One thing Barack Hussein Obama’s got going for him in the presidential race is the color of his skin. No matter how many verbal gaffes he makes, including inane inconsistencies that pop up in every speech, his ethnicity is his bargaining chip, and he pulls it out whenever he needs it.
You’ve been reading the news. BHO recently accused the McCain camp of playing the race card, then backtracked. But the backtracking didn’t matter. Putting accusations out there causes more than enough damage, even if you change your mind. It’s quite frustrating for me, as a voice in the wilderness, keenly aware of what BHO is doing and how effectively he’s doing it. Bah!
BHO’s presidency is a win-win for liberals. People weighed down with “white guilt” (Be gone, already! It’s not helping) get to feel morally superior by voting for an in-over-his-head, though very “articulate” half-black guy with a strange yet cool foreign-sounding name, and black liberals get to wallow in waves of smugness, hanging on to the hope that BHO will “do something for them” once he’s in office.
Anyway, check out Peter Kirsanow’s post at The Corner, “25 Reasons You May be a Racist.” My favorites (links added):
“1.If you think Obama’s the most liberal member of the senate you…may be a racist.
“8.If you don’t want the majority of justices on the Supreme Court to be like Stephen Breyer you…may be a racist.
“14. If you oppose racial preferences in employment, school admissions and contracting you…may be a racist.
“16. If you prefer that a president have a smidgen of executive experience you…may be a racist.
“17. If you’re appalled that Obama voted against treating infants born after an abortion attempt the same medically as other infants born alive you…may be a racist.”
Peter already mentioned the ones I’d have thought of. Can you think of more?
Update: Commenter and blogger Mark La Roi writes: “If you think your presidential candidate should prove he was born in America, you might be a racist.” Good one, dude.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 87 comments }
There is no such thing as “white guilt”. White liberals are just lacking in contrition as white conservatives when it comes to racial and social injustice.
What you’re witnessing is witchcraft and deception of the highest order.
The election cycle, and all the people involved in the Obama and McCain camps are a joke.
This has got to be the worst season in American politics ever and everyone from Christians to heathens for the hood to the suburbs are showing their true colors, and that color is ugly.
Thank you, La Shawn, for helping to keep America from becoming an “Obama Nation of Desolation!”
I don’t have any power, man!
If you think your presidential candidate should prove he was born in America, you might be a racist.
You know that’s funny, since it’s simply not possible for McCain to prove he was born in America: he wasn’t!
I can’t imagine any other presidential candidate you might be referring to though, you old-white man hater.
If you think that there are only 50 states in the USA you… might be a racist.
Interesting…this post really aligns with McCains new campaign strategy. Screw the issues lets make fun of Obama!
Screw the issues lets make fun of Obama!
Issues…like His plan to solve the energy crisis with a “Whip Underinflation Now” campaign? Or perhaps lowering the ocean levels? Or maybe just generic Hope and Change?
#8…Lol!
If you vote for the white candidate and you’re black…you might be a racist. Except that black people can’t be racist, so you’d just be a sellout no matter how qualified the candidate you chose. If you vote for the white candidate running against the black candidate and you are a Liberal, you might not be racist, but we’re watching.
It’s a little difficult to consider for the position of leader of the free world someone as thin skinned (among other things) as Sen. Obama.
Oh and, if you think Obama is a bit on the skinny side, you may be a racist. I’m not making that one up see here.
Oops, that lol should be for number 5.
What about his ears? They are pretty big.
The guy is in over his head & I’m just not seeing him win the election.
BTW – how does a Christian cheer for the Obomination w/out addressing his stance on abortion? I’ve been reading a few religious bloggers lately and they are cheering this guy on – I just don’t understand how they can overlook this point.
Carter,
A great number of people for Obama (including the press) have decided to focus not on the value of his policy proposals, but the strength of his star power. Efforts to point this out have been met with derision as purely partisan, personal and/or racist. At this point, ridicule is all we’ve got.
You may be a racist if you support amnesty for illegal immigrants. I’ve been called a racist for my position numerous times on blogs.
Dang…mistake above. You may be a racist if YOU DO NOT SUPPORT amnesty for illegal immigrants….
Since the Obama campaign has redefined racism, I am now a racist. My lefty neighbor accused me of being a racist because I placed a sign in my front yard that says “Freedom is not for sissies.” Go figure.
Now that we’ve settled that, I would not vote for Obama even if he were as pasty white as the Pillsbury dough boy.
Lashawn, I read your blog a lot because you have offered a perception of how to take a certain philosophy on race and culture in America that I find refreshing. But, at times, I find it insulting to your own intelligence.
This is coming from a person who, like many others, doesn’t see themselves as a race. Technically, I can be called “half white and half black” but this society, due to its one-drop rule unscientific categorization sees me as all black. I understand the frustration that you feel about people receiving affirmative action when there are other people suffering just as much or more than some other individual. I get it. I agree! I have been agreeing ever since I was in high school (I am in college currently). I don’t see myself as white or black because they are extremely arbitrary distinctions. I have a ton of Native American indian blood, French, irish, who knows what other, African, you name it I have it, but I no longer see myself as a silly race.
