CBC a long way from being "real tigers" at this point

Back in December, I wrote - Congressional Black Caucus got juice??? - Ah, No...  - and they still don't.  This two-fer of a Politico piece (managing a stab at both "kinfolk and skinfolk"), Congressional Black Caucus: President Obama's not listening, makes that fact perfectly clear. Here we have, the Black CBC begging plaintively asking for attention, while the first, society-identified-cum-self-identified-when-it's expedient Black president pretty much ignores them.  From the piece:

But unlike previous presidents, Obama doesn't need to win over the CBC in order to pick up support in the black community. Polls show that 96 percent of black voters view him favorably - a number the CBC members probably can’t match themselves...

...That point isn’t lost on Obama, who brought up his polling numbers when April Ryan of American Urban Radio Network asked him in December about grumblings among the black leadership."

“I think if you look at the polling, in terms of the attitudes of the African-American community, there’s overwhelming support for what we’ve tried to do,” said Obama. (emphasis mine)

After reading that piece and listening to them, during the health care debate - and after the bill passed, I couldn't help but think about that "Killed by a Tiger" stand-up bit from Katt Williams.  Yeah I know Katt offends a whole lotta folk and does some stupid shit - like getting arrested for burglary of all things - but that doesn't mean he's not saying something real [WARNING - I RATE THE VIDEO:  TV-MA (Mature Audience Only -- This program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17.) This program contains one or more of the following: graphic violence (V), explicit sexual activi ty (S), or crude indecent language (L)].

I'm willing to bet there are plenty CBC members who've asked (among themselves of course) - "Are you SURE I'm a Tiger?" - especially after nothing happened after they (through anonymous aides) "roared" in that Politico piece.

Let's be clear.  With the passage of this "health care industry bonanza" of a bill, I am well aware that CBC members aren't the only ones - "juice-less."  In his - Has Rahm's assumption about progressives been vindicated? - Glenn Greenwald makes it pretty plain who has been, and will continue to be, irrelevant to this Administration (Hell, Shrub didn't even pay them any mind - even when THEY had the majority!) and I concur:

What's not debatable is that this process highlighted -- and worsened -- the virtually complete powerlessness of the Left and progressives generally in Washington. If you were in Washington negotiating a bill, would you take seriously the threats of progressive House members in the future that they will withhold support for a Party-endorsed bill if their demands for improvements are not met? Of course not. No rational person would.

Moreover, everyone who has ever been involved in negotiations knows that those who did what most progressive DC pundits did here from the start -- namely, announce: we have certain things we'd like you to change in this bill, but we'll go along with this even if you give us nothing -- are making themselves completely irrelevant in the negotiating progress. People who signal in advance that they will accept a deal even if all of their demands are rejected will always be completely impotent, for reasons too obvious to explain. (emphasis mine). 

I just wish the CBC would take responsibility for their complicity in their own legislative impotency as it relates to issues affecting the Black community.  They are, after all, the Congressional Black Caucus.

But just like sufferers of Battered Woman Syndrome, they fell in love with a man who smelled "insecure neediness" all over them - and set out to exploit every bit of it.  And so happy to have someone "like him," love "someone like them," they denied all the warning signs of the "abuse" to come.  From the link:

FOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL STAGES OF THE BATTERED WOMAN SYNDROME

DENIAL - The woman refuses to admit--even to herself--that she has been beaten or that there is a "problem" in her marriage. She may call each incident an "accident". She offers excuses for her husband's violence and each time firmly believes it will never happen again.

GUILT - She now acknowledges there is a problem, but considers herself responsible for it. She "deserves" to be beaten, she feels, because she has defects in her character and is not living up to her husband's expectations.

ENLIGHTENMENT - The woman no longer assumes responsibility for her husband's abusive treatment, recognizing that no one "deserves" to be beaten. She is still committed to her marriage, though, and stays with her husband, hoping they can work things out.

RESPONSIBILITY - Accepting the fact that her husband will not, or can not, stop his violent behavior, the battered woman decides she will no longer submit to it and starts a new life. 

Once the very short "honeymoon period" of the inauguration was over, and the gushing tears (shed to further their "first-Black-president-as-realization-of-Martin's-dream" meme) were dried  - he promptly and continues to let them know, as PatriotDems so eloquently and succinctly put it:  Black People: Obama Is Just Not That Into You (h/t to Cin over at Cinie's World for this gem).

And they heard him.

Then, just like Katt said in the video, they kept "tryin' shit and tryin' shit - don't work - tryin' shit and tryin' shit - switch it up" - quickly moving from the Denial stage to the Enlightenment stage, all the while hoping they could "work things out." 
 
Now I know PTSD of any kind (Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder included) is hard to work through.  Hell, some people never get through it.  But what I know to be true is, unless and until the members of the CBC decide they've had enough of the Changeling's "abusive" behavior and become "real tigers" - the Responsibility stage will never come and there won't be any legislative "new life" - for any of us.