Anyone with half a brain would’ve thought that Newt Gingrich and other racial flamethrowers would’ve softened their rhetoric for the
MLK holiday. Sorry. No dice.
Republican attendees of last night’s FOX debate were seething with delight when Gingrich refused to soften his claim that Obama was a “food stamp” president, and worked themselves into a frenzied mess when Gingrich offhandedly dismissed Juan Williams’ question about poor black kids who lack work ethic.And seeing as how Juan Williams is a right of center guy himself, this wasn’t about the ‘liberal’ media or unfair questions.
This was, again, an opportunity to clear the air and throw down the gauntlet; lazy black people are the problem. It’s not about entitlements. Never has been. It’s about reserving entitlements for white people.
For the Republican running closest to Mitt Romney in the South Carolina primaries, the problem is mostly “the blacks” and often “the Mexicans”. And without either of these demographics in the entitlement conversation, you’re insulting the chastity and of honor of single white moms who *gasp* are also on welfare. You’re insulting all those good redneck folks who live in trailer homes and *gasp* have taken advantage of the system to meet their needs. Without “the blacks” in the conversation, you’re engaging entitlements from a purely intellectual posture instead of muddying up a problem that, once stripped of all its racial animus, stands a good chance at being solved.
We’re in the middle of the greatest downturn since the Great Depression, engineered mostly by the clever and cunning miscreants on Wall St., and all Republicans can say is: “Look! There goes a Negro with a welfare check!”
This is not an answer to a serious problem. It’s a distraction. A distraction that much of right wing America buys into because they feel entitled. They feel that they shouldn’t be forced to compete against a Mexican or help provide a safety net for a black person. Don’t forget, this is their country, and they want it back. You’re more than free to work for them here in America, as long as their lives are made easier by your existence. But the minute these folks are forced to compete based on merit, or contribute to a system from which all people benefit - game over.
This brings me back to my own conundrum, back to why I’ve fallen out of step with American politics. I find this strain of gamesmanship and race pandering particularly off-putting. I find myself wanting to protect me and the people I care about from overtly racist (and therefore dangerous) people like Newt, while also shielding myself from politicians, like say Romney or Obama, who are too hollow to do anything but be bullied by the Newts of the world. Deciding whether to vote for the bully or the kid who gets his lunch money taken isn’t exactly a glowing endorsement of American politics.
Yvette Carnell is a former Capitol Hill and campaign staffer turned writer. She is currently an editor and contributor to Yourblackworld.