Barack Obama has admitted to this dilemma, and even though he has a different view than both of us, it is much more “enlightened” than most peoples. When someone asked him whether he thought he was “black” enough he said something to the effect that “America sees me as a black man.” America sees me as a black man too, but other countries don’t. I have been confused with Indian, hispanic, middle eastern, and a really tanned white boy. And yet, for the most part, while I have been in America I have been black. Don’t tell me there are strange inconsistencies.
Anyway, my point is that sometimes your posts just seem like too vitriolic. You seem to hate the “game” that “black” people (as if they are all using it or maybe you’d rather use generalizations to categorize a people…sounds familiar) are playing to scam other people and themselves.
I just always get the feeling like you have so much anger against black people, as a group, only. I understand that there are black people who are doing really stupid and absurd things, but there are people of all races and creeds doing the same things. The definition of “race-picking” is going after a certain race for a characteristic. Yours seems to be “those nasty evil black people”. Ironically, you feel that black people are protected, over-deserving, well-groomed in America, over-helped, over-sympathized with, and too well treated. But isn’t that just overgeneralizing and race picking? Do you think that these “black people” you are writing about aren’t already part of a culture in America (just like any other culture that is down-trodden in any format of culture or race you may please – those two families down the street or that Irish grouping in Philadelphia) that for certain deterministic reasons don’t value education, raising responsible and thoughtful children and adults, having healthy lifestyles, and any other negative or destructive philosophy that is out there? I find your criticisms to be akin to kicking a man when he is down.
I apologize if I am too harsh. It just seems like you are obsessed with black people. If you agree about what your posters here think which is that black people can too be racist then things just don’t make sense here. Maybe I am just too progressive and even though I have bad experiences with all types of people (white people telling me I was black or not black at all, black people telling me I was black or not black, white people telling me I was white or not white, and black people telling me I was white or not white – Yeah, interesting country I live in where no one seems to hold consensus!) Maybe it is because I see the world of the University of Maryland which is moderately diverse, Saint John’s College which isn’t diverse at all (I am an extreme minority reading the Great Books) and the world of Harvard, which is said to be the biggest intellectual powerhouse in the world (which, by the way, is intensely diverse because foreigners coming to this country are intensely competitive and their children do very well and get, rightfully, into these great colleges).
They haven’t RE-defined anything.
They just make things up as they go along just like everyone else does to suit their partisan, nationalist, or ethnic agenda.
It’s been said before, but many people are overly concerned with *what* they are rather than *who* they are.
THEBIGDODDY:”What you’re witnessing is witchcraft and deception of the highest order.
The election cycle, and all the people involved in the Obama and McCain camps are a joke.
This has got to be the worst season in American politics ever and everyone from Christians to heathens for the hood to the suburbs are showing their true colors, and that color is ugly.”
Now there’s some truth! I DO NOT support Barack Obama, and I WIL NOT be voting for him, but before you all get on your high horses about what he is, maybe look at who you are.
Here’s another view, maybe YOU ARE racists if you find it necessary to always refer to him as Barack Hussein Obama, instead of just Barack Obama. I mean I never heard anyone calling Ronald Reagan, Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Give me a break, there are plenty of legitimate reasons to oppose the guy without all of this type of BS that the right wing pundits pull.
After years of complaining how blacks always play the victim. Now it’s right leaning whites doing the same damn thing. Poor me, “People are labeling me a racists” or “it’s reverse racism”. Get real. All things being equal who has it better in this country still, by FAR. Suck it up.
“After years of complaining how blacks always play the victim. Now it’s right leaning whites doing the same damn thing. Poor me, “People are labeling me a racists” or “it’s reverse racism”. Get real. All things being equal who has it better in this country still, by FAR. Suck it up.”
I think maybe you have missed the point. The point of this article is not whether the right calls B.O. “Barack Hussein Obama,” but how those of us who don’t agree with his positions on the issues have been labeled “racists.” Until recently, I thought that a “racist” was someone who hates (or at least dislikes) people of other races for no reason other than race. Under the new definition, if you are to avoid being a racist, you must agree with Obama on all the issues. This is silly. His policies would be equally bad if he were white and the fact that the left has been reduced to calling those who disagree with racists, so that they do not have to actually respond to legitmate reservations about whether he is qualified to lead this country.
arabellafigg:”The point of this article is not whether the right calls B.O. “Barack Hussein Obama”.
True, and I didn’t say that was the point of the article, but if you cannot see that just refering to him that way, is racist in itself than maybe we have different ideas of what racism is.
I personally don’t agree with his politics either, but I do see what I would consider racism from many of his harshest critics. The constant reference to his middle name just being one.
David
If you don’t agree with his views, then tell your white conservative Christian women to stop calling Michelle Obama an “ugly, angry, wench” and a “hag” and the next time Trish calls him a “trifling creature” you’ll put her in check! How about that?
I see where David is coming from on the racism tip, but mine is different somewhat.
