The Unablogger
The press, even conservative press, is spinning President Obama’s recent tough love speech to the Congressional Black Caucus and the adverse reaction by CBC members as signs of a falling out with the Left. Don’t buy it.
The whole thing is staged, with Obama and CBC members in it from the get-go. The purpose is to make Obama look more like a centrist, in contrast to the CBC. It is designed to blunt the (accurate) public perception that Obama’s goal is to enact the CBC’s radical race-specific agenda. It is designed to rebuild bridges to the independents who elected him and subsequently deserted him.
This is a classic ploy that even has an accepted name: a “Sister Souljah moment.” When former President Bill Clinton was down in the polls and being called “America’s first black president,” he picked a fight with rapper Sister Souljah, scolding her publicly for her outrageous “kill white people” comment. It succeeded and helped him win reelection in 1996 after having lost Congress in 1994.
Obama’s “Sister Souljah moment” won’t hurt his standing with African Americans, with whom he maintains a job approval rating over 80%, just as it didn’t hurt Clinton when he invented the tactic. Obama’s strategists are trolling for gullible independent white voters.
With former Saturday Night Live writer and cast member Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) now in Washington, it’s not surprising to see some SNL influence on the Administration. The faux CBC tiff is inspired by a Jon Lovitz character: “Acting!!!”
The Unablogger 