The Role of Racism in The Election

The system uses blame to hide and deny change
beneficial for all. In this political economy of
excess, blame justifies its waste.
Wealth and violence create new myths of power
from old abuses. America's own tradition of
racism creates new forms of denial.
Despite the noise and denial, the funk of the
presidential election was a fight over power:
white males (and women with tee shirts saying
“grab this”) suddenly had their own champion!
He promised assigned places, put outs, and
fixes for the walking troubles that were the
myths associated with blacks, Hispanics, and
Muslims. Nobody at his rallies held jobs signs—
the basic expression of political demands and
messaging--but nightly, rallies became shout
fests and minor brawls—the incidents continue
—over “them,” their presence--not wages, not
health, not jobs! (Except for the myth that
“them” were taking jobs, inside and outside the
country.)
The success of the new identity politics—
successfully reconstructed in Michigan
Wisconsin Minnesota Pennsylvania Florida
North Carolina—was built from the myth of
rebuilding white identity, with a few promises
tossed in like favorite spices in the pie. The
campaign message of racism succeeded because
it promised action—longed for action to deny
justice, deport the undocumented, and demand
fear and hate be put above the constitution.
The new identity politics is a racial faith in an
undying myth at the root of the American
promise, repeated by politicians (an Iowa
representative said whites built the country,
others contributed nothing; his words echoed
in Illinois, in robo-calls, in community
conversations and outburst, in the denial of
plargarism) in Congress itself!)
President Barack Obama worked on jobs—
successfully! His administration saved Detroit!
He created 15+ million private sector jobs in 75
straight months—a record for peace time
growth. He lowered unemployment. It wasn't
enough. Democrats faced the most difficult,
unsolved task in American politics: building a
stable, multi-ethnic coalition.
Hillary lost because she wasn't white enough.
My hometown high school applauded and
cheered wildly its first black running black, a
talented touchdown machine success on field—
but quickly shunned white who sought his
friendship. This difference between the social
identity of race and its rules and the
private/personal identity of race and its rules is
familiar; it caught Hillary.
America's founding political economy—North
and South—built structures and a system that
assigned cultural features to the forced labor of
African workers, spelled out their status in the
founding documents, and exploited that system
to mass incredible wealth.
America extracted labor value through the
extreme control of people who were a majority
population in Southern colonies/states--and
maintained a robust market in the buying and
selling of persons: denied freedom, the enslaved
were sold on auction blocks, individually, by
families, by lot. An after market developed; the
country grew westward; coffles were driven to
the Mississippi, down and across. Enslaved
status and conditions were a staple of politics.
The nation fought its bloodiest war to
determine whether its institutions/social order
would be slave or free.
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