Right Wing Attacks Collide: 'Racist' Obama Using Health Reform for Reparations

In the swirling mass of news coverage and opinion-making on the issues of the day (Gates arrest, health care reform, birthers, etc.) we're seeing the convergence of various anti-Obama attack lines. In addition to the racial undertones of the birther movement, one theme gaining traction on the right in light of the Gates arrest is that Obama is racist:

Examples here, here, and here.

And most notably, here:

Another attack line is that the push to reform the health care system is some nefarious plot by Obama to promote socialism, to bankrupt the country, or other such nonsense.

On Fox Nation, in an astounding stretch of imagination paranoia, they've gone one step further and merged both anti-Obama talking points.

Details from Newshounds:

At their "fair and balanced" website purportedly devoted to "tolerance," and "civil discourse," Fox Nation is suggesting that Obama's health care bill is a back door bill for slavery reparations. And yep, they suggest that white people will die as a result. The short Fox Nation post states: "Still believe in post-racial politics? Read the health care bill. It's affirmative action on steroids, deciding everything from who becomes a doctor to who gets treatment on the basis of skin color. President Obama is on the record as being officially opposed to reparations for slavery. But as with other issues, you have to sift through his eloquent rhetoric and go beyond the teleprompter to get at what he really means."

The original article linked to by Fox Nation is from IBD and concludes with this:

The racial grievance industry under health care reform could be calling the shots in the emergency room, the operating room, the medical room, even medical school. As Terence Jeffrey, editor at large of Human Events puts it, not only our wealth, but also our health will be redistributed.

Fox Nation is a well trafficked site and the article gets featured coverage, so this isn't some throwaway comment on a fringe blog.

It's tempting to dismiss this uprising of race-based anti-Obama rhetoric on the right as irrational and unhinged, but I'm not sure there isn't some damage being done here. Small, hateful groups can have an outsized influence on events and perceptions. [It doesn't help that in the online communications era, the media and online commentariat amplify and disseminate these types of attacks in a way that wasn't possible a generation ago.]

Race will always be a factor in an Obama presidency -- we're ages away from truly moving beyond it, if ever. As Obama's poll numbers drift downward, and as the health care debate grinds on, the political landscape is shifting and Republicans smell blood. Part of that shift is the escalation of unfettered attacks of the sort I described above.

In response to this piece by Eric Kleefeld, Zandar argues that the right is feeling unencumbered by an election season and is therefore ratcheting up the verbal assault on Obama:

They're going for broke on the racism stuff here. All that is back and more. There's no election to backfire in their faces now. They've got it free and clear, and no consequences from the Village as they're tired of Obama already too. Remember Obama Waffles? Remember "disrespectful?" Remember "uppity?" One of my very first posts was about The GOP Plan. Attack Obama by calling him a racist. That was back almost a year ago. Obama is in the White House now. The Plan remains the same. It hasn't just been going on for a few weeks. It has been going on for over a year now. It's all they have now.

Actually, they have more.

With the help of intransigent Blue Dogs, they have the possibility of sinking health care reform and dealing Democrats a harsh political blow -- and dealing a harsher one to ordinary Americans.

Follow Peter Daou on Twitter: www.twitter.com/peterdaou

Comments

[offred]

Next Republican attack line:

Obama is going to lock up all birthers in FEMA detention camps.

That's after Soylent Green/Granny Murder business dies down.

[endex05]

Advanced copy of a Glenn Beck editorial: "'Are you a birther?' will be a question on the next census-- you just watch! And, then Obama will round us up and ship us to detention camps in Kenya, which are operated by private companies which his relatives own."

[tyger]

Okay so I guess all the White Senators and reps want this too. One Black Senator and he's on the way out the door and certainly not a lot of reps so how does this make sense.

[Ssgrt]

i think the media is fueling racial tensions. what you have here is a designed racism. if most black people are backwards liberals, people are going to racially profile them as such. the socialists will have no problem implementing death camps for black people. they control what you people think, as it is, you don't think. what has liberalism done for the black community? bad things. i've worked with lot's of black people. you know what? they generally show the same work ethics. why is that? what do you think these ethics were? can you guess? does it mak me a racist to understand that? you people are stupid.

[miketothad]

Then, I guess it's true what they say about conservatives.

[pghnappyrhino]

what crime is it to be a "backwards liberal"?

if you want to look at death camps for blacks and poor people, look at the prisons and see how many non-violent drug offenders remain locked up, while rapists are released due to prison overcrowding.

thank you for giving us your opinion on what liberalism has done for us, because with you, as a black person speaking on this issue, we know you are imminently qualified via your life experiences as a black person in this society.....oh wait, you're NOT black...so you waxing knowledgeable on our situation is like me, as a man, telling a woman "childbirth is painless".

