The rise of racism that has corresponded with Barack Obama’s presidency has been shockingly blatant and unapologetic. There is a frightening catharsis that comes from those who exclaim racial animosity towards our President, reflecting gratification at finally being able to free the hatred they had been forced to keep bottled up by society in the past.

Today, thanks to the Tea Party, Fox News and the rest of the MSM and the de-evolution of the GOP, there is no stigma against racism to act as a regulator for those who hate other races. In fact, one of the surest ways to get on the MSM is to spout something racist and your views will be publicized by “concerned” talking heads endlessly.

It was only a matter of time that this regressive aspect of our society, so much a part of the fabric of the Right Wing and the Republican Party, would eventually surface and become prominent in Mitt Romney’s “I’ll do whatever it takes to win!” campaign.

To those who have been following the race closely enough, it comes as no surprise that the Romney campaign and the GOP are desperate to change the topic of discussion from Romney’s lying about his time at Bain. Their first lame attempt was to try and whip up a phony story about Condi Rice being at the top of the list for VP picks. When that story fell flat and was presented as exactly the distraction it was intended to be, a desperate yet organized campaign to go back to the dependable Republican political tool of racism was launched.

Rush Limbaugh started beating the drum (or his head, hard to tell the difference) for changing the Bain scandal through racist attacks against Obama by declaring:

“I think it can now be said, without equivocation, without equivocation, that this man hates this country. He is trying, Barack Obama is trying, to dismantle, brick by brick, the American Dream. There’s no other way to put this. There’s no other way to explain this. He was indoctrinated as a child. His father was a communist. His mother was a leftist. He was sent to prep and Ivy League schools where his contempt for the country was reinforced.

This is what we have as a president: a radical ideologue, a ruthless politician who despises the country and the way it was founded and the way in which it became great. He hates it.”

Rush’s racist marching orders were then followed the next day by Romney’s chief attack dog, John Sununu, who was born in Cuba and directly of Palestinian and Greek dissent, saying of President Obama:

“I wish this president would learn how to be an American.”

Not one to be left out of the Racist Olympics, record holder Michelle Bachmann qualified for the finals of the “Joseph McCarthy Broad Jump to Prejudiced Conclusions” by accusing Hillary Clinton aide, Huma Abedin, of being a devious agent of the Muslim Brotherhood, bent on destroying America, because she’s not white and was born…in Michigan. Oh, and an old friend of her dead father’s organization had an organization that someone might have belonged to who was possibly supportive of Muslim religious rule…and as Michele Bachmann can attest, anyone who supports religious domination of a political system needs to be Christian or it is unAmerican.

More Republicans jumped on the burning cross bandwagon since Rush’s call to Republicans to don the white hoods and of course, Mitt Romney, who has apparently based his life on a mean version of the identity-shifting Woody Allen character, Zelig, had to conform as well to this racist campaign strategy, saying yesterday:

“It is changing the nature of America, changing the nature of what the Democrats have fought for, and Republicans have fought for. In the past, people of both parties understood that encouraging achievement, encouraging success, encouraging people to lift themselves as high as they can, encouraging entrepreneurs, celebrating success instead of attacking it and denigrating, makes America strong. That’s the right course for this country. His course is extraordinarily foreign.”

By now, most who have seen this pattern of thinly veiled racist pandering and provoking for the past four years, trying to cast Obama as “foreign” to white America since Obama began his run for the Presidency, see it for what it is. The word is now that Romney is going to “go after” Obama’s biography to show how tough he is and to rally the base.

“Going after Obama’s biography” is code that’s not that hard to break. Let’s see, he’s not American, his birth certificate is fake, he lived in Indonesia, his Father was Kenyan and Muslim, Reverend Wright led his church, he was raised to believe in communism and socialism, he smoked pot as a teen and had an afro…where exactly is all of this leading? It’s so bewildering!

The absurdity of the Romney campaign and the GOP now defies description. Romney wails at how dirty it is for Obama’s campaign to expose his lies about his business experience (including his possible perjury to the SEC which is a felony), the only qualification he touts for being a worthy choice for President yet he and the Repubs attack Obama for being born black and into “non-white” circumstances which he, as a baby and child had no control over. Romney’s tax returns from three years ago which could show to Americans his true character and philosophies as well as who he may be in bed with financially are “irrelevant” but Obama’s childhood 40 years ago or people he may have known as acquaintances 20 years ago is of critical importance.

