Yesterday I received an email asking for an on camera interview with a reported from 11Alive. The reporter wanted to talk about Jimmy Carter’s comment that the “overwhelming portion” of opposition to Obama’s policies is fueled by racism. I think other Peach Pundit front page posters received invitations as well. I’m not sure how they responded but none of us were on camera for the report you see below. Pete’s post on the matter was shown briefly in the report and described as “spicy.” Of course to label Carter’s comments as spicy would be to trample upon the long standing journalistic tradition of neutrality.
I decided not to respond to the reporter’s request for one overriding reason: Calling someone a racist in our society is a charge that can never be defended against.
If you’re on the right side of the political ledger, the accusation is presumed true and sticks with you forever. This is why the charge of racism is thrown around so frequently as to lose all meaning. Similarly, Griftdrift recently called on conservatives to answer for some whack job holding up a stupid sign at a protest someplace. I decided not to respond to that either.
There are real live racists in this country. There are people who hate President Obama simply because he is a black man. There are African-Americans who encounter racism in America today. To label most members of a major American political party racists diminishes the instances of real racist behavior that do occur. Conservatives need not be held accountable for a small fringe element who’s opposition to Obama is motivated by hate, anymore than all Democrats should be held accountable for the people who fantasized about murdering George W. Bush.
For Carter, the legion of other Democrats, and TV anchors at MSNBC to flippantly label opposition to Obama’s policies as fueled by racism is merely an attempt to end the discussion. It’s an attempt to absolve Obama and his allies of the responsibility to defend his increasingly unpopular programs and proposals. In short, crying racism has become the last refuge of scoundrels and I’m not interested in playing those sorts of political games.
{ 42 comments }
Buzz:
Well said.
Do you still beat your wife?
Buzz,
I agree with you on your post. Yet to many times people stay silent or condone race baiting that is done by the “Rush” element of the party. I realize the Democrats have their issues with the Jessie Jackson side but two wrongs do make a right.
We must start talking at each other to solve problems not use them as way to divide people for money and or political power.
Rush Limbaugh: “Obama’s America – White Kids Get Beat Up With The Black Kids Cheering”
RUSH SPEWING HATE;
You put your kids on a school bus you expect safety but in Obama’s America the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering ‘yeah, right on, right on, right on.’ Of course everybody said the white kid deserved it he was born a racist, he’s white.
THE FACTS;
STL-A student on a Belleville West High School bus was beaten for his choice of seat, not because he was white, according to a witness and police.
“The incident appears now to be more about a couple of bullies on a bus dictating where people sit,” said Belleville Police Capt. Don Sax, who originally said Monday’s attack may have been racially motivated.
WATCH
http://controlcongress.com/uncategorized/rush-limbaugh-obamas-america-white-kids-get-beat-up-with-the-black-kids-cheering
John,
I heard Rush’s show and heard his comments in context. I’m not going to defend every word Rush says because I don’t agree with every word.
He was making a point that since the left-wingers tell us that all criticism of Obama is racist, the reverse must be true that every thing a black person does to a white person must be racist also. He was demonstrating absurdity by being absurd. He does that a lot.
Couldn’t disagree more, Buzz. On this one I think Dreher is right.
http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2009/09/rush-limbaugh-hits-racial-bott.html
There are elements of your party who are riding the tiger.
Buzz,
I do respect you but in this case making excuses for what is obviously wrong only gives credence to the racist argument. As you might remember I was very outspoken about the illegal immigration issue years ago. Yet I was very outspoken how wrong it is when the debate became about race and or culture over a policy issue. The racist elements of the immigration reform movement have perverted the cause by making it about race.
I am 100% against Affirmative Action but I would fight for anyone right for equal access no matter race and or religion.
I have policy issue with Obama but I do respect him for what he has accomplished in life with odds against him. Can we not be a country anymore that respects people we may have disagreements over policy?
Well call me out there, Buzz!
