Across this great nation, far-right Republicans and conservatives continue to engage in the politics of fear and smear with regard to health care.
Media Matters for America has begun a list to document the extremist language being used by many of those on the far right. And, not surprisingly, some of the worst offenders are Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. This is, of course, no big surprise. Limbaugh and Fox News have been working overtime defending pretty much anything coming from the far right and demonizing just about everything coming from the far left. At least Limbaugh is honest about being dangerously hateful and conservative. With him, what you see is what you get. Fox News, on the other hand, lies about being fair and balanced while being anything but fair and balanced.
Health care has driven the far right to sanity’s breaking point. The right wing has mobilized in an effort to do everything within its power (using its public relations team, Fox News, to get it done).
Here are a few of the insane comments from some on the far right:
RUSH LIMBAUGH: “Mullah Nancy Bin Pelosi … is no different” than those who “convince all these people to put bombs on their kids.”
LIMBAUGH: Democrats are “the kamikaze party.”
ANDREW BREITBART: Calls President Obama “Suicide-Bomber-In-Chief.”
MONICA CROWLEY: Health care reform is Democrats’ “suicide mission.”
Limbaugh is an unpatriotic extremist, Breitbart is a nut and an extremist and Crowley is just …. Monica Crowley (if you have seen her on Fox News you know how little she really has to offer that is positive and fair).
These are but a VERY few samples of hate speech compiled by Media Matters for America illustrating the lengths to which far-right conservatives will go to derail health care and demonize opponents.
Far-right extremist Rush Limbaugh is taking another shot at black people and attacking them for what he sees as “black dialect” as far as the way he hears blacks.
LIMBAUGH: Did you catch — you catch that, sir? What did you — did you catch that? No, you missed it, you missed it. See, you’re listening to the substance here, you missed it this. Play it again, Mike.
[...]
LIMBAUGH: This is what Harry Reid was talking about. Obama can turn on that black dialect when he wants to and turn it off. The president of the United States just said here as a condition of receiving — and I wonder if this was on the teleprompter. Did somebody put this on the prompter? As a condition of receiving access to Title I funds, we will ax all states. Who’s he trying to reach out here to? The Reverend Jackson? The Obama criticizer? Who’s he — who’s he — now, if I used the word “ax” the rest of the day, am I going to get beat up and creamed for making fun of this clean, crisp, calm, cool, new, articulate president? Maybe we should do it and see what happens. I’ll ax my advisers, and I might even ax Governor Coomo [Cuomo], as the Reverend Jackson pronounced his name.
As we have seen over the years, Limbaugh rarely misses an opportunity to take shots at black people and to try and portray them as second-class citizens and as inferior.
And, as always, his supporters (who in privacy chuckle at such shots at black people) follow him and make excuses for his bigotry.
All of those Rush Limbaugh fans would seem to embrace his consistent attacks on black people.
Limbaugh, who has a long history of taking shots at black people, attacking black people and making fun of black people is at it again.
Once again, Limbaugh has a good laugh at the expense of black people and all his loyal listeners will continue to listen and make every excuse in the world for this man who rarely misses an opportunity to cheap shot black people.
Steve Doocy, who has risen through the ranks of Fox News to become one of the hosts of the dreadful Fox & Friends show, disagreed with criticism from Rosie O’Donnell and Janeane Garofalo of right-wing hero Rush Limbaugh, leader of the Republican Party.
O’Donnell and Garofalo openly questioned why people would be fans of Limbaugh and O’Donnell cited his highly publicized drug use. After teasing a response from far right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin (again displaying the lack of fair and balanced work of Fox News), the dazzling Doocy offered this thought pearl of wisdom as proof of his intellect and level of maturity: “My reaction is they should just shut up.”
If we didn’t know any better, one might think Doocy was getting ready to graduate … to middle school.
Conservative leader Rush Limbaugh is at it again accusing President Obama of being “uppity” in the way he carries himself. As I’ve written before, the term uppity is a code word that several far-right (and prominent) conservatives have been using to attack this president. It’s a way of describing a black man who has overstepped his bounds and gotten out of line with a white man or white men who are perceived to know more than him, be in a higher social position or be flat-out better. It’s a term from a long-past era that many far-right conservatives, like Limbaugh, would love to see make a comeback.
Face it: “Uppity” is a term that has race written all over it and that is why Rush Limbaugh continues to come back to that term. Among Limbaugh’s goals are to agitate, degrade, inflame racial tension and create conflict.
LIMBAUGH: From InsideHigherEducation.com, you will not believe — well yeah, you will believe it. Everything that used to be unbelievable is not only believable it is happening. “Barack Obama has been called a lot of things since he hit the national stage: Celebrity, elitist and even one who ‘pals around with terrorists.’ But as his poll numbers come back down to earth, and an emboldened conservative movement sharpens its attacks, the label that seems to be sticking to Obama as much as any lately is that of ‘professor.’ Speaking to Tea Party activists in Nashville last week, Sarah Palin did her part to keep the ‘professor’ dig in circulation. The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee told a frenzied crowd, ‘They know we’re at war, and to win that war we need a commander in chief, not a professor of law standing at the lectern.’ The use of ‘professor’ as a term of derision may have hit its stride in the 1950s, but it dates back to scolding characterizations of Socrates, according to Geoffrey Nunberg, a linguistics professor at the University of California at Berkeley.”
OK, fine. Frankly, I didn’t know that “professor” had become the number one dig. But if it is, fine and dandy. Now get this: “Charles Ogletree, Harvard law professor, founding and executive director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for race and Justice says that he sees the ‘professor’ label as a thinly veiled attack on Obama’s race.”
Yes, my friends, you heard me read that. I heard myself read it. So now when we call Obama a professor, we are racist. “Calling Obama the professor walks dangerously close to labeling him uppity, a term with racial overtones that has surfaced in the political arena before, Ogletree said. Describing his divisive confirmation hearings as a circus, Justice Thomas called the proceedings a high tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deigned to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas. It’s perhaps ironic, then, that the Ogletree, who represented Anita Hill, now sees a bit of the ‘uppity’ label being placed on Obama.”
This is two different kinds of uppity that are being discussed about here. So now is professor the P-word? We’ve got the N-word, we have the R-word, and now we have the P-word? We can’t — we gotta — we gotta speak in code? And only people who don’t know what P-word is will understand what we’re saying.
“The idea that he’s not one of us, Ogletree says of the professor label. He has these ideas on that are left-wing that are socialist, that he’s palling around with terrorists. Those are buzzwords, but the reality was that they were looking at this president as an African-American who is out of place.” You know, Professor Ogletree, I hate to burst the balloon, but the single most important reason Obama was elected was his race.
