Well, this is eerie. I’m going through the lastest columns to move on the wire, looking for something acceptable for the Tuesday op-ed page, and I run across this one from Kevin Ferris of The Philadelphia Inquirer, headlined "Don’t cry racism if Obama loses," which is weirdly like my Sunday column. An excerpt:
Last month, one of our two major political parties nominated an African American as its candidate for president of the United States.
Historic progress to be celebrated?
Apparently not. A few weeks and polls later, and some are already bemoaning the rampant racism that might keep a black man from ascending to the presidency.
Hey, Barack Obama could not have clinched the nomination without votes from white Americans. The other party isn’t supposed to just concede the election based on skin color. Voters shouldn’t have to choose based on race when they disagree on issues or believe a candidate isn’t up to the job.
But expect to see the bemoaners looking to the heavens and saying, "We’re not ready."
Baloney. Maybe it’s Obama who’s not ready and the people who recognize that – men and women, whites and blacks, Hispanics and Asians – are just fine.
So maybe I’m not totally crazy, huh? Or maybe this Ferris guy is.
In any case, I have never met or previously worked with Mr. Ferris, near as I can recall.
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Brad:
Are you so sold out to McCain that you want to help his campaign and his allies make this campaign to be about race? If it becomes largely about race, McCain wins. If it is about even the nebulous, fuzzy policies and promises that McCain is pushing, McCain loses. I remember your fond hopes for GW Bush, and even your belief that Dick Cheney would be more of a help than a problem. You were wrong then, and you are wrong now.
Actually, Ferris’s column sounds almost the opposite of yours, Mr. Warthen.
It’s a big jump from “Baloney. Maybe it’s Obama who’s not ready and the people who recognize that – men and women, whites and blacks, Hispanics and Asians – are just fine” to “I find myself close to despair that mutual understanding can be achieved. Particularly if Barack Obama loses the election.”
Your column is laden with sympathy for Darby; Ferris’s column questions why nobody cried racism when black Republicans like Lynn Swann lost elections.
And here’s the truth: It was Obama’s election to lose a couple of months ago, and, beginning with his trip to Europe and almost without fail since then, he and his campaign have made one mistake after another, so he’s well on his way to blowing what should have been a cakewalk.
And the only thing race has to do with it is that one occasion when HE brought it up.
p.m. I couldn’t disagree more. Obama hasn’t made mistakes it’s simply another example of the media pushing this nonsense that McCain is a maverick. Why they do it is the real question. John McCain’s gaffs, miscues, associated with the evil Phil Gramm, mean-spirited ads, unconsciounable VP pick and all the rest are just glossed over by the fawning press corp. It’s a replay of the last 2 elections really. And what did we end up with? Record budget deficits, 2 endless wars, worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, declining wages, $4.30/gasoline, slowest job growth rate since the great depression. And the failures go on. Yet all the press seems to want to talk about is this out-of-touch VP candidate who doesn’t even know what the Bush Doctrain is? We’re looking at 4 more years of the same failed policies. Yet all we hear about is this damn Palin woman. It’s quite disgusting really.
Why does The State keep getting rid of quality journalists and keeping hacks like you around. You’re a shame to the profession.
bud, you and your ilk. Even Obama said ‘Palin is more like Bush than McCain and a couple other VP candidates were’. So, she must be lying if she says she doesn’t know what the Bush doctrine is. Damned is she does, damned if she doesn’t. I hear the wheels on the mighty Obama machine falling off.
The Bush Doctrain, bud? Is that a physician in a Pullman or what?
It’s a simple election, really. Socialism vs. capitalism. Welfare checks vs. hunting rifles. Forager vs. farmer.
Sorry, but Obama is just a big mistake waiting to happen.
You cannot blame President Bush for the bad economy (if its bad).The Pesident does not pass laws or appropriate funds. Congress does that. The US Crongress has been controlled by the Democrats for almost two years now. And also, the Democrats are totally responsible for the high cost of gasoline.
