Right Plays the Race Card | People For the American Way

Right Plays the Race Card | People For the American Way

RIGHT WING LEADERS FOMENT RACIAL RESENTMENT AND POINT FINGERS TO AVOID ACCOUNTABILITY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Inntroduction
• The Political Use of Racial Resentment
• The Sotomayor Nomination
• A consistent line of attack
• Health care reform
• Blaming the Black Church for the Obama 'Curse'
• Other race or race-coded strategies from the Right
• Other Racial Politics on the Right
• Real Dangers
• Conclusion

Introduction

Right-wing pundits and political leaders committed to the destruction of the Obama presidency have been openly fomenting racial resentment or tolerating those who do. In one breath, they accuse President Obama of being racist and in the next they and their media allies howl with indignation if their own racial rhetoric is challenged. Among their charges: that President Obama hates "white culture" and that his health care reform efforts are a backdoor means to reparations for slavery that will "enslave" doctors and put the "racial grievance industry" in charge of emergency rooms.

Race-baiting pundits try to insulate themselves by falsely claiming that liberals play the "race card" to equate any criticism of the Obama administration with racism. In fact, this charge is itself an example of inflaming racial resentments for political gain. In other words, crying "You can't even criticize Obama without being called a racist" is just one more way to suggest that white conservatives are being oppressed.

At the same time, Religious Right leaders insist that Obama's election has put the nation under a "curse" and ask Black Christians to repent for putting "race over God."

It is imperative that political, media, and cultural leaders be willing to hold public figures accountable for destructive rhetoric while not allowing right-wing racial arsonists to divert energy and focus from the administration's legislative agenda. The most important question is not whether a particular pundit or politician harbors racist feelings; it is whether they are fomenting and inflaming racial resentment as a political strategy without concern for the destructive and dangerous consequences. That political behavior can and must be challenged without getting stuck in "is he or isn't he" arguments. ...