Posted on 09/17/2009 6:19:36 AM PDT by Tolik
In the wake of Joe Wilson's crude outburst, many network commentators (and Jimmy Carter, of course) are weighing in on the new racism that supposedly explains 1) rising opposition to Obamacare and 2) the president's sinking polls. I think this is a disastrous political move to save a health-care plan that simply has not appealed to a majority of Americans. I suspect it will result in another 5-point poll slide.
To prove their charge, those who allege racism would have to show empirically that the present angry rhetoric eclipses what was said about and done to Bush. It does not yet.
We don't see the word "hate" used in mainstream publications like The New Republic and the Guardian, as it was during the Bush years. (Even worse, really unspeakable things were done to Bush in novels and films.) "You lie" is about on par with the past statements of a Rep. Pete Stark or a Howard Dean ("I hate Republicans"), or the booing Democrats at the 2005 State of the Union. The extremists at the demonstrations are in smaller numbers so far than those who turned out against Bush and the Iraq War. A senior figure like John Glenn or Al Gore has not called the current president a Nazi or brownshirt.
A better explanation than right-wing racism for the Left's exasperation is that in the Bush wilderness years, the Left assumed permanent political marginalization, adopted an ends-justify-the-means strategy of street rhetoric against Bush, then found themselves unexpectedly as the establishment, and now are appalled that anyone might emulate their own past emotional outbursts.
As a political tactic, the accusation of racism makes no sense (especially when someone like Maureen Dowd has to invent the word "boy" to provide the evidence). This week the Internet and Drudge splashed around a number of provocative incidents that could be interpreted as racially polarizing — Kanye West (who has a history of racist accusations) crudely grabbing a mike from a young singer to praise another contestant; Serena Williams (whose father has made a number of racist comments about tennis and its protocols) caught on tape threatening to injure to a rather small and meek line judge; and the retread clips of Van Jones accusing whites of polluting black neighborhoods and having a greater propensity to kill en masse in schools.
The elite media take on all that, of course, is that these are pre-selected race-baiting incidents publicized to inflame the Tea Party base. But others, perhaps a majority of voters, would see that argument as counterintuitive, and instead would worry that the larger society is becoming racially polarized — and that the subtext of Jones, Williams, and West is that a number of prominent figures are expressing a great deal of anger at whites and others.
The voter that Obama needs to keep will look at these incidents far differently than a CNN or MSNBC commentator, and will wonder what might have happened had a Bush White House czar claimed blacks were racial polluters or prone to kill, or had a white-male country-music singer stolen the mike from a small young black woman to praise another white country singer. So there will be a class distinction in how these incidents are seen, and it will result in the media elite's alleging white racism at exactly the same time that the blue-collar voter draws the exact opposite lesson.
Obama himself wisely called West a "jackass" and accepted Wilson's necessary apologies, but the larger question is why the Left is now nearly unhinged about criticism of a black liberal president, when it was silent (well, there was always Harry Belafonte . . .) about the racial implications of the constant and vicious anger directed at Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, not to mention the rather personal, condescending attacks on Alberto Gonzales. For that matter, the ubiquitous Pete Stark once said some particularly unkind and racist things about former health and human services secretary Louis Sullivan (who is black).
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index:
Just a partial list. Much more at the link: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index
“Racers” - those who hold the kooky conspiracy belief that all criticism of liberal policies and politicians must be based in racism.
Ping !
Let me know if you want in or out. Links:
FR Index of his articles: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index NRO archive: http://author.nationalreview.com/?q=MjI1MQ== Pajamasmedia: http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/ His website: http://victorhanson.com/
Please remove me from this ping list. I lost respect for him this morning.
The Kenyan Impostor dropped his mask and called one half of America racists. America yawns and flips him the bird.
Sorry, I don’t see how Serena Williams has anything to do with all this. She didn’t say anything racial to the line judge and the call was definitely debatable. She had a bad day and lost her temper and paid for it.
To put her in the same line as Van Jones and Kanye West is a bit over the top.
The Serena Williams thing or something else?
The Dems calling a racist any person who criticizes Obama means two things (1) They are out of legitimate arguments and defenses and (2) They are not ready for a black president.
It’s a shame, but when your opponent fights from the gutter, how do you compete unless you get down in the gutter, too? Liberals started this crudeness decades ago - in the 60’s. They have escalated the incivility during the times they have been out of power. Conservatives tried to stay above the fray.
The pent up anger of conservatives is now exploding and liberals are finally on the receiving side of what they’ve been dishing out for a long time. And they don’t like it. It’s like somebody finally stood up to the schoolyard bully and the bully has turned into a simpering crybaby.
The incivility does not help public discourse whether it comes from the left or the right, but for now, it has great entertainment value with a lot of schadenfreude mixed in.
Don't forget the premeditated leftist slander of Clarence Thomas.
Please remove yourself from my sight. I lost respect for you this morning.
Jimmy Carter -
Is there a better argument for bringing back the Frontal Lobotomy and Elctro-Shock therapy?
I embrace the term Racist. As the Race Card is being wrecked as an effective Weapon by the idiots on the Left. I really no longer care. I have a Black Son in Law and Nephew. With Two Grandnephews and Three Grandsons whose Father is black and my Daughter and Niece are both White.
The idiot Maxine Waters and Empty Suits in the media, are saying I hate my Grandsons. Screw them. This is the tactics of the left to shut down debate and to end discussion. I say ratchet it up. Are they asking for a Race War???
This is Intellectual Cowardice by the Dems. Screw Jimmy Carter he must have had a Senior moment. He too is engaging in the tactic of call em names and upset us we will go away.
I prefer to directly confront these Ass%%les.
Their Nuclear Option will lose its power to silence opposition. When you no longer care what they think they have no power left. William Jacobsen whose blog Legal Insurrection attacks this tactic wrote a piece that has appeared in Real Clear politics. Its simple they are out of arguments to refute the merit of our assertions. So they use this weak tactic in desperation. We must push on past this and not cave in.
Racers, truthers, all one and the same- leftist moonbats.
At least there seems to be a distinction between “birthers”, “turfers” and “teabaggers”.
“No confetti. All right, go race cards, go race cards. We need more race cards. All race cards! All race cards! Keep going! Come on, guys, lets move it. Jesus! We need more race cards. I want all race cards to go, goddammit. Go confetti. Go confetti. More confetti. I want more race cards. What's happening to the race cards? We need more race cards.
“We need all of them coming down. Go race cards- race cards? What's happening race cards? There's not enough coming down! All race cards, what the hell! There's nothing falling! What the f*** are you guys doing up there? We want more race cards coming down, more race cards. More race cards. More race cards”
“In the wake of Joe Wilson’s crude outburst,”
Joe Wilson, the greatest living American Statesman, spoke the truth. Thank you and God give you even more courage, Joe!
“Obama himself wisely called West a “jackass””
That doesn’t sound like wisdom.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