A clarification. I didn’t call for some conservatives to answer for some whack job. I asked if seeing a 13 year old kid holding a sign saying what we need now is more McCarthyism bothered conservatives. I would hope the answer would be yes as it was with Jason Pye’s reasoned response (by the way that “protest someplace” was the lauded tea party on the mall).
As far as the whole racism issue, I”m already tired of it especially the conflations but I will say my gut tells me the lay of the land is different.
Perhaps I should have left that part out grift.
To see a 13 year old calling for something he obviously ignorant of is scary.
Plus, he had an FSU hat on. THAT’S offensive.
That particular fact made me vomit.
I’ll go along with what Buzz said.
I didn’t respond to the reporter, mainly because it wasn’t my post. I’ll use this space to make another point:
I see numerous references to “Peach Pundit says….” all over the place, in both old media and on other blogs. Peach Pundit doesn’t have an editorial policy. Each front page poster speaks for himself.
Maybe some of the other front page posters should speak a little more loudly when one is being an a$$.
O.K. GRIFT, YOU’RE BEING AN ASS.
(Better?)
Much
Point of order: grift is not a front page poster. Maybe a front page poser, but definitely not a front page poster.
Erick keeps flirting with me and I keep shyly demurring like any good southern belle.
Diagram the sentence. I stand on my earlier comment.
I dangled my participle, didn’t I?
DD and grift,
I think Icarus meant he was/is the LOUD front page participle dangling ass… not that there’s anything wrong with it.
I stand corrected.
Actually I am sitting, but there you go.
Good topic.
I think the issue is simply what responsibility do you have when someone on your side crosses the line. Whatever you determine that line to be. Far to many times conservatives have decided that they would not rebuke those that are clearly out of bounds or at least questionable. Does this make one side better than the other? No. It just makes it harder to make the case for your side.
Additionally when you don’t call out those who are clearly unrepresentative of your party/issues you lose credibility. Exhibit A1 is the tea party movement in some states (not all). http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/16/feehery.tea.parties.gop/index.html.
People are suspicous of people who do one thing and say another. Thats just how it is.
Oh, no spell check today. Sorry.
I concluded the same thing Buzz. There was nothing I could say and would risk them taking out whatever sound bite they thought would be most damaging.
I have said the same thing on here about people throwing around the word “Nazi” regardless of which side they are talking about. Use the word enough and it has no meaning.
There is an old joke that advises lawyers what to do in court:
If the law is against you, argue the facts.
If the facts are against you, argue the law.
If both are against you, call the other lawyer names.
I guess the same can sadly be said that many on the left have taken that advice to heart as well.
I guess the same can sadly be said that many on the left have taken that advice to heart as well.
Just as you just did from “the right”.
Jason,
“There is an old joke that advises lawyers what to do in court:”
In law school, that’s part of the Senior Review. But, my notes say,
If the law is on your side, argue the law.
If the facts are on your side, argue the facts.
If the law and the facts are not on your side, beat your shoe on the table and scream….
Does that work better than name-calling?
As any Georgia Resident should know, Race is a divide and conquer tactic.
Right now, an important debate about health care is underway. While fingers are being pointed and the r word shouted, America is being raped by the special interests.
Here is more on this subject. When you get tired of the text, you can look at the pictures.
Raped? I’m pro-reform myself, but Jesus Christ…
too bad you front pagers don’t have the courage to take on a lowly local reporter. no wonder the gop is in such sad shape, prominent members are afraid to defend themselves against ridiculous charges from a ridiculously old man.
Three Jack
It is sad to many on both sides like you enjoy the fight over solving anything!
We’re more likely to win or lose in a fight than solve anything. At least on our level of power.
Three Jack,
I’m sure you would be just as welcome to go on TV as any of the rest of us. Feel free to do so any time. Just don’t represent your opinions as that of Peach Pundit, as that is something I am unwilling to do because Peach Pundit doesn’t have “a”(n) opinion.
