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Feb. 8, 2013
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Jewish World Review
August 24, 2011
/ 24 Menachem-Av, 5771
The Five Stages of (Progressive) Grief
By
Arnold Ahlert
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
There are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. When one superimposes this psychological structure on the progressive movement in general, and the black American progressive community in particular, it becomes far easier to understand the tremendous amount of animus directed at their favorite trash-ees, the Tea Party movement. That animus was highlighted by the latest Democrat to embrace the "politics of civility" demanded by progressives in the wake of the Gabrielle Giffords tragedy.
Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) is another Democrat who apparently didn't get the memo. "Let us all remember who the real enemy is," Wilson huffed at a Miami town hall meeting. "The real enemy is the Tea Party--the Tea Party holds the Congress hostage. They have one goal in mind, and that's to make President Obama a one-term president."
For those keeping psychological track as it were, that would place Ms. Wilson squarely in stage two of the grief cycle. It also gives her a slight edge over fellow black Congresswoman, Maxine Waters (D-CA), who said "The Tea Party can go straight to hell" at one of her own town hall meetings. Such talk certainly indicates anger. But why the Tea party?
To answer that question, we must harken back to stage one of the grief cycle. Despite iron-clad control of both Houses of Congress, Democrats were unable to forestall the rout known as the 2010 election. That Democrats brought it on themselves, with a one-two combination of Keynesian economics and ObamaCare, was something they couldn't face. Blaming the Tea Party for their own failings is the essence of denial. Denial which has seamlessly moved into the anger stage.
Oddly enough, it was Maxine Waters who dipped her toe into the waters of stage three. "The Congressional Black Caucus loves the
president too," Waters told a meeting of CBC supporters in Detroit last Tuesday. "We're supportive of the president, but we're getting tired, ya'll. We're getting tired."
Waters continued. "And so, what we want to do is, we want to give the president every opportunity to show what he can do and what he's prepared to lead on. We want to give him every opportunity, but our people are hurting. The unemployment is unconscionable. We don't know what the strategy is. We don't know why on this (bus) trip that he's in the United States now, he's not in any black community."
The bargaining stage is often referred to as the one in which we are trying to "negotiate away the hurt" that comes with the realization that a tragedy has occurred. Apparently Ms. Waters has figured out--if only inadvertently--that the president in whom 95 percent of black America invested their hopes and dreams, is doing virtually nothing to help black America realize those hopes and dreams. Unemployment in America is officially 9.1 percent. For black Americans, it's 16.2 percent.
As to why the president's bus trips didn't include any black communities, why should it? Nothing guarantees calculated political indifference more than unstinting political loyalty. That's the "bargain" black America made with the Democrat Party fifty years ago.
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The next stage of the cycle is depression, which is said to occur when one begins to focus one's attention squarely in the present. Black Democrats, much like the rest of the progressive movement, aren't quite there yet. After almost three years into the president's term and almost five years in which Democrats have maintained majority control of the federal government, everything is still George W. Bush's fault. And the same society which elected Barack Obama is still hopelessly racist.
In this phase it is said that the depression feels like it will last forever. For black progressives, it must be especially galling to see the seemingly ongoing and inevitable demise of a man, and perhaps a political party as well, they thought was invincible. It must be equally if not more depressing to see a nascent political movement like the Tea Party garner so much national attention during a time in which black Americans were supposed to be realizing an unprecedented level of achievement and respect, courtesy of having Mr. Obama in the Oval Office.
That it hasn't worked out that way is not the Tea Party's fault. It may be difficult for many progressives to remember, but for most of Mr. Obama's first two years in office, there was no Tea Party at all. And its rise had nothing to with the Republicans. In 2008, Republicans were a beaten and demoralized political party. If any group of people can, and ought to be, credited with the rise of the Tea Party, it would be progressives themselves, courtesy of an arrogance and overreach that quickly alienated a substantial number of Americans, many of whom voted for Democrats in two consecutive elections.
Which brings us to the final stage of the grief cycle, acceptance. This particular stage is said to be one in which people deal with the idea that a new reality, no matter how unpleasant, is one they are forced to live with. As it pertains to progressivism, this reality may be as close as the 2012 election. Even now, some of the president's most ardent supporters are steeling themselves to the idea that the man who once told ABC's Diane Sawyer he would "rather be a really good one-term president, than a mediocre two-term president" may end up oh-for-two. Moreover, it is not just Mr. Obama who may be facing political oblivion. Only the most obtuse progressive would fail to realize that even a conversation about deficit reduction, much less a twelve member Congressional Committee dedicated to finding some, is a paradigm shift away from the unrestrained government progressives adore.
Sadly, it is unrestrained government to which far too many black Americans have tethered their well-being. It is highly unlikely Ms.Waters and Ms. Wilson will be the last black Democrats in search of a scapegoat for the troubles of their party or their communities. Grief does strange things to us all. But characterizing decent Americans, genuinely concerned about the future of the nation, as "enemies" who can "go straight to hell?" I'd like to think that, even for progressives, such talk is a bridge too far.
