to basically gut the Voting Rights Act.
- DOMA is unconstitutional and equal marriage returns to California.
- The awakening of Texas Democrats with the Wendy Davis filibuster.
- The Senate passes Comprehensive Immigration Reform 68-32 to shouts of "Yes We Can" from Dreamers in the gallery. Please proceed Speaker Boehner.
- President Obama's trip to Africa and images like this.
- Minority Leader Pelosi wants to craft the "John Lewis Voting Rights Act."
- George Zimmerman's murder trial and the trashing of Rachel Jeantel.
- The passive/aggressive embrace of victimhood by Southern white women as demonstrated by Paula Deen's racism and apology tour.
Does anyone else notice a theme? Yep. "There's something happening here" and its really important that we get the big picture right.
I thought it was just my head spinning from all of the excitement.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to your thoughts on what's happening here!
I think a slumbering giant is awakening, a giant that many on the right never saw coming. It seems that a shift is occurring, and more Americans are challenging the RW's claim that it is only they who can establish the status quo for the nation. I also notice that although we may experience some setbacks, we are moving forward.
ReplyDeleteDon't know about any particular theme, but it seems like the Racist Right is ramping up their sure-to-be-decades-long whine fest claiming victimhood and discrimination against the minority of white people (as they perceive it). I sort of enjoy the prospect of this frankly. I like being reminded that of the four most powerful people in the world right now, only one of them is a white male.
ReplyDeleteAs the President said when he was campaigning for his first term: The ground is shifting beneath their feet.
Don't forget President Obama's big speech on climate issues this week as well. There's a huge amount of data that indicates minorities and the poor are disproportionately affected by climate/environmental problems. So addressing those issues now (rather than later, when they'll be much worse) can also be seen as part of the "third wave" of American reconstruction.
ReplyDeleteSee few themes emerging:
ReplyDelete1. A new center left paradigm is rising up. Whether its the high court striking down DOMA, the public beatdown on Paula Deen, Immigration Reform passing its first hurdle, or one lone Texan Democratic state representative shutting down the attack on women's right show that America is ready to progress in many ways. POC, Women and LGBT folks aren't going back to wash room, the plantations or the closet. Get used to it.
2. The Vaunted Center-Left juggernaut seems to only rile its head when the sensibilities of middle class white liberals are offended. Hence why you have people loosing it over Paula Deen and her bizarre plantation humor (as they should) but nary a peep out of bastions of liberalism about the High court gutting voter protection and affirmative action (Yo, seriously, is Clarence Thomas Steven from 'Django Unchained') or how the Zimmerman defense practically tortured a teenage girl on the court stand. Paula Deen's problem is that she was so overt and an uneducated, unrepentant redneck. So yeah, she was going to find little love on CNN or the today show. But covert racism that we can sweep under the rug? All good. Just a note that tomorrow's bigots will take off the white hoods and leave the burning crosses at grandma's house - because they're just tacky. But (not always so) subtle bigotry against POC (birtherism, the media strip down of Trayvon Martin and his gf - Rachel Jeantel and dismantling of Civil Right era achievements for the sake of 'post racial america'? Welcome to the world of tomorrow.
Its not a good or bad thing - it just means POC are going to have work twice as hard to drag a good portion of our liberal white brethren into the ring with us.
3. The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy will not go quietly into the long good night. The public strip down of Rachel Jeantel in a Florida court room, the SCOTUS dismantling voting right and affirmative action, Baptist ministers predicting God's Wrath because Heather's two Mommies can get social security benefits, the Congress refusing to pass the Senate immigration reform unless they get to build alligator filled moats along the border shows that the forces of intolerance aren't going to take this lying down. The great dragon of hate will die - but it thrash and spew fire on its way out.