Yelling fire in a crowded, burning theater.
A warning that lives will be lost unless every flees immediately. That sounds like Wilson's warning.
Posted on 09/19/2009 3:24:34 PM PDT by nickcarraway
IF only it were just about the color of his skin.
With all due respect to Jimmy Carter, the racist component of Obama-hatred has been undeniable since the summer of 2008, when Sarah Palin rallied all-white mobs to the defense of the “real America.” Joe Wilson may or may not be in that camp, but, either way, that’s not the news. As we watched and rewatched the South Carolina congressman’s star turn, what grabbed us was the act itself.
What made the lone, piercing cry of “You lie!” shocking was that it breached a previously secure barrier. It was the first time that the violent rage surging in town-hall meetings all summer blasted into the same room as the president. Wilson’s televised shout was tantamount to yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater. When he later explained that his behavior was “spontaneous” rather than premeditated, that was even more disturbing. It’s not good for the country that a lawmaker can’t control his anger at Barack Obama. It gives permission to crazy people.
The White House was right not to second Carter’s motion and cue another “national conversation about race.” No matter how many teachable moments we have, some people won’t be taught. (Though how satisfying it would have been for Obama to dismiss Wilson, like the boorish Kanye West, as a “jackass.”) But there is a national conversation we must have right now — the one about what, in addition to race, is driving this anger and what can be done about it. We are kidding ourselves if we think it’s only about bigotry, or health care, or even Obama. The growing minority that feels disenfranchised by Washington can’t be so easily ghettoized and dismissed.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Frank Rich, you are as pathetic as is humanly possible.
Frank Rich needs his meds adjusted.
What?
Palin was talking skin color?
Talk about the big lie!
Who is Frank Rich?
And why does anyone care?
I’d love to see how many articles have been written about us “racists” over the past week alone. There must be thousands.
>Wilson’s televised shout was tantamount to yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater.
No it wasn’t... heck, it wasn’t even tantamount to yelling “LIAR!!” in a crowded theater.
It’s fun to grill them on this. To watch their reactions when you ask if they believe that people back in February just didn’t notice that he was black back then. Does the left really think conservatives are just now discovering, “Hey, wait a minute, this guy looks different than the people I know and agree with.” The whole polling numbers for approval back in February make it absurd to think that everyone who disagrees is a racist.
| From the desk of cc2k: |
The libs are obsessed with Beck... Just like they were obsessed with Hannity, and Limbaugh, and Palin, and...
He writes that “it gives permission to crazy people”. Rich is the”crazy people”. He should be glad that we have a 1st amendment so that he can write this drivel.
Yep, twelve hours per, every day. : - D
The latest echochamber talking point - and I thought the evil conservatives were the ones with the echochamber.
Flow chart to help leftists spot racists:
http://www.missourah.com/2009/09/15/obama-criticism-flow-chart/
And Frank Rich may not know that Hitler, Stalin, Castro and Pol Pot were --- each and every one of them -- socialists.
Oddly, the execrable Frank Rich arrives at the same conclusion as David Brooks: It's Not About Race. And, like Brooks, he ascribes the Tea Party Movement to a "populist" motive -- even likening its leaders -- whoever they are -- to Father Caughlin (as did David Brooks).
The New York Times has evidently made an institutional decision to drop the race card...and play the "populist demagogue" card.
Now, who gets to be Father Caughlin? Is it Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck.
“Speaking truth to power” is supposed to be a cleansing, cathartic gesture, the clearing of the miasma formed when thinking is clouded or has become noxious.
Face it, Obama talks one way, and acts another, which sends a broad spectrum of mixed signals. He generates his own “white noise” while sending the very meaning of the words he utters down into some “black hole”.
The Emperor STILL has no clothes. No matter how pretty the words, it is all still lipstick on an extremely ugly visage, and becomes a parody of itself even as he speaks.
From their daily drumbeat of demonization of Sarah to the latest "conservatives are racist" rants by virtually all of the msm, they are throwing everything overboard in hopes of keeping the circling sharks away from the sinking Potemkin, "commander zero" still heroically at the helm, his steely eyes locked on the distant horizon of Hope and Change.
Who is Frank Rich?
The only difference with Glenn he does his homework. That what makes him dangerous. It would be nice if Rush did.
He thinks people are crazy now? Just wait until the next revolution for independence begins....
Unlike the New York Times.
There seems to be a little fear in Frank's voice there, no? Wasn't the party line last April that these tea party types were a fringe element, not worth paying attention to? A failing health care takeover attempt, the forced resignation of an administration communist, and the bravery of a few kids changes everything, doesn't it Frank? Not feeling so smug anymore?
