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Carter’s observations may seem obvious to those of us in the coffeehouse. We’ve seen this racist, code-laden garbage surface during the 2008 campaign only to revive with a bigoted bang right after the inauguration. But it’s significant that the former President, a man of the South (as is Joe “You Lie!” Wilson) during a time when there was enormous social race-based upheaval calls it out so bluntly. He knows most of this crap is simply dancing around calling the current President of the United States a n*gger — and you know Wilson knows it too.
Honestly, I’m surprised these fringe birthers, teabaggers and junior-league Klan member wannabes haven’t thrown down that card yet. It’s on the tips of their forked tongues. (Huff Post):
“I think it’s based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president.”The Georgia Democrat said the outburst was a part of a disturbing trend directed at the president that has included demonstrators equating Obama to Nazi leaders.
“Those kind of things are not just casual outcomes of a sincere debate on whether we should have a national program on health care,” he said. “It’s deeper than that.”
More of what Pres. Carter said, via the WaPo:
“I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he’s African American,” Carter told NBC in an interview. “I live in the South, and I’ve seen the South come a long way, and I’ve seen the rest of the country that shared the South’s attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African Americans”Continued Carter: “And that racism inclination still exists… It’s an abominable circumstance, and it grieves me and concerns me very deeply.”
UPDATE: I just want to note that the the talking heads on the left as well as the right are trying to minimize the amount of racism being tossed out there; as if it’s only a handful of people doing this. James Carville was on CNN just this AM trying to downplay the bigotry. I think not. Take a look at my long list — a sampling — of what has transpired not just in the South but all over the country. It’s not just teabaggers, it’s DC insiders and pols spewing racist garbage on the air as fact.
Related:
- Teabagging racist-email-sending Dr.: ‘I’m not a bigot, I did a counseling day for black Boy Scouts’
- McCain/Palin mob: 30 cars owners find tires slashed after NC Obama rally; voters heckled
- Black bear cub shot, covered by Obama sign and left on Western Carolina University campus
- McCain campaign worker confesses: made up claim that she was mutilated by black man
- NC: Greensboro reporter attacked by McCain/Palin supporter at rally
- California: Sacramento GOP web site calls for the torture of Barack Obama
- Mike Signorile listens to The Hate Out There
- Here we go again: another Palin groupie shouts ‘kill him’ at PA rally
- Own it, bigot
- Missouri: More of the McCain/Palin/GOP Base
- Frank Rich on the fires stoked by McCain/Palin
- The GOP ticket draws, and apparently embraces, the bigot eruption crowd
- More fun in post-racial America
- John McCain forced to denounce racist, homophobic member of Virginia leadership team
- Kentucky, I know you can do better than this
- FL: middle school teacher uses ‘nigger’ to describe Barack Obama
- Palin praised racist writer who called for RFK’s assassination
- Values at the Values Voter Summit – Obama as a Muslim Aunt Jemima
- Westmoreland stands by ‘uppity’ remark about Obama
- White supremacists: Obama’s boosting our movement
- John McLaughlin: Obama fits the ‘Oreo’ stereotype
- Georgia: publication features Obama in crosshairs on cover for article on white supremacist threat
- Bigot eruption: GOP House member refers to Obama as ‘boy’
- South Carolina: black reporter attacked by white family (on camera!)
14 Comments
Re: the N-word: They’ve been lucky so farIt seems obvious from the way things have been going that if some of the more mouthy birth-baggers get caught saying the N-word, that the rest of the tea-party will immediately disown them as “fringe.”
My question is, though, would it be wrong for someone like Keith or Rachel, someone with a national audience to say “These crazies are saying everything but what they really want to say, and WE ALL KNOW what they want to say is NI66ER,” and actually say thst word, live (0r otherwise) on national tee-vee….
Am I wrong to want this vocalized? Thing is, I will certainly be using the N-word, when I call out family members on this the next time I’m in the States. I’ve heard them use it before, as well as other slurs, though I’m certain they’ve never said “faggot” within earshot.
These family nemesis-folks are well-off, mostly retired, seemingly intelligent, but rabidly Republican, and have been forever. Not evangelicals Xtians in the least, but I’m sure they think about Islam in a different light than I do — i.e. they think “terrorism” — I think “same as Jews and Christians.” They’re mostly older — as in having fought in the Korean War against The Commies. I’m sure other American Blenders know the type.
I guess I’m asking for advice, though it right now it just feels like I’m just talking out loud….heh!
President Carter is CorrectTwo years ago, as the primary got underway, I became well aware of the racism aimed at then-candidate Barack Obama originating from both Hillary Clinton’s and John McCain’s camps.
A lot of people accused me of looking for racism where none existed. After all, this was 2007 — how could there be any racism left in Murika?
Fast forward to 2009 and then-candidate Barack Obama is now the President of the United States and look at these kooks and loons populating FIXED News, AM talk radio and of course, the so-called “Teabaggers.” At the heart of the disdain Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin and Glenn Beck have for Mr. Obama is based on the fact a black man is sitting in the White House and he’s not fixing a sink or painting a wall: he happens to be the most powerful man on earth and the wingers can’t stand it. How dare Barack Obama be president?
All I know is, the Secret Service had better be on its toes because I think, and I believe, there are people in this country who will not rest until they harm President Obama.
When will people learn? Denial will not make this hatred go away. I was watching Morning Joe and they seem to agree race is a small part. Well, I can agree in a sense but it is still part.
