Drudge, Limbaugh, and the Sad Return of "Racial America"

When I was college a long time ago, I read a book called Subliminal Seduction, which chronicled how Madison Avenue tricked your sub-consciousness into craving vodka (as if a trick were needed there) by placing sexy silhouettes inside ice cubes. For some reason that reminds me a lot of Matt Drudge and the ever-popular Drudge Report, except Drudge isn't quite so subliminal in his mind games. By harnessing the power of the Internet, in the mid-1990s before anyone else thought of it, to reordering the news into the "Holy S---!" headlines that people crave rather than the eat-your-peas stories on trade or budget negotiations that were fed to you by the editors of the New York Times, Drudge became the leading influencer of the news cycle from a laptop in some undisclosed location around South Beach.

Even more remarkably, Drudge has become indispensable in America's newsroom - packed with at least self-described liberals - despite a conservative world view that he promotes, not in a heavy-handed way that would push those influential readers in a way, but by using placement, pictures and the well-timed big shot to nudge the nation's news cycle to the right. Today, Drudge does less and less "original reporting" (if that's what you can call his famed Monica Lewinsky "scoop") and succeed more by serving as a Rorschach test of how the right-wing is trying to subliminally seduce America.

Except that ever since President Obama's largely successful speech to Congress last week, the message from Drudge and from the conservative echo-chorus that is conducted daily by Rush Limbaugh has become increasingly less subliminal and more shrill, and their toxic tone is one that should alarm all Americans. It can be summed up: "Black people are running amok in Obama's America - emboldened by an African-American in the White House, they are now here to beat up white folks, cheat them out of their hard-earned money, and impose 'black nationalism'! White people need to be very afraid."

I don't believe that allegations of racism should be tossed out lightly, and I've cautiously watched this narrative unwind over the past couple of weeks. Today, there can be no doubt. The lead story on the Drudge Report for the entire day until about 2:30 p.m. - on a day in which two tabloid evergreen stories, the murder of a beautiful young Ivy League college student and a round-up of terrorists in New York City just after the 9/11 anniversary, were in the news - is about a fight on a school bus. A non-fatal (thankfully) fight on a bus, that happened to involve black kids beating up a white kid, and was captured of course on video.

Drudge's typically sedate headline: "White Student Beaten On School Bus: Crowd Cheers."

Now, I noted that the story was removed as a lead item right around 2:30 - coincidentally, the story also changed from an original version in which the police declared that the fight was racially motivated. It's still a fluid situation, but right now, the world of America's newsrooms has been "ruled" (in the famous words of ex-ABC/Time's Mark Halperin) for most of today by a kids' fight on a school bus. The article also gets into racial history of Belleville, Ill., which is probably not the part of the story that Drudge was interested in hyping:

Belleville has had a long history of racial turmoil, with a past that includes police harassment of black motorists, cross burnings and discrimination in city hiring.

The divide began a century ago, in 1903, when a black man was lynched by a mob of 5,000 people in the town square, set on fire and dismembered.

No matter -- let's not let history interfere with Drudge's "Blacks Gone Wild" narrative for the day, his layout of stories and photos that might seem willy-nilly but in fact usually has all the deliberate care of a $10,000 wedding planner. Thus, right below the screen shot of punching black students, we see the headline "POLITICO: So far, Obama's failing miserably," which is in fact an opinion piece, which it would have to be since the actual news of the day (not linked on Drudge) is that the president's approval rating is climbing again. But as you ponder Obama's alleged failure, it is the photo of rampaging young blacks that you see.

On the left. we have a medley that includes a campus rape (the suspects are black), mixed in with a story about a principal in trouble for not showing Obama's speech, leading up to a photo of a black man, Kanye West, disrespecting a white woman, Taylor Swift, brought full circle by Obama again calling West "a jackass" (which he, in fact, was).

