Several years ago, when the Dems got spanked in the Congressional races, Don Fowler came to my campus (U of S. Carolina). Fowler, as you may know, is one of the architects of the Clinton/DLC “capture the center” strategy. He's also from right here in Columbia. These are his words below, practically a direct quote:

* Roughly a third of the electorate will vote Democrat, no matter what. Another third will vote Republican. The number may fluctuate a bit from year to year, but I believe this is the way it is. The winner is the party that's more successful in capturing that third of the electorate in the center.*

I almost wept. I thought, “Damn. This is why these people keep losing to vastly inferior candidates.” All both these parties really do is sell a “brand,” one of the first rules of branding is that you craft your appeal to your heaviest users, your “red meat” base in political parlance. You don't appeal to the casual users, the undecideds. They aren't influencers. They get influenced by others. Nike basketball doesn't craft its appeal to people who don't play basketball (even though they sell most of their shoes to people that don't play). The Republicans don't play to the center. They play to their base, who pulls the center to the right.

Unfortunately, I see Obama taking the Don Fowler assumptions and running that playbook play by play. It's one thing no to go out of your way to antagonize white folks. That's wise. But that's not the same as letting them run you over. Even *they* don't respect that who just kisses their butts. It feels like Obama has denounced damn near every black person he's not married to. I saw an Obama ad here in SC a couple days ago focused on the economy and the mortgage crisis. It had NO black people. Not one. Come on brother! You can do better than that. And WE have to demand that from him–but without engaging in insane fratricidal attacks. I definitely agree with the tenor original post.

Several years ago, when the Dems got spanked in the Congressional races, Don Fowler came to my campus (U of S. Carolina). Fowler, as you may know, is one of the architects of the Clinton/DLC “capture the center” strategy. He's also from right here in Columbia. These are his words below, practically a direct quote:

* Roughly a third of the electorate will vote Democrat, no matter what. Another third will vote Republican. The number may fluctuate a bit from year to year, but I believe this is the way it is. The winner is the party that's more successful in capturing that third of the electorate in the center.*

I almost wept. I thought, “Damn. This is why these people keep losing to vastly inferior candidates.” All both these parties really do is sell a “brand,” one of the first rules of branding is that you craft your appeal to your heaviest users, your “red meat” base in political parlance. You don't appeal to the casual users, the undecideds. They aren't influencers. They get influenced by others. Nike basketball doesn't craft its appeal to people who don't play basketball (even though they sell most of their shoes to people that don't play). The Republicans don't play to the center. They play to their base, who pulls the center to the right.

Unfortunately, I see Obama taking the Don Fowler assumptions and running that playbook play by play. It's one thing no to go out of your way to antagonize white folks. That's wise. But that's not the same as letting them run you over. Even *they* don't respect that who just kisses their butts. It feels like Obama has denounced damn near every black person he's not married to. I saw an Obama ad here in SC a couple days ago focused on the economy and the mortgage crisis. It had NO black people. Not one. Come on brother! You can do better than that. And WE have to demand that from him–but without engaging in insane fratricidal attacks. I definitely agree with the tenor original post.

Why are the motives of any black person who is not fervent supporter of Obama questioned. No one here can answer that, just like no one can explain that father's day speech.

Black men had been Obama's most ardent supporters up until that time.
Were a significant number of them MIA dads? Who knows? I do know if I had been a black man, I would taken as a gut punch.

This is how he repaid his earliest supporters.

That's not change I want to believe in

2. His capitulation on the death penalty, that it should be broadened. That is, to the best of my knowledge a change in position. My impression is not that this change of mind is based on some new data or new insight. He's chasing a segment of the voting public that frankly, probably isn't going to vote for him anyway. At the same time, to my knowledge, there has been no major statement about racial inequality in criminal justice. When you're the Senator from Illinois, and the question of the death penalty is raised, no matter how it's phrased, how can you NOT mention what has gone on in that state with its death row inmates?

With those two examples, the thing is I understand the political calculus of playing to the so-called center. I just think these Republican-lite tactics are losing tactics, and have been for a long time.

3. This final example isn't so much about DLC-inspired, as a question of basic political competence. Why does he continue to allow Hillary Clinton to just punk him unmercifully at every opportunity? I'm genuinely confused by this. The Clinton family is going to have more airtime than the Obama family at the convention. He's paying down her debt. After all that, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say, she hasn't exactly campaigned hard on his behalf. She's been civil. That's about it. He has not demanded that SHE “denounce and reject” anyone the way she demanded that he “denounce and reject” Farrakhan.

If this were my brother, cousin, or friend trying to reconcile with a former enemy I'd tell him, you're not being a bridge builder. You just think you are. You don't look magnanimous. You look like a punk.

Some of this circular firing-squad stuff is for reals, but I think we should start taking everything with a grain of salt and start looking into ways to expose the frauds among them.

so dose pimps

Seriously, I don't understand this. What is it you would have people not think and not say?
What is it that is so threatening?

It seems to me that it takes a lot of work and mental gymnastics – listening to Limbaugh to drive oneself onto some sport of frenzy of fear, for example, or portraying any and all critical voices as Stalinists or something – in order to keep re-creating this all-or-nothing good versus evil scenario in your mind. And for what? Just to shut out unpleasant or disquieting thoughts?

“You are a bunch of commies and they are no different than fascists” and “you just tear down and don't have a plan” are not rational arguments, they are desperate attempts to discredit people who don't agree with you.

Support Obama. Vote for Obama. Whatever. Many will. Most here will, no doubt. What is the problem? If no critical analysis is to be tolerated, does that itself not suggest that there is something seriously wrong? Can we not talk about that?
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I have a bad feeling about this country and a bad feeling about many of the “enlightened” people and their thought processes. I am thoroughly depressed by this. I can't wait until we overtake the majority in this country, I'll be old but revenge is best served cold.

I think of how I wasted my vote on Kerry and Gore, I get mad at myself. They were the “best” candidates. Two men would would keep a Republican out of the White House. I voted for both men because I thought they had the experience and intelligence to lead this country. They had those qualities in spades, what they didn't have was balls. They wouldn't get down dirty and fight for the voters who believed in them.

Now I know not to waste by vote on someone who has the best chance of winning. Do we have the same values. Will he stand down when the Republicans kick him in the balls (and they will. This Fisher Price stuff is going to end after the convention).

You can say a lot of thing about McKinney, but no one will ever say she doesn't call it like she sees. No one will can question her commitment to progressive issues.

Thank you!!! :>) :>)

Whew! Educational Deep Breaths!!! :>) :>)

Yes. This.

Thank you.

There's something about this pattern that I never really saw clearly until this election season.