This is now the face of the Republican party.
And even the Media has begun to notice all the Hate as well as the strong influence of Fox News on the Facts.
Republicans and Conservatives claim that "This isn't Partisan" - that this "Isn't Racial" - that this is just the act of a "few on the fringe".
Oh really?
So what's with The Bone or the War Paint? The Spook President? What part of Watermelon on the White House Lawn isn't Racist?
This kind of imagery is directly out of Birth of A Nation, the D.W. Griffith film the inspired the Klan. If you need a refresher this is what classic racists from the 30's and 40's used to do - wanna check the similarities? Look at this.
There is a clear and obvious link to the perspective of the new graphics/cartoons and the type that were used to justify Jim Crow and Lynchings for over a Century.
Yes, it's Racist Damnit.
This is kind of stuff Republicans have been emailing to each other - have shown up on the Editorial pages of the New York Post - and putting on posters at the Tea Parties - and now they trying to play "innocent" when they get called on it?
Please.
That's simply NOT credible. It's not believable that the people who made these cartoons and posters, who have screamed at their top of their lungs in a crazed out of control fashion are doing so purely because they have a policy and ideology difference with the President.
That is not how people behave when they simply have a difference of opinion and want to openly discuss it. This is all generated by HATE.
The question isn't whether it's racial or not - SOME OF IT CLEARLY IS - it's really a question of HOW MUCH of it is Racial, and HOW MUCH of it is simply based in a deep seated fear and HATRED OF LIBERALS - which as far as I'm concerned is just as bad, if not worse than Racism.
But now what the Republicans spend nearly all their time doing is whining about being called Racists!.
You smelt it - you delt it, pal.
And It's not something many of us, certainly not I, have come to this conclusion lightly.
You have to understand that when Janeane Garofalo called all the Tea Baggers "Racist" - I argued AGAINST her view and initially defended the Tea Partiers, as I thought it was irresponsible to make such a blanket accusation.
I think one of the worst things you can do is make an unfounded and unjustified accusation of Racism against innocent people because it poisons the waters of communication. I defended Bill Clinton - even though I didn't support Hillary or Obama, yet - when he was unfairly accused of Racism during the Election, and even though the source of some of those pictures was originally The Clinton Campaign, so no one can claim that Democrats are completely above this sort of thing. People are willing to do all sorts of things if they think they can "Win" with it.
Bill's problem then was the problem the Republicans are having now - rather than admitting that IT'S A PERFECTLY FAIR INFERENCE to look at what they've done and said and think it MIGHT be racist, they instead decided to get all BUTT HURT about people potentially thinking that.
Bill has years of anti-racist credibility to fall back on in order to get the benefit of the doubt, and as a result he recovered. Republicans not so much.
It's their self-conscious narcissistic over-reaction to the suggestion that has changed my mind. After Janeane made her statement she was Ambush-Interviewed by Fox News and she fully defended herself, arguing that if people at the Tea Parties were not motivated by Race - why is it they didn't say anything when George W. Bush was running the deficit through the roof? (He left office with the Deficit at $1.3 Trillion - but I don't see any Bush-the-Hitler-Monkey signs on April 15th, July 4th or September 12th - did you?)
No, You didn't.
I eventually concluded, particularly when the Fox reporter accused Janeane of being "A BIGOT AGAINST CONSERVATIVES" - that she had a point. NOBODY in those crowds seem to object to the clear racist implications of those posters. NOBODY said "I don't agree with that...", and if they failed to say - "I'm not with this!" then it's fair to conclude that *ARE* With it.
Obviously they AGREE AND SUPPORT that type of vile Hate Speech, and that's on them - not on anyone else. Not all of them are Racists, but *ALL* of them are supporting those Racists and Bigoted statements.
I still have argued again on DKOS that the larger source of Hatred probably isn't the just fact that he's Black, it's the fact that he's a Democrat and *perceived* as a Liberal (Which to some mean Socialist and Communist) and I still feel that's true. But Racism is still *part* of the picture - just not all of it as Garofalo and President Carter has suggested.
Now Republicans are using a boomerang attack against Democrats. "Accuse ME of Racism, and YOU must be the Racist!"
Just this weekend you had Roy Blunt at the Value Voters Forum tell an elaborate Monkey Joke and then advise the Conservatives in attendance not to be intimidate by accusations of Racism. He was EGGING THEM ON, not pulling back the reins and saying "Woah, that *not* what I meant - I meant this over here!". But If you went back and listened to what Clinton said about Obama's victory being like Jesse Jackson's - he *also* said both Jesse and Obama ran a great campaign, so it's believable that the racial-link is merely coincidental rather than the core of his point.
But that doesn't work with an African Witch-Doctors simile.
That doesn't work with Water-Melon References.
That doesn't work with Al Jolson Black Face Jokes.
That doesn't work with APE References.
The history of these types of references being used against Black people are too deep, too raw and too serious to be ignored.
Republicans like Blunt are attempting to Dance on the Edge of this Racial Fire and not get burned by it. They're kidding themselves. Anytime anyone calls them out - they will try and pretend what they said and what they did - has Nothing to do with Race. It's not a dog-whistle anymore, it's a right-cross to the eye and when you say - "Why'd you HIT Me - was it because I'm Black?" - they're like "No I didn't - you're Playing the Race Card!". It's cynical, it's sad and what's worse it's going to do some long term damage to the nation as a whole, not just over race, but over our ability to function as a Democratic State.
Is it possible that a Non-Racist person might unwittingly use such a reference and not fully understand the long-standing racial connotations of it? Maybe, but then that person would be something else entirely. That person might not necessarily be Racist - but they are FRACKING DELUDED!!
Like These people.
It's time we finally called A Spade, A Spade.
'Nuff Said.
Vyan
