Is Unleashing Such Hate A Path To Violence

I spotted this from a blog posted by Crooks and Liars regarding idiotic comments made by nuts on the far right comparing President Obama to Hitler and likening the Democrats to the Nazis. This is from a segment of Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC evening show (as she interviewed author Franklin Schaeffer.

MADDOW: Do you think that calling the president a Nazi, calling the president Hitler, is an implicit call for politically-motivated violence?

SCHAEFFER: Yes I do. In fact, this rings a big bell with me, because my dad, who was a right-wing evangelical leader, wrote a book called A Christian Manifesto — it sold over a million copies. And in that book he compared anyone who was pro-abortion to the Nazi Germans, and he said that using violence or force to overthrow Nazi Germany would have been appropriate for Christians, including the assassination of Hitler. He compared the Supreme Court’s actions on abortion to that. And that has been a note that has been following the right wing movement that my father and I helped start in an evangelical context all the way.

So what’s really being said here is two messages. There is the message to the predominantly white, middle-aged crowds of people screaming at these meetings, trying to shut them down, but there’s also a coded message to what I would call the loony tunes — the fruit loops on the side. It’s really like playing Russian Roulette — you put a cartridge in the chamber, you spin, and once in awhile it goes off.

And we saw that happen with Dr. Tiller, we’ve seen it happen numerous times with the violence against political leaders, whether it’s Martin Luther King or whoever it might be. We have a history of being a well-armed, violent country. And so really, I think that these calls are incredibly irresponsible.

The good news is that it shows a desperation. The far right knows they have lost, they’ve lost the hearts and minds of most American people, for instance, who want health care. But they also know that they have a large group of people who are not well-informed, who listen to only their own sources, who buy the lies — for instance, all this nonsense about euthanasia being mandatory, and all the rest of it. And these people can be energized to go out and do really dreadful things.

And we’ve seen it in front of abortion clinics, I’m afraid we’re going to see it with some of our political leaders. And the Glenn Becks of this world literally are responsible for unleashing what I regard as an anti-democratic, anti-American movement in this country. It is trying to shut down legitimate debate, and replace it with straight-out intimidation.

The talk has become very dangerous, and the good people on the right need to step forward, listen to conscience and tone it down.

Persuasiveness comes not necessarily from who talks the loudest, but who talks smartest.

Are Birthers Anti-American?

The crazed birthers (many of whom probably see themselves as good Americans) have indirectly been extremely critical of the United States of America as well as its president and its commander-in-chief, Barack Obama.

Are these individuals just raising questions or are they anti-American? Are these individuals disrespecting our nation and badmouthing our country for partisan political purposes?

Interesting questions to ponder.

White House Addresses Hate Coming From The Far Right Using Term ‘Nazi’

This kind of rhetoric was bound to happen as the extremists on the far right gain more and more power and influence. The hateful Rush Limbaugh, the de facto leader of the Republican Party, has gone off the deep end with his ridiculous talk comparing President Obama to Hitler and comparing (presumably) the Obama Administration to the Nazis. This is a dangerous time in our nation and the anger is reaching high DEFCON status thanks to men like Limbaugh, who have made a career out of hate. With our nation’s first black president, the anger we’ve seen at illegal immigration (almost exclusively for the nation’s southern border … and I’ll give you one guess as to why) and more, it’s dangerous to hear this kind of rhetoric coming from people of influence … people who could spark the next Timothy McVeigh to commit heinous and deadly acts of terror.

Rush Limbaugh has been right at the forefront of this hate as he tries to harness and direct anger coming from extremists on the far right (many of which have been in full view at these tea parties and now organizing to aggressively disrupt town hall meetings around the country). Take a look at the pattern of hate coming from Limbaugh as he repeatedly goes to Nazi references. Sadly, this is a disgrace of a man that many people listen to and believe in.

But, this Nazi talk is very dangerous and a slap into the face to those who suffered at the hands of Nazis (not that Limbaugh would necessarily care since his objective seems to be to scare whites into being afraid of this new black president).

Here is a response from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs as posted on Huffington Post:

“I know the president feels strongly that we can discuss these issues without personally maligning… that we are doing so in a way that respects the dignity of each individual,” he said. “I think anytime you make references to what happened in Germany in the 30’s and 40’s, I think you are talking about an event that has no equivalent. And I think anytime anyone ventures to compare anything to that, they are on thin ice, and it is best not employed.”

