Harris Poll Shows Just How Nutty Those On The Far Right Are With President Obama

A still fairly recent release of a Harris poll that put into sharp focus how ignorant some Republicans are when it comes to their views on President Barack Obama. Some of the revelations in the poll show the depth of the hatred that some close-minded Republicans have for this president. And, that hatred started long before he was president and long before he became the official nominee for the presidency in 2008. The hatred started before this nation knew much of anything about Barack Obama.

The findings of the Harris poll continue to reflect the hatred that exists in the dark hearts of some of these Republicans. Below are summaries of the Harris poll results as compiled by Media Matters for America.

According to the Harris poll, conducted of 2,320 adults between March 1 and March 8, a majority of Republicans believe President Obama:

• is a socialist (67 percent);
• wants to take away Americans’ right to own guns (61 percent);
• is Muslim (57 percent);
• wants to turn over the sovereignty of the United States to a one-world government (51 percent); and
• has done many things that are unconstitutional (51 percent).

It goes on:

• large minorities also believe Obama was not born in the United States and is therefore ineligible for the presidency (45 percent);
• many believe he is a racist (42 percent);
• and many believe he is doing many things Hitler did (38 percent)

There is your Republican party (still believing in thoroughly vetted and debunked garbage. It basically shows that everyday Republicans and tea baggers are like storm troopers from the Star Wars movies. They operate like robots taking their marching orders from right-wing extremists like Roger Ailes, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity.

Cantor, Fox News Hosts Essentially Blame Democrats For Death Threats They Are Getting

Far-right extremists are hurling death threats at Democrat members of Congress related to the health care legislation.

On Fox News, hosts Brian Kilmeade, Gretchen Carlson and Steve Doocy agreed with Republican Rep. Eric Cantor (the House minority whip), who in essence accused Democrats of essentially encouraging death threats by talking about them publicly.

People receive death threats and Fox News/Eric Cantor blame the victims, “Democrat lawmakers are feeding the public’s frenzy over the threats by discussing them so openly in the media.” Doocy makes excuses and blames the Democrats and Kilmeade makes what seems to be a joke about it and Carlson essentially says they should shut up and live in fear and not call out the extremist threats of violence.

Media Matters for America:

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201003250007

CNN Mischaracterized As A ‘Liberal Media Outlet’ On Booker Rising

The anatomy of a misguided statement from the Booker Rising blog:

Asks liberal media outlet CNN, about alleged racial insensitivity. Included in its article are two black conservative Republicans, who are no strangers to regular Booker Rising readers. “Lenny McCallister is African-American, a Tea Party member and a conservative Republican. He says Republicans ‘have to speak out against this stuff because it does not fit our principles, morals or values. At the same time we cannot alienate the most active aspects of the conservative base at this time.’ He’s calling on conservatives to help the Republican Party walk that tightrope in a way they did not in 2009.”

CNN is far from a liberal media outlet. In fact, CNN at times bends over backward to accommodate guests with a variety of opinions and bends over backward to balance its discussion panels.

To refer to CNN as a “liberal media outlet” as the blog Booker Rising did is ridiculous. It seems almost a spiteful reply to the obvious fact that Fox News is a right-wing outlet (to be fair: MSNBC’s prime-time commentators are to the left).

Rep. Lewis, Rep. Cleaver Attacked By People For Being Called ‘Nigger’ And Being Spit On

It never ceases to amaze me the lengths that some conservative black people will go to protect racism at Tea Party rallies while attacking black leaders for being called “nigger” or being spit on by protesters.

That thought brings me to comments I read from conservative blogger Andre Harper, who proudly talks about himself as a black man who was at Tea Party rallies. Hey, that is fine by me. If he wants to hang with those individuals then that is no doubt his choice. If he chooses to ignore the racist language at many of these rallies, if he chooses to ignore that these Tea Party people were silent (nonexistent) prior to the election of Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States of America, then that is his choice. Again, where were these Tea Party people worried about big government, government spending, the loss of freedoms and all of this other stuff when George W. Bush was president? They were silent. But, we elect the first black president and all of a sudden these good and patriotic Americans are soooooooooo worried about freedom, government spending, deficits, the size of government, etc. It’s all a bunch of bullsh!t. To each their own.