[chewmin68]

Need some help wirh the following issue. As a registered Independent who does vote in all elections,who votes for a candidate rather than a party, who is basically moderate but does believe in government for the majority of the people, not just the wealth base, and as an avid CSPAN Washington Journal viewer, and a person who dislikes and discounts hate rants, I am just wondering if I'm I crazy, or has CSPAN gone to the far right. It seems like most guests, not all, but most are spouting the so called conservative point of view. Several callers to the program have also expressed the same concern.

On a morning of non stop Republican guests bashing health reform, the icing on the cake came with Grover Norquist, again, bashing Obama. One statement I found telling, and repetitive since he used the exact words last time he was a guest a couple of months ago, was how Obama promised no taxes on the middle/poor but immediately raised the cigarette tax. He went on to say the only one he knows who makes over 250k and smokes is Obama. Grover is an elitist, so we can expect he feels superior to the poor unwashed. Another one I see all lthe time is Rep. Eric Cantor saying he wants reform, but health savings accounts are the answer, and more tax breaks for business. These are the faces I'm seeing, with a few Dems. thrown in. Rep. message getting traction on CSPAN.

[lynnewrites]

yep -chewmin68­---they've even gotten to CSPAN--God help us all--Democracy Now and BBC (not BBC America) and (strangley) the international CNN are pretty balanced but i am more than sad that we no longer enjoy real news guys--Cronkite, Huntley, Brinkley, Murrow---bummer the kids will never even know what that was like to have people just say the news and then actually tell you when they went into the "Commentary" portion of the newcast so their would be no question--- :(

[donnabella]

remember folks, republicans best and most effective strategy has and always will be "fear-mongering." they did it in 2004 when bush got re-elected as POTUS and ever since then, their mantra of fear-mongering regardless of the topic has driven seemingly irreversible wedges in the electorate, all in the name of gaining ground for the GOP.

what hypocrites! the republicans are only concerned about themselves and their party. they do not have the best interests of the country at heart.

wise up folks, it's time to boot these fear-mongers to the curb, once and for all.

[JBoy]

Who's the hyocrite here? Libs using fear-mongering to sell health-reform and climate change!

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

[jokr8790]

Actually, I don't totally support President Obama's healthcare plan. If I had the plan of my choice it would be single payer universal healthcare, the same as they have in Canada, England, France ,Denmark, Sweden and many other countries. President Obama's former personal physician agrees with me apparently. These are the best systems for providing the best healthcare for the least cost to the greatest number of people in a country. There could still be a place for private insurance. They might provide botox injections and elective (as opposed to necessary) plastic surgery to the wealthy for example.

[UKOH]

I have experienced first hand health care in England and Denmark - and Germany as well.

Canada and these European countries follow a couple of simple principles:

(1) In a 1st world country health care is a right. It is the country's duty to ensure everybody who is sick gets looked after properly.

(2) Health care is NOT FOR PROFIT. It is IMMORAL to profit from people's health misfortunes and even more immoral to deny them health care because of them.

Germany does not have a single payer system as such. The health care is run by a bunch of private companies called "Krankenkassen" (They work like an insurance company, but only do health care.) They are not allowed, by law, to make a profit and everybody (outside of the super rich) has a choice of which Krankenkasse to belong to but MUST belong to one. So although private it is highly regulated and works pretty well.

If the co-op idea currently being put forward would be as powerful AND as well regulated as the German Krankenkasse system it might actually be a good option. I have to say, in fairness, that the current co-op proposals are so watered down in comparison to Germany that they would be a disaster right now.

[JBoy]

Health care is not a right, it is a privilege. Our government doesn't owe us health coverage anymore than they owe us cable tv or cellphone service.

[jokr8790]

What exactly is "white culture?" I'm white and I don't think I got the memo. You know where I hear that someone Like President Obama has a "hatred of white people and white culture?" The KKK and Aryan Nations.

[krocklin]

During the McCain campaign they tried to portray Obama as a friend of terrorists and a Muslim.
Now he is an undocumented alien. A socialist etc. etc.
And Democrats want to euthanize the elderly - you even hear that.
Healthcare costs are twice as much per citizen in America than elsewhere and worse, and yet they are successfully advancing ideas like we have the best system and all the rest of them make you wait in long lines and give you inferior care. And that reform will INCREASE healthcare costs.
And they believe the ads that say more pills will improve their health, when just the opposite is true.
The country is insane.
The Republicans are getting nuttier and nuttier and still get more media attention than Obama and his vision and sensible explanations. And what is worse, they have a strong grip on a large part of the population and their propaganda is working.
Obama's ratings are going down, Lou Dobbs's and Palin's popularity remain strong.
The NY Times and CNN are portraying Obama as unpopular more and more. MSNBC is the only cable place that has some honest sensible people.
Nothing may ever change in this country unless there is another Democratic landslide election and the Republicans are completely marginalized.
And that may be too late to wait before the country unravels.

