The Left Coaster: Comment on It's Not Lost But....

Comments: It's Not Lost But....

Sadly this "racist" throwing label is everywhere and it is turning people away and off bigtime...just in a recent thread the other day, when what I consider a fairly objective and considerate intelligent commenter here, voiced their opinion about Senator Obama not appearing to enjoy campaigning too much....an Obama supporter then accused this person of using racist overtones saying (paraphrasing here) oh so you're calling him a lazy blackman....yup...un-effing-believable! ....it was something that never even entered my mind, that is until the comment was made by the Obama supporter, yet the racist accusation was thrown out there so easily....sigh...sometimes I find myself sitting here wondering who the real racist are?

Anyway....great summary and links (many of which I'd already read) and sadly that tim noah, amy chozick crap is just that...yet they get paid for writing it.

Innoculation... I'm not accusing anyone of being a racist. I'm not saying that the rnc hasn't and won't continue to use their longstanding tradition of using racial overtones in their campaign along with their usual anti-dem character smears. And I'm definitely not saying puma or vote for McSame when I criticize Senator Obama or his supporters./end innoculation.

Posted by emal at August 5, 2008 08:20 AM

I'm really glad we were able to put the primaries behind us and get busy electing the Democrat.

We cannot let this moment slip away.

Hillary Clinton, June 7, 2008.

Posted by James E. Powell at August 5, 2008 08:27 AM

Right On about KO, the greaseball. I haven't watched his show since he went off on Hillary about the Geraldine Ferraro thing.

Posted by Jeff Dinelli at August 5, 2008 08:27 AM

I agree, eriposte. If race is an issue, it will only hurt Obama.

Posted by CA Pol Junkie at August 5, 2008 09:21 AM

Don't forget Bob Herbert on Morning Joe arguing that the video of the Washington monument and "the leaning tower of Pisa" in the RNC ad were actually racist phallic symbols.

Can you say BAT SHIT CRAZY?

Posted by JoeCHI at August 5, 2008 09:32 AM

When the Obama campaign set out to label the Clinton's as racist Barack lost my vote forever. Last night on "The Daily Show" Jon Stewart mocked the ridiculous racism charges the Obamabots are making and the audience howled with laughter. BO is going to be a laughing stock by the time this race, oops I used that word, is over. He brought it all on himself.

Posted by Johnny at August 5, 2008 09:45 AM

When the Obama campaign set out to label the Clinton's as racist...

Are you nuts? Bill brought that on Hill because he couldn't keep his mouth shut and said some really stupid shit. Obama's been fighting race since the black ministers came out early in 2007 with the "Is Obama black enough" meme. He has shown some real grace when dealing with the issue.

I realize everyone wants a little cheese with their whine since Hillary imploded her campaign. Too bad. Get over it.

If you're paying attention, and some obviously aren't, Obama is kicking ass with the 50 state campaign. Many polls have him leading by 100 electoral votes. Even the most conservative polls have him ahead by 50 electoral votes.

Good god, the republi-cons are bleeding registered voters and they've lost 5 states since 2004 (meaning Obama -dems- gain 5 (CO, IN, IA, NV, NM)). It's always sucked to be a republi-con, but it's even worse now.

Posted by phidipides at August 5, 2008 10:09 AM

Wow, now don't get carried away, I actually agree with emal, capj, JoeChi, and Johnny.

The Obama cult, I know I'm taking liberties, like to throw those words around way to easily. The more they're thrown, the less their impact or meaning becomes. Those words are rapidly losing there meaning. Maybe that's good, maybe we're learning our way away from our racist past, leaving it in the past. Maybe, just maybe we've advanced above and beyond those terms. That would be my "hope". That those words/terms are history, not to see the light of day again.

Am I naive, maybe, but isn't that part of Obama's "hope" message? Moving beyond these old historic stereotypes.

Posted by peter at August 5, 2008 10:25 AM

The Obama cult...

No problem. So does John McCain's cock tastes like milk chocolate, and is that why you can't keep your mouth off of it?

Posted by phidipides at August 5, 2008 10:31 AM

gee fancy that a leader of the "pukes for chimp" cult commenting on an Obama cult..pot meet kettle...petie you set records for stupidity with each keystroke....

Posted by headxray at August 5, 2008 10:56 AM

now phidipides, everybody knows that pants pissing peter blows goats

Posted by gay veteran at August 5, 2008 11:26 AM

Yes, Joechi.

Herbert is BAT SHIT CRAZY.

And every article, every media pundit that plays dumb games like Herbert does, makes Obama look more and more foolish.

Frikkin idiots.

Posted by Mary at August 5, 2008 11:26 AM

...everybody knows that pants pissing peter blows goats

And I thought he only let McCain teabag him.