Drift back to the center for a series of increasingly hysterical headlines about the ACORN scandal, which involves a few rotten employees of a community organizing group (Obama was a community organizer, remember?) caught giving tax-cheating scam advice -- did I mention the ACORN workers were predominantly black? Do you remember all the fuss in the right-wing media about million-dollar, white collar tax-cheating advice-givers at banks like UBS? Me neither.) Clearly, today's Drudge Report is a narrative, and that narrative is all about race, and a social fabric that Drudge and his readers are convinced (based, of course, on a series of scare headlines) is coming apart.

Think I'm a little paranoid? I still probably wouldn't be reading about this if I hadn't spent a little time in the car this afternoon, enough time for Rush Limbaugh, the de facto leader of the Republican Party who has worked tirelessly to infuse race into discussions about Obama, playing tag team with Drudge, as he so often does. As I started the engine, the radio host and his caller were prattling on about the all-important school bus assault, and Limbaugh said the story is a perfect illustration of what he called "Obama's America."

That alone would be beyond outrageous, the allegation that the mere presence of a black president -- who just last week spoke to students urging them to study and act responsibly -- is encouraging kids to fight on a school bus. But that was just a small part of Limbaugh's show today, which was all about race. He harped on a Newsweek article that he claims shows that racism is pre-determined (just as liberals always argue that homosexuality is pre-determined, don't you see...so...I guess racism is OK, after all -- all-righty, then), and of course the massive left-wing conspiracy that is ACORN, the corn-rowed people who are the real ones trying to rob the middle class, and not the Wall Street types who so rarely get even a mild rebuke from Limbaugh, except when they vote for Obama. I thought he was done -- but then Limbaugh said "remember how I asked earlier today if Obama's brother is still in the hut" (not making this up) and read all of a lengthy article about Obama's relatives in Kenya.

Look, there's a lot to talk about with a new president such as Obama, who has a lot of policy proposals on complicated issues like health care or climate change, and so there's a lot there for a thoughtful, conservative critique. But that's not where the conversation is going right now -- it's all about the shiny black object.

Fox News and its out-of-control Howard Beale, the seriously un-anchored Glenn Beck, have spent most of the last several weeks focused on two issues: ACORN, and mid-level Obama officials like now-departed so-called "green jobs czar" Van Jones. Jones -- did I mention that he is black? -- and ACORN have both shared a common mission: bringing a dose of political power to poor, mostly urban people who have not had power. And make no mistake, what really scares Beck, Fox News and the vast right-wing media is not the petty fraud of some ACORN employees or a few nutty things that Jones said in his more radical past, but the fact that they will succeed in their legitimate mission of empowering American citizens.

There's something else that the right wing finds alarming, and that is Obama's relative success in speaking to the American public in a calm and persuasive manner, as he did last week. I think it is this frustration, the worry that while it's mostly a vast work in progress that the president may not be "failing miserably" as Drudge and some Politico op-ed writer allege but showing signs of success, that have led to the new more overtly racial tone, dragging the current discourse to a low level that didn't seem possible. And so -- like Maureen Dowd concluded, also reluctantly -- I can't help but feel there was a racial edge to ex-Strom Thurmond acolyte Joe Wilson and his exasperated "You Lie" at the president. It plays right into the toxic narrative that is building on Drudge and talk radio and Fox like a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico.

Obama's post-racial America? Good grief, were we really that naive, and so recently? I can honestly say that America right now, on the ides of September 2009, feels more racial, at least to me, today than it has any time in a generation, now since I was living in New York City in the era of Do the Right Thing. And the "Racial America" of Matt Drudge, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and far too many of their millions of "dittoheads" is going to keep getting even more racial -- if we don't call them out.

 

 

Follow Will Bunch on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Will_Bunch

Comments

[Smithn]

Will,
I read the enticing freebie pages of your book, Tear Down This Wall, on Amazon and added it to my Wish List to read after Republican Gomorrah. I'm looking forward to it.
Jo

[Smithn]

Will, thank you so much. I knew in my gut there was something wrong about that Drudge Report; so, I dumped from my list a long time ago. I read Limbaugh had sizable ownership in it which now seems true.
Again, a big thanks for this article.

[Dukedraven]

Terrific piece. So true!

