I'm certainly NOT advocating anyone run out and kill Fox News TV star Glenn Beck. But if someone did, I would not be disappointed. Beck and his fellow wingnuts have spent the last six months attempting to undermine President Obama through any number of means and with any number of dubious talking points. Truth and honesty are most definitely not required. Not much has worked.
With the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates last week for the crime of being in one's home while black, Beck and his fellow righties think they've found a new attack on the president: he's a racist. Why exactly? Well, the twisted logic is a bit hard to follow, but I guess it goes something like this: President Obama, who may or may not be an illegal immigrant and may or not actually be the president, called the stupid arrest by a white police officer of the black professor in his own home, Gates, "stupid" and therefore hates white people and is a racist.
Somehow, this one incident warranted Beck claiming that the president has shown "over and over again" that he has a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture." I guess things like the president having a white mother and being raised by white grandparents, having a white VP, white chief of staff, and mostly white advisers, somehow "proves" this idiocy. I wonder if Glenn Back has studied the concept in psychology known as projection. I really hate this guy. Really. He's the absolute worst. He has every bad trait of a Limbaugh, but none of the talent. This is a real low point in political discourse.
With the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates last week for the crime of being in one's home while black, Beck and his fellow righties think they've found a new attack on the president: he's a racist. Why exactly? Well, the twisted logic is a bit hard to follow, but I guess it goes something like this: President Obama, who may or may not be an illegal immigrant and may or not actually be the president, called the stupid arrest by a white police officer of the black professor in his own home, Gates, "stupid" and therefore hates white people and is a racist.
Somehow, this one incident warranted Beck claiming that the president has shown "over and over again" that he has a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture." I guess things like the president having a white mother and being raised by white grandparents, having a white VP, white chief of staff, and mostly white advisers, somehow "proves" this idiocy. I wonder if Glenn Back has studied the concept in psychology known as projection. I really hate this guy. Really. He's the absolute worst. He has every bad trait of a Limbaugh, but none of the talent. This is a real low point in political discourse.
South Park has their take on what likely could have happened in Cambridge:
And of you don't believe that police are out of control in this country, read this story about the cops in Alabama using a taser on a mentally disabled and deaf man, and then laughing at him. No apology from the police has been issued, same as with Gates. You know, it is possible to be "pro police" and still acknowledge when officers act "stupidly."
6 comments:
What you day about Glenn Beck? "Ditto" for Lou Dobbs.
Beck left CNN for FOX. I think Dobbs should do the same.
Good videos!
I don't know much about Glenn Beck, but I suspect there is reason to at least question some of President Obama's "enlightened" post-racial rhetoric. He said the cops acted stupidly without admittedly even knowing the facts of the case. Further, it would seem Mr. Gates initially refused to show ID to the cop proving that he lived there. He became beligerent with the policeman to the point that he got arrested. Seems to me the policeman was in the right, from all of the information I have seen reported from RELIABLE sources. Further, Obama refered to the grandmother that raised him as a "typical white woman" in her racial attitudes. That suggests to me that he thinks most whites have a tendency to be racist (if they are to be considered "typical" anyway.) Lastly, Obama sat in Reverend Wright's black liberationist, very racist church for twenty years. If he didn't share those views regarding white people, I find it interesting he would choose to associate with a "spiritual advisor" that definitely did for those many years.
Nice try, Paine, but no dice. This whole "Obama is a racist" crap is part of a new concerted effort from the right to paint all racism as coming from minorities, and that white men are somehow victims. It is a laughable tactic.
The GOP tried it during the Sotomayer confirmation hearings, by arguing that if a Latina woman brings her life experiences into play while being a judge, that is inherently prejudicial, while the white male life experience is normal and proper to use. It is really quite sad that conservatism can now be reduced to defense of torture, tax cuts for millionaires, and the victimhood of both white men and the health insurance industry.