“But I think what the most important thing is, is that we can have a discussion in our democracy about where we want to go,” he added. “The president strongly believes we can do so without yelling at each other, pushing at each other or degrading each other. We have seen some stuff, I mentioned it a week ago, we have all seen imagery that just shocks and surprises us and I think the best thing to do is just take that temperature down a bit.”

It’s hard to appeal to the conscience of a proven bigot like Rush Limbaugh.

Here’s another comment about Limbaugh’s crazy words:

DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee)spokeswoman Jennifer Crider issued the following statement in response to Rush Limbaugh’s outrageous comments comparing Democrats to members of the Nazi Party and use of the Nazi swastika:

“Rush Limbaugh’s comparison of the Democratic Party to the Nazi Party in World War II is as disgusting as it is shocking. Limbaugh’s use of the Nazi swastika in attempting to make a tasteless political comparison has no place in the public discourse.

“Just this past weekend, Minority Whip Eric Cantor said that the GOP ‘needs’ Mr. Limbaugh. He should immediately condemn Limbaugh’s hateful rhetoric in the strongest possible terms and encourage Republican Members to do the same.

“At a time when families need real solutions to rebuild the economy and make health care more affordable, Rush Limbaugh is attempting to sidetrack the important debate through his use of symbols that are synonymous with murder and intolerance. Americans deserve better.”

Fear of Limbaugh has pretty much paralyzed far too many of the true good people in the Republican Party.

The de facto leader of the Republican Party needs to have his title taken away, but it won’t happen until the good people in the GOP get some guts.

Don Imus Finds A Safe Haven With Sean Hannity, But Remains Bitter

I watched this excerpt from Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, as posted by Media Matters for America, and I have to admit … Don Imus almost would have fooled me had I not known what was coming at some point in the clip. For a few minutes, I saw a man who genuinely felt sorry and had gotten over personal bitterness for being called out relative to his nasty comments about the women of the Rutgers basketball team. But, this was an interview on Fox News and it was an interview conducted by Sean Hannity. So, you just knew at some point Hannity and Imus would have their anger boil up to the surface (otherwise, what would be the point of even doing the interview) and they would somehow tie everything to President Barack Obama. Imus danced on the head of a pin as he tried repeatedly to demonstrate his desire to take responsibility for his nasty comments about the women basketball players, but his anger showed through when he went into attack mode and brought in President Obama’s name to relieve his considerable frustration.

From Media Matters:

IMUS: Obama a “hypocritical phony” for demanding “context” for Rev. Wright comments but not being “willing to do that with me.”

You know the bigoted Sean Hannity (the one who questioned what good deeds Rev. Wright has done while forgetting his service in the military) was loving that little rage expressed by Imus, who (sadly) is struggling to leave the past in the past.

Imus made his comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team on April 4, 2007.

Barack Obama announced his run for the presidency about three months earlier and I question, at the time, whether Imus or anyone else outside of Illinois even knew much (or cared much) about him.

But, now that he’s president, it almost seems like Imus is looking for some kind pardon or something (who knows why the guy would bring up Obama’s name outside of the fact he was on a show with right-wing extremist Sean Hannity).

The interview (or, at the very least that clip) showed that Imus remains a bitter and selfish man who proved to be the real “hypocritical phony.”

White House Addresses Hate Coming From The Far Right Using Term ‘Nazi’

This kind of rhetoric was bound to happen as the extremists on the far right gain more and more power and influence. The hateful Rush Limbaugh, the de facto leader of the Republican Party, has gone off the deep end with his ridiculous talk comparing President Obama to Hitler and comparing (presumably) the Obama Administration to the Nazis. This is a dangerous time in our nation and the anger is reaching high DEFCON status thanks to men like Limbaugh, who have made a career out of hate. With our nation’s first black president, the anger we’ve seen at illegal immigration (almost exclusively for the nation’s southern border … and I’ll give you one guess as to why) and more, it’s dangerous to hear this kind of rhetoric coming from people of influence … people who could spark the next Timothy McVeigh to commit heinous and deadly acts of terror.