Posted by phidipides at August 5, 2008 11:42 AM

It's hopeless. Many Obama supporters have a Pavlovian response to anything that they can intrepret as racist, and they don't know that this can hurt Obama. It seems to be an addiction.

And check out this diary and its comments at Dailykos. None of the people on that site could figure out why McCain's ad was not playing the race-card or why Obama's statement about dollar bills could easily be intrepreted as playing the race card.

Posted by rjarnold at August 5, 2008 12:40 PM

I would like a Hillarybot to explain just what the heck Bill meant when he shrugged off Obama's victory in South Carolina with "Jesse Jackson won South Carolina, too" comment.

Kerry was not my candidate, but I voted for him.

Clinton wasn't my candidate (in '92), but I voted for him.

You REALLY want to see McCain (and his Rovian handlers) in the White House rather than Obama?

You are sick, sick, sick.

Posted by Cal Gal at August 5, 2008 01:01 PM

Would somebody please explain to me what "playing the race card" or "dogwhistles" means in the context of this election?

Obama is not trying to pass. He isn't some guy who looks white and waxes eloquent about his Anglo-Irish ancestors only to have some Repug suggest that his great-great-great-great grandfather was African.

Obama is Black. (Well, OK, half-white, half-African). This is obvious to anybody who looks at him. He, himself, frequently (more than frequently) makes a point of his biracial background.

In short, racists, people who are prejudiced against Obama because of his ethnicity are already lost. So whom, exactly, are purveyors of the "race card" supposed to be targeting? People who think they are not prejudiced but really are and just need some kind of subtle, racially motivated attack to move them decisively against Obama? If so, it's a waste of effort. These people don't need any kind of push. All they have to do is watch and listen to Obama, esp. when he's addressing a Black audience and gets "that" accent into his voice (you know, the one Hillary got creamed for.)

And who are Obama and his supporters (Digby, unfortunately, included) aiming for when they play the "reverse" race card? Liberals with guilty consciences who don't like Obama for a host of reasons but can be shamed into voting for him to prove they are not racist?

The whole thing is ridiculous. The issue liberals should be concerned about is the Muslim card. Obama's race is obvious; his religion isn't, esp. given his name. Thus, if there are going to be "dogwhistles", the ones that should be attacked are those that suggest he has terrorist ties or isn't a real Christian (not that it should matter what his faith is, but Obama hasn't exactly made an effort to point out that there would be nothing wrong in having a Muslim Preisdent.)

Posted by LC at August 5, 2008 02:40 PM

emal, You can use my name. I said it, did you read, err... comprehend my "innoculation"...

Now I don't think you meant to say this CG, but it sure can come off that way.

I'm not playing the race card here, just being cynical.

Posted by Seven of Six at August 5, 2008 03:55 PM

if it weren't for racists the ReThugs would be a third party

Posted by gay veteran at August 5, 2008 06:19 PM

and in the Age of Bush you can be a good American or you can be a good Republican but you can't be both

Posted by gay veteran at August 5, 2008 06:19 PM

I'm just glad you're back posting, eriposte, so I could move Left Coaster back up on the blogroll.

Posted by desert dawg at August 5, 2008 06:21 PM

Geraldine Ferraro was cast into perdition for stating the obvious: Barack Obama wouldn't be where he is if he were white. Everybody knows that.

Obama won the nomination by playing the race card against the Clintons, but he's in the big leagues now. He'll have to win the general election on his own merits. McCain was actually doing him a favor by slapping him down now.

Posted by cygnus at August 5, 2008 06:23 PM

eriposte, you are still writing? What a fucking joke.

Posted by fahey at August 5, 2008 06:42 PM

Well Eri, I see the locals aren't buying into Obama's message. They seem to want to relive the Hatfields and McCoys of old. That's a shame, we all lose for this.

Posted by peter at August 5, 2008 07:19 PM

Eriposte, this is OT, but have you seen the incredible (and very specific) allegations about Obama's COLB over at NoQuarter and TexasDarlin?
d

Posted by at August 5, 2008 08:41 PM

Well Eri, I see the locals aren't buying into Obama's message.

That's Eri's problem, not the locals. Any metric from voter registration to electoral votes shows you are Obama's bitch.

...but have you seen the incredible (and very specific) allegations about Obama's COLB...

Shhhh. Don't say this very loud...but, Obama is a nigra. Honest to god!!

Posted by at August 5, 2008 11:09 PM

I disagree, Eri can buy into Obama's message, his original message. The locals here can't. And his message of late, now that's hard to buy into, it "changes" like the vapors. I think even he's confused. First time I've seen COLB referenced over here. I've seen it elsewhere, don't think theres much to it. Seems most conservatives are talking against it.

Posted by peter at August 6, 2008 08:34 AM