A bunch of white people who thought electing a black president would assuage all of their guilt and erase our racial past voted for Obama. They couldn’t of cared less what he thought, what he said. He didn’t think of his as uppity, they were being selfish. They didn’t like feeling guilty over our racists past, slavery, and so they thought pulling the lever for Obama would absolve them. It wasn’t for his policies, as we are now quickly learning.
What Clarence Thomas meant by uppity, meaning he wasn’t a liberal black. When Clarence Thomas said uppity black thinks for himself means he’s off the reservation, so to speak. He’s not following the civil rights speech codes set forth by the Reverend Jackson and Al Sharpton and whoever else is in charge of them. But nobody — Obama is uppity, but not as a black. He is an elitist. He does think he’s smarter and better than everybody else. That’s what he was taught. He’s a Harvard man.
The fact that he needed to qualify his use of the word uppity by saying “not as a black” shows he had a full understanding of the racially-inflammatory nature of his words. He is playing into the undercurrent of racism he hopes is continuing to flow in this country to use it as a method of attacking President Obama.
Limbaugh then loses credibility stripes for quoting Clarence Thomas in regard to civil rights.
He also essentially calls white people (I am assuming liberal white people) stupid for voting for voting for a black man to be president of the United States of America.
While most people see a man who rose from humble roots to do great things, it’s clear Rush Limbaugh has an issue with what he sees as an uppity Negro in the White House.
It’s also clear that when most black people accomplish something in life he sees it as being the product of affirmative action (or white guilt) while when white people accomplish something it’s because they worked hard.
BECK: I also believe this is dividing the nation…to where the nation sees him react so rapidly on Haiti and yet he couldn’t react rapidly on Afghanistan. He couldn’t react rapidly on Ft. Hood. He couldn’t react rapidly on our own airplanes with an underwear bomber…it doesn’t make sense. [...] Three different events and Haiti is the only one. I think personally that it deepens he divide to see him react this rapidly to Haiti.
Here is one major difference between Haiti and the other two examples cited by Beck. In Fort Hood, the tragedy (13 people killed) happened and then it was contained. In the failed attempt at a terrorist attack on Christmas in Michigan (three people were burned … including the alleged attacker), it happened (or was attempted) and quickly was contained. In Haiti, however, the tragedy continues, people need medical attention, thousands have died or are dying, people need food, people need shelter, people need protection. The U.S. had to act quickly in Haiti for those reasons and in case of potential aftershocks in the wake of such a devastating earthquake.
It’s not a situation where a black president is simply trying to help in Haiti because they’re black, as one prominent right winger suggested.
Rush Limbaugh, who has built a financial fortune and a large fan base on hate, sunk to a new low (and that is saying something by his standards), with his words in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The disaster in Haiti, by the time everything is said, done and written, could claim in the neighborhood of 100,000 lives. The death toll, the destruction and the loss of life are so incredible it’s almost impossible to fully comprehend. But, that has not stop the disgraceful and hateful Limbaugh, the lowest among us, from taking this international tragedy and using it as an opportunity to score political points against and take a racially tinged shot at President Obama.
Rush Limbaugh never misses an opportunity to take a shot at President Obama and rarely misses an opportunity to use race as a wedge issue.
Still, so many people continue to support this man and so many people wonder why black people turn away from Republicans and are disgusted by so much of what Republicans stand for in this country. It’s a shame (and I’ve written it so many times on this blog) that good conservatives (reasonable conservatives) lack the character to stand up and speak out against hate speech like this from Rush Limbaugh which serves only to divide people. Instead, they either go silent or they make every excuse possible for Limbaugh and his hate speech.
Be honest, this is Limbaugh’s way of using race to attack President Obama for wanting to go out of his way to help black people (suggesting the president would not have done the same, as quickly, for white people … because all black people stick together).
I commend Ed Schultz (and the others who did likewise) for calling out Rush Limbaugh for these unbelievably callous comments in the wake of a disaster of epic proportions.
Rush Limbaugh is a disgraceful man who has no decency. Limbaugh makes his millions of dollars off such hate speech, but what about the cowards on the right who are unwilling to face him on his bigotry. What do they get out of supporting his hate and daily forms of bigotry? Maybe he speaks to what truly exists in their hearts … things they want desperately to say, but lack the courage to say it. Those are the people we should truly fear.
I realize there are a lot of people out there who are sickened and disgusted by Rush Limbaugh’s seemingly lifelong campaign of hatred, bigotry, racial divisiveness and inflammatory partisan politics. It’s quite difficult for most of us to think of Rush Limbaugh and not, to a greater or lesser degree, think also of things many people believe he represents: hate, bigotry, classism, racism, sexism, homophobia and other negatives.
Wednesday, the far-right conservative talk show host had significant chest pains and was rushed to a hospital in Hawaii. As that news broke, many people had strong emotions. Some hoped for the worst as far as Limbaugh’s health is concerned. Limbaugh has said more than his fair share of hateful things over the years, but to wish death for him is simply too much.
I detest most everything about Rush Limbaugh (who now apparently is in “good, stable condition”), but would never wish death on him or anyone else.
Multicultural icon Rush Limbaugh is at it again telling black people how bad they are and how pitiful they are in today’s United States of America. He now is telling people ”the black frame of mind is terrible” on his radio broadcast that reaches millions of people. The sad thing is that the millions of people he reach believe in just about everything he is saying and support his frequent racial, sexist and homophobic attacks. He criticizes black people for thinking the election of Barack Obama was going to be this huge turnaround of the economy when actually conservatives were saying that about President Obama and portraying him as some kind of celebrity and calling him “The One” as a way of attacking him.
Some of this might resonate with the 18 black people who probably listen to Limbaugh, but not much beyond that small minority.
Then noted race relations expert Rush Limbaugh finishes off his idiotic rant by taking a shot at Tiger Woods and his interracial marriage by saying, “Tiger Woods’ choice of females not helping them out with their attitudes there either.”
Rush Limbaugh’s words translated: Black people are not working, black people are bad, blacks have bad attitudes, blacks are depressed, blacks are down, blacks are disillusioned and blacks are being screwed by Barack Obama. Then you got Tiger Woods who is messing around with white women and showing you just how bad people of color are today.
It’s always interesting to hear from champions of diversity and inclusion like Rush Limbaugh when he shares his firsthand knowledge of all that is bad with black people and how they can turn it all around if they listen to Uncle Ruckus Lim … er… Uucle Rush Limbaugh.