But, it still saddens me when racism apologists/excuse makers you see people make comments like the following (from Harper’s blog):

Democrat puppets like representatives [Emanuel] Cleaver and John Lewis are nothing but frauds. They instinctively play the race card because that is how they have achieved their lot in life. No one should be surprised that they can’t prove these accusations. They never can. With all these videos surfacing, the large police presence and all the witnesses, I find it hard to believe that no one can identify or find any evidence of their claims. It’s disgraceful and completely unfounded for John Lewis to compare this peaceful protest to his experience on the Pettis Bridge. The situations and conditions are completely different. The truth is these cowards are always going to play the race card because they are weak-minded, cowardly individuals that exploit race by instinct.

The words are nothing short of disgraceful and ridiculous. Oh, and it’s the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Rep. John Lewis is a man who fought and bled for civil rights to allow men like Harper and myself to be able to blog with the kinds of freedoms black people of prior generations could not have imagined when they were young. Sadly, Harper uses his platform as a blogger to refer to John Lewis (and Emanuel Cleaver, who had a Tea Party person spit on him) as “Democrat puppets.”

Once again, we see the lengths that people will go to apologize for or make excuses for racism at Tea Party (that includes Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele).

Check out the full version of Harper’s irrational and racism-apologizing-for blog:
http://andreharper.blogspot.com/2010/03/extreme-lie-conservatism-vs-liberalism.html

A Letter I Got Today From Color Of Change About Far Right Hate

You’ve probably heard about Tea Party members shouting “Nigger!” at Black Congressmen during a protest in Washington, D.C. last weekend. One of the protesters spat on Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver, while another called openly gay Representative Barney Frank a “faggot” as the laughing crowd imitated his lisp.¹

But Saturday was just the most recent example of the intolerance and hate coming from right-wing extremists this past year. At times it’s been instigated by Republican leaders. When not, it’s usually condoned and seen as part of a strategy to score politically. Either way, it’s completely unacceptable and has to stop.

It’s time to confront Republican leadership and force them to take responsibility for the atmosphere they’ve helped create. Join us in drawing a line in the sand, and ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://colorofchange.org/hate/?id=1651-835564

We’re calling on RNC Chair Michael Steele, House Minority Leader John Boehner, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to publicly do two simple things:

1. Unequivocally condemn bigotry and hate among their supporters, and make clear that those who embrace it have no place in their party.
2. Make clear that they will not tolerate fear-mongering and coded appeals to racism from officials in the Republican party, at any level.

Republican leaders publicly denounced Sunday’s ugly scene, but they failed to acknowledge that this is only the latest incident in a pattern of violent rhetoric, racially charged imagery, and paranoid conspiracy theories at Tea Party rallies.² Many Tea Partiers aren’t simply about dissent — they use fear and hatred to assault the very legitimacy of our elected leaders. It’s the worst America has to offer.

Despite this, Republican leaders court the Tea Party movement while methodically supporting, exacerbating and exploiting their fear and anger for cynical political ends.³ This is nothing less than a betrayal of American values, and it’s up to us to force the Republicans to stop aiding and abetting this enterprise:

http://colorofchange.org/hate/?id=1651-835564

The Tea Party movement has been marked by racially inflammatory and violent outbursts since its inception a year ago. GOP leaders are trying to pass off this weekend’s assaults on Congressmen Lewis, Cleaver, Clyburn and Frank as isolated incidents. But when so-called “isolated incidents” crop up again and again, a pattern starts to emerge. The examples are numerous.

At rallies held to protest tax day last year, Tea Partiers carried signs that announced “Obama’s Plan: White Slavery,” “The American Taxpayers are the Jews for Obama’s Oven,” and “Guns Tomorrow!”⁴ The Republican National Committee had endorsed the rallies, and RNC Chairman Michael Steele encouraged Tea Partiers to send a “virtual tea bag” to President Obama and Democratic Congressional leadership.⁵ After reports of the fear-mongering signs surfaced, Steele did nothing to distance his party from the lunatic fringe. He has even gone so far as to say that if he didn’t have his current position, he’d be “out there with the tea partiers.”⁶ Some Republican governors even planned a “Tea Party 2.0″ for the following month in an effort to build on the rallies’ momentum.⁷

The Tea Party’s venomous rhetoric picked up steam over the summer, when angry mobs flooded town hall meetings legislators had organized as sites for rational, civil debate on health care reform. After one meeting in Atlanta, a swastika was painted on the office of Congressman David Scott (D-GA), who had also received a flier addressed to “nigga David Scott.” ⁸ Some protesters showed up at town hall meetings carrying guns, including at least one man who was armed at an event where the President was speaking.⁹ Again, Republicans responded to these tactics with silence, doing nothing to denounce them.

