Oct. 15, 2008
McCain Has Done Nothing To Fuel Racism
National Review Online: Why Is It Suddenly Racist To Treat Obama Just Like The Four White Guys Who Preceded Him?
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Race And The Campaign
Bob Schieffer spoke with Democratic Mayor Doug Wilder about how race may affect the presidential campaign on voting day.
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John McCain
Some call him a hero, some a maverick. Will Americans call him Mr. President?
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Barack Obama
A look at the life and meteoric rise of the president-elect.
The Democratic nominee scorned the “prejudice and bigotry and hatred and division” on display in the Arizona senator’s campaign. As for his own platform, he said that “we will do all these things because we love people instead of hate them. . . . Beware of those who fear and doubt and those who rave and rant about the dangers of progress.”
This wasn’t last week, but 44 years ago. The Republican from Arizona - demonized by the Democratic and journalistic establishment - was Sen. Barry Goldwater. The Democrat, of course, was LBJ.
There are differences between then and now, to be sure. For starters, there was still a great deal of work left to be done on civil rights in 1964 (and John McCain is no libertarian). But even then, the attempt to paint Goldwater as a hatemonger was idiotic and dishonorable. It was almost as dishonorable as Harry Truman’s attempt 16 years earlier to cast his opponent, businessman Thomas Dewey, as an American Hitler.
Liberal Democrats have a long tradition of tarring opponents as the monolithic forces of hatred and prejudice while casting themselves as the enlightened proponents of peace, love, and decency. And this election shows that tradition is alive and well.
Over the weekend, Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, a civil rights hero, sold off another chunk of his reputation by coughing up some absurd partisan talking point about how the McCain-Palin campaign reminds him of that of Dixiecrat segregationist George Wallace. And over the last week, a host of reporters - not just liberal pundits - ominously fretted that the McCain campaign’s use of former domestic terrorist Bill Ayers as an issue is a racist ploy. The Washington Post’s Anne Kornblut, for instance, wrote that Sarah Palin’s comment that Barack Obama was “palling around with terrorists” is “a turn of phrase that critics said was racially loaded.”
The most laughable evidence that McCain is sowing hatred stems from the shouts of “terrorist!” and “kill him!” from a few hothead buffoons at McCain rallies. Of course, rather than foment this sort of thing, McCain went out of his way to chastise his own supporters personally and publicly.
McCain has done nothing to fuel racism. Or, put another way, the McCain campaign has done as much to promote prejudice as the Obama campaign has to inflame the vile passions behind the “Abort Sarah Palin” bumper sticker, Madonna’s stage video lumping McCain in with Hitler, the eugenic snobbery aimed at Palin’s son with Down syndrome, or the column in the Philadelphia Daily News that predicted a “race war” if McCain wins.
Wait a second, shout Obama supporters. What about attempts to paint Obama as “the other,” as “different”? Peter Beinart writes in Time that the Republican campaign is trying to cast Obama as not “American enough.” Obama is cosmopolitan and represents a changing world. To cast that in a negative light, insists Beinart (a friend and frequent debate opponent), amounts to “shocking” racism.
Beinart recounts how Palin said at one rally, “I am just so fearful that this is not a man who sees America the way that you and I see America.” Beinart makes it sound as if she said this through a Klan hood. Please. Every single presidential campaign boils down to an argument about how the candidates “see America.” Suddenly that question is out of bounds because Obama is black?
According to the liberal history books, in 1988 the GOP cast Michael Dukakis as too elitist, cosmopolitan, and not American enough. In 1992, it ran a similar attack against Bill Clinton - remember the hullabaloo about draft dodging and that trip to Russia? In 2000, ditto with Al Gore, though the emphasis was less on foreignness and more on extraterrestrialness. And in 2004, there was John Kerry’s “global test” for U.S. national security. Lack of originality notwithstanding, why is it suddenly racist to treat Obama just like the four white guys who preceded him? Talk about racial double standards.
Obama holds mega-campaign rallies in Berlin, touts his global appeal, and says a top foreign policy goal is to get other countries to like us. But it’s racist to call him cosmopolitan?
He has nontrivial ties to an unrepentant (and white) former leader of the Weather Underground, a radical leftist organization that sought to kill American soldiers, policemen and politicians. But it’s “racist” to bring that up? (If anything, by not attacking Obama’s ties to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and other politically unsavory nonwhite associates, McCain is self-censoring for fear of seeming racist.)