Republicans have had a rather dubious in regard to race relations for decades, but it seems their sensitivity to race has recently been heightened. The right-wing has spotted some blood in the water and is going after one of its favorite targets: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who likened the Republican health care opposition to slavery. As one might expect, right-wing nuts emerged from everywhere to pounce on Sen. Reid and accuse of him of playing the so-called race card (one of angry Michelle Malkin’s favorite terms). Malkin is just one of a gang of conservatives moving into to attack like one of the groups from the legendary Michael Jackson music video, “Beat It.”
As Media Matters for America has pointed out, however, conservatives have for years attacked progressives (in particular) blacks for being slaves to the government. We’ve routinely heard from conservatives that people who are on welfare are like slaves and that if health care is enacted that people will essentially become slave-like.
Here are the remarks Media Matters for America cited from conservatives (with the usual subjects in Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Michelle Malkin leading the way):
Fox’s Bolling: “Were you shocked as I was when I heard him?” On the December 7 edition of Fox News’ Your World, guest host Eric Bolling — who also frequently guest hosts for Glenn Beck — asked Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (TX): “[W]ere you shocked as I was when I heard him compare — if you were against health care, you may actually be in favor of slavery?” Bolling later asked if Reid’s comments were an indication of “desperation” about health care reform.
FoxNews.com: Reid “took his GOP-blasting rhetoric to a new level Monday.” In a December 7 article, FoxNews.com wrote that Reid “took his GOP-blasting rhetoric to a new level Monday, comparing Republicans who oppose health care reform to lawmakers who clung to the institution of slavery more than a century ago.”
Limbaugh: “This is outrageous.” On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh said that Reid’s remarks were “outrageous, because Harry Reid knows the Republican Party was born in the fight against slavery.” Limbaugh added that Reid’s remarks are an indication of what Democrats have “been reduced to.”
Malkin: Reid “playing the race card.” In a December 7 post, Michelle Malkin wrote that Reid was playing the race card in his remarks, adding: “I’m sure Nevadans appreciate being likened to slavemasters, too.”
It just goes to show the nuts at Fox News along with a cabinet-level nut like Malkin and the NOTUS (Nut Of The United States) Rush Limbaugh are the biggest of the hypocrites.
Where was Michelle Malkin’s outrage when Glenn Beck used slavery multiple times to attack progressives.
This is another way some conservatives gleefully spit in the face of minorities and act as if minorities are not smart enough to sift through the B.S. and middle-America whites are not smart enough to understand their game.
I am always amazed how conservative white guys jump up and declare Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton spokesmen for the so-called black community. It is so ignorant to suggest that black people need one or two spokespeople to speak on their behalf as if they’re too stupid to speak on their own. Where are the leaders for the white community, the Latino community, the Asian American community or the Native American community? And, if they are out there, why are they not being set up to be attacked as Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton are being put into position to be attacked?
So Rush Limbaugh’s bid to be one of the buyers of the St. Louis Rams is being opposed by, among others, the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.
Why doesn’t that surprise me?
Sharpton and Jackson have as much politically in common with Limbaugh as the Detroit Lions have with Super Bowl championships.
Zilch.
That’s not the whole story, of course. If Sharpton and Jackson are involved in something nationally, typically race is involved.
That’s their shtick. They are, and have been, the designated spokespeople for the black race. And that’s quite puzzling.
He stats that if Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton are involved then race is probably an issue. But, who is asking the questions? Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton don’t run CNN and MSNBC and they sure as hell don’t run the far-right Fox News. They don’t run NBC, CBS, ABC, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, etc.
So, a conservative white guy declares that Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton are spokesmen for the so-called black community. Now, this is done because conservatives in the media have worked for decades to demonize Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton as a means of knocking down and keeping down what they call “the black community.” They declare Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton the so-called leaders of “the black community” or the so-called spokesmen for “the black community” and then turn around and attack the two. Is this a disguised attack on blacks as a people?
Is Rush Limbaugh the spokesman for the white community? He is for a large number of far-right conservatives.
So, this writer ends by stating:
Sharpton and Jackson have had their time in the limelight.
It’s time for them to go away.
He seems to have left Limbaugh’s name out of that statement. Should be surprised? Of course we should not be surprised.
Don’t for one minute believe conservatives like Chris Stevens want men like Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton to go away. I agree that the media should allow other strong and young black voices (alternative voices) a platform in the media, but that is not the interest of conservatives like Chris Stevens.
It’s a disguised and passive-aggressive way of attacking black people.
Whether you use the word “nigger” or you use the term “boy” the meaning is generally the same (even though one of the aforementioned clearly holds far more negative power). Rush Limbaugh has been in the news frequently with his racial (some would say racist) attacks on President Obama. If not racist, Limbaugh clearly is using racial politics to turn the United States of America into his vision for the future … the Divided States of America (a nation that is divided along racial lines).
In his latest effort at racial antagonism, Limbaugh now has taken to referring to President Obama as “boy” which is a historical term used by whites to degrade black men (a usage that dates back to slavery days).
I realize that some historically ignorant people will think I am flying off the handle. To those people I say this: Check out the history.
From Media Matters for America:
Limbaugh calls Obama “this little boy, this little man-child president.” While discussing what he characterized as Obama’s “attacks” on Fox News and “ambush” of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Limbaugh said: “People are finally standing up to this little boy, this little man-child president, whose primary — I think his primary job, if you will, in life has been leisure.” [Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show, 10/27/09]
This is not an accidental use by Limbaugh. This is a far-right nut who has a long and dubious history of racial politics aimed at diminishing blacks in the eyes of his highly conservative audience. Is the word “boy” itself racist like the term “nigger” is considered to be? The answer is this: not necessarily. It all depends on the context and the user.
Here is another example from Media Matters of Limbaugh using the word “boy” to demean President Obama:
Limbaugh: “[T]he little boy president went out there and did something absolutely ignorant and stupid.” Referring to Senate Democrats’ plan to block funding for the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention center until a decision was made about where to put the detainees, Limbaugh stated: “I tell ya, this is cover for Obama, ’cause the little boy president went out there and did something absolutely ignorant and stupid, and he’s got to be covered for it now.” [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 5/20/09]
Again, this is no accident. This is an orchestrated effort by Rush Limbaugh to portray Barack Obama in a negative light by casting him as a black man using a term that, in this context, has racial overtones (negative racial overtones). Once again, Rush Limbaugh uses race to divide and, once again conservatives are silent as their leader further insults and degrades people of color.
Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp was invited on Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News show (to talk about Rush Limbaugh’s publicity-stunt bid to maybe take on an ownership role with the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams) and, after little more than a few minutes, it was pretty obvious why: Sharp was completely overmatched and woefully (and stunningly) underprepared for this debate with O’Reilly. As a native Detroiter, it pained me to see how pitiful Sharp performed against O’Reilly. It was like Drew was totally unprepared for O’Reilly to defend Limbaugh as aggressively as he did (duh) and it seemed Drew could barely muster a couple of examples (in an ocean of many) of Limbaugh’s racism and use of race to divide Americans.
The next segment was about Rush Limbaugh possibly buying the St. Louis Rams, and O’Reilly wants to know why people have a problem with it. Earth to O’Reilly, maybe because Rush Limbaugh is a massive racist, and most of the NFL players are black. You have to be deaf dumb and blind not to know why people are opposed to Limbaugh buying the Rams. O’Reilly reported that the NFL players union is opposed to it, and he had sports writer Drew Sharp on to discuss it.
Sharp said Limbaugh is a partisan who a lot of people hate because of his statements and his racism, Billy said that’s your opinion. Then O’Reilly defended Limbaugh and said his research staff can not find any racist statements made by Rush Limbaugh. And that he has the best staff in the business so if they can not find it he never said it. Then Billy played the clip of what Limbaugh said about Donovan McNabb and said that is the only thing he could find about Limbaugh. Hey O’Reilly, what about the Barack the magic negro song, that’s racist pal. O’Reilly denied Limbaugh is a racist, and said there is no evidence of it, which is just ridiculous.
And this Drew Sharp was terrible, he had nothing, he should have had the racist quotes from Limbaugh. Billy said it was not fair to disqualify Limbaugh from buying the team just because he says provocative things, as he denied all the racist statements he has made. The one or two examples Sharp used were disputed by O’Reilly, and Drew had no comeback, so he was terrible. The man was totally unprepared, and O’Reilly dominated him.
It’s hard to argue with a lot of what Steve wrote in this blog. Drew looked just plain awful and it was painful to watch O’Reilly smash him without even so much as breaking a sweat.
It was like the free breadsticks you get at some restaurants before your main course comes.
It reminds me of the old days when pro wrestling was on TV and the one guy would be standing in the ring with no music, plain tights and a jacket from deep in his closet. His opponent, the star, comes out with a flowing robe, fancy tights, a manager, a hot-looking valet, music and beats the crap out of the scrub in like three minutes (just in time for a commercial).
Drew Sharp was there to make O’Reilly look good. And, wow, did he play his role out well.
As for racist statements from Limbaugh, if O’Reilly’s research team can’t find any then that speaks volumes about how incompetent and/or biased they are (or how ignorant they are to what the word “racist” means).
Limbaugh claims he is “colorblind” and “treat[s] every equally”
From the October 12 edition of Premiere Radio Networks’ The Rush Limbaugh Show:
LIMBAUGH: I’ve had people say to me, well, I think you’ve got a blind spot. You don’t know what it’s like to have a heritage that black people [unintelligible] — oh, I most certainly do not have a blind spot, and I most certainly do understand it. I understand that all human beings have obstacles. We all have to overcome them. There’s no better place to overcome those obstacles than the United States of America. The freest country, the freest people on Earth. And what really saddens me and disappoints me to this day is that there are people who are not inspired and taught about how great they can be because they are Americans.
Frankly, the biggest problem I face in the current climate of political correctness is that I’m colorblind about it. I don’t say politically correct things about it. For example, in the Today show interview, Jamie Gangel: “Weren’t you moved by the election of the first black president?” Yeah, I was. Great historical fact, but I got over it pretty quickly, because I don’t see him as black. I see him as president of the United States, and I’m more concerned about his policies.
I love this country. I want everyone in this country to succeed. I want everyone in this country to pursue happiness. I want everyone to benefit as an American, as I have. I stand in no one’s way. I am not the one putting obstacles in people’s way. I’m the one trying to sweep them away, and in so doing, I don’t speak politically correct language, and as such, I’m accused of being insensitive. I guess my problem is I treat people as adults. I treat them as informed, I treat them as educated, and I treat them as equals. I don’t condescend to people, and I don’t run around feeling sorry for people, because that doesn’t help them. After you feel sorry for somebody, then what do you do?
It’s all up to us to make the most of the one life we are blessed to be given by God. And I cringe when I see so many lives not reaching anywhere near their potential, because others capitalize on their failure to do so. And that happens not just with racial issues; it happens with all minorities. We have assumed that we’re an unjust and unfair country. That all of the minorities, for whatever reason they are minorities, are victims of an unfair, unjust, immoral America.
And there are white people that buy into that stuff, too, because they don’t want to run around feeling guilty, and they don’t want to run around people thinking that they are racist. It’s all political correctness that has led people to thinking this. And so, when I, for example, say, I think the media has little interest in a black quarterback doing well, I mean it. Most of the sports media is politically correct liberals.
And that kind of surface stuff matters to them. I’m interested in people’s hearts and their souls, because that’s what animates us as human beings. Not our skin color. I’m colorblind. I have reached the point where everybody professes we need to go. I treat everybody equally. Nobody is — in the political arena — I don’t care. Male, female, black, white, gay, straight, bisexual. If you are opposed to the things I think are great for the country, I’m going to say so. I’m going to criticize you. Not because of whatever it is distinguishes you from me on a surface basis, but because of ideas. I’m just a lone guy here, in the arena of ideas, sharing mine. [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 10/12/09]
Limbaugh has made numerous racially charged remarks about Obama
“We are being told that we have to hope [Obama] succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles … because his father was black.” After Obama’s inauguration, Limbaugh said during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News that “[r]acism in this country is the exclusive province of the left. We’re witnessing racism all this week that led up to the inauguration. We’re being told that we have to hope he succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles. Bend over forward, backward, whichever, because his father was black, because this is the first black president. We’ve got to accept this. The racism that everybody thinks exists on our side of the aisle has been on full display throughout their primary campaign. So I think they’ve done a great job, the media has, of covering up his deficiencies.”
“I do believe” Obama is an “angry black guy.” Responding to accusations that he had called Obama “an angry black man,” Limbaugh said on July 27 “they’re finally hearing me — he’s an angry black guy. I do believe that about the president. I do believe he’s angry; I think his wife is angry. All liberals are enraged all the time anyways. They’re always mad.” Previously, Limbaugh had said that Obama is “one angry guy.”
