You Won't Have Obama to Blame for Racial Sins

President Barack Obama

I doubt that anyone, even the most loyal fans of President Obama, will tell you that he has been what you would consider a perfect president. Of course, have we ever had a perfect president in the history of our union? Think about that and let me know, seriously.

I started to think about that as I read a CNN analysis piece that focused on race relations worsening during the Obama presidency. This headline, of course, popped up in my Facebook news feed (along with probably items from the hundreds of pages I have come to "like" during my time with a profile on the social media giant.

I digress.

Have race relations worsened under Barack Obama's presidency? A majority of those surveyed (CNN and Kaiser Family Foundation polling) said, "yes" -- rather emphatically so.

I get why some would feel this way. So, the poll suggested that "racial strife" is getting worse. Poll results further indicated that tensions among Americans of different ethnic/racial groups has increased. About 64 percent of Americans believe this to be true, including 67 percent of whites, 65 percent of blacks and 55 percent of Latinos.

Is it worse? I can appreciate how some people would see it that way. The real question is: Why is it worse (if that is what you believe)?

I do not believe it is worse. I believe that it is simply been brought from the closet to the front porch. Regardless of how you feel, the sentiments of the Tea Party and Black Lives Matter (not necessarily to equate the two, but to make a bigger point) were always there. Certain incidents, however, opened the door for individuals affiliated with these two movements to become more activist and vocal. For the Tea Party, you could argue it was the election of Barack Obama, the first black president. For Black Lives Matter, it appears to be incidents involving black people and the police.

The growing power of social media and video have given certain movements more power than they could have had in even the 1980s.

But, none of this is about Barack Obama. Feel free to try and ultimately fail to link it to the Obama presidency.

The headline of the article I linked, above, asks an important question about who will be blamed for race relations in the post-Obama era. It's a good question, indeed. Because, if you're foolish enough to believe racial issues will vanish once Obama leaves the presidency, then you were probably foolish enough to believe it started the day he became a viable presidential candidate and after he took office.

As Billy Joel once famously sang, "We didn't start the fire. It was always burning since the world's been turning ... No, we didn't light it though we tried to fight it."

Pretend Patriots Are Hypocrites

Gabby Douglas

I've enjoyed watching the Olympics this summer. I've always enjoyed them. I've enjoyed them since the first time I remember seeing the Olympics -- the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

One of the interesting topics that fires up from time to time during the Olympics is the issue of patriotism. Many of us are patriots even though we may all have different opinions about what it truly means to display patriotism during the Olympics.

This all brings me to a post I read on News Hounds discussing the issue of patriotism and the people at Fox News.

Here is what News Hounds posted about the America Live program:

Guest host Alisyn Camerota said:

There was a proud moment at the Olympics yesterday when 16-year old Gabby Douglas won a gold medal in gymnastics. The crowd went wild with cheers – though we’re not hearing the chants of ‘USA, USA’ that we’ve heard in some Olympics gone by. And some folks have noticed that American athletes’ uniforms don’t carry the Stars and Stripes look as much as they had in past years. The famous flag-style outfits worn in years past replaced with yellow shirts, gray tracksuits, pink leotards. So how do we show our patriotism at the games?

So, what is patriotism? Is the effort they put in throughout their lives to represent their country in the Olympics? Is it the thrill that these athletes have as they give everything they have in goodwill competition as representatives of their country? Is it our athletes cheering each other on to victory? Is it the genuine emotion running through their body as they hear their national anthem played? OR, is it the outfits they wear? Cheering is not enough, with at least one Fox News host. You must cheer a certain way to truly be a patriot.

Read the post to get the full story on a manufactured Fox News issue.

These people who think of thems

This Is A Perfect Example Of Why 'We' Struggle

Maxine Waters

Frankly, I have never been much of a fan of Rep. Maxine Waters and, I must confess, I doubt I ever will become a fan of the California democratic congresswoman.

One of the many reasons I have never been impressed with her is best exemplified by her silly whining about President Obama's strong comments to the Congressional Black Caucus. Basically, the president challenged the CBC to stop complaining about things, roll up their sleeves and get to work to help him shape this country for the better. If you want the specifics of what he said, you can go find it, here and here.

