The Most Mysterious Politics of All
August 2, 2010 - by
Over the years I’ve watched Southern Politics and Irish Politics (in New York) and once even had a dose of Chicago politics but none of them were as byzantine as Italian Politics in Raleigh – for a week I’ve been trying to figure out if the Italians are surrendering or if they’re about to sneak up on the Progressives and attack them from the rear.
The Italians have ignited a ‘cultural war’ in Raleigh over what everyone calls ‘diversity’ – which is a political euphemism (like powder room) for a word no one ever speaks. For example, if you ask a Progressive what ‘diversity’ means he’ll tell you he’s fighting for economic ‘diversity’ – a socio-economic blend of rich and middle class and poor students in schools.
But that’s all baloney. What every Italian and Progressive knows but none will say is ‘diversity’ really only means one thing: Race. That the student body in a public school in Raleigh cannot be more than 40% African-Americans. Period.
Up until a week ago reading the newspaper I thought the Italians were dead-set against diversity. And busing. And forced integration. And they were 100% for returning to neighborhood schools. Then out of a clear blue sky School Board Chairman Ron Margiotta announced he had no intention of going back to ‘high poverty’ schools – meaning he had no intention of going back to schools where more than 40% of the students were African-Americans. Which sure sounded like the Italians had struck the flag and surrendered to the Progressives.
Next the political master-mind of the Italians, Republican Chairman Claude Pope, wrote an op-ed in the newspaper announcing the Italians had never, ever opposed diversity; then Italian School Board Czar John Tedesco chimed in and said he’d been for ‘diversity’ all along too, then Pope adroitly turned the tables on the Progressives saying they were fighting not against a return to segregation but against the Italian’s newer – and better – ‘diversity’ policy.
That led to a tough question: If the Italians had really been for ‘diversity’ all along why hadn’t they just said so months ago and spared everyone in Raleigh a lot of rhubarb, including having to read about NAACP Chairman Reverend Barber being handcuffed and led off to jail twice for leading demonstrations.
Anyway, for a couple of days there wasn’t anyone in Raleigh who wasn’t for ‘diversity’ and somehow ending busing and returning to neighborhood schools and ‘diversity’ were all going to happen at once which had never been seen before anywhere in the South or at least in North Carolina.
Then in the morning paper Chairman Margiotta announced the School Board’s priorities do not include ‘diversity.’
Which leads to a last crucial question: What on earth are the Italians up to?
Did they have a moment of weakness – followed by a change of heart and a stiffening of backbone? Were they bluffing? Creating a diversion? Was there some complex stratagem at work no one could fathom? It’s a mystery.
But one thing’s for sure: If they meant to befuddle the Progressives they succeeded brilliantly – the Reverend Barber hasn’t been arrested all week and there hasn’t been a single demonstration protesting Raleigh’s return to the days of Jim Crow.
The Most Mysterious Politics of All
August 2, 2010/
Over the years I’ve watched Southern Politics and Irish Politics (in New York) and once even had a dose of Chicago politics but none of them were as byzantine as Italian Politics in Raleigh – for a week I’ve been trying to figure out if the Italians are surrendering or if they’re about to sneak up on the Progressives and attack them from the rear.
The Italians have ignited a ‘cultural war’ in Raleigh over what everyone calls ‘diversity’ – which is a political euphemism (like powder room) for a word no one ever speaks. For example, if you ask a Progressive what ‘diversity’ means he’ll tell you he’s fighting for economic ‘diversity’ – a socio-economic blend of rich and middle class and poor students in schools.
But that’s all baloney. What every Italian and Progressive knows but none will say is ‘diversity’ really only means one thing: Race. That the student body in a public school in Raleigh cannot be more than 40% African-Americans. Period.
Up until a week ago reading the newspaper I thought the Italians were dead-set against diversity. And busing. And forced integration. And they were 100% for returning to neighborhood schools. Then out of a clear blue sky School Board Chairman Ron Margiotta announced he had no intention of going back to ‘high poverty’ schools – meaning he had no intention of going back to schools where more than 40% of the students were African-Americans. Which sure sounded like the Italians had struck the flag and surrendered to the Progressives.
Next the political master-mind of the Italians, Republican Chairman Claude Pope, wrote an op-ed in the newspaper announcing the Italians had never, ever opposed diversity; then Italian School Board Czar John Tedesco chimed in and said he’d been for ‘diversity’ all along too, then Pope adroitly turned the tables on the Progressives saying they were fighting not against a return to segregation but against the Italian’s newer – and better – ‘diversity’ policy.
That led to a tough question: If the Italians had really been for ‘diversity’ all along why hadn’t they just said so months ago and spared everyone in Raleigh a lot of rhubarb, including having to read about NAACP Chairman Reverend Barber being handcuffed and led off to jail twice for leading demonstrations.
Anyway, for a couple of days there wasn’t anyone in Raleigh who wasn’t for ‘diversity’ and somehow ending busing and returning to neighborhood schools and ‘diversity’ were all going to happen at once which had never been seen before anywhere in the South or at least in North Carolina.
Then in the morning paper Chairman Margiotta announced the School Board’s priorities do not include ‘diversity.’
Which leads to a last crucial question: What on earth are the Italians up to?
Did they have a moment of weakness – followed by a change of heart and a stiffening of backbone? Were they bluffing? Creating a diversion? Was there some complex stratagem at work no one could fathom? It’s a mystery.
But one thing’s for sure: If they meant to befuddle the Progressives they succeeded brilliantly – the Reverend Barber hasn’t been arrested all week and there hasn’t been a single demonstration protesting Raleigh’s return to the days of Jim Crow.