Obama’s Election Brings Joy to…White Supremacists?!

By MATT KENNARD, Columnist

Aside from Republicans, you might expect the American community most piqued by the election of Barack Obama would be white supremacists. There is surely no harsher blow to a single-issue political program of racism than the ascension of a black man to the highest office of the land. It’s like a hardened communist watching Milton Friedman elected Dear Leader in the Soviet Union, or Ariel Sharon taking over the Palestinian Liberation Organization. There is no way back for a movement so harshly served; it’s merely time to pack up, accept it’s over and move on.

Or so you would think.

In the increasingly surreal U.S. political landscape, white supremacists have actually greeted the election of the first black president not as the death knell of their cause, but a historic leap forward. “I don’t see anything but very positive things coming out of it,” says Tom Metzger, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, who now runs an outfit called White Aryan Resistance (or W.A.R., for short). “We don’t have to do much, everything is going sour; the economy is getting worse and worse,” he tells TakingBackPolitics.com. “I don’t think we have to do much more than sit in and be aware of what is going on and train because the government is eating itself.”

And not only is the American Nazi happy about his first black president, but he believes it occasions the way for dialogue with, of all things, the left. “We are becoming more like leftists, and leftists are coming more into agreement with us on race,” he says. “I actually agree with Ralph Nader on economics. Though he’s not a racist, I think politics is going to change a lot over the next few years, dumping of old left and old right.”

But for unbridled joy at Obama’s win you can’t beat August Kreis III, the fiery leader of the Aryan Nations, a Hitler-worshipping outfit out of South Carolina. “I can actually tell you it was the best thing that happened to our movement in the United States ever,” he says breathlessly. In fact, he even wants this new wave of pinko tolerance to spread overseas. “I’d like to see it happen in the UK, but in your case, a Muslim should be elected, because that will do something to get people off their fat asses.”

But it’s not just getting people off their fat asses (less of those in the UK) that has emboldened the American neo-Nazi movement; now white supremacists finally feel that one of their own is the president. “Obama is a racist down deep and his wife is even more,” says Metzger. “It would be better for him if he now said, ‘Hey guys! Fooled you! I’m a racist!’ and I would respect that.”

Erich Gliebe, who runs the biggest neo-Nazi group in the U.S., National Alliance, agrees. “As far as I know, John McCain is not a racist,” he says. “But Obama, he is an outright racist. He was part of a racist church, he had a racist pastor. At least he has that.”

Whether Obama is a racist or not, doesn’t this election render white supremacists in the U.S. irrelevant?

“No, actually it shakes people out of their slumber,” says Gliebe. “I think a majority of Americans still want racial segregation. There are tens of millions of people who would prefer only to marry other whites, and to send their kids to white-only schools.”

I have to remind myself that the first black president has just been elected with a large percentage of white voters. Gliebe pauses when I remind him, too. “Well, people voted for Obama because of white guilt,” he says after an awkward hiatus. “They were made to feel guilty! People were afraid of voting for McCain because they feared being called a racist!”

I refrain from mentioning that the U.S. has a secret ballot because, by now, appeals to logic are futile. Barack Obama, first black president the toast of the white supremacists. Unlikely, but true. Only in America.

Matt Kennard can be reached at MattKennard@gmail.com.

Problems with Voting “Pro-Race”

By JASON WALKER, Columnist

Be careful what you wish for.

The thing that bothers me the most about this election is the unapologetic “I’m voting for Obama because he’s black” sentiment that seems to be prominent among many African-Americans.

It’s not racist, it’s “pro-race.” If you’re going to accept that, then you can’t point the finger at anyone who says they’re voting for McCain because he’s white.

Caucasians still represent the majority in terms of those who vote. Even if 99% of registered black voters actually came out (stop laughing) and all voted for Obama, he probably would not win by a great margin, if he won at all.

Obama is smart enough not to be counting on black votes to win. He’s focusing his energy on getting votes for his ideas, not the color of his skin. He doesn’t need to pander to the black community. He knows no matter what he does his black constituency is not going anywhere.

Did you ever wonder about that 20-30% that still supports Bush? Those are the people who voted for him for their own biased reasons and make excuses for him no matter what mistakes he makes. Sound familiar?

So don’t say, “people in this country are racist,” if Obama loses. You can’t have it both ways.

Don’t get upset when you find out that he’s not looking out for you any more than any other politician. He isn’t going to win and start crip walking across the stage at his inauguration.

Don’t start feeling strong and getting too cocky either. Obama wouldn’t even be where he is if it wasn’t for the white people who are supporting him. If you alienate those people, you will see his popularity go down.

You may also be kissing goodbye to a big chunk of the “white guilt” that the many have been unwittingly benefiting from in this politically correct climate of ours. The pendulum, that has swung as far as to cost people their jobs for making remarks only a handful view as racist, can swing the other way very quickly.

Most of this country’s wealth is still owned by a small group that includes very few minorities, so it doesn’t have to stop at politics either. Affirmative action was established to counteract the same sentiment that is being expressed by many black voters. The other side of the coin is not very pretty. Skin color has as little to do with someone getting hired as ever, but if the field is even then it is always easy to side with your own, black or white. So when you eliminate the motivation to consciously make an unbiased decision you may end up losing much more than you bargained for whether Obama wins or not.

It’s also extremely hypocritical to participate in the same kind of thinking those in power have been admonished for using for so long. Nepotism, favoritism and preference are all in favor of the owners of the wealth. In times like these the ranks tend to close up tight, making it harder for anyone, especially minorities, to get higher paying jobs or even keep the jobs they have. It’s natural to rely on what you’re familiar with when times are tough, and when the wealthy turn to each other that will leave the rest of us out. But remember, it’s not racism, it’s just being “pro-race,” right?

It may be nearly impossible for Obama to improve the black image in this country. African-Americans are still suffering from a syndrome that associates them with every criminal on the evening news and none of the heroes that are profiled on the same programs. There are so many minority leaders at all levels of government and business that no one should need to point to Obama to say “I can make it.” If anything, the odds are more likely for someone to say “I told you so.”

Maybe that’s the real issue. Maybe before the country can be ready for a black president it needs to also be ready for a mediocre black president. I would like to think that successful or not an Obama term would provide evidence that we’ve ascended to a level of equality in this country that we will never relinquish; but that’s only a dream.

If Obama wins he needs to be successful or not only will the country not accept another minority candidate for a while, but African-Americans spirits will be diminished. Some will make the excuse that he was never given a fair chance. Some will bury their heads in the sand and not accept failure. But most will just be let down knowing that they would probably not see another minority-led administration for a long time.

It’s not an easy job. Many great men have had disappointing stints as the head of state. Given our current climate the odds are not very good. The outcome could have a vast effect on the world we live in.

So please, at least read a few articles and come up with a reasonable excuse to vote for Obama. Whether he wins or not, the future of the country may depend on it.

Jason Walker may be reached at Jason_R_Walker@comcast.net.