It is truly fascinating watching the wheels turns in the addled brain of Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. When she is not calling on the impeachment of President Trump ad nauseam, or contradicting herself to the delight of political observers seeking the latest hilarious sound byte, Waters is apparently manning the corral of what many have coined "The Democrat Plantation."
It's the term used to criticize the vice grip Democrat leaders hold over African-American voters, most of whom are press-ganged into adopting their progressive world view.
Waters and her ilk demand complete acquiescence from the powerless monolith in exchange for a legacy of failed policies and broken promises assuring an improved quality of life, along with offering a target to blame for why things are so bad now. It’s a term that should elicit a loathsome reaction, and rightly so.
Not for the offense of insensitive characterization resulting in an epidemic of pearl-clutching, but for how apt the comparison is.
Resistance to the group-think is a punishable offense that gets you labeled unreasonable, irrational, or a traitor to the cause. Or even worse, a free-thinker.
Enter Kanye West.
Reasonable people can have varying opinions about West’s music, his life choices, or his opinions (especially on the whole Taylor Swift-Beyonce debate) but one thing that is undeniable about West is that he marches to the beat of his own very loud drum. He is an individual. He is a free-thinker. And he is outspoken about being both.
So when West trains the sights on his loose cannon towards politics, you better believe Waters and the other Democratic "masters" starting sounding the "independent thought alarm."
Waters’s response to West is a treasure trove of insight into the oxymoron that is "liberal logic." Take her reaction to West’s support of black conservative firebrand Candace Owens and donning a MAGA hat on social media.
"Kanye West is a very creative young man who has presented some of the most revolutionary material in the African-American community. . . . But we also think that sometimes Kanye West talks out of turn and perhaps sometimes he needs some assistance in helping him to formulate some of his thoughts."
First, notice the set-up of an inferior-superior relationship. Kanye is a "young man," with youth used to connotate inexperience and a lack of comparative intellect. It is a perfect lead-in to a statement that is the height of condescension, that the "young man" talked "out of turn," as young men do, and “needs some assistance” in thinking properly.
Did you notice who thinks that way? "We" do. The ubiquitous "we" that is emblematic of the hive-mind of progressive politics. In this case, "we" is embodied by "she," the older, more seasoned Democrat politician who will set you straight and get you back in line so you can open your mind and think exactly like everyone else. And by everyone else, Waters means the "we," that really is "she."
Waters goes on:
"We don’t think that he actually means to do harm, but we’re not sure he really understands the impact of what he’s saying, at the time that he’s saying it and how that weighs on, particularly the African American community — and for young people in general. . . . And I think maybe he should think twice about politics, and maybe not have so much to say."
The condescension continues. The "we" that is "she" excuses the misbehavior of the "young man" because he, like other young people, didn’t fully appreciate the consequences of his acts. West didn’t mean to slip through the Democratic death grip on African-Americans – he’s just pitching a fit.
The next line is directed at the “young” people listening to West. “Auntie Maxine” wants you to know that he didn’t really mean it. Surely, no one should pay attention to West because leaving the “plantation” is not a good thing for you other young people. Pay no attention to the rising crime rates in urban areas dominated by Democrats for decades. Ignore the successes of that “racist” in the White House in lowering unemployment among minorities to record lows and investing in your future by allocating record funding for HBCUs.
And by the way, Kanye, says Waters: stay out of my lane. The "we" that is “she” now morphs into "me" who is now personally saying that the “young man” speaking “out of turn” shouldn’t even be speaking about politics at all. Or, at least, until he’s gotten the proper "assistance."
That’s because Waters knows that West’s independent thought is an existential threat to the "plantation." When an influencer with West’s clout spreads his individual, free-thinking ways, others listen. A lot. So much so, that President Trump experienced a doubling of support from black males in the week that West voiced his support.
It’s amazing what a little out-of-turn free thinking can do.
Gene Berardelli is a street-smart trial attorney who, through his time as the Law Chair of the Republican Party in Brooklyn, New York, has developed a solid reputation as an election attorney successfully representing conservative candidates.
Russell Gallo is a security expert and combat veteran who attained the rank of First Sergeant in the New York Army National Guard, earning a Combat Action Badge in Iraq. Together, they host Behind Enemy Lines Radio, a national award-winning radio show and podcast broadcasting out of "The People's Republic of" New York that airs weekly on AM and FM radio stations as part of the Talk America Radio network. To read more of their reports — Click Here Now.
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