I, for one, didn’t see the need for my ugly mug to be on the Tee-Vee so I could talk about something I didn’t write or beat up on an old man that isn’t terribly relevent. Perhaps if the reporter had asked me in 1978, it may have been different.
I also see no need to refer to the person as a “lowly local reporter”. I didn’t see the piece that aired, but the email we received (via the tipline) seemed like he was trying to get “both sides” to a story, and that’s more than most reporters, local or otherwise, are willing to do.
I’ve received a few media and other inquiries in my days here, and have generally responded to the ones that were directed specifically to me. And it hasn’t mattered if they were on my side or opposing it. But condescention to the profession and treating anyone as “lowly” is neither going to win you any friends in the medium, nor more importantly, get your message out.
konop, you wrote earlier today that you were tired of people being silent about “race baiting that is done by the “Rush” element of the party”.
yet you agree with pp front pagers being silent in response to race baiting by jimmy carter.
if i have your position straight, it is ok for an ex-president to race bait but not a radio talk show host (even though i don’t agree that rush race baited since you took the quote out of context).
Three Jack
By you making excuses for Rush only demonstrates the problem. If you cannot see the issue I truly feel sorry for you and people like you on both sides who embrace hate over what is best for our country!
Full disclosure:
But, had I continued with the “fictional scenario” I would have said I’d been victimized by the “Manuel’s Tavern crowd” (mostly white) since I’m not into magnifying this racial tension. As for Rush’s video of “Obama’s America” as a small “l” Libertarian I’m not going to condemn this but of course I’ve already distanced myself from Rush and Sean. We’ve got cameras everywhere now and interracial violence isn’t hard to find. And it’s been going on long before “Obama’s America” as this video demonstrates.
I’ve never really been kicked or spit on by angry Obama supporters.
http://tectonicforces.blogspot.com/2008/06/interracial-violence.html
Three Jack
Do you really want to be associated with people who make comments like this? “Tea Party” Leader Melts Down On CNN: Obama Is An “Indonesian Muslim Turned Welfare Thug”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fymdNxn82M&feature=player_embedded
This is from conservative blog Little Green Footballs!
Tea Party Leader Mark Williams: Hoist With His Own Petard
…The amazing thing is that even when his own blatantly racist, bigoted remarks are brought up and thrown in his face, he doesn’t say something like, “OK, maybe that was a little over the top, but we need to focus on the real issues… yadda yadda.” You know, the kind of political spinning almost everyone knows how to do these days.
Nope. He proudly stands by his “sekrit Moslem welfare thug” rant, and refuses to back down….
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/34671_Tea_Party_Leader_Mark_Williams-_Hoist_With_His_Own_Petard
As I said most Republicans I have met are not racist but it would be hypocritical not to call out people who step way over the line!
so i take it i have stated your position correctly. thanks konop.
Three Jack
The difference between us is I have called out people on both sides even if I agree with them on the issue. You on the other hand cover for people you support no matter what they do or say.
Also I have many friends I respect and I like even if I disagree with them on issues. In fact many of us go out have beers and debate issues while nobody taking it personal. Also I have had many people change my mind on issues after listening to them.
In my business I surround myself with people who challenge me not blindly follow me. One of the biggest reasons a small business fails is the owner believing your own BS! Think about it!
I look at our country as one country not us verse them.
icarus, i based my post on the original explanation provided by buzz which is different than yours. he stated his belief that once one is called a racist, there is no defense. i disagree and believe one must defend oneself when such accusations are made, especially if the accusation is coming from a wackjob like carter.
You think Jesse Jackson worries about being called a “racist” by wackjobs on the right?
I don’t think Jesse cares a fig about being called a racist from the right but he never has to worry about being called a racist from the democrats. He may be a racist but he is their racist.
But that wasn’t Three Jack’s concern, was it?
one must defend oneself when such accusations are made, especially if the accusation is coming from a wackjob like carter.
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