but, as despicable as many of clinton’s executive political maneuvers were, those positive feelings remain true and valid for what they were worth. every one of those women went forth energized to return to their individual and collective activisms; they may have been given some degree of false hope, perhaps sold a “bill of goods” (pun unintential but not disavowed), but the emotional shot in the arm was real and useful.

just because the honeymoon is over doesn’t mean you can’t put that brief good feeling to use. it’s a lot like marriage - you store away those good times for a rainy day when your partner isn’t looking so good, when you wonder if maybe you made a mistake. one moment of hope keeps your head up, searching the horizon for the next one, and keeps you from just lying down and quitting. if obama becomes president - and i’d say especially if he becomes president - he’ll let us all down even worse, because it’s built in to the rotten system. but he’s created a high standard for us to hold him to, and it’s well worth keeping in mind if he ever tries to back away from the promises he has made.

hey, I agree with ya there, but I think that in reality, AIDS was used by the government as an attempt to wipe out us homos, and having it devastate the black community was an unexpected surprise for them.

Remember, this was the REAGAN government, chock full of Dick Cheneyes and GHWBuhes. I personally do not think it too far a stretch to make the connection. Our leaders have practiced genocide, eugenics, mass forced sterilizations of ethnic women. Our leaders, on BOTH sides of the political ‘fence’ have allowed rampant corporate greed to win out over the health and safety of its people, to the extent that breast milk is now a toxic substance, and austism, cancers and ADHD are considered ‘normal’ diseases.

Rev Wright nailed it

ButchFatale: Right On! It was the people who slowed the spread of HIV/AIDS. I remember quite well how our Lesbian sisters worked their butts off helping out us gay men. Remember that old thing Ronald Reagan? We used to chant, “Ronald Reagan you can’t hide we charge you with genocide!”

I too have a hard time imagining a millionaire really caring about anyone but his/her own class. They can talk a good talk. I remember Clinton how the glbt community was swooning over him. I still asked them can you say DOMA and DADT, can you say bombs away over Iraq?

I don’t know where I will be in Nov. I like what Cynthia McKinney is saying and plan to help get her on the ballot in CT. She has some good things on her site.

@Lily: I definitely get what you’re saying, especially because Obama’s been subjected to an unfair double standard (see the comments about McCain and Hagee.) Maybe I should be more generous towards him and understanding that he has to play the game to stand a chance. It’s just disappointing to get your hopes whipped up about someone and then be reminded that, yes, he either has to or chooses to play that damn game (or both.)

Speaking of Hagee: YES, rabi! Also, interesting that the pendulum swung the other way for you. It’s good to feel like you’re voting for someone instead of against the other guy. By the time Election Day rolls around I’ll probably (hopefully) feel that way about voting for Obama, too.

@ButchFatale: Yeah, unimaginable, isn’t it? Geez.

Naty wrote: “it weaponizes those that seek to establish doubt and would ultimately create a distraction.” I dunno. I think distractions away from the show and dance and towards the effective truths of a matter are important distractions indeed. And while yeah, there’s a difference between purposeful injections and primarily passive permission, that difference is so small as to be almost irrelevant, especially given that the means are slightly different but the ends are pretty much the same.

Thanks for the comment, Cliff; good point about any Black issues being considered “divisive.”

I still love my Senator he did the best he could to explain the complexities of U.S. racial History within the context of his relationship with his close friend. It backfired because of a deliberate effort to keep people stupid. He had no choice but to keep it simple. I don’t think he compromised his morals..

The scariest part of all this was how quickly Hilary turn on her base and is willing to take people of color for granted…

Not just probable, definite. It wasn’t the goodness of the CDC’s heart in taking on AIDS as a public health crisis that slowed the spread in the early days, it was grass-roots education, needle distribution (despite arrests) and the disruptive actions of pissed off folks offending people who’d rather pretend they don’t exist. Just like how in a time when AIDS is still a crisis in many communities of color, federal and local governments are instituting mandatory reporting of HIV infection and abstinense only education.

Yeah, I can’t *imagine* why folks wouldn’t trust our government.

what’s funny is that, aside from this, I’ve had sort of the opposite experience with obama. I started out super skeptical and kind of pissed off at everyone who seemed to be buying into his hype/hope, and, as usual, convinced that there were no mainstream candidates I could vote for in good conscience. now I’ve sort of grudgingly come to feel that I could vote for obama and actually be voting FOR him, instead of against the republican.

P.S. I love Reverend Wright and have so far found nothing contentious about his speeches/comments. They’re all justifiable and based upon intellectual research, not crazy-talk, like the media tries to make it.