Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

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 battle ground 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 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 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 own one-issue ideology 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 American 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 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. But I've decided to try logic one more time.

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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"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.

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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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. If anyone needs it animated you can get back with me.

Eric L. Wattree