“[I]n Obama’s America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering.” On September 15, Limbaugh said: “It’s Obama’s America, is it not? Obama’s America, white kids getting beat up on school buses now. I mean, you put your kids on a school bus, you expect — you expect safety. But in Obama’s America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, ‘Yay, right on, right on, right on, right on.’ And of course everybody says, ‘Oh, the white kid deserved it. He was born a racist, he’s white.’ Newsweek magazine told us this. We know that white students are destroying civility on buses. White students destroying civility in classrooms all over America. White congressmen destroying civility in the House of Representatives. We can redistribute students while we redistribute their parents’ wealth. I mean, we can just redistribute everything. Just return the white students to their rightful place, their own bus, with bars on the windows and armed guards. They’re racist. They get what they deserve. Newsweek magazine told us this — post-racial America. I mean, I wonder if Obama’s going to come to the defense of the assailants the way he did his friend Skip Gates up there at Harvard.”
“Obama’s entire economic program is reparations.” On June 22, Limbaugh said, “What they don’t know is that Obama’s entire economic program is reparations. If I were [Al] Sharpton, if I’d been guest-hosting Sharpton’s show, and I got a call like that, somebody complaining, I’d say, ‘No, hey, hey, hey. Shh, shh. Let me tell you the truth here. Everything in the stimulus plan, every plan he’s got is reparations. He gonna take from the rich, he’s gonna take from the — he’s gonna give it to you. It just can’t happen overnight. Be patient.’ That’s what’s — redistribution of wealth, reparations, returning the nation’s wealth to its rightful owners, whatever you want to call it, it’s reparations.”
Obama is “more African in his roots than he is American” and is “behaving like an African colonial despot.” After reading extensively from an American Thinker column smearing Obama, Limbaugh said on June 26 that Obama is “more African in his roots than he is American” and is “behaving like an African colonial despot.”
Obama is “Halfrican-American.” On January 24, 2007, Limbaugh referred to Obama and actress Halle Berry as “Halfrican-American[s],” stating that “Barack Obama has picked up another endorsement: Halfrican-American actress Halle Berry.” Limbaugh then said: ” ‘As a Halfrican-American, I am honored to have Ms. Berry’s support, as well as the support of other Halfrican Americans,’ Obama said.” Limbaugh then conceded that Obama “didn’t say it.”
“Obama has disowned his white half … he’s decided he’s got to go all in on the black side.” On March 21, 2008, Limbaugh said of Obama’s handling of the controversy surrounding remarks by Rev. Jeremiah Wright: “It is clear that Senator Obama has disowned his white half, that he’s decided he’s got to go all in on the black side.” Limbaugh had earlier said: “[Y]ou know, opening these race wounds like this, taking us back 30, 40 years, making it look like no progress has been made — what Barack Obama has done — I’m going to say something here that might offend — or not offend — but might make some uncomfortable. But it is clear to me that there has been a major transformation in Senator Obama.”
Sotomayor “a reverse racist” appointed by Obama, “the greatest living example of a reverse racist.” On May 26, Limbaugh said then-Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a “reverse racist” and that liberals are wrong to assert that “minorities cannot be racists” because Obama is the “greatest living example of a reverse racist and now he’s appointed one.” On his May 29 show, Limbaugh compared Sotomayor’s nomination to nominating David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan member, and said the way to “get promoted in the Barack Obama administration” is “by hating white people.”
Obama “wants us to have the same health care and plan that he had in Kenya” and “wants to be the black FDR.” On August 24, Limbaugh said he “finally figured out why it is Obama’s pushing so hard on this health care bill.” He asserted: “He just wants us to have the same health care and plan that he had in Kenya. And look, you know, economic anxiety is necessary if you want to become the next black FDR, which is — well, the black FDR. That’s what he wants. He wants to be the black FDR, the next FDR, and FDR fed off of economic anxiety.”
Latching onto LA Times op-ed, Limbaugh sings “Barack, The Magic Negro.” On March 19, 2007, Limbaugh highlighted a Los Angeles Times op-ed that described Obama as “running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination — the ‘Magic Negro’ ” — a term used by critics of pop culture to describe certain benevolent African-American characters. Limbaugh stated: “The term ‘Magic Negro’ has been thrown into the political presidential race in the mix for 2008. And the term ‘Magic Negro,’ as applied to Barack Obama has been done by an LA Times columnist, David Ehrenstein.” Limbaugh later asserted: “I’m going to keep referring to him as that, because I want to make a bet that by the end of this week I will own that term,” adding, “If I refer to Obama the rest of the day as the ‘Magic Negro,’ there will be a number of people in the drive-by media and on left-wing blogs who will credit me for coming up with it and ignore the LA Times did it, simply because they can’t be critical of the LA Times, but they can, obviously, be critical of talk radio.” Limbaugh continued to refer to Obama as the “Magic Negro” throughout the broadcast — 27 times, to be exact — and at one point sang “Barack, the Magic Negro” to the tune of “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” Limbaugh defended his use of the song, stating, “Well, that’s what we always do here. We do parodies and satires on the idiocy and phoniness of the left.”
“God does not have a birth certificate. Neither does Obama”; Obama “has yet to prove he’s a citizen.” Limbaugh has also advanced the theory that Obama was not born in the United States, saying that “God does not have a birth certificate. Neither does Obama” and that Obama “has yet to have to prove he’s a citizen. All he’d have to do is show a birth certificate.”
Limbaugh on Gates controversy: “Here you have a black president trying to destroy a white policeman.” On July 24, Limbaugh said Obama “all of a sudden, this guy that [moderates] elected, who they thought was all of these wonderful, perfect things, is now behaving as a community organizer and is fanning the flames of race, and is calling the police stupid. And I guarantee you those people — we’ve all been waiting to ask the question, when are the Obama voters going to wake up? Well, this incident might be — I don’t know yet, a little early to say — this incident might be the wake-up call for some of these moderates. … You know that there were a lot of people that voted for Obama out of pure guilt. Hoping that that — the election, his election would just wipe the slate clean, at least make them feel better about it. And this just destroys that. Here you have a black president trying to destroy a white policeman when he doesn’t know the facts of the case.” Limbaugh also said on July 23 that white policemen are “under assault” “from the East Room of the White House.”
Limbaugh suggests Obama would not have acted on Somali pirates if he’d known they were “actually young, black Muslim teenagers.” On April 14, Limbaugh suggested the “correct” way to look at a situation in which Obama sent the military to retrieve American hostages from Somali pirates was that “if only President Obama had known that the three Somali community organizers were actually young, black Muslim teenagers, I’m sure he wouldn’t have given the order to shoot.”