The racist Republican campaign, spearheaded by the venom-spitting, happy warrior Sarah Palin in 2008 can hardly be forgotten. And all Americans should be prepared for the return of this type of race-based campaign in even greater intensity this election cycle. As McCain’s VP pick, Palin was reading from the script she was given, painting Obama as the scary, foreign, terrorist-loving black man who wanted to destroy the white people’s utopia of America and replace Christianity with that black religion, Islam, turning America into a socialist, Islamist tyranny where black people would kill and dominate white Christians.

And many Americans are actually dumb enough or insecure enough to have bought into that race-bating.

The more that Romney disintegrates publicly as a viable alternative, the more the Romney campaign will get desperate and degrade to the lowest possible denominator to try and beat Obama. Romney has been lying about Obama with astounding frequency, his prolific lying is setting a new standard for future GOP nominees to try and match. And yet, all of his lies about what Obama thinks and says about the economy and taxes and business…still hasn’t gotten Romney enough traction to pull ahead when by all rights, he should be far ahead of a President presiding over 8.2% unemployment and a sluggish economy. It would seem futile to keep going down that road so as we get closer to November, it would seem that he may see no other choice than to resort to the campaign of hate and prejudice that is the hallmark of today’s GOP…and the only strategy this morally bankrupt party has left.

The key question then becomes, will it work?

Will going back to the 2008 GOP campaign of “Obama is a scary black man who wants to do bad things to you and America” be a winner for Romney and the GOP?

That seems less likely. First, most Americans have gotten to know Obama over the past three years, they already have their feelings about who he is. Those who don’t like him will be happy to hear the attacks against him, those who do like him will see them as just nasty politics. Younger voters who may be less familiar with Obama are typically more liberal and not racist so such a tactic would fall flat with that demographic. And in general, whether you agree or disagree with his policies, Obama has certainly not come off as a radical, Muslim terrorist who poses a threat to our country…except for those who see all black people that way. And his saving GM and killing Bin Laden doesn’t exactly fit with that portrayal of Obama by the Right.

Republicans are so accustomed to playing “tit for tat” that they have lost sight of the way things really are (though losing sight of the way things really are is referred to as “reality” in the GOP). Romney and the GOP are upset that Obama is successfully defining Romney to the American people as the greedy liar and fraud that he is. So they want to hit back by making America see Obama as the dangerously black America-hating terrorist he isn’t. The problem is of course, most Americans already know Obama and they don’t know Romney that well so a campaign to define the image of someone…only really works in the case of the person who isn’t already defined, that being only Mitt Romney.

When a Republican attacks Obama or the Dems, the MSM meme is all about how Obama and/or the Dems respond. Did they push back well or not, regardless of how dishonest the charge is against them. When Obama comes out strongly against Romney or Republicans, the same MSM meme always surfaces, “Is this going to hurt Obama?” So the game is, if Obama doesn’t react strongly enough, he’s a weak wimp who lets the Repubs have their way and walk all over him but if he responds aggressively, he will look like an angry black man and turn off Americans.

Let’s consider this dynamic in a more realistic way towards Romney. If Romney’s campaign, which has already been 99% negative against Obama (mostly using lies and distortions) with no positive specifics on how he would make things better, was to lock down into a hateful, racist-tinged campaign against Obama…what about the blowback Romney would incur?

Independent and swing voters don’t like negative campaigning. Yes, some are swayed by it but many are swayed against the one they perceive as being “too negative”. Romney’s polling on being trusted and liked by the public are in the toilet already, might not a sustained and intensified campaign of negativity and hate against Obama instead end up flushing him and not Obama, down the drain?

We have a track record of Romney from the primary, the more the public saw of him and saw his negative campaigning, the less they liked him. He was able to power through all of that to win the nomination but thanks to two elements that aren’t present in the General Election against Obama. In the primary, Romney was running against moronic cartoon characters…and was losing against them for quite a while. Romney also had such a massive money advantage over all of them, he was able to drown them in slime while they could barely afford to scuff his shoes.

In the General Election, Romney is running against an accomplished President who is far more brilliant, genuine, likeable and charismatic than he is. Though Romney and the Right Wing SuperPACS may have an overall financial advantage, it won’t be 10-1 as it was for Romney in the primaries and in swing states, it should be pretty even.

