Scared White

We all knew the facade of civility would eventually come down, but oh how lovely it was for a time, wasn't it?

We knew the Repugs would all have partial birth abortions themselves if only to hurl the gooey bits at the presumptive Democrat (I'm embracing the framing -- and it feels damn good!) nominee. That's basic Repuglican politikkin'. Yee and may I say ha.

But were we really prepared for Hillary's West Virginia appeals to the gun toting, Skoal-spitting Caucasoids, essentially making it okay for Bush at the Knesset to use the original N-word -- Nazi -- and grotesquely imply that Obama is a an "appeaser", triggering all the knee jerk responses he and every enemy to truth could muster? It sets the tone for the course ahead and indicates clearly that the stakes, having been high in the past, have never been this high.

Obama's opponents can't impugn his smarts or his ability to lead so they must -- must -- play to the basest card: race fear. It is all they have, luring the primal white terror of the black man from its dank hole, giving it a quick wash and a seventy dollar suit and sending it out to play havoc. It is a tactic that transcends Atwaterian shrewdness. It is the the true nuclear option making all the lurid attempts to ascribe illicit sexual behavior, bastard children or unhinged spiritual advisors so lame and ineffective that it is used as the last resort, obliterating all things in its toxic, molten mushroom cloud. And those who use it to define the contest are in effect defining themselves as scared and white, no more, no less.

Hillary: just a scared white woman? If it wins her the presidency, she is. Bush we already know is scared. If he were a woman he would have at least something going for him.

Comments

[gbht12]

Everyone is saying that this is a GIFT to Obama. Now he can show his knowledge about foreign affairs.
Let's face it except for dadele(what the heck is that anyways)lingo for moron? Because if you haven't noticed DADELE there is a huge increase in voter registration and it is all Democrats. Sorry to bust your imaginary bubble you live in.

I am white, over 50 and female and I am a loyal supporter of Obama. To top that off I live in Texas. Go figure! We are sick of these stupid republicans playing the fear card. I have never bought into that bull but there are many that have in the past. Those days are over. After this administration we will never again elect a president as dumb as this one. The democrats will carry this election and then maybe we can be seen in the world again as an asset instead of asses!

[grendl]

Exactly right.

When people start realizing that we in this country allowed fear to get the better of us, letting George Bush rush to judgment after 911 attacking an Islamic country based not on any linkage to the events of that terrible day but simply on the fact that they shared the same religion, and were in the same vicinity as the country's from which those terrorists did spring.

It was boneheaded saber rattling to show the world we were still #1, and would take the fight over there, anywhere in order to keep the battle off our soil.

But what this nation failed to realize, aided in part by the media, was just how limited Al Qaeda was in its resources, and technology. As spectacular as 911 it was pulled off with a bunch of box cutters and 19 men. 19 men and boxcutters brought this nation to its knees.

Timothy McVeigh nearly pulled off the same feat by himself. But we didn't declare war on whack jobs after that.

Fear, the friend of the GOP, the enemy of the people. This election fear must be exposed for the weakness that it is, and regarding those who use it against our nation, the traitors that they are.

[MPeter]

That is so right. I remember listening to the earliest speech by Michelle Obama when she told her audience to listen and take a breather because there was something special about Obama. She said that his opponents in Illinois had pulled every trick imagineable during his Senate race and he still won. Then I listened to one of the training classes for his volunteers and precinct captains. The trainer told the trainees that everything they throw at us in this campaign, we already saw it in Illinois. He then laid out a plan how how Obama would win Iowa and how the national campaign would unfold.
So far, everything has been on cue, smooth-sailing. Obama has endured bumps along the way, but most of them had already been anticipated in his plan, and even those that weren't expected, he allowed enough room to address them. That is leadership. America is ready for Obama and politicians of old, the ones who have eagerly exploited AA but have been quick to embrace the Klan when AA expected pay back, their time is up. Obama has a coalition of a cross-section of Americans.

[mikekev58]

I'm not sure you want to go there as far as Barry's politicking in Illinois goes.

Barry did everything he could to keep opponents off the ballot....­look it up.

And given that Barry had no opposition in 2006 - Alan Keyes was flown in to run against him for God's sake - I don't think Michelle understands the intensity of a national campaign.

Still, if they think they're up for it, God bless 'em.

Once the Republican attack machine kicks in, I might finally be persuaded that voting Democratic (as I always have) - even if Barry is the nominee - will be the best hope for the future of this country.

[tschlak]

Ummm... I think dadele is a Dem, (s)he was speaking supportively of Dems...

[truthskr]

I love the footage that I've seen on MSNBC of this female (as near as I could tell) WV voter who, when asked why she voted for Hillary, drawled something like "We don't need no Hussein in there. I'm sick of Husseins." The problem with Hillary's campaign, among countless other problems, is that for every single bright educated voter she attracts, she seems to get about 5 of these winners, who are either racist, ignorant, or simply uneducated on the issues or the candidates. Not that those of us who are Obama supporters would probably care to hold up some of our fellow supporters are shining examples of what we represent, but the difference in base supporters amongst the two camps is still pretty shocking.

[SaltySaltillo]

Keep in mind, Clinton at this point is getting the "Anyone But Obama" vote. Does anyone really believe for a minute that, given a choice between McCain and Clinton, all of these voters would go for Clinton? Exit polls at CNN already indicated that at least 10% of the people that voted for Clinton would vote for McCain in November, EVEN IF CLINTON WINS the nomination.