If Obama were a white Democratic nominee named Barry O’Malley, the GOP would be going after him twice as hard. But liberal Democrats would still caterwaul about fomenting hatred and racism, because that’s what they always do.
By Jonah Goldberg
Reprinted with permission from National Review Online.




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And Barry O''Malley would be 30 points ahead of McCain by now. What a load of disingenuous isotopes. CONTEXT is the criterion by which one examines the onus of racism or sexism or ageism or any other ism. By divorcing the incident from any contextual anchor, the author insults his own integrity, not that of any other party to this discussion. Why would we even bother to pay any attention to the railings of a candidate who claims exoneration in the face of legal citations of unlawfulness by the board she claims holds her blameless? Why would we even post a note for the candidate who makes diametrically opposed claims about his opponent''s unabashed party loyalty? CREDIBILITY of the claimant has some bearing on their being heard in the first place. CONSTRAINTS, you say? Were these constraints in words only? Your citations were. What about the flip of the head, the shrug of the shoulders, the angle of the hands, the direction of the gesture, the inflection, and the prefacing of the "words" with the "golly gee, shucks" disclaimers of responsibility either way? No, I don''t buy the Republican shills'' attempts to hoodwink us, but if you do, I''ve got some good leads on subprime loans you might be interested in assuming.
That is a clear appeal to bigotry of an even more dangerous and despicable sort.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/10/palin_chryson/
Extremists Mark Chryson and Steve Stoll helped launch Palin%u2019s political career in Alaska, and in return had influence over policy. %u201CHer door was open,%u201D says Chryson %u2014 and still is.
Though Chryson belongs to a fringe political party that advocates the secession of Alaska from the Union, he is not without peculiar influence in state politics, especially the rise of Sarah Palin. During the 1990s, when Chryson directed the AIP, he and another radical right-winger, Steve Stoll, played pivotal role in electing Palin as mayor of Wasilla and shaping her political agenda afterward. Both Stoll and Chryson not only contributed to Palin%u2019s campaign financially, they played major behind-the-scenes roles in the Palin camp before, during and after her victory.
Palin backed Chryson as he successfully advanced a host of anti-tax, pro-gun initiatives, including one that altered the state Constitution%u2019s language to better facilitate the formation of anti-government militias. She joined in their vendetta against several local officials they disliked, and listened to their advice about hiring. She attempted to name Stoll, a John Birch Society activist to an empty Wasilla City Council seat. %u201CEvery time I showed up her door was open,%u201D said Chryson. %u201CAnd that policy continued when she became governor.%u201D
NRO, as always you can be counted on to twist and distort. For the mentally challenged Jonah Goldberg
I will give to you a credit of McCain not fuelling Racism in its original context.
McCain does represent and fuel Social racism, his attitude and demeanor represent concern to only the wealthy and Corporations in tax breaks.
His form of racism is caustic to the very existence of the Middle and working poor of this country. His support to corporate outsourcing of American jobs demonstrates his form of racism is no less distructive than those that hate because of color or nationality. His racism is openly against all the American citizens of the Middle and working poor of this nation.
This form of social racism is no less destructive, he has put Americans in this situation as a United States Senator.
No furter examples of his kind of racism are needed!!!!
McCain just revealed his "all new stump speech" to the loud cheers of his adoring fanatics. Unfortunately, there was nothing new in his speech at all. It was just a slightly reworked version of the speech he gave at the republican convention this year. Most of it was taken verbatim, word-for-word, from that earlier speech. No new ground. No hope for a turnaround.
Besides, we''ve been hearing from the repugs for months now that "giving a pretty speech does not make a good leader". Whenever Obama gives a good speech, he is villified for doing so. Shouldn''t they apply the same standard to their guy?
McCain was wrong on Iraq. McCain is wrong on the economy. McCain is wrong for America.
Like Cheney, McCain is old and sick and will not live through the next 4 years. Palin is a secessionist, and she is an ign.orant dufus and a whacko-end-timer who wants to get her hands on the nukes so she can destroy the world to "bring back jesus".
McCain/Palin: NO THANKS!
NAME who blew whistle on Fannie; and name names of those who resisted!
"Tax cuts don''t reduce revenues, they INCREASE them every time they''re tried". Corporations don''t pay taxes, they pass the costs on to their customers or they cut costs by laying off workers. Either way, taxing corporations hurts FAMILIES.
Remove tax barriers to REPATRIATING offshore operations.
Why is Obama''s economic policy is a disaster?
Talk Obama''s GROUP of associates - don''t focus Ayers or Wright; give the totality of associations and let the CLOUD swirl around him!