[1will]

Everything is racism.
Yawn.
You could have easily done a column comparing the media coverage of the Sept 12th march on DC to the coverage of the Jena march last year. Which group had the largest numbers and which group got hours of coverage from CNN and MSNBC?
Racism?

[knerd]

Yes, racism.

[wallyone]

Hard to say how disappointed I am in the segment on the population who have gone off the deep end in their hatred of Obama. One of the reasons I supported Obama was that I thought he would bring America together, while I knew that Hillary, with all here baggage, would be a polarizing figure. Obama has every admirable attribute, eg, young, energetic, incredibly brilliant and articulate, authentic, etc., a great husband and father, admirable life story, etc.) so that I thought America would buy into him in a big way. What's not to like? Alas, alas, I was wrong. Race, and even UNCONSCIOUS racism trumps it all.

[drjj]

" Every admirable attribute"? Not exactly. While he may be articulate and an good orator, his track record for honesty and consistency. as well as just general straightforward truthtelling, isn't good. His continued flip-flopping on major issues (think campaign finance reform, hiring lobbyists, relations with Rev. Wright, etc.) are adding up to a low overall level of credibility, regardless of how glib and "charismatic" he may be.

An increasing number of Americans are realizing this, reflected in his sagging poll numbers. To play the noxious "race card" here is shameful, untruthful, and has nothing to do with what's going on.

[pjburke]

"An increasing number of Americans are realizing this..."

Manufactured hooey and nonsense.

Obama's high level of credibility with the large swath of the electorate is just as solid as it ever was. The tiny bit of slippage in poll numbers is from Progressives who fault him for "palling around with terrorist Torturers, Corporatists, Wall Streeters and other noxious hate-America-first Republican types" and not pushing the Progressive "citizens, workers, and Middle Class first" agenda more forcefully.

The phrase "play the race card" is always an attempt, on the part of a Republican, to dodge and duck responsibility -- or to excuse one of their fellow tribesman -- for having resorted to using white racism to advance their own agenda. The "who, me?" dodge attempt never succeeds.

Republicans have been stoking white racism -- without shame or apology -- since Nixon created his Southern Strategy. The blatant incidents from then to now are too numerous to recount.

Get used to it: The Republican Party is the Party of White Racism. You own it.

[1will]

Why would you think he would bring everyone together? He is a far left politician that gives pretty speeches and offers to reach out to the other party as long as they vote his way and don't expect any compromise on his part.
He's going to bring everyone together? It takes more than pretty speeches and teleprompters.

[pjburke]

Speeches to the "Decided to be Deaf" are never going to have any effect.

You people use Bill O'Reilly's half-wit terminology -- like "far Left" -- a lot.

I seriously doubt that you could explain what the term even means, let alone how Obama -- specifically -- might even fit the description of "far Left."

I'd say its just another empty epithet... more name-calling with zero actual content. Virtually every knowledgeable commentator -- including the other law professors that he worked with, which include numerous conservatives -- have characterized Obama as a steady pragmatic centrist.

Do Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck issue all of your opinions to you?

Obama and the Democrats have done all of the compromising so far... and got both zero cooperation and zero Republican votes for their efforts.... a far, far different story from how the Democrats rolled over for Bush and his Republican majority in the Congress... a Republican majority which even shut them out of their secret committee meetings.

The Republicans have decided on obstruction, tantrums, and name-calling... to continue being part of the problem that they created rather than part of any solution.

[spirit22]

So you are saying you think his speeches are pretty?

And don't you mean vote for the American people which is his way?

Oh I see, does not matter which way is more noble.

BTW, is Obama the only one who uses a teleprompter? I can never tell and why does it bother you?

[1will]

Wow, Obama's so dreemy. Do you get a tingle when hearing him speak too?

[mg moore]

Hi Will,

I think that you raise some good points.

I also think though that this echo chamber known as the 'Huffington Post' is also guilty of stoking a form of hysteria as well. The more that people like you that write about Drudge, Limbaugh, Beck, et.al... The more you give them power! HuffPo is right in the mix of things with sensational and sometimes almost apocalyptic reporting around Healthcare (as an example). In trying to gather readers and support their socio-politcal agendas it is fairly obvious that no one has a lock on the truth or reporting ethics.