While Waters is whining about being challenged she is missing the point. She is engaging in the kind of politics that shows why Democrats are often weakened and why Tea Party Republicans are so strong. See, the Tea Party folks are ideologically strong and will stand by their beliefs through thick and thin while thin-skinned folks like Maxine Waters crumble like stale graham crackers and become defensive the minute they are called out. Like them or not, the Tea Party folks stand by their people through the tough times and work hard together while people like Maxine Waters jump off the bandwagon when things get rough.

See, Waters has whined and challenged the president and she thinks that is OK, but when the president challenges her back ... she wonders who in the "H" he thinks he is.

Instead of crying and taking shots at each other, folks need to work together, but that is not the way for Maxine Waters. It never has been and perhaps never will be the way for Rep. Waters.

If she is tired of supporting the president, then let her try on Mitt Romney or Rick Perry.

It's Scary Where This Country Is Headed

When Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry are potentially legitimate candidates to become president of the United States, that is a frightening sign of where our country is headed.

But, this should be taken as a signal that the extremists are finding a place in our society as proven by the platform the tea party folks received at the pathetic debate aired on CNN. The extremists may not be winning ... yet ... but their voices are louder than the silent majority.

That is the scary part.

Bachmann Photo Can't Make Her Look Crazy Without Her Own Contribution

It has been interesting to listen to some of the commentary about the Michele Bachmann cover photo that Newsweek selected.

I watched CNN's Reliable Sources as panelists whined about how unflattering the photo is and even (brace yourself) how it was some continuing conspiracy on the part of Newsweek to make conservatives look bad. Cry me a river.

If people think Michele Bachmann has a crazed look in her eyes then I think one has to begin by investigating her words and her record. Perhaps that is more indicative of the interpretations people have of this photo than anything else.

Perhaps people should look at it from a journalistic perspective and ask if the photo is appropriate for the person and the story. Judge it that way.

Birth Certificate Hysteria Is Hillbilly, Racially-Tinged Politics

Now that President Barack Obama has released yet another birth certificate he has confirmed what rational people already knew: that he was born in the United States of America.

Yes, to all of those behaving with a backwoods political hillbilly mentality, Hawaii is in fact one of the 50 states. For many tea party members, it probably remains a challenge to think of Hawaii as one of our states, but it is in fact part of the U.S.

As I have long predicted, the bigots on the right and the far right have far from been appeased by the release of the second Obama birth certificate.

In fact, many have stepped up their ignorant attacks on President Obama and taken their birtherism to new levels.

This is no surprise. Birtherism is disguised racism. Oh, and if you want proof it is disguised racism, wait for the next wave of attacks on President Obama to heat up: going after his school records and accusing him of being an affirmative action beneficiary as an academic.

You see, it's not about the birth certificate.

It's disguised racism designed to attack Barack Obama as a human being, as a black man and as a man in general.

It was never truly about this piece of paper. The birther nuts are proving that right now as their argument now shifts to "why didn't he release it earlier?" and other foolishness.

Remember, birtherism, for the tea party buffoons and the Republicans is about showing that President Barack Obama is "not really one of us" (whatever that means) and is different from the rest of "us" to their extremist constituents.

Fox 'News' ... I Think Not

Here, we see yet another example of why Fox "News" is really nothing of the kind.

This is a story I read at Crooks and Liars regarding an interview Fox "News" promoted about a so-called indoctrination attempt on the part of a school district. Now, the subject in the interview is positioned as a concerned parent who is upset about what she sees as an inappropriate song being sung by children in the Tennessee school. In other words, this woman (Rachael Proctor) is portrayed as just an everyday mom who saw something that outraged her in school and decided to take a stand.

What Fox "News" apparently failed to disclose, however, is this woman's strong tea party public relations work and her affiliations with the far-right movement.

The Crooks and Liars blog entry is a pretty interesting read that illustrates a small example of the bias of Fox "News" as a media outlet.