Since conservative Christians seem to have designated themselves as arbiter of how the so-called left and their immorality has duped and enslaved the poor wretched “blacks” and seek to drag this country headlong into the wrath of their “god” (whomever that is), by their support of homosexuality, abortion, and “victimhood”, then they need to come OUT of the world and walk in the Spirit, then maybe they won’t be named amongst those considered to be so-called racists. (Which one can never prove, by the way, as liars and phonies and cowards never man up to what they truly want to say…)
See your problem is you want to be able to call him a n*gger publicly. This is the apex of the tried and true spiritual and emotional commoner.
Your true b*tch made mentality is starting to creep out, and every day, you all tip your hands just a little bit more, like the carnal and truly un-sanctified lot you are.
It’s like the woman who dresses like a whore and wants to be treated like a “lady”. If you don’t PROJECT ho’ish, then people won’t EXPECT ho’ish.
And is why righteous “black” conservatives don’t want to sit at your table, because a true classy conservative isn’t a partisan peasant who soils the walks through the front door of the his neighbors house (which this is LaShawn’s house) with mud on his shoes, because though he can take off his shoes before entering, he can’t see the mud splattered on his own face.
Dave,
Please explain why the use of Barack’s middle name is racist.
It’s NOT racist to use his middle name, but it MIGHT by the type of thing a common racist/white supremacist/bigot/coward or punk would do, if you could prove it.
Since fellow conservatives claim to be so objective and fair minded, it’s quite ironic that such irony isn’t evident in the use of the middle name.
The fact is that it’s his middle name, and people have the right to use it, and that he (Senator Obama) should man up deal with it, DOESN’T NEGATE the fact that is unequivocally not the only reason they are using it.
It’s not something he should yellow up and whine about, but something he should be conscious of, and walk and live in that realm of consciousness.
There is a time and place to put people on blast and time not to. As spectators we have more liberty in calling out the foul than a Presidential candidate does.
Seasoned politicians are also people who should be acutely aware when their neighbors aren’t worth a dayum without wearing a sign on their chest or their heart on their sleeve. I’m not quite sure why he doesn’t know this or that someone hasn’t told him this. He obviously hasn’t observed President Bush well enough to notice how to really brush the bugs of his shoulder.
GABE:”Dave,Please explain why the use of Barack’s middle name is racist.”
Gabe,
I’ve seen you on this board before, so I know that you’re not that obtuse. So humor me and take a guess as to why I, or anyone else, might think that.
If you really have “no clue” than I will gladly explain, but I believe you know EXACTLY why.
David, the use of the middle name is not racist, but it could be used by racist suspects via what is called “poisoning the well”.
But…it would be wise to not debate that because what will happen is a series of multiple (il)logical fallacies will erupt.
It’s best to just know why and leave it at that because if you remember what I said before non-whites engage in these types of discussions where certain truths about racism or white supremacy might be revealed.
It goes from tacky, to trashy, to terroristic.
Follow the logic.
I’ll be clearer. Please explain why YOU believe the use of Barack’s middle name is racist.
No David!
Don’t do that.
Words are NOT racist – don’t be drawn into that sort of deception. This person is not interested in producing justice.
Words are TOOLS, and that’s all they are.
GABE:”I’ll be clearer. Please explain why YOU believe the use of Barack’s middle name is racist.”
As I said, the same reason anyone would. You know the reason and you’re just playing a silly game of semantics.
Republicans never refered prior opponents as;
Michael Stanley Dukakis
Albert Arnold Gore, Jr
or John Forbes Kerry
and the wouldn’t be using his middle name every time they addressed them if his name was Barack Steven Obama.
Hey, maybe racist isn’t the correct word, but you know what, there’s absoulutely nobody on this planet that doesn’t know exactly what I’m saying.
These are the games that are used in politics and I’m no politician. I’m just a regular guy who knows horses**t we he sees it, smells it or happens to accidently step in it. No matter the color of horse it came from it’s still the same s**t.
You’re right, David.
In all things, YOU must be righteous without shame, and though you’ll be made fun of for being such, it’s better than being named amongst those who are not.
THEBIGDODDY:”No David! Don’t do that. Words are NOT racist – don’t be drawn into that sort of deception. This person is not interested in producing justice. Words are TOOLS, and that’s all they are.
I know this, and I know that you know exactly what I’m saying. Believe me I do not want to put myself in a place where I seem to be defending a man that I do not endorse. I do have a bad habit of allowing myself to be drawn into these types arguments.
You spent an awful lot of words to avoid answering a question that could have taken only a few. One of the major problems when it comes to political conversations is that there is often a use of shorthand without a shared understanding of it, or with inadequate definition. The best way to communicate with someone is to understand where they are coming from.
Either you are unwilling or incapable of articulating your stance. If the latter, I urge you to consider your position more carefully. If the former, I’m disappointed at the misunderstanding. Whereas I was looking for clarity, you decided that I was looking to obscure the issue. I’m not sure whether such a level of cynicism is a product of the political climate, or of your own making. Either way, if your reaction can be taken as a barometer, it’s no wonder so many people spend so much time pointlessly yelling at each other.
THEBIGDODDY:”No David! Don’t do that. Words are NOT racist – don’t be drawn into that sort of deception. This person is not interested in producing justice. Words are TOOLS, and that’s all they are.
I know this, and I know that you know exactly what I’m saying. I have a bad habit of getting drawn into these types of arguments. It just gets tiresome after awhile hearing the same coded rhetoric continually. I’m out!