Rush Limbaugh has been right at the forefront of this hate as he tries to harness and direct anger coming from extremists on the far right (many of which have been in full view at these tea parties and now organizing to aggressively disrupt town hall meetings around the country). Take a look at the pattern of hate coming from Limbaugh as he repeatedly goes to Nazi references. Sadly, this is a disgrace of a man that many people listen to and believe in.

But, this Nazi talk is very dangerous and a slap into the face to those who suffered at the hands of Nazis (not that Limbaugh would necessarily care since his objective seems to be to scare whites into being afraid of this new black president).

Here is a response from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs as posted on Huffington Post:

“I know the president feels strongly that we can discuss these issues without personally maligning… that we are doing so in a way that respects the dignity of each individual,” he said. “I think anytime you make references to what happened in Germany in the 30’s and 40’s, I think you are talking about an event that has no equivalent. And I think anytime anyone ventures to compare anything to that, they are on thin ice, and it is best not employed.”

“But I think what the most important thing is, is that we can have a discussion in our democracy about where we want to go,” he added. “The president strongly believes we can do so without yelling at each other, pushing at each other or degrading each other. We have seen some stuff, I mentioned it a week ago, we have all seen imagery that just shocks and surprises us and I think the best thing to do is just take that temperature down a bit.”

It’s hard to appeal to the conscience of a proven bigot like Rush Limbaugh.

Here’s another comment about Limbaugh’s crazy words:

DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee)spokeswoman Jennifer Crider issued the following statement in response to Rush Limbaugh’s outrageous comments comparing Democrats to members of the Nazi Party and use of the Nazi swastika:

“Rush Limbaugh’s comparison of the Democratic Party to the Nazi Party in World War II is as disgusting as it is shocking. Limbaugh’s use of the Nazi swastika in attempting to make a tasteless political comparison has no place in the public discourse.

“Just this past weekend, Minority Whip Eric Cantor said that the GOP ‘needs’ Mr. Limbaugh. He should immediately condemn Limbaugh’s hateful rhetoric in the strongest possible terms and encourage Republican Members to do the same.

“At a time when families need real solutions to rebuild the economy and make health care more affordable, Rush Limbaugh is attempting to sidetrack the important debate through his use of symbols that are synonymous with murder and intolerance. Americans deserve better.”

Fear of Limbaugh has pretty much paralyzed far too many of the true good people in the Republican Party.

The de facto leader of the Republican Party needs to have his title taken away, but it won’t happen until the good people in the GOP get some guts.

Sonia Sotomayor Confirmed As U.S. Supreme Court Justice By Senate

Judge Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed, 68-31, by the United States Senate to become the first Latina justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s a marvelous achievement for a well-qualified judge who has had her name smeared by a number of conservative Republicans willing to stop at nothing to derail her nomination. Personally, I had no problem with people who wanted to vote against her based on qualifications, but for right wingers to try and paint her as a racist by using some out-of-context comments (while ignoring prior Supreme Court nominees who have made similar statements) was appalling.

This is from Think Progress:

By a 68-31 margin, the Senate has confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the first Latina Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Sotomayor’s swearing-in ceremony could take place as soon as tomorrow. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) released a statement praising the confirmation:

The confirmation of this immensely qualified individual, with her long history of public service, is an historic moment for the Senate, the judiciary, the Hispanic community, and each and every American. Her life story is the essence of the American dream. Regardless of our differences, this is a moment in which we can all celebrate the belief that in America, all things are possible. History will recall this time when we crossed paths with the quintessentially American journey of Sonia Sotomayor, and when the country took yet another step forward in fulfilling the promise of our great Nation.

The Republicans certainly did damage to themselves in the eyes of many Latinos. Now, only time will tell if those wounds can be healed.

Jim Quinn Takes Racist Shot At President Obama

Media Matters for America has an audio clip of far-right talk show host nut Jim Quinn taking a racist shot at President Obama as he calls him “brown man” while having a lunatic-type fit about health care.

Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200908050022

Rush Limbaugh Takes Sexist Swipe At Hillary Clinton

This is the headline of a Media Matters for America story.

Limbaugh on Bill Clinton’s trip to North Korea: “[W]here is Hillary? … Is North Korea too important to send the girl?”

