As our Democratic presidential candidates continue to try to fight a good and honorable campaign, some passionate supporters can be counted on to flare up over the opposite campaign's occasional missteps. I've heard from Bernie supporters about Hillary's emails, and Hillary supporters who claim Bernie is the NRA's best buddy.
This week it's about Bernie. And it is not so much those of us on the ground who are doing the squealing, but those puffed up party officials. This is how it all began:
A few weeks ago, during a taping of Larry Wilmore's The Nightly Show, Sanders responded to a question about whether the primary process was rigged by saying that "having so many southern states go first kind of distorts reality." Oh. My. God. What is he saying, exactly, about us southerners???
Of course, Bernie being a very white man from a very white state, he has been walking a tightrope regarding racial issues. And racial issues, for good reason, have been very, very hot this election season. Not surprisingly, this became a comment about black southern voters being too conservative for Bernie.
Our own Democratic Party chairman, Jaime Harrison, took it upon himself, along with other thin-skinned Democratic party officials from South Carolina as well as other southern states, to very publicly condemn Sanders for his comments. In a letter to Sanders' campaign headquarters, rationalizations were piled on top of a history lesson about the democratic process and diversity, followed by a statement of support for Hillary. Yes, really.
Fact is, South Carolina's Democratic party is a very conservative bunch. They are unlikely to give up a lot of support to anyone who might make waves. It is not surprising that many good people are discouraged from running for office because of exorbitant filing fees followed by little public or financial support from the party. You kind of already have to be a winner to expect our guys to get behind you.
To be fair, this is the party that continues to try to live down the Alvin Greene fiasco. But as overcompensation for being asleep at the wheel in 2010, the party has refused to even acknowledge potentially controversial potential candidates like Jay Stamper in 2014, and pretty much ignored the dynamic Joyce Dickerson in her run against Tim Scott in 2014, despite the fact that she beat out two male primary challengers.
Let me just add that Dickerson's message was just what would have fired up Democrats in South Carolina. Instead, come election day few had even heard of her.
This year, we have two amazing candidates running for president. We also have too many republicans running unopposed in all levels of government, with a few brave souls stepping up to bring the Democratic message to South Carolina.
Slick pols like Tim Scott rub elbows at Hilton Head with the good ole boys with money, while our candidates aren't allowed to stand at the tournament shuttle bus stop to talk about issues. Most South Carolinians don't ever hear about actual issues; what they get is red meat thrown onto the fire by right wingnuts. They don't have to even learn names; they just vote that "R" just like their daddy did.
It will take fearlessness to ever, EVER turn blue. It will take making running more affordable for candidates and it will take the party using some clout to put those names in front of the people. Republican candidates have learned to make it sound like they are one of us, but they are not. Voters need to understand that what republicans say is different than how they run our government, and they need to know just how that affects us all.
Democrats need a platform, and yes, Democratic Party, that is going to cost you money. I know you run lots of programs to try to get people to join the party, but I think you have it backwards. You need to get the candidates in front of the people so that they will understand what you can do for them if they support you.
And you know what? There is nothing like controversy to get the cameras rolling. How about candidates that aren't afraid to be David to the republican Goliath? How about taking a chance on someone who isn't afraid to speak her mind? How about not being afraid to support a presidential candidate that fights for socialist programs like Medicare and public schools?
Jaime Harrison is probably a nice guy; I wouldn't know because he never seems to stop selling himself. He certainly doesn't stop long enough to listen to anybody. He maybe ought to take a couple of steps back and get some perspective on what is going on. Our Democratic contests are NOT about race. They are about different perspectives on how to get the equality we all deserve. And if he stopped being so thin-skinned, he might actually understand what Senator Sanders was trying to say when he talked about southern voters.
More than once, before the presidential primary, I heard people declare that they liked Bernie, but they were going to vote for Hillary because Bernie couldn't win. And that wasn't about race, it was about insecurity.