The more people like you want to shut them down, the more you make them look like underdogs.

The more attention you give then, the more attention they manage to bring to themselves.

Henry Kissinger is attributed as once telling Yassir Arafat that (and i paraphrase) "if you really want to destroy Israel, then give it peace". I would offer the same advice. If you really want people to reject the right wing MSM, the stop screaming to the world how bad they are.....

[1will]

What makes you think I want to shut down any media or psuedo media outlets like the Huffpost. I support Freedom Of Speech even if I don't agree with the views. I'm strong enough in my knowledge of politics and events that I can argue my points with my opponents (who can only argue their emotions). I enjoy the left wing opinions. They are usually unjustifiable and often unAmerican. Everytime one of your guys compares terrorists to "Freedom Fighters" or spits on a vet it just gives me more ammunition when debating some cluesless liberal at work.

[pjburke]

You're a legend in your own mind.

Your posts instead display a name-calling Bill-O-bot trollparrot with delusions of adequacy.

It is Republicans and conservatives who consistently spit on veterans... after they've used soldiers and sailors as props in their photo-ops.

It is reich-wingers -- usually none of which have actually worn the uniform -- who are irretrievably clueless.

You want to argue a "clueless liberal?" Try Congressman Joe Sestak on for size... a Progressive and a retired 3-star admiral.

[mg moore]

The author's name is Will... i wasn't addressing you.

[Tenley]

The author is surprised at Drudge's hyping of a racially charged story before the facts pan out? Really? I thought that "O" carved in the face of the white conservative activist right before the election story sort of deep-sixed any credibility Drudge had left in most newsrooms. I mean in the past year he's lost a lot of his ability to drive news cycles regardless of how long and hard he pushes headlines he wants to be news -- in the past, all he had to do was post a headline and newsrooms followed.

[imaletyoufinish]

Look, I do not contend for one minute that there are some racist people out there. However, lets remember that republicans do this all the time. As you mentioned does anyone remember Clinton and Lewinsky? If Obama were to be on that same situation today, the press would call anyone who dared challenge him getting a BJ from an intern as racist. They would say that we are only upset because he was with a white woman.

Does anyone remember what the Republicans did to John Kerry with the swift boats? That was not a racist thing, that was business.

Finally, no matter who was in the White House from the Democrats the right wing would have attacked them. Does anyone actually think that Hillary Clinton would have been bi-partisan with the Republicans had she won?

This country is divided and the media is not helping at all. As much as anyone wants to admit this is just politics as usual. The right doesn't care if Van Jones is black, white or leprechaun, they just want to be back in power.

[IWillCallYouOut]

I don't understand your instinct to read his carefully laid out examples and find a different explanation for them.

Do you really think "Republicans go after other Democrats for other things" disputes or even address this media trend that is outlined above? How?

Nothing you said has anything to do with racism, and this article is about racism. SO if you want to talk about not-racism..maybe choose a different article....? I'm putting this so mildly because I have no idea where you're coming from with this. But the denial of racism at all costs by white people is so bizarre to me.

[spirit22]

This is all true but the volume has been turned up a lot in this administration like a giant boom box. Come on, guns at town hall meetings? And we really didn't need Will or the media to point this out to us, they just put our thoughts into words and they say it so much better.

[John Fitzgerald]

It is the basic nature of how the human mind finds patterns in it's world that sets the stage for racism. "Women are like....", "Chinese are like...", etc. We see broad patterns where there really are more exceptions than we can count. Simple visual clues like color and shape serve as the foundation for our ability to recognize connections. It is the nature of being human to be capable of prejudice. And it is only in our better nature, to rethink and re-examine our beliefs that we elevate ourselves above it.

All behavior that follows from prejudice can be addressed on the behavior alone. Whether the group of blacks on the bus were motivated by prejudice can be separated from the behavior. The behavior stands alone as inexcusable. The poor behavior of ACORN members, whether black or white, is still poor behavior. The Confederate flag is offensive to most Americans, because of heritige of slavery that it represents. It is only in our empathy for others that we are human. The behavior alone speaks to that insensitivity.