Limbaugh suggests Democrats, media believe “you can’t criticize the little black man-child.” Referring to GOP ads comparing Obama to Britney Spears during the presidential campaign, on August 20, 2008, Limbaugh said: “It’s — you know, it’s just — it’s just we can’t hit the girl. I don’t care how far feminism’s saying, you can’t hit the girl, and you can’t — you can’t criticize the little black man-child. You just can’t do it, ’cause it’s just not right, It’s not fair. He’s such a victim.” The previous day, Limbaugh had said that “it is striking how unqualified Obama is and, and how this whole thing came about with, within the Democrat Party. I think it really goes back to the fact that nobody had the guts to stand up and say no to a black guy.” Limbaugh went on to say, “I think this is a classic illustration here where affirmative action has reared its ugly head against them.”
Limbaugh has an extensive history of making racially charged comments
“The government’s been taking care of [young blacks] their whole lives.” On February 1, 2007, Limbaugh responded to a Reuters report about a University of Chicago study that found that “a majority of young blacks feel alienated from today’s government” by asserting, “Why would that be? The government’s been taking care of them their whole lives.”
“The days of [minorities] not having any power are over, and they are angry.” On June 4, Limbaugh said, “This has been the argument the Reverend Jackson has proffered throughout my life — that it’s impossible for minorities to be racist because they don’t have any power. Well, president of the United States. We’re talking now about a Supreme Court justice. The days of them not having any power are over, and they are angry. And they want to use their power as a means of retribution. That’s what Obama’s about, gang. He’s angry; he’s going to cut this country down to size. He’s going to make it pay for all the multicultural mistakes that it has made — its mistreatment of minorities. I know exactly what’s going on here.”
“[M]inorities never do anything for which they have to apologize.” On April 12, 2007, Limbaugh criticized Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson for refusing to apologize to three former members of the Duke University men’s lacrosse team who were accused of rape in March 2006 — all charges were dropped on April 11, 2007 — and asserted that “minorities never do anything for which they have to apologize.” Presumably referring to the decision by CBS Radio and MSNBC to stop airing Imus in the Morning following controversial comments by host Don Imus, Limbaugh stated: “Everybody’s demanding that everybody apologize in this country for simply breathing. It’s getting to the point some people are not allowed to breathe or exhale, or make syllables.” Limbaugh went on to complain about the protests Sharpton and Jackson led condemning Imus’ remarks, saying: “They’re members of the minority. Don’t ever forget that this is the case. Minorities, victims, members of groups, are allowed to do anything to address their grievances and to get noticed, because … they’re so oppressed.”
Limbaugh: “The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.” In 2003, Limbaugh resigned from his job as an ESPN commentator after saying that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb hasn’t “been that good from the get-go” and “got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn’t deserve,” because “[t]he media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.” After the Eagles reached Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, Limbaugh returned to making racial comments about McNabb, saying, “There’s no question McNabb has improved and I’m happy to see it,” but that “when the defense … was propping the Eagles up,” the media “were still giving McNabb credit — because there’s this social hope.”
Limbaugh says “NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips.” On January 19, 2007, Limbaugh stated: “Look it, let me put it to you this way. The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There I said it.”
Limbaugh declares basketball “the favorite sport of gangs.” Discussing the government’s attempts to curb violence, Limbaugh told a caller on October 7: “It’s not reasonable that you should understand the insanity that local and state and federal bureaucracies are doing. It’s perfectly normal and understandable that none of what they do would make sense to you. My question — OK, a 1 cent sales tax to fight gang violence. What do you spend the money on to fight gang violence? Afterschool program — don’t we already have afterschool programs? Don’t we already have — what do you call it, extracurricular events? Midnight basketball — I mean, we’ve done it all. We’ve taken the favorite sport of gangs, and we put it at midnight to get them on the basketball court. We had 100,000 new cops with Clinton — we’ve done it all. And the problem still is out of control. Liberalism doesn’t work.”
Limbaugh invented “racial component” to Hackett’s decision to withdraw from Ohio primary race. During the 2006 Democratic primaries, Limbaugh invented a racial element to explain Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett’s departure from the Ohio Democratic Senate primary race against then-Rep. Sherrod Brown, asserting, “And don’t forget, Sherrod Brown is black. There’s a racial component here, too.” In fact, Brown is white — a point on which Limbaugh was corrected later in the program.
Limbaugh on Survivor series: “African-American tribe” worst swimmers, Hispanics “will do things other people won’t do.” On August 23, 2006, Limbaugh suggested that the competition in a season of CBS’ Survivor, in which contestants were reportedly divided into competing “tribes” by ethnicity, “is not going to be fair if there’s a lot of water events.” In support of this assertion, he cited a March 2, 2006, HealthDay article reporting that “young blacks — especially males — are much more likely to drown in pools than whites.” He later added that Hispanics have “probably shown the most survival tactics,” that they “have shown a remarkable ability to cross borders,” and that they can “do it without water for a long time, they don’t get apprehended, and they will do things other people won’t do.” On his September 29, 2006, show, Limbaugh claimed “[t]here can only be one reason” Survivor scrapped “segregated” competition after two episodes — “the white tribe had to be winning.”
Limbaugh suggested Colin Powell only supported Obama because of race. After Limbaugh asserted that Colin Powell should leave the Republican Party because of his support for Obama, Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that “[i]t’s not up to Rush Limbaugh to decide who ought to be in the Republican Party.” Limbaugh responded on his May 18 show that all Democrats “had to do was nominate an African-American and [they've] got Colin Powell.”
Limbaugh: Gates is an “angry racist.” On July 27, Limbaugh said Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates is an “angry racist.”
Limbaugh called illegal immigrants an “invasive species.” Referring to an April 1, 2005, federal court ruling that prohibited shipping boats from dumping of ballast water containing “invasive species,” including some types of mollusks, into U.S. waters, Limbaugh described illegal immigrants as an “invasive species” that U.S. courts willingly permit to enter the country.
Limbaugh repeatedly calls Native Americans “Injuns.”Media Matters for Americadocumented at least four separate instances of Limbaugh using this slur on his program.
Limbaugh says Democrats’ interest in Darfur is securing black “voting bloc.” On August 21, 2007, Limbaugh claimed that Democrats “want to get us out of Iraq, but they can’t wait to get us into Darfur.” He continued: “There are two reasons. What color is the skin of the people in Darfur? It’s black. And who do the Democrats really need to keep voting for them? If they lose a significant percentage of this voting bloc, they’re in trouble.” A caller responded, “The black population,” to which Limbaugh said, “Right.”