Similarly, there was no public outcry from Republican leadership when Mark Williams, a leader of the Tea Party movement, was exposed for having described the President as “an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug and a racist in chief” on his blog.¹⁰ Instead, members of the GOP continued to show up to and endorse Tea Party rallies. And as recently as Sunday — the day that the historic health care bill passed the House — Republican members of the House riled up the same Tea Party crowd that had earlier harassed their fellow members with hate and bigotry.

Our country deserves better than this. No matter what party one supports, we should all take strong action to support civil, honest, and respectful public debate. Can you take a moment to call on Michael Steele, John Boehner, and Mitch McConnell to denounce the racist rhetoric and fear-mongering that have been ongoing, significant characteristics of the Tea Party movement, and tell those who embrace these divisive and un-American beiefs that they have no place in their party, as members or leaders? And when you do, please ask your family and friends to do the same:

http://colorofchange.org/hate/?id=1651-835564

Thanks and Peace,

– James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Milton and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
March 23rd, 2010

1. “Tea Party Protests: ‘Ni**er,’ ‘Fa**ot’ Shouted At Members Of Congress,” Huffington Post, 3-20-2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/127?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=7

2. “10 Most Offensive Tea Party Signs And Extensive Photo Coverage From Tax Day Protests,” Huffington Post, 4-16-09

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/128?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=9

3. “Memo Reveals GOP Plan to Exploit Fear of Obama,” AOL News, 3-4-2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/137?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=11

4. See Reference 2

5. “Tax Day Tea Parties Officially Endorsed By Republican Party,” Huffington Post, 5-15-2009

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/138?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=13

6. “Steele: I’d join the tea parties,” Politico, 1-15-10

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/136?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=15

7. “GOP govs plan Tea Party sequel,” Politico, 5-12-2009

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/131?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=17

8. “Rep. David Scott’s (D-Ga) office spray-painted with Swastika,” Daily Kos, 8-11-2009

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/132?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=19

9. “Armed and Dangerous?” Talking Points Memo, 8-11-2009

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/133?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=21

10. “Tea party leader calls Obama a welfare thug,” The Loop, 9-15-09

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/134?akid=1397.868165.igiepL&t=23

Hannity Once Again Provides Jesse Lee Peterson A Platform To Attack Black People

I would never insult a house Negro by calling Jesse Lee Peterson one. Peterson is far worse than a house Negro.

Jesse Lee Peterson is a slave-catching Negro who takes pride in doing the dirty work against other black people for his master (in this case it is Fox News right wing talk show host Sean Hannity). With great joy, Hannity sits back and watches as Jesse Lee Peterson launches racist attack after racist attack against black people. Hannity, I would imagine, sees himself as inoculated against any backlash because he has his black man on there to do the dirty work. Back during slavery, the white slave master or slave catcher could sit back and let his black slave catcher do the hard work while he kept his hands physically clean from the horrors.

In one of his latest appearances on Hannity’s Fox News show, Peterson had this to say:

PETERSON: But to be honest with you, this whole thing is — I remember, George Washington built America based on truth. Barack Obama is destroying America based on lies.

This thing is about the redistribution of wealth, it’s about Black Liberation Theology. Obama lied on the primaries, he’s been lying ever since. And the sad thing about it, some Americans — most Americans are starting to see it, but they don’t realize that they’ve been seduced by this man, and he doesn’t care about what is right.

We see what he’s doing, bowing down to everybody around the country –

HANNITY: Around the world.

PETERSON: And around the world. Look what’s happening in Israel right now, he’s never really supported Israel. This guy is not on our side.

He’s — Obama, in all honesty, is the Congressional Black Caucus, he is Louis Farrakhan, he is Rev. Wright, his minister, he is all of them wrapped up in one — and he’s gonna take — if we allow this health-care thing to happen, he’s gonna turn America into Detroit. And we cannot let this happen.

Peterson of course comes back to the customary mention of Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan (names designed to do little more than to scare white people and gain him favor with these same whites he adores more than he adores himself). He comes back to the same tired lines about “redistribution of wealth” and drumming up more fear with his mentioning of so-called “Black Liberation Theology.”

Sean Hannity is a disgraceful man who knows exactly what he is doing by bringing Jesse Lee Peterson on his show to attack black people.

The Young Turks on Peterson:

Peterson as a house Negro (and like Uncle Ruckus from The Boondocks):

Here are some of my previous posts on the racist idiocy of Jesse Lee Peterson:

Here, he is disrespectful of Demond Wilson and goes on the attack against him:
http://simmerdown3.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/demond-wilson-angered-by-rude-jesse-lee-peterson-hangs-up/

Here, Jesse Lee Peterson thanks God for slavery (maybe because he is acting like Sean Hannity’s slave):
http://simmerdown3.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/jesse-lee-peterson-thank-god-for-slavery/

Nigger, Faggot Among Words Used By Tea Party People To Describe Democrats

Eugene “Bull” Connor would have been proud of some of the language being used by Tea Party protesters fighting against health care reform.