P.M. we kind of agree. This election is simple.
world peace vs. endless war
high and growing wages vs. stagnant worker payrolls
employed workers vs. layoffs and high unemployment
balanced budgets vs. endless deficit spending
And the list goes on. This “Rush Limbaugh/Sean Hannity” socialist/communist smokescreen is one of the diversions used by the blathering talk radio idiots to divert attention away from the real issues. Heaven only knows this nonsense has worked before so keep on trying it. It’s sort of like a football team who continues to run a fake punt successfully for a first down over and over again. Unless the gullible defense learns to defend against it the other team will continue to run fake punts.
Instead of a punt the GOP throws out this fake claim that the dems are socialists. Until the gullible voters learn it’s a fake the GOP will continue to vote for the party of high deficits, low wages and endless war. This may be the election when the public catches on. Let’s hope so.
Bud-
You continue to under estimate the intelligence of the bloggers on this site.
World Peace?
Yesterday Mr. “O” said that McCain will not debate him on the issues, but rather spins tall tales to distract the voters. But in truth it is Mr. “O” who will not debate; McCain has challenged him to a series of town hall style debates, which Mr. “O” declined to participate in, preferring the media sponsored forums, which provide little opportunity for true debate.
If “O” is truly the messiah, why would he decline to debate? Surely a man who can lower sea levels can out reason a crippled old man.
Race is not the issue, it will be the excuse when he loses. His lack of substance is the reason people are deserting him.
I’m happy to say that in this case, Rev. Darby will be proven wrong, because Obama will be elected President. That will kind of put the kibosh on this whole discussion, won’t it?
Socialized medicine IS socialist.
Socialized schools ARE socialist.
Proposing to seize control of the oil companies, as many Democrats have, IS socialist.
Disarming honest citizens with “gun control” IS socialist.
The graduated income tax for redistribution of wealth IS socialist – right out of Karl Marx’s books.
Welfare is socialist.
Social Security, being welfare, is socialist.
Public housing IS socialist.
Anyone who supports the above agendas IS a socialist.
As long as it is congress business as usual who cares which of the oligarchic political clans have control of the purse strings:
They all cheat, steal, lie and connive to milk the public treasury for their personal wealth.
But now the obamaoid appears and has the black separatist, black panther anti American, radical socialist critical legal theorist lawyer, born to a white woman, raised by white people, given free education by whites,
now is the Mr. Black Man Of America, after living in Indonesia and being adopted by an Indonesian.
Mr obama is a member of the Kenyan Luo tribe, slave sellers, and his mother of Kansas was a slave owner family.
White people with the slick sickiness of the obama jiving are called snake oil salesmen.
The obamaoid main squeeze was a sociology major and african american studies minor. Pure affirmative action guaranteed easy sailing degrees for the melanin blessed.
That’s because you have been obcessed with “race” since your battle to remove the Confederate Flag from the Statehouse.
You see race in everything and that is why the “State” employs you because they do to. Mr. Gonzalez, the founder, would toss the bunch of you out !!!!
Has anyone seen the Obama Waffles campaign. Now that’s racist. Apparently Lou Dobbs bought some. by
By Amy Weiss
At the Values Voters Summit in D.C. last weekend, Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss were selling boxes of “Obama Waffles” for $10 per box. The box of waffle mix features a caricature of Obama reminiscent of stereotypical racist cartoons. The Family Research Council (FRC), the group that runs the conference, stopped the selling of the waffles and said they didn’t realize before that they contained “offensive material.”
The AP describes the waffles:
While Obama Waffles takes aim at Obama’s politics by poking fun at his public remarks and positions on issues, it also plays off the old image of the pancake-mix icon Aunt Jemima, which has been widely criticized as a demeaning stereotype. Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly.
Placing Obama in Arab-like headdress recalls the false rumor that he is a follower of Islam, though he is actually a Christian.
On the back of the box, Obama is depicted in stereotypical Mexican dress, including a sombrero, above a recipe for “Open Border Fiesta Waffles” that says it can serve “4 or more illegal aliens.” The recipe includes a tip: “While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language?”
The novelty item also takes shots at 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, Obama’s wife, Michelle, and Obama’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.