Prince Discusses Fox News Credibility In Journal-isms Column

The credibility of Fox News has generally been in question, but has gone in the toilet since the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States.

Since the election of President Obama, Fox News seemingly has gone "all in" as far as its support for conservative causes and Republican/Tea Party candidates.

This is reflected, to some extent, in a column entry written by Richard Prince (you may have to scroll down a bit):

"PPP's annual look at the public's trust in various TV news outlets finds that Fox News' credibility is on the decline, that the traditional networks are seeing an up tick in their numbers, and that PBS is at the top of the heap," the group Public Policy Polling reported Wednesday.

"A year ago a plurality of Americans said they trusted Fox News. Now a plurality of them don't. Conservatives haven't moved all that much — 75% said they trusted it last year and 72% still do this time around.

"But moderates and liberals have both had a strong increase in their level of distrust for the network — a 12 point gain from 48% to 60% for moderates and a 16 point gain from 66% to 82% for liberals. Voters between left and center tend to be more trusting of the media across the board, which is why a fair number of them were still rating Fox favorably even a year ago at this time. But it looks like with a lot of those folks it has finally crossed the line to being too political to trust."

Fox News has become largely untrustworthy. Conservatives find the trust as Fox News validates the right-wing opinions of Republicans/Tea Party folks.

Powerful Words From Keith Olbermann

This is strong stuff in an increasingly toxic environment in our country.

Which Palin Should Be President: Sarah Or Bristol?

In choosing between mother and daughter Palin, for president (I didn't mean to frighten) ... I honestly think Bristol might make a better president than Sarah.

Look At Who's Voting In This Election

Race, The Tea Party, Barack Obama And Modern American Politics

A Letter From NAACP President Benjamin Jealous Regarding Tea Party Extremism

Here is a letter sent out by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People:

Just moments ago, the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights (IREHR) released a report documenting specific examples of Tea Party leaders and Tea Party-associated organizations providing platforms for anti-Semites, racists and other bigots.

The report serves as a reminder: There is a very active presence of racists in America's public political discourse, and there is a very real threat of moving backward if we do not stand up and speak out.

Please take a moment to read more from the report:

http://action.naacp.org/TeaPartyReport

To be clear: Whether we agree with their policy positions or not, we at the NAACP believe the majority of Tea Party supporters are sincere, principled people of basic good will. We have no problem with their expression of political views in our great democracy.

We do, however, have a problem when prominent Tea Party members have direct ties to organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, and are allowed to use Tea Party events to spread their hateful messages. Moreover, we have a problem when Tea Party members call civil rights heroes vicious slurs or repeatedly and publicly deny the President's place of birth and his status as an American citizen.

Most importantly, we have a problem when regular Tea Party members stand silent as those who share the Tea Party name push a racist agenda. A great man once warned, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

We in the NAACP refuse to tolerate silence.

Last summer, after months of waiting for accountability, we publicly called on Tea Party leaders to repudiate those who would use the Tea Party platform to espouse racism or call for violence against any group in our society.

We are pleased that in response, Tea Party leaders took a few steps in the right direction. They expelled a leader who repeatedly made racist comments. They fired another who suggested gay people should be killed. Still, as this report shows, much remains to be done.

For more than one hundred years, the NAACP has stood sentinel against racism and hate violence in the United States. We know that we have a moral obligation, summarized succinctly in our nation's pledge of allegiance, to oppose those who would seek to tear the United States apart by espousing hatred or calling for violence against any group in our country.

We are One Nation. That is why we came together on October 2nd for a truly diverse March on Washington that spoke to this nation's greatest values. That is why we will continue to fight for hope, not hate.

I commend the research done by the IREHR. Their report proves why our work is more important than ever. I encourage you to read this comprehensive effort. It delves deeper into the specific evidence that prompted the NAACP's call on the Tea Party to act responsibly than any prior study:

http://action.naacp.org/TeaPartyReport

Today, America stands at a choice point in its historic march towards making our nation's pledge real. In one direction, there is the possibility of a real debate between people of good will about the options for moving our nation forward. In the other, there is a place filled with vicious hate, threats, and lies that can only take us backward.

