Wilson Rebuke Gives Voice To Concern Over Racially-Tinged Attacks

McClatchy:

In their effort to admonish Rep. Joe Wilson, both white and black lawmakers in the House of Representatives voiced deep concern over a string of what they think are racially motivated attacks on the nation's first black president.

"There's no question that if you look at some of the actions and comments being made, there's a fringe element that has staked out a racial position towards African-Americans that never has been open for public display" until now, said Rep. Henry Johnson, D-Ga., a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Wilson "didn't help the cause of diversity and balance with his remarks."

Read the whole story: McClatchy

Comments

[Ohioan730]

"He's not an Amurrican. He's a Kenyun socialist!"

"Go back to Kenya!"

Let's see where have I heard that before....kindda sounds like "Go back to Africa, welfare queens!"

Nope. This is not about race. Not at all.

[hhayden]

A socialist certainly - a Marxist probably. Where he was born is still unceratin.

But who has been saying go back to Kenya?

[DrBritesnide]

AP--

In December 2003, when Essie Mae Washington-Williams acknowledged that she was the illegitimate daughter of the recently-deceased South Carolina Senator Storm Thurmond, Joe “You Lie” Wilson said he didn’t believe her.




Rep. Wilson, a former page of Thurmond’s, immediately told The State newspaper that he didn’t believe Williams. He deemed the revelation “unseemly.” And he added that even if she was telling the truth, she should have kept the inconvenient facts to herself:



“It’s a smear on the image that [Thurmond] has as a person of high integrity who has been so loyal to the people of South Carolina,” Wilson said.



Wilson eventually had to apologize for his own smeaer on Essie Mae, and he continued to maintain that she shouldn’t have gone public.

I think that establishes Jowe Wilson as a racist quite nicely.

[hmsbeagle]

Hhayden ,

You would never know either a Marxist or a Socialist if one bit you in the arse . go ahead tells us by list the communist manifesto . (I bet you are googling away )

[Mitsy]

Good. This needed to be said in Congress. Amazing how these people are quick to point out faults and motives of others, but cannot see their own hearts. Ever since Obama went in office, I have never heard seen so much disrespect with subtle nuances on race, monkeys in e-mail, pics of apes, nazi signs, nazi comments, you name it, and I have been through quite a few elections in this country. You cannot tell me that race is not a a silent motivator in all of this-a black man in office? Pleeze. They are just hiding under this healthcare and all other seemingly concerned american citizen facade. they are concerned about the country being run by a black man-period!that is the underlying fear. It is time it is being discussed, because it is an increasingly frustrating thing to see teh developments and htere is a growing restlessness amond the public-non-racists white and black, due to this obvious elelphant in the damn room, and no one is addressing the real issue.

[hhayden]

Sure, they are. The real issue is oppressive government. And we won't be distracted by phony claims of racism.

[DrBritesnide]

Republican house member Joseph Cao has cast the deciding vote to rebuke Joe "the kra~ker" Wilson and vote in favor of Public Option heathcare.

The rest of the GOP can follow or the can drift like Somali Pirates.

[hhayden]

You may get your way and we as Americans will all lose. I'm glad I lived most of my life in relative freedom. Our kids will probably never have that experiance.

[DrBritesnide]

My kids are having a wonderful experience, thank you and they'll have a perfect one after dreck like you are back under the rocks the slithered from.

[sepiasiren]

Wow--and Obama will make the sky rain down blood and take the Internet away.

ROFLMAO...

[Shadow08]

i know the republicans are desperate to put the racism genie back in trhe bottle, but it'[s to late. The signs, the threats, the songs, the slurs and the overwhemling approval of the republican/conseravtives is what made this a racist issue. I think it's simply hilarious after everything we witnessed for them to try and blame the racism on the democrats. Republicans, you started it, we will finish it by finishing off your party.

[hhayden]

It's not a race issue and it never will be, no matter how often you say it is. It's a issue of bad government. I think people generally will tire of the ingenuous accusations, if they already haven't.

[chrisTN38]

To imply that race has nothing to do with is naive. It's not everything, but when people are holding up signs that say go back to Kenya??? come on now. Like I said, it's not a majority of it. Some people just have a problem with bigger government. I have not heard many conservative stand up and say this stuff is wrong. They may not promote it, but they let it gin up like they did with the birther nonsense. Whatever hurts the President. it's wrong!!