Nothing like a sexist statement from Rush Limbaugh degrading Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

It’s interesting to see how little respect Limbaugh has for women.

Death Threats Against President Obama Skyrocket

Yeah, so much for us being all post-racial and everything. According to a Telegraph story President Obama faces about 30 death threats a day from the nuts still coming to grips with the ideas of a black president. Who knows how true that actually is, but it probably is pretty close to accurate if not right on the money. Of course, death threats against a president are nothing new, but the number of death threats against the president have increased dramatically since Barack Obama took office.

From the story:

Since Mr Obama took office, the rate of threats against the president has increased 400 per cent from the 3,000 a year or so under President George W. Bush, according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President’s Secret Service.

Some threats to Mr Obama, whose Secret Service codename is Renegade, have been publicised, including an alleged plot by white supremacists in Tennessee late last year to rob a gun store, shoot 88 black people, decapitate another 14 and then assassinate the first black president in American history.

Is anyone really surprised that the number of death threats have apparently gone above and beyond what we’ve seen in the past against a president?

No one should be surprised.

Richard Prince Blogs About ABC Legitimizing Radical Michelle Malkin

I know far-right blogger Michelle Malkin has a book coming out, but ABC providing her a platform to help her sell books on a panel with far more credible individuals is puzzling at best and indefensible at worst. Was it because she was selling a book and making the media rounds to drum up publicity for the shots she is taking at the Obama Administration? Like some other bloggers, I too found it almost shocking to see her on ANC’s “This Week” trying to talk politics with George Stephanopoulus, Cynthia Tucker, Al Hunt and Gerald Seib. In that group, the almost irrationally-partisan Malkin sticks out like a sore thumb just hit by a hammer.

Here isRichard Prince’s take on Michelle Malkin in a blog titled: ABC’s “This Week” Legitimizes Michelle Malkin:

It’s been 10 years since Michelle Malkin, then a Seattle Times editorial writer and columnist, disparaged Unity ‘99 in her column, saying, “I am not a brown jelly bean. . . . For better or worse, I want readers to know me for my ideas, ideology and idiosyncrasies — not for my Filipino heritage. This is why, after more than a half-dozen years in the newspaper business, I refuse to join race-based organizations such as the Asian-American Journalists Association.”

Malkin moved to Washington and wrote such works as “In Defense of Internment: The Case for “Racial Profiling” in World War II and the War on Terror” (2004)

By and large, however, Malkin was considered a rather fringe, Ann Coulter-type character — until Sunday, when she was invited to share the reporter’s roundtable of ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos, with mainstream veterans Cynthia Tucker, Al Hunt and Gerald Seib.

It was her first time. “She’s a provocative conservative voice with a new book,” ABC spokeswoman Emily Lenzner explained to Journal-isms.

“There’s no shortage of wingnuts out there, so why would George Stephanopoulos invite on someone too crazy for even Bill O’Reilly?” John Amato asked on his Crooks and Liars blog.

“Only people with a Malkin brain would believe and push across the notion that Americans would rather collect three hundred dollars a week on unemployment insurance rather than get a job that supplies benefits and pays a salary,” as Malkin did on “This Week.”

“The Huffington Post adds:

“‘Everybody just sort of looked at Malkin, like she was INSANE, and George Stephanopoulos very politely said, ‘Uhm . . . I don’t know if I follow that.’ To which Malkin replied: ‘BUT IT WAS A CLINTON ECONOMIST, BLARGLE!’ Stephanopoulos was still a bit dumbfounded, wondering why anyone in their right mind would take unemployment benefits ‘when a job was available.’”

Certainly she is a provocative voice with a new book, but is this where the bar is set to earn a spot on a show that is supposed to be as prestigious as ABC’s “This Week” is nowadays (selling a book and coming across as provocative)?

To some extent, she tried to hide her partisanship (or at least turn down the volume on it), but it was apparently too difficult for her.

Crooks and Liars gives an example of how obsessed she has become with attacking the Obama Administration (in an interview she did on Fox News with another right-wing extremist, Sean Hannity):

Especially the complete and utter loss of perspective:

HANNITY: Now that you’ve done all this research — and I’ll let the audience, because you really, with great specificity and detail, go into the corruption — how corrupt is this administration compared to others?

