“Duh ha-ha-haaa…Duh ha-ha, ha-ha, haaaaaaa!”
My apologies to one of Chicago’s early rap artists, The Duke, if I
have not accurately quoted his lyrics. Written in 1985, “Rappin’ Duke,” was
a very popular comical homage to actor John Wayne. In the song, Duke,
using a Wayne-like voice, did his usual bit of rap braggadocio and
indicated that there was a “par-ty over here…par-ty over there” and
encouraged all listeners to have fun, and participate in any party,
anywhere.
And so it goes with Alan Keyes; HE wants YOU to participate in the
Republican Party! The Republican Party, after considering many other
candidates, finally decided to serve Keyes up as the sacrificial (and
Negro) lamb to run against the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama,
for the Illinois United States Senator seat. Keyes, described by NewsMax.com
as “a longtime promoter of conservative American values and
defender of the Constitution” in a statement in a recent NewsMax
newsletter proclaimed that:
I received thousands of calls,
letters, and e-mails urging me to accept the Illinois Republican
Party's nomination for the United States Senate. I am humbled
and honored by your overwhelming pledges of support in this endeavor.
After careful deliberation, and on the strength of deep and
contemplative
prayer, I have decided to accept this nomination….
Like most Americans,
I didn't know much about Barack Obama other than what I saw when
he was a keynote speaker
at the Democratic national convention. And though he looked
to me like a pretty standard liberal with whom I disagree about
most everything,
I have to say that from the way he came across at the convention,
he didn't seem to me to be some rabid threat to the future
of the country. He looked like a pretty likable guy. Certainly
intelligent
and articulate. And I saw no particular reason to believe that
I should leave Maryland, the home of my family and my heritage,
in
order to go and oppose him in this race.
And then I looked
at his record, and what did I find?
I found somebody who,
as we would expect from the kind of liberalism he professes,
has never seen a spending
bill he couldn't find some excuse for, and has never
seen a tax increase he didn't like.
I found somebody who, in the tradition
of a lot of liberals, would prefer that our children were
educated in schools controlled by impersonal bureaucracy, rather
than in schools
under the influence and control of the parents who love
them and care about their future.
Oh boy; Keyes is reciting the far-right wing’s part of the GOP playbook
lock, stock, and barrel! As a minister, I believe that he honestly
used prayer in his decision to run for senator. However, sometimes,
we pray for the wrong things or believe that we are right for a particular
position. Sometimes, people hear voices that are not there; this,
by no means, suggests that Dr. Keyes is delusional. Keyes is simply
misinformed.
How can Keyes talk about Obama and spending? Consider the following
statements made by President Bush in a February 2004 interview with
Tim Russert, host of the political television show, “Meet The Press” (taken
from a CNN transcript):
Bush…defended his handling of the economy, despite
the loss of 2.2 million jobs so far in his term and a $521 billion
budget deficit.
"I have been the president during a time of tremendous stress
on our economy and made the decisions necessary to lead that would
enhance recovery," Bush said. "The stock market
started to decline in March of 2000. That was the first
sign that things were
troubled. The recession started upon my arrival."
He also said the criticism of his administration's
spending by conservatives, such as radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh
and the Heritage Foundation
are "wrong."
"If you look at the appropriations bills that were passed under
my watch, in the last year of President Clinton, discretionary spending
was up 15 percent, and ours have steadily declined," he said.
"The other thing that I think it's important
for people who watch the expenditures side of the equation is to
understand we are
at war ... and any time you commit your troops
into harm's way, they must have the best equipment, the best training
and the best possible
pay."
Now, if the radical conservative icon Limbaugh and the conservative
think tank Heritage Foundation believe that Bush has spent too much,
it must be the sign of the apocalypse! So, in essence, we are led
by a “tax-and-spend” Republican president. (By the way, where were
Iraq’s “Weapons of Mass Destruction?”?) Furthermore, in terms of military
spending, the Bush Administration is not even doing it wisely! Reflect
on the following statement from the Texas Veterans website:
Rumsfeld and company have reportedly been stunned to learn that
the military is in even worse shape than they had averred during
the election campaign.
The Army recently ran out of bullets, much of
the Reserve helicopter fleet has been grounded for spare parts,
and training hours in all branches of
the service have been cut. The problem of Navy
and Air Force pilot retention has become proverbial even as
some of the Army's best and brightest junior
officers are leaving in droves. Solving those
problems will require a number of actions, beginning with an
infusion of as much as $6 billion this year,
and a lot later.
