As News Hounds Points Out, Sean Hannity Jumps Into Gates-Crowley-Obama Conflict And Blames The Two People Of Color

We should never be surprised by the very conservative and anti-black perspective that Sean Hannity always seems to bring to virtually any discussion about race. News Hounds points out a Thursday episode of Hannity’s Fox News show followed the right-wingers usual script. In a discussion about race, Hannity (as part of an all-white panel) predictably blamed the two black people involved in the issue: Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and President Obama while pretty much completely absolving Sgt. James Crowley of any wrongdoing in the highly-publicized incident that created a national conversation on the topic of race.

Honestly, it was probably best Hannity didn’t have any black conservatives on there to be showpieces to do his far-right bidding (while attacking the two blacks involved).

Glenn Beck Proves Again To Be Nothing Short Of An Idiot

The depth and breadth of Glenn Beck’s stupidity is virtually beyond human comprehension. The crazed Fox News host, who has proven he has no business with a platform on any legitimate news network, recently said this: “The president has exposed himself, I think, as a guy, over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people, or white culture.” Beck, like a lot of the far-right conservatives, is working overtime to attack President Obama using racial politics as a result of the controversy surrounding the ridiculous arrest of Prof. Henry Louis Gates for, as Bill Maher described it, the crime of not kissing an officer’s butt.

From Think Progress:

Yesterday on Fox News, host Glenn Beck went on a rant about President Obama’s comments about the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and the upcoming meeting Obama will have with Gates, who is African-American, and the arresting officer, Jim Crowley. “This president has exposed himself, I think, as a guy, over and over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people, or white culture,” Beck complained, later adding, “He has a, this guy is, I believe, a racist.”

The NAACP came out with a statement chastising Beck for his comments. “We commend President Obama for having the courage to discuss an issue that all too many Americans consider a third rail,” the statement said.

Like the NAACP, I also commend President Obama not only for speaking out on the issue, but of standing up for a friend of his. He could have phrased his original comment better, but I think the sentiment was right on the money.

Also, as cited by Think Progress:

This morning, the crew on MSNBC’s Morning Joe ripped Beck for an entire segment of the show:

WASHINGTON POST’S JONATHAN CAPEHART: How is it possible that this guy can sit on national television and call this guy a racist? The President is half white!

MSNBC HOST MIKE BARNICLE: In reality, Glenn Beck is just show business. …The larger, dumber statement is that the President of the United States has a deep seeded hatred for white people. Hello Glenn!? His mother was white! He was raised by a white woman, his grandmother! Hello!? Glenn? … Come back down to Earth please!

HOST MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Outrageous is one way of putting it. I would say irresponsible, especially now…selfish, self-indulging.

Beck is disgraceful, but maybe it goes to show if you’re partially black to some people you’re all black. I honestly think there are times people forget that President Obama is half white.

If the man had any mind to begin with then he clearly has lost it.

Maybe it’s that whole one-drop thing.

From Wikipedia:

The one-drop rule is a historical colloquial term in the United States that holds that a person with any trace of African ancestry is considered black (unless they have an alternative non-white ancestry, such as Native American, Asian, Arab, Polynesian or Australian aboriginal).^[1] It developed most strongly out of the binary culture of long years of institutionalized slavery.

This notion of invisible/intangible membership in a racial group has seldom been applied to people of other ancestry (see Race in the United States for details). The concept has been chiefly applied to those of black African ancestry. As Langston Hughes wrote, “You see, unfortunately, I am not black. There are lots of different kinds of blood in our family. But here in the United States, the word ‘Negro’ is used to mean anyone who has any Negro blood at all in his veins. In Africa, the word is more pure. It means all Negro, therefore black. I am brown.”^[2]

Crooks And Liars Points Out Sarah Palin’s Words Directed At Hillary Clinton

In March of 2008, at a during a Women and Leadership event, Sarah Palin had these words directed at then presidential candidate and U.S. Senator, Hillary Clinton (who now is Secretary of State), who had talked about some of the media scrutiny she had been enduring during her historic run toward the White House:

This is pointed out by Crooks and Liars:

PALIN: Fair or unfair, I think she does herself a disservice to even mention it… When I hear a statement like that coming from a woman candidate with any kind of perceived whine about that excess criticism or, you know, maybe a sharper microscope put on her, I think, man, that doesn’t do us any good. Women in politics, women in general wanting to progress this country. I don’t think it’s, it bodes well for her – a statement like that. … It bothers me a little bit hearing her bring that attention to herself on that level.

I wonder if Sarah Palin now bothers herself. Now, it seems Palin is the woman out front complaining about the media, complaining about her treatment, complaining about the treatment of her kids and her family at every turn. This is after she took a shot (probably politically motivated) at Hillary Clinton.

Great point made by Crooks and Liars (there is video there, too):
http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/after-calling-hillary-whiner-palin

Is All The Teleprompter Talk About President Obama Simply Disguised Racism?