MALKIN: Well, I think you have to judge them by their rhetoric. And if you look at the gap between the rhetoric and the reality, this has to be one of the corrupt, most corrupt administrations in recent memory.

Hmmm. I dunno about you, but when I look at the levels of corruption within an administration, I look for actual things like, you know, corruption. Things like Halliburton and Enron.

Apparently, Malkin has a short memory for presidential administration scandals.

I wonder if Malkin will measure Dick Cheney’s rhetoric against the reality of Bush Administration scandals.

Remember these words from Cheney:

We can restore the ideals of honesty and honor that must be a part of our national life, if our children are to thrive. When I look at the administration now in Washington, I am dismayed by opportunities squandered. Saddened by what might have been, but never was. These have been years of prosperity in our land, but little purpose in the White House. Bill Clinton vowed not long ago to hold onto power “until the last hour of the last day.” That is his right. But, my friends, that last hour is coming. That last day is near. The wheel has turned. And it is time. It is time for them to go.

George W. Bush will repair what has been damaged. He is a man without pretense and without cynicism. A man of principle, a man of honor. On the first hour of the first day he will restore decency and integrity to the Oval Office. He will show us that national leaders can be true to their word and that they can get things done by reaching across the partisan aisle, and working with political opponents in good faith and common purpose. I know he’ll do these things, because for the last five years I’ve watched him do them in Texas.

George W. Bush came to the governor’s office with a clear view of what he wanted to achieve. He said he would bring higher standards to public schools, and he has. Walk into those schools today, and you will see children with better scores, classrooms with better discipline and teachers with better pay.

Uh, right.

What say you Michelle Malkin? …

How about the gap between that rhetoric and these scandals (to name a few):

Halliburton’s Corruption
Iraq’s Decline
Weapons of mass destruction
Mission Accomplished
Abu Ghraib Prison Torture
CIAPre-9/11 Intelligence Failures
HHS Deceptive Ad Campaign
HHS Scully Scandal
Government-wide Accounting Problems
Real Costs of the Iraq War

Birthers: This Irrational Nut Is Your Leader

Right-Wing Nut Birthers Resort To Forged Birth Certificate To Attack President Obama

Some of these right-wing moronic birthers have really just taken a dive off the deep end.

In their efforts to attack President Obama, birthers are now attempting to use a forged birth certificate to try and assert that Barack Obama was born in Kenya. These extremists will go to any and all extremes to attack President Obama and try to portray our president as not being one of us. Boy, don’t you love those good Americans who will pull garbage like this for their own sinister purposes? I love the line in this article that talks about the weirdos who are so quick to doubt Obama’s authenticated birth certificate, but so quick to embrace a mysterious forged birth certificate that fits their obsessive agenda of lies and negativity.

From Huffington Post:

The latest development in the Obama “birther” conspiracy is the emergence of a “Kenyan birth certificate” for the president, put online by movement maven Orly Taitz.

Oddly, the same people who are so skeptical of Obama’s Hawaii birth certificate are willing to accept this new document despite many flaws, documented by the Washington Independent’s Dave Weigel and Markos Moulitsas.

The fact that these birthers are following the lead of a nut like Taitz, and agreeing with so much of she says as they nod continuously like mindless bobbleheads, proves the idiocy of their discredited agenda.

I am a little disappointed … I expected the fake birth certificate to come out sooner and with fewer errors.

Individuals who attempt to hide their hatred for President Obama rarely let the facts get in the way of a piss-poor lie that has spiraled out of control.

Another Wacky Andrew Breitbart Far-Right Column

Whining from the far-right birther nuts about President Obama’s birth certificate is serving only to make conservatives look like radicals cloaking their racism in the so-called birther movement. Now, from Washington Times columnist Andrew Breitbart, comes another tired attack on President Obama, using his college transcript as their weapon of choice . Like many conservatives, he has been bashing the president’s attempt to bring together Sgt. James Crowley and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. after their unfortunate incident that ended in the unnecessary arrest of Gates and started a national conversation on race.

From Breitbart:

My long-held fear is that Mr. Obama is hiding something about his education. During the endless 2008 campaign, Mr. Obama would not release his college grades. Given that President George W. Bush and Sens. Al Gore and John Kerry all had proved mediocre grades were no impediment to a presidential bid, Mr. Obama likely had other concerns.