That could be what he was trying to tell us.
Showing posts with label Larry Wilmore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Larry Wilmore. Show all posts
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Monday, August 3, 2015
When a Cop Hurts One of Us
When I got back from my two weeks in the blue states, and as I slowly immersed myself back into bizarre red state politics, one of the strangest stories was that of Sandra Bland. I saw the video of her stop, heard of her subsequent arrest, and then ... she was dead. We appear to be debating whether her death was suicide or not. I keep coming back to how on earth a police officer could treat a citizen the way Brian Encinia did to Sandra Bland.
I have lots of feelings about officers of the law, going back to being a teen in Warwick, Rhode Island, in the late 60's. Back then they were shining lights into the car while we were "parking." And I learned very early in my driving career to be more alert for cop cars than for speed limit and stop signs. To this day when a cop is driving behind me I go into high alert, worried that even though I am going the speed limit I might get stopped if I venture one or two miles faster, or for something else entirely.
And I am a white-haired white woman.
I can't fathom being stopped for a minor traffic violation and having my attitude questioned. Or being told to put out a cigarette, in my own car. I can't begin to imagine having to worry about being taken to jail for minor violations.
I think when all the cop on black killings began to be aired after Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson we all just assumed it had been black men than were being targeted. Initially it appeared that it was police reacting to what might have been honestly perceived as a dangerous situation, but when a man was shot in South Carolina after reaching for his license during a stop for a seat belt violation, the racism inherent in the choices being made by police became obvious.
Then a group of black teens -- children -- were assaulted by police at a pool party. We've seen the bits on the news, the "most hilarious" moment when the cop has his Bruce Willis moment. But take seven minutes to watch the unedited youtube video to capture the horrific reality of what raising a black child in America is all about. It brings me to tears imagining that there are children in this country that could be treated that way.
Because I am a white-haired white woman, I tend to be treated with respect by police officers in Charleston, even when I have been speeding. And when I stepped out of my car to get my pocketbook in the back seat. I have even had an officer stop and change a flat tire for me. But I do remember that there was a time back in the 60's when cops were the enemies. I was a teen in a RI suburb, but as I got a few years older, and became interested in the Vietnam protests and saw the paranoia of the Nixon years, I became aware of the potential for violence in our police force.
So many years ago, and in all that time, violence has continued to be perpetrated against African Americans by cops. It must be so ingrained in the structure of the police force that even video cameras can't prevent the violence.
There has been such a history of police violence in our country. It runs so deep and has been so well-protected that I am cynical about the potential for change. If videos don't stop the violence and grand juries side with the cops, if a woman can be ordered to put out her cigarette in her own car and be arrested, if black men continue to be shot for totally innocent and reasonable behavior, if there are cops who will segregate children by their skin color and treat them as dangerous criminals, if there are police that will unite to protect fellow officers regardless of their behavior, what is there to do?
I imagine that much of it rests with the media. There hasn't been all that much attention to Sandra Bland. I don't know if it would be more upsetting if this were true because she is a woman or because the media has gotten tired of spending weeks focused on extreme police misconduct. Maybe she would be getting more attention if she had been shot on the scene. We may never know whether there was foul play in prison or if she committed suicide. I suspect that the arresting cop was attempting to find her emotionally unstable from the moment she questioned his motives. Calling women hysterical when they question authority has been going on since the Victorian era. And with the likelihood of publicity, I imagine each cop who oversteps begins to try to figure out justifications for his behaviors at the very scene of his crime. You could see this playing out as the various police yelled at the black kids at the pool party.
We need to keep shining light on these incidents. We need to hound the media to continue to focus on all these many crimes against civilians. With enough pressure and publicity, some towns have begun to change their policies. It will take changing hiring practices and training and supervisory techniques. It will take towns whose police chiefs see their officers as part of the community rather than seeing the people in the community as enemies. It will take a whole realignment of the perception of when violence is necessary, and that realignment is in learning to see and hear what is really going on and truly become peace officers, cops who calm a situation rather than create fear.
