While appearing on Hardball, the AJC’s Cynthia Tucker claimed that “45 to 65% of the people who appear at these groups are people who will never be comfortable with the idea of a black president.”
Disagree with the tactics or their beliefs, that’s fine, but accusing these protesters of having some sort of prejudice does not pass for meaningful for debate.
As David Boaz said of people tossing out the race card (although he was referring to Paul Krugman):
[They] can’t understand why people would oppose government control of health care — or skyrocketing deficits, or a federal takeover of education, energy, and finance along with health care — unless they’re driven by racism. But he’s not the only one who sees racists under every bed… . It cannot be the case that every parody of a president who happens to be black is racist. And it is not good for democracy to try to counter every opposing argument with such a blood libel. The good news for advocates of limited government is that our opponents are displaying a striking lack of confidence in the actual arguments for their proposals. If they thought they could win a debate on nationalizing health care, or running trillion-dollar deficits, they wouldn’t need to reach for such smears.
H/T: Below the Beltway
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The number is probably nonsense, there’s no way you could calculate it that way, but the racist nuts are in this mix, no doubt. I wouldn’t say all or even most of the demonstrators are that, but the group of people who are determined to prove Obama is from Kenya (and that’s a terrible thing!) and whatnot are still way too represented
So you’re saying that someone’s opinion of where a Obama was born is criteria for calling them a racist? This is why I encourage everyone to take a basic course in logic. And as an INDIVIDUALIST and a CONSTITUTIONALIST I find no value whatsoever in your analysis.
It’s pretty obvious why this is the first President ever where there’s a camp of people obsessed with the idea that he’s not born in America…
So I guess it is here that you will pretend that there is not anything “peculiar” about his history. The birthers are idiots, but it is not like he was born to 2 American parents who lived in the US like pretty much every other President in our history.
Be intellectusally lazy and cast insults on people all you want, and let’s be clear this is exactly what you did, but you and your brethern are the only ones breathing race into this.
Do you have some empirical evidence to suggest the idea that birthers are idiots? Because as far as I know, having a particular opinion on an issue doesn’t necessarily meet the qualifications.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empirical
They are idiots because they are letting themselves be played by the administration to paint the entire opposition as crazies. They are idiots because there is no hope for their plan to succeed. They are idiots because if Obama had an R next to their name and the Democrats were raising this issue, they would be on the other side.
Plenty of Constitutionalists showed similar concern for McCain’s eligibility, having been born in Panama. Of course your garden variety CORPORATIST shows no concern whatsoever for the CONSTITUTION. In fact it simply gets in the way many times, for many items on the corporatist agenda. This has led to an interesting development: the RWBTBs (Republicans who bemoan the birthers.) Interesting. Very interesting.
You are throwing the race card just as much as Mathews and Tucker are. You are just playing down the numbers. You can’t prove that a single one of the people showing up at health care forums care one bit what race the President is.
I will say that separating race and politics would be difficult. But, as I’ve noted before, I don’t think it’s advantageous to play the race card, if you’re trying to get votes, when taking into account the large number of whites who will be immediately offended by what they perceive as race-baiting. However, it’s always been part of the debate nonetheless. And, as someone who supported Ron Paul, I’d like to add that we’re talking about a very diverse crowd. This was before Obama joined the race. And, well, I’m not sure history has ever seen such a race-based exodus since Charleton Heston was in that movie set in Egypt.
Well looks like I “took the bait” with race and politics. DOOOH! But, yeah, there’s some shock value to having a black President, but not as much as some would think. Personally, for example, I think there may be more shock value with a city’s first black Mayor or a State’s first black Governor. It’s a barrier that exists. CM is correct overall, but probably has no basis for her numbers.
Though, the CATO guy, Ayn Rand quote and all, himself isn’t being too honest. No one is talking about nationalizing health care. A small group of congressional progressives who aren’t being listened to are talking about nationalizing health insurance (under one plan, which by all means is the best way to do it).
No one is talking about nationalizing health care.
I don’t think that’s necessarily true. I do believe it’s the end goal. It will incrementally take us towards nationalization.
Even most of the other countries that have universal care don’t have nationalized systems, I really doubt it.
You’re entitled to your opinion. I just disagree.
Completely agree with you. This idea that private insurers will be able to “compete” with the taxpayer subsidized federal plan is ludicrous.
I think her number is conservative.
“The entire “sick care” industry (including Big Pharma) actually depends on widespread nutritional deficiencies in order to create repeat business. Vitamin D deficiency, of course, figures prominently in this equation: It promotes cancer, bone loss, obesity, depression and heart disease. It’s no coincidence that these are some of the biggest profit earners for drug companies.”………………….
“The sunscreen industry also shares some blame in all this, as it thrives on the silly idea that sunlight is bad for children and that all kids need to be smothered in sunscreen lotions before venturing outdoors. (Of course, they never admit their own sunscreen products are filled with cancer-causing chemicals in the first place…)
Above all, the medical establishment is to blame for vitamin D deficiency. Rather than teaching parents and children about the importance of vitamin D, they seem to have declared a blackout on most useful information about the nutrient, preferring instead to prescribe toxic pharmaceutical drugs to treat the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. Osteoporosis drugs, in particular, are made virtually obsolete by vitamin D alone. That’s why you don’t see any drug companies talking about vitamin D — it would destroy osteoporosis drug sales!”
Why should a drug company be responsible for educating people about vitamin D? You probably think it makes sense for a electric companies to teach conservation and cigarette companies to teach about the dangers of smoking.
So if you goto one of these “townhall” and tell your Congressman you support the administration; everything is cool. But if you goto a “townhall” and voice disproval with something on the administration’s agenda, that will have the biggest impact on our lives since the New Deal, then you hate the President because he is black; makes a lot of sense. Sounds like the Democrats expect gameshow contestants to come to their “townhall” meetings.
Since drug companies take your money for their products they have an obligation to be truthful.
Since drug companies take your money and other’s money via Medicare Part D, since drug companies sell to States via Medicaid, since drug companies sell to Military.
Sometimes a temporary dictator does good by jailing a few hundred business executives and shooting a few just for drill.
I cannot figure out who is the bigger turd, Chris Matthews or Cynthia Tucker.
Bill
I’ll have to admit, over in the Paul camp, we’ve had some “strange bedfellows” which also included Keith Olbermann. Looks like “Dubya” caused some strange alliances. In fact, the big concern for a while (out here in the real world) was the possibility of a Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton scenario which, if your an average American, is simply a big slap in the face.
Hey, I tried to show some love for Cynthia but now she’s in the Dog House.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyduncFpzl4
cnn was basically my only news source for the past week, when i bothered to watch any tv at all and this theme was being expressed there as well-i’m not a believer in any vast conspiracy from either the right or left wing–bu this does appear to be a talking point tactic from the left–who i think are surprised by the strong emotion this, mostly healthcare stuff, seems to be arousing…
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