“I know this, and I know that you know exactly what I’m saying. Believe me I do not want to put myself in a place where I seem to be defending a man that I do not endorse. I do have a bad habit of allowing myself to be drawn into these types arguments.”
This is the thing, and which is why I’m hardest on conservative Christians more than liberal unsaved people is because I don’t expect much out of heathens though I am always HOPEFUL. Even if I both a disciple and opposed to the liberal agenda, I can’t associate myself too closely with certain people because of how they behave.
We can blog and be pundits all day, but the Father sees every word or foolish thought we convey..
Proverbs 15:3 says:
The eyes of Yahweh are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.
You see, it’s about a lot of things, and race is not necessarily foremost, but it is a part of the equation, so don’t let people try to toss you crumbs of the malicious and ribald and expect you to acquire a taste for such as if it’s like good medicine, because it’s NOT.
If you remember me telling them before about how they think and how it reflects on what they SAY and WRITE. As a man reckons in his heart, so is he.. and from the abundance of the HEART the MOUTH speaks.. right?
Proverbs 15:26 says Evil thoughts are an abomination to Yahweh, but pleasant words are clean.
Well you can’t very well know someones thoughts, can you? Or CAN you?
Luke 6:45 says:
The good man brings forth what is good out of the good treasure of his heart, and the wicked man brings forth what is wicked out of the wicked treasure of his heart. FOR OUT OF THE OVERFLOW OF THE HEART HIS MOUTH SPEAKS.
And..
Jeremiah 17:9 says:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
So knowing THIS and knowing that:
1. We are violated by a horde of reprobate Muslim EXTREMIST TERRORISTS (not RIGHTEOUS MUSLIMS) on September 11, 2001
2. Our borders are being unlawfully trespassed and our concerns about it virtually ignored and unaddressed
3. Our jobs are being outsourced OUTSIDE our borders to people who don’t speak our language or understand our culture
As such (follow me)
…people are filled with anxiety, and resentment and bitterness over a myriad of things, that only COMPOUND some of the prevailing tension and strife amongst groups that DIFFER from one another in EVERY aspect of our being..
and then…
Problem #1
…we have man self-identifying as “black” (= problem, enemy, unAmerican, unPatriotic) running as POTUS..
…who HAS…
Problem #2
…a past life and association, and present MIDDLE NAME that whose etymology is the SAME as contemporary MUSLIMS (=transgressor, terrorist, enemy of America and it’s WAY)
…AND…
Problem #3
..whose political world view is way of the scale to the LEFT (=enemy of conservatives, ungodly, unsaved, immoral, unAmerican)
Means that in EVERY WAY POSSIBLE, (to which the final solution hasn’t occured yet) he must NOT be permitted to be our President, and no word or deed is off limits in opposition to this end.
Get it, David. EVERYTHING about him makes him unsuitable to be President of this country, and if something as seemingly innocuous as reminding people that he is the enemy of America because of his middle name can stir reinforce all the OTHER reasons why he is unfit, then so be it.
Got it now, David?
T ‘BIG’ doddy, using a politicians middle name (particularly during an election race) could not possibly have a disparaging or snide intent. Heck, I use G. “Dumble-U” Bush when referring to the current president… a slight variation, but no harm intended! Richard “Bruced Dick” Cheney. He really doesn’t look much like a “Richard” anyway. So I refer to him accordingly, because he looks more like ah…his nickname. Yeah, using a politicians (or anyone’s) middle name is merely an endearing display of admiration and should never be viewed as flippant or glib, right Big-a-boo?
David:
I’m not tripping on you because I 100% get what you’re saying, so forgive me for waxing paternalistic. We may share conservative ideologies with our co-workers, but we don’t have the same heart.
OK, whaddya think of these?:
1. If you don’t think Barack Obama is the POTUS already…you may be a racist.
2. If you think Barack Obama should actually uphold his pledge to support the Senator Obama Kogelo Secondary School…you may be a racist.
3. If you think An ObamaNation is a clever play on words that should be printed on T-Shirts and marketed to conservatives; and at the same time marketed to unwitting liberals…you may be a racist.
If you have no issue with a black president, but you do not support this black candidate …. you may be a racist.
If you are “non-black” and you comment on a “non-white” candidate in a “non-adoring” way …. you may be a racist.
If you are half white and half black and you do not support a half white and half black candidate …. you may be a full blooded racist.
“The people to fear are not those who disagree with you, but those who disagree with you and are too cowardly to let you know.” –Napoleon Bonaparte
On the middle name issue, here’s my take. Some obscure politician, in a rally for McCain, went out of his way to repeat Barack’s middle name 50 times. It was a clear attempt to draw attention to a name we have for years associated with evil, i.e. Saddam. McCain, once he got to the mic, reprimanded him for doing so.
That should have been the end of it. However, the Obama campaign, in demonstration of how thin-skinned Obama is, made a big deal about it. Some of his surrogates went so far as to essentially make his middle name verboten “hate speech.” In response, people began using it to mock him – not because they think he’s a closet Muslim, or that he’s related to Saddam, or that he’s an Islamo-fascist Manchurian Candidate, or what have you.