Limbaugh says that if “feminazis” had remembered to oppose “affirmative action for black guys … they wouldn’t face the situation they face today.” On May 21, 2008, Limbaugh said that “one of the objectives of the feminazis over the last 20, 25 years has been to dominate the public education system so as to remove the competitive nature of boys. You know, there’s a crisis of young man-boy education in the schools. And they did this on purpose, to eliminate male competition in the work force. This is part of feminazi grand plan.” Limbaugh then said, “They forgot affirmative action for black guys. And because of that, every bit of their plan has gone up in smoke now, because they — if — they had to come out in favor of affirmative action for black guys, and that’s — see, this is one of the things that really irritates the women. And there are women all over this country fit to be tied — trust me on this. … [L]iberals eventually are going to be devoured by their own policies. And it has happened here. Because Barack Obama is an affirmative action candidate.” He concluded, “So, it’s just — they just forgot that one thing: affirmative action for black guys. And if they had remembered to oppose that, then they wouldn’t face the situation they face today.”
Far-right commentator Rush Limbaugh supposedly is part of a group that is attempting to by the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams franchise. Limbaugh is a polarizing figure with a long and dubious history of making racially offensive comments about minorities (most notably blacks), women, gays and others who don’t seem to fit his vision of what the United States of America is supposed to look like.
Here is a statement from the player’s association (as posted by Media Matters for America) in regard to Limbaugh’s controversial bid to become an NFL owner:
NFL Players Executive Director DeMaurice Smith on Saturday made a move to solidify the union against a bid by conservative talk show radio host Rush Limbaugh as part of a group that aims to purchase the St. Louis Rams.
In an e-mail to the union’s executive committee on Saturday specifically addressing Limbaugh’s bid, Smith said, “I’ve spoken to the Commissioner [Roger Goodell] and I understand that this ownership consideration is in the early stages. But sport in America is at its best when it unifies, gives all of us reason to cheer, and when it transcends. Our sport does exactly that when it overcomes division and rejects discrimination and hatred.”
Limbaugh and St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts are among six potential ownership groups that have discussed buying the Rams. League sources say the current sale price has ranged from $700-to-$750 million but that there did not appear to be an imminent transaction.
On Sunday, Smith briefly elaborated, “This communication is more about what we stand for than the reality of our role in any franchise sale. While it’s true the subject matter was related [to Limbaugh's bid], I do understand that the NFL does not present ownership bids to me or the NFLPA. I encourage our players to express their views.”
At least seven NFL players have publicly opposed Limbaugh’s interest in purchasing the Rams with Checketts. In Smith’s communication Saturday with his executive committee, the union leader encouraged players to speak their mind on all matters, including Limbaugh’s bid.
The Limbaugh apologists are out there (including Bill O’Reilly who lacks the guts to stand up to Rush) and coming to the controversial commentator’s defense.
Here is another statement Media Matters posted from the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, Jim Irsay:
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said this afternoon that the divisive rhetoric of prospective Rams minority owner Rush Limbaugh makes him unappealing.
“I myself couldn’t even think of voting for him,” said Irsay speaking from the NFL’s fall ownership meetings in Boston.
Asked if he’d spoken to other owners about Limbaugh’s candidacy, Irsay said, “I haven’t and I don’t think I would even go to the point of talking to Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, Dwight Freeney, talking to those men and seeing what their positions are. I’m very sensitive to know there are scars out there. I think as a nation we need to stop it. Our words do damage and it’s something that we don’t need. We need to get to a higher level of humanity and we have.
“I come from a different era where Marvin Gaye and John Lennon were speaking about [certain things] and we’ve been doing a slow crawl to some of the things they talked about. We don’t need to go the other way,” Irsay added. “We can’t go the other way where there isn’t forgiveness and understanding but we gotta watch our words in this world and our thoughts because they can do damage.”
It would be interesting tos ee the owners and NFL executives who would come out in support of Limbaugh or simply turn a blind eye on his part in this bid to buy the Rams.
Kiwanuka and the Jets‘ Bart Scott made it clear Thursday that they would never play for the Rams or any team owned by the controversial conservative radio host.
“All I know is from the last comment I heard, he said in (President) Obama‘s America, white kids are getting beat up on the bus while black kids are chanting ‘right on,’” Kiwanuka told The Daily News. “I mean, I don’t want anything to do with a team that he has any part of. He can do whatever he wants, it is a free country. But if it goes through, I can tell you where I am not going to play.”
“I am not going to draw a conclusion from a person off of one comment, but when it is time after time after time and there’s a consistent pattern of disrespect and just a complete misunderstanding of an entire culture that I am a part of, I can’t respect him as a man.”
Kiwanuka is right on the money and I would encourage people to visit the New York Daily News site and read more of his words on the topic.
The NFL players must speak out and be heard so that this bigoted and hate-driven divider is not welcomed as an NFL owner.
What is considered anti-American behavior these days?
It seems, increasingly so, that the line is being blurred as far as anti-American activity is concerned.
Many conservatives (who clearly do not have the best interests of this country at heart … particularly on this issue) actively were cheerleading against the United States of America in its effort to secure the 2016 Olympics and bashing a great American city like Chicago in the process.
This is from Media Matters for America:
Conservative media figures have celebrated the International Olympic Committee’s elimination of Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and used the event to bash President Obama, who flew to Copenhagen to lobby IOC members on behalf of Chicago’s bid. For instance, Glenn Beck called the news that Chicago’s bid had failed “so sweet,” Rush Limbaugh declared himself “happy” and “gleeful” with the results, and Matt Drudge proclaimed: “World rejects Obama.”
Right wingers have been pleased to see Americans fail in their bid to host the Olympics.
Why should career haters like Limbaugh, Beck and Drudge care about the hard work that so many good people in this country put in to try and bring the 2016 Olympic Games to the United States of America.
Many of these are the same people, with a stunning hypocrisy, have strongly criticized President Obama for supposedly not standing up for America. These same “great Americans” have been campaigning against this country getting the Olympics.
Here are some of the samples of right-wing glee over the U.S. losing from those “great Americans” out there:
Rush Limbaugh: For those “upset that I sound gleeful — I am. I don’t deny it. I’m happy.” On his radio program, Limbaugh stated: “Folks, the ego has landed. The world has rejected Obama. Chicago, the least number of votes, first elimination in the round of voting for the Olympics in 2016. … When you stop to think about it, folks, doesn’t it make sense? Our president, Barack Hussein Obama — mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama mmm, mmm, mmm — had been running around the world for nine months telling everybody how much our country sucks. He’s been running around the world apologizing for the United States of America. Why would anybody award the Olympics to such a crappy place as the United States of America?” Later in the program, after reading a series of headlines about Chicago’s elimination, Limbaugh explained why he is “gleeful” and “happy” about the failure of its Olympic bid …
Michelle Malkin: “Goodbye, ‘Yes We Can.’ Hello, ‘No, You Can’t.’ “ Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin wrote: “Goodbye, ‘Yes We Can.’ Hello, ‘No, You Can’t.’ Like Icarus, President Obama’s giddy ego flight has ended with melted wax and fallen wings. This is a big win and a massive relief for taxpayers. But Chicago cronies are not going to take this well. Gird your loins.”