Tea Party protesters, using racist and homophobic language to attack men like Rep. John Lewis (pictured) and Rep. Barney Frank (among others), went on an attack that was regretfully reminiscent of the Jim Crow era in the United States of America (a chapter many in this country thought was long gone). Rep. Lewis was called a “nigger” by members of the crowd while Rep. Frank was called a “faggot” by Tea Party protesters. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver was spat on by a protester. Sadly, this was 2010 and not 1910. This was not 1957 when the Little Rock Nine were attacked as they did their part to desegregate Little Rock Central High School (where they were viciously confronted by racist protesters). This was 2010 with a distinguished civil rights leader like Rep. Lewis treated in a way that was a chilling and painful reminder of the hatred of the Jim Crow era.

Here is an excerpt from a Huffington Post story:

A staffer for Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told reporters that Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) had been spat on by a protestor. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a hero of the civil rights movement, was called a ‘ni–er.’ And Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was called a “faggot,” as protestors shouted at him with deliberately lisp-y screams. Frank, approached in the halls after the president’s speech, shrugged off the incident.

But Clyburn was downright incredulous, saying he had not witnessed such treatment since he was leading civil rights protests in South Carolina in the 1960s.

“It was absolutely shocking to me,” Clyburn said, in response to a question from the Huffington Post. “Last Monday, this past Monday, I stayed home to meet on the campus of Claflin University where fifty years ago as of last Monday… I led the first demonstrations in South Carolina, the sit ins… And quite frankly I heard some things today I have not heard since that day. I heard people saying things that I have not heard since March 15, 1960 when I was marching to try and get off the back of the bus.”

This is sadly indicative of the hatred coming from some on the far right who have simply come unhinged since the election of President Obama, the first black man to be elected president of the United States of America.

Rep. Lewis had this to say about the racial slurs he was subjected to after leaving a health care reform meeting on Capitol Hill.

Civil rights icon and veteran Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, said anti-health care bill protesters Saturday repeatedly yelled the “N” word at him as he left a heath care meeting and walked to the Capitol.

“I haven’t seen heard anything like this in more than 40 years, maybe 45.” Lewis said. “Since the march from Selma to Montgomery really.”

“Yeah, but it’s okay,” Lewis added. “I’ve faced this before. So, it reminded me of the 60′s. There’s a lot of downright hate and anger and people are just being downright mean.”

Rep. Lewis truly is a civil rights icon who has fought for justice before and will continue the fight. I doubt it was accidental that these Tea Party people went after him knowing what he represents as far as civil rights. That is what makes it all the more disturbing.

It’s a shame more conservatives (some have been forced to) are not stepping forward to condemn these kinds of racist attacks.

UPDATE: For those of you who wonder why I am always so critical of RNC Chairman Michael Steele, this is a good example. Appearing on Meet the Press, Steele referred to protesters who made racist and homophobic statements as: “a handful of people who just got stupid.” That is disgracefully inadequate on the part of Michael Steele, but I doubt it is the first time he has been thought of as inadequate.

Fox News, Bret Baier Show Complete Lack Of Respect For President Obama

As many of you know, I have no use for Fox News. Frankly, I see Fox News (and virtually every on air personality that comprises the network) as little more than a communications arm of the Republican Party.

So, based on that, I was a bit surprised that President Obama would take time out of his schedule (with so many important issues on the table) and waste it talking to a representative of a channel that is doing essentially everything within its power to undermine his presidency. 24/7, Fox News personalities take turns taking shots at President Obama, attacking him, attacking his administration, and attacking any and all policies even remotely affiliated with him. So, as President Obama went on the air with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, I knew he was in enemy territory with a man who was predisposed to doing everything in his power to making the president look bad.

Ultimately, Baier miserably failed (in my opinion) to make the president look bad. Actually, Baier came across as a man who had an agenda (one to attack the president relentlessly and disrespectfully challenge him repeatedly). What made the failure of Baier almost a certainty was his ignorance to fall into the same trap that so many right wingers fall into: he underestimated the intelligence and toughness of the president. Several times now, President Obama has challenged the Republicans on their own turf and beaten them like a bowl of eggs. Still, in the back of his mind, I can imagine Baier believing that President Obama was not that spot and probably chanting “teleprompter, teleprompter, teleprompter” in his head (thinking he had the president’s number with no teleprompter … and that the president’s act was little more than smoke and mirrors).