Religion was used to justify the actions of the KKK. It has raised its ugly head again with the hate spread towards Muslims. Towards Mexicans and Latinos. Where in the Main Stream Media are they pointing out that these Tea Baggers, Birthers, Deathers, (Basically the republican party) is the diversity that is the real America today?
I am sure the talk radio idiots will be making the Keith Olbermann Worst List tonight, as they attack Former President Carter and try to deny their racist hateful values being displayed and cheered on by the republican party.
Head in sand does not make the issue go away.
Race is The Whole Thing!Carter is only right.
This is why he is so hated by Republicans.
Given Wilson’s history(Thurmond staffer who trashed Thurmond’s biracial daughter, Confederate flag defender, etc.), it would be pretty damn hard to defend him against charges of racism. Maureen Dowd occasionally gets it right, and I’m with her on the unsaid “…boy!” following after “You lie…” The Republican party needs to acknowledge reality and either root out people like Wilson or go ahead and admit that its “big tent” is wide open to racists.
When The Dixiecrats Left The Democratic Party… they all became Republicans…
I don’t think race is ALL of itbut it is a very big part it.
I’m divided as to whether I really do want to see all of this air out. I mean, better it see the light of day than night. But…I don’t want to see anything happen to Obama and his family and I don’t think that America is ready for that.
I have begun to think that maybe James Baldwin was right in 1948 to leave for Paris (not that it would be an escape racism…heaven forbid, but it would be an escape from American racism, in any event.)
Yeah the Republicans had two black spokeswomen out this morning…One on Ratigan’s show on MSNBC and one on CNN trying to argue that this racism charge is bogus and we live in a post-racial society…
The one on Morning Meeting get shut down pretty good by those at the table with Ratigan…I love the way the Repubs put black spokespersons out to mouth their talking points…
And yet if you look at any of the tea bagging rallies, all you see is a sea of angry, chubby white faces!
They’re not dancing everywhere
IRL, I do quite a bit with classic and collectible cars, as a hobby. Mostly Mercedes, but I recently went to a Jaguar site to find something out for my sister’s car. I couldn’t freaking believe my eyes.
Someone had posted a video of a Jaguar XJ8 being disabled, after it was traded in for the Cash For Clunkers program. The car was in good shape, it ran well, but under that program, the engine has to be destroyed. They do it by emptying the oil and filling it with something that hardens in the engine, seizing it and preventing it from ever being rebuilt. From the comments, you’d have thought it was a video showing child sacrifice. And many of the comments – comments that had not been deleted by the moderator after several days – didn’t dance away from using that word, they gloried in it.
As a collector car hobbyist, I can understand angst over seeing a decent quality car destroyed for no reason. I also agree that a lot of newer cars are being taken out of the equation that could be reliable transportation for people who can’t possibly afford to plop down the money for one fresh off the manufacturing line. I don’t, however, understand the unreasoning anger and blame being hurled over this program. I don’t see any other explanation than it’s yet another thing for racists to get their high dudgeon on.
Malcolm X put it best
Bravo President Carter!“Fair as the exterior may be, if you go in, you will find bare places, heaps of rubbish that can never be taken away, cold hearths, desolate altars, and windows veiled with cobwebs.” – Myrtle Reed
I think that part of the problemIs that many of our allies are not framing the race component of this correctly.
I was watching Morning Joe (I don’t do that often) and the only person who seemed to put this all into context was Dee Dee Meyers.
When people talk about the racism that’s outthere, they are NOT just talking about the crude comments about Obama. The Republicans have been quick to say that people are angry at the policies and that opposition to the president is not racism. What they are deftly avoiding, and media is not challenging, is that much of the policy opposition has to do with racism. Joe Wilson flying off the handle might have something to do with being racist toward Obama, but it DEFINATELY has something to do with paranoia about immigrants (particularly of the brown variery). THAT is the issue. The question is why was he so openly vitriolic about that?
Much of the debate about health care and the need for social services is full of racist sentiments and attitudes. That’s what needs to be addressed. Obama is merely serving as the focal point of this sentiment since he too is a minority.
During the Morning Joe segments, I was fairly surpised that no one put this into context (though Meyers tried). Joe and Mika kept pointing to Obama’s sky high early poll numbers as proof that such sentiment is prevalent in America. What they clearly do NOT address is the fact that the GOP and the right have spent all summer declaring that Obama is racist against white people. Glenn Beck. Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh have spent the last few months pushing this meme that Obama hates white people and that his health care plans are reparations. They’ve spent the entire summer painting Obama as this scary radical black guy that is just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to all of “those people” taking America away from “real Americans.” They started this with the Sotomayor hearings and have pushed it into everything he tries to do.
Unfortunately, liberals on TV have not been clearly articulating this fact. What Jimmy Carter said was correct, but the way he framed it clouded the big picture.
Co-sign
Carter Spoke The TruthAnd to many peeps couldn’t handle the truth.
It’s past time to stop sugar coating crap when we have discussions on race.
And the next time I see that conservative created ‘playing the race card’ statement, I’m gonna scream.
I get so sick an tired of people disrespectfully comparing my lived experience with a fracking card game.
NOBODY plays the ‘race card’ more than conservatives.
It also wouldn’t be necessary for POCs to point out racist behavior if those same conservative weren’t busy keeping the biggest face cards for themselves and passing them down to their kids, then marking up the societal card deck before they let anyone else play in the game.