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).
me too. And I'll apply it with full force to the real racists out there, Both white and black Democrats, and hoodrat communities out there that support them. That's where the racists are hatched, brainwashed to blame white people for their failures, addiction to laziness and walking the path of least resistance, welfare and drug dealing, pimping and whoring, then blaming whitey when they look back at the filthy world they have made for themselves, and hopeless futures for the fatherless children of strungout crack whores that follow in their foot steps, fodder for Democrat politicians who promise more free stuff but never deliver, because they can't.
I concur wholeheartedly. Very poignant statement, Nathan. This sums up my inner turmoil perfectly over this situation. Thank you for stating it so succinctly...:-)
Done.
Generally I agree with you, and I disagree with Hanson making too much out of Joe Wilson outburst. In light what you wrote, Hanson himself described a few month ago his confrontation decades back with a bully neighbor who was trying to take advantage of him after Hanson took over the farm. No civility worked until Hanson muscled the neighbor firmly.
BUT, if we allow shouts against President, do you think President Palin would be able to make an uninterrupted speech, oh well like 20 seconds long?
Dude my country is melting before my eyes. Obama is playing us against one another sucessfully, kingdm against kingdom, ethnos against ethnos.
I understand VDH's intention to be broad-minded about the whole thing, ascribing fault to a wider base to soften the impact, but the 60's are over and that sort of thing went out with Peter, Paul, and Mary. The Left has called repeatedly for a national dialogue on race but seems to assume that its tenets will dictate the terms. That went out with the 70's.
No, we are having our dialogue on race right now and if it's proving a bit uglier than the smug assurances of professional institutional racists would hope, too bad. The groaning sound you're hearing is the playing field being leveled for the first time in decades. The liberals are going to have a lot harder time with that than the conservatives because they've been enjoying the high ground so long they think it's theirs by natural right.
It will be refreshing if somewhat painful to the sensitivities of Professor Hanson to see the label of racist applied once more to other than the Left's customary enemies. The media, last to know about this cultural tectonic change (where they ought to be first were they not committed to the liberal worldview), have found their concerted bloviating on the topic of the last week or so has fallen on deafened ears. There is shock and dismay at that but little of the sort of soul-searching they so often prescribe for their own class enemies. That too will come, but not, I think, until they learn the true mood of the country in 2010.
When I hear someone say " New York Times" - fair or unfair - what I hear is "New York Times Whore House"...
If the (ACORN) video was about a Christian group, it would be a major story in every newsroom.-Mike Allen MSNBC
Dude my country is melting before my eyes. Obama is playing us against one another sucessfully, kingdm against kingdom, ethnos against ethnos.
Oh really? And what did I do to warrant such loss of respect?
Thanks Tolik.
I think the crudity was perfected by the Clintons and Jim Carville, starting with the “War Room” in 1992 and continuing through the Clinton years.
No, it was an article that he said it was uncouth for Joe Wilson to yell “You lie” to “his commander in chief”. I’m trying to figure out how such a brilliant man such as VDH can say that a member of Congress is under the authority of the President and the President is THE CONGRESSMAN’S “Commander in Chief”.
I’m all for what Joe Wilson did and wish the rest of the Republicans had enough courage to do the same. They won’t as long as there are so many conservatives are finger wagging on how to be “polite” and yet nothing is said about the blatant race baiting and insults made to conservatives or addressing the lies. But it burned my butt to see VDH make such a high school civics class error on top of irritating me for his position on Joe.
I may warm back up to him, but it made me mad this morning.
Are they asking for a Race War???
&&&&
I believe they are, because they do not care about the healthy future of our beloved country. They want power above all, and only look on people as tools or obstructions.
I also believe that they are stuck in the Sixties, and even though POTUS is biracial, these race card throwers do not acknowledge that our country has moved beyond the sentiment of the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s. There are millions of multiracial Americans now. And anyone under the age of 40 has grown up in an unsegregated society.
I am not saying that individual people can’t be ignorant on insulting in a one-on-one situation, but the generic bigotry that used to exist is GONE!
The race canard...errr card has worked for the Democrats before and they are going to see how far they can run with it. I think they think America is stupid enough to buy into it (they bought into Bush lied slogans) and despite the real racist remarks of Van Jones and Kanyes West (whom never are called on their racist remarks) they would have America believe that “you lied” is a racist remark, that Republicans (close to half the country) are racists. Are Americans that stupid to believe the Democrats? Or will it backfire on them? There is a long history of animosity between the right and left. Perhaps politics is just the continuation of war.
Interesting explanation. The president handled the heckling at his recent speech fairly well. ALL presidents face opposition. There is more on the line with the current policy debates. People would be voicing protest if Hillary, Biden, or Pelosi were the president.
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