Comments on: The Race Card Game

By: DLS

DLS — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:23:30 +0000

Spence — not only are you wrong once again, but you're choosing to select phrases almost at random. TRY AGAIN.

Unlike others, I refuse to see “racism” where none actually exists. Despite what you may believe, that is not wrong or a crime.

By: JSpencer

JSpencer — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:25:37 +0000

DLS, once again you show you don't understand the issue. Your need to mischaracterize demonstrates this.

By: DLS

DLS — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:29:33 +0000

You are correct. It is the Left that is raising the issue of racism, mainly fictitiously.

This week's Economist has a great multi-page treatment of McCain v. Obama and it includes the issue of race in its proper (not US leftst idiotic) context. The plain truth is, as tthat publication notes, many people will vote for Obama _because_ of his race (black and white voters alike), some will vote against Obama because of his race even if they won't admit it — and many, many of us won't care at all about the subject. (Other than be annoyed at bogus “racism” charges against anyone who votes for McCain instead of Obama, that is. That's the scummy version of lefty “preemptive” political tactics that in fact backfire.)

By: ceij

ceij — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:35:28 +0000

Here's why what Palin said is race-baiting: Speaking to an all-white audience (because that is the inherent nature of a Republican rally for an ultra-conservative woman from Alaska) she claims that "Barack Obama does not see America as you and I do". I don't care who you are, what race you are, or where you are from, a comment like that is meant to divide. Palin is trying to create a wedge between Obama and the white people she is talking to. When the AP concludes that this attack is racially tinged, that is based on how the audience hearing what they've been told takes it. Let's not be naive, the crowds that come out to see Palin consist of white people who for the most part are wholly uncomfortable with a black president, and Palin represents everything that makes them comfortable again, including accusing the black candidate of palling around with terrorists. You're African-American, so am I, and I take much offense to this ignorant woman's comments. We have different sensibilities, but this characterization of Palin's remarks does NOT reflect a knee-jerk tendency to call any criticism of Obama racist. Attack his policies, not his person. When he's president, no one will be questioning his patriotism or his views, they'll only be questioning his actions, and those attacks will be completely legitimate. But this kind of crap isn't. For someone who doesn't know the first thing about national politics, it's only par for the course since she can't speak about anything of substance. She just told one of her admirers Bill Kristol that she wants Rev Wright on the table. Yeah, this from a woman who had hands laid on her to extol demons, or something. This woman wants to fight an all-out culture war for the presidency for the next month. No qualifications, no knowledge of issues, no reason to be Vice President, except that she is white, average, and governed a rural state. Her basic argument is this, "Ok, our opponent has all the right policies, you like him, he's smart, you think he might make a pretty good president, but c'mon, he's black and his past is full of questionable associations. I may not know much, as president I would probably make George Bush look like the second coming, but I'm white, I'm pro-life, and I'm pretty. Voting for me frees you of the burden of voting for a black man, so c'mon take the low road and vote your prejudice."

That is the unforgivable truth that no one wants to speak.

By: JSpencer

JSpencer — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:02:36 +0000

Bottom line: If Palin hadn't been so unprincipled (and perhaps ignorant) as to have made the “palling around with terrorists” comment in the first place, there wouldn't be any discussion about the extent to which her remark was rascist. Her disrespect for Obama is sufficiently uncontrolled I'm not sure her comment deserves to be parsed. How much deconstruction (and defense) should character assassination deserve? It's enough for me to know she's gone around the bend.

By: Don Quijote

Don Quijote — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:45:51 +0000

You're shitting me right?

The Economic Crisis was caused by the C.R.A. is just another way of saying that N**gers are at the source of this crisis, as is the blaming of ACORN for having registered unqualified voters and having gone to bat and gotten a few billions of Mortgages for poor people over the last twenty years is just another polite way of saying N**ger. n**ger, n**ger and uppity n**ger.

By: Lit3Bolt

Lit3Bolt — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:20:35 +0000

The point of "Obama=muslim" is to let racist people safely hang their hat on something. Rather than being overt in their racism, they can now simply say "He's a Muslim." or "He's a terrorist." as justification for their own prejudice.

Now, if you say, "I won't vote for Obama because he's inexperienced or untested." by all means, go for that.

Think of it this way, if McCain was running for president in 1608 instead of 2008 (bear with me) what's a quick and easy way to slander him? I can call him a Jew, a Shylock, a witch, whatever. These accusations have no basis in fact whatsoever, but the point of slander is that hopefully, some of it sticks.

By: elrod

elrod — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:47:07 +0000

"Now, I have never understood the whole “Obama is a Muslim” smear."

The whole point of the "Obama is a Muslim" smear is to cast Obama as foreign and black in a way that, sadly, is acceptable in America.

That said, I'm not sure if the "palling around with terrorists" charge is invoking brown-skinned Muslims since everybody knows that the person involved here is a white guy. So, while some people are explicitly using race to scare voters about Obama (like the Buchanan County, VA official) Palin is not doing that here.

Interestingly enough, Palin's descent into character assassination just opened up the door for the Keating Five to make an appearance. We've heard virtually nothing about the Keating Five until now, and with the financial crisis hittin, it's a perfect opportunity for Obama.

By: Mike_P

Mike_P — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:33:49 +0000

“Obama supporters,” are of course free to say whatever they'd like. And of course, no where near any kind of majority, or even significant numbers of them them, have made any such claim. But most importantly, neither has Obama or his campaign. If the player hasn't played the card, well I guess it's not on the table, eh?

But to say “The race card is being played, but it’s not by Republicans,” is on its face ridiculous. In just one example, here's an official in the Republican Party (the treasurer of Virginia's Buchanan County Republican Party and the the county's representative on McCain's Virginia leadership team), playing what I believe easily qualifies as “the race card”:
http://www.latimes.com/media/acrobat/2008-10/42...

Read it, and weep for America.

By: GeorgeSorwell

GeorgeSorwell — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:17:37 +0000

Do you think there is anything of substance in Palin's attacks on Obama?

Do you think, for example, that Obama is out there "palling around with terrorists"?

Does what the actual Republican candidate has to say dwindle into insignificance compared to some editorial published by the AP?

By: pacatrue

pacatrue — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:05:54 +0000

Racist.

Sorry, just being sarcastic. It's habitual.