You know what is insulting. The GOP says they aren't racist, the ads aren't racist and McCain's. .

[wndycty]

. . .not racist and the press takes their word for it. How can anyone take the GOP, whose record on race is appalling, seriously when they deny that they are using racism. It just baffles me.

[baldguy]

1. The GOP and the MSM think Americans are stupid.

And they hate them.

[TankLV]

42. correction: they KNOW Americans ARE stupid...

big difference...

[GaYellowDawg]

2. You're right.

However, I've seen the press allow Republicans a double standard since the 1980 election.

[Tim4319]

3. Thank you!

Here's a list of all the non-racist GOP's I can think of:

Rush Limbaugh, he's not racist!
Sean Hannity, he definitely not a racist!
Laura Ingraham, no she didn't accuse Al Sharpton of stealing articles from the White House!
John McCain, yeah, he voted for the MLK Holiday the first time it was on the ballot!
Hal Turner, Sean Hannity is his protege on race!

Just a little :sarcasm:

[DangerDave921]

12. Racist is too easy a term to throw around

What definition of racist are we using?

If you disagree with a person's political views, that does not make them a racist. For example, I've listened to Rush a little over the years and I don't think he's racist.

[wndycty]

13. Oh his Barack the Magic Negro is not racist?

Wow. . .just fucking racist wow.

[DangerDave921]

14. well you know

he didn't make that phrase up. It appeared in a LA Times op-ed piece well before, with the title Obama the Magic Negro. And the term magical negro goes back even further. Spike Lee has used the phrase himself.

[wndycty]

15. His usage of it is purely racist. . .

. . .defend him all you want, it paints an interesting picture of you.

[DangerDave921]

16. Aha

There we go with the insinuation. My point is that I see the term "racist" thrown around here all the time against any RW'er who happens to be the subject of discussion. And many on here believe that RW'ers are -- almost by definition -- racist. I disagree with that. I have plenty of family members who are Repubs and who are decent people. As I've said in other posts, I think the term "racist" needs to be used with caution otherwise it dilutes the meaning of the term when it is appropriately used.

As for defending Rush, I am not defending his positions, policies, etc. I am merely saying that in the times I've heard his show, I'm not aware of any racist comments he's made. And yes, I stand by my earlier point that it is so easy to throw the term "racist" out at any political opponents. I think that's a lazy way to make a political argument.

[wndycty]

17. The problem is folks like you admit there is racism however whenever anyone points it out. . .

. . .you deny the example is racist.

[DangerDave921]

18. well forgive me

for disagreeing with your interpretation. I think the example you cited falls more under satire than racism. But that's just my take on it. And I am more than willing to listen to any and all examples of racism.

To me, being a racist means you think people of another race are inferior and less deserving of the rights and opportunities that exist for the rest of us. So while I may disagree with many RW'ers on policy, I don't think they're out there actively working against black people.

[Justitia]

23. I guess you missed the show where Rush told a caller to "take the bone out of his nose"

and other NUMEROUS examples of blatant racism, including racism towards Latinos, calling them "wetbacks" etc.

You have a selective memory, apparently.

Also, "less deserving of rights" certainly includes having to re-authorize the Voting Rights Act over and over again, doncha think? One of many, many examples of active legislation.

Sounds like you need to improve your "education" on the matter, which probably begins with consulting with sources other than Rush Limbaugh.

[DangerDave921]

25. well maybe you listen more than I do. LOL

If you know all those examples. I am just an occasional listener when I'm in the car on a long trip. So I am basing my opinion on my personal listening experience. I don't profess to be an expert on Rush, as you apparently are.

What I do know, however, is that he does traffic in comedy and satire and entertainment, just like Colbert does, or SNL, or similar shows. he's an entertainer.

[Justitia]

26. Maybe I'm just more informed than you and don't selectively edit.

You should be more careful about whom you choose to "defend" if you are without all the facts.

And if you find someone like Rush Limbaugh "entertaining", trust me, people are going to make judgments about you, so you should expect that.

[DangerDave921]

29. Maybe

you shouldn't talk down to people so much. I was just discussing my personal take on the guy based on my limited experience of hearing him.

I didn't selectively edit anything. I was simply not aware of some of the references you made.

I tend to think most people are not racist, so maybe I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. I certainly don't subscribe to the theory that all RW pundits are racist.

[wndycty]

27. He traffics in RACIST & SEXIST comedy and satire. . .

. . .:kick:

[zanne]

47. When you have to go to this much trouble to convince us that Rush isn't racist...

I have to wonder about your motives. Racism DOES exist, y'know? Even if you say you're just not "comfortable" with Obama, it's pretty easy to figure out what you really mean.

[treestar]

43. So he didn't make it up. He used it. How does he get a pass

just because of that?

Rush is the very epitome of white racism. It's OK if the AA person goes along (Clarence Thomas, Condi) pretending there is complete equality today. So they can claim they aren't "racist." But when it comes to recognizing the overall situation, they want to pretend there is equality so anyone pointing out where it still fails is playing the "race card," making the poor white people :sarcasm: into the victims.