When the NAACP drops the "C" from it's name and works againts the behavior of group-ism, whether it is targeted towards blacks, whites, women, or homosexuals, then the radical right, relying on their racially motivated constituency will have one less thing to point at when they attempt to distract from the issue by pointing a finger and saying, "But, he did it too......"

[robert234]

Why all this sudden concern over racism in America? Though we didn't "invent " it, that was the work of the Bible and the story of Ham, but we did dignify, refine, and legalize it in our Constitution. For over 300yrs. we've been spoon fed a steady diet of it at millions, and millions of diner tables, schools, locker rooms, personnel offices, and churches. The evils and lies of racism and creationism are as American as apple pie.

[daultman463]

Wow,racism as american pie,i glad i didn`t sit at your dinner table.Is their racism in america,yeah of course their is. What makes america better than most nations is first you are aloud to talk about and debate the issue where in a lot of countries you would go to jail. Second well lets see we have 13% of out pop. is black yet we just elected a black pres. Yeah your right we are #1 on racism. How many minorities have been pres. or prime minister of canada,bri­tain,franc­e, germany,and many other nations of the world. we are far from a perfect country,racism and hate will always be a bad part of this country like any other country.

[gparks]

daultman ... ALL that you say is true! However, racism is alive and well and IS being used today to ... divide and conquer for financial/power gain. Many American citizens are voting against their interest because of "self" identification (skin color) and this is NO accident. By the way ... racism is not practiced just at the dinner table ... church on Sundays ... banks that redline, higher costs for food, banking services, drug laws, incarceration rates, health care, education, hireing practices, the board rooms of corporations, RNC, Indian Reservations ... should I continue? I know this will be hard for you to believe .... but in America ... it has only been 40 years since the 1968 Civil Rights laws went into effect ... this legislation represented the end of the Civil War (1864) for all intents and purposes. A large segment of America society was alive at that time. That is what makes the election of President Obama so remarkable and the reason so much "hatered" is being made so blatant. Racism is the tool being used AND cannot be ignored by any sane American citizen. Call it out when you "see" it!

[bvdon]

Rush's stating the school bus beating represented "Obama's America" was a jab at the idea that all racism would be wiped away clean once we had a black president in the Whitehouse. And he makes this point in a glib fashion.

The fact is that Rush and Drudge have been doing what they've been doing long before Obama was elected as president. Only this past week has the liberal press been using the race card to such a great extent. Why? I believe that the left are shocked at how many people were at the 9/12 protest, as well, the recent Town Halls, the Van Jones story, etc. Obama has been taking a beating by conservative minded folk. And it's NOT because of racism. Obama was elected primarily by white people and he had started his term with near 80% approval rating. You can't convince me that his now 50% approval is because 30% turned into racists.

Basically, your race card is declined due to insufficient funds -- you've gone way over budget.

[IWillCallYouOut]

SIGH>

Have you never heard of demographics? He was elected by 42% of whites but only 10% in Southern states. Any conclusions to be reached from that? Or shall we just disregard it like you did the rest of the author's points?

[blakestone]

Try to be smart and look up the definition of demographics. The "Southern States" is not a demographic; its a location.

[escorpion]

There's so much b.s. in your post, it's hard to know where to start. First, your feeble attempt to whitewash (pun intended) Limbaugh's odious remark about "Obama's America" is almost as repellent as the sick joke itself.

Second, why would the left be "shocked at how many people were at the 9/12 protest," when there really weren't nearly as many as you'd like to believe? If it was really such a massive turnout, why did Glenn Beck and Fox go to such lengths to try and hugely overinflate the numbers?

And as much as you'd like to believe that Obama is taking a beating from the right, his approval numbers are going UP this last week. Sorry to burst your bubble.

[Loobie]

Go read what Obama himself had to say. Certain liberals, like the writer of this piece, could find racism in a piece of toilet paper. Obama doesn't think it's racism, so quit stoking the flames, you're all starting to look desperate in your attempt to control debate.