When a cop attacks a black child, or an innocent black man or woman, he is attacking the world we live in. He is creating disharmony, fear and hatred. He is making it harder for good cops to do their job. We need to continue to turn the attention of the country to each incident, even as they pile up and because there are so many, until there are no acceptable excuses and the face of the police in America has changed.
I have lots of feelings about officers of the law, going back to being a teen in Warwick, Rhode Island, in the late 60's. Back then they were shining lights into the car while we were "parking." And I learned very early in my driving career to be more alert for cop cars than for speed limit and stop signs. To this day when a cop is driving behind me I go into high alert, worried that even though I am going the speed limit I might get stopped if I venture one or two miles faster, or for something else entirely.
And I am a white-haired white woman.
I can't fathom being stopped for a minor traffic violation and having my attitude questioned. Or being told to put out a cigarette, in my own car. I can't begin to imagine having to worry about being taken to jail for minor violations.
I think when all the cop on black killings began to be aired after Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson we all just assumed it had been black men than were being targeted. Initially it appeared that it was police reacting to what might have been honestly perceived as a dangerous situation, but when a man was shot in South Carolina after reaching for his license during a stop for a seat belt violation, the racism inherent in the choices being made by police became obvious.
Then a group of black teens -- children -- were assaulted by police at a pool party. We've seen the bits on the news, the "most hilarious" moment when the cop has his Bruce Willis moment. But take seven minutes to watch the unedited youtube video to capture the horrific reality of what raising a black child in America is all about. It brings me to tears imagining that there are children in this country that could be treated that way.
Because I am a white-haired white woman, I tend to be treated with respect by police officers in Charleston, even when I have been speeding. And when I stepped out of my car to get my pocketbook in the back seat. I have even had an officer stop and change a flat tire for me. But I do remember that there was a time back in the 60's when cops were the enemies. I was a teen in a RI suburb, but as I got a few years older, and became interested in the Vietnam protests and saw the paranoia of the Nixon years, I became aware of the potential for violence in our police force.
So many years ago, and in all that time, violence has continued to be perpetrated against African Americans by cops. It must be so ingrained in the structure of the police force that even video cameras can't prevent the violence.
There has been such a history of police violence in our country. It runs so deep and has been so well-protected that I am cynical about the potential for change. If videos don't stop the violence and grand juries side with the cops, if a woman can be ordered to put out her cigarette in her own car and be arrested, if black men continue to be shot for totally innocent and reasonable behavior, if there are cops who will segregate children by their skin color and treat them as dangerous criminals, if there are police that will unite to protect fellow officers regardless of their behavior, what is there to do?
I imagine that much of it rests with the media. There hasn't been all that much attention to Sandra Bland. I don't know if it would be more upsetting if this were true because she is a woman or because the media has gotten tired of spending weeks focused on extreme police misconduct. Maybe she would be getting more attention if she had been shot on the scene. We may never know whether there was foul play in prison or if she committed suicide. I suspect that the arresting cop was attempting to find her emotionally unstable from the moment she questioned his motives. Calling women hysterical when they question authority has been going on since the Victorian era. And with the likelihood of publicity, I imagine each cop who oversteps begins to try to figure out justifications for his behaviors at the very scene of his crime. You could see this playing out as the various police yelled at the black kids at the pool party.
We need to keep shining light on these incidents. We need to hound the media to continue to focus on all these many crimes against civilians. With enough pressure and publicity, some towns have begun to change their policies. It will take changing hiring practices and training and supervisory techniques. It will take towns whose police chiefs see their officers as part of the community rather than seeing the people in the community as enemies. It will take a whole realignment of the perception of when violence is necessary, and that realignment is in learning to see and hear what is really going on and truly become peace officers, cops who calm a situation rather than create fear.