He does it with gender, too. Those poor white males. :sarcasm:

[TexasObserver]

4. but they asked Pat Buchanan, and he said they're NOT!!

[bunkerbuster1]

7. Give you that. If anyone knows racism, it's Pat!

He hates him some Mexicans and Africans and Jews like nobody's business, I tell you what.

[TexasObserver]

20. I used to hear him out, but now I switch channels the instant he shows up.

He's nothing but a long time, racist Republican.

[blondeatlast]

9. And the vein protruding from his temple says he's absolutely telling the truth!

He even bleeds white, see?

How could you NOT believe this face:

:sarcasm:

[TexasObserver]

37. he practically spits out racial epithets every time he talks

[uponit7771]

5. EX-ACT-LEE!!!! They implemented the "Southern Strategy" for decades. Ken Mehlman apologized for it!!

[AwakeAtLast]

6. And then have the nerve to accuse Obama of it in the same breath!

Can you smell the hypocrisy?

[Coexist]

8. is attempting to appeal to open racists, being racist?

that should be the question.

[KittyWampus]

10. two words SOUTHERN STRATEGY.

[wndycty]

11. Exactly

:kick:

[CitizenPatriot]

19. a letter I just sent to several media watch orgs and KO

Hi,

Here's my issue: McCain keeps accusing Obama of playing the race card. When you look up the definition of playing the race card, Obama clearly can't be playing the race card as one has to stand to GAIN something from it -- such as, to get out of being accused of something. In fact, the closer one studies the definition, the more it becomes painfully obvious that the only people playing the race card are McCain's people.

The very accusation against Obama ONLY holds up when you assume that American's will vote with affirmative action in mind and I think we all know better than that. There is no affirmative action in the hearts of the American people. The race issue can't help Obama win the race; in fact, any still-breathing and mildly alert adult can see it's the very hurdle he needs to overcome. So what exactly does he stand to "win" by "playing the race card" and why doesn't anyone ever call Rovian Schmidt-ites on their utter lack of logic? This sort of nonsense drives me insane! If it weren't for Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddows, I'd think the entire MSM had lost the ability to think critically.

I am so fed up with rich white men playing the victim and getting away with it. Come on! I thought they despised " victims"? Where is that mentality? They are the first to jump on the victim bus and cry race card? I need an air sick bag. Call me, John McCain, after your people have been stolen from their families, shipped to a far away land and used as machines for years and you just barely got the vote. Oh, wait, do they really have the vote yet? Seems like that is up for debate in several states in 2008! Call me then with your whining. Why is it OK for him to cry racism but we can't say anything about his captivity? I am sick of walking on eggshells and being emotionally blackmailed about what can and can not be discussed in this country. Doesn't Obama have more of a reason to get on a soap box about the history of African Americans in this country than McCain does his shady captivity "heroism"? But Obama isn't going to play victim here and neither should John McCain. Grow up, Johnny.

Here's the wiki defintion, for god's sake. Notice the last line, as it is exactly what McCain is doing.

wiki snip

Playing the race card is an idiomatic phrase referring to an allegation raised against a person who has brought the issue of race or racism into a debate, perhaps to obfuscate the matter. It is a metaphorical reference to card games in which a trump card may be used to gain an advantage.

In the less critical sense, the phrase is commonly used in two contexts. In the first, and more common context, it alleges that someone has deliberately and falsely accused another person of being a racist in order to gain some sort of advantage. <1> An example of this use of the term occurred during the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, when critics accused the defense of "playing the race card"<2> in presenting Mark Fuhrman's racist past (e.g. his recorded use of the word "nigger" in addition to his being accused of tampering with murder evidence in prior cases, as well as his use of the Fifth Amendment to avoid potential self-incrimination upon questioning) as a reason to draw his credibility as a witness into question. Another example would be a criticism of Georgia Representative Cynthia McKinney's assertion that she was the victim of "racial profiling"<3> after she allegedly struck a United States Capitol police officer who had grabbed her at a security checkpoint. A more recent example would be criticism of Yale University student Jian Li's formal complaint against Princeton University, which asserted that Princeton and other elite universities discriminate against Asian Americans while setting the admissions bar lower for other minorities, including African Americans and Hispanic Americans.

In the second context, it refers to someone exploiting prejudice against another race for political or some other advantage. The use of the southern strategy by a political candidate is said by some to be a version of "playing the race card", such as when former Senator Jesse Helms, during his 1990 North Carolina Senate campaign ran an ad showing a black man taking a white man's job, intended as a criticism of the idea of racial quotas. The ad was interpreted by many people as trying to play to racist fears among white voters.

On the other hand, George Dei, Karumanchery, et alia in their book Playing the Race Card <4> argue that the term itself is a rhetorical device used in an effort to devalue and minimize claims of racism.

End

WHERE IS THE LOGIC, THE SANITY, THE COOL HEADS PREVAILING???? Wag the Dog, indeed!

[DangerDave921]

21. Interesting stuff

I'd never seen a definition of the term.