[obamagal]

Are you really this naive, or simply blind?

[BigPictureReg]

If an African-American congressman had said 'You Lie' to President Bush, all he l l would have broken loose.

That congressman/woman would have been threatened within an inch of his/her life within 24 hours by all manner of unofficial Republican surrogates.

There would have been no end to '...this is the appreciation for all of the opportunities that have been given to them...' by talk shows, blogs and message boards.

Immediate calls for his/her resignation would have been repeated on FOX, Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly and the subject of renewed campaign issues in districts where this message would sell. Hannity would not have offered fund raising support on his web site.

Polls and fund raising for that person would plunge. Threats would be lodged against those still providing financial support. Key supporters would be publicized.

American pride and respect for the President would have been given an immediate resurgence.

Your naivete' is profound if you think otherwise.

[chomedey]

Bye bye Mr. WWWWWiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllssssssssssssooooooooonnnnnnnnnnn

[DrBritesnide]

hhayden I'm a Fan of hhayden I'm a fan of this user 41 fans permalink
It's not a race issue and it never will be, no matter how often you say it is.

An excellent rason to leave these politically bu the wayside, and discredit then socially.

[hhayden]

I don't understand your sentence. Could you diagram it for me?

And I doubt you are my fan, but if you say so.

[mootown]

Don't forget Rob Miller running against Wilson. ActBlue has contributions now at $930,000.00.

http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/19079

This is where we make real change. Throw the bums out, and I am willing to go after Dems and get Progressives in.

[Philclock]

What's a "Progressive" and why would I vote for one?

[sepiasiren]

Do a little research...

[Shadow08]

You wouldn't, so dont worry about it. it's over your head. .

[hhayden]

It's the radical socialist arm of the democrat party. They want government control over every aspect of society. They seek to use the power of the government to force their notion of how society should be on the nation as a whole. If you like oppressive overwhelming government, they are your sort of people. They think you can milk the wealthy to in order to keep the poor under the governments thumb.

You shouldn't

[urnumbersix]

OK. On top of everything else any POTUS has to do - especially this POTUS at this point in time - Obama has to swallow, yet deflect, the racist comments and sentiments coming from his own fellow Americans! I cannot imagine.

No wonder his hair is graying as fast as Moses when he came off the mountain with the tablets in Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments."

Obama HAS to have his "deflector shield Up" to withstand this racism. But you know it has to hurt his heart personally (as all racist acts affect each victim personally). Like all POC, he tries to ignore it, but it still hurts. To mix metaphors, under the "old" rules, Trekkies know that you cannot fire when your Deflector Shields are up. WE must make sure Obama has enough room to give the command, often: "Deflector Shields down. Fire!!" We have to help Obama fight for us.

Do it! In our everyday lives. Call out this foolishness when we see and hear it. Defend basic humanity. It matters. Every time.

[nooel]

Are you one in the 12% who think that opposition to Obama is because of race?

[DrBritesnide]

are YOU one of the 17% that opposes Obama?

[mootown]

Hey you, in the sunglasses. Take them off and look around instead of just putting your mouth in gear. If you don't think that is part of the equation of hate, then your brain must have atrophied about the time dylan put those shades on.

[hhayden]

They seem to have all collected here.

[standup4usa]

So now with the GOP going after Rangel for tax evasion, embezzlement among other things is a racist issue???

You can punish a white man for passionately speaking his mind but will not touch the black man with a laundry list of felonies??

Please explain this logic

[hhayden]

Don't hold your breath. Leftist run on emotion not logic.

[DrBritesnide]

And the right runs on smear not fact.

[mootown]

That is funny since looking at the teabaggers, birthers, 10thers, Goopers, and the rest of the cartoon bunch at the events, it seems all they are running on is emotion--sans facts.

[Petey131]

Righties have neither

[DrBritesnide]

You'd have to have a mind to speak it.

Yelling like a liquord up weed-hooper at a cock-fight may be passionate, but it's hardly mindful.

[DrBritesnide]

You'd have to have a mind to speak it.

Yelling like a drunken weed-hooper at a cock-fight may be passionate, but it's hardly mindful.