While I have no desire to see Mr. Obama’s birth certificate, I do want to see his college transcripts. My suspicion, one could even call it a conspiracy theory, is that Mr. Obama committed himself to a radical curriculum, aligned himself with the far-left professoriate, and sought to keep this biographical information from his political enemies, especially then-rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, for fear that they would paint the former community organizer and follower of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright as something other than an advocate of racial reconciliation.

Here we go back to the right-wing efforts to paint President Obama as a black radical interested in taking revenge on the white man. Considering what we know about President Obama, such a notion would be laughable if it weren’t all too real. Breitbart, as most of the far-right nuts do, got in his gratuitous mention of Rev. Jeremiah Wright (as another way of portraying the president as an angry black radical).

Racial reconciliation is code for reparations (designed to frighten whites even though it these far-right nuts forget Barack Obama is half white).

More from Breitbart:

The Democratic Party – which is now Mr. Obama’s party – now depends on the ability to keep blacks in fear: of cops, of Republicans, of conservatives, of “Uncle Toms,” and even of Tiger Woods, who proves that America, while still imperfect, is clearly heading in the right direction.

This is a disturbing excerpt. I find it interesting how conservative whites, in love with the GOP, are now experts on race relations. It’s not really much of a secret that many Republicans feel this way about the relationship between blacks and the Democratic Party. But, to say that the Democratic Party depends on fear to keep blacks in line is not only stupid, but offensive, insulting and degrading to the intelligence of black people. Breitbart paints a dark (pun intended) picture of black people (those who are not highly conservative) as being something akin to to uneducated slaves.

Really, there is painfully little Republicans have next to nothing to offer minorities (while refusing to denounce hostile attitudes toward race relations in the GOP).

This is the reason that blacks tend to vote Democratic in elections.

The comment about Tigers Woods is just plain dumb. Black people, many of whom would not have been welcomed at a lot of golf or country clubs, embraced Tiger Woods strongly when the golfer first burst onto the scene and grabbed the nation’s attention. People who didn’t know the difference between a driver and a putter suddenly wanted to play.

One more comment from Breitbart:

It took black and white blue-collar civil servants to expose that the race game is rigged at the highest levels. The majority in the United States wants to enter a better, more egalitarian and diverse, and even racially mixed future.

I am not sure this is the case with Republicans, who lack true diversity, and that is a shame.

This last note from Breitbart: His latest endeavor, Big Hollywood (http://bighollywood.breitbart .com), is a group blog on Hollywood and politics from the center-right perspective.

Come on, now.

There is nothing center about that group blog … it is heavy on the far right and light (almost invisible) in the center.

Michelle Malkin An Advocate For Bone-Headed Tea Party Movement

Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin was talking with George Stephanopoulos about these moronic and sparsely-attended tea parties we’ve seen sprouting up since President Obama has been in office. Malkin, as a far-right extremist, has been feeling the tea parties (a gathering of mostly far-right nuts who are using taxes as a way of attacking President Obama). Much like the birther morons, who are cloaking their racism with this birth certificate nonsense, the tea party bobbleheads are driving the Republican brand into extinction.

From Think Progress:

This morning, right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin joined the ABC roundtable on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Asked what the conservative opposition strategy is going to be this coming month while Congress is in recess, Malkin said there is a growing “tea party movement — these counterinsurgencies amongst taxpayer rights groups” — that is fomenting opposition to Obama’s health care plan.

Malkin claimed the Obama administration has “vastly underestimated just how grassroots this movement is.” Lawmakers are going to face “townhalls-gone-wild,” she added.

The term “counter-insurgencies” does reveal the mentality of conservatives in opposition to Obama. Like Bill Kristol has said, the right wing is bluntly stating that it is going “for the kill.” Malkin has previously declare her hope that Obama fails.

Malkin has had a prejudice against President Obama from the beginning and it makes me wonder what her prejudice is truly based on. I am not sure it’s as obvious as her followers would like to believe. The administration vastly underestimated the high degree of hatred that is being felt by a number of people on the far right still struggling to come to grips with the first black president and what some people have described as the “browning of America” with the growing Latino population and the growing number of people who are biracial.

