Malcolm was different, he understood there were 2 Americas, one of the oppressed and the other of the oppressor, what changed with his split from the Nation wasn’t that concept, but his understanding of who the oppressor and who the oppressed really were, and that it wasn’t based simply on skin color. He became more class conscious.

When he was alive, he was adamantly against the democratic party, even with it’s liberal “pro-black” leaders like JFK. He supported Clifton Deberry, who was the Socialist Workers Party candidate for President in 1964 (I believe it was that year), who was also the first black candidate from a political party to run. To argue that Malcolm and Obama were similar was to lack a clear understanding of either of them.

You’ve completely ignored Malcolm’s class component. Malcolm eventually did change his views on race, but still strongly argued that revolution was necessary and imminent. He said “I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the systems of exploitation. I believe that there will be that kind of clash, but I don’t think that it will be based upon the color of the skin”

Unlike Obama he saw capitalism as much of the root of the problem all oppressed people faced (regardless of skin color). He believed ultimately there would be a revolution against it, unlike Obama who is trying desperately to save it, and screwing over working people in the process.

Malcolm X said “You can’t have capitalism without racism.” and just a month before his death he said “It is impossible for capitalism to survive, primarily because the system of capitalism needs some blood to suck. Capitalism used to be like an eagle, but now it’s more like a vulture. It used to be strong enough to go and suck anybody’s blood whether they were strong or not. But now it has become more cowardly, like the vulture, and it can only suck the blood of the helpless. As the nations of the world free themselves, capitalism has less victims, less to suck, and it becomes weaker and weaker. It’s only a matter of time in my opinion before it will collapse completely…”

He was a supporter of the Cuban revolution and Fidel Castro, unlike Obama who still keeps Cuba on the terrorist watch list.

They were nothing alike aside from the fact that Malcolm X eventually left racism alone and wanted freedom for black people. But Malcolm’s concept of freedom and Obama’s are very different. You disingenuously mislead people into think they were the same, but Malcolm wanted people to be free from exploitation, Obama was blacks to have the same ability, equality to exploit others. Not freedom for all, but availability at the table of fatcats for some blacks, not ensuring all get to eat.

This is a terrible, biased, and uncritical article.

–Jose Rosario

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Here is where I disagree with you. I don’t believe it was anger that drove Malcolm so, but it was more passion to right a wrong that plagued him both the physical world and in his mental comfines. He so passionately wanted to be better than what he was lead to believe he could be. Now using the word passion is in no way defusing the intention and the actions of anger. Malcolm was anger and rightfully so, but he directed that anger and it transformed to something construct.

What I see President elect Obama embodies the struggles and the advancement of the Civil Rigts Movement. In one mighty swoop we as a people have stripped away an age old stero-type of the limits placed on minorities by an oppressive people and system. In the words of MLK “Free at last, Free at last! Thank God almighty! We are Free at LAST!!!”

Looks like extremists will have to work harder to recruit these days. Hopefully Al Qaeda’s time on Earth is substantially diminished.