[hhayden]

How would you know?

[Petey131]

You must be white, right?

[hhayden]

Why does that matter so much - you seem obsessed.

[DrBritesnide]

Apparently hhayden is lecturing us on racial ethics by way of Rev. Wright. isn't it interesting how racists use eliptical reasoning to justify something so insidious?

[Shadow08]

it never fails.

[hhayden]

Where's the lecture. Just my point of view. You can take it ot leave it as I do yours.

No "ratial ethics" whatever that is. I just don't think it's productive to call someone racist when it's bad policy that is being challenged.

[DrBritesnide]

I'll leave it thank you.

And bad policy does'nt usually result in majority approval.

[Petey131]

So naive, soooo naive...

[nooel]

Polls show that 12% of Americans believe that opposition to Obama is because of race. The media doesn't report this poll. Also, the media conveniently edited this

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://s.azcentral.com/home/File-/picture/67955/1/0&imgrefurl=http://s.azcentral.com/home/Blog/PHXBeat/60504/sort_A/Offset220&usg=__77QPjmsRqNrBn8TqpnPU-gWNlrE=&h=480&w=360&sz=58&hl=en&start=8&um=1&tbnid=elsOjAeWrOLeoM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drifle%2Bobama%2Brally%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26um%3D1

picture of the guy carrying the AR-15 at the Obama town hall protest, who is a black guy

[Prakosh]

A little late with all that aren't you, Blob. I guess you just don't have anything new to talk about huh? Better start reading. Did you already finish Grieder's book on the Federal Reserve.

[nooel]

Hatin the facts...

[hhayden]

Why go after Obama on race anyway when his ideas and his initatives are so bad. That's more than enough. Obama is as white as he is black and he was raised by whites in paradise.

[DrBritesnide]

And your assertions are as wrong as the are untrue.

[Shadow08]

You need to ask your birthers, gun totting, sign carrying brothers and sisters that question. Why indeed. That question goes to the racists who threaten and slander the duly elected president.

[chrisTN38]

What ideas are you takling about? Health Reform? Energy?
I seriously have no idea what the Repulicans are passionate about. Serious. I have not heard any ideas other than purchasing insurance across state lines (which is a good idea). The majority of them are just against anything that the Democrats are for. Please enlighten me. Please

[nooel]

Its funny because Fox, who pretty much ignored the claim until the poll came out, now is talking about it as much as any other news source. They're now trying to hang the accusation on the liberal side of the media like an albatross.

[Prakosh]

Oh, well if FOX is talking about it must be true.

[mootown]

OMG that is HI larious. Please, I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

[urnumbersix]

Michael Steele again? Or Ron Christie? Alan Keyes? (Colin & Condi have been kicked out of the "GOP tent") What else you got? A couple of others, who were so rare that they were actually interviewed on Beck's show, & Clarence Thomas?

Doesn't it BOTHER you that so few people of color resonate with your message? Doesn't it tell you something? Or is it A-OK with you, regardless of immutable demographic trends?

Good luck with that. See you in the Future.

[mootown]

Dylan should sue for appropriation of his image.

[DrBritesnide]

Can you BELIEVE this dolt?

[nooel]

didn't know dylan had a party affiliation?

[Prakosh]

According to AnnfromCA "Racism, sexism, ageism, and other forms of prejudice are all about thinking." No Ann, these ism's like all isms are not "about thinking," they are about not thinking.

Blind allegiance to a set of ideas has nothing whatever to do with thinking.

[EndRacismNow]

Agreed. Ideologies are dangerous because they suppress independent thought.

[DrBritesnide]

You certainly seem to be able to swallow them whole and vomit them up when needed.

[Shadow08]

Not always, you generalize. There are just ideologies in this world. Equal rights were at one time viewed as just the ideology of minorities. And, as far as independent thought...well, thats up to an individual. Your thoughts are yours, if nothing else in the universe is.

[hhayden]

Than a lot of Obama Zombies need waking up.

[DrBritesnide]

Name calling eh?

Thought you were above that?

Racists always revert to form when ccornered.

[Petey131]

Hey pre-schooler take a nap.