[deli lama]

why would you take obama's word for it?

[Tenley]

Obama is a pragmatist trying to make things work out in regard to getting health care passed.

[IWillCallYouOut]

Alright Amelia Bedelia. Because if a politician says it to appease the masses it must be what he truly believes. Look how defensive everyone is getting now....does it make sense that Obama might have picked up on that and decided not to push crazy white people past their comfort zone? And yes, in my view people who deny racism as an institutional framework of our country are as crazy (and uneducated) as Holocaust deniers.

I attended the most elite university in the country full of classist and racist people. What I appreciated about the white people there is that they were well-informed and if they did not like black people they would just avoid us. Not be loud and vocal about things they knew nothing about.

Who are you people really, to invalidate a whole segment of the population's history and life? I am under 25 ...watched my parents be called [n word] when we left NYS or even traveled to the South Side of our city. I have been called names, followed in stores,told by the guidance counselor to apply to the state schools. Luckily, I am a middle class 4th gen college grad with parents who fought for me so I came out on top. Others are not so lucky.

NEWSFLASH...IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE NOT REALLY AWARE OF RACISM...PERHAPS IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE WHITE AND YOU DO NOT EXPERIENCE IT MUCH. PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR BUTT AND MAKE A BLACK FRIEND. THANKS!

[sdgude]

To answer all those not living in the south, Jimmy Carter wasn't talking about all whites just southern, “Dixie,” good ole boy, redneck whites. If you don’t live here, and I mean in the good ole boy, redneck south, don’t comment because you will be uninformed.
I travel in my work. There isn’t a day go by I don’t see a confederate flag on a pick up truck or flying in the front yard. And don’t give me some crap about it being “Heritage, not Hate.” That’s nonsense. To an African American it’s the same as a swastika. That’s why rednecks fly them. Not far off the interstate here is a road named, ‘Hanging Tree Road.’ Tax dollars paid for it and the D.O.T. made it and installed it. Ask any redneck down here, they will gladly tell you they hate blacks (most use an older term) and would gladly kill the one in the White House.
Many areas down here haven’t changed since the early 60’s. Again, ask them and they will tell you, “The South Shall Rise Again!” And you simple minded, midwest, northern, northwestern, southwestern people think you understand? You don’t have a clue. Then you want to allow these fools to own guns? What are you nuts?! Come to Dixie, I mean the real south. Then make a comment.

[daultman463]

Well let try to reply,i`m sure i will be deleted. i`m from the south,i still live in the south.Yes there are some gold old boy rednecks down here but not as many as you seem to imply.I dont fish,hunt,i hate nascar and for the life of me i have never seen a klan rally or even seen someone in klan clothing in my town.You seem to be implying that we are all having these secret meetings on how to bring down the black man.If i lived in an area that bad i believe i would be looking for somewhere else to live.

[gparks]

If the shoe don't fit ... don't wear it! The observation and experiences of African-Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans and white Americans are npt less valid than yours. Don't take it personal ... again ... if the shoe don't fit ... don't put it on!

[abarafi]

In 1930s Germany, Limbaugh was named Julius Streicher and his medium was the Volkisher Beobachter. In the US 1930s, his name was Father Coughlin. A demagogue by any other name is still a demagogue - Drudge, Beck, Limbaugh, and the list goes on. Welcome to the home of the brave and the land of the free.

[forbitten]

Limbaugh and Fox highlight any wrong done by a black person 24/7; however, when it's the other way around, they proclaim that anyone pointing out when whites are wrong are using the race card.

It's so sad that many of their listeners believe the same way. If I see something that is possibly racist, I will say it, no matter the color involved. I believe it is a possibility that the fighting on the bus was racially motivated, I'll wait and see. However, a racist-minded person can only see it when their group has been wronged, they can't see, nor do they care to see when someone from another group has been harmed.

What a sad way of thinking, I'm sure those types have very little peace in their lives, because they believe someone from another race is taking "their" money and "their" country.

SAD, SAD, and SADDER!