When a cop attacks a black child, or an innocent black man or woman, he is attacking the world we live in. He is creating disharmony, fear and hatred. He is making it harder for good cops to do their job. We need to continue to turn the attention of the country to each incident, even as they pile up and because there are so many, until there are no acceptable excuses and the face of the police in America has changed.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Racism, Sexism or Cancer?
On March 10, the topic on the new Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore was women and power. He has a segment called "Keeping it 100" wherein he asks weird questions designed to put guests on the spot, and then decides whether their answers have been totally honest.
One question was "racism, sexism, or cancer" (minute 18) if you could eliminate two, and the other would proliferate, which two? And Wilmore helpfully suggested that one of them should be cancer.
Guest Chloe Hilliard had to agree, and then decided that the other would have to be racism, because that would affect generations. Or some such nonsense.
That, in a nutshell, is why women continue to be abused, neglected, used and mistreated. We are half of all those other subgroups yet, after generations of enlightenment, we continue to believe that every other interest group is more important than ours.
I wondered how refusing to keep women safe from abusive partners did not affect children and their futures. Or denial of a living wage, food stamps and health care did not reverberate into the community and the following years. Equal pay for equal work? How about privacy and freedom in deciding about whether to get pregnant, or remain pregnant? Is the humiliation and suffering brought upon women by social policy really less important than that of other groups (which, again, overlap with the group labeled "women").
There have been short periods -- the fight for suffrage, the women's movement of the 70's -- in which we stood up and proclaimed that we are as important as any other issue. And then we gained a few rights, thanked those with the power to grant them, and went back to being polite and grateful.
I wonder how bad things will have to get for women, how many women shot or beaten, how many women imprisoned for having abortions -- or killed by back alley ones, how many women sick, starving or homeless before we rise up again and say no to the arguments explaining why we should bow to higher priorities.
Time to stop compromising. Time to stop trying to prove how reasonable we are based on our moderate and rational requests for the right to abortion and birth control. Time to stop suffering.
This is how I would have answered the question of "racism, sexism, or cancer." I would have chosen eliminating racism and sexism. Because cancer cuts across the board; that means that everyone will be invested in doing something about it. And none of the rest of us should have to sacrifice our individual rights so other groups can enjoy theirs.
One question was "racism, sexism, or cancer" (minute 18) if you could eliminate two, and the other would proliferate, which two? And Wilmore helpfully suggested that one of them should be cancer.
Guest Chloe Hilliard had to agree, and then decided that the other would have to be racism, because that would affect generations. Or some such nonsense.
That, in a nutshell, is why women continue to be abused, neglected, used and mistreated. We are half of all those other subgroups yet, after generations of enlightenment, we continue to believe that every other interest group is more important than ours.
I wondered how refusing to keep women safe from abusive partners did not affect children and their futures. Or denial of a living wage, food stamps and health care did not reverberate into the community and the following years. Equal pay for equal work? How about privacy and freedom in deciding about whether to get pregnant, or remain pregnant? Is the humiliation and suffering brought upon women by social policy really less important than that of other groups (which, again, overlap with the group labeled "women").
There have been short periods -- the fight for suffrage, the women's movement of the 70's -- in which we stood up and proclaimed that we are as important as any other issue. And then we gained a few rights, thanked those with the power to grant them, and went back to being polite and grateful.
I wonder how bad things will have to get for women, how many women shot or beaten, how many women imprisoned for having abortions -- or killed by back alley ones, how many women sick, starving or homeless before we rise up again and say no to the arguments explaining why we should bow to higher priorities.
Time to stop compromising. Time to stop trying to prove how reasonable we are based on our moderate and rational requests for the right to abortion and birth control. Time to stop suffering.
This is how I would have answered the question of "racism, sexism, or cancer." I would have chosen eliminating racism and sexism. Because cancer cuts across the board; that means that everyone will be invested in doing something about it. And none of the rest of us should have to sacrifice our individual rights so other groups can enjoy theirs.
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