As for the Gates thing, I'm not sure why you guys on the right want to keep dwelling on it. The issue seems to be settled, at least as far as the actual people involved are concerned. Crowley and Gates have made up, had their little summit at the WH, and Crowley had nothing but positive things to say about President Obama. Why else would the right keep focusing on this except to stir up the lunatic, racist, birther fringe of the party. It is dirty politics, and it is dangerous. If Professor Gates had been white, there would have been no arrest. To disagree with that is to be detached from reality. Too many cops, in general not all of them obviously, see black men as suspects first, citizens second.
Lastly, it is shocking to me that you continue to cling to the unsuccessful talking points of the 2008 campaign regarding the president's family and his former pastor. You understand the concept of context, right? The "typical white woman" comment was in a discussion of what his grandmother's attitude was in the 1960s when the president lived with her. Are you really going to say that the "typical" white family was enthusiastic about interracial marriage or dating in the 1960s? They weren't. Neither was Obama's grandmother at that time. But over time, she grew to love her grandson, and the two had a fabulous relationship until she died the day before the election last year. Why does the right use that as an attack instead of seeing how love can overcome some societal prejudices?
As for Rev Wright, I won't defend him. Not because I made up some scary descriptions like "Black liberationist" to describe his ministry, but because a man's entire career cannot and should not be summed up in two or three 15 second sound bytes, as the right has done. You can find it as interesting as you like, yet the president has not shown even the slightest hint of radicalism or racism in his entire career or life, even.
If you guys on the right don't like the president's policies and ideas, that is your right. But to paint him out to be Malcolm X or a Black Panther leftover is disingenuous, if not flat out dishonest.
Beck, Limbaugh, Levin, Savage and the rest of the current leaders of conservative thought in 2009 are stirring up a dangerous fringe with all of their racial rhetoric. Whites are not victims. 108 of the last 110 Supreme Court Justices were men, and more than 100 of those 110 have been white. 43 of the 44 presidents of the US have been white men. Fostering resentment among already racially suspect whites (mostly from the South), because we have our first black president and potentially our first Hispanic Justice on the Court, is unjustified, dangerous, and not keeping in the spirit of our Declaration of Independence and the intent of the founding fathers.
Mr. Splash, you are indeed an interesting gentleman. I, as a charter member of the vast right wing conspiracy, did not get my talking points in time
to know what to say in the latest “Obama is a racist” incident. Rather, I observed what I have seen since he came on the scene with what he has said
and done and came to the conclusion that there may be something to the accusation. Then, again I hardly think he is of the Black Panther caliber.
As for Ms. Sotomayer, I don’t know if she is racist or not, but her foolish comment about being a wise Latina woman being able to reach better decisions than some wise white male strikes me as bigoted at the very least. Further, and more importantly, why the hell is her race even an issue? Is not lady justice supposed to be blind to race, religion, social class, etc.? I realize that reality does not always measure up to the ideal here, but Justice Sotomayer
has never even tried to be circumspect about it until she came up for senatorial review. The right does not have a problem with Sotomayer because of her
ethnicity, rather they have a problem with her empathy and judicial activism instead of merely interpreting the Constitution as will be her job! Remember that it was an evil quasi-right wing George W. that nominated Miguel Estrada for the federal bench and yet the left made sure he was not confirmed. The difference is that the right did not scream RACISM when their candidate was very unfairly removed from consideration.
As for the GOP, and I hate defending them as they are a big part of the problem too admittedly, I would much rather be for torture (although I strongly dispute the term in the context in which those techniques were used) than for Mirandizing terrorists on the battlefield. The tax cuts for millionaires must have had some accounting errors because I also got a tax cut and I am FAR from begin a millionaire. I suspect you also got a tax cut, Mr. Splash. Did you refuse to accept YOUR money back from the
government? I bet not! Lastly, I don’t know about victim-hood for insurance companies, but the health care industry is getting dangerously close to being a victim, and thus all of us American citizens are too because of this. If this new socialistic healthcare is so good, why does not ONE member of congress say that they will not exempt themselves from having to participate in it? Many of the constraints and rules within it are damned scary, not that many people, let alone congressmen have
bothered to actually read the bill they are voting on. Check out the Heritage Foundation’s analysis of the bill. It might prove to be very eye-opening to you, sir.