Talk ACORN.
Give a CONCISE line about your own policy, and end on a CONTRAST with "that one". Never let an answer end without a hit on Obama; keep him on the defensive!
DISTILL the World View difference to this:
Obama World View: America is a greedy evil which must be restrained. Government is the answer to the problems of the downtrodden. Taxation''s purpose is to redistribute wealth and to manipulate behavior.
McCain World View: America is a powerful force for GOOD in the world and the people can accomplish great things if they are UNCHAINED. Americans are the most charitable people on the face of the earth and don''t need Government to decide where to distribute their charity for them. Taxation is a necessary evil to generate revenues for the limited business of Government.
*http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.1445/pub_detail.asp
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/10/palin_chryson/
Extremists Mark Chryson and Steve Stoll helped launch Palin%u2019s political career in Alaska, and in return had influence over policy. %u201CHer door was open,%u201D says Chryson %u2014 and still is.
Though Chryson belongs to a fringe political party that advocates the secession of Alaska from the Union, he is not without peculiar influence in state politics, especially the rise of Sarah Palin. During the 1990s, when Chryson directed the AIP, he and another radical right-winger, Steve Stoll, played pivotal role in electing Palin as mayor of Wasilla and shaping her political agenda afterward. Both Stoll and Chryson not only contributed to Palin%u2019s campaign financially, they played major behind-the-scenes roles in the Palin camp before, during and after her victory.
Palin backed Chryson as he successfully advanced a host of anti-tax, pro-gun initiatives, including one that altered the state Constitution%u2019s language to better facilitate the formation of anti-government militias. She joined in their vendetta against several local officials they disliked, and listened to their advice about hiring. She attempted to name Stoll, a John Birch Society activist to an empty Wasilla City Council seat. %u201CEvery time I showed up her door was open,%u201D said Chryson. %u201CAnd that policy continued when she became governor.%u201D
What McCain/Palin don''t understand is that their base interprets everything through a distorted, xenophobic lense. A lense skewed by the small town ''us vs them'' attitude. A lense that keeps them away from anything they consider different or ethnic. That is why they tout ''Country First'' as a slogan. It is nationalistic at its core and casts away anything seen as UNAMERICAN.
McCain has blasted Obama as an outsider, a terrorist sympathizer and a liberal. That means Arab, Muslim and Jackson/Sharpton ally in their eyes. If you don''t believe me, go on Youtube-- the rally footage is right there. A McCain organizer calls Obama a Jackson-esque politician, another fellow has a monkey doll with a Obama hat one, a woman call Obama and Ayers terrorists. Chants of kill him and get him are becoming commonplace.
McCain has fueled this with his slanted commercials featuring dramatic music, random Obama expressions and slogans that chime with subliminal messages to paint Obama as someone to be feared.
This fear is how they will garner votes. This same FEAR is what creates knee-jerk racists actions from those who attend his rallies. Some will even commit violence due to fear.
Lewis was right!
Country First! McPalin Last!
MCCAIN AND THE G. GORDON LIDDY SYMBIOSIS
Does John McCain "pal around with terrorists?"
Certainly McCain''s continuing "association" and relationship with the convicted Watergate burglar and domestic terrorist G. Gordon Liddy might suggest that is the case, if we are to apply the standards drawn by the McCain campaign.
In 1998, Liddy gave a fundraiser in his Scottsdale, Arizona home for McCain''s senatorial re-election campaign -- the two posed for photographs together; and as recently as May, 2007, as a presidential candidate, McCain was a guest on Liddy''s syndicated radio show. Inexplicably, McCain heaped praise on his host''s values. During the segment, McCain said he was "proud" of Liddy, and praised Liddy''s "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great."
Article at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-bernstein/ayers-and-the-mccain-g-go_b_134256.html
thanks. good one!
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Picking Palin the Racist is considered "Nothing" !!
Okay, that is the author''s opinion. McShame hasn''t had to do anything to fuel it - it was there all along, oozing just under the surface of our everyday lives.
But what about all of his supporters who just so happen to be racists, and in the one case of the old woman (who looked frighteningly like McShame''s sister) who pretty much gave herself away by saying,
"I DON''T TRUST OBAMA BECAUSE HE''S AN ARAB."
Can any of you enlightened souls out there tell me how that statement above is NOT racist.
Any...ANY objection to Obama is instantly condemned as "r@cist" no matter what terms it is couched in. Yet ninety-four percent of African-Americans can say they support him and THAT is not racist.
