Apparently people are concerned/upset/miffed that none of the bloggers at this lunch with President Clinton are black. For the record, I was invited to go, but of course the one time I could have met the best president of the last 25 years I previously scheduled a vacation to Hawaii.
For the record, I am black.
That is all.
UPDATE: That’s not all. This is the sort of stupid thing that is a direct result of the pathology that loses Democrats elections. If President Clinton wanted to have lunch with 25 white males, who cares? Seriously. You’re going to eviscreate the only President we’ve had in recent years that didn’t just brush off black people because of who he may or may not have invited to lunch. Not to mention the folks yammering out their rear ends about stuff they don’t know?
It’s things like this that almost make me want the Democrats to lose because the left is so stupid. It’s like the kid who sticks his finger in the electrical socket and then does it again because he has learned diddly.
UPDATE 2: Man, there’s really been an outbreak of the stupids on this (I mean, Jesus, what the hell is a “blackosphere” and how can I take it out behind the barn and kill it?). The thing with the so-called netroots is that we’re supposed to be past the tired racial politics of the past. I remember watching the DNC meetings in which Howard Dean was nominated and felt appalled at the idea that the Dems still organize themselves into these moronic racial and sexual orientation subgroups. It is just tired and old and old and tired. I don’t vote and support the Democratic party because its fighting for the blacks, the asians, the hispanics, the whites or whatever. I support Democrats because they fight for true equality. I could not care less about what sort of racial checklists a candidate ticks off – and in the case of 2008 I would rather they not check any at all. What is more important: that a candidate fills out a questionaire from the NAACP or that he or she is a tireless defender of the constitution? Stop this nonsense now, or you’ll keep losing.
One of the problems is the left gets so caught up in being sensitive that it hinders rather than moves forward the need to look past whether there were so many women, so many blacks, ect. I think that Clinton just picked out some of the blogs he liked reading and went according to that. I don’t think he really gave a thought to how many were whatever.
I find it kinda immature. If we like someone’s blog we read it and whoever is behind the name shouldn’t be the issue.
For fun I like reading hardboiled dectective novels and I don’t think it makes me whatever cause the main character is usually white male. I just like the author. Same with my nonfiction and history.
None of this is as important as discussing that picture of Clinton with the bloggers.
One of the bloggers is pictured with breasts more bountiful than Hugh Hewitt’s. Ann Althouse has dissected this phenomenon from all angles, as only she can.
Well, I’m sure that if they counted the hotel staff they would have had a diverse group.
Photogate, chickengate, boobgate. “I’m outraged”, “I’m more outraged”, “I’m even MORE outraged”. Bill Clinton must be thinking “Whaaaaa…???”
One of the things about blogs is, unless you post a picture of yourself, we don’t know the color of your skin. Is Digby black? I don’t think so, since he writes about growing up in a white conservative household, but we can’t tell for sure. And so on and so on. And it doesn’t matter. The Internet is slow and Windows crashes regardless of whether you’re white, black, yellow, red, green or polka dot.
Race? Human of course.
What you hold onto in form
will also be fixed in vision.
The energy you contain in an
individual effect or posession
will also be bound in the field of vibrating cause.
What you release from form
will be available for vision.
The energy you allow to grow
beyond your own creation.
cutting the cord that keeps
you and it dependent
will liberate into the larger
cosomo of unlimited creation.
Come one, Oliver. There should have been a more diverse group of people present. I hihgly doubt Clinton had anything to do with the invite list, trusting that to Daou, but whatever oversight his office did have over the event, diversity should have been a priority. It isn’t just about photo opportunities. Or at least it shouldn’t be. It’s about hearing from all perspectives, all points of view. You have face the fact that race plays a significent role in shaping ones perception of the world, especially the world of politics. I’m a middle class white guy. Am I going to be the one at the table to bring up the issue of redlining or unfair lending practices? Probably not because I’ve never experienced it first hand the way some people of color have. It really isn’t that hard to figure out.
If you’re going to talk the talk of equality and diversity, you really should walk the walk.
And BTW,
this is not the kind of thing I’m talking about.
Is it any wonder people have doubts about the ability of Democrats to govern when organizing a lunch turns into a major brouhaha?
Chris, would you care to point to any evidence from the last five years that the Republicans have any ability to govern, you know, since they’re running the fucking country?
