Democratic and Liberal political analysis and commentary

Barack Obama was talking to a group of black ministers and observed that "quiet riots" happen in communities where hope has been lost.

He gave the very pertinent example of Katrina as evidence of his theory. I don't think blacks are the only ones who can feel a "quiet riot," because I think it's more related to poverty than race.

Regardless, I think the term "riot" is a powerful metaphor of how people who are poor and repressed feel when given a reason not to give a damn anymore. The poor live under extraordinarily harsh conditions, and most simply lack the strength, the time and the money to do anything about it.

It makes sense to me that person who has been repressed over a long period of time would certainly have quite a bit of animosity and rage built up. I think the fact that we don't have more real riots in this country is amazing, given the huge gap between the rich and poor.

Obama is in an interesting position as the only black man in the presidential race. He has already overcome the barriers that prevent other black people from achieving success. Having earned the Ivy League degrees and achieving a level of success that most of us can only dream of, he has to use metaphors to touch his base. The Jack and Jill blog openly questions whether he can really relate.

But I think he's doing a remarkable job.