A Black Voter Email Meme

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Just when you think the right/GOP/racists couldn’t get any crazier (not to mention, sink any lower) in their hatred of Obama (not to mention losing), they do. Now (via Salon)…wait for it…Malcolm X is Obama’s “real” father. (Ta-Nehisi Coates has lots of fun with the insanity of race on this.) Or maybe it’s a “commie” named Frank Marshall Davis. He had a Honolulu ‘hot dog stand’ where baby Barack hung out and watched his ‘dad’ deal marijuana and cocaine, the real business behind the buns. Oh, also, ‘decent’ people couldn’t really be choosing Obama. The brother is hypnotizing them. You just gotta read the post. Geez.

Many of my black relatives have called, terrified that whites will lose their minds if Obama wins and that the new Prez will be assassinated before the polls close, and we’ll all be pogrom’d back into the cotton fields. I’ve chuckled, but insanity like this is somewhat troubling. Reminds me of the critical race theory of whiteness of property; some of y’all certainly are acting like non-whites have no right to be like, you know, Americans. Like we’re stealing something—full citizenship—that’s rightly only yours. Well, as my non-cussing sister would say: bump that.

So, here’s a handy little guide that’s been making the Negro email rounds. If Obama wins, here’s how blacks should handle it. Enjoy:

They’ll be watching us on November 5th (the day after the election) for signs of the end times.

To keep the peace and keep a lot of folks from getting nervous, I think we should develop a list of acceptable celebrations and behaviors we should probably avoid —at least for the first few days:

1. No crying, hugging or shouting “THANK YOU LORD”—at least not in public

2. No high-fives, at least not unless the area is clear and there are no witnesses

3. No laughing at the McCain/Palin supporters

4. No calling in sick on November 5th, (the day after voting). They will get nervous if too many of us are out.

5. We’re allowed to give each other winks or nods in passing. Just try to keep from grinning too hard.

6. No singing loudly, especially, “We’ve Come This Far By Faith”, soft humming is acceptable

7. No bringing barbeque ribs or fried chicken for lunch in the company lunchroom (at least for a week), by no means bring the chitlins

8. No leaving the Kool-Aid packs at the water fountain (we don’t want them to think there has been a break through)

9. No Cupid Shuffle during breaks (this could indicate a little too much excitement)

10. Please no “Moving On Up” music (we are trying to remain humble)

11. No doing the George Jefferson dance (unless you’re behind closed doors)

12. Please, please try your best not to yell—BOOOO YOWH!

13. Just in case you’re wondering what is acceptable, you may do….the “Running Man”, the “Cabbage Patch”, or if you have to do something outrageous….a back handspring on the highway (as long as no traffic is coming) is 100% okay.

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

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