Let us explore the true nature of the Republican Party. We must remember
that it is the party of Trent Lott and other conservative ideologues
that have propped Keyes up because of the color of his skin, thinking
that he could siphon votes from Barack Obama. Perhaps Dr. Keyes believes
that the Republican Party is progressive or that it is “The Party of
Abraham Lincoln.” In a sense, he is correct. Judge the following
statement by Lincoln:
I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in
favor of bringing about in any way the social
and political equality of the black and white races – that
I am nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors
of Negroes, nor of qualifying
them to hold office, nor to intermarry with
white people; and I will say in addition to this that there
is a physical difference
between the white and black races which I
believe will forbid the two races living together on terms
of social and political equality. And
inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they
do remain together, there must be the position of superior
and inferior, and I as much
as any other man am in favor of having the
superior position assigned to the white race. (From James
H. Cone’s, Black Theology & Black
Power, 20th Anniversary Edition, paperback
version, p. 10.)
Maybe I am judging Dr. Keyes too harshly. Perhaps, “The Party of
Lincoln” has a “big tent.” But then, let us explore commentary by The
New York Times’ Bob Herbert in the wake of Bush’s refusal to address
the NAACP during its annual conference:
Just as George W. Bush is on track to be the
first president since Herbert Hoover to
preside over a net loss of jobs, he is now the first president since
Hoover to fail to meet with
the N.A.A.C.P. during his entire term in office.
Mr. Bush and the leadership of the nation's oldest and largest
civil rights organization get along about as well as the Hatfields
and the
McCoys. The president was invited to the
group's convention in Philadelphia this week, but he declined.
That Mr. Bush thumbed his nose at N.A.A.C.P. officials
is not the significant part of this story. The Julian Bonds and Kweisi
Mfumes
of the world can take care of themselves
at least as well as Mr. Bush in the legalized gang fight called politics.
What is troubling is Mr. Bush's relationship with black Americans
in general. He's very good at using
blacks as political props. And the props are too often part of
an exceedingly cynical production.
Four years ago, on the first night of the Republican
convention, a parade of blacks was hauled before the television cameras
(and the
nearly all-white audience in the
convention hall) to sing, to dance, to preach and to praise a party
that has been relentlessly hostile
to the interests of blacks for half a century.
I wrote at the time that "you couldn't tell
whether you were at the Republican National Convention or the Motown
Review."
That exercise in modern-day minstrelsy was supposed
to show that Mr. Bush was a new kind of Republican, a big-tent guy
who would welcome
a more diverse crowd into the
G.O.P. That was fiction. It wasn't long before black voters would
find themselves mugged in Florida, and soon
after that Mr. Bush was steering the presidency into a hard-right
turn.
Again, I indicated that I believe Alan Keyes prayed about whether
or not he should campaign for
the Senate. Nevertheless, I would love
to know what god he prayed
to when he made the following statement, as reported by AlterNet’s
John K. Wilson in his commentary on Keyes:
In a May 7 speech in Provo, Utah, Keyes said
the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,200 people, were a message
from God to oppose abortion: "I
think that's a way of Providence telling us, 'I love you all; I'd like
to give you a chance. Wake up! Would you please wake up?'" During
a campaign appearance in Bedford, N.H., in 2000, Keyes asked a class
of fifth-graders, "If I were to lose my mind right now and pick
one of you up and dash your head against the floor and kill you, would
that be right?" He
then went on to tell the
children
that some courts and politicians
think it's OK to murder
6-month-old children.
Keyes has an apocalyptic view of America's future
unless it repents: "I
do stay up at night thinking
about what's going to happen to America. I do stay up at night with
a vision of our people in conflict, of our
cities in flames, of our economy in ruins."
Keyes’ thinking is dangerous and absurd. If he believes that
911 was a message, then what will happen to America because Bush
led the
country into an unnecessary
(and deadly) “war” on Iraq? I would not
want to consider the consequences
of the actions. However, Keyes' emphasis
on the abortion issue shows
that he is a true Republican in that he focuses on a single issue
and avoids issues that have a broader effect
on the American public,
like safety, jobs, health care, and the environment. Abortion is a
major issue but not the only issue or the main issue.
Still, Keyes’ interpretation of God reveals a major issue in politics
lately: religion. The Republican playbook includes working hand-in-hand
with the Religious Right. Now granted, I am a Baptist minister with
a clear political bent (progressive) but, I would never believe
that someone was God’s candidate! We are all God’s children!
