Biden - He's an Unchained Melody

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/15/russell-simmons-biden-was-right.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_afternoon&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_afternoon&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet

Vice-President Joe Biden gave new meaning to the word "unchained" when he delivered a speech intended to fire up a largely African American audience. His seemingly serendipitous comment, claiming Romney's intention to "unchain" big banks and Wall Street with deregulation, putting our nation back into the situation that caused the Great Recession, quickly became a rant, whereby the specter of Black Negroes in chains was raised. 

Biden's "...put ya'll back in chains" comment resurrected imagery like ghosts in a cemetery. This dark (no pun intended) flashback recreated the slave roots of most African-Americans.  His chant rang with truth, like a prophetic melody.  

Racism, long simmering among many who dislike having an African American president, is now unchained.

Critics relish any opportunity to put down Biden's frequent gaffs, but, thankfully, the Vice-President didn't back down on this opportune moment, when his comment quickly ignited national news, on a weekend.  "Put ya'll back in chains" may even have been intentional. Regardless of his intention, Biden's gaff was necessary. Like a broken clock, right twice a day, he rang on the "unchained" imagery at just the right moment.  Biden "unchained" sang the truth about how Blacks are perceived by many racists in this country.  His raw truth bristled the backs of the Romney supporters who have been using a euphemistic racist campaign strategy since the primary election, to fire up angry white voters.  Think about Gingrich's comments regarding creating a Food Stamp nation or when Romney said "I don't care about the poor".  Each time the label "welfare" is used, its intended to stereotype racism (in my opinion).

A negative ad sponsored by the Republican National Committee is tying the euphemism of food stamps to rally people who harbor racism to vote against President Obama.

Now, Biden's chant, however intended, puts the racist element on the front burner.  "Put ya'll back in chains" is precisely the lyric I hear from many who pound away on twitter every time I stand up for Democratic social policies, gun control, sharing the wealth, caring for the poor and, most especially, and particularly, when I name and defend President Obama.  It's discouraging for me to read the caustic comments I receive from people who degrade President Obama on my twitter feeds.  Their misguided comments are racism in 140 characters. When I confront these dangerous comments, the tweeters who post them are driven like demons to become more angry, aggressive, and increasingly degrading. They absolutely never back down.  In my mind, the terrible twitter tyrants, who attack my progressive postings, are the people Vice-President Biden correctly chants will "put ya'll back in chains".  Certainly, I feel the shackles whenever they rail on me in the twitter feeds.  These twisted twitterers want to own the popular social networking site, just to spread their hateful propaganda for their own nefariously racist purposes.

Biden's "unchained" chant is supported in the Daily Beast op-ed by Russell Simmons, an African-American business mogul http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Simmons

Simmons defends Biden. He writes:

"Joe Biden's truthful comment that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan would put "ya'll back in chains", sat fine with me. Here's why and here's one example.
 The greatest cause of the destruction of the fabric of the black community in the past forty years is drug legislation that targets and imprisons those who live in under-served communities. The consequences of these draconian laws are that it takes diseased people, locks them up for long periods of time, educates them in violent criminal behavior and dumps them back into the community. The money for this operation is obviously funded by the "good old boys" who run Wall Street." http://tinyurl.com/8wmgjgo

Biden "unchained" has connected with African-Americans. Let's hope the phrase holds through the election, because African-Americans must be motivated to vote for President Obama, while their enthusiasm has come into question during this reelection campaign.  

By seizing the moment, Biden's "put ya'll back in chains" may be just the Unchained Melody the African-American community needs  to fire up their voting base.  Moreover, it rings of racial truth.