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October 8, 2009 - Issue 345
 
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Obama, Fascism, and the Color Line
Keeping It Real
By Larry Pinkney
B
lackCommentator.com Editorial Board

 

 

While it is highly unlikely that Barack Obama considers himself to be a conscious fascist, the hypocritical policies, actions, and inactions by this Obama / Biden / Rahm Emanuel administration are steadily laying the groundwork for rightwing lunatics and their ilk to opportunistically seize the political initiative bringing about an even more restrictive form of ‘American’ authoritarianism ultimately as a 21st century de facto U.S. fascism.

It is extremely noteworthy that the Obama administration has not reversed the serious constitutional erosions of the liberties and rights of the people of this nation brought about by the previous Bush / Cheney administration. Indeed, to the contrary, it has continued and in fact broadened many of the erosions of constitutional rights - particularly in the areas of spying on the communications and private lives of U.S. citizens, expanding police powers, and continuing to hold persons indefinitely without so much as even a pretense of a trial.

The fact is that capitalism, nationally and internationally, is in severe crisis and Obama is smack dab in the middle of it. Yet, not surprisingly, the Obama / Biden / Rahm Emanuel administration continues to stubbornly serve the interests of the gluttonous corporate elite at the expense of the masses of every day people of this nation and world.

Similar (though obviously not exact) to the Weimar Republic in Germany of the early 1930s that unwittingly ushered in blatant German fascism, the Obama / Biden / Rahm Emanuel administration (in concert with a pathetic U.S. Congress) are haplessly laying the foundation for a not-too-distant and blatant form of U.S. authoritarianism / fascism, thanks to the-thus far-relatively weak response of the U.S. left to the Obama administration’s hypocrisy, and the shamelessly opportunist, very well financed and growingly organized - often fanatical-rightwing opposition locally and nationally.

The more the human-ostriches of today erroneously declare that the ascendancy of Barack Obama as head of the U.S. Empire makes racism and/or color null and void in ‘America:’ the more color and racism become increasingly active and relevant in the U.S. body politic socially and economically, and throughout the population as a whole. The color line remains very much intact and everywhere in ‘America.’

Racism is increasing by leaps and bounds in this nation as is police repression. Though the corporate self-described ‘news’ media said little about the recent terrible police violence and repression against the G-20 demonstrators in the U.S. city of Pittsburgh, Pa., it nonetheless outrageously occurred, just as it is occurring nationwide on ever intense levels.

The tactic of the Obama / Biden / Rahm Emanuel administration to use double-speak and simultaneous economic apartheid against every day people of all colors in this country is being cleverly and opportunistically turned against said administration by the rightwing even while much of the U.S. left has remained complicitously silent. This is unacceptable, and a recipe for being complicitous in the ushering in of blatant fascism.

We must expose and engage in political struggle against both the opportunist rightwing and the pro-corporate, war mongering and hypocritical Obama / Biden / Rahm Emanuel administration. This means out-organizing the rightwing while consistently and simultaneously debunking and exposing the corporate pillaging and double-speak by the Obama / Biden / pro-apartheid Zionist Rahm Emanuel administration.

There are no short cuts and our work is cut out for us. Onward sisters and brothers. Onward!

BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board Member, Larry Pinkney, is a veteran of the Black Panther Party, the former Minister of Interior of the Republic of New Africa, a former political prisoner and the only American to have successfully self - authored his civil/political rights case to the United Nations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In connection with his political organizing activities in opposition to voter suppression, etc., Pinkney was interviewed in 1988 on the nationally televised PBS NewsHour, formerly known as The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. For more about Larry Pinkney see the book, Saying No to Power: Autobiography of a 20th Century Activist and Thinker, by William Mandel [Introduction by Howard Zinn]. (Click here to read excerpts from the book). Click here to contact Mr. Pinkney.

 
 
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