It was crazy enough when the Liberal establishment's talking heads tried to paint the entire Tea Party movement as racist for their opposition to President Obama's agenda. Even slightly respected liberal luminaries like Jimmy Carter suggested that any opposition to Obama was rooted in racism. But it's gotten even crazier now as many of those same liberal pundits are accusing Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of being racist. In case you haven't noticed, Herman Cain is African-American.
Perhaps some of the most venomous opposition to Cain has come from the black liberal establishment (NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus members, etc). Harry Belafonte recently called Cain "a bad apple". And liberal university professor Cornell West said Cain should "get off the symbolic crack pipe". What kind of egregious transgression has Herman Cain made to receive this kind of treatment? It's quite simple; he has the audacity to call himself a Republican - even a conservative!
The epitome of racism
It's ironic but true: there seems to be a subtle, yet perverse racism surrounding the black liberal establishment's treatment of Mr. Cain. In their world view a black man can only have certain ideas and views. If he strays from the "plantation" (a word used by both Belafonte and Cain) he is not a "real" black man, he is not "authentic", he is "a bad apple" or using a "crack pipe". To the black liberal establishment, Cain, as a black man, is not allowed to have a differing viewpoint. That is the epitome of racism.
The right kind of African-American
Organizations that appear to be concerned about African-Americans are apparently only concerned about the "right kind" of African-Americans - the kind that will step in line to their way of thinking. You would think that the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) would be thrilled by the prospects of having a successful African-American in the top tier of the Republican presidential field. Not so. Why? Because Herman Cain is, apparently, not the right kind of African-American.
Of course this has happened before. The NAACP has opposed Clarence Thomas, Condaleeza Rice and pretty much any other African-American who had the audacity to identify himself or herself as a Republican. Again, their focus is on promoting the interests of LIBERAL African-Americans, not ALL African-Americans.
Brainwashed? or taken for granted?
Cain recently said that many African-Americans have been "brain-washed" into following the democratic party lock step. I don't know if that's true, but can you think of a single voting bloc as monolithic as African-American voters? Democrats consistently receive 97 to 98% of the African-American vote. You cannot find that kind of party loyalty in any other group. Even if it's not brain washing there is obviously a deep seated interest on the part of the Democrats to keep African-Americans pulling the levers for Democrat candidates and it is crucial to them to make sure none of them stray from the fold.
Democrat Vs. Republican not the issue
One can debate the merits of Democrat vs Republican ideas and how those relate to African-Americans but that's not really the point. African-Americans, like every other kind of American, should not have their "authenticity" challenged or be called "Uncle Tom" or "racist" because their ideas may not align with the black liberal establishment.
Is Herman Cain too dangerous?
Perhaps inherent in these attacks on Cain is a fear among black and white liberal establishment leaders. What if Herman Cain's message does resonate with a significant portion of the African-American voting bloc? That is something they can't afford to have happen - especially while the current resident of the White House, a liberal Democrat, is so vulnerable. And what if Cain should become the next President? We'll have another African-American leading the free world. But this time one who actually IS qualified and has not kowtowed to the NAACP, Jesse Jackson, or any of the other liberal, self-appointed "black leaders". Yes Herman Cain is dangerous to these people and, unfortunately, we can expect these attacks to continue.
Sources:
Harry Belafonte calls Herman Cain a "bad apple": http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/10/harry-belafonte-calls-herman-cain-a-bad-apple/
Cornell West says Herman Cain should "get off the symbolic crack pipe": http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cornel-west-on-cnn-herman-cain-needs-to-get-off-the-symbolic-crack-pipe/
Jeremy Lunnen - Jeremy Lunnen is a 44 year old MBA and father of seven whose "grown up" job is as a corporate leadership trainer. His love affair with ...