Thank you for standing up for civil rights for all. Thank you for calling for the most basic civility in America's great town square. Thank you for insisting that America moves ever forward, never backward.

Yours in the struggle,

Ben Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

Even When Harry Reid Provides An Opening, Republicans Screw Up

Here is how a Fox News story begins as it analyzes comments made by Sen. Harry Reid about Hispanics and the Republican party:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is taking heat after he told a crowd of supporters Tuesday that he doesn’t know "how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican."

Ah, so let the games begin.

Fox News, with all five minority Republican regulars on speed dial (I am being slightly sarcastic with the number ... slightly), finds one that seems most appropriate to respond: Marco Rubio, who is described by Fox News (leave it to this network to never resist an opportunity to promote one of its own) as "one of the GOP's rising stars."

If you're black, somewhat articulate (Jesse Lee Peterson is an exception that may have been sort of grandfathered in) and willing to say something bad about President Obama, at some point you will find yourself on Fox News.

I digress.

Anyway, here is some of what Rubio had to say, in response:

"You know, Americans of Hispanic descent, you know what the strongest issue there is? That is economic empowerment, upward mobility. There’s only one economic system in the world that that’s possible in, time and again, and that’s the American free enterprise system.

"And the reason why Americans of Hispanic descent should be Republicans is because the Democratic leadership is trying to dismantle the American free enterprise system. The point is he’s wrong."

OK, I was almost with Rubio until he got to the end and he turned hypocrite and tried to use Reid's comments to score political points against the Democrats."

Rubio had the moral high ground and blew it (like George W. Bush after 9/11) by turning the comments of Reid into some sort of opportunity to pull a cheap and ham-handed political stunt.

Rubio, why play politics with it?

Why be so stupid?

Rubio is upset because Reid expresses difficulty in understanding why Hispanics would support Republicans, but then turns around and basically tries to make the case for why Hispanics should not support Democrats and should run with the GOP.

To me, Rubio turned himself into a bit of a hypocrite and looked like just another shallow politician willing to use an ill-advised comment (Reid has had more than his fair share of ill-advised and/or stupid ones during his career) to score political and racial points.

OK, so back to the brief video clip.

No, Harry, you don't need to say more. In fact, please don't say too much more. As far as this issue, you've said enough. Democrats, still, are probably thanking their lucky stars that Reid's opponent, Sharron Angle, is a Tea Party nut. Angle makes Rand Paul look normal ... OK ... maybe not.

Still, with Angle as an opponent, it appears luck continues on Harry Reid's side. If he loses, and Angle wins, then luck runs out for the state of Nevada.

CBS News:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20013321-503544.html

Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/11/rubio-blasts-reid-asking-hispanics-republicans/

Breitbart Is A Scoundrel Who Ran A Big-Time Scam To Smear Sherrod And Ruin Her Reputation

Andrew Breitbart is a disgusting man and his race-baiting desires and relentless motivation to attack Democrats (particularly ones of color or those involved with people of color) appears to have victimized now former Georgia USDA Rural Development State Director Shirley Sherrod, a woman (an Obama Administration employee) who has been treated awfully due to Breitbart's intentional fraud.

First, here is the evidence as posted at Crooks and Liars:



Here is Breitbart's attempted smear of Sherrod on his dubious Web site. The bottom line is that Breitbart, one of the chief defenders of racist elements within the Tea Party movement, has been on a mission to find ways of attacking black people and making them look racist (aided on many occasions by his buddies at Fox News). Fox News jumped all over this issue led by thick-headed partisans like Bill O'Reilly (who called for her resignation) and Sean Hannity.

Here is more from Crooks and Liars:

Shirley Sherrod was an employee of the USDA; specifically, the USDA Georgia director of rural development. In a speech to the Georgia chapter of the NAACP, she tells a story that appears to indicate she prefers to put black folks ahead of white folks.

Breitbart edits the video, puts it up, and the world goes mad. Sherrod is fired, after being told pressure is coming from the White House to fire her.

