The New American Pastime - Ignoring the Truth to Accommodate a Lie

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

The New American Pastime - Ignoring the Truth to Accommodate a Lie

As I watch the political machinations of extremists of every stripe in this country, it occurred to me that maybe I should write a book of fiction. That seems to be the only way left to slip a little truth in to the American people. The people of this country have been lied to for so long and so consistently, that they’ve become much more responsive to a well articulated lie than they are to reality. So at this point, a work of fiction would have to be about fairies and pixy dust not to come closer to the truth than what currently passes for political reality in America.

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Over the past thirty years we've allowed the most extremist forces in America to take over our political environment. As a result, truth no longer matters. What's become more important is how effectively truth can be distorted to conform to a given ideology. This philosophy has become so fully embraced by our society that instead of the press digging for the truth as was traditionally the case, they're now more like handicappers, reporting on whose lie is likely to play most effectively with the American people - "Mitt Romney's latest lie on job creation seems to be polling well in the battleground states."
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But lying is not limited to the GOP. Tavis Smiley and Cornel West have also elevated lying and demagoguery to unprecedented levels in the Black community. With their highly innovative "Poverty Tour" scam, Tavis and West are using their "Obama's-not-Black-enough" rhetoric, along with impossible demands, to marginalize the President. The tactic is designed to anger Black people and drive them away from the polls. That, in turn, benefits the GOP, and of course, it delights Tavis and West's corporate benefactors - ca-ching!
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But in spite of the fact that every available indicator, and simple common sense, suggests that Tavis and West are, let's say, less than sincere about their deep concern for the poor and middle class, there are people who are so passionate about their various one-issue ideologies that they find it more convenient to embrace a lie than to face the truth.
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For such people, the truth is inconvenient, so it doesn't matter how hard Tavis and West are fighting to bolster the position of the GOP, a group whose sole purpose in life is to cut the throats of the poor and middle class. Instead of facing this truth, they'd rather be angry at Obama for refusing to shove their personal religious beliefs down the throat of the rest of America. Thus, instead of facing the reality that corporate fascists are poised to change the very character of America as we've known it, these people would rather embrace smoke and mirrors, and promote arguments that distort reality in a way that conforms to their particular ideology. In short, the American people have been conditioned to give ideology priority over truth.
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I mean, what do you say to a man who says, President Obama is un-American because he's engaged in a socialist plot to make sure my family has health care? And what do you say to people who take the position that Obama is an arrogant elitist - "How dare he try to send my kids to college!!?" And then there are the people who say, "Sure, Obama stopped the the country from hemorrhaging 800,000 jobs a month under Bush, and then he got Osama Bin Laden, and in the process created more jobs in 27 months than Bush did in 7 years, but that's not good enough, so we need to go back to the old way."
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There's nothing logical left to say to such people. They're immune to logic, so the only thing left is to write a book of fiction to give them a sneak peak at the kind of world they're asking for - and I was thinking, maybe it would help to have it animated, and staring Yogi Bear unable to find anyone who could afford a picnic basket. But I've decided to give logic one more shot.

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DO YOU THINK NATIONWIDE
IS ON YOUR SIDE?

So first, let's be real. A blind man could see that Tavis and West are pimping the Black community. They're clearly placing their agenda before what's in the best interest of the people. They're making money, and they're also pursuing a four-year long vendetta. Now, I'm not saying that they’re being paid directly in response to an agreed upon quid pro quo, but rather, with a wink, a nod, and a slap on the back in corporate sponsorships (which helps to keep them propped up as high profile players). They could also be paid through the manipulation of endowments that fund West's $30,000 speaking fees, the corporate purchase of their books in mass numbers, and media appearances. There are many ways for the corporate establishment to reward "good-boy" behavior other than passing bags filled with cash in dark alleys.

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In his article, "My Republican Party has Abandoned Me," Black Republican activist, Raynard Jackson, says the following:

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"For many years, I have approached the party and its supporters about underwriting programs to bring together Blacks who are Republican or lean Republican so we can weave them into every facet of the party structure. The answer is always, no! But, twice this year some of these same people have approached me about funding for some election year tricks that they (White Republicans) have conjured up and simply need a Black face to execute the plan. On these two separate occasions, these funders were willing to spend upwards of $20 million to have me organize a national campaign to identify Blacks who would be critical of President Obama."
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Now, do you really believe that in this contentious election, where the Republican Party has unlimited funds and are willing to do anything to win, that some of that money is not finding its way into the pocket of two of the most money hungry, highest profile, Black Obama bashers in the country? That's highly unlikey - especially since one of those bashers, Tavis smiley, is closely associated with Walmart and several other charter members of "ALEC."  So if you believe that they're not benefitting in some way from that GOP dirty tricks fund, you're naive.

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They're rationale just doesn't make sense. Tavis and West claim that they're going to vote for Obama, but they simply want to stimulate discussion. Well, if that's true, then couldn't they wait until AFTER the election, and AFTER we've made sure that we've protected the interest of poor and middle-class America and the Black community  from corporate fascists, and THEN have this "intelligent and passionate" discussion?
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But of course, Tavis and West would argue that once reelected, President Obama wouldn't have an incentive to listen. But that's not true. Every president is concerned about his legacy, and as the first Black president that's even more true of Obama than most. In addition, President Obama has two daughters who'll have to live with his legacy for the rest of their lives. Thus, President Obama's actions in office will determine whether they live their lives as American princesses, or pariahs. Certainly the highly intellectual Cornel West recognizes that fact - doesn't he?
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At this point, I'm sure there are Tavis and West Supporters who would say that I'm being unfair. But the fact is, I'm following Cornel West's own prescription on how to determine who to trust. When Barack Obama failed to come on Tavis Smiley’s "State of Black America" show in 2008 - the very day that he threw his hat in the ring to run for President of the United States - Cornel West jumped up and down wanting to know, "Where are you getting your money?" He also said, that Obama was involved with people "who warrant our distrust." Okay. Well, Tavis and West are always talking about accountability, so lets hold them to the same standard. Do the people they're associated with warrant our trust, and where are they getting the money to finance their so-called "Poverty Tours?" And there's an irony here, by the way. In the link below, notice the logos in the background while West is preaching his sermon on trust - Wells Fargo and Exxon/Mobile, both members of ALEC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXj3_pjTTwg&feature=player_embedded

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Now let's take a look at the people who Tavis and West want us to trust. In an article appearing in PR Watch entitled  "ALEC Exposed," Brendan Fischer says the following:

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"The gun lobby has come under the spotlight for its role in the so-called "Stand Your Ground" or "Shoot First" law that may protect the man who shot and killed seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida -- but many other special interests, including household names like Kraft Foods and Wal-Mart, also helped facilitate the spread of these and other laws by funding the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)."

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Brendan goes on to say, "But as CMD has documented through ALECexposed.org, the National Rifle Association (NRA) is not the only special interest that has funded ALEC's operations over the years. Kraft, Wal-Mart, State Farm, and other well-known corporations are ALEC members and give thousands of dollars a year to ALEC to support its work, sit on its board, have a vote on its task forces, and access lawmakers through ALEC meetings at fancy resorts. Over 98 percent of ALEC's annual $7 million budget comes from corporations and sources other than the $50 in annual dues paid by its legislative members. Because ALEC is largely corporate-funded, it is through the financial support of some of the largest companies in the world that ALEC model bills can spread across the country."

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Tavis Smiley is, or has been, closely associated with several members of ALEC - Walmart, Exxon/Mobile,Wells Fargo, and All-State Insurance - an organization whose sole purpose for being is to get rid of Obama, abolish the liberal agenda, and to lower the standard of living of the American middle class to conform with that of developing nations. So how does that agenda coexist with Tavis and West's claim to be concerned with the plight of the poor?

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Think about it for a moment. Contrary to the hype, both of Tavis and West are mediocre talents at best. West is all image and no substance, and Tavis is probably the most overrated Black "journalist" in all of the media. Compare Cornel West to a scholar like Melissa Harris-Perry. Dr. Perry is lucid, she substantiates her assertions, and she’s more focused on her message than she is on how cool she looks while she's on camera.

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One the other hand, Cornel West’s game is to bedazzle with showmanship rather than to inform - in fact, clarity is the very last thing he wants, because that would betray the fact that he’s not saying nothing. West goes out of his way to find polysyllabic words and construct sentences filled with phrases so convoluted that you need the Rosetta Stone decipher them, and even then they refuse to resolve into a cogent thought. And that’s not by accident. West’s entire purpose is to get a lot of camera time to bedazzle the people with gesticulation, while camouflaging the fact that he’s not saying anything. The brother’s an expert at taking a very long time to say very little. But there's one thing I can say for him, when he’s done, you’ve definitely been entertained - that is, unless you’re looking for substance. So if you interview most people after a Cornel West concert, they’ll say, "I don’t know what he said, but it sure sounded good."
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The fact is, West has been in the public eye for nearly 35 years, yet, I've never met anyone who can think of ANYTHING memorable or profound that he's said in all of that time. Even when he puts forth an effort to be profound it comes off as inane and contrived - 'Justice is what love feels like in public.' That is so tired. The only reason that ANYBODY accepts West as a scholar and intellectual is because the people who are propping him up told us that he was - and since when he came along Black people were thrilled to death to have one of our own embraced by the intellectual establishment, we never bothered to questioned his credibility, or whether or not he measured up to what they claimed he was. As a result, we're now stuck with a high profile joke representing a Black intellectual - and the bigots love him.
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The Black community was blinded by all the hype, and two words - Harvard and Princeton. That's why so many of us are so protective of West. While many of us are beginning to see the light at this point, what we still fail to realize is the only reason West was selected and embraced by the establishment in the first place was because they knew he was a clown, and he was so shallow and self-promoting in his thinking that he was safe. There’s one thing they knew about Cornel West - he might run around trying to sound militant, but he’s not about to say anything that’s going to seriously jeopardize his celebrity. That’s why you didn’t hear him saying none of the things about Bush that he’s saying about Obama.
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You see, the establishment needs people like Cornel West. He helps keep the people in check by keeping the people believing that salvation is just around the corner, but he never steps outside the boundaries of the status quo.
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Malcolm could have been the greatest mind that the world had ever known, and the establishment would never have embraced him like they're doing Tavis and West. Ask yourself why - and ask yourself why the media is allowing Tavis Smiley to overshadow much more talented Black journalists. The answer is clear. The fact is, we’re allowing ourselves to be told who to listen to.
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Now, those are the facts. Anyone who needs the animated version can contact me at the address below.

Eric L. Wattree

Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com

Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)

Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.