Beck: “Oh, it’s so sweet” that Chicago’s bid failed; “savor this moment.” On his radio program, Beck said: “Do not go anywhere. Don’t — do not look at the screen. Don’t — don’t go to any other radio stations. Nothing. You don’t want to hear this news — I mean, please, please let me break this news to you. Oh, it’s so sweet.” After a commercial break, Beck’s producer stated that “the first round of voting is up for the Olympic games, and the first city” — at which point Beck interrupted, saying, “Wait! Wait for it! Wait for it. Enjoy this — savor this moment.” The producer continued, “And the first city to be eliminated is Chicago.” Beck later asked his producer if Chicago’s elimination was proof that Obama had “failed.” [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Show, 10/2/09]
The greatness of this country is that it allows people like this, individuals who actively cheer against our country and the hard-working people of our country, to have such great platforms.
It shows the bitterness and sour grapes that people like Limbaugh, Malkin, Drudge and Beck are happy to see the country fail if it helps their far-right political agenda.
So, the greatness of this country means we have to take the good with the bad. But, this is really bad.
It’s good, in the long run, for Democrats.
With all of this hate, the Republican Party will continue to shrink and become marginalized.
Losing this one battle (disappointing as it is for some) may help the Left win the war.
Far-right talk show host Rush Limbaugh, a veteran hater on the airwaves, might be proud to know his messages of hate and divisiveness have finally touched some people: white supremacists. Limbaugh got this whole thing started when he turned a story about two black kids who beat up a white kid into a hate crime (the local police authorities have not indicated that this attack was motivated by race). Even with no evidence, Limbaugh has been pushing the notion that this was some kind of a racial hate crime. Now, that is not necessarily a bad thing (since people are entitled to reasonable opinions … even the right-wing people who trashed President Obama for coming out in support of Harvard University professor Skip Gates early in that conflict). Famously, Limbaugh had a hate-driven on-air tirade during which he talked about how this is (as documented by Think Progress) what happens to “white kids” in “Obama’s America.” Limbaugh continued as he proclaimed, “We need segregated buses.”
LIMBAUGH: In Obama’s America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, ‘Yay, right on, right on, right on, right on. I wonder if Obama’s going to come to come to the defense of the assailants the way he did his friend Skip Gates up there at Harvard.”
The way Rush sees it, all people of color (he might say “colored people”) stick together.
During that comment, Limbaugh mocked what he seemed to think was the way black people talk, but he seemed to be stuck in the 1970s with his vision of how black people talk.
Still, it’s shocking to hear garbage like this in 2009.
These are the kinds of comments we heard from racial segregationists 40, 50, 60 years ago.
While a police sniper watched from the roof of the police station, 22 members of white supremacist groups, shouted obscenities and made obscene hand gestures. One man, who had a crew cut and wore a black uniform, told the crowd of onlookers, “Wake up white America!”
“We were out there to denounce the violence,” said Belleville resident Jason Bonn, who is a corporal with the National Socialist Movement, a group with a name similar to the Nazi Party of Germany during World War II. Bonn’s group is “fighting for white civil rights.”
While a police sniper watched from the roof of the police station, 22 members
WEST: I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, “They’re looting.” You see a white family, it says, “They’re looking for food.” And, you know, it’s been five days [waiting for federal help] because most of the people are black. And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I’ve tried to turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I’m calling my business manager right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there. So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help — with the way America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible. I mean, the Red Cross is doing everything they can. We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way — and they’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us!
MIKE MYERS: And subtle, but in many ways even more profoundly devastating, is the lasting damage to the survivors’ will to rebuild and remain in the area. The destruction of the spirit of the people of southern Louisiana and Mississippi may end up being the most tragic loss of all.
WEST: George Bush doesn’t care about black people!
West was blasted in a lot of circles and, to some extent, still suffers from the impact of those words. Farrakhan, Jackson and Sharpton are routinely hammered by men like O’Reilly for controversial things they’ve said (even stuff that is 20 years old or older), yet people like O’Reilly let Limbaugh off the hook for his hateful commentaries.
I had wondered what Fox News far right wing hater Glenn Beck meant when he talked about “the white culture” during a rant on the conservative network when he basically called President Obama a racist (ignorantly ignoring the fact that Barack Obama is half white).
In July, Fox News’ radical host Glenn Beck called President Obama a “racist,” saying that he “has a deap-seated hatred for white people, or white culture” — a comment that sparked a successful advertising boycott of his Fox News program. This week in an interview with CBS News’ Katie Couric, Beck said he was “sorry” for the way he “phrased” the claim, but still contended that it’s a “serious question” as to whether Obama is a racist.
During the interview, Couric posed a question from a Twitter user who wanted to know what Beck meant by “white culture” in his attack on Obama. Beck responded by stuttering: “Ummmmm, I don’t know.” He then suggested that he had already answered the criticism on his website, and therefore didn’t want to “make news” by responding to Couric.
“Can you explain what you mean by the white culture?” Couric insisted, “because some people say that sounds kind of racist.” Beck complained that he shouldn’t be the “target” for “asking” if Obama is a racist. Then he turned snarky as Couric persisted with her line of questioning:
COURIC: People just want to know. What is white culture?
BECK: I’m going to see if I can play your game. People just want to know.
COURIC: You know, well, [Twitter questioner] Adrian wants to know.
BECK: That’s good for Adrian.
Conservatives are always so quick to accuse black people of playing the mythical “race card” but so quick to use that against racial flamethrowers like Glenn Beck who use race to strike fear in older, conservative whites. Then, the elitist Beck finishes this portion of the interview by showing a complete lack of respect and disregard not only for Katie Couric, but also for a questioner who just wanted to have this point clarified. Beck is an immature coward who was called out for his comments and did not have the guts to explain himself and his bigoted comments that could be reasonably viewed as racist (particularly with no explanation or any kind of sufficient context).
Imagine if a high-profile black television show host had accused George W. Bush of being racist and said he had a deep-seated hatred for black people or the black culture. People like Beck would have been all over such a person … charging such an individual with playing the so-called race card. Look how viciously Beck and others attacked Van Jones, who said nothing even remotely as controversial as Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh regularly bark out on their shows. Yet, Jones was attacked and demonized by the conservative media (Beck, Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and others).
Good for Katie Couric to challenge Glenn Beck. It’s a shame he didn’t have the character to stand by his hateful comment and instead covered up like a coward.
Sandy Gholston