Barack and his surrogates continue to expose the soft underbelly of his campaign by declaring anything and everything off-limits. That tends to be an invitation for opponents to poke it with sticks.
Gabe says:
“On the middle name issue, here’s my take. Some obscure politician, in a rally for McCain, went out of his way to repeat Barack’s middle name 50 times. It was a clear attempt to draw attention to a name we have for years associated with evil, i.e. Saddam. McCain, once he got to the mic, reprimanded him for doing so.”
I say:
As well Senator McCain should have.
However, the use of his name in THAT vein (”a name we have for years associated with evil..”) has been going on since shortly after Senator Obama started his campaign and continues to do so for the very same reasons I stated in my response to David.
I don’t see where an anti-smear campaign on the part of the Obama campaign is necessary regarding it’s unsavory use, but hey, it’s HIS campaign, not Gabe’s, Doddy’s, LaShawn’s, or anyone else, so he can do what he wants to do.
Gabe says:
“That should have been the end of it. However, the Obama campaign, in demonstration of how thin-skinned Obama is, made a big deal about it.
Some of his surrogates went so far as to essentially make his middle name verboten “hate speech.” In response, people began using it to mock him – not because they think he’s a closet Muslim, or that he’s related to Saddam, or that he’s an Islamo-fascist Manchurian Candidate, or what have you.”
I say:
I’ve never seem it designated as “hate speech”, for it surely is not.
Nonetheless, the fact is that mocking is not IN RESPONSE to his sensitivity of it’s use. The mocking PRECEDES and PROCEEDS his objections to it’s use.
It is exactly what it is, because thats how people are, as I explained to David earlier.
We will NOT agree on this blog about matters like this. Certain types of unseemly behavior are vilified, while others is glorified. It is what it is.
You may be a racist if you use the “A” words arrogant/articulate] when referring to a black man…………..no matter how many gazillion times those words tripped off your tongue to refer to a white man.
THEBIGDODDY says: “I’ve never seem it designated as “hate speech”, for it surely is not.”
I say: I use the word “essentially” specifically because those exact words were never used. But when you couch the idea of using Barack’s middle name in terms of it being racist and divisive, that pretty much likens it to “hate speech.” Granted, in several instances, the intent of using his middle name can be inferred as such. But Obama’s campaign basically put out the memo that no one should use it, ever.
THEBIGDODDY says: “Nonetheless, the fact is that mocking is not IN RESPONSE to his sensitivity of it’s use. The mocking PRECEDES and PROCEEDS his objections to it’s use.
It is exactly what it is, because thats how people are, as I explained to David earlier.”
Sorry, but I was applying my analysis of its usage to those I don’t think harbor any inherent resentment based on the name Hussein, like LaShawn. But if you want to assume that she uses it here precisely in the way you described to David, you’re free to impugn her character. And I’m free to call you a jerk for doing so. If that’s that case, of course.
I am white and all black people like me. Does that make me a racist? [hmmm Can there be reverse racism? Pls advise, La Shawn. Do I like you “because” you are black ORR because of my white guilt and/or why do you like me? Sigh. So confusing. There is another vague possibility. I just like you and there is no particular reason for it? Best from the ether… Toes in Alaska
This is truly become a war of attrition. Priceless! LOL.
You guys, you can call people any thing you want. Sure, you can’t say on a blog what you might say in private, but you CAN say it.
Who is stopping you? Really?
So what, Senator Obama is thin skinned?
Do you really care what he thinks about anything you say? If not, then.. what..? Why?
Trashy.
I never said anything about LaShawn or her character, and out of respect for her, I’m going to let that slide, Gabe.
Given the proclivities of the respondents I’ve really been trying to keep it light, and trashy is about the limit of what I’ll tolerate from you or anyone on this blog.
So in the words of one of the worlds greatest songwriters, Dave Mason:
“So let’s leave it alone, ’cause we can’t see eye to eye.
There ain’t no good guys, there ain’t no bad guys.
There’s only you and me and we just disagree.”
Obama is like that proverbial kid who lobs perjoratives at others and exudes contempt for them while cratering if ANY dare even poke fun at him. He can dish it but he sure cannot take it. Rather than respond with a sorely lacking sense of humor, he lashes out [how dare anyone fail to realize how special he is]. Thus, he pouts that others are ignorant when they poke fun at his mathematically flawed assertion that we could save more by inflating our tires than we could with drilling. [Meanwhile, I am still trying to figure out how it is that there are no cars in America with their tires properly inflated.]
The ad with Hilton was merely poking fun at the adoration of the masses that Obama has touted and assidulously courted. To me, the fan shots reminded me of Elvis and his swooning fans. Color me obtuse, but hundreds of thousands of swooning fans does not strike me as impressive for the leader of a country, though I can appreciate the value to a rock star.
“Color me obtuse, but hundreds of thousands of swooning fans does not strike me as impressive for the leader of a country, though I can appreciate the value to a rock star.”
Now sure how old you are, but you migh hae appreciated Dave Mason then.
Guys with talent like him, Rick Wakeman, George Duke, Chic Corea, Buddy Rich, Jaco Pastorius, Neal Peart, T.S. Monk, Pat Martino.