But I digress. Keyes mix of apocalyptic religion and politics
reveal another strategy in the Republican playbook: use churches
(of all kinds)
and allow the religious
right to suggest that voting for Bush and other Republicans leads
to the path of righteousness and glory. Fortunately,
there are those that understand
Keyes, Bush, and the Republican playbook and have taken steps
toward a more rational approach to voting and
campaigning. The publishers
of Sojourners Magazine made
the following statement
regarding the Religious
Right:
You know the saying
that truth is stranger than fiction. When it comes to the Religious
Right, we believe that
truth is scarier
than fiction. Sojourners is outraged by claims that Christians
can only vote for George W. Bush and that Bush is God's
candidate….
We also distributed
a petition that has been signed by more than 25,000 people. It
will appear as a full-page
advertisement in The New York Times next
week during the
Republican convention – and
in other local
newspapers across
America!
Every faithful citizen
in America should know that they can choose to vote for any candidate – for
reasons deeply rooted in their faith.
Let's tell America that the Religious Right doesn't
speak for us. Let's take back our faith.
Keyes, as a religious man, should understand that God allows us to
have varying viewpoints. In addition, dissenting viewpoints are the
cornerstone of American life and democracy.
In addition, as a man of faith, Keyes should realize that faith
comes with a price or a caveat – responsibility and compassion,
not “Compassionate
Conservatism.” He
would do well
to read an August
8, 2004 article
by Scott Lindlaw
of the Associated
Press titled, “Bush
Family Listens
as a Minister Urges Wealthy Congregation to Ditch Possessions”:
Kennebunkport, Maine – A clergyman implored his
affluent congregation, including President Bush's family, to jettison
their material possessions,
gently
mocking George H.W. Bush's struggles on the golf course to drive
home his
point.
The Very Rev. Martin Luther Agnew preached Sunday to a packed
Episcopal church just down the road from the Bush family's seaside
estate. Its
oceanfront
parking lot was filled with luxury cars made by Jaguar, Mercedes,
BMW and Volvo, testament to the wealth of the summer visitors
at this southeast Maine resort.
"Gated communities," Agnew said, "tend to keep out
God's people." But, he said, "Our
material
gifts do
not have
to be a wall."
"They can very well be a door. Jesus says, 'Sell your possessions
and give alms,'" Agnew said. "I'm
convinced
that what
we keep
owns us,
and what
we give
away sets
us free."
The sermon culminated with a joke about the first President Bush's
battle to chip a golf ball out of an anthill. Swinging the club in
a mock re-enactment, Agnew said Bush had swung twice and whiffed completely,
wiping out hundreds of ants.
The ants got together and agreed: "If we're
going to live, we better get on the ball!"
Keyes should realize that everyone could agree with this message.
Despite being a one-issue candidate, I believe I have the key to getting
Keyes elected: he should put on a cowboy hat! Americans seem to have
this romanticized view of cowboys and since John Wayne was not around
to become president, we settled for two fictional cowboys: Ronald Reagan
and George Bush. We like the take-charge guy, the guy that “shoots
from the hip,” speaks the truth, and has simple answers to everything. Simplicity
is what Reagan and Bush want or wanted to provide: America – good,
always right; Soviet Union – The Evil Empire; Saddam – The Boogie Man
(don’t forget the “Axis Of Evil!); Taxes – bad; Large Corporations
Not Paying Fair (or any) Share Of Taxes – Good; “Trickle Down Economics” (the
belief that if corporate America is ok, everyone from the richest to
the poorest will benefit) – even better! In short, be simple! People
like simple. Speak in 3- or 4-word bites. Avoid complete sentences. (Keyes
has a model for that from whom he could learn a great deal! I’ll let
you decide on who that might be.)
Cowboys make fun entertainment, but poor leaders. But, I guess to
be elected he must be a cowboy, which is a rather sad commentary on
us. Black people have seen many games – from Reconstruction, to Jim
Crow, from Jim Crow, to poll taxes, from being slaves to being prisoners
(the new plantation), and from civil rights to getting attacked by
The Right. But Keyes, as a member of The Right fails to realize or
consider that it may not have the answers to issues that affect America,
especially Black America:
-
Faith-based initiatives (faith institutions,
through their community development corporations have been involved
in getting
grants for education,
business development, health care and the like for decades – it is
nothing new; do not believe that President Bush is innovative in that
respect. He just promotes it better.)