So, it would be sensible to prepare ourselves for a renewed and aggressive campaign of thinly veiled (or just plain blatant) racism against President Obama by Romney and his ilk. They don’t have the facts on their side, or history, the truth or public opinion. They can’t campaign honestly because they only want to make things better for the top 1%. All they have is manipulating (or preventing the votes of) the American people, by preying on their insecurities and fears, their envy and greed, their religion and spiritual beliefs, their frustration and disillusionment, their prejudices and discomfort with people who are different from them.

It is the worst in people that Republicans prey on and are depending on. Sometimes this low opinion of Americans has proven effective. This year, so far, a low opinion of the GOP and Mitt Romney may turn out to be a better bet.

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Kalima
Admin

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then the image you chose for this post tells you all you need to know about Mitt Romney. This is the expression he used all through the terribly boring GOP debates; clueless. Mitt is as dumb as a door knob, and far less useful. His joining in the race baiting will only serve to put off voters outside of the GOP base. Problem is, he and his freak show advisors are all too dumb to see that. Good luck with gutter slime politics Mitt, by November even more people will come to despise you.

To be a leader of a country, you have to have at least a few human traits, unfortunately for Mitt, he has none. The only thing he has going for him are his bank accounts scattered far and wide, and no matter what the GOP try to use as a distraction, it will inevitably come back to his “secret” tax returns and his “foreign” accounts. Sayonara Mitt.

SallyT
Member

[img]http://media.caglecartoons.com/media/cartoons/108/2012/07/18/115365_600.jpg[/img]

foodchain
Member
foodchain

Glad them folks doesn’t want to pay taxes tho

goleafsgo
Member
goleafsgo

AdLib. I agree entirely with your excellent analysis of how the Romney campaign and the GOP are stirring the flames of racism. As you have noted, the fire of racism never really went away…it just smoldered until a freshening breeze name Barack Obama came along and re-stoked those embers into a flame of hatred in the hearts of fanatical, religious extremists. This flame was fanned by the media who saw dollars signs flashing in their eyes.

Perhaps the extremism and racist messaging being put forth by the excellent message machine of the GOP will backfire. I have noted of late how there is a small movement towards dousing the flames through a bipartisan effort. Proposals to help solve issues in Congress, like the Defense cuts, are being made. It was interesting to listen to Barney Franks and, sorry, can’t remember his name, a Republican colleague, who explained that it they basically had the same ideas…the same solutions. However, presented with just a Republican name on it would cause its rejection by the Dems and likewise if a Dem presented it, it would be a no go by Republicans. So they got together and both names will be used, but, Barney noted that he requested his name be second. LOL! Not really funny..sad.

Other backlashes against this inanity by some Republicans came from within their own party when John McCain railed against Bachmann and her gang in Congress. Bravo, Mr. McCain.

I have noted that since the “War on Women” claims against the Republican Party, Republican women are flooding the screens and airwaves. But, if they think it is helping them erase their policies towards eliminating women’s rights, I would suggest they think again.
These women are spouting the party line and even those old-timers like Kay-Bailey Hutchison comes off as insincere and stiff when asked about
Romeny and his negativity.

I think I have been rambling. Sorry, AdLib. Your comment is, as usual, right on the mark. The GOP is aiming for the worst in people’s hearts. I do not see the meaness and lies in the Obama ads. I hope they keep it that way, because the contrast, while considered negative, the hate is absent. This has to be evident to anyone with common sense and critical thinking skills. Darn! Did I just mess up my argument?? I hope not.

KQµårk 死神
Member

Good to see your moniker leafsfan, my fellow hockey fan. My Devils almost did it but ran into an LA team that was playing lights out, especially Quick in goal. Maybe if Quick is on the US Winter Olympic Hockey Team he’ll give you cannucks something to think about in 2014.

McCain has his moments but I’ll never forget he started all this nonsense by selecting Sarah Palin to run with in 2008. There was no way McCain was going to win and he could have been honorable but he picked the most divisive candidate he could.

The sad part is all Americans would be better of now save for the insane obstructionism of the GOP. GOP policies are already responsible for Americans losing hundreds of thousands of jobs in the states for example. A new study says the employment rate would be down to less than 7.5% without the GOP cutbacks. The worse part is the obstructionism has paid off for the GOP in it’s efforts to take back the House and now it looks like they have a good chance to take back the Senate. President Obama therefor becomes our only hope to maintain any sanity.

goleafsgo
Member
goleafsgo

Hey, KQ! Maybe next year, eh? We are building so I doubt very much if we will stand a chance at the cup. But, you never know! Re the Winter Olympics; Each Olympic season it get tougher as our countries put their hearts on the line. I will wish you luck, as any good sport would, but hope we Canucks win!