They don’t build guys like that much anymore.
I don’t know jb. If we ever get a true conservative powerhouse on the ticket for POTUS, I just might swoon…
Gabe,
That’s really funny, and you are SO right. I might find myself swooning, too, however embarrassing, if we ever get a true conservative powerhouse for POTUS.
You know, back in the day, I used to watch my peers swooning over the Beatles. I remember being totally shocked/mystified/horrified over the spectacle of large numbers of individuals so in sway to their emotions. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. at least the Beatles had a whole new sound presented in a novel way by incredibly talented musicians. For what it is worth, Obama isn’t even all that talented. For someone who is a dime a dozen, I have yet to figure out what the fuss is all about.
THEBIGDODDY,
Trashy, huh? That’s the second time you’ve personally insulted me here. I’m starting to think you don’t like me.
But seriously – all I did was point out the logical conclusion taken from the sum of your comments. If you disagree with my analysis, I’d like to know where I’m wrong.
Honestly, I’d PREFER to be wrong in this regard.
No, I never said YOU were trashy and I have no reason to NOT like you.
People are not problems, their behaviors are.
I’ve explained before about how MATTERS evolve from tacky to terroristic. It’s how the diverging viewpoints are handled. But this is nothing uncommon. On many liberal blogs it skips right over tacky and goes from trashy to terroristic quickly.
Why would you PREFER to be wrong? What differences does it make who is wrong, as long as YOU (Gabe) believe in producing justice and right behaviors towards your fellow man?
I don’t believe it’s expedient to be an apologist for the evil that men do for superficial reasons.
But others might.
If you happen to notice that the candidate’s life influences all seem to have marxist backgrounds, you might be a racist.
This is what frustrates me so much about this whole situation; I could care less what color Barack Obama is, I simply disagree with his policies (or in many cases find his lack of a coherent policy troublesome), and find his lack of relevant experience scary.
I would vote for Condi Rice, Thomas Sowell, Michael Steele, J.C. Watts, Colin Powell, or any number of black conservatives for President in a heartbeat. In fact, I hope McCain has a few of them on his short list for VP.
Thanks,
Jim C
Michele brings up another good point; his past (and present) associates are very troublesome. Rev. Wright, William Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, Fr. Phleger, Tony Rezco… the list goes on. Is this someone we want leading this country?
Jim C
Jim C.,
There are many of us who are not enamored of the rock star, BO, and who DO find his associations to be problematic. You are not alone. The fact that you find his leftist, racially tinged views abhorrent does NOT make you a racist!
“I don’t have any power, man!”
But you do have the power of the Holy Spirit working within you. It shows.
Sometimes I wonder why I bother engaging.
Sometimes I wonder why I bother engaging.
You can’t fool me. It’s that dizzy whooshing feeling as your head bounces off the brick wall.
If you ever ridiculed the assertion that tire gauges lower gas prices, you may be guilty of racist jokes about Obama.
If you ever said that the look on his wife’s faced could curdle fresh milk, you may be guilty of racist jokes about Obama. (Joking about Cindy McCain’s face is politically correct.)
If ever suggested that the “Vero Possemus” campaign signs had something to do with possums, you may be guilty of racist jokes about Obama.
The “issue” punted about above about Obama’s middle name is an interesting one.
As a politician with carefully crafted and engaged ambitions, Barack Hussein Obama certainly must have confronted how his three “unusual” names would play in various venues. I call his names unusual, because I have never encountered the names “Barack” or “Obama” in the general landscape. Nor have I ever encountered the name “Hussein” as a name divorced from Islam.
Barry Obama made a conscious decision to return to using his given name of Barack. That is his decision to make and I have no quarrel with it. However, as a calculation, it may have helped his persona within the power culture of his community organizing days in Chicago. “Hi, I’m Barry Obama.” does not resinate in the same way as “Hi. I’m Barack Obama.” The “Barry” name you may remember, but it sounds weak; the “Barack” name is an attention getter.
But the “Hussein” name is where the action is. Naturally, Obama can not do much about his middle name IF he wishes it would go away. But there is zero evidence that he is embarrassed or annoyed by it.
Some years back, many black Americans adopted Islamic names as a cultural statement. There would be some utility to having the name “Hussein” in some neighborhoods across the United States if you were gaining political power from those bases.
Obama could easily make an issue of his middle name. He could use the approach that John F. Kennedy made concerning his Catholic Religion.
But isn’t it more politically productive to stay quiet and let his pawns yell “racist” when someone emphasizes it in a negative way? Why not make it politically incorrect to say his full name?
After all, a huge segment of black voters are going to vote for him because of his race identification and party affiliation. The “Hussein” name is certainly not going to deter their single minded, if not simple minded, addiction to race.
Meanwhile, Obama remains “above the fray” as his minions stir up charges of “racism” over those who utter his middle name. It is the perfect tactic.
If, in fact, there is some “bugaboo” hiding in the use of the name “Hussein” then Obama is wasting a wonderful teachable moment by not confronting it loud and clear. But that seems not to serve his purpose.