Let these birther and tea bagging nuts have their little townhalls so people can see just how extreme the right wing is going these days and how out of touch Republicans are becoming with blacks and Latinos (it will get worse with Latinos as Republicans continue to beat up on U.S. Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor).

I doubt the Obama Administration is too concerned about the diversity-challenged and intellect-challenged tea party movement.

Nutty Michelle Malkin Rushing To Judge President Obama

Far-right nutblogger Michelle Malkin has been waging a little war against President Obama, who is the first black president of the United States of America (and who walked into a mess that included a financial meltdown, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a housing crisis and a diminished level of respect for the USA around the world). A part of Malkin’s partisan and misguided war effort is her new book crying about President Obama and corruption just six months into his presidency.

When did career player hater Malkin, drunk with blind-rage prejudice, start writing this book about Obama Administration corruption if he’s only been in office six months?

Malkin is a bitter and small person who clearly seems to be unhappy unless she’s angry.

Check out this Crooks and Liars video during which host Bill Maher makes fun of the ridiculous rush to judgement on the part of Michelle Malkin, a conservative opportunist trying to cash in on President Obama’s popularity while appealing to a shrinking minority of bigots who follow her every word like mindless morons.

The title of her book is funny and ironic coming off the prior presidency.

How Much Of A Nose Dive Can Lou Dobbs’ Ratings At CNN Take?

CNN’s conservative host Lou Dobbs, who is severely damaging the credibility of CNN as a true and honest-to-goodness news organization, may be taking a hit in the ratings according to The New York Observer. This is no surprise. Dobbs has been so one-side and so pig-headed in pushing this birther non-story, that he is behaving more like a Fox News operative placed at CNN to destroy it from within. In many ways, Dobbs’ obsession with the birther story fits his conservative xenophobic pattern (his other obsession is barking endlessly about illegal immigration).

From The New York Observer:

To wit: According to The Observer’s analysis of Nielsen data, in recent weeks, as criticism of Mr. Dobbs has continued to go up, his ratings at CNN have continued to go down.

Mr. Dobbs’ first began reporting on Obama birth certificate conspiracy theories on the night of Wednesday, July 15. In the roughly two weeks since then, from July 15 through July 28, Mr. Dobbs’ 7 p.m. show on CNN has averaged 653,000 total viewers and 157,000 in the 25-54 demo.

By contrast, during the first two weeks of the month (July 1 to July 14) Mr. Dobbs averaged 771,000 total viewers and 218,000 in the 25-54 demo. In other words, Mr. Dobbs’ audience has decreased 15 percent in total viewers and 27 percent in the demo since the start of the controversy.

Arguably, interest in cable news has slumped across the board since early July when attention over Michael Jackson’s death was still at a fever pitch.

But, that said, Mr. Dobbs’ ratings over the past two weeks, during the height of the “birthers” controversy, are also down significantly compared to his overall numbers during the second quarter of 2009 when he averaged 769,000 total viewers and 222,000 in the 25-54 demo.

In summary, if Mr. Dobbs’ affinity for “birthers” is a ratings ploy, it’s a pretty ineffective one.

But, how far can a man’s ratings truly nose dive if he already is at the bottom of the barrel?

It’s a relatively short fall for Lou Dobbs.

Republican Nuts Still Doubt President Obama’s Citizenship

Need more evidence of how nutty some on the far right of the political spectrum have become with their obsessive hatred of Barack Obama, our president?

Has any president in the history of the United States of America had his citizenship questioned as much as Barack Obama has – in spite of overwhelming evidence of his being born in Hawaii?

Huffington Post:

Less than half of Republicans believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States of America, a new public opinion poll finds.

Only 42 percent of Republican respondents in a Research 2000 survey, conducted for the liberal website Daily Kos, said they thought Obama was a natural born citizen; 28 percent said they did not believe Obama was born in the United States; 30 percent said they were not sure.

The responses, which were gathered after several prominent conservative media personalities fed suspicion that Obama was unconstitutionally holding office, show the extent to which the conspiracy has taken hold in the GOP.

That only a plurality of Republicans were willing to acknowledge the president was born in America is nothing short of astounding, considering the preponderance of evidence that confirms his Hawaiian birth.

This is so sad, but hardly a surprise. The far-right extremists have hijacked a once-great party and turned it into a crude caricature.