Next, I brought up the Gates thing merely because that was part of the topic of your posting. I agree that the whole incident is way over-blown and borders on the
ludicrous in its media coverage. Further, I am quite certain Officer Crowley had nice things to say about President Obama’s photo op. The fact that it took place
seems ridiculous to me though.
As for the Reverend Wright, it was hardly a few sound bites that framed his career. His sermons and comments for nearly his entire career did that. I don’t know for
sure about Obama, but I definitively know that Wright is a racist. If one were to change the euphemisms and substitute “black” for “white” in Wright’s comments over the years, it would sound identical to the repulsive crap coming from some Aryan Nation preacher. George Bush would have been crucified, and justly so for
attending the white equivalent of such a church for TWENTY years! Might as well put a white hood on him had that happened. Even Oprah, left Wright’s church due
to his over the top racist rhetoric. By the way, your comments regarding Obama’s grandmother and her attitudes are interesting, and indeed I concede your point on those, sir.
In that context, I will indeed admit that you are correct.
Lastly, regarding your statement, “the president has not shown even the slightest hint of radicalism or racism in his entire career or life, even”, is
preposterous in the extreme, sir. While I have already stated my case regarding Obama’s racism, his whole life and career can fairly be summarized as radical and extremist. In the history of our nation, no president has tried to destroy capitalism and indeed the very representative republic that the Constitutional rules mandated be followed by our elected leaders. Nixon would not have dreamed of the things that Obama is doing.
Obama has repeatedly violated free market principles by nationalizing banks, insurance companies, car companies etc. No wonder Hugo Chavez kissed him on the check. Obama has fired the CEO of a private company (GM), coerced the CEO of another into accepting the government “bail out” (Chrysler), stated what executives will be paid, and basically rewarded friends by saving Goldman Sachs and putting their hierarchy in powerful government positions on the financial side of the house. He promised transparency and no lobbyists in his administration and then proceeded to do the exact opposite. He has exploded the deficit with spending that rewards friends, and actually hurts the poor. He has put in place over twenty unelected and unaccountable czars to oversee various aspects of governance thereby usurping congresses rights and powers, and yet the left nearly deifies the man. I have news for you sir, 2010 followed by 2012 will be very different outcomes for the liberals now running things. Hopefully there will be enough of our country left to salvage by then. Cheers!
Just a few points. Is Miguel Estrada the only Latino person the right has ever met? I mean, besides Alberto Gonzales? Who cares about Miguel Estrada?! The guy had never been a judge, not even for a minute, and during his hearing refused to answer any questions regarding his judicial philosophy. And yes, the right did claim racism when he did not get put on the bench. Orin Hatch and John Kyl both claimed it was due to race.
If the health insurance industry is becoming a victim, so be it. It is because of their actions and their policies. It is well deserved. When an industry is based on the premise of paying for doctor and hospital visits for its clients, yet weeds out all of those clients who have actually been sick, I'd say they deserve whatever they get. I have insurance and it sucks. Yet I pay and pay and pay, and it never gets any better. Not sure why the right wants to go to bat for them. But, then, you guys did take the side of the tobacco industry and corporate polluters, so it may be par for the course on the right.
I don't even know how to respond to your claim that President Obama is destroying capitalism. Seems to me, it was nearly destroyed last Fall after 8 years of laisez faire, no regulation, no oversight, no rules, no accountability, capitalism gone wild. Our system is great, but without rules and accountability, it cannot function. Last fall's meltdown was the natural result of many years of poor economic thought and and a lack of accountability. Wages for workers was stagnant, while they skyrocketed for those at the top. Benefits dried up, while CEOs took private jets to the bathroom. It was out of control and it needed to be saved. That's right. Saved. In 2010 when all of Obama's policies are actually fully functional, you will see 1990s style prosperity. The right will be even more marginalized than it is now.
Lastly, about those pesky czars the right is obsessing about. Why was this not an issue when Bush had czars. Funny how the standards change when the pres has a D after his name.
Take care.
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