I wonder if there's ever been another time time in American history like the last few weeks, where an ideology so far out of power has driven the agenda so forcefully. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing party switching from swing district dems soon.
LLS
No it wasn't, and I can't waste time reading further.
Intellectually handicapped whiners have no place in my universe.
A fire is instantly fatal; Obama's lethality much more slowly so.
Otherwise the urgency is just as real.
It is still legal to yell fire when the theater is actually on fire --- isn't it?
we can thank Beck,Breitbart an O’Keefe. Acorn is going down further and Obama with them.
Just another white liberal projecting his own racial biases
It is?
I always took it as pretentious psychobabble masquerading as deep thought.
Nothing recently has changed that assessment.
Ugh what tripe! The ONLY reason the “rage” wasn’t “in the same room” as Zero before is that he only appears before prescreened sycophantic crowds because he’s too cowardly to speak without a teleprompter or answer real questions from real people!
What a tool Rich is!
Yelling fire in a crowded, burning theater.
A warning that lives will be lost unless every flees immediately. That sounds like Wilson's warning.
“the racist component of Obama-hatred has been undeniable since the summer of 2008, when Sarah Palin rallied all-white mobs to the defense of the ‘real America.’”
Oh, Lord. Does anyone actually believe this? Or are they so twisted by their own talking points that they don’t know which way is up? The Blue State/Red State thing precedes Obama, you fool. What she means by the “real America” is Red State. Not necessarily all Republican, but less Democrat. And the crowds weren’t all white. But even if they were, what about when Obama address’ black crowds and incites them to pursue liberal activism? Is that racist?
“It was the first time that the violent rage surging in town-hall meetings all summer blasted into the same room as the president.”
First of all, it was the first time Obama didn’t speak to a stacked crowd since the Healthcare Push went South.
Second, that’s a pretty low bar, since very little time has passed since the townhalls exploded with violent racism, or whatever. What about all the boos directed at Bush? Wilson was just one guy; plenty of Dems interrupted Bush. But I guess they’re irrelevant, because the townhalls changed everything, and now we’re on the verge of a Civil War, as opposed to participating in the time-honored democratic process.
Third, there was nothing violent about the outburst, aside from the fact that it was shouted higher than regular speech. Of course, it was a big room.
Finally, are lefties really hanging their hats on the Wilson thing? Of all the things Obama’s opponents have done, that’s the symbol of violence and racism? That dog won’t hunt.
>Wilson’s televised shout was tantamount to yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater.
Oh, that must be why there was a stampede for the doors and poor Joe Biden was crushed like a cigarette under my heel.
Wait, that didn’t happen. Maybe Frank Rich isn’t being completely forthright.
Ain't it great? I want to see another 10,000 over the next month.
The poison of 'racist' is losing its sting.
That will last a long time, and the Left will be without what has been a deadly weapon.
Rich can really fling scat. If any White politician associated with a White equivalent on a Rev Wright for years they would be called a racist and the label would stick.
Some Liberals do not believe minorities can be racist, that racism is the sole property of White people. I don't think Rich is that stupid, but he performs for the prevailing views of his fans just like Beck. Beck is blessed with a better class of fan.
>Wait, that didn’t happen. Maybe Frank Rich isn’t being completely forthright.
Yeah, that was my point.
So Beck used the race card, whatever. i don’t approve of it, but that’s, 1 instance compared to the 100 trillion liberals have under their belts.
That is true. Liberal’s, notoriously led by Jimmy Carter and Maurine Dowd, are opposing the entire 9/12 opposition to Obama’s policies as based in White racism. Hillary Clinton would have had similar polices and similar opposition.
What’s interest is that the “race” card, which used to be a joker that trumped every other card, has become a blank card with no value whatsoever. The Left is desperately trying to re-invigorate the race card, but it is dead. No one will every be able to use it like it has been used now for 50 years — to shut down legitimate debate. It’s long overdue.
FANNING THE FLAMES OF THE DESPARATE. “Where is that race card? I knew I left it here some where” Give it up where sick of it and we’re especially disgusted with whom ever is spewing this crap!
You are correct, sir.
At 2:00 and 11:00 Pacific Time.
Clearly Frank Rich is envious of that track record. It has been years (perhaps decades) since Frank Rich was right about anything...
False advertising on your part. This deserved a full-on projectile vomiting warning, not just a run-of-the-mill barf alert.
Which is 2xs more often then you ever been right Mr Rich.
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