Coded Racism?
The Washington Post points out that many people are seeing an undercurrent of racism coming from the Clinton camp aimed at Barack Obama. There are some very unhappy people as a result of this.
It has unfolded mostly under the radar. But an important development in the 2008 Democratic battle may be the building backlash among African Americans over comments from associates of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton that could be construed as jabs at Sen. Barack Obama's race.
These officials, including Clinton aides and prominent surrogates, have raised questions or dropped references about Obama's position on sentencing guidelines for crack vs. powder cocaine offenses; on his handgun control record; and on his admitted use of drugs as a youth. The context was always Obama's "electability." But the Illinois senator's campaign advisers said some African American leaders detect a pattern, and they believe it could erode Clinton's strong base of black support.
They have examples of the reactions – people are not amused by this. There is also an undercurrent of a soft racism at work. Those who argue that Obama should not be nominated because people might choose to vote against him because of his race are in that camp. In effect, they are projecting their own feelings onto others and hiding their real objections this way. You have to wonder whether it is these perceived coded racial attacks that are the real cause of the steady erosion in Clinton's support.
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Blue Crab Boulevard » The Uncoded Racism They’d Like You To Forget — December 24, 2007 @ 8:31 am
By Rich Horton, December 23, 2007 @ 3:47 pm
Isn’t any attack against Obama gonna be the “attack against the black guy”? And, of course, they only detect it in the front running Clinton. Interesting how that worked out so nicely for Obama and Co.
By Mwalimu Daudi, December 23, 2007 @ 3:52 pm
Just what planet do the writers and editors of the Washington Post live on? Race and ethnic baiting have been Democrat Party staples for many decades. The attacks on Condi Rice and Colin Powell come to mind, as well as the black-man-as-sex-fiend insinuations against Clarence Thomas. William Jefferson Clinton, the “first black president”, was perhaps the most skillful of all Democrats at appealing to the filthiest racial fears of voters. And the recent “immigration reform” fiasco comes to mind, where Democrats and the MSM tried to portray opponents of amnesty as white-robed cross-burning KKKers.
Could it be that the Washington Post is upset because their pet Barak Obama is the one being fitted for a noose by Clinton Inc.? You can bet that the Washington Post and the rest of the MSM will suddenly start singing hosannas to Hillary if she wins the nomination – and ignore the racist mudslinging so long as it is Republicans who are the targets.
By Quilly Mammoth, December 23, 2007 @ 10:22 pm
The racial slurs against Michael Steele were virtually unreported, from handing out Oreo cookies to photoshopping the man as a minstrel the Maryland Democrat Party never failed to racially attack the man.
I find little sorrow for Democrats who now bristle when it is _their_ turn to get tarred with the same brush they gleefully watched others getting painted with.