[mootown]

Exactly, like "faith" you just hold on to an ideology in spite of FACTS. I belonged to a church that was considered a cult by some and we were told NOT to think--put everything on God despite the facts. I was told to put a card on my mirror that said "Do Not Reason". The people who watch Fox seriously are AFRAID--scared to death and want someone to tell them what to think and who to bow to along with who to hate. That "eevil forces" are all around them trying to kill them, bankrupt them, diss them, take away their country even tho to continue to follow them will pretty much do to them what they are afraid of. This is a CULT. Facts do not matter. Also, if everyone is against them, the members KNOW they are on God's side.

[Petey131]

Did "Ann" mention Sarah in her comments? I am getting worries that she is falling out of love...

[DrBritesnide]

No...

she was too busy using racist stereotypes to prove she was'nt a racist.

[sarabono]

Right. Attack him cause he is a white guy from the South. I would call that racism.

[DrBritesnide]

What would you call villifying a mixed race woman who announces sthat she's the daughter of Strom Thrumond?

[MomoReport]

Actually he is more orange than white - would you not agree?

[Softnsweet]

After what Wilson did, he should be attacked. Now get with that!

[Shadow08]

What did her get his feelings hurt? And, he's not being attacked. he's being held accountable for his deed.

[Prakosh]

Help I'm a victim, help I'm a victim. I have been attacked unfairly! Help I'm a victim!!!

This is like the ki.ller crying because he got sentenced to pri.son.

But it is what the right does best. They att.ack and when they get caught or have to pay the price for their actions, suddenly they are the victim.

Never fails!!!

Help I'm a victim.

[sepiasiren]

I know--they bullied and slapped folks aroudn for eight years now want us to all forget and just try to "get along".

Tyrants and hypocrites!

[EndRacismNow]

Why is it when it comes to race the left is so narrow minded and self righteous? People have been trained to viciously attack those who disagree with them. They seem to think that it is still 1950 or something. For some reason all progress with racial relations is ignored and instead they believe all whites secretly have KKK meetings. It's a great tool of intimidation to silence free speech by calling your opponent names and putting them on the defensive. Why people won't acknowledge how far we've come is beyond me. Only 50 years ago blacks were hunted down and lynched in the south when their only crime was the color of their skin. Segregation wouldn't let blacks sit in the front of the bus or use the same water fountains. In Europe horrible atrocities were committed against ethnic minorities on a mass scale. That was racism. Unfortunately, the term has been twisted to mean practically anything. Racist has almost become a racial slur in itself meaning 'A bad white person'. So I guess it is a waste of time to try to convince these people.

[IllinoisTexan43]

Another bit of the cognitive dissonance from the right. Why do they hang the albatross of Rev. Wright on President Obama and say he sees the world from that perspective, yet Wilson, belonging to a quasi white supremacist organization and an all white country club can be viewed as 'neutral' in his criticism and his outburst to President Obama. Is there racism in that inference or is just an idealogically stupid inference from the right? Why is one man said to be the sum of his experiences and the other one isn't?

[hhayden]

What is this "....quasi white supremacist organization?" The Moose Lodge?

How come there is a congressional black caucus and not a congressional white one? Why is there a black police officers union and not a white one? Why a Miss Black America and not a white one? Careful when you cry racism. You are on very shaky ground.

Were blacks who were against the Bush policies racist?

[EndRacismNow]

I hear where your coming from but that won't convince the white bigotry crowd. They can't fathom that whites are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to race. All whites are privileged royalty that plan the destruction of all other races in their eyes. They seem to forget that there are poor and middle class whites who aren't part of the elite. I can't stand the super elite as much as any lib but they don't realize the elite use race to keep the American people divided so that they can't rise up and restore the Constitutional Republic that this country once was.

[IllinoisTexan43]

Just answer the question. Why is President Obama viewed as racist by the right because of his association with Rev. Wright(who had a very diverse congregation) but they believe Rep. Wilson's remarks aren't tinged with prejudice even though he has ties to a white supremacy group? Why the double standard?

[RiceStarz]

To answer your question, The Sons of the Confederacy. Those minority groups exist because of previous non or under representation in the "main stream". That's why. Same for various womens groups, gay groups, autism groups, yada yada yada...

[Bon1042]

Your argument is specious. The Congress is and always has been majority white. The POINT of minority or women's caususes or a separate group for their LEGITIMATE concerns is because those concerns historically don't get the attention they need.