Check out the article’s later portion to see, from a geographical standpoint, where the birthers are most obsessed and extreme.

Self-Centered Cambridge Officer Leon Lashley Still Doesn’t Get It

Cambridge Police Sgt. Leon Lashley really just needs to be quiet … seriously, Leon.

The following is an excerpt from a CNN story about the White House meeting that included Sgt. James Crowley, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and President Obama.

Meanwhile, a black Cambridge police sergeant on the scene the day of Gates’ arrest wrote a letter to Crowley, asking him to mention to Gates and Obama that he is now known as the “black sergeant” and to some others as an “uncle Tom.”

“I’m forced to ponder the notion that as a result of speaking the truth and coming to the defense of a friend and colleague, who just happens to be white, that I have somehow betrayed my heritage,” Sgt. Leon Lashley wrote. “Please convey my concerns to the president that Mr. Gates’ actions may have caused grave and potentially irreparable harm to the struggle for racial harmony in this country and perhaps throughout the world.”

Note to Leon: Quit crying.

You put yourself in this situation by speaking out and stepping into the spotlight.

Simply pointing the finger at one individual in this case while absolving the other is not only wrong, but counterproductive.

If Leon Lashley is feeling any pain, it’s self-inflicted pain.

Here is Lashley’s statement:

“One of the major problems stemming from the events of July 16 is that I, now known as ‘the black sergeant’, have had my image plastered all over the Internet, television and newspapers. Subsequently, I have also become known, at least to some, as an ‘Uncle Tom.”

I am forced to ponder the notion that as a result of speaking the truth and coming to the defense of a friend and collegue, who just happens to be white, that I have somehow betrayed my heritage.

Please convey my concerns to the President that Mr. Gates’ actions may have caused grave and potentially irreparable harm to the struggle for racial harmony in this country and perhaps throughout the world.

In closing, I would simply like to ask that Mr. Gates deeply reflect on the events that have unfolded since July 16 and ask himself the following questions: “What can I do to help heal the rift caused by some of my actions?; What responsibility do I bear for what occurred on July 16, 2009?; Is there anything I can do to mitigate the damage done to the reputations of two respected Police Officers?”

There’s no doubt the “Uncle Tom” label stings. But, you can’t walk into the fire and not expect to be burned.

Again, Leon Lashley interjected himself into the mix and had to know where this was headed. If he didn’t then he needs to have his head examined. President Obama got involved in the discussion and took some heat, but he took it without blaming James Crowley or Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Leon, knock it off and accept the consequences of your actions. Also, Leon, ask yourself about the damage done to the reputation of Prof. Gates and quit being so self-centered.

As I wrote earlier, Leon, “you can’t walk into the fire and not expect to be burned.”

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).

Officer Apologizes For Racial Slur Against Henry Louis Gates Jr.

It seems Boston Police Department Officer Justin Barrett has come out and issued an apology for a nasty e-mail in which he calls Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. a “banana-eating jungle monkey.” Yeah, apparently he did in fact write that message. You can see Barrett’s apology below. Now, who knows what the record of Barrett is with regard to such poor conduct (if, in fact, he does have a prior history). His record may be squeaky clean (outside of this substantial stain). I don’t know that Barrett should necessarily be fired, but if he is not relieved of his duties … his margin for error should be pretty small.

Here is an excerpt from a story published online by CNN:

A Boston police officer who sent a mass e-mail referring to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. as a “banana-eating jungle monkey” has apologized, saying he’s not a racist.

Officer Justin Barrett told a Boston television station on Wednesday night that he was sorry for the e-mail.

“I regret that I used such words,” Barrett told CNN affiliate WCVB-TV. “I have so many friends of every type of culture and race you can name. I am not a racist.”

Barrett was placed on administrative leave after the e-mail surfaced, and he might lose his job as a result.

In a news conference held Thursday morning, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis denounced the e-mail.

“We have a relationship to maintain with the community,” he said. “Police officers certainly have First Amendment rights, but they can’t cross the line. I believe this crosses the line.”

Remember all of that talk about us being post-racial … I guess we’re not there yet and maybe not even close as we’ve seen with some of the far-right anger directed at our nation’s first black president.

CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/30/gates.police.apology/index.html