But I wouldn't bet on it.
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Previously:
08/22/11:The Inevitable Descent From Progressivism to Nihilism
08/22/11: Perry Stands Firm. Obama Stands Mute
08/15/11: Give Me a Flatscreen TV, or Give Me Anarchy!
08/11/11: Resign, Mr. President
08/08/11: Facts? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Facts
08/03/11: Manufactured Crises
08/01/11: Stay Healthy, America --- or else!
07/28/11: Existential Crisis, Part 2
07/25/11: Three-Out-of-Four Americans Are Radicals
07/21/11: What Does Two Plus Two Equal?
07/18/11: News Nuggets
07/13/11: The Write Stuff
07/11/11: Completely Expectable Unexpectedness
07/07/11: Organized Cheating
07/05/11: Stimulating Disaster
06/30/11: Progressivism Masquerading as Education
06/27/11: America: Greece With Better PR
06/23/11: NBC-ya Later
06/19/11: One Man's Conversation About Race
06/10/11: An Exhibitionist in an Exhibitionist Age
06/07/11: NAACP Betrays Black American Schoolchildren
06/02/11: For the First Time in My Adult Life . . .
05/31/11: If I Were President
05/25/11: California Dreamin'
05/23/11: On Wisconsin!
05/20/11: Obama's Farewell to Israel Speech
05/16/11: Krauthammering Amnesty
05/11/11: Bounce, My Backside
05/09/11: The Epicenter of Progressive Contempt for the Rule of Law
05/03/11: SEALing Osama's Fate
05/02/11: The Education plantation
04/24/11: The Bell May Toll for Jersey Toll Collectors
04/19/11: From Medical Dependency to Dependency on the Welfare State
04/14/11: Trumping the Debate
04/06/11: It Takes a Bigot to Expose a Death Cult
04/04/11: Charlie and Snookie --- and Barack
03/30/11: Disabling America, One Lawsuit at a Time
03/28/11: The MSM Kills the Kill Team Story
03/23/11: Another Military Scandal
03/21/11: Barry, Joe, Helen and Wisconsin Teachers
03/16/11: The Inevitable Viability of Conservatism
03/14/11: Progressives in Their Own Words
03/09/11: $61 Billion in Cuts --- Vs. $223 Billion in One Month of Spending
03/07/11: Bean Bag B.S.
03/02/11: A Green Catastrophe in the Making
02/28/11: Ain't Noting Like the Real Thing
02/23/11: Progressive Rot vs. the ROTC
02/21/11: Wisconsin: Progressivism in All its Ugly Glory
02/18/11: News reporters --- or Narrative Shapers?
02/16/11: The Presidents Budget Proposal: An Obamination of Progressive Profligacy
02/14/11: Only Another 9/11 Will Alter the Illegal Immigration Status Quo
02/10/11: Is O'Reilly losing his touch or is he just irresponsible?
02/07/11: Tossing Britain Under the Bus
02/03/11: Starving the World In Order to Save It
01/31/11: Walking the Middle East Tightrope
01/27/11: Small-scale Terrorist Attacks: Big Strategy?
01/24/11: Jeffery Immelt: A Crony Capitalist In Charge of Job Creation
01/20/11: An Intimate Prime-time Interview
01/17/11: Progressives: Always Angry, Newly Desperate
01/12/11: Twain vs. the Totalitarians
01/10/11: Politically Correct Passports?
01/05/11: Showdown at the Fiscal Corral
01/03/11: Reading the Constitution Aloud is a Good Start
12/30/10: Getting Our Moral Mojo Back
12/27/10: PC Airport Safety is an Oxymoron
12/23/10: Getting America Back On Track
12/20/10: A Collectivist Coalition of Convenience
12/15/10: The President Who Wasn't There
12/13/10: Tech-No!
12/08/10: A Lethal Military, Inclusive or Not
12/06/10: The Unexpected Consequences of Progressivism
12/01/10: Leakers and Losers
11/29/10: We Won, Part One
11/22/10: Keep Your Hands Off My Constitution
11/17/10: Grope and Change
11/14/10: Taking Back Our Country, One School At a Time
11/11/10: Checks (and Balances), Please
11/08/10: Curtain Up, Progressives Down
11/04/10: Last Chance, Republicans
11/01/10: By Their Own Words Shall Ye Know Them
10/28/10: Progressive Determination to Undermine American Elections
10/25/10: Shock, but more importantly, action: De-Unionize Public Schools now
10/20/10: Multiculturalism? Check, Please
10/18/10: Healthcare: Alice in Wonderland vs. The Constitution
10/11/10: Vote for Restoring the Rule of Law in November
10/11/10: Dems: Running From Clarity
10/07/10: Hypersensitive Hogwash
10/04/10: Comprehensive Con Artists
09/29/10: Why Dems Are Going Down in November
09/27/10: The Unholiest of Unholy Alliances
09/22/10: Two Words for Republicans to Remember: I Won
09/20/10: Purging Me First Politicians
09/17/10: No More Lesser of Two Evils
09/15/10: Recovery Arms Race
09/13/10: Bigots in the Majority --- Again?