Like so many others, Baier ended up looking foolish and (perhaps worst) came across as an angry, disrespectful and frustrated partisan.

This is from a Washington Post blog written by Jonathan Capehart:

Watching the entire interview made me miss the late moderator of “Meet The Press,” Tim Russert. He would have asked process questions. He would have pushed the president to answer questions he didn’t feel were being answered. But he would have done so in a manner that was firm, yet respectful. More importantly, he would have focused intensely on the substance of the health-care legislation to cut through the clutter, rhetoric and political posturing so that viewers at home would have as much information as possible before their representatives voted.

Baier was less interested in substance (if he was at all) and more interested in trying to portray the president as working some sort of unsavory backdoor deals to pass this health care legislation that conservatives and Fox News (one in the same) abhor.

Baier showed a stunning and complete lack of respect for President Obama and his presidency. I was shocked at the depth, breadth and boldness of his disrespect of President Obama.

Repeatedly, Baier cut off the president when he didn’t like his answers, and came out with right-wing talking point after right-wing talking point to try and paint President Obama as negatively as he possibly could. It’s fairly clear that Baier was in full partisan Fox News mode as he tried to talk over the president and interrupt as Barack Obama attempted to answer his questions. Much like a sports announcer for the flagship station, Baier was playing to his far-right audience by trying to rough up the president with clearly disrespectful intentions. To a large extent, Bret Baier was playing to his right-wing audience.

Here is a line from a column written by Boyce Watkins that caught my attention:

The right wing doesn’t hate Obama just because he’s black. They hate him because he’s an “uppity negro” who doesn’t agree with them. This story was predictable long before it ever took place.

I think Dr. Boyce is right on the money. Many conservatives see President Obama as overstepping his bounds and being out of his place in society.

Bret Baier’s actions, during this Fox News interview, were a sign of how a lot of conservatives feel about President Obama, and it is not just because of his politics.

He was speaking for millions of individuals on the far right who have no respect for this president and have nothing but contempt for his presidency.

Fox News Boycott:

http://foxnewsboycott.com/fox-news/bret-baier-interrupts-president-obama-16-times/

UPDATE: Watch the difference between how Baier practically gets on his knees sucks off President George W. Bush while practically spitting on President Obama. This is from Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/18/baier-bush-obama/

Another Attempt To Come To The Rescue Of Justice Clarence Thomas While Attacking Black People

I have always tried to read opposing viewpoints to find out what people who might disagree with me are saying. Booker Rising is a fine Web site and I do check it quite frequently (even if I rarely agree with many of the opinions that are posted there from writers who are highlighted). But, as I was once a black conservative, I do have a bit of a soft spot for black people who learn right or dive blindly to the right going all in.

This all brings me to an entry I read at Booker Rising recently about a person who was upset at some negative feedback that Virginia Thomas (wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is getting for some affiliation she has with a Tea Party group. Personally, I could not care less what she is doing in our out of a Tea Party.

But, I did stumble across an article cited on Booker Rising with a few passages I found particularly interesting:

This new ‘post-racial’ world is GREAT!!! In effect, for some people their ‘infinite universe’ has doubled back on itself.  They are now stuck – chasing after their own tails. The gross hypocrisy and fraud has been exposed. We now see that while indeed they love ‘community organizers’ who work to get people engaged in the political process. They merely don’t like ‘citizens activists’ of the ‘Tea Party’ type. Despite the fact that no Black person has been lynched or beaten as a direct result of ‘Tea Party’ actions – those who are under the ‘Bitter Black Coffee Movement’ fear that the ‘Tea Party Movement’ is the biggest threat to Black voting rights and civil rights. They need no proof.

So, we should be grateful they are not (physically) lynching us?

Oh, speaking of lynching…

Anyone remember these words from Thomas (who at the time was a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court)?

Can you imagine if a so-called liberal/progressive black used those words? The far right would accuse him or her of playing the mythical race card.

I supported Justice Thomas even though I could not possibly disagree more with his policies or much of a lot of what he stands for and is in support of.