What!!?? All this time I’ve been reading your blog and now you tell me you’re black? If only I had known I would have put on some of that typical “fake white guy” routine. But seriously, the fact that as a society we still are so hung up on skin pigmentation and cultures is sad in the extreme. We, the human race, cannot get what we want through war,hate and greed regardless of whether we are Christian,Muslim or whatever. The only way we will survive on this planet is to survive together, not as groups identified by arbitrarily assigned identifiers. When it’s all said and done is our entry in the ledger of history to be that we perished from the planet because we couldn’t bring ourselves to love and accept one another?
“… not as groups identified by arbitrarily assigned identifiers.”
Um, guys, we don’t yet live in this harmonious racial wonderland you all keep talking about. I don’t think we have to go any further than George Allen’s “macaca” bullshit to see that. Or Pat Buchanan’s latest book length racist screed. At the same time, we aren’t going to get to that wonderland by simply and suddenly ignoring race and the role that it plays in shaping the world today.
Psst, chuck, take a look at the top left hand side of the blog, you might have gotten a clue sooner.
Oliver, if this weren’t a symptom of something larger, I’d be agreeing with you. How many more all white conferences, meetings, strategy sessions etc before we’re supposed to raise the issue?
Yes, I know you were invited, and Kos was too. Is that the extent of diversity in Daou’s rolodex? Did he ask you to recommend someone to go? He didn’t even ask Steve Gilliard who lives in NYC. He says it’s because he knows Steve would have declined, but I suspect it’s CYA since he said it after he read Steve’s post on the subject. He still could have asked, convinced Steve to show up only for the on the record part, or asked if Steve could recommend some blacks/latinos/asians etc to be heard at the session.
The point is not to have a ethnic rally ala Felix Macaca for show, but to listen to diverse opinions.
The point is not to only invite the A-listers, or we can stop complaining about the Dems only allowing access to the powerful. A-listers are more powerful than some of the smaller minority run blogs; but Washington political pundits can get out the message to anyone with a tv, newspaper, magazine, or internet access as opposed to bloggers who are only online. If minority bloggers don’t deserve representation compared to A-listers, maybe A-listers don’t deserve representation compared to Washington pundits. Is that really what we want, only the most powerful to have any say?
If this is the way it is supposed to be then we really should stop making fun of Republicans and their all white gatherings and country clubs.
Whites who don’t listen to us aren’t really good for us, whether they are Republican or Democratic. I guess we are supposed to pick from the best of two bad options and be happy with it and hopefully one day a month, a year, a decade from now maybe then we will get a seat at the table, any table.
You know, the fuss over this one event probably would have died down by now if the liberal face of racism didn’t pop up it’s ugly head over at FDL. A white man, TRex, telling a black woman, Liza, to stop assailing her betters isn’t exactly conducive to the discussion.
Yes, it’s only one lunch. I’d say that the fact that all the white folks, in Harlem, eating soul food, not even noticing that there were no blacks in attendance is a symptom of something larger.
That was pretty damned good, OW. I have nothing to add but my complete agreement.
Well frameone, you do not need to ignore anything. I don’t believe that I’m speaking of that. I am speaking of how little progress we have made toward what you put down with your label “wonderland”. I’m stating facts and whether you choose to believe that we can continue to carve the planet up based on group self interests is up to you. Nobody said you had to see the light. I reject the notion that I have to forever look at Oliver as a “black” man for example. I reject anybody making the suggestion that he would want me to do anything other than accept him as a human being as I would like to be accepted. The teachings, words and dreams of Gandhi and Dr. King were not telling us to continue as were but to reach out and change the world. Their pleadings for justice were not just to free the victims of oppression but to free all of mankind from the bonds of prejudice and bigotry. They did not say let’s keep looking at each other as apart from one another while we spend decades more inching our way along. They said it can end now, with myself as a start. Frameone, if these people and others and what they did was not about “wonderland” then what do we struggle toward? Another day, another meal? As John Lennon said “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”. If great artists, poets and philosphers didn’t inspire us to change can it be called inspirational to inch along dragging our old ways chained to our legs? You and I may not see the same things in life as possible but I leave you with this. The world does not change because we just go on. It changes because of its’ dreamers. Peace.
“…the planet up based on group self interests…”
Nice speech Chuck but while I’d love to live in the kind of world you describe getting there requires an acknowledgement of race not overlooking it. We are all human beings but we also all have different social, cultural, experiences that are shaped by race. We have to work harder to reduce the negative aspects of that experience, that is, racism, while promoting the positive aspects of that experience, that is diversity. To respect and above all learn from that diversity is what’s all about. It’s how we all grow as human beings. Too often in the past the desire to universalize human experience at the expense of this diversity has been part and parcel of Western, colonial racism. It says, “Hey, you’re unique perspective as a black person or as a chinese person isn’t valid because we’re all so supposed to be one.” Only it just so happens that it’s the white folks in power deciding what that “universal” means.