So, if one uses the full name of Barack Hussein Obama, what is that person’s motive? Who knows? It may well be to call attention to Obama’s muddled association with American style black radical Islam.
But, if one is immediately defensive about protecting Obama from those who call his middle name, what is that person’s motive? Who knows? It may well be to call the person a racist for putting a “brother” on the spot.
Isn’t it wonderful that “racism” has boiled down to such stupid stuff as this?
That would be all nice if the use of his middle name were “racist”, but it’s not.
Not to mention that being called a “racist” is not the absolute worst thing one could be called, anyhow.
Ditto, Helio….
In reality, white Americans are so repulsed by real expressions of racism that skinhead orgs and other sundry trash have been turned into utter pariahs.
Meanwhile, the MSM,academia, and community organizers would have everyone believe that virulent racism secretly lurks in the heart of every white person. As there is so little empirical evidence to support this contention, proof must be conjured up. One avenue has been to assert that words don’t actually mean what they seem to mean and are really coded expressions of ugliness.
However, coding racism into the common vernacular merely serves to be annoying, divisive, and very damaging.
Recently, in Dallas, a commissioner exploded over the words “black holes,” stating that the use of the word black in any negative connotation was racist. He immediately became an object of ridicule and scorn. [Meanwhile, I am certain that Stephen Hawkings will not cease using the term "black hole."]
Arrogant is NOT code for uppity, no matter how much some wish to preen themselves on their enlightened status.
Further, anyone who thinks that turning language into a mine field without a map is beneficial to relations between races is deluded.
You’ve figured me out, Amy K!
Meanwhile, I am certain that Stephen Hawkings will not cease using the term “black hole.”
Well – we would hope so! But I suspect that the so-called “hard” sciences (mathematics, chemistry, physics and the like) will one day be targeted by the Diversity & Tolerance Nazis.
jb,
You are dead on about this growing breed of semantics dictators who distort common usage to suit their own twisted purposes.
Obama and his ilk are well seasoned practitioners of the art of “double speak” and “didn’t say.” You know when someone starts establishing rules of their peculiar version of “civil discourse” that you are being set up for domination.
I have just completed a contract with a group in which a petulant Rabbi insisted on everyone adopting his usage, although none of us could ever pin him down. I call it “nailing Jello to the wall.”
I fully agree with your statement: “Further, anyone who thinks that turning language into a mine field without a map is beneficial to relations between races is deluded.”
I find that many who lob Bible verses like grenades are playing this game. They act as if all interpretation has been settled in their hands and only fools don’t get it.
Mwalimu,
Actually, the diversity & tolerance Nazis have already infiltrated the hard sciences. Any who dare question any of the tenets of global warming [er...climate change] can kiss their careers good-bye. Meanwhile, Larry Summers was hounded out of his career for daring to suggest that females were underrepresented at the highest echelons of science achievement. His words have been twisted beyond recognition and his career has been tarnished irrevocably. It has become anathema to point out obvious truths that are politically incorrect. sighs…
Gabe,
Remember the guy who continually hit himself on the head with a hammer? He explained that it felt so good when he stopped.
jb and Mwalimu,
The Intelligent Design people are being pilloried by the Darwin lobby. The term “evolution” has absorbed the theory by many scientists who should know better. It is a theory that has become a foregone conclusion. Skeptics need not apply. Yet, skepticism is the heart and soul of science. Oh, well.
Wow! An epiphany! If you don’t believe in man made global warming …. you might be a racist!
A coward is worse than a racist, by far.
An epiphany is such fun, n’est pas?
And, since it has now been “proven” that man-made global warming disproportionately attacks minorities, to question its’ tenets most definitely makes one a racist.
jb says:
“In reality, white Americans are so repulsed by real expressions of racism that skinhead orgs and other sundry trash have been turned into utter pariahs.”
I ask:
Really? Skinhead orgs and other sundry trash are “real” expressions of racism in America?
Seems like you all have settled the racism problem though.
Really? Skinhead orgs and other sundry trash are “real” expressions of racism in America? [comment by THEBIGDODDY]
In a word, “No.” Your interpretation is well off the mark. Not only have you missed what I meant, but you seem to have missed what was written…
jb & helio:
The problem you describe is as old as science itself: reputable, intelligent scientists bitterly clinging to theories that slowly lose their scientific basis. Off-hand I can name three other examples: the steady-state universe, race science, and the luminiferous aether.
BTW: when I was doing an Internet search to check the spelling of the scientific theories I listed I noticed that Wikipedia was at or near the top. Scary, eh?
Mwalimu,
Thanks for orienting the discussion in a more fruitful direction as it had gone off the tracks. My bad.
Onward…
You are so right. When one’s self worth is predicated upon externals, it is really difficult to see those externals challenged. Sad really.
As for Wikipedia, I do find it helpful for a basic overview and segue to other sources of info. Should it be at the top of the food chain? My guess is that most folks only want science cliff notes.
I thought of an interesting point regarding the middle name discussion above (or at least I think it’s interesting).
If I remember correctly, it wasn’t conservatives that initially brought up Barack’s middle name. That was all initially put out by the Clinton camp in an email that included pictures of Obama in Kenyan garb. They counted on the American people to not know the difference between muslim dress and Kenyan dress. And, lets face it, I sure didn’t know the difference at the time. So, they were hoping to portray Obama as an Islamic manchurian candidate.