Here is another passage:

In truth the Lampblack Yellow Journalists and their Snarling Fox White Liberal syndication sources (HuffPo and Rachel Maddow) merely operate to ‘self-chum’ the bigoted Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive-Fundamentalist Racism Chaser. They are more interested in the masturbatory impact of striking out at Brother Justice Clarence Thomas than they are in spotlighting the gross corruption that the Democratic Machines in Detroit, Chicago, Memphis and Newark and other places where Black folks live in  our highest concentrations. Again – they are members of the BLACK ESTABLISHMENT and thus their goal is to protect the establishment, not expose it. By exposing it to the open air they fear that their ideological enemies might sneak back into power. The fact that their ideological enemies have departed [for the suburbs], having no interests at all to return and continue the struggle over the resources within these cities is not enough for them to turn the spotlight upon these festering piles of compost where the methane gas streaming from them produce steam.

Based on the video above … who was the racism chaser when Thomas was a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court?

The highlighted part is ridiculous. Far less people care about Virginia Thomas than cared about (from a Michigan standpoint) Monica Conyers and Kwame Kilpatrick (as examples). Those two were vilified for their alleged acts of corruption and have been, will be forced or will continue to be forced to pay for their sins. Those of us who live in or near Detroit know all too well that Monica Conyers and Kwame Kilpatrick have certainly gotten their fair share of highly negative and mostly deserved media (from people of all races) attention.

But, what really makes me shake my head is this: Stereotyping black people from big cities like Chicago Detroit, Memphis, Newark and elsewhere is a useless self-hating waste of time (one that perpetuates a myth of a sort of black-on-black crime).

Corruption is far from exclusive to any one race (no matter how much one blogger might try to imply).

A Sure Sign Your Political Party Is Going To Be In Trouble

Republicans continue to fail to adapt to the changing demographics our nation is headed for in the next 30 to 50 years. The United States of America is not going to be majority white forever. The Hispanic population is growing and people of color are decades away from becoming a majority. That is quite frightening to a lot of people (some of which are expressing their anger through the most inflammatory anti-immigration rhetoric).

Those changing demographics could leave Republicans in trouble if they’re party doesn’t diversify and become more attractive to people of color.

You know you’re in trouble when Dick Armey comes across as the voice of reason. But, compared to an obnoxious extremist like Tom Tancredo, even Armey is a voice of reason.

From Think Progress:

Former Republican House leader Dick Armey said staunch anti-immigration opponents such as Rep. Tom Tancredo are destructive to Republicans — and are alienating a “natural” constituency that could help the party win elections. “Who in the Republican Party was the genius that said that now that we have identified the fastest-growing voting demographic in America, let’s go out and alienate them?” Armey said, referencing Hispanics, during a luncheon in Washington at the National Press Club.

“When I was the majority leader, I saw to it that Tom Tancredo did not get on the stage because I saw how destructive he was,” Armey said of the Colorado congressman and 2008 Republican presidential candidate known for his opposition to illegal immigration. [...]

Fox News Graphic Expresses Our Feelings For Sean Hannity

Fox News has come up with perhaps the perfect way to describe Sean Hannity’s one hour slur on decency.

This Month Marks 45th Anniversary Of ‘Bloody Sunday’

It’s amazing to think we’re just 45 years removed from one of the most violent oppositions to desegregation in the history of the United States of America. It was before I was born, but as someone who loves and appreciates history, it feels like a part of me. Today, many conservatives make fun of community organizers (mostly to attack President Obama) and try to provoke fear of any talk of social justice (mostly to attack civil rights organizations and black churches and pastors). But, it was in fact community organization and the battle for social justice that proved to be cornerstones of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

When I think of community organization and social justice, I don’t think of convenient political weapons designed to attack a politician, I think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and so many others.

I think of people like Rep. John Lewis who was severely beaten as he and others marched for civil rights 45 years ago on what now is called “Bloody Sunday.”

Here is a Wikipedia description of Bloody Sunday:

“Bloody Sunday” was the name given to a march designed to bring together support for the Voting Rights Act. It ended in a blood bath as peaceful protesters were attacked by state troopers using (among other things) nightsticks and tear gas to crush the efforts of the marchers.

Wallace denounced the march as a threat to public safety and declared he would take all measures necessary to prevent this from happening. The first march was led by John Lewis of SNCC and the Reverend Hosea Williams of SCLC, followed by Bob Mants of SNCC and Albert Turner of SCLC. The protest went smoothly until the marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge and found a wall of state troopers waiting for them on the other side. Their commanding officer told the demonstrators to disband at once and go home. Williams tried to speak to the officer, but the man curtly informed him there was nothing to discuss. Seconds later, the troopers began shoving the demonstrators. Many were knocked to the ground and beaten with nightsticks. Another detachment of troopers fired tear gas. Mounted troopers charged the crowd on horseback.^{[citation needed]}

Brutal televised images of the attack, which presented people with horrifying images of marchers left bloodied and severely injured, roused support for the U.S. civil rights movement. Amelia Boynton was beaten and gassed nearly to death; her photo appeared on the front page of newspapers and news magazines around the world.^{[citation needed]} Seventeen marchers were hospitalized, leading to the naming of the day “Bloody Sunday”.