I note that one definition is falsely accusing someone of being racist in order to gain advantage. I can see how some might -- MIGHT, I say -- see Obama as fitting into this mode when he talked about They're going to try to scare you about me, etc. And they're going to tell you that I don't look like . . . . Obama was insinuating that the McCain campaign was going to resort to racist attacks against him. But up to that point, I hadn't seen any McCain ads that were racist. (Of course I live in maryland where there aren't that many ads because we are so reliably Dem). So you could make the argument that Obama brought up racism first, before McCain had done anything racist, in order to gain some kind of advantage.

[Willo]

22. Obama used the example of showing his face on a $100 bill

Which is what McCain had done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDTJDv4hevU

The fear some have of Obama in the white house is real and McCain is playing on those fears.

Jon Stewart did a great piece on it in "Baracknophobia"
"http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=173522&title=headlines-baracknophobia

[treestar]

44. Great post! I even heard Rush Limbaugh declaring himself the

"victim" of the "liberal" press. But if someone is a real victim, they sneer about the very truth of that.

[chitty]

24. If the Celeb ad wasn't meant to incite

some sort of racist fear, then why didn't they compare him to Denzel or Tiger or Michael Jordan or even Beyonce?

They're high profile celebs.

[DangerDave921]

30. You miss the point

All the other folks you mentioned are talented and have accomplished something. The ad was trying to lump Obama in with people who are basically famous for being famous. So the message wouldn't have been the same with Tiger, for example. They were shooting for empty and vacuous, not just famous.

[wndycty]

31. So do you think Obama is empty and vacuous?

:kick:

[DangerDave921]

33. Do much reading?

I said the point of the ad was to say that Obama was empty and vacuous, hence the choice of the famous people in the ad. Was that somehow not clear?

[wndycty]

35. Defending Rush, defending McCain. . .are you sure you belong on DU?

:kick:

[DangerDave921]

36. Can you explain

How I was defending McCain? Please, I'm really curious how you got that from my post.

[wndycty]

38. Explaining the decision to use Paris and Britney. . .there is no reason to attempt to explain it. .

. . .unless you are trying to defend it.

[DangerDave921]

40. what kind of logic is that?

A poster above said the ad could just as well have used Tiger or Denzel or some others. I said no, because the point of the ad was to imply that Obama was empty and vacuous, hence the choice of Britney and Paris. Tiger or Denzel would not have acheived the goal of the ad. So that was the reason I was explaining the ad, because the poster clearly did not understand it. Just as you clearly do not understand my post.

I am not defending the ad at all.

[chitty]

32. Well Beyonce could be called empty and vacuous.

What you couldn't call her is white

[DangerDave921]

34. And hot too

[chitty]

39. That's Too Hot!

[SeaLyons]

28. I wish Obama had not taken their bait....

instead of talking about "they'll say I'm risky, they'll say I don't look like those other President's on the dollar bill", blah, blah, blah, ,,,,

he should have ignored that angle (which in my opinion did have racist connotations) and answered it by talking about how JEALOUS the GOP is. How hard it is for them to see the popularity of the democratic candidate, and need for Change. He should have talked about how much damage has been caused over the past 8 years by the Republican, and on and on....

Accusing the idiots of racism is a no win. They set the trap - he walked right into it.

[rucky]

41. But play the "race card" and all hell breaks loose.

Nice setup they've got for their damn selves.

[jazzjunkysue]

45. It's simple: Bigots don't believe they're bigots. They think they're right:

They really don't believe they have a bias. How could they, when obviously, the superior race has always been white europeans?

It's not a bias to state the obvious fact of the matter, just like it's not a bias to say that the sky is blue and water is wet.

These people truly believe that people with more melanin in their skin are inferior. It's not rational, so there's no use arguing about it or trying to make sense out of it.

I know someone who said he was a subscriber to this in his youth. It comes from fear and ignorance, and it's propped up in TV and film, which is the only time some white people encounter blacks. My friend got over it in the air force where he had a first black friend and got to know him and see that he was one of the more trustworthy guys in his unit.

When you're forced to confront your own assumptions in a dangerous context, then you may break through some long held values.

But seeing his popularity scares bigots: They see it this way:

1. Obama must be some kind of faker because it's not possible for a black man to deserve this admiration.
2. The majority of whites who are falling for this charade are almost as weak and foolish as he is.
3. The remaining white bogots are now a much smaller proportion of society, which only raises their false self of superiority.

They get alot of satisfaction from playing the role of the heroic defenders of the true order. It's almost a sacred cause: Holding ground against the increasing forces of irrational fanatical sheep-dom.

A bigot loves being surrounded by the opposition: It feeds his need for attention and victimization. And it gives him continuous exterior excuses for the inner rage he feels. Bigots are childish blamers: "He took my ball!" It's the cry of the second grader. Bigots are bullies; Always afraid, always looking for the cause of their fear in the outer world. But it's all inner fear, and they are increasingly frustrated that so many people don't share that inner fear with them.

Thus, the term "tree-hugging librul."

[zanne]

46. Haven't you heard? Nobody is racist anymore!

Now, people can say they're just "uncomfortable".