This year's sacrificial Negro lamb is a guy named Herman Cain. I prefer to call him Daddy Green[1], but the GOP prefers to refer to him as a "Real American". Despite not having any experience as an elected official, apparently merely having run a pizza franchise that barely exists anymore for a few years makes Cain a serious contender for the GOP nomination. Of so they say.
So impressed with Cain's talking points recitation the other night in the Fox News GOP debate, South Carolinians went ahead and practically handed him the key to the White House.
"He answers the question most direct!"
"Clear and concise!"
"He'll give us a clearcut plan!"
Uh, seriously, is that all it takes to impress these folks? A Negro who can string together a few coherent soundbyte laden sentences of red meat? When's the last time you saw (or God forbid, ate at) a Godfather's Pizza? It's been a few decades for me, personally. Strangely, the host glossed right over the one comment that stuck out most to me.
"The Godfather of business sense, and he can attack Obama well!"
"He can attack Obama well!" Yep, that's what it's all about. And by "well", she clearly means "because he's black, they can't accuse him of racism!" The same thing that summed up the batsh*t crazy Alan Keyes' sole appeal.
Heck, I even like Cain myself. He looks just like my grandfather. He sounds like Samuel L. Jackson. How could I not like this guy.
Let's not make this a one way street. At the root of Barack Obama's appeal to a lot of white voters in 08' was the silly notion that voting for him would somehow "fix" all of America's racial sins. The crazy notion of postracialism was echoed in cringe-inducing chants of "race doesn't matter!" on lots of campaign stops. Democratic voters also fall for the okey doke of racial politricks. It happens.
I wish Daddy Green the best, and hope this momentary (and pointless) straw poll victory doesn't go to his head. These folks don't love you because you were a pizza magnate, Herman, they love you cause you're black, and loving you makes them feel a bit better about themselves, even if there's no way in Sam Hell they'll be pulling that lever for you.
Question: What do you make of the "anti-Obama" appeal of black Republicans like Herman Cain, Alan Keyes, and Allen West? How much of Obama's support among white voters back in 08' was related to feelings of expunging white guilt?
[1] Cyber CapriSuns™ to the first person who can explain this one.