There was a remembrance for the marchers and what they marched for around the 45th anniversary as documented by the Southern Poverty Law Center:

On the eve of the 45th anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” march that galvanized support for the Voting Rights Act, a congressional delegation led by U.S. Rep. John Lewis laid a wreath at the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery to honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives during the civil rights movement.

About 150 people took part in the solemn ceremony on March 6.

“We feel it’s fitting and appropriate to come here,” Lewis said after the ceremony. “This whole area is so holy and so sacred.” A veteran of the civil rights movement, the Georgia congressman was beaten by state troopers during the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march in 1965.

We can never forget those sacrifices, and what it means still today.

Expect Diversity Focuses On The Topic: The N-Word

BIG RAPIDS – Expect Diversity, a Ferris State University show produced by Television and Digital Media Production and hosted by Chief Diversity Officer Dr. David Pilgrim had a discussion about the use of the so-called N-word.

This is an old clip, but the topic of the discussion remains relevant to this day.

WARNING: There is language used that might be offensive, but is important for the conversation.

NRCC Words Certainly Are Racially Tinged In Attacking Rep. Charlie Rangel

The National Republican Congressional Committee is fooling no one with its weakly disguised racial attack on New York Congressman Charlie Rangel.

Rangel, obviously, is in major hot water these days. And, it’s clear that his troubles feel like ideal ammunition for Republicans to use as they launch an attack.

But, as MSNBC’s David Shuster points out, there seemed to be a racial motivation in a recent attack on Rangel by the NRCC.

Here is the transcript from MSNBC as posted by the right-wing outfit NewsBusters:

SHUSTER: I want to ask you about some of the criticism of Governor Paterson, particularly the National Republican Campaign Committee. They issued a very provocative press release over the weekend. They attacked Charlie Rangel. And we mentioned Charlie Rangel and David Paterson and the problems in New York. But, they mention Charlie Rangel as “the crooked Harlem Democrat.” They could have called him the crooked, New York Democrat. They could have called him a crooked Democrat. Why crooked Harlem Democrat? And did you see that as being racially tinged?

DOUG WILDER (former governor of Virginia): Well, this isn’t the first time that these people have reached beyond and over the top. Look at the ad that was being run by the Finance Committee, so-called Finance Committee in the Republican National Committee, depicting the President in the most unflattering capacity that they did showing his picture in grease paint, et cetera. You’re absolutely right. Were they trying to send that message? Was it racially tinged or not is not the issue. The issue is, could it be interpreted that way? And if it could be interpreted that way, don’t do it. You can say any number of things about what he’s done without having to it even have the inference of race at all.

SHUSTER: Former Virginia Governor Doug Wilder, thank you for joining us today. Nice to see you.

Here is one excerpt from a story posted on the NRCC Web site:

Notoriously corrupt Harlem Democrat Charlie Rangel’s recent admonishment by the House Ethics Committee has caused a stir among the nervous House Democrats who have accepted the Ways and Means Chairman’s tainted campaign contributions. Now, Democrats like Michael Arcuri have found themselves in the eye of an ethical storm. Not only has Arcuri accepted $14,000 in dirty campaign funds, but he has twice voted to sweep his party’s corruption problems under the rug by letting Rangel off the hook. With House Democrats quickly abandoning the embattled chairman, will Arcuri finally follow suit?

Here is the other excerpt from the same NRCC story posted on its Web site:

“Charlie Rangel has been embroiled in an ethical storm for years, but that hasn’t stopped Michael Arcuri from lining his campaign coffers with his tainted money,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “Now that Rangel has finally been busted for his ethical wrongdoings, Arcuri has egg on his face for repeatedly protecting the embattled chairman. After accepting $14,000 in tainted campaign donations from the Harlem Democrat and twice voting to let him off the hook, Arcuri is tied to this scandal whether he likes it or not. Will Arcuri try to salvage what’s left of his political career and finally abandon Rangel and his campaign money?”

Are you still having a hard time with accusations of an element of race in these charges?

If Republicans want to call him crooked … whatever. But, the emphasis on Harlem (with the racial baggage that comes with it) is difficult to ignore.

Media Matters for America counters the expected argument of “what’s wrong with calling him a ‘corrupt Harlem Democrat?’”