Frameone you simply miss the point by galaxies. Nobody has said anything about overlooking diversity or failing to acknowledge race. I get the distinct impression that you feel somehow that you must relate to everything through the kaleidoscope of race. It is a distinctly limited way to view and experience the world.
Looks like we knew who really shot themselves in the foot … hmmm
“I get the distinct impression that you feel somehow that you must relate to everything through the kaleidoscope of race.”
Dude, it’s kind of odd that you see this meeting as being somehow beyond race when only one race was represented. That to you is a triumph of diversity or should go without comment? How about if there were no women at the meeting, just a bunch of white guys. Could we complain then? Or would that be focussing too much on gender when we’ve all moved passed feminsism (even though women still don’t earn as much as men in the work place).
When you arrange a meeting with a former president who’s wife will soon be running for president herself and you don’t have any people of color there, you are still seeing everything through the kaleidoscope of race. Only it ain’t a kaleidoscope. It’s more like a telescope. Focussed on one race. Quite a narrower view don’t you think?
It’s kind of odd that you see this meeting as being somehow beyond race when only one race was represented. That to you is a triumph of diversity or should go without comment? How about if there were no women at the meeting, just a bunch of white guys. Could we complain then?
To put it another way, Chuch, how the fuck are we supposed to “bring ourselves to love and accept one another” when not everyone is invited to the goddamn table? Jesus you’re an idiot.
“Best president of the last 25 years?”
By which, of course, you obviously meant to imply that Jimmy Carter was a better president than Clinton?
It can’t be a secret that I wouldn’t put Clinton atop any list of presidents that includes Ronald Reagan, unless it was ordered by number of sexual improprieties.
But even I can’t stand silently by while anyone even implies that Carter was, by an oceanic margin, anything shy of the worst president of the past 50 years.
That’s just idiotic…
Now, if instead of saying “best president of the last 25 years,” you had said “only Democratic president of the last 25 years,” then you’d have a point. And some factual basis for making it, too.
Well actually, I meant to include Carter in that characterization. Great person, lousy president. Clinton is the best president we’ve had since Truman.
Only a wingnut would put Jimmy Carter behind someone who was forced to resign in disgrace.
Well, someone might say that if former President Bush were to meet with a bunch of bloggers, and they were all white, the left would howl.
Me, I don’t see anything racist in the picture. Maybe the real question is: why aren’t there more blacks out here doing political blogging?
race matters, mr. willis. why has the party that just “ignores black people” had two black cabinet members in the last six years? whatever lip service the democrats give to race, people notice that bush has empowered actual black people, while democrats (apparently) forget they exist when it comes time to choose the best blogs.
the sad part about peter douauaou’s near-sightedness (color-blindness?) is that most democrats i know do care much more about race disparities in our society than republicans.
What Diamond said. I could invite my 20 favorite bloggers to lunch and not know how many of what “race” (or gender or age or sexual preference or religion) would arrive.
OK, so the “club of white bloggers” invited you as the (token for the day) black, who was not able to attend because he was in Hawaii.
Update: No other black bloggers in America available.
Thank you for the being an apologist for White Folk Mr. “I was invited to go”.
I agree with you most of the time, but on this one your on pluto.
as a liberal, i am shocked and frankly a little appalled that ANYONE gives a crap about this non-issue. do you really think they’re screening based on race? or do you think they need a token just to present an image of being “diversive” (whatever the hell that means)? oliver, you are right on and it’s nice that someone on our side has the chutzpah to point out how f**king stupid the left is sometimes. THIS IS WHY WE LOSE ELECTIONS, PEOPLE.
Issues of inclusion may be a non-issue to you rapstar but issues of inclusion have always been an issue to African Americans throughout the history of American politics. And it is the prime reason why democrats lose elections! Period.
“Or do you think they need a token just to present an image of being “diversive” (whatever the hell that means)?”
Um, if there were people of color there and no one listened to them or allowed them to speak you might have a point about tokenism. But first, you know, you have to actually have them sitting at the table. The organizers of this event couldn’t even get that far.
AAPP, so the democrats are losing elections because they’re not including African-Americans in the process? Democrats tend to get 9 out of 10 black votes, so your argument doesn’t even make sense. The real issue, if any, seems to be “why aren’t there more prominent black oolitical bloggers?”