Like many people, I find it reasonable to have a little chuckle now and again when politicians stumble over their words or lose their space in a speech. Sometimes it is funny. Other times (most of the time) I find it little more than just simple human error in a pressure-packed situation.

Now, as many of you are well aware, a lot of people have taken shots at President Obama over and over again for his use of the much-talked-about Teleprompter (as if no other politician has ever used one).

Consider this exchange between White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and reporter Lois Romano:

MS. ROMANO: The teleprompter changed last night.

MR. GIBBS: Mm-hmm.

MS. ROMANO: What was that about that? It’s a big jumbotron now.

MR. GIBBS: You know can, I tell you this?

MS. ROMANO: Yes.

MR. GIBBS: I am absolutely amazed that anybody in America cares about who the President picks at a news conference or the mechanism by which he reads his prepared remarks. You know, I guess America is a wonderful country.

MS. ROMANO: You’re saying this is all Washington Beltway stuff?

MR. GIBBS: I don’t even know if it’s that. I don’t think I should implicate the many people that live in Washington.

MR. GIBBS: No, I you know, I don’t think the President … let me just say this: My historical research has demonstrated that the President is not the first to use prepared remarks nor the first to use a teleprompter.

I know that last statement from Gibbs will be shocking to so many people who have swallowed (whole) the far-right and anti-Obama talking points about the use of the Teleprompter. They must be thinking, “he can’t be smart … he has to be cheating somehow.” OK, I realize Barack Obama is considered the first black president of the United States of America. But, I can tell you this, he certainly is not the first president to make use of a Teleprompter or the first to make use of prepared speeches or statements. You know, there’s this profession some of you may have heard of, it’s called: presidential speechwriter.

Here are some famous speechwriters for famous people from Wikipedia:

• Judson T. Welliver wrote for President Calvin Coolidge and is considered the first official presidential speechwriter. However Alexander Hamilton may have written speeches for George Washington.^{[citation needed]}
• Theodore “Ted” Sorenson wrote for President John F. Kennedy.
• Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. wrote for President John F. Kennedy.
• Richard N. Goodwin wrote for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
• Pat Buchanan wrote for President Richard Nixon.
• Ben Stein wrote for President Richard Nixon.
• William Safire wrote for President Richard Nixon.
• Robert Hartmann wrote for President Gerald R. Ford.
• Chris Matthews wrote for President Jimmy Carter.
• James Fallows wrote for President Jimmy Carter.^[2]
• Peggy Noonan wrote for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
• Christopher Buckley for Presidents George H.W. Bush.
• Michael Waldman wrote for President Bill Clinton.
• David Frum wrote for President George W. Bush.
• Michael Gerson wrote for President George W. Bush.
• William McGurn (former Wall Street Journal editorial writer) replaced Michael Gerson recently as chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush.
• Jon Favreau has been named Director of Speechwriting for the administration of President Barack Obama.

Now, keep in mind, this is merely a partial list from a quick Internet search. Yet, people act as if President Obama is the first president in history to have prepared remarks, to read from a Teleprompter, or to read off a piece of paper. This, to me, is an orchestrated effort on the part of some people in the media to try and portray the president as less intelligent than he really is. It’s an effort to portray the president as some kind of puppet who is not really smart, but has to be guided by others around him because he is not capable of being as smart as we’ve all seen him to be with our own eyes and heard him to be with our own ears. Many people have fallen for the right-wing propaganda that could be based on a crusty foundation of racism. Why are we just now talking about President Obama reading prepared statements or reading from a Teleprompter? He’s not the first. Lets add another first to President Obama’s record. In addition to being this nation’s first black president, he also may be the first president so roundly criticized and ridiculed for something so weak – something numerous previous presidents and other politicians have done for centuries without so much as a peep from critics.

It makes me wonder why.

Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/27/gibbs-pushes-back-on-tele_n_180209.html

Blaming LeBron James Is Silly

I’ve been amused listening to some of the criticism being heaped onto the broad shoulders of Cleveland Cavaliers’ superstar LeBron James in this playoff series against the Orlando Magic. In all honesty, these are individuals who need to have their heads examined. LeBron has been brilliant in this series. If anything, what has been exposed is the fact that his supporting cast is not quite as strong as a lot of people wanted to believe (after an impressive regular-season run). Don’t get it twisted, the supporting cast is not bad. Look, Mo Williams is a fine pro basketball player (an all-star this year) and the Cavs have a few other guys who are solid contributors. But, lets be honest, LeBron’s supporting cast (solid as it is) clearly is not in the same class as supporting casts enjoyed by the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony. So, we can kill that noise right now. LeBron has put this team, franchise and city of Cleveland on his back. At this point, in a series between evenly-matched teams, LeBron could use a little more help carrying the load.