Here is part of the counter by MMA:

This NRCC press release criticizing Rep. Suzanne Kosmas doesn’t refer to her as a “New Smyrna Beach Democrat.”  This one criticizing Rep. Michael McMahon for not calling for Rangel’s resignation refers to McMahon as a “New York Democrat” rather than a “Staten Island Democrat” — even as it calls Rangel a “Harlem Democrat.”  This release twice calls Rangel a “Harlem Democrat,” but this one about Earl Pomeroy doesn’t say anything about a “Bismark Democrat,” and so on.

It does make you wonder what was in the hearts and souls of the people who wrote and approved that NRCC press release.

Billie Holiday Singing Strange Fruit

Is Fox News Trying To Fire Up Racial Controversy With White Step Team?

The highly skilled ladies of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority from the University of Arkansas opened a lot of eyes with its outstanding performance in the Sprite Step Off National Finals on Feb. 20 in Atlanta.

The competition was comprised of 80 teams from fraternities and sororities at 40 institutions  hungry for that top prize of $100,000 in scholarships. In all, there was $1.5 million in scholarship monies available for the participants in this event that was sponsored by Coca-Cola.

The controversy is racial. You see, Zeta Tau Alpha is an all-white sorority that performed lights out in what is traditionally a competition popular among black fraternities and sororities.  Initially, Zeta Tau Alpha was the winner of the competition while the second-place honors went to Indiana University’s Alpha Kappa Alpha. The crowd was audibly upset and booed as rapper and host Ludacris made the announcement. Later, apparently, there was a “scoring discrepancy” announced and first-place honors were shared by the two aforementioned sororities. Maybe there was  “scoring discrepancy” and maybe there wasn’t. It does sound a bit odd, but step show performers involved in the controversy hardly seem bothered by the whole thing.

In fact, at least one of the ladies (from Zeta Tau Alpha) indicated she was fine with the result and happy to get some of that scholarship money.

But, what really interests me in this story is the role Fox News, and anchor Megyn Kelly, played in it. Megyn Kelly, in a clip I found at News Hounds, seemed determined to extract a controversy in this situation by implying the “scoring effort” was some kind of affirmative-action-political-correctness adjustment designed to appease some black people who might have been upset with the original result (Zeta’s outright win).

One gets the feeling, that as the conversation played out, Kelly expected something from her guest (Alexandra Kosmitis) that she did not get by the time everything was said and done.

I also found it interesting that Kelly (fair and balanced in the Fox News tradition of “hard news”) declared Zeta Tau Alpha the “winners” during the segment.

Is a step show competition really hard news?

By the way, from what I watched of their performance, that team’s performance was strong.

Give them their props … they stepped their asses off (regardless of who you think won the event).

Indiana Daily Student:

http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=74134

News Hounds:

http://www.newshounds.us/2010/03/08/fox_news_baselessly_uses_sorority_step_competition_to_gratuitously_race_bait.php#more

The Root:

http://www.theroot.com/views/can-we-least-keep-stepping-ourselves

Dr. David Pilgrim Speaks At 2010 Race And Ethnicity Conference

GRAND RAPIDS – Ferris State University Chief Diversity Officer Dr. David Pilgrim speaks at the Grand Rapids Community College Social Science Department 2010 Race and Ethnicity Conference as part of the celebration of Black History Month.

This is the fourth year of the conference (a four-day conference).

Dan Rather Draws Two Strikes From One Comment On The Racial Sensitivity Front

Former long-time CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather is no stranger to controversy (and that is putting it quite mildly). And, once again, it seems Rather finds himself in the middle of some stuff:

As a guest on The Chris Matthews Show, the following comment was heard:

DAN RATHER: Part of the undertow in the coming election is going to be President Obama’s leadership. And the Republicans will make a case and a lot of independents will buy this argument. ‘Listen he just hasn’t been, look at the health care bill. It was his number one priority. It took him forever to get it through and he had to compromise it to death.’ And a version of, ‘Listen he’s a nice person, he’s very articulate‘ this is what’s been used against him, ‘but he couldn’t sell watermelons if it, you gave him the state troopers to flag down the traffic.’

Are these comments from Rather fair or foul?

First, Rather speaks of President Obama as being articulate. Now, how often do you hear someone who is white complimented for being articulate? Uh, he graduated from Columbia and Harvard.

Second, he invokes the infamous word “watermelon” in his comments. One would think Rather would be smart enough to avoid using a word saturated by historically negative racial stereotypes.

Chris Matthews tried to rescue Rather at the end, but the damage was already done.