[JBoy]

"MSNBC is the only cable place that has some honest sensible people."
- HAHAHAHAHAHA

MSNBC is the most blatantly slanted network on air!

[flatus]

I'm surprised you read that far or did the capital letters, "MSNBC", just grab your attention?

[Slayers]

Great video! Glen is right on.!

[Rakski]

Fox hasn't yet proclaimed the current health care system as Welfare for the Rich, but it is in that we're subsidizing health care for business owners, while they don't pay any benefits to their working poor - decrying the use of welfare/emergency care, while getting subsidized health care & other benefits... I say either companies pay a fair share for the health insurance, dental care coverage & other benefits (proportionately, while not exempting their under 17 hr/wk employees) or they don't get to take those expenses off as a Tax Write-off for themselves. Share & be Fair.
No more Welfare for the Rich, while decrying the working poor their only avenue for health care services...

[skatscan]

...and anyone who's healthy and middle class and has health insurance subsidizes the sick and hypochrondriac wealthy.

[1088]

Where's the FCC?

[mtracy9]

Interesting that France's health care system is rated #1 in the world. And the French pay only half of what Americans (ranked 37th) pay. No wonder the neo-cons at Fox News don't like the French.

[ChelseaC]

I'm sick of the racist, uneducated fearmongering Republicans--they should be ashamed of saying racist comments about President Obama.
It's one thing to disagree with him--but the name calling--especially for Rush and Glenn Beck is appalling.

I'm also sick of sell-out Dems who kiss the a** of these unworthy
idiots in the name of "bipartisianship."

Obama's numbers are going down because he's too concerned about
this bipartisan crapolla.
I also don't buy his wishy-wash health care reform--excuse me health "insurance"
reform.

I've been a Dem all my life--old enough to vote for over a decade now.
I'm seriously considering going Independent.

Bill Moyers show last Friday night sums up how I feel about this so-called health care reform.
Trudy Liebermann and Marcia Angell, MD hit the nail on the head.
Check out this video:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07242009/watch.html

[sytgrl]

That episode of Bill Moyers was excellent. It definitely made me take a second look at the benefits of single payer health care.

[flatus]

Yep, an eye opening Moyers episode. If you oppose health care, you will be doing yourself a favor to watch it.

[ZackShorty]

I voted for the man, and I will support the man. Will I be able to agree with him all the time? Of course not. Approval ratings are worthless unless it is during an election. He knew going in he probably wasn't going to be the most popular President we ever had. He has tough skin, and will do fine as long as his advisors don't fail him. I am totally confused on the health care issue riight now, so can't even comment on it.

[flatus]

Go to pbs,org and look for Bill Moyers last episode. It is time well spent.

[Americanwhiner]

It has become clear to me that the combined GOP/Corporate alliance to defeat health care for Americans has a five point plan to monopolize the news cycle and divert attention to the critical efforts to reform health care in the United States. I've watched them use 1. Race ("Obama hates whites" and the Professor vs. Policeman stories) 2. Abortion (public option will pay for abortions) 3. Religion (Obama has an anti-Catholic, socialist agenda) 4. Terror (health care reform will kill senior citizens) and 5. Overthrow of the President (Birthers backed by elected U.S. officials in Congress saying Obama is not a citizen and therefore not legally president) to stampede the weak, the sick, and the gullible into questioning the last hope we have of saving our country from the tyranny off corporate fascism. The Blue Dogs and the "The Six" are leading the way in a well orchestrated , highly financed attempt to return the U.S. GOP control.

That Lou Dobbs, Glen Beck, Limbaugh, and other insurrectionists are allowed to incite insurrection with the blessings of CNN and other mainstream news outlets is an outrage. This element would have been arrested for treason in years gone by. I think there is a line between free speech and trying to overthrow your government, and these men have crossed it.

[toggan]

I agree with you Americanwhiner, it is time for the Department of Justice to do its job. These are clearly violations of US interests as a sovereignty. Limbaugh, Beck, Dobbs, the Birthers and their supporters in Congress should all be brought up on charges.

[lorenzo48]

as much as these people make me sick, they are still protected under free speech, and they know it and flaunt it at every opportunity