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Rush Limbaugh Strikes Again
Barack Obama is a “Halfrican American”
(And people say “Ditto” to this guy??)
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36 Responses to “Rush Limbaugh Strikes Again”
Limbaugh should check his genealogy tree, it might turn out that he’s some kind of ‘Halfrican American’, too. I heard this is quite common among families from the south…
It’s getting boring talking to myself here, where are Mike and Lynx? And I really wonder, why are you already (or still) awake, Joe? Don’t you ever sleep?
:-/
Hey, Rush, why don’t you stop pretending and embrace your true self: village idiot
Gray, are you suggesting that if Rush has a drop of African blood in his genealogy, then he’s black?
Well, I wouldn’t say so. My point is, Limbaugh is questioning Obama’s ancestry, as if his genealogy tree says something negative about him, so why shouldn’t we check Rush’s ancestry, if there isn’t some ‘Halfrican’ influence, too?
“I wouldn’t say so.”
No misunderstanding pls. That’s my way of saying ‘I couldn’t care less’.
How exactly is Limbaugh (and I’m no fan of his) “questioning” Senator Obama’s ancestry? One of his parents is a black African, the other a white American. The “Halfrican American” comment notes that fact, but I didn’t hear in the clip Limbaugh suggest that this was at all a bad thing.
And on a more philosophical point, which I tried to raise with my earlier question, why is he generally considered “black” rather than “white”?
Ugh, I hate these situations when I feel the need to ‘defend’ Limbaugh. The “halfrican” comment is meant to provoke, I’m sure, and on that basis I am annoyed by it. But it seems pretty obvious to me that it’s not a slur on Obama’s geneology, but a criticism of race politics in general. A color blind society wouldn’t feel the need to identify people by race at all, but obviously we’re not a color-blind society. And often, the people who are making it not so are the minorities and the politicians who wish to court them through race politics.
After all, wouldn’t most of us prefer to be living in a time where Obama might become president without it being a big deal at all that he’s black (similar to the recent discussion about the first female head of Harvard?)
Limbaugh pokes fun at all hyphenated Americans, and although I think he’s overly provocative with this, I’m sympathetic to the opposition to that general concept. We’ll be better off when we stop paying attention to blackness, whiteness, femaleness, etc, and start concentrating on who the individual is and what he/she proposes to do in a leadership role.
“We’ll be better off when we stop paying attention to blackness, whiteness, femaleness, etc, and start concentrating on who the individual is and what he/she proposes to do in a leadership role.”
Indeed. So how does this excuse Limbaugh, who unnecessarily raised this issue again, instead of speaking about Obama’s political stances or something reasonable?
Maybe this is to poke fun at people who keep referring to Obama as African-American. Didn’t his white mother and his white maternal grand parents have a much larger influence on Obama than his father or his father’s family.
Can’t we agree that Obama benefitted much more from his rich, white, elite upbringing than from his black biological father?
Also, why do progessives and liberals keep reinforcing the old racist joke that the United States is the only country where a black mother cannot give birth to a white baby but a white mother can give birth to a “black” baby?
It doesn’t excuse it IMO, Gray…that’s why I said that I was annoyed by his comment because it seeks to provoke. I assume that his objective is to force people to think about racial politics and examine their reaction to it instead of allowing themselves to be manipulated (see Shaun’s story about Clinton calling in black votes for Hillary, for example). I don’t think that Limbaugh’s joking about Obama’s mixed heritage actually has that desired effect though, because it’s perceived as an insulting comment instead.
Not to mention that Limbaugh’s pretty much a washed up gasbag anyway and he seems to be desperately trying to be relevant again…
I agree that people should stop talking about “African-Americans”, “Asian-Americans” etc. but “halfrican-Americans” is simply racist. Whether to provoke or not, whether to make a viable point or not, it’s unacceptable.
That’s a good way to put it, Michael, and it’s basically what I was trying to say. I see a point to it but disagree with the way he makes the point.
But Michael, why exactly is it racist? Simply because it calls to mind past racial slurs aimed at “half-breeds”? Historically, that slur was aimed more at slurring those with some African ancestry who were “passing” as white.
PatMHV,
I wouldn’t exactly call it racist either, but it’s inflammatory because he’s turning that concept around. You’re right that the slur of it doesn’t apply here because the slur has traditionally been against those who were “passing” as white, but it’s like he’s now using it as a slur against a mixed race person “passing” as black because it’s politically expedient to do so. Same concept, different times, so the slur now applies in reverse.
I don’t think anyone will label Rush Limpbaugh or Glen Beck the “black punditsâ€? anytime soon. After the Faux comedy show can we call Rush the”half-Clinton” candidate.
PatHMV – Lookup South Africa or Nazi Germany.
I know, C S, but I think it’s very helpful for everybody to stop and analyze initial knee-jerk reactions like the one to Rush’s phrase. Frankly, I think we’d all be better off if the response was something like “Yep, he sure is half black and half white, all the better to bridge the gaps which are dividing this country.”
And of course I’m also putting up resistance to the criticism of Rush’s word choice because maybe Rush just thought it was the “most effective” way to make his point…
LOL, yeah, but it would have been even more effective if he’d used some profanity; that always helps even though some people are too puritannical to understand that.
So, Rush’s point, as interpreted by PatHMV, is “Let’s all get along.”
Is that what I’m reading?
egrubs,
I can’t speak for Pat but I don’t see how you get that meaning from the commments. To me it’s more like, “let’s stop pandering to racial constituencies.”