You are right about McCain. He has his moments. It is pretty hard to forgive him for that…woman. I wonder if he would have chosen S.P. if Hilary had won.

You are so right about how much better off Americans would be if the three “C’s” had been followed…Co-operation, Compromise and Caring. The problem is, those words have been eliminated from the Republican lexicon. They have been replaced by the three “O’s”…Obstruction, Obfuscation and Oppresssion. It amazes me how anyone, particularly those who call themselves “Independents” can look at the last 3 1/2 years…see how Congressional Teapublicans have obstructed at every turn, and not be outraged at the tactics and the damage THEY have done to the country.

Go Obama Go!

MurphTheSurf3
Editor

Ad Lib….what you write is all true.

And I wonder if the adage that “the truth shall set you free” is just so much hot air.

“We can’t handle the truth” – to paraphrase Jack Nicholson as Col. Jessep in the “A Few Good Men.”

For those who want to, who need to see Obama as “alien, other, not us” the attack you so expertly outline is sweet, sweet music.

For those who have embrace Obama as a person, even if they are not completely happy with what he has done as President, these attacks are part of the landscape on the right.

As to the undecided, the uncommitted, the so called Independents….well, you know what I am going to say. Independents are, in large part, uncommitted because they are un-connected, un-involved and un-informed. They are also, in large part, very narrowly focused on their own issues- the key one of which is how they are doing financially for greed really is good.

This morning’s polling shows that Obama’s favorability/unfavorability ratings have slipped again…..after 10 days of relentless pounding on the obvious duplicity that is at the heart of the Romney decision to not disclose his financial profile.

And, we know that Obama’s campaign is going through its money at record speed which Romney’s people are holding back in part because they have to given the structure of their donations but mostly as a result of a decision to money carpet bomb in the days prior to and after their convention.

THE SAD REALITY IS THAT MOST OF US REALLY CANNOT HANDLE THE TRUTH.

KQµårk 死神
Member

Many of us who watched Romney’s behavior and lack of integrity knew it would come down to this. It’s just a little surprising how soon Romney dove in the gutter with his race baiting politics. He obviously is so desperate not to release his tax returns that he is trying to do anything to deflect. It’s more and more obvious that if Romney did release his tax returns he may not even get the GOP nomination because they are fatally flawed. Most likely he payed little or no taxes some years and the American people will not accept that even in this greed is good age.

Sabreen60
Member
Sabreen60

AdLib, you have shone a light on the 800 pound elephant in the room. I find it hard to believe that race didn’t play a part in the minds of a lot of people in 2008. After Sarah Palin showed herself to be the idiot she is, people still preferred her instead of the very intelligent black guy. Race was and is a factor.

Ann Romney said “it’s our turn”. That says it all. Mitt will say absolutely anything if he believes it will get him a step closer to the White House. He will accept the endorsement from the lowest excuse for a human being if he thinks it will get him one more vote.

I have a few concerns about the election. 1) Voter suppression 2) Diebold voting machines 3) Democrat turnout 4) Some voters may be nervous about PBO and what his agenda will be his second term. Given my concerns, I expect President Obama to win.

SallyT
Member

AdLib, I think it is pretty funny that they are going back to when President Obama was young he smoked pot. When Romney was young, he was a bully that held a gay boy down and cut his hair because he didn’t like it. And, for kicks, he put on a police uniform and a cherry light on his car and pulled kids over. Now that is against the law, too. Impersonating an officer. And the President lived aboard when he was young. So, did Romney. He went to France, FRANCE, the GOP hates France. And, being a Mormon was able to avoid going to Vietnam because they are the only religion that is allowed to keep their young people out of war when they are on their religious mission. So, how do you avoid not giving your tax returns? The President has and Romney’s dad did. Blaming the “Black man” isn’t going to work. Of course, Romney’s religion was able to keep the “Black people” out of their religion until the late 70’s. I guess he just had to fall back on old practices. Watch for a cherry light on Romney’s car when the dog isn’t up on the roof. The President already has short hair….. 🙂

Nirek
Member

Romney will do anything to divert the attention from his tax problem and Bain.
You’right Adlib that many of the GOP will will vote for Mitt because they don’t like having a black man as President. I doubt that too many will go that way but there are some who really are bias at best.