Racism in the United States is an ugly book that has not closed its last chapter. In recent months, some who tend to lean to the far right (my apologies to those with one shorter leg) have been wondering why people have been accusing them of being racist. Driving home from work today I even heard Rush Limbaugh attempting to rile up his audience. Taunting his dittohead minions, he told them that “they” call you racists for disagreeing with Obama. He then went on to say that in “In Obama’s America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, ‘Yay, right on, right on, right on, right on,” Limbaugh said. In the past he has criticized Obama’s black handshake and has referred to him as a Halfrican American. It was an embarrassing and shameful tirade.
I think you are bright enough to know that people are not being accused of racism simply because of their views on health care reform. You’re a grown up. You know better than that. People don’t think you’re racist for disagreeing with health care. They think you’re racist for cracking racist jokes. They think you’re racist for emailing racist images. They think you’re racist for being racist. Let's be frank. Are you really surprised that people think there is a racist element in the tea party movement? We have seen this since the campaign. Do you not remember people at McCain rallies with monkeys depicting Obama. Do we not remember the Republican staffer who carved a B in her face and blamed a black assailant? Have you not seen the signs at Tea party rallies and the 9-12 march depicting President Obama as a Muslim terrorist? Or the one that said Africa has lions, we have a lying African? Personally, I think there are people with valid concerns about healthcare reform. I do not think the majority of Republicans are racists. But one cannot ignore the fact that there is a vocal element that is indeed racist. And you cannot just dismiss this as a few fringe KKK lunatic nuts.
Some of it is coming from GOP officials. In South Carolina, a GOP official posted a comment on Facebook comparing Michele Obama to an escaped Gorilla. An advisor to the State’s Attorney General Henry McMaster posted about an escape of a gorilla from the Riverbanks Zoo. The update was followed by a comment from former State Senate candidate and GOP activist Republican Rusty DePass. “I’m sure it’s just one of Michelle’s ancestors — probably harmless.” In Tennessee, a legislative staffer for Diane Black sent out an email depicting the 44 presidents. Obama’s picture only depicted his eyes. Dean Grose, the Republican Mayor of Los Alamitos, California sent out an email depicting the White House with a watermelon patch. The caption read “no Easter Egg hunt this year.” He resigned in disgrace. You may also recall the Chaffey Community Republican Women’s Club which sent out a mailer depicting President Obama on Food Stamps surrounded by watermelon and fried chicken. That piece of work was attributed to the group’s president Diane Fedele. So why are they calling you racist? Beats the heck out of me.
Racism in the United States is an ugly book that has not closed its last chapter. In recent months, some who tend to lean to the far right (my apologies to those with one shorter leg) have been wondering why people have been accusing them of being racist. Driving home from work today I even heard Rush Limbaugh attempting to rile up his audience. Taunting his dittohead minions, he told them that “they” call you racists for disagreeing with Obama. He then went on to say that in “In Obama’s America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, ‘Yay, right on, right on, right on, right on,” Limbaugh said. In the past he has criticized Obama’s black handshake and has referred to him as a Halfrican American. It was an embarrassing and shameful tirade.
I think you are bright enough to know that people are not being accused of racism simply because of their views on health care reform. You’re a grown up. You know better than that. People don’t think you’re racist for disagreeing with health care. They think you’re racist for cracking racist jokes. They think you’re racist for emailing racist images. They think you’re racist for being racist. Let's be frank. Are you really surprised that people think there is a racist element in the tea party movement? We have seen this since the campaign. Do you not remember people at McCain rallies with monkeys depicting Obama. Do we not remember the Republican staffer who carved a B in her face and blamed a black assailant? Have you not seen the signs at Tea party rallies and the 9-12 march depicting President Obama as a Muslim terrorist? Or the one that said Africa has lions, we have a lying African? Personally, I think there are people with valid concerns about healthcare reform. I do not think the majority of Republicans are racists. But one cannot ignore the fact that there is a vocal element that is indeed racist. And you cannot just dismiss this as a few fringe KKK lunatic nuts.
Some of it is coming from GOP officials. In South Carolina, a GOP official posted a comment on Facebook comparing Michele Obama to an escaped Gorilla. An advisor to the State’s Attorney General Henry McMaster posted about an escape of a gorilla from the Riverbanks Zoo. The update was followed by a comment from former State Senate candidate and GOP activist Republican Rusty DePass. “I’m sure it’s just one of Michelle’s ancestors — probably harmless.” In Tennessee, a legislative staffer for Diane Black sent out an email depicting the 44 presidents. Obama’s picture only depicted his eyes. Dean Grose, the Republican Mayor of Los Alamitos, California sent out an email depicting the White House with a watermelon patch. The caption read “no Easter Egg hunt this year.” He resigned in disgrace. You may also recall the Chaffey Community Republican Women’s Club which sent out a mailer depicting President Obama on Food Stamps surrounded by watermelon and fried chicken. That piece of work was attributed to the group’s president Diane Fedele. So why are they calling you racist? Beats the heck out of me.
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Perhaps the pictures will help with your point(s). There are days when it is much too exhausting to verbalize the issues.
ReplyDeleteYou sir, are awesome.
Love you tweets. Would love it if you'd copy here...
ReplyDeleteWho’s Smarter: Michele Bachmann, or this Turnip? http://bit.ly/brJlsp
...to reach a few thousand Turnipites, and beyond.