The husband of a young woman I worked with 25 yrs ago said to her: "WOMEN's colleges, what do you need WOMEN's colleges for !!! Because they were not ALLOWED to attend colleges by and for men. the 1848 Women's Convention at Seneca Falls NY was for the purpose of pushing for women's basic rights. Women had no rights even to their basic person. They had no economic right to any income they earned, it was turned over to their fathers or husbands. They had no legal rights, to make contracts etc. If they could get a divorce, they had no rights to their children, they were the "property of the husband." And of course as a reflection of these FACTS, women had no right to vote.

[Shadow08]

No, there is no shaky ground, only your perception. There are organizations with the prefix "black" because of the struggle. They had to stick together to get anywhere. . There is an original sin in America and it was Slavery. Don't you understand anything about the human condition? If America had been fair to African Americans, they would have never needed a Black Caucus, or Black arm of the FOP or their own beauty pagent. . They playing field had to get at least a slant toward LEVEL, and Black Americans had to do it alone, on their own, and your narrow view is proof of why and how it had to be done. Do you think the collective Black American would have ever advanced if they depended on people like you. People that would not let them got to school, vote, ride a bus or drink from a fountain? You're angry now, because their day is dawning and the sun is setting on yours.

[vanmungo]

A comment from the left, from Russell Mokhiber of www.singlepayeraction.org:

Joe Wilson calls President Obama a liar.

That’s disgraceful.

Some Democrats want him censured.

President Obama and the Democrats turn their backs on single payer — the only health care reform that covers everyone and control costs.

By so doing, they are condemning at least 60 Americans a day to death (Institute of Medicine report) due to lack of health insurance.

That’s disgraceful.

Eighty-six Democrats in the House are signed on to Congressman John Conyers’s (D-Michigan) single payer bill (HR 676).

But not one has said they will vote against the break the bank, leave tens of millions of Americans uninsured Obamacare.

Not even Conyers.

None of the so called “progressive caucus” has said they will vote against it.

HR 676 is being used a way to placate the Democrat’s progressive base.

Sure, we believe in single payer.

But no way we’re going out on a limb to fight for it.

That’s disgraceful.

The Democrats are supposed to be fighting for the people.

But they too are in the pockets of the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries.

Disgraceful.

Obama throws even the weak “public option” under the health insurance industry bus.

The editor of The Nation says that Obama shows “progressive spine.”

That’s disgraceful.

Civility is in the eyes of the beholder.

Obama and the Democrats are acting against the interests of the American people.

Uncivil.

Disgraceful.

Who will censure Obama and the Democrats?

[IllinoisTexan43]

Man, that's a big list of nothing.

[hhayden]

Much like Obama's list of ideas.

[vanmungo]

Oh, really?

Let's have a point-by-point refutation.

What is inaccurate in the post?

[Shadow08]

Spam.

[DrBritesnide]

Flagged

[hhayden]

Sound Points And Methods?

[vanmungo]

Spam--you mean a re-posting of a column from one of the country's pre-eminent activists against corporate abuses is spam?

Maybe you're referring to the contents of your skull?

[Bon1042]

You're painfully correct. After 1984 when Reagan was re-elected winning every state but one, powerful Democrats, businessmen, lawyers, etc. (like Repubs) in order to start winning elections again, took control and the Democrats sold their soul to corporate business that runs this country. The Democratic Party shifted to the "center", the DLC was formed, Clinton et al. Nader was right, as always, (no sarcastic remarks, PLEASE) ! Corporate business has the Repubs in their "center right" hip pocket, and the Dems (big D) in their "center left" pocket.

Ever since we have the nightly back and forth phony tiresome, pointlss left/right arguments that get nowhere, keep attention diverted fm real political critique, the talking heads are paid 6 and 7 figure salaries by the networks that are OWNED by corporate business, and the merry-go-round goes round and round in cognitive dissonance.

[sepiasiren]

Finally a decent point--thought provoking. Thank you.

[chrisTN38]

3 words
campaign finance reform

[Softnsweet]

A public option is very good. You need to do more research. Single payer is better but I will settle for public option.

[chrisTN38]

unfortunately you will get neither