Rush was just being a jerk, it’s what he’s paid for. He used the “Halfrican American” because he knew he’d get a rise out of people. He wouldn’t have done it if Obama was, say, half Dutch or half German, he specifically did it because Obama is half black. That said I don’t think he’s a racist (on the basis of this comment) or that the comment in an of itself is racist one. He did it because he knew anything that touches race issues in America will get people stirred up. Many people will like it because he “dares” say un-PC things (never mind they are stupid un-PC things) and others will hate it because of the racial overtones. Both ways he gets TONS of attention, which he, and his advertisers, love.
There is a good discussion to be had about how ultra-sentitive we are to race-related words (as opposed to gender related words, for instance) and how healthy this is, but I don’t think Rush was trying to make that point. He wanted to rile people, like when he accused Michael J. Fox of faking or exagerating his symptoms of Parkinsons. He is an ass, the only question is that if he’s a natural ass or just plays the part for the money.
PS: Gray, sorry, I’ve had a hell of a workday, couldn’t check up, I see you’ve been keeping down the fort
. True, it seems some people NEVER sleep.
CS and Pat, LOL, I admire your spin in taking the DA spin. But, history isn’t on RL’s side. I give you the Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb comments.
espn.go.com/gen/news/2003/1001/1628537.html
Maybe you are also resurrecting our friend(Steve Sailer) at VDare. Where’s Tommy?
http://www.vdare.com/sailer/limbaugh.htm
Lynx,
I agree with some of your points but on this one, I think you’re missing the point that I tried to make. If we were in a social climate where Dutch-Americans indentified themselves as such, and as a demographic group that voted 95% of the time for candidates from one particular party, there would be reason for a half-Dutch half-German candidate from that party to try to strenghten his credo as a Dutch-American. That is the comparison with the Obama’s geneology, which shows that Rush’s comment isn’t as randomly inflammatory as you make it out to be.
Yeah, you got me there, Rudi, because somewhere in my comments I guess I said that I agree with everything Limbaugh says, right?
Well said, Lynx.
Rudi, I was unphased by the McNabb comments because I was ticked off that ESPN had put the big blowhard on the air, anyway, so I was happy to see him go. I don’t want politics served up with my football, consarn it all.
That said, I just don’t follow football closely enough to know whether Rush’s comments about the media coverage of McNabb were accurate or not. And to me, his McNabb criticism (which was of the media, not McNabb), is in fact evidence that my spin (which C Stanley summarized very nicely for me in her last post replying to egrubs) is accurate. Rush was commenting not on Obama but on society’s reaction to racial issues.
P.S. egrubs, the quote in my previous comment was my suggested response to Rush’s comments, not an interpretation of those comments. Responding that way would rob the words of any negative power or influence, and turn them around into a positive affirmation of what some see as Senator Obama’s ability to unite diverse interest groups.
Pat and CS,
I agree that Rush goes for a reaction, but words do have meaning. Why no comments about “dumb White quarterbacks” from Chicago? You can’t read the minds of Limpbaugh and Beck, but their words do imflame the debate instead of adding to the discussion. I used to watch the Limpbaugh TV show during the Clinton days. I actually enjoy small doses of Glenn Beck, but the two are a touch crazy. In the last week or two, Frenchy Colbert interviewed a black pundit or acedemic and asked if Obama/Osama was really black. The ‘black expert’ said that Obama wasn’t a “black with the slavery baggage”(paraphase). But IMHO Colbert’s intent was the opposite of Beck and Limpbaugh, one was satrire and the other is hurtfull.
LOL – Let me defend MvdG comment on this one. Maybe MvdG perspective has something to do with the Dutch in South Africa. Like that unnamed EU country the Dutch in SA gave us this.
http://www.anc.org.za/books/reich9.html
Immorality Amendment Act. Prohibited illicit carnal intercourse between White and non-White…
Seems the SA Dutch have something in common with Virginia.
He is just a parody of what he once was, and has entered the pantheon of celebrities who are famous for being famous.
He once was very relevant, but now he is comic relief, at best.
I mostly agree with Rudi on this one- sometimes its not the message, but the messenger. Most minorities would be offended by Limpy, but might laugh at Colbert, because of the way he makes the differences seem hilariously ridiculous.
KR I forgot to mention the ‘black expert’ that appeared with Colbert. Debra Dickerson made statements more absurd that Rush, but IMHO she was serious. What the Black Caucus better realize is that candidates like John Conyers is the old guard, they have to accept the Webb’s and Schuler’s if they want the Dems to stay in power. Dickersoin is from the ols school, her thinking is just as bad as Limpy’s.
Here is a link to the video:
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Colbert_questions_Obamas_blackness_0209.html
While Frenchy was playing the Gasbag, Dickerson was serious.
Exactly what I think Rudi. There are a lot of minorities who think that the Democrats really owe them for their voting patterns, and want to be in a position to make demands. I totally support the new, more conservative wing of the Democratic party, and hope they are the wave of the future. Maybe some of the Reagan Democrats will come home to roost. Anti-Bushmania has pushed me to the left, but at heart, I’m still for centrist government.
BTW- I almost always watch the Reporrr, but missed this episode, which sounds pretty hilarious. When was it on? Colbert is the left’s Billo, but with better writing.
The above link should let you watch the segment. Comedy Centrals webpage has a Colbert page, the segment might be there too. Or just Google Colbert and Dickerson.
Thanks, Rudi- I thought you thought Colbert was too lefty. Didn’t you say you get your laughs from watching Billo? Anyway, its a great show, even for moderates!
Rudi- Dickerson was far more absurd than Rush- and I never thought that I would be saying that. So, to be a legitemate “black” candidate you have to be descended from slaves? That’s really pathetic. I guess Obama is the candidate representing white guilt-but somehow safe because his dad came from Kenya. Colbert was hysterically funny, as usual. Good for him for tackling a thorny subject with humor.