Reality
Over at Booman Tribune, Arthur Gilroy expounds on his belief that the Democratic primary election boils down to a choice of “The Bitch or the Negro”.
So given these two choices and of course an almost unthinkable third one…the continuation of a set of policies and leaders that has proven to be absolutely disastrous for this country and for the world in general…the sleeple electorate is all in a tizzy.
What to do!!!
What to DO!!!
Y’know what it’s going to come down to, don’tcha?
Which set of prejudices is deeper.
Are women really supposed to stay at home, (at least metaphorically) barefoot and pregnant?…Or is the spectre of a man who possesses at least a modicum of what many Americans consider to be sub-human genetic structure in power over Racist America more frightening than that of a strong, dominant woman…
I don’t just call bullshit, I call total fucking bullshit. I have to assume that Mr. Gilroy has the financial comfort to engage in academic discussion of our deepest prejudices, because for a lot of us that are in the lower lower middle class (a/k/a “the working poor”), there is no consideration as to the candidates’ secondary sex characteristics or skin color. As I commented at BMT, “Maybe you haven’t been paying attention since these issues of race and sex are so important, but here’s a news flash: those of us on the lower rungs are not having an easy time of it. We don’t care about whether “sex trumps race.”
We care about raising our families, being able to pay the bills, and being able to have some degree of success including retirement.
This is an email from my pal Jade, who I’ve known since high school. She’s also a single mom. We were emailing back and forth earlier today about our choices for the primary. Both of us are pretty much uncommitted. Or as Jade puts it, “I am still up in the air, mainly because I am not overly impressed with what any of the candidates have to say… They will say anything just to get their foot in the door.” Read the rest.
I hear you!!!! I too live paycheck to paycheck! How are you supposed to save when rents and daycare costs take about 70% of your net income?? The only bright spot is most of my consumer debt is paid off and now I am just in hock to the Federal Government for student loans that might be paid off before [my son] goes to school. Also, Pre-K next year is still going to be about 50% less than daycare. Even if we put him in [Catholic school], it was still 230.00 bucks per month LESS than daycare!!! That’s not to say that we don’t love where he is now, and I would pay just about anything for the peace of mind I have, but it will be a relief to have a few coins in my pocket at the end of the week.
I think my political strategy has been “who do I think has the best chance for beating the republican candidate”…the answer has eluded me thus far. I know that they can’t please us all, but I think they have the obligation to look out for us…the WAY lower middle class.
You’re right…We’re too rich to be poor and too poor to really live the American dream, and somehow, we’ve slipped through the agendas and policy meetings and have been completely forgotten. I feel for people who have less then I, and I support programs that help support them because I figure “there but for the grace of God go I…” but there is NO support for people in our economic bracket. Rents are hovering around $1100.00, gas and home fuel prices are at unheard of prices, food prices are on the rise, where is the help for us?? I am not asking for a hand out, nor am I asking for the 600.00 dollars from the government!!
Do they really think that is going to improve my life substantially???? Then they are going to charge me tax on that next year when I file my income taxes so how much have they really done for me. You know what??? Screw them. Keep my money and do something that will benefit us all long term. Don’t try to make the Quick fix and say “we tried to help you? What more do you want???” Jackasses. Sorry… I am just frustrated and I don’t see how we are ever going to fix this mess that we have gotten in.
Sound familiar? I’ll bet almost every single one of my readers has said the same thing recently. We’re tired of being poor and fighting for miserable little crumbs from the table. We don’t want pity or handouts. We want a fighting chance. We want something in return for our taxes (other than more unwinnable wars).
People like the well-intentioned Mr. Gilroy don’t seem to get this. It’s not about identity politics or prejudices: it’s about who’s going to improve and uplift the middle class. Who’s going to fight for the policies and programs that allow should-be-middle-class-by-now adults to achieve some measure of success?
I’m not voting for “the black guy” or “the white woman”. I don’t think Jade is either. I’m voting for who I think is going to deliver the goods. The color of the next president’s skin and whether a penis or labia dangle between his or her legs is the last thing I’m worried about.
2 Responses to “Reality”
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February 5th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
brendan, we mighta duked it out at dl if i had read this earlier. i think you are projecting too much smarts onto the general public. my concerns are your concerns but i think that there is lots of truth in what gilroy says. not for you and me or any of our friends, but for your average rubes, yeah, i have thought the same myself.
February 6th, 2008 at 8:53 am
I don’t see it.
I honestly don’t.