Possibly, Keyes should examine how he could explore the cowboy life. Gil
Scott-Heron, in his poem “B Movie” may provide some valuable insights. Although
this poem was written decades ago, it remains quite insightful:
Well, the first thing I want to say is…”Mandate
my ass!”
Because it seems as though we’ve been convinced that 26% of the
registered voters, not even 26% of the American people, but 26% of
the registered voters form a mandate – or a landslide. 21%
voted for Skippy and 3,
4% voted for somebody else
who
might have been running.
But, oh yeah, I remember. In this year that we have now declared
the year from Shogun to Reagan, I remember what I said about Reagan…meant
it. Acted like an actor…Hollyweird. Acted like a liberal. Acted
like General Franco when he acted like governor of California, then
he acted like a republican. Then he acted like somebody was going
to vote for him for president. And now we act like 26% of the
registered voters is actually a mandate. We’re
all actors in this I suppose.
What has happened is that in the last 20 years,
America has changed from a producer to a consumer. And all consumers know that when
the producer names the tune…the consumer has got to dance. That’s
the way it is. We used to be a producer – very inflexible at
that, and now we are consumers and, finding it difficult to understand. Natural
resources and minerals will change your world. The Arabs used to be
in the 3rd World. They have bought the 2nd World and put a firm
down payment on the 1st one. Controlling your resources will
control your world. This country has been surprised by the way
the world looks now. They don’t know if they want to be Matt
Dillon or Bob Dylan. They don’t know if they want to be diplomats
or continue the same policy – of nuclear nightmare diplomacy. John
Foster Dulles ain’t nothing but the name of an airport now.
The idea concerns the fact that this country
wants nostalgia. They
want to go back as far as they can – even if it’s only as far as last
week. Not to face now or tomorrow, but to face backwards. And
yesterday was the day of our cinema heroes riding to the rescue at
the last possible moment. The day of the man in the white hat
or the man on the white horse – or the man who always came to save
America at the last moment – someone always came to save America at
the last moment – especially in “B” movies. And when America
found itself having a hard time facing the future, they looked for
people like John Wayne. But since John Wayne was no longer available,
they settled for Ronald Reagan – and it has placed us in a situation
that we can only look at – like a “B” movie.
Being a cowboy represents the art of illusion when applied to American
politics. It is mind-numbing and, unfortunately effective. It is
imagery.
It is interesting that hip-hop artists have interpreted what is it
to be a cowboy or live a cowboy lifestyle. Kid Rock presents an interesting
perspective in one of the verses in his song, “Cowboy:”
And I'm headin' out west sucker...because I wanna
be a
Cowboy, baby
With the top let back and the sunshine shining
Cowboy baby
West coast chillin' with the Boone's Wine
I wanna be a Cowboy baby
Ridin' at night 'cause I sleep all day
Cowboy baby
I can smell a pig from a mile away
Kid Rock shows us the cowboy life is about the sun shining brightly
all the time. During the day, we are asleep – literally and figuratively. The
last line in the verse is especially provocative; it begs the
question – can
WE smell a pig from a mile away or do we make something (or
someone) a pig for financial gain? You decide.
Finally, rap pioneer Kool Moe Dee sheds light on the cowboy and the “Wild
West” images in his classic “Wild, Wild West:”
We don't start trouble,
but boy do we end it
Our time, we like to spend it
Snapping, boy do we heat up
But we'll take time out to beat up
A sucker, if he wants static
Beatdown, yeah we got it
Good, and we'll accommodate you
Thanks to us, a lot of brothers hate to
Come back, to this very day
Cause losing's one thing we don't play
If you're ever in a fight and you're beating one of us
Break out, before you get bumrushed
At the...
The wild wild west
Ah, the images of America: the strong America and America the protector,
however it also implies that America is the bully. Many Americans
thrive on that. Maybe that is the way Keyes must go – if he wants
to win. Fortunately, many Black people will not vote for him because
the cowboy is not steeped in reality; we have seen too many cowboy
movies, and the ending has nothing to do with us.
Reynard Blake, Jr.
is a freelance writer, and President of Community Development
Associates, an East Lansing, Michigan-based nonprofit and faith-based
organization consulting firm. He has written and co-authored
articles in the book, Revitalizing
Urban Neighborhoods, the Journal of Urban Youth Culture, and the Michigan Family Review. He
is presently writing a book on Hip-Hop, Black Leadership, and
the Black Church: Implications for Positive Youth Development. He
is also a researcher at the Disproportionate
Minority Confinement/Minority Over-Representation Project,
housed at Michigan State University. Michigan
State University.
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