As far as why we emphasise it now, as was pointed out above, perhaps it’s to draw attention to Barack’s ties to radical black Islam in the form of the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan. Ties that he does have — and are quite legitimate to point out.
Perhaps in some cases (like the Clinton camp’s attempts) it’s to instill fear that he’s some sort of Islamofacist manchurian candidate. I don’t really know. Either way, I don’t believe that it’s racist to point out his middle name.
Racism is defined as discrimination based on race… not religion. In other words, if people choose to not vote for Obama because he may be Muslim that’s not racism. However, if they were to choose to not vote for him because he’s black… yes, that is racism.
Thanks,
Jim C
I agree with your points, Jim C, and you have added an important dimension to the discussion.
Some of us are caught in the web of “choosing” whether we are “black” or “white” or “mixed” or just good old American mongrel. But that doesn’t wash for many in “black” America. They are as strident about the one drop rule as the good old boy redneck racists ever were.
Barack has chosen the utility of black victimhood while offering himself as having a magic foot in the door of white power. I marvel that he hasn’t discovered that he has a second middle name which is Bolivar. He sure would be using it loud and clear if it were.
Since there is no biological explanation for race, it is necessary for the race crowd to define it to their particular needs. If you are a basic jerk living among people of different color and attitudes than you, you might assume they are racists when they steer clear of you.
Discrimination is the key here. I choose who I associate with. When I work with street level alcoholics (and I do) I do not bring them home with me. That is because I actively discriminate against their conduct and persons and find them unfit for inclusion in my private life.
A neighbor is a flaming religious fanatic. I have heard his stuff for years and you can not say good morning without getting a full blast of “repent and be saved” in return. I avoid him like he has a case of fleas while still trying to be polite. That is not always easy with someone who insists on forcing his views on you.
All of this is to say that much of what some people who are stuck on “racism” are experiencing is the reflection of their own baggage and character.
Racism is in the eye of one who defines it, Jim C.
It could, or not be, discrimination based on race.
As heliotrope wrote, it could merely just be coincidental that the person(s) against whom you choose to discriminate may differ from yours.
But if it’s already a given that it’s not racism to include his middle name to refer to him, then the matter is settled, is it not…unless the objective is to convince someone that you are above that sort of thing.
At the end of the day, as the conscience of this nation regarding charity towards their fellow man is waning, the war of attrition remains, whereby people are violently asserting their right to say whatever they want about whomever they want without any fear of reprisal or rebuke. It’s George Jefferson vs. Archie Bunker reborn.
President Lincoln said: When men wrangle by the mouth with no certainty that they mean the same thing while using the same words, it perhaps would be as well if they would keep silence. (Carl Sandburg’s Lincoln)
whereby people are violently asserting their right to say whatever they want about whomever they want without any fear of reprisal or rebuke.
Could you please give an example?
The Lincoln quote is actually: “Solomon says, ‘There is time to keep silence’; and when men wrangle by the mouth, with no certainty that they mean the same thing while using the same words, it perhaps were as well if they would keep silence.”
He said this at Indianapolis during his campaign and he was specifically referring to the words “coercion” and “invasion” in reference to the actions of South Carolina.
Lincoln was certainly a great wordsmith and the source of many important quotes. But sometimes a quote needs context to make sense. This particular quote caused Lincoln a fair amount of trouble with the Ohio delegation and he was forced more than once to plumb the meaning he intended.
I am not quite certain how it is meant to apply to this discussion thread and perhaps the person who posted it might have some enlightening words.
Amy, I’ll give you two examples of ideologies that speak to my statement.
“Being politically incorrect”
and
“Keeping it real”
People do not want to admit the possibility that what they say about people is sinful and dirty and/or suspect.
Using Senator Obama’s middle name is NOT racist, and I personally don’t even consider it in that instance as being such, but something worse, actually.
Mainly for the REASONS I gave David in my response #37, it certainly isn’t something ANY so-called Christian who has any sense of walking in the spirit should do.
Instead of submitting to that call (walking in the spirit, comparing spiritual thoughts with spiritual words) they get tacky and trashy and swear up and down that people should have “thicker skin”. This is the talk of carnality. Some things you have NO business letting fall outta
your mouth.
All things are lawful, but not expedient.
People who call names and hide behind their liberty is weak in the flesh AND spirit and are walking in one of the things the Father hates – cowardice. I don’t care how good they THINK they are.
But I will say that even though LaShawn is a devout Christian woman, not all the participants on this blog are, and even amongst those who declare to be so, there are varying degrees of submission and understanding of certain spiritual things, which explains a few things.
Thebigdoddy,
You’re describing descrimination… not racism.
Jim C
I don’t think it’s very fair of you to question someone’s Christianity because they point out Obama’s middle name.
Jim C
Hi La Shawn,
Have you read this interview of Senator Obama below?
Any comments?
http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/2008/06/06/barack-obama-the-2004-god-factor-interview-transcript/?loc=interstitialskip
Comments on this entry are closed.