This writer's blast of the bizarre Obama "Joker Poster" that literally depicted President Obama as scary, demonic and socialist got more than a quarter million Google references. Nearly all defended the poster. That wasn't all. There were hundreds of angry emails lambasting Obama and this writer with crude, vile, insulting racist language that would make a drunken sailor blush.
The writers didn't hide behind the cloak of anonymity. Most gave their names, addresses and phone numbers. Some even brashly called to heap more racial venom on me.
The Obama Joker poster is just the latest in the racial pillorying of Obama. A Google search turned up more than three dozen active anti-Obama websites. Nearly all are filled with demeaning racist cartoons, depictions, characterizations and racially poisonous verbal bashes and attacks. As of mid-August, the sites had received more than 20 million Google search listed references.
The sheer weight and volume of the attacks has slipped into the mainstream media. GOP politicians have upped the race tinged digs and wisecracks about Obama. And a bevy of talk show hosts, guests, and commentators have also made Fox style racial quips and references about Obama.
The digs have worked. Polls show that a majority of Republicans and a significant percent of other respondents now think there's something to the charge that Obama is an illegal alien. The media has played up the borderline racist rants of Town Hall health care town protesters as representative of a genuine, spontaneous grassroots campaign against health care reform, with no racial undertow.
The drumbeat race baiting is not done solely to shock, out of ignorance, to misinform, or to destabilize the Obama administration. There is a cunning calculus to the race baiting. Race, which is always America's oldest, deepest and touchiest issue is a studied and reliable brick and mortar marketing tool for the GOP, assorted hate groups and talk radio jocks. In the case of the shock jocks, the object is to cement their political influence, personal prestige, notoriety, and, of course, wealth. Hate groups use race to build bigger numbers, shake the money tree, and organize the gullible, hateful, and young.
The GOP has used race to seize and expand its political dominance in all branches of the federal government, and in many states, especially the Deep South. It's used now as a trusted and powerful tool to snatch back a bigger portion of Congress in 2010 and the White House in 2012.
Race baiting would not have worked if the GOP, first during the Nixon years and later during the Reagan years, hadn't figured that there weren't a lot of white guys out there who were mad as hell at the feds for dumping a bloated, overblown big government on them. Lurking underneath their frustration was the finger point at minorities for the government bloat. That turned into the artful twist of hidden race animus into slogans such as "law and order," "crime in the streets," "welfare cheats," and "absentee fathers." President Bush's John Wayne frontier brashness, and get tough, bring em' on rhetoric in talking about Iraq and the war against terrorism was geared to appeal to supposed white male toughness.
The GOP also sensed something else that could make sloganeering and race baiting work even better. Many blue collar white males were losing ground to minorities and women in the workplace, schools, and in society. The trend toward white male poverty and alienation actually first became evident in the early 1980s when nearly 10 million Americans were added to the poverty rolls; more than half were from white, male-headed families. Two decades later, the number of white men in poverty or among lower income wage earners continued to expand. The estimate was that more one in five white males who voted in 2004 presidential election made less than $45,000 in household income.
The main culprit was always the big, intrusive federal government that tilted unfairly in spending priorities toward social programs that benefited minorities at the expense of hard working white males. That's exactly how hate groups, the anti-Obama web sites and bloggers, and talk jocks craft the reason for the anger and alienation that many white males feel toward health care and by extension Obama. This of course translates out to even more fear, rage and distrust of minorities.
The vintage mix of race, anti-government politics, and top ratings has been on near textbook display in the health care reform battle. In a rambling talk at a conservative action convention earlier this year, Rush Limbaugh strung words such as an unqualified Obama, liberal Democrats, a black guy, guilt, history, affirmative action, and liberal policies together. He covered all the racial rage bases and only mentioned race once.
That's no longer true. The race card is back on the nation's table with a vengeance. And the aim is to trump Obama.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His radio show, "The Hutchinson Report," can be heard weekly in Los Angeles, Fridays on KTYM Radio 1460 AM and live streamed nationally on ktym.com
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You are aware that the Obama Joker was created by Firas Alkhateeb, who is:
*Palestinian
*A Democrat
* A college student
Read more here:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/08/obama-joker-artist.html
In short, Alkhateeb is as far from the "old racist White Republican" stereotype as you can get.
I would hope that you continue to speak out, I only wish that there were more of you out there willing to do so.
Obama's poll numbers are sliding southwards not because of his race but because more Americans are beginning to appreciate the age old axiom that "actions speak louder than words" ...
I had hoped Obama's presidency would bring a lot of this to the surface. Even if a majority voted for him, there's a lot of racism in the minority who didn't. Now that it's out in full view, almost nothing is happening. Occasionally one sees a column like this one. But for the most part the vile and sometimes violent racial hatred directed towards a man so distinguished as Obama is not even a news item. So much for bringing this issue to the surface. Americans, or perhaps I should say the American Press, can ignore anything. Unless it's John Gosselin's Vegas pool party.
Back in 1911, Booker T. Washington said that there are people who don't want racial grievances to go away because that is how they hold on to their power.
I think we are seeing that in action today when we hear people claim that the GOP is inherently racist.
I'm black, and I know many other black people who don't agree with Obama's POLICIES, and view them as socialistic.
All that means is that we have a difference of opinion. It does NOT make the opposition racist.
in the same speech he happens to be giving. He does not know his own policy and his inexperience is showing through. He is very thin skinned when it comes to any sort of tough questioning and he has arrogant demeanor that does not sit well with many.
As for the frightened seniors, well who can blame them? They can read the tea leaves and know that they are going to lose the most in this mess.
Along with so many others the President has likley suffered racism throughout his life, it didn't stop the majority electing him as the leader of the free world and it won't stop his agenda for change moving forward., even if the moving is slower than he would wish.
The longer the GOP persist making this Presidency about ethnicity or citizenship, or whatever their particular gripe du jour may be, the more determined the President will become. Over the last 9 months we have all watched as the GOP have steadily shrunk back deep into the far right of their base where they are woefully out of touch, unable to curry any favour and most importantly, are devoid of any meaningful governmental power.
Perhaps it is going to take yet more republican losses in the coming midterms for the GOP to realise that the electorate will no longer tolerate being ruled by the party of manufactured hate and fear
You see I am what you would call a ( Prayer Warrior) and we are many!!! you may not know us, but, we are Here and we See and we hear! I am reminded of Joshua!!! remember him? he's in the Bible*
I sit back and I OBSERVE, and yes, I see these people, they want us to see them, and most of all, GOD want's us to see Them, these people are Scared to Death, it's all about Trust! how can you expect a group of people to change over night? they are not used to seeing a Black Man with this much Power! we know this is not about the Health Care Bill! we know what this is all about!
I will listen to each and every Code word used! I will listen to FOX NEW'S!!! this station give's us what we need to know, and what we must know, they are the Adversary of the President as well as African American's! God use's this station to keep Black's alert and on our P's and G's!
Remember Sonia Sotomayor? they used all kind's of trick's to BLOCK that, but, not So! these People are mad at the President about that! did you think they forgot about that? think about it! this Black President nominated a Hispanic for a high court position! she is Hispanic!!!!
Can someone please explain to me what was racist about Obama being portrayed as the Joker?
Unless it was a white guy in black face as Obama, who then added Joker makeup over the Obama blackface.
There is NOTHING racist about the Joker depiction.
and don't be shy about expressing it.
Good people .... that also means white folks ... must speak up and condemn this hate and call it what it is RACISM!