09/09/10: Giving Voters Something to Vote For
09/07/10: Irresponsible Dems, Incomprehensible Bills
09/02/10: War Weary Americans vs. Implacable Islamists
08/31/10: A Dream Debased
08/25/10: American Bigots Versus Media Propagandists
08/23/10: Recovery Bummer
08/19/10: An Unholy Alliance of Radicals
08/16/10: You've Lost America, Mr. President
08/13/10: The Twin Towers of Progressive Disconnect
08/11/10: A Far Better National Discussion
08/09/10: It's Only One Dead Nun
08/06/10: Incremental Tyranny
08/04/10: Ground Zero Mosque: Context Counts
08/02/10: The Arizona Ruling: a Gift for November
07/29/10: The United Cities of America
07/26/10: JournoList: Coordinated Ideological Bankruptcy
07/20/10: Go For Broke Or Get Out of the Way
07/14/10: You're a Liberal/Progressive if You Believe…
07/12/10: $33-an-hour--For Sleeping On the Job
07/08/10: Extortionist Government
07/06/10: Commerce Clause Totalitarians
07/01/10: Another Public School Travesty in MA
06/30/10: Calling YOUR Bluff, Mr. President
06/28/10: A Trifecta of Progressive Corruption
06/23/10: Plug the Darn Hole --- In Our Border
06/21/10: Our Empty-Suit-in-Chief
06/16/10: Betraying Our Children
06/14/10: Who Gets the Benefit of the Doubt?
06/07/10: Politically Correct Warfare
06/01/10: Bill Maher's Black President
05/25/10: A Mosque At Ground Zero
05/23/10: Libs Stand Tall --- For Mexico
05/19/10: The 'Unintended Consequences' of Liberalism
05/17/10: 'Los' Suns: Stuck on Stupido
05/12/10: Union Audacity: Yes We Will!
05/10/10: Greeks, Leaks and and Double-Speak
05/05/10: Twelve Million Illegals --- or Thirty?
05/02/10: Republicans: Playing Not to Lose Doesn't Cut It
04/28/10: Arizona: Progressivism's Waterloo?
04/26/10: Son of Amnesty
04/22/10: Mortgages and Moral Meltdowns
04/20/10: Bashing Christians Or Gays?
04/15/10: Personal Integri-tea
04/12/10: Fools, Tools and Ghouls
04/08/10: (Tea) Party On
04/05/10: The Triumph of Mediocrity
04/02/10: Two For the Road
03/29/10: The Innate Immorality of Liberalism
03/24/10: The Art of War
03/22/10: I Want My Country Back
03/18/10: A Perpetual Process
03/17/10: American Exhibitionists
03/15/10: A Light Bulb Moment of Clarity
03/10/10: Little Things Mean A Lot
02/03/10: Budgetary Fork in the Road
02/01/10: Liberal Economic Illiteracy
01/27/10: Roe-ing and Wade-ing Back to Reason
01/25/10: Arrogance When Up, Denial When Down
01/20/10: Connecting the Educational Dots
01/19/10: The Next Tea Party?
01/15/10: The Myth That Keeps on Giving
01/13/10: Airport Security Begins Away From the Airport
01/11/10: Secrets and Lies
01/08/10: Embracing Bigotry or Rejecting Bullying?
01/06/10: Hanging by an Ideological Thread
01/04/10: Our Wonderama Bureaucracy
12/30/09: A Day Off
12/28/09: Dangerous Myths
12/25/09: I, Me, Mine
12/23/09: A Very Harry Christmas
12/21/09: My Opinon
12/18/09: The Party of Repeal
12/15/09: Privileged Exemption
11/30/09: Settled Science and Unsettled Children
11/30/09: American Sharia Law
11/23/09:The Trial (Travesty) of the Century
11/04/09: American Vampires and Their Political Enablers
11/01/09: Opting Out of Insanity?
10/28/09: Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer. Brain Required
10/26/09: Communism: Nazism With Better PR
10/21/09: Just Asking
10/16/09: Cost Projections vs. Actual Costs, or Hope and Change vs. Reality
10/14/09: News you can use …
10/07/09: Incremental Insidiousness
10/05/09: MIA: Common Sense and Common Decency
09/30/09: Iran: Bad Options and Unpreparedness
09/21/09: Crying Racism: the Last Refuge of Scoundrels
09/11/09: 9/11 Cannot Be Sanitized
09/08/09: Truthers and Consequences
09/01/09: A Paper Trail Challenge for the Mainstream Media
08/31/09: Drowning in Amorality
08/26/09: The Republican Recovery Program
© 2011, Arnold Ahlert
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