Obama and Racism

I, for one, am tired of being called a racist. You will notice that any time a white conservative disagrees with Obama or any minority, he is a "racist". It doesn't matter if the disagreement is legitimately over policy or statements. To me, this tells more about the liberals than the conservatives. They are the ones quick to judge based upon skin color or ideology.

We have been hearing over and over through the health care debate that the reason people disagree with Obama's plans is because of deep-seated racism. Chris Matthews, Kai Wright, Contessa Brewer and more are throwing the race card down like it's the winning hand (1).

And now we have Jimmy Carter weighing in. "I think people who are guilty of that kind of personal attack against Obama have been influenced to a major degree by a belief that he should not be president because he happens to be African American.

"It's a racist attitude, and my hope is and my expectation is that in the future both Democratic leaders and Republican leaders will take the initiative in condemning that kind of unprecedented attack on the president of the United States," Carter said (2).

"No one wants to be called a racist," said Democratic strategist Jehmu Greene. "These right-wing groups are convincing people that Democrats and anyone who supports Obama will be called a racist if they speak out" in opposition. "They are trying to draw a racial line in the sand. They are playing the race card to oppose Obama's policies by preemptively saying that he is playing the race card." (3)

Let's not forget the election, okay, folks? According to Wikipedia, "white alone" as a demographic makes up 74% of the U.S. population (4). Obama would not have been elected if whites were racist.

But here's the truth. "What Democrats are trying to do is shame white independents, who voted for President Obama in 2008 but are now uneasy about his policies, into supporting these policies to prove they are not racist," said Republican pollster and strategist David E. Johnson, who worked on Bob Dole's 1988 presidential campaign (5).

Obama, to his credit (wow, I can't believe I wrote that!), has distanced himself from Carter and those who say opposition to him is race-based. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Wednesday that the president does not believe the criticism of his policies are based on the color of his skin. (6)

Americans aren't buying the BS, either. Only 12% believe opponents' motivations are race-based (7).

Obama has the chance to turn this into a good debate. He needs to call off his dogs on the left and encourage true, honest, open debate. Says Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, "I think it colors, if you look, this debate on health care, in a very unfortunate way," he said. "It diminishes real instances of racism that still exists in this country."

Steele called on Obama to "shut this part of the conversation down."

"If we're going to be having a conversation on health care and energy policy, we do not want to be tainted by race. The president has an opportunity to correct former President Carter and to move us beyond this particular ugly spot." (8)

This whole debate, and the fact that people are turning to racism to combat it, shows why we won't have open, honest debate on any issue. Liberals have to call names because they know their ideas don't hold up under scrutiny.
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1. Campbell, Dave (2009, August 7). "Americans Attacked By the Media and Their Own Government". Common Sense Times.
Retrieved September 17, 2009, from CommonSenseTimes

2. "Carter again cites racism as factor in Obama's treatment" (2009, September 17). CNN.
Retrieved September 17, 2009, from CNN.com

3. Clark, Stephen (2009, September 16). "Race Issue Lingers Over Health Care Debate, With Possible Political Consequences". Fox News.
Retrieved September 17, 2009, from FoxNews.com

4. "Demographics of the United States". (2009, September 12). Wikipedia.
Retrieved September 17, 2009, from Wikipedia.com

5. Clark, Stephen (2009, September 16). "Race Issue Lingers Over Health Care Debate, With Possible Political Consequences". Fox News.
Retrieved September 17, 2009, from FoxNews.com

6. Clark, Stephen (2009, September 16). "Race Issue Lingers Over Health Care Debate, With Possible Political Consequences". Fox News.
Retrieved September 17, 2009, from FoxNews.com

7. "12% Say Most Opponents of Obama Health Care Plan Are Racist" (2009, September 16). Rasmussen Reports.
Retrieved September 17, 2009, from RasmussenReports.com

8. Clark, Stephen (2009, September 16). "Race Issue Lingers Over Health Care Debate, With Possible Political Consequences". Fox News.
Retrieved September 17, 2009, from FoxNews.com