Injecting Race into Politics

One of the tactics of the Left when it comes to discrediting someone who doesn't agree with their viewpoint is by injecting race into politics or race-baiting. In other words, if a conservative in the news media or politician doesn't agree with President Obama's policies as president then the Left will refer to those in opposition as racists. That's an old trick that's been used from the liberal playbook for years. Last Wednesday September 9, 2009, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouted out "You lie!" when President Obama was giving a speech about healthcare before both houses of Congress. He was ridiculed for making that statement and the House this past week expressed their displeasure at Wilson's statement.

This past Tuesday former president Jimmy Carter used race-baiting when commenting on Wilson's "loud" remark towards Obama last Wednesday. Carter said Wilson's outburst to Obama last week was an act based on "racism". Carter also said Wilson's comment was "dastardly" and the president should be treated with respect. Here's an ignorant statement Carter made. He said that Wilson's comment was part of an inherent "feeling" of some in this country who feel that a black man shouldn't be president. Has Jimmy Carter been traveling all over the country hearing people make statements that no black man is qualified to be president? What proof does Carter have that Wilson was making a racist statement? Is it because of the state in which he lives? It's true that South Carolina was a slave state during the Antebellum days of the South as well as it was once a part of the confederacy. However, you can't imply that by the state that Wilson represents makes him a racist. Nor is the fact that Carter is from Georgia makes Carter a racist. It's foolish that Carter played the same tactic that civil rights leaders such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton love to use. It's preposterous.

Making charges of racism is wrong when there's no kind of facts to uphold the charge. Some of the Senate Democrats such as Dick Durbin (Illinois) and Jim Webb (Virginia) as well as White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs have distanced themselves from Carter's statements. They know what kind of mood the country is in right now towards Obama's radical socialist policies. These Democrats in the Senate know that Carter's racial allegation isn't going to fly with the American people at this time. It's infuriating how the Left will use that race-baiting tactic to marginalize someone. All these charges of racism are polarizing the country. It's hard to express a thought about a particular minority or some issue without being labeled "racist". Carter is playing into that race card game.

Many liberals and Democrats spoke out strongly against former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin when she was on the presidential ticket with Senator John McCain last year. She received an assortment of attacks from liberals. What if conservatives made the allegation that the reason why liberals oppose her because she's a woman? That would be foolish! That's the same thing when the liberals will label someone a racist because they oppose President Obama's policies. I can remember back in 1991 when former President George H.W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas for the position of Supreme Court Justice. I can remember the onslaught of attacks that were directed toward him by many liberals, both black and white. What if the conservatives had called Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden, and Patrick Leahy a racist for opposing Thomas? That racist charge could have been leveled towards white liberals during that time. If this country was as racist as a whole like some civil rights leaders would like to think, then Obama wouldn't have been elected last year as president. I believe that the average American as a whole view people as people and don't allow race to play a huge role in electing candidates. There are exceptions to the rule. There are a few people in different places that wouldn't vote for a black person. But I believe that's the exception. From everything I've been hearing in the news about these town hall meetings and the frustration many of the people have had towards Obama, it isn't about race--it's about his socialist policies that will bring American down the slippery slope to destruction. Many voters aren't just upset over Obama's policies--they are opposed to both houses of Congress as a whole. IT'S ABOUT ISSUES! EVERYTHING'S NOT ABOUT RACE!

I can remember some past instances of race-baiting such as the 1988 commercial then Vice-President George H.W. Bush aired on television on Willie Horton. Willie Horton was a black criminal who was sentenced for life without parole from Massachusetts (Bush's opponent Michael Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts at the time) who was allowed weekend furloughs. The point Bush was making was that then Governor Michael Dukakis was soft on crime. Jesse Jackson and many civil rights activists called that racism. They were stating Bush was making an issue of race. Back in 1980 then presidential candidate Ronald Reagan was campaigning in Philadelphia, Mississippi in 1980 giving a speech on state's rights. Anybody that remembers their history knows that during the slave days in the South many of those that supported the institution of slavery for example, believed in state's rights. However, state's rights during slave days wasn't all about slavery. It went much deeper. However, many liberal pundits will try to make people that don't know their history believe that state's rights was about slavery when in actuality that wasn't true. Many liberals made an issue of Reagan's speech. There was the case in the 1990 Senatorial race in North Carolina between Jesse Helms a conservative Republican, and Harvey Gantt a black, liberal Democrat. Helms aired an ad that stated that Gantt believed in racial quotas. Many civil rights leaders used that ad to say that Helms was making a racist statement. I'm not going to argue the point about the accuracy of that ad but I will say I don't doubt there are some on the Right that engage in race-baiting as well. However, race-baiting is used by the Left far more than the Right.

The Left will engage in race-baiting to marginalize media figures or certain politicians as a means to gain support for their agenda as well as a means to push their agenda through. I'm sick and tired of seeing race being injected into politics. It's infuriating you can't oppose a minority because of their policies without being labeled a racist. I believe most of the opposition that Obama faces is due to his policies--not his race. He knows that as well. It's time we rise above race-baiting and force those civil rights leaders such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton or anyone else that hurls a racist accusation to give evidence to support their accusation. Jackson, Sharpton, any media figure, or any politician shouldn't be hurling racist accusations in public unless they can grant evidence to support their claim. If I was to sue someone and drag them into court I would have to supply proof of evidence before the witness stand that the defendent was guilty of what I was accusing them of. Let's end all this race-baiting once and for all. If you don't have any proof of evidence to support a racist allegation, then keep your mouth shut!