[mikegoodyearaz85338]

28% who voted for Clinton would vote for Mccain if she does not get the nomination. SWEET!

[dadele]

There are some people who will never vote for an African-American, even if he is actually bi-racial, and from Kansas. It OK though, most of these folks wouldn't vote for a Democrat anyway.

[robXdion]

I think the real N-word has been around longer than "Nazi".

[burnt]

Thanks Steven. Your Clinton culpability counterpoint is right on the nose. She has effectively eroded the Democratic Party's moral high ground to the extent of eliminating anything but mild indignation from Democratic Party leadership. If the Democrats can't prevent one of their own from employing Republican tactics, or even speak out with conviction against it, then how can we expect the Republican Party to take a higher road?

Clinton has enabled the Republicans to such a great extent, that they believe their lies, smear and character assassination can be tactically employed with impunity. A significant part of the Democratic Party leadership has failed to live up to the basic ideals of the Party. They give tacit assent to Republican attack. They remove the ability to effectively counter. They aid their own party's destruction. They are cowards.

Fortunately, there are a hundred million new voices who now have effective communication tools to stand up to CheneyOilCo's monkeypuppet. Because they galvanize us by employing their old guard methods, they hasten their own defeat... just as the Clinton campaign did. The change has started here.

[KMan1]

Good Post.

[Mickeleh]

You're being silly here, Weber. Bush didn't need Clinton to set him up to play the fear card and invoke appeasement and the Nazi's. Bush has been doing that all his term.

Let's give Hillary some credit for standing in solidarity with Obama and the Democrats in denouncing what Bush said at the Knesset.

[grendl]

It's a little too late to regain her soul, after playing the race card against Barack Obama.

She's just as guilty as Bush of fear mongering based on the color of Barack Obama's skin and his middle name.

No credit. Sorry. Credit denied.

[maritabox]

Yeah then she used it as a reason she would be a better president.

[blaqntelligence]

It's time to call the president out and tell the electorate " George Bush thinks you're stupid. He's calling you dumb and afraid. Of me. Well, why are you afraid of me?" ( hold up arm to show the color of skin at this point ) "

" Because of this. My skin. I'm 98 pounds soaking wet. I'm half white if that's really that important to you. I pronounce "nuclear" correctly, and was against invading a sovereign nation in the absence of any substantive proof they had those kinds of weapons."

" He's saying you're afraid. And FDR pointed out that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Well, who are we afraid of? Those who would try to steal the American dream, if I'm not mistaken. But who is that exactly. Look at the current administration and you'll find your answer. "

Usually when I read advice from bloggers to the the Obama campaign, generally I disagree..­..
Not this time.....
Is there ANY way this post could be forwarded to the Obama camp?
Is there ANY way Senator Obama could be persuaded to do this?

[elizaW]

blaqntelligence

'we have nothing to fear but fear itself"

Try telling that to a soldier in Iraq. He'll tell you what there is to fear.

[BobLablah]

Stephen: I love you in Monk. That is the most awesome show. Keep up the good work and writing.

[grendl]

Barack Obama needs to start taking the offensive, and capitalizing on Hillary Clinton and George Bush's unwarranted and insidious attacks on him and his patriotism.

Not this sitting back and brushing it off his shoulders. The blue collar whites with grade school educations only see that as ducking the accusations. Oh, the enlightened on the Huffington Post know better, of course, that this new style of high road politics is really what is being employed here. But its not a new style, it's the old style that Kerry employed as his bid was being swiftboated.

It's time to call the president out and tell the electorate " George Bush thinks you're stupid. He's calling you dumb and afraid. Of me. Well, why are you afraid of me?" ( hold up arm to show the color of skin at this point ) "

" Because of this. My skin. I'm 98 pounds soaking wet. I'm half white if that's really that important to you. I pronounce "nuclear" correctly, and was against invading a sovereign nation in the absence of any substantive proof they had those kinds of weapons."

" He's saying you're afraid. And FDR pointed out that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Well, who are we afraid of? Those who would try to steal the American dream, if I'm not mistaken. But who is that exactly. Look at the current administration and you'll find your answer. "

[Mickeleh]

And so he did--brill­iantly--in South Dakota this morning.

[grendl]

I disagree.

He's addressed the overt attacks adequately, but he never seems to addess the subtextual message intrinsic to all.

He's black, that's all they've got on him. They've been unable to skewer him on what other people like the madman Wright believe, or his integrity, or his advocacy of honesty and transparency in government, and more accountability, so they insinuate he's a Muslim sympathizer dangling the same black rubber spider in front of the electorate that convinced us to charge with such gusto across the Iraqi desert, pursuing people not remotely connected with 911.

But its because of his skin color. If that's their only real argument against him, he needs to ask them why? Why is skin color so important. If he were white, would pundits be crying he's unelectable Of course not.

As brilliant as his speech on race was, it was lost on those who needed to learn its message most of all, based on the sheer eloquence of it. Blue collars need things simplified, and long intricate screeds on racial divides, while appreciated by the intelligencia don't play that well in West VA.

Simplify. Don't have to be brilliant about it. What about my skin color so terrifies you? Its a simple question he needs to ask.