CBS, if you and the rest of the media had given us anything even approaching objective coverage Barack Obama would still be sitting in the Illinois state house voting "present".
As for Rev. Wright--Obama has repudiated his comments repeatedly, and by the way, have you heard what Palin''s Pastor Multhee has said? Google him. And the Alaska Independence Party while you''re at it. They want to succeed from the union. Civil War ring a
You don''t have to go far to find dirt on the McCain ticket. Its right beneath their noses.
AFTER it went on for more than a week unchallenged, and AFTER it was picked up by every major media outlet, and AFTER it became apparent that the whack-jobs were accelerating McCain''s swan-dive in the polls. What a piece of fluff this is.
Typical double-standard complaining from the party that invented it!
"I DON''''T TRUST OBAMA BECAUSE HE''''S AN ARAB."
-----Posted by mswolfestock at 02:14 PM : Oct 15, 2008
Considering his experience in politica, MCain''s response to the above woman was even MORE shameful !
MCain said: No, ma''am, he is a decent family man with whom I happen to have some disagreements.
Think about that for a minute.
McCain should have said, ''There is nothing wrong with being an Arab although Obama is not.'' The way he put it strongly implied that he had a low opinion of Arabs.
Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans can also be decent, family-oriented citizens. The only thing wrong with calling Obama by either of these modifiers is that it would be incorrect. He is not an Arab ethnically, but rather northern European and African. He is not a Muslim but a Christian.
McCain''s insinuation that ''Arabs'' are not decent and not family-oriented and not citizens was obscene.
"You idiots go ahead and elect him(obama) and then when he lets all his terroists friends in and it is to late and there is nothing left of America we can say we told you so!"
Is there anything left with Bush and McSame? Well, we told you so!
-----Posted by mswolfestock at 02:14 PM : Oct 15, 2008
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Pretty typical of sheeple to listen to mainstream media instead of doing research for themsleves. Just because his middle name is of "Muslim" descent, doesn''t mean he is an arab. I''ll bet you call people from India arabs as well...
No, YOU are the idiot. I did not say that myself --
I was quoting the idiot woman at the McShame rally who was holding the mic and said to McShame that SHE did not trust Obama because he''s SHE THINKS HE''S an Arab.
You are the idiot. Why don''t you learn how to read before you go off on people.
And Obama did nothing for twenty years while his mentor, priest, whom Obama referred to as his "social gospel, the Rev Wright foamed at the mouth with racist, bigoted, anti-American rhetoric.
Talk about telling falsehoods.
To american30. Thank you for the invitation. Yes, we will elect Obama. McPalin is a farce, both of them.
Earth to everyone. What about Palin''s home in Wasilla? Ask McCain if she pulled a Stevens and had her home built and paid for by the contractors who got the bid to construct the famous Wasilla sports center. Me thinks the stink is oozing out. The nice thing about this is that unlike Troopergate, this is a federal felony and she does time. Loverly, loverly.
As MartinLuther King said in his speeech: "We don''t want to be judge by the color of out skin but by our character". Today 2008! ask the majority of white people and they will tell you that they judge blacks by their character/attitude not skin color!
blacks want their cake and eat it too..racist!!! absolutely the lowest species on the face of the earth!
BTW, McCain and Palin, particularly Palin, ARE fueling hatred and racism at their rallies. Their behavior and words are despicable, disgusting, and vile.
They do nothing to curtail the comments of their supporters at these rallies, in fact, quite the opposite. Sarah Palin seems to revel in it, because she is one of the main inciters of this type of neanderthal behavior.
If there is a God in heaven, McCain/Palin will lose by a landslide.
In your defense of the Democrats complaining, you justified it by saying: "If they didn''t, we would still have lynchings in the south."
If you know anything about history, you would know that those who committed the lynchings were overwhelmingly Democrats. The south was solid Democrat until the 1960s.
What is your problem? Your man is miles ahead in the opinion polls. If he loses now, it would be the biggest upset of all time. Then it will be my turn to be concerned that he does not turn over America''s sovereignty to the UN and the EU.
$7-$10 a gallon gasoline, a doubling of electricity prices, an increase in taxes, unemployment, inflation and interest rates could all be on the cards.
What is your problem? Your man is miles ahead in the opinion polls. If he loses now, it would be the biggest upset of all time. Then it will be my turn to be concerned that he does not turn over America''s sovereignty to the UN and the EU.
$7-$10 a gallon gasoline, a doubling of electricity prices, an increase in taxes, unemployment, inflation and interest rates could all be on the cards.
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