Breitbart heavily edited the video to try and portray Sherrod as a racist black woman who purposely discriminated against white farmers and told that story at an event put on by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. His mission likely was to paint a black person from the Obama Administration as racist against white people, show liberals to be racist, show the NAACP to be racist and show that black people can be racist.

From CNN:

(Agriculture Secretary Tom) Vilsack told CNN on Tuesday that he "didn't speak to anyone at the White House. ... I made this decision, it's my decision. Nobody from the White House contacted me about this at all."

A White House official also told CNN that "the White House did not pressure her or the USDA over the resignation. It was the secretary's decision, as he has said."

President Barack Obama was briefed on the situation after Vilsack decided to seek Sherrod's resignation, according to a White House official, who said the president fully supports the decision.

The White House and Vilsack (getting his information from Breitbart and Fox News) appear to have jumped the gun and it appears an innocent woman has been punished by people who caved to political pressure from Breitbart, a fringe right-wing freak known for his dubious and sinister tactics against those considered liberal.

CNN has wisely retracted its condemnation of Sherrod and the White House should reinstate her to her position (if she so desires) and, if necessary, conduct a full and fair investigation.

Shirley Sherrod deserves justice. So far, she has not gotten it.

By the way, in the wake of this controversy, here is what those white farmers (Roger and Eloise Spooner) said of Shirley Sherrod during an interview with CNN's Rick Sanchez:

SANCHEZ: In all your time knowing Shirley Sherrod, has there ever been anything about her, either through her attitude, her words, her opinions or behaviors that would lead you to believe that she is in any way a racist?

ROGER SPOONER: No way in the world. No way. No way. I don’t even want to talk about it. It don’t make sense. She was just so nice to us as — she didn’t — there wasn’t no — there wasn’t no racism attitude at all in it. Heck no. … They don’t know what they’re talking about. Let me say. They don’t know what they’re talking about, if you want to know my opinion.

ELOISE SPOONER: She always treated us really good. She was nice mannered, thoughtful, friendly. Good person.

They seem convinced - that she is a good woman who was a victim of character assassination for sinister political gain.

The Obama Administration is looking weak when pressure is brought to bear by the far-right Fox News and the fringe fake-ass "journalism" of Andrew Breitbart.

First it was Van Jones and now it's Shirley Sherrod.

Tea Baggers Reveal Their Racism In This Video

The poor, misunderstood tea baggers feel like they can't get a fair shake from the media which holds them accountable for their racism or the racism in their midst that they condone.

Tea baggers, of course, contend that there is no racism and that it's all a plot by that oppressive mainstream media. As Think Progress points out, we've seen a lot of racist signs, heard plenty of racist and homophobic language and racist incidents.

Check out this video of what some tea baggers think:



Racism appears to be alive and well among tea baggers. What is particularly chilling, from the video above, is how openly racist many of these morons revealed themselves to be - on camera.

As for the sign above, I am sure a proud parent is pleased with the way their son has been raised to carry such a sign around with a smile. Maybe that embodies all the hopes and dreams some parents have for their children (to be photographed with a racist sign and a smile).

Iowa Tea Party Sign Compares Obama To Hitler And Lenin

President Obama is on a billboard being compared to Hitler and Lenin in a sign that shows how much people continue to try and demonize Barack Obama.



















No, there is not hypocrisy here. Rev. Jesse Jackson was comparing the slave-slave master relationship to the interaction between Dan Gilbert and LeBron James.

The above is another flat-out smear on the part of bigoted tea baggers.

Is Bill O'Reilly Playing The So-Called Race Card?

Once again, Fox News far-right commentator Bill O'Reilly showed his true colors as he used his platform to again demonize and attack NBC and use racial politics to inflame conservative whites who are the Tea Party. Notice how O'Reilly cherry picks an NBC interview asking about that has a question regarding race in the Tea Party movement (a very legitimate issue). O'Reilly takes the question and spins it as NBC using race to strengthen the liberal strength among minority groups. It also plays into that old stereotype that O'Reilly buys into that blacks are not that smart and so easily influenced by white liberal leaders with sinister intentions.

What you will read below also shows that O'Reilly and Fox News clearly are in the corner of the Tea Party movement and are willing to go to great lengths to defend it to anyone who will listen.

Read how O'Reilly starts the segment with his mini soliloquy and then starts with what he sees as an inflammatory question.

Here is an excerpt from a recent O'Reilly Talking Points Memo:

For now, the liberal media and the left-wing establishment in general greatly fear the Tea Party movement. And so, led by NBC News, the media is trying to brand the Tea Party people as racist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY O'DONNELL, NBC NEWS: There aren't a lot of African-American men at these events.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

O'DONNELL: Have you ever felt uncomfortable?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. These are my people. Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now, the NBC News reporter Kelly O'Donnell's question was legitimate. But coming on the heels of NBC's unrelenting racial attacks on the Tea Party, the question also illuminates the left-wing media strategy.

By the way, with 95 percent of African-Americans voting for Barack Obama, you would not expect them to sign up in great numbers for the Tea Party, would you?

Going forward, the Tea Party movement will face some challenges. Will it become a legitimate third party, or will it stay as an anti-Obama protest group? Or will it expand its passion into other areas?

There is no Tea Party leader. Sarah Palin comes closest, but she doesn't want the designation. So it will be interesting to see just how the Tea Party evolves.

But for now, these folks are scaring liberal America big time.

First of all, I find it funny that Fox News would accuse another network of unrelenting racial attacks when it has been doing that against President Obama since he was Sen. Obama, candidate for the presidency. Even in the last few days, Fox News has been working tirelessly to convince white Americans that President Obama is playing racial politics with the immigration legislation in Arizona. How can Fox News legitimately accuse any other network of playing racial politics without cleaning up its own racial backyard? Will Bill O'Reilly condemn his own network for its relentless racial attacks on black people. Why did Bill O'Reilly never speak out about racism on Fox News Web sites?

Next, the Tea Party people are not scaring liberals. To the contrary, I think some on the left are probably quietly liking the Tea Party protests for exposing the extremism in our midst. In fact, part of the reason that liberals are working to expose the Tea Party people is because of the anger of the movement and how the movement really only came to life shortly after President Obama was elected.

Is Bill O'Reilly playing the so-called "race card" when he says that liberals are trying to portray the almost exclusively white tea party people as racist? Is he playing to white racial anxiety?

Now, no one is saying that all tea party people are racist. Some are, but obviously not all are racist. BUT, far too many excuse the racism in their midst and make excuses for it.

Where were the (fiscally-conservative and anti-big government) Tea Party protests when George W. Bush was president?

There is nothing wrong with the angle that the NBC reporter took and it's difficult to tell if it was just one small part of a larger series of interviews that might have been conducted. It's just obvious that the Tea Party protesters are overwhelmingly white (whether that is a good thing or a bad thing). After Bill O'Reilly hosted that Wall Street Journal reporter (James Taranto) on to spew his racial garbage, it hardly seems that Bill O'Reilly can legitimately come back and accuse anyone competitor of launching a racial attack.

Negro Please … O’Reilly Finds “Black” Tea Bagger To Defend Tea Parties

Fox News right winger Bill O'Reilly found his black tea bagger who took great pleasure in attacking civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis. This far-right nut then went on the attack against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a ham-handed attempt to portray her as some kind of racist. It was stupid and illustrates a few things: ignorance is color blind, there is always some Jesse Lee Peterson-like black man who will say whatever is necessary to earn most favored Negro status and Bill O'Reilly once again showed that he remains a biased right winger.

Once again, leave it to "fair and balanced" Fox News to come to the defense of the tea parties through a one-sided Bill O'Reilly interview.

Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201003310050

One Of The Many Reasons Sean Hannity Is Pathetic

Fox News right-wing personality Sean Hannity once again goes on the attack against black people. For one of the rare times, however, he has been called out by someone (albeit it somewhat gently). CNN's Howard Kurtz, host of Reliable Sources, carefully called out Hannity for openly doubted that Rep. John Lewis and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver had been called "nigger" by Tea Party protesters.

This video is from Media Matters for America: